Владимир Аракин - Практический курс английского языка 1 курс

actresses. As a rule, the plays are magnificently staged — costumes, dresses,

scenery, everything being done on the most lavish scale. Choose a good play,

and you'll enjoy yourself thoroughly from the moment the curtain goes up to the

end of the last act. Get your seat beforehand, either at the box-office of the

theatre itself or at one of the agencies. When you go to a theatre, you'll probably

want to sit as near to the stage as possible. But if you're at the cinema, you may

prefer to sit some distance from the screen. In fact, I would say, the further away,

the better.

27. Read the following sentences. Observe the intonation of enumeration:

1. Presently the maid brings in tea on a trolley: a pot of tea, cups and saucers,

hot water, a jug of milk, and sugar; also sandwiches, bread and butter, jam, and

cakes. 2. Mary has laid the table in the usual way, and has put the right number

of knives, forks, spoons and glasses for each person. 3. There's also pepper and

salt, oil and vinegar and mustard. 4. On the sideboard the Browns usually have a

bowl of fruit: apples, pears, plums, cherries, grapes, oranges or bananas

according to the season. 5.1 get out of bed, put on my dressing-gown and

slippers and go into the bathroom. 6. On the dressing table, in front of the

looking-glass, you'll see a hair-brush and a comb, a hand-mirror, a bottle of

scents and a powder-box. 7. In all large towns there are plenty of restaurants,

cafes, tea-rooms, and inns or public-houses.

8. One of the people in the picture is buying postage-stamps, another is

registering a letter, the third is writing out a cable.

28. Read the text:

My brother and his wife have just gone back to their home in the country

after spending a week with us. As we live in London, they were glad of the

chance to visit as many theatres and music-halls as they could. They have a good

cinema in the little town where they live, so they didn't want to see any films

while they were here, but were very keen to see as many plays as possible.

During the day, my wife and sister-in-law used to visit the shops, and one

afternoon they went to a picture-gallery. Then in the evenings, we would all meet

for dinner and go on to a play.

We saw several plays, including two new ones, with two very promising

young actresses. When I was younger, Iused to go to the theatre a lot. I used to

queue up for a seat in the gallery in those days. I must say Ienjoy being able to

have a good seat in the stalls now, and I like to book the seats beforehand to save

trouble.

We saw a very good review too. The music and costumes were most

attractive. The last evening before our visitors had to go home, we saw a musical

comedy. I am not very fond of these myself, as a rule, but I thoroughly enjoyed

this one. We were all rather tired, I think, and it made a change from the serious

drama that we'd seen the night before.

29. *" This exercise is meant to develop your ability to hear and re-

produce intonation in proper speech situations, a) Listen to the dialogue "At

the Theatre" sentence by sentence. Write it down. Mark the stresses and

tunes. Practise reading each sentence after the cassette-recorder, b) Record

your reading. Play the recording back immediately for your teacher and fel-

low-students to detect your possible errors. Practise the dialogue for test

reading, memorize and dramatize it. c) Give conversational situations with

the phrases below:

1. Have you got (any seats for tomorrow) ? 2. They'll do very well, thank

you. 3. May I see your (tickets), please? 4. This way, please. 5. Yes, please. 6.

The (play) isn't over till (half past five). 7. What did you think of (it) ? 8.1

thought it was splendid. 9. The whole thing was first-rate from beginning to end.

10. How much (is that) ? 11. Shall I (bring you some tea, sir) ? 12. Neither have

I.

30.

Make up a conversation with a fellow-student using any phrases from the dialogue

**At the Theatre".

31.

This exercise is meant to develop your ability to reproduce the text with correct

intonation, a) Listen to the joke "The Bell-Boy" sentence by sentence. Write it down. Mark

the stresses and tunes. Practise the joke for test reading, b) Listen to the narration of the joke.

Observe the peculiarities in intonation-group division, pitch, stress and tempo. Note the use

of temporizers. Retell the joke according to the model you have listened to.

32.

