Classification of Nouns

Ex. 1. State whether the nouns in bold type are proper or common.

1. The Imperial State Crown of the Queen of England is normally kept at the Tower. 2. This church has a tower attached to it. 3. The English Channel is the narrow area of water between England and France. 4. The main channels had been closed by enemy submarines. 5. You are like a Figaro. One minute here, another there. 6. I've bought a Kodak,but I don't know how it works. 7. In the art circles he was known as a Metsenat. 8. Wellington defeated Napoleon's army in the battle of Waterloo. 9. Wellingtons are rubber boots. Americans call them galoshes. 10. What had happened, became a Waterloo Bridge for him. 11. He is a real Paparatssi in everything that concerns making money. 12. Rita Brown writes like an American Evelyn Waugh. 13. He is thrilled at his new buy: a classic Mercedes Benz. 14. Antony Marshall lives outside the city. Every morning he drives to the City where he works as staff manager. 15. The Red-White-and-Blue Union Jack hung out of every window, fluttering in the breeze. 16. Degas and Monet were her husband's favourite artists, and both were well represented in their

house. 17. He glanced at the list of her art collection. Sisleys, Monets, Manets, a Dali, Renoirs and a Degas. It was a fabulous collection. 18. Carl Faberge was Russia's Imperial Jeweller. 19. — What a beautiful Easter egg! — Yes,it's a Faberge. 20. The two friends bought a Johnny Walker to celebrate the event. 21. Kurt Vonnegut is writing with the half-embittered, half-amused voice of a later-day Mark Twain. 22. Tonight Samantha wore highly polished black Oxfords.

 

Ex. 2. Explain the origin and the meaning of the following common

nouns. Use them in sentences of your own.

A Dracula, a Cartier, a Sony, a Camel, a Marlborough, a complete Shakespeare, a Reebok, a Mauzer, a Lovelace, a Webster, a Don Juan, a Dunhill, the White House, a Barbie, a Jillet, a Petroff, a Stradivarius, an Oscar, a Walkman, a hooligan, bermudas, a Xerox, a Newton.

 

Ex. 3. Read and translate the following. Explain the use of the nouns in bold type.

1. The Uffizi in Florence have more perfect paintings than any other gallery on the planet — not just Tintorettos and Botticellis,but the most arresting works by people like Gentile da Fabriano and Simone Martini. Some Caravaggios,"Bachus" among them, were found in an Uffizi store-room in 1916.

2. The Earl of Cardigan gave his name to one of the garments we wear. A cardigan is a knitted jacket that is fastened up the front with buttons or a zip.

3. — Now, how about some Bellinis to celebrate the holiday? — I've forgotten what a Bellini is. I know Bellini,the composer, of course. I mean, I know it's also champagne but what's in it besides that? — Fresh peach juice. — Now I remember! It's a fabulous drink.

4. — Rumor has it that you're suffering from a terminal Don Juan complex. — It's not such a bad reputation to have, when you think about it. After all no man can be a Don Juan unless women are interested in him.

5. Long ago in prerevolutionary France there lived one Etienne de Silhouette,a controller general for Louis XV. Because of his fanatical zeal for raising taxes and slashing expenses and pensions, he enraged royalty and citizens alike, who ran him out of office within eight months. At about the same time that Silhouette was sacked, the method of making cutouts of profiles by throwing the shadow of the subjects on the screen captured the fancy of the Paris public. Because the process was cheap, the man and the method became associated. Ever since, we have called shadow profiles silhouettes,with a small s.

 

Ex. 4. Translate into English.

I. Какой потрясающий человек! Настоящий Монтекри­сто! 2. Она такая романтичная! Ну просто Наташа Рос­това. 3. — Я вижу, что твой приятель — мастер на все руки. — Да, и ничего не делает толком. 4. Он настоящий Казакова. Почему она его не оставит? 5. — Какие вкус­ные конфеты! — Да, это Моцарт. 6. — Что это за духи? — Это Кензо. 7. На этой стоянке припарковано несколько машин: Мерседес, Хонда, Линкольн, Форд и старенький Москвич. 8. — Тебе нравится эта картина? — Это Пи­кассо. 9. На стенах его кабинета развешено оружие: кольт, винчестер, браунинг, Калашников. 10. Англичанин Ватман изобрел бумагу, которая называется его именем.

