Succeeding

I managed to contact him just before he left his office.

I don't think I can manage the whole walk. I think I'll turn back, (manage, but not succeed, may have a direct object in

this meaning)

We succeeded in persuading a lot of people to join our protest.

We've achieved/accomplished a great deal in the last three years.(both are used with quantity phrases such as 'a lot'/'a little')

The company has achieved all its goals/aims/targets for these years (achieve is more common than accomplish with nouns expressing goals and ambitions)

D'you think his plan will come off? (succeed; informal)

Matrix for some typical collocations with 'succeeding' verbs

	reach	attain	secure	realise	fulfil	achieve
an ambition		*		*	*	*
a dream				*		*
an agreement	*		*
an obligation					*
a target	*	*				*
a compromise	*					*

Failing

Plans and projects often go wrong or misfire, (don't turn out as intended)

Companies, clubs and societies often fold through lack of success, (close down)

A plan or project may falter, even if it finally succeeds, (go through ups and downs)

All your plans and hard work/efforts may come to nothing.

Difficulty

I have great difficulty in getting up in the morning. I find it difficult to remember the names of everybody in the class. (hard can be used here; it is more informal)

It's hard/difficult to hear what she's saying. I often have trouble starting the car on cold mornings. We've had a lot of bother with the neighbours lately.

Can you cope with three more students? They've just arrived.

I've no money, my girl-friend's left me; I need help; I just can't cope any more.

Ex. 1 Word-formation

verb	noun	adjective	adverb
	success
accomplish
		achievable
attain
	fulfilment

Ex. 2 Using the collocation matrix, choose a suitable verb to fill the gap. If the exact word in the sentence ids not in the vertical column of the matrix, look for something that is close in meaning.

1. The management have____________an agreement with the union which will

guarantee no strikes for the next three years.

2. Now that I've______________all my responsibilities to my family, I feel I can

retire and go round the world.

3. The church building-fund has failed to its target of £250,000.

4. I never thought I would______ my ambition, but now I have.

5. Very few people__________ all their hopes and dreams in life, very few

indeed, I can tell you.

6. We hope the two sides____________a compromise and avoid war.

7. I'm afraid that little scheme of mine didn't ___________ off.

Ex. 3 Fill in the missing word forms where they exist.

verb	noun	adjective	adverb
realise
	difficulty
	target
	ambition
fail
	trouble

Ex. 4 Work with your partner. Look at the expressions in italics and work out what they mean.

1. The written exam was difficult, but the oral exam was a piece of cake.

2. It will be easier if we work on this exercise together. Two heads are better than one.

3. Her teacher told her that if she wanted to catch up with the rest of the class and pass her exams, she would have to burn the midnight oil for several weeks.

4. I passed the exam, by the skin of my teeth. The pass mark was 50 % and I got 51%.

5. When I went to school the teachers used to make us learn poems by heart.

6. On one occasion I learnt a whole speech parrot fashion - I didn't understand a word of it.

7. All the students in my class passed exams with flying colours.

Ex. 5 Give Russian/Belarusian equivalents for the following idiomatic expressions:

1. a piece of cake

2. by the skin of one's teeth

3. burn the midnight oil

4. learn by heart

5. learn parrot fashion

6. pass with flying colours

7. two heads are better than one

Ex. 6 Now discuss the following questions with your partner.

1. What exams have you passed by the skin or your teeth or with flying colours?

2. How useful is it to learn things parrot fashion?

3. What things did you learn by heart at school? Can you still remember them?

4. What are the arguments for and against learning things by heart?

5. What do you think is a good way to learn multi-word verbs and idiomatic expressions?

Ex. 7 How phrasal verbs work.

Through

The particle through can be used with some verbs to give the idea of reading something (sometimes quickly) in order to find information.

* go through something read through something look through something

The particle through can also be used with some verbs to give the idea of completing something, such as an exam or test.

* scrape through something get through something

sail through something (= to succeed in something without any difficulty)

Through can also be used to describe completing a process of thought.

* think something through (= to consider something in detail in order to understand it completely and then make a decision or take action)

Ex. 8 Complete the sentences below with suitable multi-word verbs. Sometimes more than one answer is possible.

Advice on doing exams.

Many people don't_______their exams or only manage to _______ them with a very low grade because they make two simple mistakes: they often choose the wrong questions to answer and they don't plan their essays in sufficient detail. So here is some advice.

* When you get your exam paper,______all the questions before you choose which ones you want to answer.

* When you have done this,_______on a spare piece of paper any relevant ideas that come to mind.

* Next,_____what you want to say in your essay before you begin writing.

* Make a plan and then start your essay.

This advice doesn't guarantee you will_____all your exams without any difficulties at all, but it will help you to avoid making major mistakes.

Mother: How are you getting on with your exams?

Son: Not bad. The questions are easy. It's the answers I have problems with!