Unit 12 Theme: Exhibition of industrial arts (design) in London in 1851 Grammar: Subjunctive Mood I

Objectives: Introduction of new lexical material on theme “Exhibition of industrial arts (design) in London in 1851” and fixing active vocabulary in speech exercises, development of skills of monological speech.

Discussion: Its difference from other exhibitions.

Introduction of new grammar theme “Subjunctive Mood I” and fulfilling grammar exercises. Revion of Conditional Sentences I.

Ex. 1. Read the text.

The Great Exhibition of 1851

The events leading up to the Great Exhibition of 1851 were prompted by the success of the French Industrial Exposition of 1844, when it was suggested to the English Government that it would be most advantageous to British industry to have a similar exhibition in London. However the Government showed no interest.

It must be remembered that the French had already established a tradition of exhibitions.

However in England, few art-industry exhibitions were more than local affairs. The first building to be put up solely for the exhibition of manufactured goods was built in Birmingham in 1849, for an exhibition of the British Society. It included 10,000 square feet, and together with Bingley House, in the gardens of which it was erected, 12,800 square feet of exhibition space was available. In the same year, the first Exhibition of British Manufacturers took place, largely concentrating on precious metalwork.

Prince Albert, Victoria’s consort, was very much in favor of a self-financing Exhibition of All Nations. But even though this meant that the exchequer would have to pay no money, there was a lukewarm reception from Parliament. Albert’s plan was for a great collection of works in art and industry, ‘for the purposes of exhibition, of competition and of encouragement’, to be held in London in 1851. Such an Exhibition, he said, would afford a true test of the point of development at which the whole of mankind has arrived in this great task, and a new starting point from which all nations would be able to direct their further exertions.

The Society of Arts pressed ahead at this point, negotiating with a building contractor to erect a suitable building, advance prize money of 20,000 pounds and pay preliminary expenses, all to be repaid from receipts at the gate of the Exhibition. Next, a deputation was sent around the country to gather support, and the Government was persuaded to set up a Royal Commission.

The Royal Commission met for the first time in January 1850, and after digesting the concept that such an exhibition could make a profit, one of its first acts was to cancel the contract with the building firm, and call for voluntary contributions nationwide. In an attempt to whip up support, all the mayors from the whole country were invited to a sumptious banquet at Mansion House, to listen to Prince Albert argue the case for an Exhibition. The meeting was a great success.

The next stage was the setting up of ‘The Commissioners for the Exhibition of 1851’, and a total fund of 230,000 pounds was raised. The size of the Exhibition was decided at 700,000 ft - bigger than anything the French had ever managed - and the Government was persuaded to treat it as a bonded warehouse, so that goods imported for the Exhibition need not have import duties paid.

The Commissioners set up a competition for designing the building, and 233 architects sent in designs: 38 from abroad, 51 from around England, and 128 from London. None were quite the right thing, thought the Commission’s Building Committee, who fortuitously had prepared and printed their own design. Despite much condemnation from the competing architects and others on grounds of ugliness and vast expense, the Committee proceeded to ask for building tenders for their own design.

However, one contractor, Messrs. Fox and Henderson, presented costs for an amended design, one amended so much, in fact, that it bore no resemblance to the Building Committee’s original proposal, but with the compelling advantage of a better price. Events moved fast.

 The Crystal Palace, South Side

In its catalogue of the Exhibition, the Art Journal glowingly wrote:

"On entering the building for the first time, the eye is completely dazzled by the rich variety of hues which burst upon it on every side; and it is not until this partial bewilderment has subsided, that we are in a condition to appreciate as it deserves its real magnificance and the harmonious beauty of effect produced by the artistical arrangement of the glowing and varied hues which blaze along its grand and simple lines...

A total of six million people visited the Great Exhibition, and the whole event was a great success. It may fairly be described as having fulfilled its aims of 'exhibition, competition and encouragement'. It was also remarkably peaceful. As noted the following year in a contemporary magazine:

"Seventeen thousand exhibitors, who like the visitors were of almost every nation and kindred under heaven, entrusted the most valuable evidences of their wealth, their skill, their industry, and their enterprise to the guardianship of some fifty policemen, armed with no better weapon than a wooden baton. Day after day and night after night passed on, and no added force was requisite for the safety of the almost countless wealth deposited within these fragile walls. In no other country of the world could such an exhibition of the industrial arts have taken place."

The most successful competitors were the French, in terms of numbers of medals won. This was commented upon with mingled admiration and envy. However, by the time of the Exhibition of 1862, the mood had changed, and looking back, the Art Journal was moved to comment:

"Nationally that Exhibition startled England, chiefly by showing how much its artificers had to learn and its designers to unlearn. Generation after generation had gone on plundering from the French, until what was called French taste came to be considered as the highest standard in all that produced beauty in industrial art. It was but poetic justice to find that in the world's competition the glitter by which cupidity had been tempted was anything rather than pure gold.

There was no exhibition that ever matched the Great Exhibition of 1851, and it was one of the defining points of the 19th Century. Or as Prince Albert had said, 'a new starting point from which all nations would be able to direct their further exertions'.

What happened after the Exhibition finished? The Crystal Palace was disassembled and taken to Sydenham in 1852. The architect, Paxton, oversaw the re-erection of the building and it reopened in 1854 and was destroyed by fire in 1936. The park at Sydenham is still known as Crystal Palace, and there are still reminders of the great building, including the dinosaurs on an island in the ornamental lake. Some idea of how the huge building looked can be gained from the more-or-less contemporary iron and glass structures at Kew Gardens. The Great Exhibition made a vast profit, and this was invested in land at South Kensington, on which the fine museums that still exist today were built.