II. Ричард Чемберлен купил маленький остров и жи­вет на нем как современный Робинзон Крузо. 12. — Ка­кую сигару ты куришь? — Это Корона. 13. В этом зале выставлены три Рембрандта. 14. Это была современная сказка о принце и Золушке. 15. — Какое очарователь­ное платье! — Неудивительно, ведь это Шанель.

Ex. 5. Match the six common words given below and the following descriptions.

1. Two-piece swimsuits are named after a Pacific atoll on which hydrogen bombs were detonated — a truly explosive and figurative word.

2. The most popular of all humorous verse forms in English comes from a country in Ireland. One theory says that Irish mercenaries used to compose verses in that form about each other and then join in a chorus of "When we get back to town, 'twill be a glorious morning."

3. Nearly two-and-a-half millennia ago, a little band of ten thousand Persians were defeated at the battle of Pheidippides. A courageous runner brought the news of the glorious victory to Athens, and thus gave his name to a long-distance run.

4. A contraction of "St. Mary's of Bethlehem," a sixteenth century London hospital for the insane, has become a word for uproar or confusion.

5. The Pilgrims found in America a wild fowl somewhat similar in appearance to a fowl they had known back in England — a bird that had acquired its name because it was first imported by way of a particular country. Because we perceive this bird as ugly in appearance and voice, we sometimes assign its name to people we don't care for.

6. The inhabitants of an ancient Greek city were noted for their ability to say a lot in a few words. During a siege of their capital, a Roman general sent a note to this city's commander warning that if the Romans captured the city, they would burn it to the ground. From within the city gates came back the terse reply: "If!" The city's name lives on in an adjective that describes spare speech.

a marathon, a bedlam, a bikini, a limerick, a turkey, laconic

Ex. 6. Explain the difference between the following pairs of words and use them in sentences of your own.

1. air — an air

2. beauty — a beauty

3. coffee — a coffee

4. cloth — a cloth

5. dinner — a dinner

6. fire — a fire 8

7. glass — a glass

8. language — a language

9. lemon — a lemon

10. light — a light

11. nature — a nature

12. oak — an oak

13. paper — a paper

14. play — a play

15. power — a power

16. rubber — a rubber

17. ice — an ice

18. stone — a stone

19. study — a study

20. will — a will

Ex. 7. Make up exclamatory sentences according to the model.

Model: competent advice — What competent advice! good question — What a good question!

1. original advice great idea

2. beautiful nature difficult character

3. fashionable furniture big refrigerator

4. modern equipment ancient fortress

5. unexpected money great fortune

6. wonderful music sentimental tune

7. hitting news strange call

8. good progress big success

9. heavy traffic busy line

10. miserable weather nasty day

11. deep knowledge excellent certificate

12. difficult work pleasant job

13. Russian linen linen towel

14. leafy foliage beautiful leaf

Ex. 8. Comment on the nouns in bold type.

1. Harrods has so much to offer. Vintage wines and sparkling champagne,rustic country pates and silky smooth terrines,delicate scented teas and subtle infusions,buttery shortbread biscuits and rich fruity jams,robust pickles and tangy relishes,mature farmhouse cheddars and crumbly stiltons, hams and smoked salmon which melts in the mouth — all presented in traditional wicker baskets or Harrods boxes. The only thing Harrods can't supply is the weather! 2. Good wines are the best buys before Christmas. 3.1 dropped in at the supermarket and bought a few cold meats,and I also made a salad. 4. Fruit juices are ideal in hot weather. 5. My Granny makes four jams every year. 6.1 used to eat toast with orange marmalade. 7. France has an excellent range of cheeses. 8. A set menu in this Chinese cafe consists of four soups. I prefer a Singaporean seafood soup. It tastes and smells terrific. 9. Herbal teas are my favourite. 10. This shop sells fine foods. 11. The finest rums come from Puerto Rico. 12.1 always have a beer while watching television.

