Assignments for self-control

Choose the correct variant. Check your answers in the keys.

1. Mumps ___ not too problematic if contracted in childhood, but can be dangerous in later life.

a) is b) are

2. The ___ has just phoned to say she’s been delayed in traffic.

a) chair b) chairwoman

3. For really good electric ____ , have a look in Martson’s.

a) pianos b) pianoes

4. Corn circles are one of the strangest ____ of recent times.

a) phenomenons b) phenomena

5. Parliament consists of 653 ____ , about two-thirds of whom belong to the Government.

a) MP’s b) MPs

6. For this dish, you need to weight the ingredients carefully on the kitchen ___ .

a) scale b) scales

7. The Asthma Helpline will be able to give you ___ .

a) advice b) an advice

8. He was hit on the head by ___ and had to go to hospital.

a) stone b) a stone

9. The supermarket is doing a lot of different ____ from the Far East at the moment.

a) fruit b) fruits

10. The most exciting event for most British viewers in the Sydney Olympics ___ the rowing finals.

a) was b) were

11. The Society’s President, against the wishes of the other founder members, ___ agreed to the sale.

a) has b) have

12. Bread and butter ___ eaten with meals by most people in the North of England.

a) is b) are

13. “The Three Kings” ___ a great success for George Clooney.

a) was b) were

14. Have you thought about doing gymnastics? I think ____very good for you.

a) it’s b) they’re

15. Recent events prove the saying that twenty-four ____ a long time in politics.

a) is b) are

16. The Council’s team of social workers ____ to be commend for their actions.

a) is b) are

17. The United nations ____ sending a special envoy to the conflict zone.

a) is b) are

18. I’ll take you to the station if you give me ____ when you’re ready.

a) shout b) a shout

19. The first ____ of the epidemic was in Zaire in the 1980s.

a) outbreak b) breakout

20. The villa we’re borrowing belongs to ____ my parents.

a) sister’s-in-law b) sister’s-in-law’s c) sister-in-law’s

Section II. THE ARTICLE

Preparatory activities.

Review the following topics:

1. Comment on the definition, classification, meaning, forms, pronunciation and use of articles.

2. What other noun determiners do you know?

3. Which functions of English articles can you name?

4. Speak on the following cases of using articles:

• the use of articles with class nouns;

• the use of articles with collective nouns;

• the use of articles with abstract nouns;

• the use of articles with nouns of material;

• the use of articles with class nouns modified by descriptive and particularizing attributes;

• the use of articles with names of persons and geographical names;

• the use of articles in set expressions and some syntactic relations.

5. Comment on the ways of expressing the meaning of the English articles in Russian.

6. Comment on the use of articles in general and generic sense.

7. Revise all the peculiarities of the use of articles in English (with nouns denoting time of the day, seasons, meals, with nouns: school, college, bed, prison, town, country etc.).

8. Comment on the use of articles modified by certain adjectives, pronouns and numerals (E.g.: few, most, same, wrong, number etc.).

9. Name the cases where articles can be omitted.