1. He had not been here five minutes when __ vivid flash of lightning was followed by __ loud peal of thunder, that crashed and rolled away in __ distance with terrific noise; then came another flash of lightning brighter than __ other, and __ second peal of thunder, louder than __ first. (Dickens)2. Sedov died on his way to __ North Pole. Most of __ members of his expedition died too. __ Soviet Government built __ Arctic station at __ place where Sedov died, and from that station another expedition, this time __ Soviet expedition, went to — North and set — Soviet flag over __ North Pole. 3. Glinka was born in 1804. His uncle had __ orchestra of his own. Very often __ boy would take up __ violon and try to repeat __ notes and rhythm of __ music he had heard. In 1818 __ Glinkas went to St. Petersburg, where Mikhail was placed in __ boarding school at __ St. Petersburg Central Pedagogical Institute. In 1830 Glinka went to Italy, where he stayed for __ number of years. However, it was St. Petersburg that was __ Glinka's home for __ greater part of his life. __ St. Petersburg of Pushkin played __ great part in. __ Glinka's life. — man and __ human soul are expressed in __ Glinka's music with __ deep sincerity and understanding. (Soviet Literature) 4. She [Lillian] was s]ightly taller than he... and shapely, artistic in __. form and __ feature. Her hair was __ colour of — dried English walnut and her complexion waxen, with __ lips of faint pink and eyes that varied from gray to blue and from gray to brown according to. __ light in which you saw them. Her beauty measured up to his present sense of __ artistic. (Dreiser)5. There were __ number of young women who were very friendly to her, but there were _ few with whom she was really intimate. __ only person who stood out in her mind was __ certain Mary Calligan... who had attended __ school with Aileen in former years and was now __ teacher in one of __ local schools. (Dreiser)6. Dick Stroeve, giving up his work entirely, nursed Strickland with __ tenderness and __ sympathy. He was dexterous to make him comfortable, and he exercised — cunning of which I should never have thought him capable to induce him to take _ medicine prescribed by __ doctor. I shall never forget __ tactful patience with which he persuaded him to take — nourishment. (Maugham) 7. __ reddish, fitful light was coming from __ window above. Great God! His picture gallery! He ran to — foot of __ stairs that led up to it. __ stealthy sound, __ scent of burning much more emphatic, staggered him. He hurried up __ stairs and pulled open __ door. Heavens! __ far end of __ gallery, at __ extreme left comer of __ house, was on fire. (Galsworthy)8. Rosa knocked several times without getting any answer and had stepped back tin to __ pavement to look up at __ closely curtained windows when __ door opened very quietly to __ gap of __ few inches and с __ pale face peered out. Rosa sprang forwards with such __ alacrity that __ owner of, __ face immediately shut __ door again, and Rosa could hear __ chain being fixed. With this additional safeguard __ door opened once more to __ narrow slit and Rosa could see one pale blue eye looking out at her. (Murdoch)9. But though so bad __ painter he had __ very delicate feeling for __ art, and to go with him to __ picture galleries was __ rare treat. I think 1 have never known __ man whose judgement was surer. And he was better educated than __ most painters. He was not ignorant of __ kindred arts, and his taste for __ music and __ literature gave __ depth and variety to his comprehension of __ painting. To __ young man like myself his advice and guidance was of __ incomparable value. (Maugham)10. __ Volterras had __ six-room apartment with __ hall which was like __ cord holding all '. __ small rooms together. __ kitchen was nearest to __ front door, then came three bedrooms, and __ bath, __ dining room, and, at __ far end, __ living room. Despite __ smallness of __ rooms, they had __ neat cosy quality that gave Erik __ comfortable feeling. (Wilson) 11. Mrs. Pryor looked round her, and spoke of __ neighbourhood as she had once before seen it long ago. She... compared its aspect with that of other parts of England: revealing in quiet, unconscious touches of description __ sense of __ picturesque, __ appreciation of __ beautiful or __ commonplace, __ power of comparing __ wild with __ cultured... that gave to her discourse — graphic charm as pleasant as it was unpretending. (Ch. Bronte)12. They found themselves in __ matted hall, lined almost to __ ceiling with __ pictures; through this they were conducted to __ large parlour, with __ magnificent fire in __ grate; __ most cheerful of rooms it appeared as _ whole, and when you came to examine details, __ enlivening effect was not diminished. There was no splendour, but there was __ taste everywhere, __ taste, you would have said, of __ travelled man, __ scholar, and __ gentleman. __ series of Italian views decked __ walls; each of them was __ specimen of __ true art; __ connoisseur had