Match the words up with their meaning and give the Russian translation
| counter | at the moment when you first see something or find out about something, before you know more details |
| distinctive pattern | to encourage someone to speak or continue speaking |
| straight | to make a sincere statement that you are telling the truth |
| gorgeous | showing that you think your own ideas, opinions or looks are not important |
| mousy | think that someone is important and should be given careful attention |
| deprecating | someone who is arrogant thinks they are better or more important than other people and behaves in a way that is rude and too confident |
| cheekbone | clear and honest |
| to prompt | being of a dull light brown colour |
| arrogant | very beautiful |
| take oneself a bit too seriously | a bone on each side of your face, below your eyes |
| to swear | opposite or with an opposite purpose |
| at first glance | an easy to recognized series of actions or events that together show how things normally happen or are done |
| put each other down | friendly and without arguments |
| razor | to stay at a place for longer than people want |
| assertion | kind and friendly, and not easily annoyed |
| implication | a feeling that exists and affects how people behave, but is not obvious or stated directly |
| unprecedented | a small tool or piece of electrical equipment used for shaving |
| good-natured | to go away very quickly because you are angry, upset or annoyed because people have offended you or will not do what you wan |
| amicable | a situation in which you say goodbye to someone |
| undercurrent | something that you suggest is true, although you do not say it directly |
| storm off in a huff | a definite statement or claim that something is true |
| parting | to criticize one another to make the others think that they are less good, clever etc than they really are |
| leave-taking | never having happened or existed before |
| outstay someone’s welcome | the act of leaving someone |
| breach | not willing to do something |
| apologetic | to let out a deep breath because you are upset or because you are pleased about something |
| preliminary | very worried and angry because you do not know how to deal with an unpleasant situation |
| come round to | coming before the main or most important part of something |
| desperate to do smth | showing that you are sorry for doing something wrong or causing a problem |
| hover | to go to a place where someone is, especially their house, in order to visit them |
| reluctant | to stay somewhere because you are waiting to do something or because you cannot decide what to do |
| heave a sigh | a failure to do something that you have promised to do or that people expect you to do |
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Exercises
A. Fill in the blanks with the suitable words and expression:
Deprecating, gorgeous, mousy, take oneself a bit too seriously, cheekbone, distinctive pattern,
straight
- I see a _______________ in this animal’s behavior.
- This quotation comes _________ from Shakespeare’s “Hampet”.
- This woman is so ____________ that men are afraid to talk to her.
- Is Helen shy and a poor dresser? - Yes, she’s pretty ____________ .
- Stop talking to me in such a ___________ tone! I know I made a mistake!
- What high ______________ this woman has, she must be a model.
- He’s too arrogant, he _____________________ .
B. Answer the questions using the following words and expressions:
Implication, put each other down, razor, good-natured, unprecedented, to swear, at first glance
- Can you tell these twins apart?
- You’ll come, you promise?
- Why are those two talking so loud? Why is everybody around them laughing?
- Why aren’t you shaving?
- Wow, what this athlete did was pretty unique, don’t you think?
- Is it true that she’s an easy-going person?
- If a person stops talking to you, what does it mean?
C. Translate using the following words and expressions:
Storm off in a huff, undercurrent, amicable, apologetic, leave-taking, outstay someone’s welcome, parting, assertion
1. Мне кажется, что это утверждение ложно.
2. Он довольно дружелюбен, но смеется редко.
3. Она говорила с Джейн спокойно, но с затаенной ревностью.
4. После того, как он услышал, что его не взяли на работу, он выбежал хлопнув дверью.
5. Расставание и прощания заняли десять минут.
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6. Боясь злоупотребить его гостеприимством, они ушли в одиннадцать.
7. Когда его спросили, читал ли он эту статью, он извиняющимся тоном ответил, что еще нет.
