Download Key: Chapter 1 – A World Language

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Key: Chapter 1 – A World Language
Access to International English
Key: Chapter One
Timeline: The History of the English Language
p. 9
1 CHRONOLOGY QUIZ
–
Invasion by Germanic tribes: 410 - 600
–
First Viking invasion: 789
–
Norman invasion: 1066
–
First English monarch to speak English in court: 1413-1422
–
First full Bible translation in English: 1526
–
American independence: 1776
–
Noah Webster publishes his American English dictionary: 1828
–
More native speakers of English in US than in UK: 1860
Introduction: Worlds of English
p. 14
Spot check
a)
What form of English are you learning – ESL, EFL or ESP?
EFL – English as a foreign language
b)
Are there more native speakers than non-native speakers of English?
No – the opposite.
c)
Which nation passed a law to limit the influence of English?
France
d)
Why are there so many grammar and spelling programs for English?
Because there are so many different kinds of English in the world.
p. 15
3
DISCUSSION
d+ Here are some suggestions:
Category 1
fastfood - hurtigmat, minuttmat
hat trick - trillingmål
happy hour - billigtime
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Key: Chapter One
junkfood - skrapmat, gatekjøkkenmat
offshore - utaskjærs
snowboard - snøbrett
sound - lydstil
sudden death - førstemålsspill
world wide web - verdensveven
Category 2
cash – kasj
pub – pøbb
rush (hour) – rusj(tid)
tackle – takle
acupuncture – akupunktur
death metal – dødsmetal
Category 3
hip hop
caps
smoothie
baby boom
lipgloss
off-road
keeper (often used instead of målvakt)
p. 16
6
READING A DIAGRAM
a
World Standard English
b
Eight (8)
c
Fifty eight (58)
d
That English has become an international language with many forms
p. 17
7
WORKING WITH STATISTICS
a
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–
Which language has the greatest number of native speakers?
–
Chinese
–
Which language has the greatest number of second language speakers?
–
English
–
Which language has the smallest number of second language speakers?
–
Japanese
–
Do any languages have more second language speakers than native speakers?
–
English, German
–
In which order would these languages appear if arranged according to the total number of
speakers?
–
Chinese
–
English
–
Hindi
–
Spanish
–
Russian/Arabic
–
German
–
Portuguese
–
Bengali
–
Japanese
–
Which languages occur in both tables?
–
English
–
German
–
Japanese
–
Portuguese
–
Spanish
–
How has the ranking of these languages changed?
–
All are higher, except Spanish and Portuguese
–
Which languages are missing in Table Two compared with Table One?
–
Chinese, Hindi, Arabic, Bengali, Russian,
–
Which languages are included Table Two but not in Table One?
–
French, Polish, Italian, Dutch, Swedish
b
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Key: Chapter One
–
Can you suggest any reasons for why there are differences in ranking and inclusion of
languages between the two tables?
–
The largest languages don’t necessarily have lots of people writing articles on Wikipedia
because they do not 1) have as much access to the internet as smaller languages like Dutch
and Swedish; 2) have as well developed an industrial society or educational system.
Reporting from the Frontline of the Great Dictionary Disaster
p. 20
1
DISCUSSION
c+
It is reported that “linguists are rioting” and crossword lovers “are on hunger strike.” Why?
What are they upset about?
Both are losing many of the words they need.
d+
When the poet says the English dictionary is “weeping between its covers” he is making a
pun. What is it?
When they are sad, people often crawl into bed and weep between the bed covers. Books
have covers, too. The pun is on the word “covers”.
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VOCABULARY
b+
anorakk
sofa
bagett
pyjamas
c
A “knees-up” is a party at which there is dancing.
3+
ANALYZING POETRY
a
It is not very conventional to write a poem as a news report. The news report style is most
apparent in the final stanza. This adds a sense of urgency to the issue being addressed. News
reports that tell you to stay tuned are giving what they like to call “breaking news” and this
usually means that something important and dramatic or even drastic is happening. In this
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way the poet underlines and accentuates just how drastic such an event would be as so much
of the English language is borrowed from other languages.
b
The definition of personification is: the attribution of human feelings, emotions, or
sensations to an inanimate object. It is a kind of metaphor where human qualities are given
to things or abstract ideas, and they are described as if there were a person, e.g. the wind
moaned; the first rays of morning tiptoed through the meadow; opportunity knocked at my
door.
In the poem we have the English dictionary weeping; words are voting with their feet; objects
have staged a mass evacuation; anoraks are remaking their Inuit tracks; bananas have hands
forming a queue; sofas huddle; baguettes grab the chance.