Ex. 2. What exhibitions held in our country do you know?

Speak about EXPO and Kazakhstan 2017.

Ex. 3. Architecture Dimensions Guessing game

Choose one of the objects from next exercise and describe it until your partner guesses

which one you are talking about. They can only guess once for each sentence you say. All

sentences must have a number in them, e.g. by using the phrases below.

Useful phrases

Dimensions

It weighs…

It is … high/ wide/ tall/ long/ thick.

It’s dimension are… by … (by…)

Its surface area/ volume/ radius/ circumference/ height/ width/ length is…

Its biggest/ smallest/ most important part is…

The biggest/ heaviest/ smallest/ lightest example of this is…

It weighs/ costs twice/ three times/ four times as much as…

Other properties

It costs…

It lasts for…

You need… to use it/ make it./ It’s made of (more or less)… parts.

You can draw one with… circles/ squares/ rectangles/ ovals/ triangles.

Other numbers

There are… in this office/ building/ street/ area/ town.

It was invented in…/ The first one in this city/ country…/ It has been around

for…

I see/ use/ pass this … a day/ week/ month/ year.

It’s usually… above the ground/ from the door.

The one I designed/ use/ usually see/ have is…

Approximating

Approximately/ About/ Around/ More or less

Between … and…

(Just) under/ Less than/ Up to – (Just) over/ More than

(Almost) exactly…

Almost…

On average…

I imagine/ estimate/ think…

Ex. 4. Do the same with other objects connected to your profession.

What other ways could you describe those things (not including numbers)?

(Door) knob (Roof top) terrace (Indoor) pool

3D model Air conditioner Air vent

Mechanical pencil Apartment building Balcony

Bay window Barbed wire Beam

Bicycle rack Blueprint Brick

Built in cupboard Bungalow CAD programmes

Cafeteria Care home Carpet tile

Ceiling Chandelier Chimney

Community centre Compass Cottage

Courtyard Cubicle Department store

Doorstep Double glazing Double glazing

Drain Driveway Eaves

Fence Fire alarm (bell) Fireplace

Floor Foam/ Styrofoam Foundation

Fountain French windows Front desk/ reception

Gate GPS Greenhouse

Gutter Gym Handle

Health centre/ Clinic Helicopter landing pad Hinge

Hospital Intercom Lawn

Lift/ Elevator Lobby Loft

Mansion Metre rule Multi storey car park

Nail gun Path Patio

Pavement/ Sidewalk Pen tablet Penthouse

Pipe Plank Plaster

Playground Pond Pot of paint

Protractor Reinforced concrete Retina scanner

Roll of wallpaper Roof tile Rubber/ Eraser

Ruler Screw Security cameras

Set square Shopping centre/ Mall Skylight

Skyscraper Smoking area Socket

Stained glass window Statue Steeple

Stone Store room/ warehouse Strip lights

Studio flat Surveying equipment Tape measure

Thatch Tube of glue Veranda

Waiting room Walk in wardrobe Window cleaning cradle

Ex. 5. Without looking at the previous worksheets, try to remember how the following numbers

are pronounced.

1999 $55,010 $36,530 42% 2010 2,500,000

10,300 102 6,500 57,000 $ 398,350,000 1885

100 8.3 1,514 350 1.7 2.737

500,000 1,400,000,000,000 6,648,000 400,000 2,716 10,000

Ex. 6. Look back at your previous worksheets to check. Some other ways might also be possible,

so check with your teacher.

Ex. 7. What are the rules for using “and”, commas in large numbers, and numbers after the

decimal point?

Grammar: Subjunctive Mood I

See the video on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe45pgRWyDg (2:08 min) or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AV87L3urv4&feature=related (5:56 min) with explonation of usage of subjunctive mood.

The first type of sentences is probable. The verb in the if- clause is in the present tense; the verb in the main clause is in the future simple. I doesn’t matter which comes first: If he runs he’ll get there in time.

This type of sentence implies that the action in the if-clause is quite probable.

Possible variations of the basic form

 Variations of the main clause. Instead of if + present + may/might (possibility): If the fog gets thicker the plane may/might be diverted.

 If + present + may (permission) or can (permission or ability): If your documents are in order you may/can leave at once.

 If + present + must, should or any expressions of command, request or advice: If you want to lose weight you must/ should eat less bread.

 If + present + another present tense, if + two present tenses is used to express automatic or habitual results: If you heat ice turns to water

 If + present continuous, to indicate a present action or a future arrangement: If you are waiting for a bus (present action) you’d better join the queue.

 If + present perfect: If you have finished dinner I’ll ask the waiter for the bill.

Ex. 8. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tenses.

1. If I see him I (give) him a lift. 2. The table will collapse if you (stand) on it. 3. If he (eat) all that he will be ill. 4. If I find your passport I (telephone) you at once. 5. The police (arrest) him if they catch him. 6. Someone (steal) your car if you leave it unlocked. 7. If she (need) a radio she can borrow mine. 8. What will happen if my parachute (not open). 9. If he (be) late we’ll go without him. 10. Unless he (sell) more he won’t get much commission. 11. If you (not believe) what I say, ask your mother. 12. Should you require anything else please (ring) the bell for the attendant?