D. Answer the questions using suitable words and expressions:
1. Once you’ve formed a preliminary opinion of a person, do you change it often?
2. What activity are you desperate to do this summer?
3. What are you reluctant to do yet have to do anyway?
4. When was last time your parents heaved a sigh of displeasure?
5. What usually prompts you to laugh?
GRAMMAR
1. Выражение TO COME + INF может иметь прямой перевод ПРИДТИ, ЧТОБЫ (I came to tell you that… - Я пришла сказать тебе, что). Однако иногда оно имеет значение конечности, завершения действия или процесса:
When I saw her, I came to understand why he loved her so much. – Когда я ее увидела, я (наконец-то) поняла, почему он так любит ее.
TRANSLATE
I noticed that the compliments are not exchanged at random, but in a distinctive pattern, in accordance with what I came to call the ‘counter-compliment rule’.
2. После конструкции TO WISH (в значении «жаль») + ПРИДАТОЧНОЕ ПРЕДЛОЖЕНИЕ следует употреблять простое прошедшее (WAS меняется на WERE) при одновременности действия/состояния и Past Perfect – при предшествовании:
I wish I knew her. – Жаль, что я ее не знаю.
I wish you had come yesterday, - Жаль, что вчера вы не пришли.
TRANSLATE
My hair’s terrible. It gets so frizzy – I wish I could have it short like you, but I just don’t have the bone structure; you’ve got such good cheekbones.’
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I wish I could end on a positive note
MATCH UP DIALOGUE PARTS
PART 1 (first sentence)
| I see a distinctive pattern in her behaviour among other women. | Stay a bit more! It’s not often that you come round to us. | What prompted your article? In it you launched an unprecedented attack on the Cabinet. | Why did he storm off in such a huff? |
| Joanna is gorgeous, unlike her mousy sister! | What was their reaction to the news that their wives were putting each other down all evening? | Dear applicants! These are just preliminary results! Do not hover by the door, the final decision will be posted tomorrow. | The parting was short, the farewells brief. |
| How did he respond to the deprecating remark of his opponent? | I like the actor who promotes this razor on TV. Such aristocratic cheekbones! | Despite being political opponents, personally they are very amicable to each other. | God, this time leave-taking took forever. |
PART 2 (reply, reaction)
| But we want to know now! Can’t you just let us know unofficially? | Because he was informed that he was fired. | They heaved a sigh, swore and immediately started being apologetic to each other. | True, they even celebrate Christmases together. |
| True, but she takes herself a bit too seriously. Her sister, on the other hand, is always good-natured and never arrogant. | Well, the implication in my previous article that the Government had overlooked such a breach of national security was not taken seriously as we’ve had another terrorist bombing! | I do too. Every time she sees another female, in her attitude there appears an undercurrent of jealousy. | Yes, at first glance he does appear attractive. But I think he’s the kind of men who desperately want to be beautiful 24/7. |
| Well, that was expected. His wife’s used to him being away for months at a time. | We don’t want to outstay our welcome! Reluctant as we are to leave, leave we must. | Yeah, I thought they’d never go away! | He countered it with an assertion that he considers his opponent’s research stupid and pointless. |
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GROOMING-TALK. PART II
BONDING-TALK
Female Bonding: the Counter-compliment Rules
English female bonding-talk often starts with a ritual exchange of compliments. In fact, this ritual can be observed at almost every social gathering of two or more female friends.
Observing the many variations of this ritual, and often participating as well, I noticed that the compliments are not exchanged at random, but in a distinctive pattern, in accordance with what I came to call the ‘counter-compliment rule’. The pattern is as follows. The opening line may be either a straight compliment, such as ‘Oh, I like your new haircut!’ or a combination of a compliment and a self-critical remark: ‘Your hair looks great; I wish I had gorgeous hair like you – mine’s so boring and mousy.’ The counter-compliment rule requires that the response to either version contain a self-deprecating denial, and a ‘counter-compliment’, as in ‘Oh no! My hair’s terrible. It gets so frizzy – I wish I could have it short like you, but I just don’t have the bone structure; you’ve got such good cheekbones.’ This must be countered with another self-critical denial, and a further compliment, which prompts yet another self-deprecating denial and yet another counter-compliment, and so the ritual continues.
When I asked English women why they could not just accept a compliment … the typical response was that this would be regarded as impolite, unfriendly and arrogant – ‘almost as bad as boasting.’ Such a person would also be seen as ‘taking herself a bit too seriously.’ One woman replied, and I swear this is true and was not prompted in any way, ‘Well, you’d know she wasn’t English!’