The effect of the personification: It adds humour to the poem, but at the same time
underlines just how much of the language has been borrowed from other sources. Perhaps
the poet does not like this “borrowing” because it suggests how the colonial power Britain
travelled around the world and simply took what it wanted from other countries. Giving “life”
to these words makes it sound more like a focused rebellion against the old colonial power;
the words are going home in a very determined way. And in the end, that is the main point of
the poem. This fun poem points out just how much of the English language is built on the fine
traditions of other countries, and that is, indeed, what makes English such a rich language.
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ANALYSIS
Born in British Guiana (present-day Guyana), John Agard is a playwright who also writes short stories
and children’s books. His love of language came from listening to the cricket commentary on the
radio and making up his own, and he later taught languages and worked in a local library. John Agard
has published two works with his partner Grace Nichols, the poet, and now lives in Lewes in East
Sussex.
Here, There and Everywhere
p. 25
Spot check
a)
How many people are found in English-speaking countries?
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Key: Chapter One
435 million
b)
What is the difference between the English spoken in “The Outer Circle” and the “Expanding
Circle” in the diagram on page 21?
The Outer Circle speaks ESL. The Expanding Circle speaks EFL.
c)
Why is it necessary to have standard forms of English?
In order to have standard forms to teach.
d)
Where have new “Englishes” appeared?
Where they speak ESL.
e)
Which forms of English does David Crystal believe people will have in the future?
A local dialect - a national variety – a standard international English
p. 26
3
TAKING
b+
For:
-
Latin turned into many separate languages over time. Why not English?
-
Some forms of English are already very hard for other English speakers to understand. In
time they will become separate.
-
Different cultures need special words for local conditions. These may become dominant
and make the local form a new language.
Against:
-
Standard English provides a common ground for all the forms of English, holding them
together.
Modern communication keeps all forms of English in contact with one another, trading
words.
The point of speaking ESL is exactly to be able to talk to other English speakers no matter
what their mother tongue is. English speakers want to understand each other.
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MEETING STANDARDS
a
Yesterday I went to the shopping mall. I bought my wife a new watch for her birthday. She didn’t
like it. She threw it into the garbage and changed the locks of the doors of the flat. I am very sad.
She is very sad. Maybe I ought to buy her flowers and give her a kiss to make up?
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Key: Chapter One
Writing Course 1: What Is a Sentence?
pp. 31–32
1
”The train arriving at platform four is the 12.35 to London Liverpool Street”. Declarative
sentence.
”Help!” Imperative sentence
”You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog, cryin’ all the time.” Declarative sentence
”On your feet.” Imperative sentence (omitting the verb ”get”)
”Because of the fluctuational predisposition of <…> to advocate an increment.” Declarative
sentence
”You what?” Interrogative sentence (omitting the verb “did” or ”said”)
”Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” Interrogative sentence
”Flight delayed.” Declarative sentence
”Not bloody likely” Declarative sentence
2
a
Both sentences lack finite verbs. In addition, the first uses the object form “me” instead of
the subject form ”I”.
b
Sentence lacks finite verb (”is”). ”Murderer” requires an article.
c
Sentence lacks a subject. ”Gonna” is non-standard English for “going to”.
d
”Disappear” is an intransitive verb, i.e. it cannot take an object (”him”).
e
The main clause lacks a finite verb and subject (”there is”).
f
The sentence lacks a finite verb and a subject (”there is”).
g
The sentence lacks a finite verb (”are”).
3
-
Does the suspect have an alibi?
-
It’s not very convincing. He says he never left the house.
-
Are there any witnesses?
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Key: Chapter One
-
There was a postman delivering letters that afternoon. Otherwise there were none.
-
There was plenty of time in the morning, then. He hides the cash and then drives home.
-
Does he have any previous convictions?
-
He’s been convicted twice for assault. He has one conviction for armed robbery. So he’s
hardly Mother Teresa.
The effect of writing the dialogue in full sentences is to make it closer to written English and thus
make it less convincing as oral dialogue. People don’t usually speak in complete sentences.
4
These are suggestions. There are others solutions.
a
Zimbabwe, a land-locked country in Southern Africa, used to be known as Rhodesia.
b
It was named after the British imperialist Cecil Rhodes, who was interested in the area’s rich
mineral and metal resources and claimed the area for the Crown in 1889.
c
White settlers, who made up only 1% of the population, owned 70% of the country’s farming
land.
d
As they were afraid of the consequences of majority rule, the whites declared independence
from Britain in 1965, but the country was only recognized by South Africa.
e
After years of civil war between Africans and the white minority, the African majority took
power in 1980 and renamed the country Zimbabwe.
f
The present president, Robert Mugabe, who was elected in 1980, is widely criticised for his
autocratic rule and economic policies.
g
Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth in 2002 as it was accused of civil rights
abuses.
h
Zimbabwe is suffering from a serious food shortage, the Aids epidemic has hit the country
hard, and it has the highest rate of literacy in Africa.
