Success International English Skills for IGCSE

Success International
English Skills for IGCSE
Student’s Book
Revised Edition
Success
International
Marian Barry
The revised edition of this highly successful course offers complete
preparation for all papers of the Cambridge IGCSE in English as a

English Skills
Second Language examination. The book is endorsed by University of
Cambridge International Examinations for use with the revised
syllabus.
The author is an experienced teacher and uses her in-depth knowledge

for IGCSE ®
of the syllabus requirements to train students in the skills needed for

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Student’s Book 978-0-521-14086-7

Workbook 978-0-521-14090-4
Teacher’s Book 978-0-521-14088-1

Marian Barry
Audio CD 978-0-521-14089-8 ISBN 978-0-521-14086-7

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mmm$YWcXh_Z][$eh]%Y_[ Endorsed by University of Cambridge International Examinations

Success
International
English Skills
for IGCSE ®

Student’s Book
Revised Edition

Previously published by Georgian Press

Marian Barry
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town,
Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Mexico City
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521140867

© Marian Barry 1998, 2005

This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception

and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without the written
permission of Cambridge University Press.

First published by Georgian Press (Jersey) Limited 1998

Second edition 2005
Reprinted and published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2010
5th printing 2012

Printed and bound in the United Kingdom by the MPG Books Group

A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-0-521-14086-7 Paperback

Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or

accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in
this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is,
or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Information regarding prices, travel
timetables and other factual information given in this work is correct at
the time of first printing but Cambridge University Press does not guarantee
the accuracy of such information thereafter.

® IGCSE is the registered trademark of University of Cambridge International Examinations

Produced by AMR Design Ltd (www.amrdesign.com)

Cover image: © Pic and Mix Images/Alamy

 Contents

Contents chart 4
Acknowledgements 6
Introduction 7

1 Happiness and Success 8

2 You and Your Community 25

3 Sport and Fitness 43

4 Transport Issues 64

5 That’s Entertainment! 83

6 Travel and the Outdoor Life 105

7 Student Life 127

8 Happy Endings 145

9 The Animal World 165

10 The World of Work 187

Succ Int Rev Prelims.indd 3 6/4/09 11:12:32

 Contents chart
UNIT TITLE UNIT SECTIONS/TOPICS READING WRITING LISTENING

1 Happiness
and Success
What is happiness? 8
Happy not to be a high-flyer 12
The price of greatness 14
Happiness quiz 8
One woman’s way of being happy 12
David Bellamy 16
Describing people’s character and
appearance
Developing a mature style
Radio interview: is the
sacrifice of personal
happiness the ‘price of
Obstacles and challenges 17 Overcoming illiteracy 18 greatness’? 15
Someone I admire 22

2 You and Your Home town 25 Diane Modahl’s home town 27 Giving information about self, family Discussion: using a
Community Favourite places 29 A family’s experience of fostering 33 and locality converted warehouse
What do teenagers want? 31 Welcoming an overseas guest to benefit local
Living with a foster family 33 Tone and register teenagers 31
Welcoming an exchange
visitor 37

3 Sport and
Fitness
Is sport always fun? 43
Enjoying sports safely 47
Motivation through sport 52
Are school sports days a good idea? 45
Avoiding sports injuries 51
Learning through sport 52
Summarising and note-taking Recorded information at a
sports centre 48

Boxing in schools 54 Boxing in schools 55

Diet and fitness 58 How one woman lost weight 59

4 Transport
Issues
Fear of flying 64
What transport do you use? 69
Nature under threat 71
Aircraft safety 65, 67, 68
A sponsored cycle ride 72
Formal letters to a newspaper 76, 77
‘For and against’ arguments
Relating to the target audience
Discussion: school survey
on car use 70

A new motorway for

Conway? 76

5 That’s Talking about entertainment 83 Film quiz 84 Film and book reviews A model discussion about
Entertainment! Recommendations and Short film reviews 88 films 85
reviews 86 An animator’s career 91 Discussion: TV violence 95
Working in the film industry 90 Model reviews 97, 98
Reading for pleasure 94
Writing reviews 96

6 Life
Travel and Holiday time 105 Holiday quiz 105 Describing outdoor activities and Conversation: a camping
the Outdoor Outdoor activities 109 A summer camp brochure 106–7 holiday destinations holiday 110
Tourism: The pros and cons 113 Free-time activities 109 Developing a mature style
Personal challenges 119 Sicily and Sardinia for tourists 114–5

7 Student Challenges of student life 127 Problem letter 129 Writing a letter of advice Conversation: fear of
Life The pressure of exams 132 Advice letter 130 Tone and register going to college 128
Studying effectively 136 Advice on exam tension 132 A college counsellor
A range of advice 139 describes her work 139

8 Happy
The call of the sea 145 Robinson Crusoe 147 Writing a narrative composition Radio interview: how we
Endings Adrift on the Pacific 149 A dog survives a cliff fall 154 survived being adrift at
Back from the dead 154 Careers at sea 158 sea 150
Reacting to the unexpected 159 Model narrative 160

9 The Animal
World
A fresh look at zoos 165
Animal experimentation 169
Animals in sport 174
Can zoos be animal-friendly? 166
In defence of experiments on
animals 170
Reasoned opinions and formal
arguments
Radio interview: the
‘electronic zoo’ 168

Animals at work 177 A zoo fundraising leaflet 182

Caring for animals 180

10 The World
of Work
The rewards of work 187
Facts and figures 192
Job stereotypes 195
How a new chocolate bar is
developed 188
A fast food restaurant run by deaf
Rewriting in a more mature style
Skills consolidation for ‘verbal
sophistication’ and ‘sustained
A personnel officer
describes her work 195

Recruitment with a staff 197 quality’

difference 196 Model letter on unemployment 202
Preparing for work 199
4

Succ Int Rev Prelims.indd 4 6/4/09 11:12:32

 Contents chart

SPEAKING/PRONUNCIATION LANGUAGE STUDY VOCABULARY STUDY SPELLING EXAM-FORMAT QUESTIONS

Expressing fears and giving Figurative meanings 13 Choosing a dictionary 11 Spelling patterns: Writing 23
reassurance 17 Apostrophes 15 ‘Bird’ idioms 19 qu and ph 10 Oral assessment 23
Adjectives to describe people 20 Why are words
Colour images 21 misspelled? 11
Homophones 13–14

Interview: neighbourhood Order of adjectives 30 Describing a place and its Doubling Writing 41
and home life 25 Borrowed words 36 atmosphere 30 consonants 35 Oral assessment 41
Showing enthusiasm 30 Suffixes: multi-
Persuading 32 syllable words 35
Role play: Spend, spend,
spend 32

Stressing key words 48 Headlines 49 Compound nouns 47 Suffixes: words Oral assessment 60
Expressing warnings 51 Redundant words 56 A five-mile walk, etc 54 with a final -e 57 Note-taking 60
Summary writing 62

The letter g 68 Connectors 66, 73, 74 Euphemisms 70 The letter g 68 Oral assessment 80
Asking for a favour 71 Words often confused 75 Ways of walking 71 Writing 80
Form-filling 80

Asking for information 85 So … that and such … that 85 Adjectives to describe films 84 The letters Oral assessment 101
Describing films 89 Film vocabulary 84 c and ch 93 Writing 101
The letters c and ch 93 Form-filling 102
Strategies for
interrupting 95

Shifting stress 108 Quite 108 Adjective collocations 111 Homophones 118 Form-filling 122
Expressing blame and Punctuating direct speech 112 Adjective suffixes 112 Writing 124
guilt 111 Adverbs as intensifiers 116 Oral assessment 126
The weather 119

Interactive skills 128, 129 Problems and advice 131, 134 The suffixes -ment and -al 134 Silent letters 135 Writing 141
Silent letters 135 Should/ought/need/must/had Idioms 138 Oral assessment 141
better 134–5 Form-filling 142
Punctuation 136

Expressing surprise 149 Narrative tenses 148 The sea 146 The suffix Writing 163
Consoling and Reported speech 152 Onomatopoeic words 146 -tion/-ion 157 Oral assessment 163
commiserating 157 Relative clauses 156 The prefixes mal- and counter- 151
The suffix -tion/-ion 157 Formation of adverbs 158 Homonyms 156