selected them. (Ch. Bronte)13. Mrs. Dubedut is __ arrestingly good-looking young woman. She has something of __ grace and romance of __ wild creature, with __ good deal of __ elegance and dignity of __ fine lady. She has __ figure on which any dress would look well, and carries herself with — unaffected distinction of __ woman who has never in her life suffered from those doubts and fears as to her social position which spoil __ mannens of __ most middling people. (Shaw)14. "I know," said Darnay, "that between you and Miss Manette there is __ affection so unusual, so touching, so belonging to __ circumstances in which it has been nurtured, that it can have __ few parallels, even in __ tenderness between __ father and __ child." (Dickens)15. It is hard that __ man's exterior should tally so little sometimes with his soul. Dirk Stroeve had __ passion of Romeo in __ body of Sir Toby Belch. He had __ sweet and generous nature, and yet was always blundering; __ real feeling for what was beautiful and __ capacity to create only what was commonplace; __ peculiar delicacy of sentiment and __ gross manners. He could exercise __ tact when dealing with __ affairs of others, but none when dealing with his own. What __ cruel practical joke __ old Nature played when she flung so many contradictory elements together, and left __ man __ face to __ face with __ perplexing callousness of __ Universe. (Maugham)16. Charmian, who had taken __ great fancy to Ellen, spoke of her warmly. At last, she felt, here was __ suitable wife for me; and she did her best to jockey me into __ marriage. __ experience of worrying about my future was __ soothing one to her, taking her mind off her own troubles. (Hansford Johnson)
Exercise 39. Comment on the use of articles or their absence.
1. You can't become prime minister at once. (Shaw)2. I began once at a dinner to tell a good story. (Jerome K. Jerome)3. The scene of yesterday was quite transformed. The sea was now pale and almost colourless, yet at the same time brilliant, a sea of liquid light. It merged without a boundary into a sky which at the horizon was of an equal pallor, though changing at the zenith to a very pale vibrating blue. Here and there in the far distance, as if suspended motionless between sea and sky, there were small sailihg-boats with triangular sails. (Murdoch)4. Mr. Pickwick observed that fame was dear to the heart of every man. Poetic fame was dear to the heart of his friend Snodgrass; the fame of conquest was equally dear to his friend Tupman; and the desire of earning fame in the sports of the field, the air, and the water was uppermost in the breast of his friend Winkle. (Dickens)5. The evening had already deepened into night. (Dreiser)6. I know he couldn't love a Linton. (E. Bronte) 7. "John, dear," said Bella, "You're a good nurse; will you please hold baby?" (Dickens)8. I must remind you again that Adam had the blood of the peasant in his veins. (Eliot)9. She comes home to a late tea, and after tea she never sews. (Ch. Bronte)10. He was already chairman of the department. (Wilson)~-ll. Thus he stood by the bank of thfs still lake... marvelling at the subtleties of reflected radiance, feeling the artist's joy in perfect natural beauty. (Dreiser)12. This is Professor Hallorsen, who was head of the expedition. (Galsworthy)13. Winter and summer a stove was burning in his room, stoked by Peter Saward's landlady, a Miss Glashan, who also brought him his meals and did the cleaning. (Murdoch)14. George got out his banjo after supper and wanted to play it, but Harris objected. He said he had got a headache. George thought the music might do him good—said music often soothed the nerves and took away a headache. Harris said he would rather have the headache. (Jerome K. Jerome)15. A full moon rode between the elm trees and there was silence as of the grave. (Galsworthy)16. The world is all before him where to choose. A life of stirring work and interest, a life of change and excitement, a life of domestic ease and love! (Dickens)17. After all, we all live in the future, even if it's a future where we aren't to be found anywhere upon the earth. (Murdoch)18. But, ere that moment, an astonishing and vivid experience happened to them. One might have supposed that, in the life of Priam Farle at least, enough of the astonishing and the vivid had already happened. (Bennett)19. There was a certain dignity in the little elderly gentleman's manner of rebuking these youths; though it was not, perhaps, quite the dignity most appropriate to the occasion. (Ch. Bronte)20. I went into the war when I was seventeen, ran away from school to do it, enlisting as a Tommy and telling them I was nineteen. (Priestley) 21. Phuong was drinking a glass of orange juice and I was having a beer and we sat in silence, content to be together. (Greene)22. So it was that on the following day, which was a Saturday, Rosa was knocking on Mrs. Wingfield's door at about four o'clock. (Murdoch)
Exercise 1. State the morphological composition of the following adjectives.
