Vocabulary. Binomials
Binomials are pairs of words usually linked together by «and». The words are always used in the same order. The two main words in a binomial may start with the same letter or contain similar sounds, they may be near synonyms, be connected in meaning or be opposites.
He went to a supermarket to buy a few bits and pieces.
He was walking up and down the aisles.
Find twelve more binomials by matching words from each box and then check yourself!
Check yourself!
checks and balances = sets of rules that help to prevent a person or group from exerting too much power in an organization
here and there = in different places
hit and miss = not planned or done carefully and so not likely to be successful
hustle and bustle = a large amount of activity and noise law and order = a situation characterized by respect for and obedience to the law and the authorities
long and hard = very carefully (usually used in the expression Think long and hard)
out and about = active, doing things you usually do, especially when you haven’t been able to for some time
rise and fall = the best and worst moment of something (e.g. a culture, a political power, a product)
rules and regulations = guidelines made by an authority to control the way things are done or how people behave
safe and sound = still alive and healthy after a dangerous situation
straight and narrow = morally acceptable (usually in the expression The straight and narrow)
to and fro = alternating movements in opposite directions
9. Listen to the binomials from Exercises 7 and 8. Practise saying them. Which ones do you find hard to say? Practise saying them again.
Binomials from Exercises 7 and 8.
by and large - в целом
checks and balances - система сдерживания и противовесов
cut and dried - раз и навсегда
far and wide - везде, повсеместно
first and foremost - в первую очередь, прежде всего
here and there - тут и там
hit and miss - нестабильный, как попало
hustle and bustle - шум и суета
law and order - закон и порядок
long and hard - долго и упорно
out and about - на людях, на работе
part and parcel - неотъемлемая часть
rise and fall - взлеты и падения
rules and regulations - правила и положения
safe and sound - в целости и сохранности
straight and narrow - на верном пути
to and fro - туда и обратно
11. Work in pairs. Use the notes to tell each other urban legends.
Student A
Choose a story to tell your partner. Spend a few minutes preparing. Make sure you add to the outline:
• who it happened to.
• where it happened – situate it where you are.
• details of what people said and / or how they reacted.
• an explanation of the cause / consequence if necessary.
• some emphatic language.
Urban myth outlines
The double theft: A car / purse is stolen and the theft is reported to the police, but the stolen item is later returned to the owners with a note explaining what happened, plus tickets to an event as a way to apologize. The owners use the tickets, but on their return find their house emptied of contents.
The elephant and the car: Someone parks their small car near a zoo / circus where their car is damaged by an escaped elephant. The driver is shaken but decides to drive the damaged car home. On the drive home, they are involved in a traffic incident which involves the police, and they have to explain the car’s damage. The police don’t believe the story and arrest the driver.
The poisoned clothing: Someone wears a fancy new clothing item for the first time at a party. During the night they complain of some physical problem and eventually they collapse. Afterwards they discover the clothing had previously been sold and had been contaminated by some poisonous chemical, then returned to the store. The contamination is often explained by the clothing having been used to dress a dead body before it was returned, but other reasons may be given.
Student B
Choose a story to tell your partner. Spend a few minutes preparing. Make sure you add to the outline:
• who it happened to.
• where it happened – situate it where you are.
• details of what people said and / or how they reacted.
• an explanation of the cause / consequence if necessary.
• some emphatic language.
Urban myth outlines
The baby on the roof: A couple on a long journey stop to stretch their legs. They take their sleeping baby out of the car and put it on the car roof to avoid putting it on the ground. When they get back in, for some reason they leave the baby on the roof and drive off thinking the baby is still asleep in the back of the car. When they realize, they go back and find the baby’s cot on the road. It’s either empty or has the baby in it, safe and sound and still asleep.
The missing attendant: There’s an attendant at a car park / toilet / left luggage connected to a public building. The attendant takes cash for the service and they are a well-known character. After many years working there they suddenly disappear. Someone in the public building rings the council for a replacement, but they tell them that they don’t have anything to do with the service or employ an attendant. No-one knows the attendant’s name.
Goodbye, Mum / Dad: A man in a shop / restaurant keeps seeing a sad old lady staring at him. Eventually she explains that he reminds her of her son. She asks him to call her ‘mum’. When she is at the cashier she waves to him and he says ‘Bye, Mum’. When he leaves, the cashier tells him he has to pay his mother’s bill.