Read the jokes silently to make sure you understand each sentence. Find the main

sentence in the text. Split up each sentence intonation-groups if necessary. Mark the stresses

and tunes. Underline the communicative centre and the nuclear word of each intonation-

group. It is not expected that each student will intone the text in the same way. Your teacher

will help you to correct your variant. Practise reading the jokes several times. Retell the jokes

following the model above (See Ex. 31):

A man was at a theatre. He was sitting behind two women whose continuous

chatter became more than he could bear. Leaning forward he said to one of them:

"Pardon me, madam, I can't hear."

"You are not supposed to — this is a private conversation," she answered.

Too Great a Majority

George Bernard Shaw's gift of ready wit is well illustrated by the story of

how he turned the laugh against a member of the public who was expressing

disapproval of one of his plays.

It was the first night of "Arms and the Man", a play which had an enthusiastic

reception from a crowded house. When the curtain fell at the end of the last act

there was tremendous applause, accompanied by insistent calls for the author to

appear. One man in the gallery, however, kept up a string of catcalls and

whistling, thus expressing his disapproval.

Shaw appeared before the curtain and waited in silence until the applause had

died down. Then, looking up at the hostile critic, he said:

"I quite agree with you, sir, but what can we two do against all these people?"

Section Thirteen

Intonation Pattern VIII

(LOW PRE-HEAD + ) LOW HEAD + LOW RISE ( + TAIL)

Model: He says he'll never speak to me again.

He „doesn't Mreally ,mean it.

Stress-and-tone marks in the text: a stressed syllable of the low head: | H |

In the usual form of the low head, all the syllables contained in it are said on

the same, rather low pitch. This intonation pattern is used:

1. I n s t a t e m e n t s , encouraging further conversation; reprovingly

critical, guarded, reserving judgement, appealing to the listener to change his

attitude.

e. gr. Гш just back from seeing my mother. I , .trust you ,,found her ,well.

—

Take no notice of him. We must „do as he ,says.

2.1n q u e s t i o n s : h

a) s p e c i a l q u e s t i o n s , calm, but very disapproving'.

e. gr. I don't agree. „Why ,not?

—

b) g e n e r a l q u e s t i o n s , expressing disapproval, scepticism.

e. g. I'm sorry, Mummy. — MAre you, really sorry?

3. I n i m p e r a t i v e s , reprovingly critical, resentful.

e.g. He'll let me have it by Monday. ,.Don't be „too ,sure.

—

4. I n e x c l a m a t i o n s ; calm, reserving judgement, expressing casual

acknowledgement.

e. gr. You can have it if you like. — ,.Thanks very /much.

1 . a)* Listen carefully to the following conversational situations. Concentrate your

attention on the intonation of the replies:

Verbal Context

Drill

How much did you win? I've got odd socks on. I feel terrible about it.

What's your opinion of his work? I'm

S t a t e m e n t s

told you refused his offer. Will you be

(encouraging further

calling again? Can I have another apple? cdptversation, ' reprovingly

He's nice, isn't he?

critical guarded, reserving

judgement)

It's not bad. That's quite right. It's quite possible. Well, I don't know. So I'm

told. So they say. We shall see.

About a thousand pounds. No one'll notice. You've nothing to reproach

yourself about. I trust you found her well.

I hope you had a good game.

I'm just back from seeing my mother.

I've just been playing badminton.

You were rather harsh with him. I'll give you a jolly good hiding. Please don't

do that. Harry's just arrived.

I'd like a new hat.

I thought she was in France.

Let's talk to him on the phone.

S p e c i a l q u e s t i o n s (calm, but very disapproving)

Well, what of it?

And who'll help you?

And why shouldn'11 ?

Who on earth told him to

come?

Who's going to pay for it? Where did you get that idea from?

What makes you think that will do any good?

G e n e r a l q u e s t i o n s

I'd no idea how to get there. The bus is at five I'm told. He's not good enough,

I tell you. We must get on with it now.

He says he'll never speak to me again.

I've asked Mary but she hasn't any.