1.

Affixation 1
These verbs each use two different noun suffixes to form nouns. Add the
appropriate suffixes to each of them and put the derived nouns in the relevant
sentences in the correct form. Try to work out the nouns first before you check
them in a dictionary.
admit, consult, deliver, enter, refer, succeed
1. There were so many fans waiting for the group to arrive at the concert hall that they
had to go in by the back ____________________.
2. I'm sorry, madam. We don't have any eggs left in the shop, but we're expecting a
____________________ tomorrow.
3. The ____________________ by the national team captain, that he had taken money
to lose games, shocked the whole nation.
4. I left my job in the company last year and started my own ____________________ to
advise people going into business for the first time.
5. After the ____________________ of his case to the Appeals Court, he felt that he
would finally get out of prison.
6. In his speech the president made a number of ____________________ to the
previous day's events.
7. It snowed for twelve days in ____________________ last December.
8. No ____________________ for children unless accompanied by an adult.
9.We can't go down that road. There's a no ____________________ sign.
10. It's very difficult for us to accept losing, especially as we have enjoyed so much
____________________ for such a long time.
11. The people prayed to God for ____________________ from the misfortunes that
they were suffering.
12. My doctor arranged a ____________________ for me with an eye specialist.

2. Affixation 2
The affixes on these words change the meanings of the words, sometimes radically,
but usually partly. Put the appropriate form in each sentence.
alternate, alternative, destination, destiny, object, objective, objection, serial, series, variable,
variance, variation

1. The ____________________ of the bus is always shown on the front.

2. We have only one ____________________, and that is to win the World Cup.
3. The snow has closed the airport, so we've had to make ____________________ travel
arrangements.
4. After a ____________________ of six defeats, the club decided to change the manager.
5. His plans for his holiday are completely at ____________________ with his wife's. She
wants to visit historical and cultural sites, but he just wants to lie on the beach.
6. I'll organise the party if no one has any ____________________ to my doing it.
7. In the desert there is a huge ____________________ between the temperatures in the day
and those in the night.
8. As he was driving he saw a strange ____________________ in the night sky. It had lights
along its side and was following him.
9. We hold meetings on ____________________ Mondays, so there's one today and another
in two weeks.
10. There's a new drama ____________________ starting tonight on television. I really want
to see it.
11. He devoted all his life to becoming the president of his country because he believed that it
was his ____________________.
12. Unfortunately for our holiday plans, the weather was the one ____________________
that we could not control.

3. Body words describing people

This exercise practise words which are combinations of body words with other
words and are used to describe types of people and characteristics. Choose the
correct part of the body to complete the combination in each sentence.
belly, bones, brain, eye, eyes, fingers, head (2), heart, mouth
1. At school the other children used to call him four-________________ because of his
glasses.
2. I don't believe it! How could you drop that glass? You're such a butter________________.
3. When the actor, Robert Redford, was younger many women loved going to see his
films. He was a real ________________-throb.
4. You have to explain the same thing to him two or three times before he understands.
He's a real block-________________.

5. John's a real lazy-________________. He never does anything around the house. He

just prefers to watch TV all day.
6. When I was at school I was a real yellow-________________. If any of the other boys
wanted to fight I just ran away as fast as I could.
7. The professor constantly forgets what he is supposed to do and is completely
disorganised. It's incredible that such a bird-________________ could run a university
department.
8. Frank is a real dead-________________. When he shoots he never misses. He's going
to captain the shooting team at the Olympics.
9. I wish Dale would shut up once in a while. He's such a loud-________________. He
has to let everyone know when he's around.
10. Angela is the egg-________________ in the family. She knows so much about
physics that she's going to the top university in the country to study it.

