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A warm welcome to all subscribers! Здравствуйте, уважаемые подписчики!
Выпуск #136
"ПРОДВИНУТЫЙ ENGLISH" 21.12.06
Электронный журнал для изучающих английский язык

Hello, dear colleagues. We promised to give you some food for thought concerning our regular and perpetual linguistic problem, the articles. But then it happened we thought it better to change our minds: who on earth would be pleased to be busy with articles when there are so many other things bothering us these days.
New Year and Christmas Day are at the door, and we all have to make awfully big mental efforts in terms of some other articles, and namely those which we want to ask Santa Claus (or/and Father Christmas) to present to our beloved ones: parents, kids and spouses and also friends, relatives, colleagues and maybe to our bosses even, some of whom, allegedly, are also said to be nice, and to us of course.
So with your kindly consent and permission the grammatical issue of articles is going to be postponed for a while, till next year. It will remain the same hard nut to crack, believe us.

A Happy New Year and Merry Christmas to all of you. Let all your dreams come true, and all your wishes be fulfilled.

Please don't forget that we appreciate your feed-back very much, and this issue is the last in which we ask you to help us with your votes. Don't let us down please.

The last issue's tricky grammar questions didn't seem to be very challenging, nevertheless you must not be left without a key. Here you are the answers.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK
Never have anything to do with an unlucky place, or an unlucky man. I have seen many clever men, very clever men, who had not shoes to their feet. I never act with them. Their advice sounds very well, but they cannot get on themselves; and if they cannot do good to themselves, how can they do good for me?
Rothschild

Tricky grammar questions. Answers:
1. “The government can decide.” Is 'can' singular or plural?
Either! The government as a unit, or members of the government. ('Can' can have a sing. or plural subject).

2. “Half a loaf is better than no bread.” But would you settle for * quarter a loaf? If not, why not?
'Of' is optional in “(a) half of a loaf” but obligatory in “quarter of a loaf” and in all other fractions.

3. Blades of grass; grains of wheat; … of paper; bars of … ; … of rope; planks of … . Complete these and think of three more pairs of units and mass nouns.
Sheets/pieces of paper; bars of gold (or chocolate); coils of rope; planks of wood. But not *planks of metal or *bars of rubber.

4. Right or wrong? (a) an acre of forest; (b) a fathom of wood; (c) a quart of sugar; (d) a ton of flour; (e) a pound of nails; (f) a pint of paint.
(a) Right.
(b) Wrong: fathom measures depth of water.
(c) Wrong: quart measures liquid.
(d) Right.
(e) Right: nails can be weighed.
(f) Right: paint is liquid (though you are likely to buy it by the liter nowadays.)

5. This type of weapon is used in guerilla warfare. These types of weapons are used in guerilla warfare.
How many acceptable sentences can you make?

We wouldn't normally say *"This type of weapons", and anything beginning *"This types of ..." is clearly unacceptable.
The other examples are acceptable. Although "These type of weapons ..." is informal.

6. Watersmeet is the name of an English village. Where would you expect to find it?
Where two masses of water meet, e.g. two rivers.


And another quote of the day:
Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great ones make you feel that you too, can become great.
Mark Twain

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you all again in 2007.

Error reports spotting mistakes and relevant contributions to this newsletter are welcome at thankssomuch@mail15.com.
Please write in English.
Архив рассылки находится здесь: АРХИВ


Автор рассылки Костенко Андрей Владимирович.
Этот выпуск подготовили Любовь Абрамова и Dr.Ortutay Peter.

Надеeмся, вы нашли эту информацию полезной. Успехов вам!
(c) 2003-2006 Ru-English Educational Project

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