Vocabulary Tasks

1 a) Find words or phrases in the text with opposite meanings to the following:

cultivated sensitive good-mannered quiet refined generous modest admirable

2. From the list below find as many pairs of opposites as possible:

reserved lively talkative polite aggressive boring hard-working inflexible lazy inscrutable cheerful frank hypocritical genuine eccentric fun well-organized male-chauvinist flamboyant unpunctual

2 The following are all nouns. Which are negative, which are positive, and which could be either positive or negative?

mischievousness playfulness evil patience ferocity grace stupidity serenity pride vanity cunning greed gentleness loyalty deceit bravery obstinacy independence cleverness cowardice modesty
Positive	Negative	Positive or negative

3 Fill in adjectives to complete the following dialogues.

a. Manager: I find it very hard to persuade my new assistant to work in the way I want her to. She is very ____________.

b. Young actor: George is extremely proud of his good looks and constantly looks at himself in the mirror.

Other young actor: Yes, he is really ___________.

c. Critic: That writer is far too ___________.

Publisher: Yes, she will never admit how good her work is.

d. Small girl: They’re wonderful dancers, aren’t they? They move so beautifully.

Father: Yes, they’re really ____________.

e. Uncle: Your children can be very ____________. Yesterday they put a banana skin outside my bedroom door.

Mother: Did you hurt yourself?

f. Train driver: The passengers have been waiting for hours and hours without complaining.

Guard: Yes, it’s hard to understand how people can be so ___________ when the service we run is so terrible.

g. Teacher: Linda was very ____________. She managed to avoid doing her homework by saying that she had to visit her boyfriend in hospital.

h. Mary: Although his wife has left him several times for other men, Ben has always remained ____________ to her and has never had a close relationship with another woman.

Julie: Really? What were you doing coming out of the disco with him last night, then?

4 Put the words below into the appropriate column in the table.

snobbish barbarous impartial heroic affectionate diligent arrogant objective devoted overbearing sadistic fearless courageous conscientious fair industrious conceited long-suffering

Boastful	Tolerant	Loving	Violent	Brave	Hard-working

5 Put an appropriate word from the box in the blanks.

guilty unfriendly disappointed serenity intimidated stubborn sensitive inadequacy

1) When I arrived at the house he didn't even say hello to me. I thought he was very ________

2) You have to be very careful with her. If she's feeling ________ the slightest thing will make her cry.

3) As she approached her death she gradually became more peaceful. Everyone remarked on

her __________.

4) When he asked for help again there was still nothing I could do and my feelings of ______ grew by the minute.

5) You mustn't feel _________ just because he's your boss.

6) Some men only buy their wives flowers when they are feeling ________ about something.

7) Once she's made up her mind she won't budge. She's as _________ as a mule.

8) Of course he felt __________ when he failed to get a place at the language school.

SPEAKING

Say when you might feel one of the emotions below. The suggested situations in task 5 might help you think about it.

1) unfriendly

2) inadequate

3) guilty

4) stubborn

5) serene

6) impatient

7) sensitive

8) nervous

9) disappointed

10) intimidated

11) strong

Text 2

DISCUSSION POINTS

1) Do you prefer to be in the company of other people? Add your details.

2) Do you find it easy to tell your boss if you feel he treated you badly?

3) Do you always look out of the window if you hear a car draw up?

4) Do you often buy your friends presents for no particular reason?

5) Do you frequently disagree with what other people say?

6) Do you lie awake at night if someone has said something unkind to you?

The words in the box might help you answer the corresponding questions.

argumentative sensitive sociable extravagant assertive inquisitive

READING

Read these brief character descriptions of four people.

1. I’m an active and energetic person – I can’t bear just sitting around doing nothing. It just makes me impatient and restless. But I know what I want, and I think I’ve got what it takes to achieve my goals. Does that make me sound horribly ambitious and selfish? I hope not!

2. I’m the kind of person who knows how to have a good time. I suppose you would call me fun-loving, but it’s more than that. I actually believe in a calm, easy-going approach to life and I can’t bear unnecessary anxiety and pressure. I believe in being sociable and taking life as it comes…

3. My problem can be summarized in one word: self-confidence. I just don’t have enough. I’m shy with other people, who must think I’m boring and stupid sometimes. Lack of confidence also makes me indecisive: I spend days trying to make up my mind what to do about quite simple things. I’m told I sometimes look moody, but in fact I like being with other people…

4. How do I see myself? Well, I’m forgetful and disorganized – some would say absent-minded! But I’ve got quite a lot of willpower, really, and I’ve got ideas. I’m a hard-worker too when I’m doing something I’m interested in. I’m not very articulate when it comes to public speaking but I quite enjoy being the centre of attention, and I don’t get in the least bit nervous.

Answer the following questions:

1. Which of these four people sounds most like you?

2. Which would you most like to meet? Why?

3. Do you have any particular weaknesses or strengths?

4. Write down three things which you think are good about your character and three things which you think are not so good.