13. Can I offer you something? Coffee, tea, a soda,perhaps?

14. Tea is our most social and sociable drink — a part of our daily life for well over 300 years.

Ex. 9. Choose the appropriate noun from the list below for each sentence. Add an article (a/an/the) or plural (s/es) where necessary.

Affection, spirit, information, red, damage, paper, milk,

wonder, left, glass, luggage, wood, cheese, wild, work, water,

wool, salt.

1. Brie and Camembert are only two of the wide variety of... produced in France. 2. Many Englishmen have explored... of the Nile. 3. Woodworm can cause a lot of... if it is not treated. 4. He never really loved her — he just toyed with her.... 5.1 need... which will match the other shades of scarlet in the room. 6. "Hamlet" is one of Shakespeare's best known.... 7.1 didn't know you were short-sighted. How long have you been wearing...?

8. He buys... on the way home to check the race results.

9. Sorry, sir, you can't have whisky. Our licence doesn't allow us to serve..., only wine or beer. 10. It's a very shy animal and lives in...; it's rarely seen in the open fields. 11. This plant is only found in... of Alaska. 12. To get to the station, you should take... just after the bridge. 13. The girl in the travel agent's was very helpful and gave me lots of... about Turkey. 14. Sorry I'm late — some of my... went missing at the airport. 15. Our dairy produces five different.... 16. British... such as cashmere, mohair, lambswool, merino wool come mostly from the Shetlands. 17.... occurs naturally in sea water. 18. Where are my bathing...? 19. The Great Pyramid of Cheops is one of the seven... of the Ancient World; it's the only one that has survived and exists today.

Ex. 10. Translate into English.

1. Я художник, и я могу оценить красоту. 2. Эта де­вушка — настоящая красавица. 3. Дом сделан из кам­ня. 4. Мне в ботинок попал камешек. 5. Язык обла­дает великой силой. 6. Японский — очень трудный язык. 7. У нее способность видеть будущее. 8. Лимон богат витамином С. 9. Купи лимон к чаю. 10. У него не было (to lack) воли к жизни. 11. У этого мальчика очень сильная воля. 12. Если хотите сделать завеща­ние, обратитесь к нотариусу. 13. Природу нужно ох­ранять. 14. У Эмили очень романтичная натура. 15. Свет необходим для жизни. 16. Вдалеке мы уви­дели огонек. 17. Дания, Голландия, Швейцария славят­ся своими сырами. 18. Фруктовые и овощные соки очень полезны. 19. На завтрак у меня обычно тосты с сыром и апельсиновый сок. 20. Италия и Франция знамениты своими винами. 21. Август. На Сицилии начался сбор цитрусовых фруктов.

Ex. 11. Comment on the nouns in bold type.

1. According to modern standards my family isn't big.

2. My family are early birds. 3. The board consists of twelve people. 4.1 know what the board think of me. They regard me as the spoiled granddaughter of a rich and powerful woman. And the board are very aware of that. 5. This council is responsible for looking after roads. 6. The council have been promising to mend the fences, doors and windows for years. 7. The public stop and stare. 8. "You could join us," he suggested helpfully. "We're a jolly crowd." 9. The government has cut back on public expenditure. 10. Some people said darkly that the Government were behind it. 11. The staff are going to buy a leaving present for their boss. 12. His staff is very efficient. 13. This team plays for Spain. 14. The team are training hard for the coming match. 15. Statistics is the study of figures. 16. Statistics are often misleading. 17. Politics is a popular topic now. 18. What are his politics? 19. The jury were in disagreement. 20. The jury has announced its verdict.

Ex. 12. Comment on the nouns in bold type.

1. The police are here and they are doing their best, sir.

2. The local police have closed this night club. 3. The police were assisted by private detectives. 4. The cattle are in the fields. 5. — Where are the people? — They've gone to the briefing. 6. Her poultry are the finest in the whole village. 7. The Roman Catholic clergy are stationed in Vatican. 8. — Who are those people? — They are tourists. 9. Dice are used in many board games. 10. The people at the interview were very helpful. 11. Hey, people,what are you doing? 12. How different are the beliefs of various peoples across the world! 13. This is a warlike people. 14. The peoples of the Commonwealth will have a new monetary unit.

