English_books / New Cambridge Advanced

A dash (-) is used to add an afterthought - sometimes.

It was an excellent film - apart from the violence.

11 'Fargo' was a great film we all enjoyed it.

Q1 Rewrite this film review, adding the necessary punctuation: commas, apostrophes, quotation marks, etc.

But we know better and so does Heather Langenkamp as their daughter. Langenkamp apparently known in America as the worlds most

2 The original review was in FOUR separate paragraphs. Decide where to insert the paragraph breaks.

Planning ahead . . .

Creative writing

Here are some guidelines on planning a piece of writing. Rearrange them in the sequence YOU prefer, leaving out any you consider to be irrelevant.

•Decide which points are irrelevant and should be left out.

•Decide which points are relevant and should be included.

•Write a first draft and check it through carefully, correcting any mistakes you notice.

•Check the facts and figures: can you spell all the names correctly?

•Think of your target reader: what does he or she want to find out from you?

•Write down your AIM: what is the main purpose of this piece

New Cambridge Advanced English

Look at this piece of writing and decide together what's wrong with it and how it can be improved:

Find out what shows or films both of you have seen and can remember reasonably well. Choose one that you share similar views on.

Make notes on the following aspects:

1Imagine you're writing in a student magazine or a local English-language newspaper. Write a review of a show or film, explaining why you recommend / don't recommend it to the readers (about 250 words).

2Show your completed review to another student and ask for comments.

At. . . and by . . .

Idioms

Replace the phrases in red with suitable expressions from the list below:

A T . . .

1 The hero was rescued a moment before it was too late.

2The show closed because it was running without making a profit,

3We were talking about different things but didn't realise it.

4It's impossible to get tickets for such a popular show without previous warning - you need to book no less than six months in advance.

5She was working much too hard causing harm to her health.

6 When abroad, it's advisable to carry your passport constantly.

7The winners are selected without any plan by a computer.

8It was a wonderful show - anyway I enjoyed it.

9It was a difficult problem and I was uncertain what to do.

12I could tell by taking one quick look that there had been a mistake.

13Finally they did arrive, but by that time the show was nearly over.

BY. . .

14 'May I open the window?' 'Certainly!'

Appropriate language

Speaking

1 Look at these short conversations and decide which remarks are NOT appropriate to the situations, as you imagine them. Decide what the people SHOULD have said.

2 Compare your ideas with the model conversations.

B The kind of language you might use yourself in different situations depends on who you are talking to, and also how polite, tactful or direct you want to be. There are also different degrees of formality:

New Cambridge Advanced English

2Decide which of the following phrases are:

VERY FORMAL* FORMAL* NEUTRAL* INFORMAL or FAMILIAR

1The vocabulary that we use may also change according to the SITUATION we are in. In most cases this is a question of:

•your ATTITUDE - serious, joking, sarcastic, disparaging, approving, etc.

•WHO you are talking to - someone older, younger, senior, friend, stranger, acquaintance, superior, male, female, etc.

•the SUBJECT you are talking about - food, farming, films, geography, etc.

2Decide what situations you would use these words or phrases in:

1If you're meeting someone for the first time, which of these topics would you talk about

-and which would you avoid?

sport politics your family business travel hobbies films the weather music books your education your job religion TV traffic public transport food

2Imagine that you're sitting with an English-speaking stranger on a train, which has stopped for no apparent reason in the middle of nowhere. The stranger is considerably older than you. Decide who's going to play the role of the stranger. Then begin a conversation and continue with small talk.

3This time you and an older stranger are sitting at adjacent tables in a cafe, where you've both been waiting a long time to be served. Begin a conversation and continue with small talk.

Simple + progressive aspect

Grammar

f f O Discuss the difference in meaning between these sentences:

1When we got to the station the train had just left. When we got to the station the train was just leaving.

2He stood up when she entered the room.

He was standing up when she entered the room.

3He usually prepares the meal when his wife gets home. He is usually preparing the meal when his wife gets home. He has usually prepared the meal when his wife gets home.

Look at these pairs of sentences, each of which illustrates how simple and progressive verb forms are used. Follow these steps for each numbered pair:

1First, look at the verbs in red and make sure you understand WHY that particular form is used.

2Fill the gaps in the sentence that follows.

3 Write a similar example of your own for each rule illustrated.

(Number 1 has already been done to show you what to do.)

Present simple or present progressive: does or is doing

Past simple or past progressive: did or was doing

5I'm upstairs and I'd like some tea - could you bring to me, please?

6We don't need these plates any more, you can take

Rewrite the sentences, replacing the phrases in red with a suitable phrasal verb or idiom from the list below.

BRING

1 He was very upset: I wonder what caused that to happen? brougth (that) about

2She was cared for by her grandparents when her parents split up.

3Burger Prince have introduced a new product: it's called a Lamburger!

4After a long discussion I persuaded her to accept my point of view.

5Why don't you raise the matter for discussion at the meeting tomorrow?

6Her illness was caused by stress and overwork.

7Can we arrange our dinner for an earlier time?