VOCABULARY ACTIVITIES
Love has been a favourite subject of writers from time immemorial — the muse of songwriters, poets, novelists, philosophers and others. For many people, love is the most important thing in their lives. Without it, they feel as though their lives are incomplete. But what is "it?" This question has been addressed by poets, novelists, philosophers, theologians and, of course, by you yourself. Important as love may be, however, this four-letter word, unlike some other four-letter words, is ambiguous. The quotations written below show how various celebrated personalities have viewed love, and they are varied indeed.
1. Study the list of quotations below. Whose statement do you support and why? Continue the list, either quoting a famous personality or think of the definition of your own.
Love is the delightful interval between meeting a beautiful girl and discovering that she looks like a haddock. – John Barrymore
To love, you have to understand the other, more than she understands herself, and to submit to her understanding of you. It is damnably difficult and painful, but it is the only thing which endures. – D.H. Lawrence
As soon as you cannot keep anything from a woman, you love her. – Paul Geraldy
There are people who would never have fallen in love if they never heard of love. – Francois de la Rochefoucauld
Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence. – H.L. Mencen
Love is a game exaggerating the difference between one person and everybody else. – George Bernard Shaw
It is not customary to love what one has. – Anatole France
The tragedy of love is not death or separation ... The tragedy of love is indifference. – W.S. Maugham.
2. There are many kinds of love, perhaps as many as there are different kinds of people to love. There is the love of parents for children, of children for grandparents, of brothers and sisters for each other, and so on. Each love relationship is different, and each has its own unique aspect.
Love begins in the cradle. Without love and care we would all perish as infants. It is likely that the intense romantic attractions of adult life are related to the experiences of love in early childhood. Romantic love has a profound impact on nearly everyone's life. Study the notes on the vocabulary below and be ready to complete the exercises after them.
1) The word love may collocate (often occur together) with such adjectives as: blind, deep, profound, sincere, true, platonic, undying, unrequited and some others.
People may love blindly/deeply/dearly/passionately.
2) The word a date may mean an appointment you have to. go out with your boyfriend or girlfriend, (e.g. I have a date with Tom in the evening.) It may also mean a person of the opposite sex that you have a date with. (e.g. Who is your date tonight?)
A blind date – a date arranged by friends for people who have not previously known one another.
To go on a double date means to date with another couple.
To go out on dates
To ask someone out – to ask someone to go on a date.
To stand someone up – to fail to arrive for a date
To be stood up (by a date)
To break a date – to cancel a date
To go stag – to go to a dance or a party without a companion of the opposite sex. (e.g. When Sally turned him down, Tom decided to go stag to the college prom.)
To go Dutch – to go out for fun together but have each person pay for himself, (e.g. Jane knew her boyfriend had little money, so she offered to go Dutch.)
3) When two people are engaged, they have agreed to marry each other.
4) If a person proposes to a woman, he asks her to marry him.
5) A woman's fiancé is the man to whom she is engaged to be married. A man's fiancée is the woman to whom he is engaged to be married.
6) to be/make a match
If a man and a woman are or make a good match, they are likely to have a successful relationship or marriage (to be well matched; to be perfectly matched; a love match – брак по любви).
a marriage of convenience – брак по расчёту
a matchmaker – сват, сваха
7) wedding – a marriage ceremony held in a church or registry office, wedding reception – a party held after a wedding, usually by the married couple or the bride's parents;
8) marriage – брак, замужество, женитьба.
a civil marriage – a marriage ceremony performed by a government official and not by a priest;
a common-law marriage – a relationship that is regarded as a marriage because it has lasted a long time, although no official marriage contract has been signed;
a mixed marriage involves people from different races.
If a marriage is dissolved it is officially ended.
If a couple breaks up the spouses separate and divorce.
If a person is marriageable or if he or she is of marriageable age he (she) is suitable for marriage, especially with regard to age.
to marry / to get married
If a parent marries his son or daughter off, he finds a suitable person for them to marry.
If someone marries into money he gains it thanks to marriage.
Many parents may want their children to marry into a good family.
9) If someone is single he/she is not married or no longer married.
3. Fill in the blanks with an appropriate word.
1) Joe was head over heels in love with Jane. He was sure they would make a good ... .
2) Though Miss Johnson had never been married, villagers knew her as the village gossip and ... .
3) As far as I know, it was money trouble that ... Jim and Mary's marriage.
4) John? Are you speaking about John Foster? He is too young to marry you. He isn't of ... age.
5) ... marriages are no longer surprising in civilized societies.
6) They never saw each other again, after their marriage was ... .
7) He learned all the miseries of ... love.
8) When Stuart and Ann made up their minds to get married, they didn't want an elaborate ... . As neither of them was particularly religious, they got married in the ... .
9) She had to share a room with another ... woman.
4. Some people believe that the eternal triangle in love is inevitable. Read the text and decide if Joe has reasons for being jealous:
Joe was intensely jealous. He had thought he and Stephanie were "an item." But Stephanie seemed to be spending almost as much time with Alex as she was spending with Joe. To make matters worse, he was afraid she was two-timing him. Finally, he confronted her.
"I just can't stand this any more."
"Huh? What can't you stand?"
"Your relationship with Alex. If you prefer him to me, that's fine. Just say the word, and I'll be on my way. But you seem to want us both, and I won't stand for it any longer."
"I don't know what you're talking about. Alex is no competition for you. None at all. What in the world makes you think he is?"
"But you're spending as much time with him as you are with me, not to mention what you all may be doing with that time."
"Joe, you're off, you're way off. Alex is a good friend. I do like his company. I like doing things with him. I like talking to him. But I don't love him, and I never will. I don't plan to spend my life with him. He's a friend, and nothing more, but nothing less either."