4. Body Words - Eye

This exercise practises extended meanings of eye. Read through these texts and
fill each gap with one of the expressions containing eye with the same meaning
as the word or phrase in brackets. Make sure you change the grammar where
necessary.
private eye, one in the eye, shut-eye, raised eyebrows, an eye for an eye, cast one's
eyes over, you're a sight for sore eyes, more to him/her than meets the eye, keep an
eye on, with one's eyes open
1. Can you ____________________ (look after) the children for me for a few minutes?
2. I've been up all night. I really need a few hours' _______________________
(sleep).
3. He went into this agreement ________________________ (with full knowledge).
4. He was suspicious of his partner's motives, so he hired a ____________________
(detective) to keep a check on him.
5. He wants ________________________ (revenge) for what the criminals did to him.
6. The president had hoped to win the vote, so losing it was
________________________ (a big disappointment).
7. There were many ________________________ (surprised reactions) when the Prime
Minister announced he was going to cut taxes.
8. I've ________________________ (carefully examined) the plan and everything looks
fine.

9. Well, well! ____________________________ (It's wonderful to see you). I was

beginning to think no one was coming to the party.
10. Be careful! She seems quite innocent, but there's
___________________________(a lot hidden about her).

5. Body Words - Hand

This exercise practises extended meanings of hand. Read through these texts
and fill each gap with one of the expressions containing hand with the same
meaning as the word or phrase in brackets. Make sure you change the grammar
where necessary.
out of hand, to hand, underhand, from hand to mouth, have one's hands tied,
backhander, handy, hand it to, give someone a hand, in hand
When I was young we were very poor and lived (1) ____________________ (on very
little money). My father's money was spent every week and we never had any money (2)
___________________ (in reserve). My father tried to borrow money from the bank, but
he was always refused (3) ____________________ (without consideration). However,
my father was a (4) ____________________ (useful) person for some employers to
have (5) ____________________ (available).

It seems that corruption in the police force has grown. Some officers have been filmed
acting in a very (6) ____________________ (suspicious) manner and one was caught
accepting a (7) ____________________ (bribe) from a motorist who he had stopped.

You've got to (8) ____________________ (admire) John for what he has achieved in his
exams. I wanted to help him, but I (9) ____________________ (was not allowed to)
because I'm the chief examiner. I think we should all (10)
____________________(applaud him) for his great effort and success.

6. Body words used as verbs

This exercise practises body words when they are used as verbs. Put the
correct verb into each space. Make sure you use the correct form depending on
what it is doing in the sentence.
back, elbow, eye, finger, foot, head, knuckle, leg, mouth, nose, shoulder, stomach,
thumb, toe
1. We still have a lot to do to finish this job in time. So I want everyone to
________________ under and work hard to get it done.
2. Well, I suppose that as I am the oldest and most experienced person here I should
________________ the responsibility for the project.

3. Have you seen the new neighbours? I don't like them. They're always
________________ around to see what other people are doing.
4. Alan is such an awful person to have around. I can't ________________ him and his
behaviour. If he comes to the party, I'm going.
5. When I was at school we used to smoke behind the bicycle shed. If we saw a teacher
coming, we'd ________________ it pretty quickly.
6. Don't worry. If you choose to appeal against the decision, I'll support you. I'll
________________ you all the way.
7. Don't look now, but there's a man over the road ________________ us up. I wonder
who he is and what he wants?
8. Detective Inspector Stevens is ________________ the investigation. She'll be here in
five minutes to tell us what we're going to do.
9. Let's go and eat out somewhere nice. Don't worry about paying. I'll
________________ the bill.
10. Before I buy a new book I like to ________________ through it for a few minutes to
see if I'll like it.
11. This is a very important project and if we are to succeed everyone must
________________ the line and do what I say. If you don't like it, you can leave.
12. How rude can you get! She just ________________ her way through to the front of
the queue.

