Add prefixes to the following words and complete the gaps with them.

bearable calculated fallible qualified responsible management ambitious play

forgettable estimate paid consistent orderly comfort realistic instate

1 Some people think that sports stars are grossly..............................................when so many families live in poverty

2 Several football fans were arrested for their..............................................conduct.

3 He is a very..............................................player. Sometimes he plays really well and at other times he's no good at all.

4 Don't..............................................Sheffield United! They are a much better team than you think.

5 Alex Morgan suffered a knee injury earlier this season and it still causes him...............................................

6 That must be one of the most..............................................matches this season! Sharapova's performance was incredible

7 Mr Bennet was sacked as team manager but they..............................................him after a year.

9 He was..............................................from taking part in the race after tailing the drugs test.

10 The match was abandoned because of the stormy weather and they still have not fixed a date for the ...............................................

11 He is one of the best players we have ever had, but he's still not..............................................

12 The national football federation has been accused of financial..............................................

13 The tennis player..............................................his serve and sent the ball right out of the court.

14 She is a good athlete but I think her plan to go in for the Olympic Games is rather..............................................

15 It was almost..............................................to watch the team play so badly after all the coaching we had done.

Grammar 1:intensifiers/modifiers

1 Look at these two sentences from the listening. Underline the modifier and the adjective in each sentence. Can you think of any other intensifies you could use with each adjective?

a) To be perfectly honest

b) Professional sport is very conservative at heart

2 Read the text below. Decide if you can use one or both of the alternatives in each case.

EXTREME SPORT

Alex Thompson is a bobsleigh rider. Why does she do it? Because she is addicted to speed. This becomes (1) hugely / absolutely clear when she describes what a bobsleigh run is like. 'The start of a slide run is often (2) fairly / completely gentle, but then the track falls away and it's (3) very / really steep. That's when the speed picks up, and some (4) really / absolutely amazing thrills kick in.' How long does it take? The answer she gives is (5) quite I utterly mind-blowing - about 49 seconds, the average speed she reaches is 120 kph, and the only thing separating Alex's body from the ice is essentially a flat piece of metal on skates. Lying head-first, her visibility is (6)extremely / totally limited and she can see only about one metre ahead. When she's travelling at speed the time she has to make decisions is (7) very / utterly short. When it goes well, the whole experience can be (8) absolutely / totally overwhelming. Asked whether she feels upset that her sport is less well funded than others, Alex is (9) slightly / completely honest: 'I'd like more money - of course I would. But I'd do it anyway - it's (10) extremely / terribly important to me, and I just can't imagine how boring life would be without it.'

3 Decide which of these adjectives from the text are gradable, e.g. interesting, and which are ungradable, e.g. impossible. Write G (gradable) or U (ungradable) next to each one.

1 clear

2 gentle

3 steep

4 amazing

5 mind-blowing

6 limited

7 short

8 overwhelming

9 honest

10 important

4 Look at the following modifiers/intensifiers. Using the text to help you, decide which you can use with gradable adjectives and which you can use with ungradable adjectives. Write G or U next to each one.

very terribly absolutely really rather completely extremely totally fairly

5 Which modifier from the box above can be used with both gradable and ungradable adjectives?

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 1534