Ex. 13. Read and translate the sentences paying particular attention to the nouns in bold type.

1. These scales are not correct. 2. My glasses have become too weak for me. 3. The scissors are blunt. 4. My kid's pyjamas are made of cotton. 5. These tights were made in Italy. 6. Don't you think your trousers are too short? 7. What are your earrings made of? 8. The goods have arrived. 9. Give my best regards to your family. 10. The surroundings were unfamiliar to him. 11. The cleaner collected all the floor sweepings and potato peelings lying near the rubbish pipe. 12. My wages have risen considerably lately. 13. The outskirts of this town are shabby looking. 14. Her clothes are very trendy. 15. Clothes make the man: the old saying is rather to the point. 16. Clothes are no longer something one doesn't discuss. Clothes are part of the image.

Ex. 14. Use the right form of the verb be.

1. The information about this company... encouraging.

2. All the furniture in this office... the latest design.

3. My knowledge of German... very limited. 4. These shorts... too long. 5. They... a big family, with many branches. 6. This equipment... for camping. 7. The scissors... here a minute ago. 8. The Government... of the opinion that money in the accounts... siphoned out of the country. 9. These trousers... too tight. 10. The weather... fabulous in Italy in early autumn. 11. These stairs... dangerous. 12. Where... your clothes made? 13. The headphones on my new walkman... great. 14.... the scales over there electronic? 15. There... a hair on my dinner plate. 16. Yesterday's homework... rather difficult. 17. Her luggage... on the scales already. 18. Your advice... very timely. Thank you. 19. The news... too good to be true. 20. The team... no more than seven young men. 21. The hospital staff... all very young. 22. Judging by the fact that Malfoy usually had the best of everything, his family... rolling in gold. 23. She came from a large, close-knit, and loving clan who... always there to protect and help each other.

Ex. 15. Translate into English.

1. Сведения только что поступили, и секретарша про­сматривает их. 2. Врач дал нам так много советов, что мы не знаем, какими из них воспользоваться. 3. Упорный труд — ключ к успеху. 4. Это творчес­кая работа, однако знания здесь тоже очень важны. 5. Ваши успехи нас радуют. 6. Я вижу, что мои со­веты тебе помогают, не правда ли? 7. — А что думает об этом полиция? — Она обескуражена этим пре­ступлением. 8. — Мне нужны хорошие новые джин­сы. — Хорошие джинсы стоят дорого. 9. Моя зарп­лата не столь высока, чтобы обедать в ресторанах. 10. Ее одежда — это в основном джинсы, свитера и майки. 11. Осторожнее, ступени очень крутые. 12. По­лиция все еще ищет угонщиков самолета, но пока не задержала их. 13. Бильярд — его любимая игра. 14. Его специальность — экономика. 15. А что гово­рит твоя семья? Она согласна на твой брак с Викто­ром? 16. Штат этой фирмы состоит из тридцати че­ловек. 17. Труппа этого театра — это в основном вы­пускники ГИТИСа. 18. Сегодня весенняя погода. 19. Какая великолепная сегодня погода! 20. Обожаю бродить по лесу в грибную погоду. 21. Она работает в своем саду в любую погоду.

Number

Ex. 16. Give the plural of

A. A pin, a hat, a fox, a baby, a day, potato, a volcano, a piano, a photo, a knife, a roof, a half, a leaf, a cliff, a chief, a life, a family, a queue, a bath, a berry, a valley, a century, a salmon, a taxi, a person, a penny, a watch, a virtuoso, a lily, a woodworm. 14

B. A man, a woman, a German, a foot, a tooth, a sheep, a ship, a fish, an ox, a fox, a child, a fireman, a mouse, a swine, a house, a louse, a goose, a mongoose, a deer, a means, a series, a species, an aircraft, an offspring, a Swiss, a Japanese, a Maltese, a Portuguese, a Chinese, a Milanese.

C. A passer-by, a mother-in-law, a room-mate, a forget-me-not, a merry-go-round, a fellow-worker, a man-of-war, a school-inspector, a commander-in-chief, a boy-messenger, a personnel-manager, a woman-driver, a man-servant, a hanger-on, a face-lift, a spoonful, a cupful, a boyfriend, a grown-up, an office-block, a workmate.