Pretty, bushy, weather-stained, thoughtful, hard-hearted, illegitimate, sober, non-party, low-bred, improbable, sceptical, counter-revolutionary, careworn, beloved, wicked, disobedient, long-legged, regular, water-proof, large, well-timed, homeless, shaky, courageous, panic-stricken, blindfold, Portuguese, newly-baked, antique, peace-making, forlorn, illegible, abundant, red-haired, small, deep-blue, bookish, snow-white, respectable-looking.
Exercise 2. Give the comparative and superlative degrees.
Cosy, merciful, bad, complete, fat, cheap, big, clumsy, stupid, far, miserable, narrow, virtuous, simple, merry, regular, expensive, low, deep, sad, significant, bitter, intimate, lazy, old, serious, tiny, clever, little, considerate, gay, good, much, dark, beautiful, dear, fit.
Exercise 3. Use the adjective in the comparative or superlative degree.
1. They had dined well and were now drinking hard... their faces getting __ and __ (red, red) (Priestley) 2. Was there anything in the world __ than indecision? (bad) (Galsworthy)3. He was only five years __ than I was, which made him forty-five, (young) (Snow)4. He loved his brother and he had done his brother what people seemed to consider __ of wrongs, (bitter) (Greene)5. __ sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them, (bad) (Shaw)6. He had been a great fencer, before the war, __ fencer in Italy, (great) (Hemingway)7. She is stopping at one of __ hotels in town, (good) (Saroyan)8. Difficult to believe it was so long ago, he felt young still! Of all his thoughts this was __, __ With his white head and his loneliness he had remained young and green at heart, (poignant, bitter) (Galsworthy)9. She received congratulations as if she were __ of women, (happy) (Hansford Johnson)10. Kate remembered the little general; he was a good deal __ than herself, (small) (Lawrence) .11. I think we'll resume the conversation when you're a little __, Caroline, (calm) (Maugham)12. They had never made __ pretence of believing him. (little) (Greene)13. Things went from bad to __ (bad) (Saroyan)14. He took his trinkets, carried them to the __ pawnshop he could find, and being offered forty-five dollars for the lot, took it. (presentable) (Dreiser)15. He felt her breathing grow — and __ (slow, easy) (Cusdck) 16. To be ashamed of his own father is perhaps __ experience a young man can go through. (bitter) (Galsworthy)17. It's __ in here than it is on the street. (hot) (Salinger)18. I think you're about __ girl in school, (pretty) (/. Shaw)19. All his life he had taken pains to be __, __ than his fellows, (strong, brave) (Saroyan)20. From that moment may be dated the downfall of __ and __ of the Indian nations, that existed within the limits of the present United States, (great, civilized) (Cooper) 21. Mr. Micawber, under pretence of showing me a __ way than that by which I had come, accompanied me to the corner of the street, (near) (Dickens)22. He would walk here and there and be no __ than an ant in an ant hill, (conspicuous) (Greene)23. We slept in a double-bedded room, which was __ that the little country inn could do for us. (good) (Conan Doyle)24. This is Sam Penty one of our __ artists, (good) (Priestley)
Exercise 4. Translate into English.
1. Киев — более древний город, чем Москва; это один из древнейших городов России. 2. В XVI веке Испания была самой могущественной державой мира. 3. Волга длиннее Днепра; это самая длинная река Европы. 4. Ватикан — самое маленькое государство в Европе. 5. Одной из важнейших проблем сегодняшнего дня является установление прочного и длительного мира. 6. Условия жизни трудящихся в странах социалистического лагеря значительно лучше, чем в странах капиталистического лагеря. 7. Можно надеяться, что в ближайшем будущем культурные связи с Англией будут еще более тесными. 8. Точка кипения (the boiling point) спирта ниже точки кипения воды. 9. Платина тяжелее золота; это один из самых тяжелых металлов. 10. Утро было прекрасное, но к вечеру погода стала хуже, ветер усилился, и темные тучи покрыли небо.