Male Bonding: the Mine’s Better Than Yours Rules
English men have different means of achieving social bonding, which at first glance would appear to involve principles diametrically opposed to those of the counter-compliment ritual. While English women are busy paying each other compliments, English men are usually putting each other down, in a competitive ritual that I call the Mine’s Better Than Yours game.
The rules of the game are as follows. You start either by making a statement in praise of your chosen ‘Mine’ (electric razors, Manchester United, Foucault, German cars, whatever) or by challenging someone else’s assertion, or implication, or hint, that his ‘Mine’ is the best. Your statement will always be countered or challenged, even if the other male (or males) secretly agrees with you, or could not rationally disagree. One could hardly even imagine a male-bonding conversation in which a statement such as ‘Don’t know why anyone would buy that Japanese crap, when you could have a BMW,’ elicited the response ‘Yes, I’m sure you’re right.’ It would be unthinkable, an unprecedented violation of macho etiquette.
Although these exchanges may become quite noisy, and much swearing and name-calling may be involved, the Mine’s Better Than Yours game will none the less seem fairly good-natured and amicable, always with an undercurrent of humour – a mutual understanding that the differences of opinion are not to be taken too seriously. Swearing, sneering and insults are allowed, even expected, but storming off in a huff, or any other exhibition of real emotion, is not permitted.
It is also universally understood that there is no way of actually winning the game. No-one ever capitulates, or recognises the other’s point of view. The participants simply get bored, or tired, and change the subject, perhaps shaking their heads in pity at their opponents’ stupidity.
AND FINALLY . . . THE LONG GOODBYE RULE
I wish I could end on a positive note and say that the English are rather better at partings than we are at greetings, but the truth is that our leave-takings tend to be every bit as awkward, embarrassed and incompetent as our introductions.
The initial stage of the parting process is often, deceptively, an unseemly rush, as no-one wants to be the last to leave, for fear of ‘outstaying their welcome’ (a serious breach of the privacy rules). Thus, as soon as one person, couple or family stands up and starts making apologetic noises about traffic, baby-sitters, or the lateness of the hour, everyone else immediately looks at their watch, with exclamations of surprise, jumps to their feet and starts hunting for coats and bags and saying preliminary goodbyes.
If you are visiting an English home, be warned that you should allow a good ten minutes – and it could well be fifteen or even twenty – from these initial goodbyes to your final departure.
Just when you think that the last farewell has been accomplished, someone always revives the proceedings with yet another ‘Well, see you soon, then . . .’, which prompts a further chorus of ‘Oh, yes, we must, er, goodbye . . .’, ‘Goodbye’, ‘Thanks again’, ‘Lovely time’, ‘Oh, nothing, thank you’, ‘Well, goodbye, then . . .’, ‘Yes, must be off – traffic, er . . .’ ‘Don’t stand there getting cold, now!’, ‘No, fine, really . . .’, ‘Well, goodbye . . .’ Then someone will say, ‘You must come round to us next . . .’ or ‘So, I’ll email you tomorrow, then . . .’ and the final chords will begin again.
Those leaving are desperate to get away, and those hovering in the doorway are dying to shut the door on them, but it would be impolite to give any hint of such feelings, so everyone must make a great show of being reluctant to part. Even when the final, final, final goodbyes have been said, and everyone is loaded into the car, a window is often wound down to allow a few more parting words. As the leavers drive off, hands may be held to ears with thumbs and little fingers extended in a phone-shape, promising further communication. It is then customary for both parties to wave lingering, non-verbal goodbyes to each other until the car is out of sight. When the long-goodbye ordeal is over, we all heave an exhausted sigh of relief.
The English often refer to this ritual not as ‘saying goodbye’ but as ‘saying our goodbyes’, as in ‘I can’t come to the station, so we’ll say our goodbyes here’. I discussed this with an American visitor, who said, ‘You know, the first time I heard that expression, I didn’t really register the plural – or I guess I thought it meant you said one each or something. Now I know it means a LOT of goodbyes’.
CHAPTER 3
HUMOUR RULES
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