Ex. 17. Translate into English.

1. Эта реклама утверждает, что если пользоваться пас­той Блендамед, то у вас будут красивые белые зубы. 2. Я сладкоежка. 3. Трое полицейских постоянно ох­раняют этот банк. 4. Милиция уже здесь. Она делает все, чтобы найти компромисс с грабителями. 5. В под­вале дома есть мыши. Вчера утром у двери я увидел маленькую очаровательную мышку. 6. Нам пришлось остановить машину, так как два оленя медленно пере­ходили дорогу. 7. В этом пруду много рыбок. 8. Боль­шие дети — большие заботы. 9. В нашей школе рабо­тает двадцать пять женщин и пять мужчин. 10. Рыба­ки в море. Сейчас сезон ловли рыбы. 11. Домашний скот Тома состоит из лошадей, коров, быков, овец, сви­ней. 12. Моя тетя, которая живет в деревне, держит домашнюю птицу: кур, уток, гусей, индеек. 13. Я очень люблю фрукты. Они придают мне силы (энергию). 14. У нас сегодня гости, многие из них фруктарианцы. Схо­ди на рынок и купи много-много разных фруктов. 15. Скот продают и покупают на этом рынке. 16. Ми­ланцы гордятся своим оперным театром. 17. — Где твои новые часы? — К сожалению, я их потерял. 18. Го­ворят, что женщины-водители более аккуратны, чем мужчины. 19. Это странное явление озадачивает гео­логов. 20. В наше время мыши и крысы часто рассмат­риваются как домашние животные.

Ex. 18. Consult the table and give the plural of the following foreign words.

	Ending	Regular plural	Latin/Greek plural
a	-us	-uses	-i
b	-a	-as	-ae
с	-um	-urns	-a
d	-ex	-exes	-ices
e	-ix	-ixes	-ices
f	-is	-ises	-es
ё	-on	-ons	-a

a cactus, fungus, radius, stimulus, genius;

b alga, formula (in science), vertebra, antenna;

с bacterium, curriculum, datum, medium, memorandum,

stratum, millennium; d index (in mathematics, in books); e appendix (in books, in medicine); f analysis, axis, basis, crisis, diagnosis, hypothesis, oasis,

parenthesis, thesis; g criterion, phenomenon.

Ex. 19. Translate into English.

1. Слово «тысячелетие» в английском языке проис­ходит от латинского слова "mille", которое означа­ет «тысяча». 2. На поверхности этой планеты про­исходят странные явления. 3. Многие школы име­ют разные программы. 4. Каковы критерии оценки этих работ? 5. Мы получили несколько меморанду­мов сегодня утром. 6. Каково содержание этой бу­тылки? 7. Каково обычно содержание сахара в кро­ви? 8. Фундамент дома сделан из камня. 9. Земля вращается вокруг своей оси. 10. Путешественники продвигались по Сахаре, и им постоянно мерещились оазисы. 11. Каков окончательный диагноз? 12. Какту­сы растут в пустынях. 13. Мы из разных социальных слоев. 14. Многие бактерии вызывают болезни. 15. Это действительно уникальное явление. 16. Он один из ге­ниев. 17. В этом кувшине духи (джины). 18. У моей бабушки сильные боли в верхних позвонках. 19. Эти данные надежны. 20. Интересно, что мы увидим в но­вом, двадцать первом веке? 21. Кризисы в экономике отражаются на уровне жизни людей. 22. Содержание этого пакета неизвестно.

Ex. 20. Read and translate the sentences. Comment on the words in bold type.

Moneycan't buy happiness, and itcertainly can't buy health. Years ago Blackie told me that money was meantto be spent and he was correct. Whoever said that money doesn't buyhappiness was misinformed, in my opinion. It buysa lot of happiness for a lot of people. And frankly, I'd rather be miserable with money than without it.

