Основы теории английского языка. Сборник упражнение для слушателей программы дополнительного (к высшему) образования «Переводчик в сфере профессиональ

7. Complete the table with synonyms.

Task 11

Onomatopoeic words are those which seem to sound like their meaning. The most obvious examples are verbs relating to the noises which animals make, e.g. cows moo and horses neigh.

AIf the vowel sound in an onomatopoeic word is short, it usually signifies a short, sharp sound. If it is long (indicated in the International Phonetic Alphabet by :) then the word usually signifies a longer, slower sound. Compare pip /pip/ which is a short sound with peep /pi:p/ which is a long sound.

BCertain combinations of letters have particular sound associations in English.

gr- at the beginning of a word can suggest something unpleasant or miserable, e.g. groan [make a deep sound forced out by pain or despair], grumble [complain in a bad-tempered way], grumpy [bad-tempered], grunt [make a low, rough sound like pigs do, or people expressing disagreement or boredom], growl [make a deep, threatening sound].

cl- at the beginning of a word can suggest something sharp and/or metallic, e.g. click [make a short sharp sound], clang [make a loud ringing noise], clank [make a dull metallic noise, not as loud as a clang], clash [make a loud, broken, confused noise as when metal objects strike together], clink [make the sound of small bits of metal or glass knocking together]. Horses go clip-clop on the road.

sp- at the beginning of a word can have an association with water or other liquids or powders, e.g. splash [cause a liquid to fly about in drops], spit [send liquid out from the mouth], splutter [make a series of spitting sounds], spray [send liquid through the air in tiny drops either by the wind or some instrument], sprinkle [scatter small drops], spurt [come out in a sudden burst].

wh- at the beginning of a word often suggests the movement of air, e.g. whistle [a high-pitched noise made by forcing air or steam through a small opening], whirr [sound like a bird's wings moving rapidly], whizz [make the sound of something rushing through air], wheeze [breathe noisily especially

31

with a whistling sound in the chest], whip [long piece of rope or leather or to hit with one of these].

-ash at the end of a word can suggest something fast and violent, e.g. smash [break violently into small pieces], dash [move or be moved violently], crash [suddenly strike violently and noisily], bash [strike heavily so as to break or injure], mash [make soft or pulpy by beating or crushing], gash [a long deep cut or wound].

-ckle, -ggle, or -zzle at the end of a word can suggest something light and repeated, e.g. trickle [to flow in a thin stream or drops], crackle [make a series of short cracking sounds], tinkle [make a succession of light ringing sounds], giggle [laugh lightly], wriggle [move with quick short twistings], sizzle [make a hissing sound like something cooking in fat], drizzle [small, fine rain].

1.Which of the consonant combinations listed above in В exist in your language? Do they ever have similar associations?

2.Which of the words from В fit best in the sentences below?

1.She heard his key…………………….as it turned in the lock.

2.The blades of the propeller……. ......... noisily.

3.I love to hear sausages.................. in the pan!

4.They…….glasses and drank to each other's health.

5.There was a terrible car……….on the motorway today.

6.Everyone…………. with disappointment at the news.

7.That baby loves.................. in her bath.

8.It's not raining hard yet. It's just………………….

3.Almost all the words in В can be both nouns and regular verbs. There are, however, some exceptions. What are these words? Choose from the alternatives offered below.

1.Which verb is irregular?

whip, grunt, spurt, spit or wriggle?

2.Which word is only an adjective? gash, grumpy, wheeze, or whirr?

3.Which is both a verb and a noun but the noun has a different meaning? trickle, spray, growl, splutter, spit, splash or crash?

4.Can you guess the meanings of the underlined words from their sounds?

1.The child sploshed through the puddles.

2.If you have a sore throat, try gargling with some salt water.

3.I couldn't concentrate on the play because of the rustle of sweet papers

behind me.

32

4.Speak up. Don't mumble.

5.Those stairs always creak.

6.He whacked the ball into the air.

5.What words (see above) do these pictures represent?

6.Pair the words below so that in each case there is a noun and a matching verb.

8. Match the words (1-11) with the nouns (a-k) they collocate most closely with.

Example: 5 – a

33

9. Circle the most appropriate word for each sentence.

Example: The dog always whistles/clashes/(growls) when it sees the postman.

1.Please can you help me smash/mash/crash the potatoes?

2.Children love spraying/sputtering/splashing through puddles.

3.She heard a click/clank/clink at the end of the phone as he hung up.

4.The wounded soldier grunted/growled/groaned in pain.

5.Do you hear those church bells clinking/clanging/tinkling?

6.She sprayed/splashed/sprinkled herbs on the fish and called the family to eat.

7.Sorry, I can’t stop now. I’ve got to whirr/dash/trickle.

8.Can you whistle/giggle/grumble this song?

9.They clanked/clinked/clashed glasses and drank to the success of their project.

10.When she asked him to do the washing-up, he just splashed/ grunted/trickled.

10. Match these combinations of letters to their usual associations in English and give two examples of words for each letter combination.

11. Choose the verb from the box that best fits each gap.

10. People with bronchitis tend to................

34

1.The business entrepreneur assured us that the deal was ................ .

2.It's no good trying to persuade her to change her mind. She's too

........ .

3.Alan was extremely ................. when Barbara cancelled their date.