7. Clothes
This exercise practises extended meanings of words denoting clothes. Read
through these texts and fill each gap with one of the clothes expressions with
the same meaning as the word or phrase in brackets. Make sure you change the
grammar where necessary.
pull one's socks up, roll up one's sleeves, shirty, wear the trousers, take one's hat off to,
boot out of, tighten one's belt, belt up, with kid gloves, in someone's shoes
1. John likes to think he's in control, but it's really his wife who ________________ (is in
control) in their house.
2. Don't get ___________________ (annoyed) with me. It's not my fault.
3. I wouldn't like to be ____________________ (in your situation) when Mum finds out
it was you who broke the window.
4. You'll have to ____________________ (make a greater effort) and work much harder
if you want to pass the exam.

5. The police caught them fighting and they were ____________________ (ejected
from) the football ground.
6. If we're going to get this work finished we'll have to ____________________ (prepare
to work harder).
7. Look, will you just ____________________ (keep quiet). I don't want to hear another
word from you.
8. We've got very little money left to spend so we'll have to ____________________
(stop using so much).
9. Stop treating your children ____________________ (so leniently). You have to show
them real discipline if they are to learn.
10. You've got to ____________________ (admire) John. He really knows how to pass
exams.

8. Colours 1
This exercise practises extended meanings of words denoting colours. Read
through this text and fill each gap with one of the colours in the list.
blue (2), green (2), purple, red (2), white (3)
I went to a football game last week. It was very eventful. First of all the weather was so
bad that the match was almost called off, but it got better and the referee gave it the (1)
________________ light half an hour before the start. The match was very hard and
there were many fouls on both sides. One player on our side was badly fouled, saw (2)
_______________, and punched the other player. He was sent off. Then their team
scored a goal and that was it. Our team put up the (3) ________________ flag and were
(4) ________________-washed 5-0.Their team played so well they were (5)
________________ hot.
Our team's fans screamed and shouted till they were (6) ________________ in the face
and (7) ________________ with rage. In the end the losers felt (8) ________________,
especially the one who scored an own goal. He was (9) ________________-faced. When
I see the talent in their team and the lack of talent in ours I go (10) ________________
with envy.

9. Colours 2
This exercise practises extended meanings of words denoting colours. Put one
of the colours in the list into the gap in each of the sentences.
black, blue (2), green, pink, purple, red (4), white
1. The government has promised to cut ________________ tape in the bureaucracy and
help people get their passports more quickly.
2. I very rarely eat out these days, just once in a _______________ moon.
3. I was a bit ill last week but I feel a lot better now. I really feel in the
________________.

4. Michael really has ________________ fingers. Everything in his garden looks

wonderful
5. The government considers the president's visit so important that they are giving him
the full ________________ carpet treatment.
6. Arsenal have won their last ten games. They're really having a ________________
patch.
7. Joanna claims that she's related to the royal family, but I don't believe that she has
________________ blood at all.
8. When I bought this business it was losing thousands of pounds every month and was
seriously in the ________________. Now we're completely in the ________________,
have paid off all our debts, and are making lots of money.
9. The government should never have started the Mars explorer project. It's long
overdue and is costing far more than originally planned. They'll never get their money
back. It's a complete ________________ elephant.
10. When the soft drinks company found out that some of its products contained a deadly
acid, it issued a ________________ alert to all the supermarkets to clear it from their
shelves.

10.

Extended meanings - Animal words

This exercise practises words denoting animals, which can be used with other
meanings, often as verbs. Choose one word to put into each space depending on
whether it is a verb or a noun. Remember to use the correct form of the word
depending on its use in the sentence.
ape, cow, crocodile, dog, donkey, guinea pig, horse, lion, monkey, parrot, rat, wolf
1. The problem with genetically modified foods is that no one really knows their effect on
people. We are being used as ____________________.
2. I'm fed up with ____________________ what they say. I have a mind of my own and
I want to express my own opinion.
3. We used to work together, but then he ____________________ on me and I lost my
job. I never want to see him again.
4. The bank said that they really regretted taking my house to pay off the loan, but I
don't believe them. They're just crying ____________________ tears.
5. I don't see any difference between this new government and the last one. They're just
____________________ what they did.
6. Typical! You just sit around relaxing and leave me to do all the
____________________ work.
7. This problem has been ____________________ me ever since I was a teenager.
8. Don't ____________________ down your food so quickly. You'll get a bad stomach.