2. English money is not accepted here. 3. All Bess's money goes on clothes. 4. Her linen comes from Holland. 5. The money was sent by cheque. 6. The project received community monies. 7. Public money is like water, everyone helps himself to it. 8. We've got a fascinating piece of news for you. 9. News travels pretty fast. 10. I'm sorry to say that there are "friends" who delight in breaking bad news. 11. They want advice on how to do it. 12. We got an advice note from the firm. 13. The scout brought valuable information. It helped a lot. 14. Does this information interest you? 15. What hard work! But it's rewarding. 16.1 like all Chopin's works. 17. The works is closed today. 18. It's perfect weather for flying today. 19. She's wearing galoshes in all weathers. 20. If you think about money positively, it will come to you. 21. Borrow money from pessimists — they don't expect it back. 22. Money is the root of all wealth.

Ex.21. Translate into English.

1. Я помню все ваши советы. Они всегда были кста­ти. 2. Тебе помогают мои советы? 3. Это прекрасная новость. 4. Сегодня чудесная погода. 5. Все эти сведе­ния в компьютере. 6. — Чьи это деньги? — Они мои. 7. Какая нудная работа! 8. Только работа поможет тебе забыть все. 9. Что нового? 10. Каждый журналист зна­ет, как трудно добывать новости, особенно сенсацион­ные. 11. Успех, как правило, зависит от упорного тру­да и удачи. 12. Фильм имел большой успех. 13. Твои успехи очень всех радуют. 14. Его знания очень об­ширны. 15. Деньги не интересуют его. 16. Он пытает­ся получить секретные сведения. Они ему очень нуж­ны. 17. Это постельное белье прекрасного качества. 18. Осень. Листва желтеет. 19. Эта мебель уникальна, она стоит целое состояние. 20. — Из чего сделана эта мебель? — Из бука. 21. — Не могу понять, откуда у тебя берутся деньги. — Они любят меня и находят меня. 22. Деньги — вещь очень важная. Особенно ког­да их нет. (Э. М. Ремарк)

Ex. 22. Read and translate the sentences. Comment on the meaning of the words in bold type.

l.The fishermen are out in all weathers. If you don't catch any fish,there's no pay. 2. My employer was an importer of rare tropical fish. 3. Try this fish. Everybody who tries it, likes it. Everybody who likes it, loves it. 4. They scraped a living by catching crab, lobster and crayfish. 5. Meredith peered down into the pond. "There really are fish in it," she said sounding surprised. 6. Forget him! There are many other fish in the sea. 7. He had a big collection of minerals, insects and fishes. 8. He studies the fishes of the Atlantic. 9. What an odd fish he is! 10. They've been fishing since dawn but so far haven't caught a single fish. 11. There are carp, trout, pike in this river. 12. Are you fishing out for a compliment? 13. A flying fish can project itself through the air at a speed of about thirty-five miles per hour.

14. The stars glittered in the sky like so many fish.

15. The largest of all fish is the Whale Shark. It may grow up to 15 metres long and may weigh over 14 tons, over twice as much as an average African elephant! Though it has three thousand teeth, it will never bite you. This sea giant is quite harmless. It eats only tiny shrimp and fish.

Ex. 23. Translate into English.

1. В этой реке много рыбы. 2. Рыба проплывает боль­шие расстояния. 3. Эта девочка плавает как рыбка. 4. Если бы у меня была золотая рыбка, то я попроси­ла бы ее исполнить три желания. 5. Не грусти, свет клином на нем не сошелся. 6. — Какая странная рыба! У нее один глаз. — Это результат плохой эко­логии. 7. Он странный тип. 8. Рыба более полезна, чем мясо. 9. Моя любимая еда — рыба с жареным карто­фелем. 10. Ты опять выуживаешь (to fish out for) у меня информацию? 11. Рыбаки поймали полдюжины форелей. 12. — Что это за рыба? — Это летающая рыба. 13. Посмотри, как красиво плавают рыбки в пруду! 14. — Сколько рыб ты поймал в воскресенье? — Ни одной, но я получил удовольствие от рыбалки. 15. В аквариуме у Николаса было семь рыбок, но кошка съела двух, так что осталось пять рыбок. 16. Птички летают, рыбки плавают.

Ex. 24. Read and retell the following text in indirect speech.