Expressing Adding extra emphasis 176 Animal vocabulary 165, 178, 181 Regular and irregular Writing 184
disappointment 168 Rhetorical questions 180 Adjectives describing feelings 175 plurals 173 Oral assessment 184
Regular and irregular Form-filling 184
plurals 173

Role play: Product Understanding visual data 190 Work-related expressions 195 Suffixes: -able or Form-filling 204
development meeting 190 Amounts and approximations Similes 198 -ible? 198 Writing 206
Linking sounds 195 192 ‘Eye’ idioms 199 Listening 206
Questioning and criticising statistics Oral assessment 206
192

Succ Int Rev Prelims.indd 5 6/4/09 11:12:33

 Acknowledgements
The author and publishers acknowledge the following Solo Syndication for the adapted article ‘Back from the
sources of copyright material and are grateful for the dead’ by Luke Harding (page 154), © Daily Mail/Solo
permissions granted. While every effort has been made, it Syndication.
has not always been possible to identify the sources of all
The Times Educational Supplement for the abridged articles
the material used, or to trace all copyright holders. If any
‘Games for a laugh’ by Sally Smith (page 45) and ‘Boxing
omissions are brought to our notice we will be happy to
shapes up for a come back’ by Michael Prestage (page 55),
include the appropriate acknowledgement on reprinting.
© Times Supplements Limited.
Times Newspapers Ltd for ‘Hometown: Diane Modahl’ by
Camp Beaumont for their publicity material (pages 106/7).
Candida Crewe (page 27), © Times Newspapers Limited.
Egypt Today for the article ‘Faces – Signs of concern’ by
Judy Wall for the adapted quiz ‘Are you living the life you
Manal el-Jesri (page 197).
want?’ (page 8).
Explore Worldwide for extracts from their publicity
brochure (page 125).
Illustrations by Josephine Blake
Sarah Farley for the abridged article ‘Sporting chance’ from
The Times Educational Supplement (pages 52/3).
Photographs by permission of:
Friends of the Earth for ‘Bike to the future’ (page 72) from
A1 Pix pp 80 (Sunset), 115 (Graefenhain), 201
Earth Matters, © Friends of the Earth.
(GrandAngelFoto); Action Images p174; Alamy pp31
Guardian News Service Ltd for the abridged articles ‘How (Janine Wiedel), 37 (Photofusion Picture Library), 46
safe is air travel?’ (page 67) and ‘A bar is born’ (pages (Education Photos), 59 (Enigma), 83 (James Royall), 96 &
188/9), both by John Crace, © The Guardian. 127 (Ace Stock Ltd), 146 (Derek Stone), 147 (ImageState),
148 (Boating Images Photo Library); Allstar p27 (Paul
Robert Harding for the abridged article ‘Insomnia – In
McFegan/Sportsphoto); Judith Brown pp26, 29, 69, 76
search of the big sleep’ from BBC Vegetarian (page 62).
bottom, 105 bottom, 113, 117, 125, 129, 132, 153, 154,
Hobsons Publishing for ‘An interview with Nick Park’ by 178, 181 top, 188 bottom; Camp Beaumont pp52, 106,
Philip Gray (pages 91/2), from Springboard magazine. 107, 109; Corbis pp43 (Patrik Giardino), 55 (Ed Bock
IPC Magazines Ltd for the adapted article ‘Happy not to be Photography), 64, 105 top left & top right, 145 left &
a high-flyer’ from Options magazine (page 12). right, 175 (Richard Smith), 187 right (Peter Kornicker), 193
(Chuck Savage), 199 right; Greg Evans pp66, 76 bottom;
The Lady magazine for the abridged article ‘Fear of Friends of the Earth p72 top (Dominic Turner/Friends of the
swimming’ by Beverly Davies (page 61). Earth); Sally & Richard Greenhill p33; Greenpeace p181
Lancashire Evening Post for the film descriptions from Seven bottom (Morgan); Robert Harvey pp72 centre & bottom,
Days (pages 88/9). 76 top, 78, 160, 161, 165 A/C/D/E/F, 166, 177 right,
181 centre; Images Colour Library pp9 left, 190, 199 left;
Ewan MacNaughton Associates for ‘Facing the fear’, an The Marine Society & Sea Cadets p158; Maggie Meecham
adaptation of ‘A mother makes up for lost years’ by Angela p38; The Moviestore Collection pp84, 88, 98; Rex Features
Neustatter (page 18), © Telegraph Group London. pp14 (Richard Young), 16, 50 (Scott Heavey), 90, 91, 152;
The National Magazine Company Ltd for the adapted/ The Stock Market pp9 right, 94, 127, 169, 194; Thomson
abridged articles from Good Housekeeping: ‘Who dares, Holidays p121; Vasso Varvaki pp12, 19, 20, 22, 57, 71,
wins’ (page 33), ‘Offshore Italy’ (page 115), ‘Exam tension: 110, 115, 133, 165 B/G, 170, 177 left, 180, 182, 183,
What can you do?’ (pages 132/3), © Good Housekeeping/ 188 top, 189, front cover; www.photolibrary.com pp9 left
The National Magazine Company, and ‘To test or not to (Big Cheese) & right (Creatas), 25 left (Celia Peterson) &
test’ (page 170) from Zest, © Zest Magazine/The National right (Kinne/Mauritius), 79 (Roine Magnusson/AGE),
Magazine Company. 120 top (Julia Bayne) & bottom (Heine/Henier), 187 left
(Floresco Prodcutions)
Rosemary Conley’s Diet & Fitness Magazine for the adapted
article ‘I went down four dress sizes!’ by Hilary Talbot
(page 59).

Succ Int Rev Prelims.indd 6 17/12/09 09:45:13

 Introduction
$EAR 3TUDENT has a short International overview feature in the form of
a statistical chart or a quiz. This is an enjoyable way of
In this book you will find all the support and information
absorbing information, and also provides a factual
you need in order to do well in your Cambridge IGCSE
background to balance the opinions and ideas you have
examination in English as a Second Language (E2L).
been discussing.
Success International helps you develop each skill you will
I sometimes find that students have lots of good ideas in
need for the exam – whether it is note-taking, summary
their heads but they struggle to get them down on paper.
writing, reading comprehension, composition writing,
Maybe you’re like that too. The exercises in Success
listening or speaking. You will learn to communicate
International will help you overcome that kind of frustration
effectively and make good sense.
because each topic is broken down into small bits. This
The IGCSE in E2L has two levels, known as Core and means you can get each part of an exercise clear in your
Extended, offering grades A–G. Grades A–D are available at mind before moving on to the next part. In the end, you’ll
Extended level, and grades C–G at Core level. This book have an overview of a whole topic which will give you a
covers both levels, but aims to stretch and challenge you to lovely sense of satisfaction. You’ll find you can produce an
reach a higher level than you perhaps thought possible. For excellent letter or article, or present an impressive talk to
example, you might be thinking, ‘I’d be happy with a D your group.
grade for my result’. If this is the case, aim for a C, or even
On the subject of talking, I hope you are going to do lots in
a B. If you think you are an A student, make yourself an A
your group. This book provides many opportunities for you
star!
to share your ideas in English with your friends. Discussion
You might now be wondering, ‘How can I aim higher, when is a great way to get your thoughts straight, bounce your
I’m not sure what’s expected of me?’ As you use this book, ideas off other people, take a concept a stage further or get
you’ll see that what is expected of you is made very clear. ready for an interesting listening or reading exercise. Don’t
You will always understand what you are doing and why forget to use the pictures and photographs in the book to
you are doing it. The units are structured to build up the get your ideas going too.
skills gradually, starting with the easier aspects of learning,
Mature self-expression is an important goal of the course.
such as recognising and understanding information in the
There are several exercises which show the difference
form of examples and models. For example, you might
between a simple, basic way of writing and a more mature
have to write an article for a teenage magazine. But before
style which is appropriate for a young adult. Achieving a
you start, you will be given lots of help with vocabulary
mature writing style involves various language and personal
and the style to use, so when it is your turn to write
skills, but the results are well worth the effort of learning
independently you’ll be able to do so confidently and
the techniques.
easily. The Unit focus at the end of each unit explains the
skills you have practised and how they fit into the exam During the course, you will be helped to evaluate your
requirements. progress so you can see what you need to do next to keep
extending and developing yourself. I hope you will use the
Success International is topic-based, and you will be
Examiner’s tips at the end of each unit, as these help you
practising your language skills while deepening your
reflect on what you have achieved in the unit and give you
understanding of a range of contemporary issues. The exam
specific hints for the exam. They also include ideas for
can include questions on topics of international relevance.
further progress. At the end of each unit there are Exam-
Students often feel unable to talk or write knowledgeably
format questions for you to practise, which are very like
about such topics, but there is no need to feel like this. The
the real questions in the exam.
coursebook provides the factual information you might
need, as well as helping you to think about it in a When the time for the exam comes, I am sure you will feel
straightforward way. As your thinking skills develop, your thoroughly prepared and confident of achieving your best.
ability to analyse new ideas naturally increases, so you will Finally, the secret of successful learning is not being born
be ready to tackle any topic you might meet in the exam. with a superior brain. It’s making up your mind to achieve
As you progress through each unit of the book, you will something and sticking with it!
enjoy having interesting themes to explore at the same time
as improving your language techniques. You will pick up All the best,
new vocabulary and structures quite painlessly. Each unit -ARIAN "ARRY

