NOTES
1. Curzon St. is a famous street in Mayfair West London, once a street of fashionable houses where rich or aristocratic people formerly lived. Today some of the old houses remain, many of them turned into hotels or boarding-houses. Others have been removed to make way for blocks of modern office buildings.
2. ... the cheaper kinds of goats were left about with elaborate carelessness ...
... said Miss Mebbin, with her disagreeably pleasant laugh.
In the combinations elaborate carelessness and disagreeably pleasant individual components clash, as they are contradictory in meaning. This stylistic device is called oxymoron. Oxymoron mostly appears in the patterns: adjective + noun and adverb + adjective.
3. ... while no trace of the rifle's deadly work could be found on the tiger.
The combination the rifle's deadly work means here the shot itself or the result of the shot. Such an indirect or round-about way of referring to an object or a phenomenon instead of a plainer form of expression is called periphrasis. Periphrasis can be understood only in its context. Metaphors are often used in periphrasis.
Here are some other examples of periphrasis:
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Mrs. Thayer... herded Miss Hannah back into her stall (Lardner) = she put the record back in its place.
... the happiest portion of human .life (Dickens) - childhood.
... the embodiment of respectability and the sense of property (Galsworthy) - Soames Forsyte.
STRUCTURAL PATTERNS
1. Gerund as Attribute (Noun + Prep + Gerund)
The prospect of earning the thousand rupees aroused the sporting and commercial instinct of the villagers.
Certain abstract nouns are commonly used with attributes expressed by the gerund. In most cases the gerund is preceded by the preposition of. The attribute acquires appositive meaning, i. e. it serves to explain the meaning of the head-noun. Among the nouns thus used are (dis)advantage, art, experience, fear, feeling, habit, idea, impression, intention, manner, means, method, prospect, risk and some others.
| I had the advantage of looking younger than I was. |
У меня было то преимущество, что я выглядела моложе своих лет. |
| After a while I began to have a feeling of being watched. |
Через некоторое время у меня появилось ощущение, что за мной следят. |
| I had no hope of snatching even a short rest. |
У меня не было надежды выкроить время даже для короткого отдыха . |
2. The right (wrong, etc) + Noun
Evidently the wrong animal had been hit.
Such adjectives and adjective pronouns as right (тот, который нужен, правильный), wrong (не тот), very, only, main, chief, principal, central, left, right, same, following, present, former (первый) and latter (последний) give a unique meaning to the noun they precede; therefore the definite article is used.
| It seems to be the right method of solving the problem. |
Кажется, это правильный метод решения проблемы. |
Note: An only child is to be regarded as a set phrase meaning единственный ребенок у родителей: She is as spoiled as if she were an only child. But: Robin was the only child in the bus.
VOCABULARY
A
Translate the word combinations in bold type and the sentences which illustrate them:
1. Children were posted day and night on the outskirts of the local jungle ...
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on the outskirts (outskirts n pi) - close to the borders or in the outlying parts, esp of a town
He lives on the outskirts of Lille.
2. ... before the date appointed for the shooting party.
to appoint a date (time or place) for smth - fix, settle or decide upon a date (time or place) for smth
The time appointed for the meeting was 8:30 p. m. We must appoint a day (a time, a place) for the next meeting.
3. She was, however, cut short by the appearance on the scene of the animal itself.
to cut smb, smth short - interrupt, bring to an end before the usual or natural time; make shorter
She cut him short when he made a remark about her behaviour that evening. The chairman had to cut short the proceedings. To cut a long story short I must confess that I sent them a telegram without your permission.
4. As soon as it caught sight of the goat ...
to catch sight of smth, smb - begin to see, succeed in seeing, see for a short time
If I ever catch sight of those boys in my orchard, I'll teach them a good lesson.
5. ... as if it wanted to snatch a short rest before the grand attack ...
to snatch a short rest (arfhour's sleep, a meal; a kiss)-get or take quickly or when a chance occurs
I snatched a few hours of sleep before I went on duty.
6. ... and the tiger had died of heart-failure
to die of heart-failure - die as the result of the heart failing to act
What did he die of? Heart-failure, I think.
7. Mrs. Packletide was annoyed at the discovery.
to be annoyed at smth, with smb - be irritated; disturbed; made rather angry, esp due to inconvenience or persistent petty unpleasantness
I felt annoyed when he refused to help me. He was annoyed with her because she had made him wait again. She was annoyed at his being unable to do anything the way she wanted it to be done.
8. ... but at any rate, she was the possessor of a dead tiger...
at any rate - at all events, in any case, whatever happens I believe we owe you quite a lot, Marlin. At any rate the men think so ....
9. ... and her pictured fame spread far and wide, far and wide (near) - everywhere
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He has travelled far and wide. They searched far and wide for the missing child. People came from far and near to hear the famous violinist.
10. "The incidental expenses are so heavy," she confided to inquiring friends.
to confide smth to smb - tell secrets to smb; tell things as a secret.
He used to confide his troubles to his only friend.
В
I. Translate the following sentences into Russian paying careful attention to the word combinations in bold type. Give possible variants:*
1. Jane was carried away by the music and she forgot all her worries. 2. She gave a startled cry (a bitter laugh, a sigh of relief). The rumours gave rise to a lot of unnecessary worry. I was given to understand that he might help me out of the difficulty. He was very angry with me and gave me a piece of his mind. The ice gave way and we all fell through into the water; fortunately it wasn't deep. His anger gave way to utter surprise. Don't give way to despair. Though he was ill he insisted on working and refused to give in. After a long argument he finally gave in. I give you notice (a month's notice) here and now. 3. Let's try; it's not much of a risk. There is no risk of youp missing the train if you leave at once. If you go out in this weather you run the risk of catching cold again. He did it at his own risk. 4. The children were left very much to themselves (to their own devices) during the holidays. Eliza's manners left much to be desired. 5. I was caught in the rain. When I glanced over my shoulder I caught his eye. The bright necktie caught my eye. She flushed, looking as guilty as though she had been caught red-handed. 6. After the incident he was unable to look her in the face. His evidence was false on the fact of it. 7. She never confided in anybody. She never took anybody into her confidence.
II. Look up the synonyms to snatch, to seize, to grip (схватить) in an English-English dictionary or a reference book and explain the difference between them.
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