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Key: Chapter One
Language Course 1: Verbs
pp. 34-36
1
a
I had a bath when the telephone rang.
Correct sentence: I was having a bath when the telephone rang.
The verb has the wrong aspect because the activity was taking place and was unfinished
when the telephone rang.
b
The novel is describing the dangerous journey of three children across post-war Europe.
Correct sentence: The novel describes the dangerous journey of three children across post-war
Europe.
The verb should be in the simple present as the novel is a “permanent” entity. By the way, did
you know that it is most common to write about literature in the present tense?
c
In the wild, lions are usually hunting in packs.
Correct sentence: In the wild, lions usually hunt in packs.
The simple present aspect should be used here because we are talking about a habit or usual
action.
d
The poem has three stanzas and each stanza is consisting of four lines.
Correct sentence: The poem has three stanzas and each stanza consists of four lines.
Here again the simple present is the correct aspect as we consider the poem to be a
“permanent” entity. The fact that the poem is in four stanzas is also a basic fact, which also
tells us we should use the simple present aspect.
e
Last night when you called I watched television.
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Key: Chapter One
Correct sentence: Last night when you called I was watching television.
The action in the independent clause is unfinished so the past continuous aspect should be
used.
f
When I asked him what he was doing, he said he was a writer.
Correct sentence: When I asked him what he was doing, he said he was writing.
The aspect is wrong between the two clauses. In the dependent clause the question is in the
past continuous, asking what he was doing at a particular time. The correct answer should be
“he said he was writing”, that is sitting down and writing at that particular moment. When
you say you are a writer in either the simple present or simple past (“he said he was a
writer”), you are stating what you do for a living or a profession.
g
I’m usually going to Spain on my holidays
Correct sentence: I usually go to Spain on my holidays.
Here we are talking about a habitual action, one that is repeated over and over again.
2
a
John did not meet Mark. We know this because of the past perfect tense “had left” that tells
us that John was already gone when Mark came by. On the other hand, Mark met Monica
who was arriving as he was leaving and Marianne was almost on her way out the door when
Mark arrived, so he had a chance to meet her too.
b
The only person who we can say for sure might not be watching television is Marianne.
Because of the simple tense of the verb, we know that she does watch television as a habit
but this does not tell us if she is watching television right now. James, on the other hand, is
watching television as he has been doing so for the last four hours and the present continuous
aspect tells us that Mary is currently watching television.
c
Well we can’t know for sure, maybe Brenda and Billy had what is called an amicable break-up
and all is fine and Brenda probably has a new boyfriend. But then we might also read that
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Key: Chapter One
Brenda was going out with Billy and while she was doing that she had a date with Danny, and
then Danny should be concerned about Billy’s special ability.
d
Lions are eating the game wardens.
Lions eat safari tourists.
Lions have eaten the game hunters.
It would probably be option no. 2, even if you are a tourist. The statement is one of habit
(simple present), telling us what lions do, but not right at this very moment, and who knows,
the lions might be sleeping or not hungry right now so you might be safe. Option no. 1
suggests that the lions have got hold of the game wardens (the experts) and are eating them
right now (present continuous aspect) so you, the tourist, might be next, especially since you
don’t know your way around. The third option suggests that the game wardens are gone, the
lions have finished eating them (present perfect), and you are alone with the lions that are
busy looking for dessert, and you still don’t know your way around.
Another way to read this could be to use the tenses to suggest the lions have eaten their full,
so you can wave to them as you make your way back to base camp, or perhaps more
intelligently, to the airport so you can go home to where you belong.
3
a
* The children have gone to school.
(Some of)
Some of the children have gone to school
Here the object of the preposition is “children” and the verb remains in the plural.
b
The sewage * goes right into the river. (from these restaurants)
The sewage from these restaurants goes right into the river.
Don’t be misled by the plural noun “restaurants”, the subject of the verb is still “sewage” and
that is a singular noun so it “goes” right into the river.
c
The * team agrees on this matter.
(boys in the)
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Key: Chapter One
The boys in the team agree on this matter.
Here the subject of the verb is plural, it is now “boys”, so the verb changes according to the
general rules of concord to agree with the subject as in: “they (the boys”) agree.
d
* The records have been borrowed.
(One of)
One of the records has been borrowed.
The subject changes to “one” and then is singular so according to the rules of concord the
verb should be has as in: “it (the one record) has”.
e
The * committee is meeting at this moment.
(members of the)
Members of the committee are meeting at this moment.
The subject of the verb is now plural (“members” instead of “committee”) so the verb changes
to “are” according to the rules of concord.
f
Any number * is able to play.
(of children)
Any number of children are able to play.