Succ Int Rev Prelims.indd 7 6/4/09 11:12:34

 unit
1 Happiness and Success

What is happiness?
1 Quiz
Do this quiz in pairs to find out how happy you are. Don’t worry
about individual words – just try to understand the main ideas.

!RE YOU LIVING THE LIFE YOU WANT

1 Which statement best summarises your feelings about your 4 Which statement best describes your feelings about your
education? home?
A My talent is unrecognised. A It’s a place to rest my head.
B I’m very clear about what way of working suits me. B My heart lifts when I come home.
C Other people’s approval is very important. C I feel proud when I tell someone my address.
2 How do you feel about relationships? 5 You’ve got a chance to redecorate your bedroom. Do you
A I think people should accept me for who I am. A let your parents choose the colour scheme and carpet,
B I know what I have to give, but sometimes I fail. etc?
C I try hard to be an ideal son/daughter/friend. B go for something outrageous or soothing – whatever
makes you feel good?
3 Which statement best describes your relationship with your
C select something stylish you saw in a magazine?
closest friend?
A Our relationship is so good we never argue.
B We do argue, but we make up afterwards.
C We like to get every niggle off our chests.

Succ Int Rev U1p09-24.indd 8 2/4/09 17:15:36

 1 Happiness and Success

6 What are your feelings about other people? 11 What is the most important part of your home?
A I believe there is usually an ulterior motive in people’s A Main reception room.
behaviour. B Bathroom, kitchen, bedroom or ‘den’.
B I give individuals the benefit of the doubt. C Front entrance.
C I trust people and then feel let down.
12 How do you deal with difficult situations?
7 You’ve been invited to a big party. All your friends will be A I avoid situations that might hurt me.
there. You hate parties. Do you B I remove myself from any situation that keeps causing
A tell everyone you’re going but don’t turn up? me pain.
B explain your feelings in a light-hearted way? C I persevere in situations that are hurting me.
C go anyway and feel miserable?
13 How would you describe your life?
8 You’re feeling proud of a new outfit. A ‘friend’ makes a A I’ve no time to pursue personal goals.
hurtful remark. Do you B I’ve a clear sense of meaning and purpose.
A give a sharp reply/say something nasty back? C I’m over-committed and I feel all over the place.
B ignore it?
14 Which best describes your friendships?
C vow never to be seen in it again?
A I’d like to have more.
9 How do you choose your clothes? B I choose my friends.
A I go for classics. C My friends choose me – I’m liked and accepted.
B For comfort and personal taste – favourite colours, cuts
15 You’re relaxing in the bath after a hard day when a friend
and fabrics.
phones. Do you
C I like to be fashionable.
A get someone to tell her you’re out?
10 What are your feelings about family and personal B get someone to tell her you’ll call back?
relationships? C take the call?
A I believe that I have a duty to others.
B I’ll make sacrifices, but I know my limits.
C I believe I must be happy in whatever I do. See page 208 for quiz scores.

Succ Int Rev U1p09-24.indd 9 2/4/09 17:15:47

 What is happiness?

2 Discussion 4 Spelling patterns and speech sounds

A The quiz suggests the happiest people are those You’ve just completed a quiz. In English spelling, q is
who live life in their own way. They know what they always followed by u. Qu is a spelling pattern. The
want and don’t feel the need to do things just because speech sound is /kw/.
others want them to. How far do you agree with this
Can you guess the following words, each containing the
interpretation?
pattern qu? Use your dictionary to check that your
Do you think living like this can make people selfish? spelling is correct.
Does everyone have a right to happiness? Try to explain
1 The king is married to her.
your ideas to your group.
2 He started the essay with words from his favourite
B What makes you happy? Read some comments poem.
made by students. 3 This is the sound a duck makes.
4 A celebration meal which a very large number of
people attend.
“Finding a £1 coin in the pocket of my jeans
Ph is another spelling pattern, and sounds like /f/. It’s in
when I thought I was broke.”
phone, photograph and phrase.
“Going to a football match and seeing my
side win.” What other sounds and spelling patterns do you know?
“A surprise long-distance call from a really ______________________________________________
close friend.” ______________________________________________

5 Approaches to spelling
Now add your own ideas. Be specific! Tick the strategies you use to help you spell.
______________________________________________ I remember how the word looks on the page
______________________________________________ (visual recall).

C Share your ideas around your group. I use spelling rules.

D What can you do when you feel unhappy? I link spelling patterns with speech sounds
(e.g. q+u is a pattern and sounds like /kw/).
Study these comments.
Everyone makes spelling mistakes! To improve your
spelling you need to use a combination of all these
“I ride my horse down to the river and just approaches. One method which is particularly useful
sit and think. It’s my real place to escape.” and quick to learn is called the ‘look, say, cover, write,
check’ method, described below.
“I talk to my dad and he tells me how he
coped in a similar situation.”
6 Look, say, cover, write, check
This method concentrates attention on each letter group
in a word so you won’t miss any letters out. It also
Discuss your ideas with your partner or keep them stops you putting letters into a word which don’t
private. belong there – even if they sound as if they do! It can
be used with other strategies such as spelling rules and
3 Formal and informal styles linking speech sounds to spelling patterns.
Here is some informal or colloquial language from the Break into syllables
quiz. Match it to the more formal equivalents. To help you remember how a word looks, break it into
1 I feel all over the place. syllables. For example, quality has three syllables: qua/li/
2 We like to get every niggle off our chests. ty.
3 I go for classics. Qualification has five syllables: qua/li/fi/ca/tion.
4 You’re waiting for life to come and dish out the Break these words into syllables:
happiness.
5 You’ve hardly got off the launch pad. quota
A I prefer clothes that will not go out of fashion. question
B I lack a clear sense of my goals in life. automatic
C You aren’t taking responsibility for making yourself
happy.
quarrel
D You haven’t started moving.
E We always tell each other our bad feelings even if
they are about something unimportant.