4.She must be quite .......... . She's just bought an expensive new car.

5.You're ........... this morning. You must really be looking forward to the school trip.

6.Her husband is an unpleasant, ............. man who always thinks he knows best.

7.At the end of the marking weekend all of the examiners were ......... .

35

8.On a Saturday night the pub is always full of ill-mannered, ...........

rugby players. I find them really offensive.

9.I find Pat very difficult to get on with. She's ............ and thinks she's too good for the likes of us.

10.Kevin always seems to be .......... . He's forever asking if he can borrow money.

3. Complete the sentences below using an appropriate idiom from the list,

1.When the model fell to pieces Mary had to build it again ……. .

2.That's the second bad film we've seen in two weeks. Another £5

………... .

3.He bought the house ....... ten years ago before property prices started to rise.

4.Please get what you want from the bar. Drinks are ......tonight.

5.I haven't heard from Diane .......... I wonder where she may be.

6.The news of the wedding came quite ...... . Everyone thought they had split up.

7.When Pauline finally retired she felt ......... as she didn't know what to do all day.

8.Ann was ........ when her team won the championship.

9.Charlie is really ......... of his wife. He does whatever she says.

10.I entered the room to find my husband ........ searching for his wedding ring.

4. Complete the idioms below using an appropriate word from the box, then explain the meaning of the idioms.

dogs cows goat bear pig elephant cat rat horse fish

1.I felt like a ... in the middle caught between the two rivals.

2.My uncle drinks like a ... . He got through two bottles of wine last

night.

3.The extension turned out to be a white ...as nobody needed the extra

space.

36

4. You're flogging a dead ... trying to persuade me to come with you. You'll never get me to change my mind.

5. I wouldn't mind lending him money but what gets my ... is that he never pays me back.

6.Karen is like a ... with a sore head this morning. What has made her so bad tempered?

7.The man told me he had come to mend the photocopier but I began to smell a ... when I found him in the director's office.

8. The deal was supposed to be secret. Who let the ... out of the bag? 9. Since the new manager took over the business is really going to the

... . The service is not up to standard and the staff are inexperienced.

10. I could stay and talk to you till the ... come home, but I really must leave now.

5. Complete the sentences below with a suitable word from the list below.

she had met him before.

10.You can be sure he has an ulterior motive for inviting us to dinner; he is as cunning as ……….. .

6. Complete the sentences below with a suitable word or words from the box, then explain the idioms.

37

3.My suitcase feels as light as .... . I must have forgotten to pack some-

thing.

4.I wouldn't take any notice of anything he says. He's as daft as.... .

5.My dad is as blind as ......... without his glasses.

6.I thought John was abroad, but he turned up at the meeting as large as

... .

7.The twins are as alike as…….. . Nobody can tell them apart.

8.She marched to the front of the queue as bold as .... and demanded to be served at once.

9.The children were as good as ... . I didn't hear a peep out of them all

night.

10.Even though Mrs Kelly is as poor as......she still gives money to charity regularly.

7. Explain the idioms in bold.

1.I'm surprised he wasn't killed - it was a really close shave.

2.We have to pay for a new roof. That's a thousand pounds down the

drain.

3.I'm afraid we'll have to give him the sack - his missing the meeting was the last straw.

4.That man thinks too much of himself - he is always blowing his own trumpet.

5.I must have offended her somehow - she is looking daggers at me.

6.As she said, he's a total idiot - that's his character in a nutshell.

7.Since you have no proof to show us, I'm afraid your theory just doesn't hold water.

8.He's so sensitive to criticism that if you even make a suggestion he flies off the handle.

9.He's obsessed with environmental problems; where they are concerned he has got a real bee in his bonnet.

10.I've never seen two people make friends so quickly - from the first day they got on like a house on fire.

11.I'm very suspicious about his making that offer - in fact, I smell a

rat.

12.It's impossible to ignore him in a meeting - he really knows how to make his presence felt.

13.I wouldn't book a holiday with that company - they'll make you pay through the nose.

14.She is head and shoulders above her colleagues, which is why she is soon to be made a company director.

38

15.Even with five children and two dogs to take care of, Margaret's house is always spic and span.

16.She was very embarrassed when she realized she had gone to the

party with her pullover on inside out.

17.The new house has its problems, but by and large it's an improvement on the old one.

18.Even though the carpet was well made, after ten years it was unable to stand up to the wear and tear of continual use.

19.I'm sick and tired of listening to his excuses.

20.After falling off her horse Laura was black and blue all over.

21.The nervous customer paced back and forth outside the bank manager's office.

22.The student was only pretending to read - he was holding his book upside down.

23.The footballer was covered in mud from head to foot.

39

APPENDIX

I. Денотативное и коннотативное значение

Лексическое значение слова состоит из денотативного и коннотативного компонентов. Денотативный компонент (денотативное значение) передает общее логическое понятие, заключенное в слове, а коннотативное значение - его дополнительные оттенки.

Как видно из таблицы, в каждой из трех пар общим является логическое значение, связанное с предметом сообщения (денотатом), а дополнительные оттенки (оценки, длительности, стилистической принадлежности) находятся в коннотативном компоненте значения. Типы коннотаций могут быть самыми разнообразными, и исчерпывающего их перечня, естественно, не существует.

II. Examples of metonyms

40