"Oh, I see." Joe didn't really see.
(From "The Psychology of Love" by R. Sternberg)
5. Reproduce the dialogue between Joe and Stephanie with the help of words or phrases in brackets.
Joe: I just can't stand this any more.
Stephanie: Huh? What can't you stand?
J.: ... [to be on one's way ... to stand for something any longer.]
St.: ... [to be no competition for somebody ... what in the world ... .]
J.: But you're spending as much time with him as you are with me, not to mention what you all may be doing with that time.
St.: ... [to be way off ... a friend ... nothing more, but nothing less either].
J.: Oh, I see.
6. Read the following text. Can you predict the future of the young people? Make up a story that might happen to them.
Susan and Ralph met their senior year in high school. Their relationship started off as a good friendship, but rapidly turned into a deeply involved romantic love affair. Susan and Ralph spent as much time together as they could and enjoyed practically every minute. But both were unready to commit themselves permanently to the relationship. They felt they were too young to make any final decisions, and that until they knew what college they would be attending, they couldn't know even how much they could be together. Ralph was accepted to Boston University and decided to go there. Susan applied to the nearby Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was accepted, but was not offered financial aid. She was also accepted by the California Institute of Technology and was awarded a large scholarship. The difference in financial packages left her with little choice but to go to California. When she left the East, neither she nor Ralph had much confidence that their relationship would survive the distance, and in fact, ... .
(From "The Psychology of Love" by R. Sternberg)
7. Fill in the gaps with the words given in the brackets below.
Since Jack has been involved with Susan, his emotions have been on a ... coaster. He would feel deep ... if Susan left him. Sometimes Jack felt he couldn't control his thoughts; they were ... on her. He'd get ... if he thought Susan were falling in love with someone else. Susan always seemed to be on his ... . He sometimes found it difficult to ... on work because thoughts of Susan occupied his mind.
Knowing that the girl cares about him makes him ... complete.
Susan could make him feel ... and bubbly. When things didn't ... in his relationship with Susan Jack got extremely depressed. [effervescent, mind, roller, concentrate, despair, feel, jealous, obsessively, go right]
8. Now you try to describe a person who is in love with somebody. Make up a story that might happen to them. You are welcome to use the following phrases: to be head over heels in love with somebody; to be or make a good match; love at first sight; to be (not) intensely jealous; to make somebody feel the happiest (complete); to feel effervescent and bubbly; to like doing things with somebody; not to be able to control one's thoughts, emotions; to be on one's mind; to get depressed; the complementary half.
to go out with somebody, to get on really well with somebody, to date somebody, to get the right date, to arrange a blind date, to feel desperate for love, to feel warm towards somebody, to feel close to each other.
9. In the left-hand column there are some idioms dealing with relationships between people. Match them with their explanations in the right-hand column and use them in sentences of your own.
| A | B | |
| A | To be under someone’s thumb; | 1. to be completely different from each other; |
| B | To be head over heels in love; | 2. to be very friendly and not to want other friends; |
| C | To be as thick as thieves (showing disapproval) | 3. to be much in love; |
| D | To be like chalk and cheese; | 4. to be under one’s control, or be heavily influenced by; |
| E | Two hearts that beet as one; | 5. about two people who are very close on opinions, feelings, esp. if they are in love; |
| F | To walk / float on air; | 6. to do anything one wants him or her to do; |
| G | To twist someone round ones little finger | 7. to be very happy about something; |
10. Supply Russian equivalents for the following proverbs.
1) Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
2) Beauty lies in lover's eyes.
3) God helps those who help themselves.
4) Marry in haste and repent at leisure. (Hasty love is soon hot and soon cold.)
5) Love cannot be forced.
6) Love conquers all.
7) Love is blind.
8) All is fair in love and war.
9) Marriages are made in heaven.
10) The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.
11. Make up a short story illustrating one of the proverbs above.
12. Cultural focus. Traditionally before the wedding the bride's female friends give a party for the bride. At this party the guests give the bride suitable gifts. This party is called wedding or bridal shower. Well before the wedding the bride may go to any shop (usually a big and expensive department store) and register there, i.e. she makes a list of the things she would like to get as a present. Usually the couple will register for a variety of gifts – people may choose to give something from the list for the shower and may choose something from the list as an actual wedding present – brought to the wedding.
Read and translate the message below which was sent by e-mail to the guests.
Hi, y'all! Yesterday I did a little window shopping with Linda, our bride-to-be. Although she didn't feel comfortable registering anywhere, I did notice many things that she took a liking to, commented on, and the like.
I thought I'd share this info with other party goers. Some of the items are the kind that would require going in on with two or three people. (Don't forget: the shower's on Sunday at 1 pm at Linda's!)
At Pottery Barn:
picture frames (especially the wood ones and Pub Style with jacket hooks)
chalkboard frame (4x6) – Wow! She almost bought it then and there.
candle sticks/candles
sling chairs w/mini table
serving tray – "Huntington Tray" (the medium sized one)
others at Robinsons/Macy's/Williams Sonoma/Sears etc.
bread-maker
sandwich grill
toaster oven (simple, reliable one – nothing fancy)
2 qt. Teflon saucepan
Nature Company:
Picnic Backpack in red (backpack that comes with picnic items – cool)
Hummingbird feeder (tall glass one with greenish copper)
misc. items:
kitchen dish towels, fridge magnets
Please do not feel obligated to get any of the above. Any fun stuff would be equally great!!! (Or simply show up at the shower with a smile and congratulations!)
Your Eyes and Ears, Lisa S.
If wedding showers were traditional in this country what would you like to get as a present?