10

Succ Int Rev U1p09-24.indd 10 2/4/09 17:15:49

 1 Happiness and Success

Take a mental photograph B When you have decided why each word is tricky,
Cover the word with a piece of paper. Then move the make a note.
paper so that you can see the first syllable only. Study
Examples:
the syllable carefully, ‘photographing’ it in your mind
Cupboard is tricky because you can’t hear the p, so you
and saying the syllable to yourself. Then move the
might forget to put it in.
paper along so that you can see the next syllable.
Repeat the process, until you have mentally Activities is a tricky word because the singular is activity.
‘photographed’ the complete word. You might forget to change the ending to ies when you
write the plural form.
Testing yourself
Cover up the whole word. Write it from memory. Then C Write down examples of other words which have
check your spelling with the original. If your spelling silent letters and ies plurals.
was correct, write out the word three times from Examples:
memory to reinforce the visual recall. If you didn’t get p is not only silent in cupboard. You can’t hear it in
it right, repeat the whole process until you are sure you receipt, raspberry or psychology.
can spell the word accurately.
Dictionary, story and memory are other words which
7 Tricky words have an ies plural. But words like boy and railway just
add s to make the plural.
Here are some words IGCSE students find hard to spell
correctly. Make sure you understand the meaning of D When you have written as much as you feel you
each one. Can you pronounce it properly? Say it aloud can, discuss your results with other pairs or groups.
to your partner to check.
9 How helpful is your dictionary?
cupboard committee
Dictionaries give you the meaning of words and help
truthful honour
you to spell. Does your dictionary also
activities curable
responsible embarrassment Ë VË ÍjËߝÖˆÝË͝ˬÁ™Ö™WjË͆jËݝÁa·
calm wrist Ë VË ÍjËߝÖË͆jË~Á?””?͉W?ËW?ÄÄË®ÜjÁM^˙Ö™^Ë?aÜjÁM¯·
Ë VË ÍjËߝÖˉwË͆jËݝÁaËMj™~ÄË͝˔ÁjË͆?™Ë™jË
How well can you spell these tricky words? Use the grammatical class (e.g. nouns which can be used as
‘look, say, cover, write, check’ method. Remember to verbs)?
break each word into syllables first. When you have Ë VË ÍjËߝÖˉwË?˙Ö™Ë‰ÄËWÖ™Í?Mj˝ÁË֙WÖ™Í?Mj·
mastered the spelling of each word, move on to the Ë VË ~‰ÜjËߝÖËjÞ?”¬jËÄj™Íj™WjÄ·
next. Finally, use each word in a sentence to show its Ë VË ~‰ÜjËߝÖË?™ßˉa‰”?͉WËjÞ¬ÁjÄĉ™ÄËÖĉ™~Ë͆jË
meaning. word(s)?
If the answer to most of these questions is no, you need
8 Why are words misspelled? a new dictionary! Choosing a good dictionary is
A Try this exercise in a pair or group of three. complex. Before you spend a lot of money, ask your
Study each tricky word in exercise 7 again. Do you teacher or your classmates for their ideas.
notice anything about the word which makes it extra
hard to spell? Think about these questions. 10 Getting organised
Is the problem the fact that we do not pronounce some Have you got a spelling and vocabulary book? If not,
of the letters in the word? These are called silent start one now. Plan the layout carefully. Use columns,
letters. notes on pronunciation, space for translations and
example sentences. Keep it nicely organised and you’ll
Is the problem the ending of the word? Do we make find it a great aid to memory. It will be an enormous
mistakes because the sound of the ending is different help in understanding the patterns of English.
from the correct spelling?
Is the problem the fact that the word is a plural? What
happens to the word when it changes from singular to
plural?
Is the problem the fact that there are double letters in
the word? Do we make mistakes because we are not
sure whether to use a double or single letter?

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Succ Int Rev U1p09-24.indd 11 2/4/09 17:15:50

 Happy not to be a high-flyer

Happy not to be a high-flyer

11 Before you read
A Compare this description with the photograph.
Tina’s short brown hair is cut in a boyish style with a
fringe. She has a beaming smile and looks alert,
confident and ready for anything.
Do you agree with the description? Would you change
anything?
B You are going to read about Tina’s way of being
happy. Before you read, try to answer these questions.
Where do you think the text comes from?
What do you think the style is going to be – chatty
and informal, or formal and serious?
Who do you think the article is written for?

VOCABULARY CHECK
Make sure you know the meaning of these words
from the text.

priority insignificant trivial

12 Comprehension check
Now read the article. Then answer the questions
which follow.

Tina Lanzi, 32, acquisitions assistant of a TV company, that if I had a more senior role at work, another part
is happy standing still on her career ladder. of my life would have to give, and I’m not prepared
‘My mum always wanted me to do well at school to risk that. I‘m just not the sort of person who can
and to have a high status job, but that sort of thing trample on others to get to the top. I find it satisfying
isn’t a big priority for me. I did have the potential to to do a productive job because I like to feel I’m doing
do well and go to university, but I was just too busy something useful, but I’m not into climbing the career
having a good time. My relationships have always ladder now.
been far more important to me than academic or ‘The biggest priorities in my life are my husband
career success. David, our son Rory, who’s nine, and daughter
‘My present job basically involves working as an Rachel, who’s four. If I’m ever fed up after a day at
assistant, and friends still insist I could have achieved work, I just spend some time with the children, and
more in my working life. When I was younger, I did the enjoyment I get from them makes me realise how
feel I had to set myself goals and attain them within a insignificant and trivial my worries at work can be.
certain period. I successfully ran my own business for ‘Occasionally, I’m reminded of how tied down I
a while, but having kids put life back into am – if a friend goes off travelling, for example. But I
perspective. suppose an important part of contentment is to accept
‘There have been times when I could have taken life’s limitations, and to learn to enjoy the things that
on a lot more responsibility at work, but I imagine you can do.’

1 Why do Tina’s friends think her job isn’t good 3 Why is Tina not ambitious?
enough for her? 4 Describe Tina’s attitude to life.
2 What does Tina think is the most important part of
her life?

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 1 Happiness and Success

13 Principles of a happy life B Have you any goals of your own? Take a few
minutes to think and then write them down. Divide
Psychologists, analysing the ingredients for a happy life,
them into daily, medium-term and long-term goals.
have come up with the following do’s and don’ts.
Share them with others or keep them private if you
Unfortunately, the words do and don’t are missing.
prefer.
Working with a partner, write Do or Don’t next to each
point. Examples:
A goal for today is to tidy my bedroom.
_____ regret decisions you made in the past.
A medium-term goal is to improve my fitness by swimming
_____ hold resentment against your parents. twice a week.
A long-term goal is to travel the world.
_____ value status and material possessions more
than people. Daily goal _____________________________________
_____ spend a lot of time envying other people. Medium-term goal _____________________________
_____ be realistic about how much you can achieve. Long-term goal ________________________________
_____ choose a job which gives you real satisfaction.
18 Figurative meanings
Now discuss your opinions in groups.
Tina says, ‘I’m just not the sort of person who can trample
on others to get to the top.’
14 Finding examples
The literal meaning of ‘trample’ is to tread heavily on
Working in groups of two or three, look back at Tina’s something in a way which damages it.
comments about her life. Try to find specific examples
Example: They trampled over the garden, ruining the new
in what she says which illustrate the principles about
plants.
happiness in the list above.
Tina uses ‘trample’ figuratively, meaning that she would
Example:
not behave in a way which would hurt the feelings of
She says she had the potential to go to university but it
others.
wasn’t a priority. She was too busy having a good time.
This shows she doesn’t regret decisions made in the past. In each of the following sentences, one word is used
figuratively. Underline the word, and then discuss its
______________________________________________
meaning with your partner. Finally, write sentences of
______________________________________________ your own to illustrate the meanings. Don’t forget to use
______________________________________________ a dictionary when you need to.
1 I spent the day wrestling with our financial
15 Sharing ideas problems.
A When your group has finished, check your examples 2 My heart lifts when I come home.
with those of another group. Are there any differences? 3 She was unhappy because her older sister always
Make any corrections you need to. Include new, squashed her ideas.
interesting ideas on your own list. 4 We’re fighting the authorities who want to close our
village school.
B Suggest some ‘happiness principles’ to share with 5 His face broke into a smile when he heard the news.
your group. Try to base them on your own experience. 6 I’m tired of battling with staff who refuse to accept
Examples: different working conditions.
Do try to be tolerant of other people. 7 After his wife’s death, he buried himself in his
Don’t be too self-critical. work.
8 He’s crippled by shyness.
16 Discussion The English language is full of figurative uses of words.
Tina says she’s happy not to be a high-flyer. On the Reading and listening to authentic English will develop
other hand, people say they get great fulfilment from your awareness. Work towards including examples in
being promoted to highly demanding jobs. Would you your own vocabulary.
be prepared to make any sacrifices in your personal life
in order to have a high-flying career? Why/Why not? 19 Homophones
Tina says that she doesn’t want a more senior role at
17 Goal setting work. Role here means job.
A Tina says that, when she was younger, she set Role has the same sound as roll, but each word has a
herself goals. Is goal-setting a good idea? Does it help different spelling and meaning. Roll can refer to a bread
you achieve things, or should you take each day as it roll, or be used as a verb meaning movement, e.g. roll
comes? Should you ever change your goals? the ball along the ground. Words of the same sound but
different spellings are called homophones.

