Riassunto esame Inglese ii, Prof. Vicentini Alessandra, libro consigliato English Collocations in Use (Intermediate), McCarthy M., O’Dell Felicity

Business English

Some collocations are characteristics of business English.

• To submit a tender: [present a document offering to do a job and stating the price]
• To raise capital: [get money to put into a business]
• To go into partnership with someone: [agree to start or run a business with someone]
• To start up a business

Intensifying Adverbs

In English there are lots of other ways of saying very or very much. For example, we can use words such as highly, utterly, bitterly, deeply. These alternatives collocate strongly with specific words, and other combinations often sound unnatural.

• HIGHLY
• It is highly unlikely that I'll finish my work on time.
• Julia's highly unusual behaviour began to worry her parents.

• ABSOLUTELY, UTTERLY
• It was an absolutely stupid comment to make.
• The whole area was utterly devastated after the earthquake.

• BITTERLY, DEEPLY, RIDICULOUS, STRONGLY
• I was bitterly disappointed when I failed the

1. exam.• Professor McDellvit was always deeply committed to her students.
2. The restaurant was ridiculously expensive. I don’t think we’ll go there again.
3. I would strongly recommend that you learn a foreign language.

EVERYDAY VERBS

The basic meaning of make is about producing something and the basic meaning of do is about performing an action.

MAKE

Notice all the patterns that you can see in these tables. For example, make a comment, make an excuse and make a contribution to a discussion are all connected with saying things. Noticing connections like this may help you to remember the correct collocation.

Get is a very common verb in English, but it is not always appropriate for talking about changes. Note also alternatives to get which can improve your style.

GO, NOT GET

Go used for changes in people’s personality, appearance and physical abilities:

• People go mad/bald/grey/blind/deaf.

Go is often used for sudden, usually negative, changes in situations:

• He was very embarrassed and his face went red.
• Suddenly the sky went very dark and it started to rain.

• The sky turned gold as the sun set.
• When the tomatoes turn red, the farmers pick them and sell them.

• She gave up smoking when she became pregnant.
• I would like to become involved in raising money for charity.

• He became depressed after his wife's death.

• Our local baker's has become famous for its apple tarts.

fell ill and was taken to hospital.

Everyone fell silent when they heard the shocking news.

As my father grew older, he spent less time working.

The noise grew louder and soon we realized it was a plane approaching.

Here are some sentences form students' essays where get is wrongly used.

HAVE

Note that these verbs collocate with have rather than any other verb (e.g. get or make).

TAKE

PAY TIP

There are other common verbs in English which have strong and possibly surprising collocations. Notice any that you find with, for example, break, fall, run and take.

COMMON SYNONYM PAIRS

The (a) and (b) words in each pair in the table have similar meanings. Sometimes either word can be used in a sentence to give the same meaning, but in the collocations below only one word is possible.

GROUPS OF WORDS WITH SIMILAR MEANINGS

Words meaning "old" She collects antique jewellery. [old and

valuable

• I met an old friend the other day.
• I helped an elderly person who was trying to cross the road. [elderly is more polite than old]
• She studied ancient history.
• In ancient times, life was very hard.
• This shop sells antique furniture.

Words meaning "with no one or nothing else or with no one or nothing similar"

• There was just one solitary figure on the deserted beach. [one person on their own]
• Donna is a single parent; it's difficult for her to work full time.
• She was the sole survivor of the cash. Everyone else died. [only survivor]
• He lives in a very lonely place/spot up in the mountains.
• I am an only child; I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a brother or sister.
• At first I felt desperately lonely when I moved from London to the countryside.

This is a unique occasion, with three past prime Ministers all together in one room.

I live alone.

but I don’t like travelling alone; it’s nice to be with someone.

OTHER SYNONYM PAIRS 7

INGLESE I

VERBS CONNECTED WITH GAINING, WINNING AND ACHIEVING

Note these typical collocations connected with “gaining” or achieving”.

OTHER WORDS THAT ARE OFTEN CONFUSED

COMMON MISTAKES

Notice how spend is used when talking about time and money.