Even though “any number of” may be singular from a grammatical perspective, it functions
as a plural here because of “children”. So even if the grammar checker on your computer
puts a green squiggly under this, the verb should agree with the noun “children”, which is
plural.
g
The * cookies are missing.
(tin of)
The tin of cookies is missing.
This is an easy one, the subject was plural “cookies” (they), but the subject then becomes
“tin” which is singular (it), so the right form is: “is missing”.
4+
a
These penguins generally live in the Antarctic, but have sometimes been found further north.
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Key: Chapter One
Analysis: “Live” simple present, “have sometimes been found” passive present perfect
b
Tomorrow afternoon I’m meeting my real father for the first time.
Analysis: “I’m meeting” present continuous expressing the future
c
I came. I saw. I conquered.
Analysis: Simple past for all three verbs, indicating a proud conqueror and a man or woman of
few words.
d
They were just finishing the robbery when the police arrived.
Analysis: “Were just finishing” past continuous aspect, “arrived” simple past
e
The four men were arrested and immediately demanded to see their lawyers.
Analysis: “were arrested” passive simple past, “demanded” simple past
f
Most of the food we eat is imported.
Analysis: “is imported” passive simple present
g
Tim was so busy shopping that he didn’t realize he’d been given a parking ticket.
Analysis: “was shopping” past continuous, “didn’t realize” simple past, “he’d been given” past
perfect
h
Salmon make their way up the rivers in spring and are often caught by fishermen on the
banks.
Analysis: “Make their way” simple present, “are often caught” passive simple present
i
Maureen said Peter was just being difficult and refused to talk to him.
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Key: Chapter One
Analysis: “Said” simple past, “was being difficult” past perfect continuous, “refused” simple
past; “to talk”: infinitive form
j
The team lies fifth in the table and is being sold to a Russian millionaire.
Analysis: Lies: simple present, “is being sold” passive present prefect
5
a
That’s ridiculous – what do you think of?
The sentence uses the wrong aspect as the action of thinking is being done at the moment
and is unfinished. The right sentence would be: That’s ridiculous, what are you thinking of?
b
I used to smoke, but now I gave it up.
This also sounds odd because one of the aspects is wrong. When the first part of the sentence
states a former habit that has been stopped, the second part of the sentence (the dependent
clause) needs the present perfect tense as the action is strongly connected to the moment of
speaking, so it should be: I used to smoke, but now I have given it up.
c
In spite of evidence to the contrary, he was convinced that the earth was being flat.
Here the problem is that the continuous aspect is wrong, he was convinced that the earth was
flat, it was his permanent belief therefore the sentence should be: In spite of evidence to the
contrary, he was convinced that the earth was flat.
d
The team is consisting of a mathematician and three physicists.
Here the present continuous aspect is wrong. The make-up of the team is seen as permanent,
or general, so the simple present should be used. The subject is “team”, singular. So the
sentence should be: The team consists of a mathematician and three physicists
6
a
He surprised us all. │He was surprised by us all.
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Key: Chapter One
In the active sentence the man surprised everyone, perhaps because he said something
intelligent, or did something exceptional. The focus is on what “he” did. In the passive
sentence the focus is on “us all” and how they have managed to surprise “him”, perhaps they
all did something he did not expect, or had a surprise party?
b
It says that she had a difficult childhood. │It is said that she had a difficult childhood.
In the active sentence the fact is stated that she had a difficult childhood. There is no doubt.
This could be a written statement in a book or diary, for example, where it is stated as a
matter of fact that she had a difficult childhood. In the passive sentence that statement
leaves more in doubt, “it is said” suggests that there is no confirmation of the truth of this
statement about her childhood.
c
The advice he gave was always reliable. │The advice he was given was always reliable.
Here the focus of the active sentence is on what he has done and that is that he has given
reliable advice time and time again. In the passive sentence the focus shifts from the advice
the man gave to the advice the man received. Both types of advice (remember “advice” does
not have a plural form in English) were reliable but in the active sentence “he” is the giver,
and in the passive sentence he is the receiver, and time after time he was given reliable
advice.
d
The Canadian drowned in a vat of maple syrup. │The Canadian was drowned in a vat of
maple syrup.
The active sentence suggests that the Canadian perhaps slipped on the gooey surface around
a vat holding the syrup, fell into the vat and died. In the passive sentence, the suggestion is
that someone purposely threw him into the vat in order to kill him. The action is more violent
and malicious in the passive sentence because it suggests that someone drowned the
Canadian.
7
has become – present perfect, ; will you use – simple future; will it have – simple future; Will you
become – simple future; to express – infinitive; will you end up – simple future; will international
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Key: Chapter One
English simply become – simple future; you can employ – simple present; vacation abroad – simple
present; meet – simple present
16