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 The price of greatness

The following sentences are based on IGCSE students’ 20 More homophones

writing. Choose the correct homophone in each case.
Work in small groups to try to find a homophone for
Can you explain the meaning of the incorrect one?
each of these words.
1 There’s no plaice / place like home.
2 I was in terrible pane / pain when I broke my arm. 1 steal 6 bear
3 You need peace / piece and quiet for your work. 2 male 7 tail
4 I read the hole / whole book in one evening. 3 your 8 sale
5 We’re not aloud / allowed to stay out late. 4 week 9 poor
6 We have a pear / pair tree in the garden. 5 hour 10 wail
7 The wind farms will be a horrible site / sight. Now put each word into a sentence to show its
8 Their / There are six people in my family. meaning.
9 I answered four / for questions.
10 He’s got a saw / sore throat.

The price of greatness

21 Before you listen
Name someone who you think deserves to go down in
history for their work or achievements. Why do you
think this person should be admired? Try to be specific.
Example: Alexander Fleming – because his discovery of
penicillin means that many illnesses which used to kill
people are now curable.
Make a few notes.
What do you know of this person’s background and
personal life? If you don’t know very much, what
picture do you have in your mind of it? Do you imagine
a happy home life or one dominated by struggle and
conflict? Why/Why not? Write down your ideas.
Share your ideas with the rest of the group.

22 Vocabulary check
Match the words which you are going to hear with their
definitions.
1 genius A something which makes it
difficult for you to do what
you want
2 inner drive B inherited through your
parents
3 genetic C reach an extremely high
standard
4 setback D unhappy feelings, anxiety,
depression
5 excel E average, not particularly
good
6 psychological F a strong determination to
unease achieve
7 mediocre G (a person of) exceptional
ability

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 1 Happiness and Success

23 Listening: Radio interview PRONUNCIATION

Practise saying the contracted forms to your partner.
Listen to this radio interview and choose the best Try to make the contraction smooth and natural-
answer for each question. sounding.
1 According to Steve, the disadvantages suffered by
great achievers when they were children 26 Apostrophes (2)
a made it more difficult for them to reach their
With a partner, study the exact position of the
potential.
apostrophes in these sentences.
b drove them to excel.
c made the public more sympathetic to their 1 Someone’s stolen the doctor’s bag.
achievements. 2 He got a parents’ guide to zoos.
d embittered them for life. 3 All the passengers’ luggage goes in the hold.
4 There are no men’s toilets on this floor.
2 The interviewer’s attitude to the information
5 Give me Brendan’s shoes.
that suffering is a significant factor in great
6 I spoke to the children’s favourite teacher.
achievement is
7 Can I introduce Maria’s husband?
a doubtful.
b amused. What conclusions can you come to about using
c horrified. apostrophes? Write down your ideas.
d intrigued. ______________________________________________
3 What, according to Steve, did great achievers need ______________________________________________
when they were children?
a understanding ______________________________________________
b companionship ______________________________________________
c solitude
d training ______________________________________________

4 Steve’s message to ordinary children who are ______________________________________________

hoping to fulfil their potential is
a discouraging – you’ll probably never make it as 27 Correcting sentences
a real superstar.
b supportive – everyone should develop his/her Now correct the following sentences by adding
abilities. apostrophes where they are necessary.
c cautious – try to achieve but take care not to 1 The teachers listened to Carols views.
get depressed. 2 Theyve bought a new car.
d excited – there’s a wonderful future ahead of 3 I went to my mothers office.
you. 4 Please dont touch the babies clothes.
5 Its hard to explain the programmes success.
24 Post-listening discussion 6 She works in the womens ward of the hospital.
A According to the speaker, the greatest thinkers had 7 Hes training to be a ladies hairdresser.
unhappy lives. Does this surprise you at all? Why/ 8 Youll find her in the teachers workroom – all the
Why not? staff go there.
9 He mightve become the next Einstein.
B Do you agree that being very successful is ‘5% 10 She couldnt understand why her cat had lost its
talent and the rest hard work’? Explain your views. appetite.
Practise saying the sentences aloud to your partner.
25 Apostrophes (1)
These sentences come from the script of the radio
interview. Why are the apostrophes used, do you think?
Discuss your ideas with your partner.
1 Steve’s been reading an absolutely wonderful book.
2 You can’t just pick out one or two factors.
3 It’s a very complex web.
4 They’ve probably suffered from depression.
5 I wouldn’t say you ought to stop trying to achieve
your potential.
6 You mightn’t be the next superstar.

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 The price of greatness

28 Speculating about a photograph 29 Describing personal qualities

Study this photograph with a partner. Read how three Here are some comments people have made about
students have described the person in it. Which David’s life. Study them with a partner. Make sure you
comments do you most agree with? Try to explain why. understand each one.

When he’s carrying out an environmental campaign, he

gets letters from children who say, ‘It’s not worth it,
David, the world is dying.’ But he doesn’t think it is. He
thinks nature can adapt and we never need lose hope.

He campaigned to save the rainforests and ended up in

prison. But he says that it was worth it because now,
all over the world, people are starting to understand
about the forests.

He thinks the earth is in a mess. And the seas are in

trouble too. But he reminds us that we’ve got a global
agreement from governments about protecting the
environment, so things will gradually improve.

When he starts on a project he’s filled with enthusiasm.

He relies on friends saying ‘Wait a minute David, you’ve
got to do this or do that to avoid disaster.’

A
He believes the countryside has to be managed and that
sometimes means killing things. Even if it annoys people,
He’s a burly, bearded man with a thick mop of he just has to do what he thinks is right.
grey hair. He’s rather severe-looking. He could be
a doctor or a teacher.

His work is exhausting and sometimes dangerous,

B but what has kept him going is having friends who
He looks big and heavy set. He’s got a warm, believe in him.
humorous expression and a rugged, outdoor
appearance. He could be a farmer or a sailor.
After reading people’s comments about David’s life, do
you think it is right to draw the following conclusions
C about him? Answer yes or no.
He’s fair-skinned with bushy eyebrows and swept- He has:
back grey hair. He’s rather sensitive-looking. He 1 the courage to take risks.
could be an artist or a ballet dancer. 2 benefited from positive criticism.
3 bad memories he cannot forget.
4 accepted stress as part of his life.
The photograph is of David Bellamy, a famous 5 encouragement and support from friends.
naturalist and environmental campaigner. He has 6 trouble trusting others.
improved people’s understanding of the ways we can 7 self-belief.
protect our planet. 8 a positive, optimistic outlook.
9 determination.
10 difficulty adjusting to change.

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 1 Happiness and Success

30 Discussion 31 Drafting a paragraph

1 David might be successful, but is he happy? What Write a paragraph of about 75 words describing the
are your views? kind of person you think David is. Try to give reasons
2 Is there anything about David’s approach to life you for your opinions.
would choose for yourself? Try to explain why.
When you’ve finished writing, show your paragraph to
3 Do you think David is a good example to younger
a partner. Does he/she think you should change
people? Could he be a role model (a person who
anything? Do you agree? Make a second draft, putting
inspires others to copy them)? Why/Why not?
in the changes you both agreed on.
4 Does David share any qualities with your own
personal heroes or heroines?

Obstacles and challenges 33 Pre-reading discussion

You are going to read about Monica, a woman who
didn’t learn to read until she was grown-up. Discuss the
32 Expressing fears and giving reassurance following questions.
In pairs, read the following dialogue. 1 What everyday problems do you think not being
A: I’ve got to recite a poem in front of the whole able to read would present?
school. 2 Why might someone who was unable to read not
B: How do you feel about it? try to get help to learn?
A: To tell you the truth, I’m a bit worried about it. 3 What effect do you think not being able to read
B: Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. Everyone thinks you’re might have on him/her?
great!
When people want to express fears, they use these
34 Vocabulary check
expressions. Tick the one(s) which sound most fearful. Make sure you know the meaning of these words
I feel sick every time I think about it. from the text. Use a dictionary if necessary.