• We spent three days in the mountains. It was wonderful. (NOT passed)
• If you buy a big car you’ll have to spend more money on petrol. (NOT use)
• Last night I spent two hours watching TV. (NOT stayed)
• I spent an hour looking for the keys before I found them in my bag. (NOT passed)

INGLESE II

28 September 2020, Monday

METAPHOR

If someone uses a metaphor, they use a word in a way that is slightly different from its basic meaning. For example, the first meaning of sunny is connected with the weather, so we talk about a sunny day. However, sunny can also be used in expressions like a sunny smile, the

children's sunny faces to mean happy; in these collocations sunny is used in a metaphorical way. Metaphors are more common in written than spoken English and often have the effect of sounding quite poetic.

LIGHT AND DARK

Light in English is associated with happiness. So a face shines with pleasure and eyes shine with excitement or delight. If someone's face lights up or their eyes light up, they show that they suddenly feel happy. If an atmosphere lightens or a mood lightens, it becomes more relaxed or cheerful than it was.

Darkness is associated with unhappiness and negative feelings. Dark thoughts are gloomy or sinister ones and dark days or dark times are unpleasant times to live through. If someone's face darkens or their eyes darken or someone's expression darkens, then we know that that person is unhappy, often because they are feeling angry.

WATER

FIRE AND HEAT

Words associated with fire and heat often suggest anger in English, a heated debate, a heated discussion

Un'accesa conversazione è una in cui le persone sono in disaccordo in modo arrabbiato tra loro. Se dici che qualcuno ha un temperamento infuocato, significa che spesso si arrabbia improvvisamente. La parola "flare" significa mostrare una luce brillante al buio. Se dici che i temperamenti si sono infiammati, significa che le persone si sono arrabbiate l'una con l'altra. Allo stesso modo, la violenza si infiamma e i problemi si infiammano. Questi significano tutti che i problemi che esistevano in passato improvvisamente diventano seri di nuovo. Tuttavia, non tutte le metafore legate al fuoco suggeriscono rabbia. Se ti senti imbarazzato, le guance ti bruciano per l'imbarazzo. "Ablaze" è un fuoco molto luminoso. Parliamo di un bagliore di gloria o di un bagliore di pubblicità, il che significa che ce n'è molto ed è spettacolare.

SUGGERIMENTO: Quando leggi l'inglese, cerca di notare gli usi metaforici del linguaggio. Questo ti aiuterà a vedere come parole familiari possono essere usate in modi extra e interessanti.

CONDIZIONI METEO - TEMPO ESTREMO

VIAGGIO

Guarda queste email e prendi nota delle diverse combinazioni di parole per viaggio, percorso.

and trip. Travel = it’s the notion of travelling; uncountable noun.

Journey = when you leave for a place and then get there.

Trip = leaving from one place, spending time in another place and then coming back.

FLIGHTS

These collocations are all rather formal ones connected with flying:

• Palair offers excellent in-flight entertainment, with Domestic flights are often more expensive than the latest films and music. international ones. [flights within a country]
• The in-flight magazine includes maps and Do you normally prefer a window seat or an aisle information about major airports. seat when you fly?
• Ladies and gentlemen, we’ll shortly be landing at Dublin Airport.
• Please fasten your seatbelts. The weather en route is fine, and we anticipate a
• The passenger boarder the plane on time, but it smooth flight to Stockholm

today.was delayed taking off and she missed herconnecting flight in Amsterdam.

1 flight on a plane rented for special use.

2 regular flight organized by the company which owns the plane.

3 the opposite is a bumpy flight. 10

INGLESE II

ACCOMODATIONS

• We stayed in a small, family-run hotel.
• The Panorama is a rather run-down hotel in a back street near the city centre.
• The Palace is a luxury hotel on the main square of Porto Alegre.
• I can't afford to stay in smart hotels. I always have to look for budget accommodation. [very cheap]
• I'd advise you to make a reservation before you go. The hotels near the beach are very popular and get fully bookedduring the summer.

TOWNS AND CITIES

DESCRIBING TOWNS AND CITIES FOR VISITORS

Look at these extracts from a magazine article about tourist cities.

• The city skyline is a wonderful mix of old and new, and the city itself has a lot of busy, narrow cobbled streets. The old
• town is a conservation area and it has a