To tell you the truth, I’m a bit scared about it. taunted illiterate volunteer
I’m not really sure I can cope.
To be honest, I’m not sure I’ll be able to do it. 35 Reading: Textual organisation
The thought of it bothers me. Read the text carefully and match each paragraph
with one of these headings.
I’m terrified!
A Effects on Sally’s education
Here are some expressions you can use to calm
someone’s fears. Which do you prefer? B Hiding the problem
There’s nothing to worry about. You’ll do a wonderful job. C Unhappy school days
You’ll be fine. Nothing can go wrong. D Qualifying as parent-educator
Things will be all right. We’re all supporting you. E Sally’s birth
Don’t get too upset. It’ll all go well. F Monica’s work today
G Learning to read
PRACTICE
Practise expressing fears and giving reassurance in pairs.
A should explain what he/she has to do. B should give
reassurance. Then swap over. Base your dialogues on
these situations.
Ë VË ?Ëwj?Á˝wËÍ?‰™~Ë?™ËjÞ?”
Ë VË ?Ëwj?Á˝wËW”¬j͉™~ˉ™Ë?ËÁ?Wj
Ë VË ?Ëwj?Á˝wË~‰Ü‰™~Ë?ËÍ?Ë‰™ËwÁ™Í˝wË͆jËÄW†
Ë VË ?Ëwj?Á˝wË~‰™~Ë͝Ë͆jËaj™Í‰ÄÍ

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 Obstacles and challenges

3 Her husband Derek, who then I realised I could

1 Monica Hegarty ’s childhood contribute. And I wanted to
died earlier this year, was
memories are of crippling because I realised there were
unaware of her secret. She says,
stomach aches each morning other parents ‘in the closet’, as I
“I’d just ask him to do the
before school, of missing lessons had been, and that I could help
things I couldn’t cope with and
through illness and falling so them. By now she was doing a
he accepted that. But it really
far behind that she understood training course to become a
came home to me when Sally
little but did not dare to ask for parent educator. “The day I got
was born. I felt very insecure as
help, of silent misery as other my certificate – the first in my
a mother, and as she grew up
children taunted her as ‘stupid’. life – Sally and I went out for a
everyone around me was
She says, “I spent all those years really nice meal to celebrate.”
saying, ‘You must read to her.’ I
feeling I had failed at school,
felt so stupid because I These struggles are in the
but now I think school failed
6
couldn’t.” Even then she did past. Monica now works in
me, and when I had Sally, 17
years ago, I was determined it
not tell Derek, alth oug h she several different schools and has
smiles now and says , “I thin k just returned from a conference
would not be the same for her.” his
She is sitting in her
he must hav e kno wn in in Cyprus where she gave a
heart of hea rts, but he was such presentation on involving
immaculately tidy flat in south on. I
London. Sally, a rangy, striking
a swe et man he nev er let parents in reading. Her delight
made sure he did the reading is obvious. “Learning to read has
teenager joins us – at first shy, to
with Sally – I’d say I had made the world a different
then exchanging memories with
cook dinner and that it was a place. Suddenly I feel there are
her mother. e.”
good way for them to be clos so many things I can do. But the
2 Monica is describing how it Sally rememb ers, “Som etim es most important thing is that
feels to be unable to read and Mum wou ld sit with us and Sally hasn’t been held back.”
write, to be illiterate in a world seem to join in. I nev er real ised
Sally pulls a face. “Mum was
where just about everything we she wasn’t actually reading.” 7
do, how we are judged, very pushy about studying and
4 Things cha nge d whe n Sall y homework. She’d find fault
depends on our literacy skills. and
Few people, she says, realise
went to prim ary scho ol with everything because she
Mon ica beca me a volu ntee r, was so keen I should do well.”
what it means to be unable to
helping with the children. One But Monica is unapologetic.
read a road sign, safety
instructions or the contents of a
morning the head said they “Perhaps I pushed harder than
wanted to offer her a paid job other parents because I knew
food packet, when every form I kne w
you have to fill in, every note
as a helper. “I just froz e. what failing feels like, and I
that would invo lve read ing and suppose I was living my life
you need to write, is an avo ided
impossible task. Monica
writing – the thin gs I’d through her. But we were both
remembers it very clearly: “I felt
so far. But the hea d had bursting with pride the day she
so conscious of not being able to
reco gnis ed my pro blem . She did really well in her GCSEs. I
took me under her wing and was in tears in front of
join in the life other people
did reading with me every day everyone at school because I
were living.” Nor do many As I
people realise the elaborate
so that I could take the job. was so proud.” Sally is no less
charades people put on to
learned, she put me in with proud. She sits on the arm of
older children and I real ised I the sofa near her mother,
disguise this inadequacy. like
Monica explains, “I would have
could read and writ e. It was listening, her smile overflowing
the names of places I wanted to
a miracle .” with affection. She says, “I think
go to written down, and then That was the beginning. it was brave of Mum. She’s also
5
I’d show this and ask someone shown me how important it is
When the present head took
to take opportunities when they
to help, explaining that I’d left over he set up a parents’ group
my glasses at home or some come. If she hadn’t done that,
and Monica was part of it. He
such story. I’d carry a book or she wouldn’t have become the
asked them to write a book for
person she is now, with a great
paper around and pretend to parents teaching their children.
read it. You get good at fooling future.”
Monica says, “My first reaction
other people, but you can’t fool was, ‘Ooh, I can’t do that ,’ but
yourself. It makes the world a
scary place.”

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 1 Happiness and Success

36 Comprehension check B Monica says ‘I suppose I was living my life through

her’ (paragraph 7). What bad effects might living your
1 Why did Monica dislike school? Give two reasons.
life through another person have?
2 How did she hide from other people the fact that
she couldn’t read? Give two examples. C Some people feel they will be happy if they have
3 Explain how Monica felt when she was offered paid success, achievement, material things. Other people
work by the headteacher. claim happiness comes from inside you. Where does
4 What has Sally learned from her mother’s Monica’s happiness come from? Try to explain your
experiences? views.

37 Vocabulary: Odd one out

The following groups of adjectives each contain a word
which doesn’t describe Monica. Cross it out.
 I NTERNATIONAL OVERVIEW

1 Monica as a child: Twenty per cent of the world’s population is

anxious robust delicate tense illiterate.
shy sensitive Of the world’s nearly 900 million illiterate
2 Monica as a young mother: adults, over sixty per cent are women.
secretive insecure abrasive The United Nations Literacy Decade runs from
gentle worried 2003–2012, with UN agencies working to
3 Monica now: promote literacy and to bring education to all
fulfilled timid cheerful around the world.
understanding frank UNICEF’s work in
literacy focuses on
girls’ education.
38 ‘Bird’ idioms
Monica explains that the headteacher ‘took me under
her wing’ (paragraph 4) when she was learning to read.
This image comes from birds. What does it mean, do
you think?
Now try to complete the sentences, choosing a suitable
expression from the box to fill each space.

a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

a bird’s eye view
took her under her wing
kill two birds with one stone
a hen party
an ugly duckling

1 He’s seven years old and has just lost his front
How far do you think literacy is important to the
teeth. He’s going through ______________ phase.
progress of a country?
2 We climbed to the top of the tower to get
______________ of the town. Do you have any idea of the literacy rates in your own
3 She had ______________ on the night before she country? If you don’t know, try to find out.
got married.
4 I decided to take the job I was offered rather than 40 Describing people
wait for the results of my next interview. After all,
Sally is described as a ‘rangy, striking teenager’
______________.
(paragraph 1). Rangy means tall and very slim with
5 Eleni was nervous when she joined her new school
long, slender limbs. What does the adjective striking tell
but one of the older girls ______________.
us about her appearance?
6 I went home to visit my mother. She told me my
old friend Ahmed had moved into the area, so I The writer uses only two adjectives before the noun. Do
decided to ______________ and go and see him you think this is enough? How well do you think he/she
as well. manages to convey the impression Sally makes?
The writer tells us that Sally listens to her mother with a
39 Post-reading discussion ‘smile overflowing with affection’ (paragraph 7). What
A Monica accepted the challenge of learning to read kind of person does Sally seem to be? What is her
as an adult. Why are challenges important? What relationship with her mother like? How does the
challenges do you have in your own life? language used emphasise warmth and closeness?

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 Obstacles and challenges

41 Using a wide range of adjectives 43 Positive and negative

When you are trying to describe the impression a You might not mind being called slim, but you probably
person makes, you can refer to their appearance and wouldn’t like to be called skinny! Slim has a positive
their character. Try to use adjectives which are fresh and connotation, whereas skinny is negative.
individual.
Study your word groups in exercise 4 again. Tick (✓)
You can use: the words you think are definitely positive, and mark
with a cross (✗) the ones you think are definitely
Ë VË Ä¬jW‰w‰WËĉ™~jË?aŽjW͉ÜjÄ]Ë striking, sensitive, charming
negative.
Ë VË ?aŽjW͉ÜjËW”¬Ö™aÄË®?aŽjW͉Üj˴˙Ö™Ë´Ëˆed):
broad-shouldered, fair-skinned, good-natured 44 Negative prefixes
Ë VË W”¬Ö™aÄË݉͆Ë-looking: stern-looking (instead of Make the character traits below into their opposites by
saying ‘He looked as if he were a stern person’). adding one of these prefixes:
Compounds with -looking usually refer to a person’s
dis- im- in- ir- un-
inner qualities: capable-looking, studious-looking,
miserable-looking. Good-looking is an exception.
responsible mature
secure trustworthy
42 Adjective collocations reliable efficient
Study the adjectives in the box. Divide them into four happy loyal
groups, under the four headings. Work with a partner contented honest
and use a dictionary to help you. Find translations if
you need to. Now put the words into sentences to show their
meanings.
APPEARANCE HAIR VOICE CHARACTER

deep wavy tight-fisted grating straight

genial husky shy placid ambitious
melodious slim tolerant wispy
absent-minded tender-hearted well-proportioned
quiet self-centred dreamy plump
ill-mannered altruistic balding high-pitched
burly rugged generous well-dressed
considerate outgoing luxuriant gentle rangy
elegant scruffy argumentative overweight
curly skinny bad-tempered close-cropped
domineering frank bushy humorous

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 1 Happiness and Success

45 Colour He was a tall, melancholy man with curly hair, rather

Colour is a big part of people’s appearance. You could romantic-looking in his long, sewer-man’s boots.
write ‘He had black hair and blue eyes’. However, your
writing will get a better response if you say what shade (George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London)
of blue and what kind of black you mean.
Using an image from the natural world helps identify Conjunctions such as but introduce a contrast:
an exact shade of colour and produces more vivid
writing.
He had grown to be a large-boned man, but his face
Examples: was still childishly rounded, with the wide eyes, the
Her eyes were sapphire-blue.
downy cheeks, the delicate lips of a schoolboy.
His hair was coal-black.
He was wearing olive-green trousers. (Anne Tyler, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant)
Write sentences about people’s appearance using these
colour images.
47 Conveying character traits
chestnut-brown emerald-green Study this example again:
chocolate-brown lime-green
He had straight, dark-yellow hair and milky blue eyes that
cherry-red jet-black
made him seem dreamy and peaceful.
rose-pink sky-blue
strawberry-blonde lemon-yellow Now look at this explanation of the way the writer
achieves her effect. Do you agree with it?

BEING CREATIVE
Make up some other associations of your own by 7E GET A CLEAR PICTURE OF THE IMPRESSION THIS MAN MAKES
linking colours to natural objects. Think about the BECAUSE OF THE WRITER´S CAREFULLY CHOSEN ADJECTIVES 3HE
people and colours around you. DESCRIBES HIS EYES VIVIDLY AS MILKY BLUE -ILK IS
ASSOCIATED WITH INNOCENCE AND CHILDHOOD 5SING AN
Examples: UNUSUAL EXPRESSION LIKE MILKY BLUE EMPHASISES THE
He’s wearing a leaf-green jacket. GENTLE TRUSTING QUALITIES OF THE MAN #HOOSING ADJECTIVES
She was carrying a banana- SUCH AS DREAMY AND PEACEFUL STRENGTHENS THE IMPRESSION
yellow shopping bag. THE MAN GIVES OF BEING ACCEPTING AND PLACID

Choose one of the other examples from exercise 46 and

try to write about it in the same way.

48 Writing your own description

Each of us is unique. No one has exactly the same face,
hands, hair, body or voice as anyone else. Even
identical twins are said to have different ears!
46 Developing a more mature style
Choose a friend to describe. Don’t try to describe
Try to avoid stringing lots of adjectives together. Using
everything about him/her. Concentrate on a few special
clauses beginning with which/that ... and phrases
characteristics which convey your friend’s uniqueness.
beginning with with ... makes your descriptive style
For example, he/she may have beautiful, well-shaped
more mature. Underline the examples in these
hands, a melodious voice, sparkling eyes. Try to link
descriptions.
physical characteristics to character traits.

He had straight, dark-yellow hair and milky blue Remember, use adjectives and colour images selectively.
Don’t overdo them. Use clauses etc to make your
eyes that made him seem dreamy and writing more mature.
peaceful. (Anne Tyler, The Ladder of Years)
Write about 75 words.

FEEDBACK
She was a tall, fragile-looking woman in a pretty Read your description aloud to your group. Listen
blue hat that matched her eyes. (Barbara Pym, carefully to the feedback. (Criticisms should be
An Unsuitable Attachment) positive!) Are there any changes you would like to
make after hearing the comments?

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 Someone I admire

Someone I admire -Y SPECIAL FRIEND

49 Model description )´D LIKE TO DESCRIBE MY FRIEND 3IMON
Read this article which was sent 3IMON IS A COMPLEX MIXTURE OF
to a teenage magazine running FRANKNESS AND RESERVE (E IS SMALL
a series called ‘Special Friends’. SLIGHT AND RATHER STUDIOUS LOOKING
(IS GENTLE GOLDEN BROWN EYES ARE
How did the writer meet HIDDEN BEHIND A LARGE PAIR OF
Simon? As you read, underline HORN RIMMED GLASSES 3IMON IS
any words you don’t VERY NEAT AND PARTICULAR IN
understand. EVERYTHING HE DOES %VEN HIS
BOOKS AND PENCILS ARE ALWAYS
COMPREHENSION CHECK ARRANGED IN PERFECT ORDER ON HIS
1 What impression does DESK

Simon make? ) ADMIRE 3IMON BECAUSE HE USED TO BE PAINFULLY SHY (E´S NEVER BEEN
2 Why was he unhappy at INTERESTED IN SPORT OR SMART CLOTHES AND HE OFTEN SHOPS IN SECONDHAND
school? SHOPS 4HE OTHER STUDENTS USED TO THINK HE WAS SCRUFFY AND CALLED HIM ³UGLY
3 How do you know Simon is DUCKLING´ /NE DAY HOWEVER HE DECIDED HE WASN´T GOING TO LET HIS SHYNESS
a determined person? CRUSH HIM (E HAD TO TRY TO BE HIMSELF (E BEGAN TO OPEN OUT AND MAKE
4 Why does the writer value FRIENDS
Simon’s friendship? 3IMON IS A VERY TRUSTWORTHY AND TRAIGHTFORWARD
FRIEND 7HEN ) WAS WORRIED ABOUT AN OPERATION )
FORMAT HAD TO HAVE HE HELPED ME TALK THROUGH MY FEARS
) GRADUALLY GOT THE CONFIDENCE TO ASK THE DOCTORS
A good description shows what the person is like by FOR A PROPER EXPLANATION ) LEARNED FROM 3IMON
giving THAT IT IS BETTER TO FACE YOUR FEARS THAN TO HIDE
Ë VË jßËajÍ?‰ÄË?MÖÍË?¬¬j?Á?™Wj THEM
Ë VË jÞ?”¬jÄ˝wËMj†?܉ÖÁ ) KNOW )´M REALLY A LUCKY PERSON BECAUSE ) HAVE
Ë VË Áj?ĝ™ÄË݆ßË͆‰ÄˬjÁĝ™Ë‰ÄË֙ÖÄÖ?ËÁËÜ?Öja± A DEAR FRIEND ON WHOM ) CAN ALWAYS RELY
Underline the key phrases which provide insight into
Simon as a person and as a friend.
What comments can you make about the structure of
the sentences? Think about clauses, descriptive
vocabulary and expressing reasons.
Beginnings and endings
What sentence is used to begin the article?
How is the article brought to a conclusion?

50 Comparing two styles

The following description was written by a student, Gary showed his work to his partner. They discussed
Gary, as a first draft. What would you like to change to how he could improve his style. Are the changes an
make the style more mature? improvement, do you think? Why/Why not?

) AM  YEARS OLD AND ) WOULD LIKE TO DESCRIBE MY -Y FATHER´S A FRIENDLY APPROACHABLE PERSON WHO
FATHER -Y FATHER IS A NICE MAN 9OU CAN TALK TO HIM IS POPULAR WITH ALL MY FRIENDS (E´S A GENIAL
(E WILL NOT GET ANGRY -Y FRIENDS LIKE HIM (E´S TALL LOOKING TALL MAN OF MEDIUM BUILD WITH DARK
AND BIG AND NOT VERY FAT (E IS ABOUT NORMAL SIZE BROWN EYES AND COAL BLACK HAIR STREAKED WITH
(E´S GOT BROWN EYES BLACK HAIR AND A NICE FACE (IS GREY (E´S VERY PRACTICAL AND CONFIDENT WITH HIS
BLACK HAIR HAS SOME WHITE HAIRS IN IT (E MAKES A LOT HANDS (E MADE ME A PINE CABINET FOR MY #$S
OF THINGS AT HOME (E MADE A CABINET FOR ME )T IS WHICH ) TREASURE AND AN ATTRACTIVE COMPUTER
FOR MY #$S 4HE CABINET IS MADE FROM PINE ) LIKE MY DESK (E HAS TO DRESS FORMALLY FOR WORK IN A
CABINET VERY MUCH )T IS VERY NICE ) LOOK AFTER IT ALL SMART SUIT BUT HE PREFERS CASUAL DRESS AND FEELS
THE TIME (E HAS MADE ME A GOOD DESK 4HE DESK IS MOST COMFORTABLE IN JEANS
FOR MY COMPUTER (E ALWAYS WEARS A GREY SUIT TO
WORK (E DOESN´T LIKE HIS SUIT )T IS NOT COMFORTABLE
FOR HIM (E ALWAYS LIKES JEANS (E WEARS JEANS A LOT

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 1 Happiness and Success

51 Rewriting with more sophistication I want / describe Joseph Lister. He be / surgeon who /
be born / 1827. In those days / many patients die /
Try to rewrite the following description in a more
after operations because their wounds / become / badly
mature style.
infect. Lister wonder if / bacteria / air / which make /
meat decay / also make / wounds septic.
My friend is a good person. Her eyes are big. They are
green. They are nice eyes. She has short hair. It is very, Lister decide / clean / everything which touch / patient’s
very short. The colour is blonde. She smiles a lot. She wounds / carbolic acid. Carbolic acid / destroy / all
has a nice smile. She shows her white teeth. Her germs. As a result / these precautions / patients recover
clothes are nice. Her style of her clothes is different quickly / operations. The rate / infection / fall
from other people. She looks at other people’s clothes. dramatically.
She can see their character from their clothes. She is a Lister develop / safe, antiseptic operations / which be /
very good student. Her work is always good. She gets major medical advance. He receive / many awards / his
high marks. She is kind. She helps me do my work too. work. I admire him because / he be dedicated /
unselfish. He take / great personal risks / make this
When you have finished, compare your draft to discovery. Surgery / use to be / highly dangerous.
someone else’s. What differences can you find, and People be / terrify / surgeon’s knife. Lister change / all
what similarities? that. Modern surgery be / lifesaver.

52 Writing from notes Vocabulary

bacteria organisms which cause disease
A Have you heard of Joseph Lister? Write down any septic badly infected
facts you know about him. decay go bad, rot
B Now try to write the following description of Joseph precautions actions taken to avoid danger
Lister in full. You will need to change some words and
add others.

Exam-format questions
Writing Write Chris a letter of reply, describing your approach
1 Write an article for your school magazine or newsletter to life and your personal goals. Write about 150–200
describing a person whose work has brought benefits to words.
many people. In your article you should:
Ë VË Ä?ßË݆ßËߝÖË?a”‰ÁjË͆‰ÄˬjÁĝ™ Oral assessment
Ë VË ajÄWÁ‰MjË͆jËݝÁË†jÊĆjˆ?ÄËa™j Becoming happier
Ë VË jÞ¬?‰™Ë†Ýˬj¬jˆ?ÜjËMj™jw‰Íja±
Many young people say they are unhappy and feel
Write about 150–200 words. negative about their lives. Why do you think this is? How
2 Write an article for a teenage magazine describing could they develop a more positive approach? Try to
someone you are close to. In the article you should: explain your views.
Ë VË ajÄWÁ‰MjË͆jˬjÁĝ™¾ÄËĬjW‰?Ë¶Ö?‰Í‰jÄ You might consider such things as:
Ë VË ~‰ÜjËjÞ?”¬jÄ˝wˆ‰ÄʆjÁËMj†?܉ÖÁ VË Í†j˝¬¬ÁÍ֙‰ÍßË͝Ëj™Á‰W†ËߝÖÁː‰wjËMßËa‰™~˔ÁjË͆‰™~ÄË
Ë VË jÞ¬?‰™Ë݆ßË͆jËÁj?͉™Ä†‰¬Ë‰Äˉ”¬ÁÍ?™ÍË͝Ëߝֱ which bring pleasure e.g. learning a new skill,
Write about 150–200 words. developing a hobby, or simply learning to take more
enjoyment from the people and things around you
3 You have joined a pen friend organisation. You receive
this letter from your pen friend. VË Í†jË?aÜ?™Í?~jÄË®ÁËa‰Ä?aÜ?™Í?~jį˝wˬ?™™‰™~ËߝÖÁː‰wjË
and setting goals
Dear ... VË Í†jËÜ?Öj˝wËÁj˔ajÄˉ™Ë‰™Ä¬‰Á‰™~Ëߝ֙~ˬj¬jË?™aË
Thank you for your lovely letter telling me all about giving them someone to look up to
your home, your family and your school. I was just a
little bit disappointed, however, because you didn’t VË Í†jËÜ?Öj˝wË~jÍ͉™~ˉ™ÜÜjaˉ™ËW””Ö™‰ÍßˬÁŽjWÍÄË
explain what I really want to know which is ... what which bring a wider perspective on life.
makes YOU tick! Tell me what makes you happy or You are free to consider any other ideas of your own.
sad. What do you want to achieve in your life? What You are not allowed to make any written notes.
are your most important goals? Please hurry! I can’t
wait to hear from you.
Best wishes,
Chris
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 Unit focus

Examiner’s tips
1 Use a special combination of visual recall (look, say, paper anyway. If you have nothing written, you have
cover, write, check method), speech sounds, spelling nothing to change. Show your written work to a
patterns and spelling rules to learn new spellings. friend. Listen to advice about improvements you
could make.
2 When you learn a language, it helps to have a good
memory. Improve your memory by: 5 Be prepared to work in groups and to be an active
participant, but take responsibility for working alone
V highlighting key ideas
at times too.
V studying new vocabulary regularly and
6 Practising your English outside class will help your
memorising it
progress. Here are some ways to do this.
V reading through your class notes frequently
V Get an English-speaking penfriend.
V drawing pictures to illustrate words or
V Watch or listen to English programmes, films,
concepts
videos, pop songs, etc.
V linking new words to words you already know
V Make an arrangement with a friend who also
V using new words and phrases in your speech wants to learn English, and practise speaking
and writing together once or twice a week.
V learning something by heart because it means V Read widely in English: books, magazines,
something special to you (e.g. a poem or pop newspapers, etc.
song).
3 Find time each week to organise your course notes, EXAM STRATEGY
to make it easy to find work from previous lessons. A 7 When you describe a person, remember that a
lot of the work you’ll be doing is sequential. This physical description won’t be enough to get the best
means you’ll often have to look back at notes you exam marks. You will also have to describe character
made earlier. and give reasons, examples and evidence to support
4 Draft your written work two or three times. If you your views.
can’t think of what to write, get something down on

Unit focus
In this unit you have produced short answers to questions You have developed skills for describing a person’s
on detailed reading texts. This is practice for Papers 1 appearance and qualities. This is practice for Papers 1
and 2, Exercise 2. and 2, Exercises 6 and 7.
You have listened to a discussion and answered multiple-
choice questions. This is practice for Paper 3, Questions
9 and 10.

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