9. He threatened me but I'm not ____________________ at all. I won't let him hurt me.
10. Who's been ____________________ around with the video controls? Nothing seems
to work.
11. I did most of the work so I should get the ____________________ share of the
money.
12. Can you children stop ____________________ around in here? You'll break
something. Why don't you go out and play?

11.

Extended meanings - Body words

This exercise practises words denoting parts of the body, which can be used
with other meanings, often as verbs. Choose one word to put into each space
depending on whether it is a verb or a noun. Remember to use the correct form
of the word depending on its use in the sentence.
cheek, elbow, eye, hand, head, knuckle, leg, lip, nose, palm, shoulder, toe
1. Listen to me and do as I say. And don't give me any ________________.
2. I want you to _______________ up the team. You're the right person for the job.
3. OK, come on everybody! Break's finished. It's time to ________________ down and
do some work.
4. What are the police doing ________________ around here? They won't find anything.
5. That man has a real ________________. How dare he ask me about my private life!
6. Can you give me a straight answer and not ________________ me off with some
ridiculous explanation?
7. That man is so rude! He just ________________ his way to the front of the queue.
8. In this organisation, if you don't ________________ the line you won't stand a chance
of promotion or extra benefits.
9. I've got to ________________ it to you. You were the best competitor and deserved
to win.
10. This is typical of the company. The bosses all sit in the nice comfortable offices and
we have to do all the ________________ word.
11. I'm afraid you should have been there when the incident happened. You'll have to
________________ the responsibility for any damage.
12. Who are those men ________________ us up? I wonder what they want.

12.

Function or Place 1

Certain words denoting places in English can be used with or without the
definite article following a preposition. If the article is absent the word
indicates the function of the place rather than just the place itself when the
article is present, e.g.:
He's at college = He's studying.
He's at the college = He's at the college building (probably doing something else).
For each gap choose one of the prepositions below and one of the place words.
Put them in with or without the definite article depending on the meaning.
at, on, in, to - church, college, court (2), home, hospital, prison, school, town,
university
When I was a boy (1) ________________ I used to play tennis. I used to love being (2)
_______________ playing tennis all day, but I failed all my exams because I didn't
study. Then when I was 16 I decided to go (3) ________________ and prepare for the
university entry exams. Later when I was (4) ________________ doing my degree I got
into trouble when I went on a demonstration. There was a lot of fighting with the police
and I was arrested. When I appeared (5) ________________ I was fined 100 and
conditionally discharged. I was very relieved as I didn't want to end up (6)
________________ and get a criminal record.
Soon after that I was in a night club (7) ____________xxx____ one evening and met a
lovely girl who worked as a nurse (8) ________________. We fell in love and last week
we got married (9) ________________ at the end of our road. Now we're looking
forward to a quiet life (10) ________________ together.

13.

Function or Place 2

Certain words denoting places in English can be used with or without the
definite article following a preposition. If the article is absent the word
indicates the function of the place rather than just the place itself when the
article is present, eg:
He's at college = He's studying.
He's at the college = He's at the college building (probably doing something else).
For each of the pairs of sentences below decide first which place word and
preposition will go in both sentences, and then decide which of the two
sentences takes the article and which does not.
at, in, to - church, court, home, prison, school, university
1a. I studied very hard ____________________ to pass my exams when I was a boy.
1b. I went ____________________ yesterday evening to talk to my son's teacher.
2a. I'm going ____________________ to visit my wife, who works there as a nurse.

2b. After the accident the injured passengers were taken ____________________.
3a. The three men appeared ____________________ yesterday on a robbery charge.
3b. If you want to see the trial you should go early because there's not much room
____________________.
4a. Peter's got an interview for a job ____________________ preparing inmates for jobs
when they get out.
4b. Mike spent five years ____________________ for a crime that he didn't commit.
5a. Mary had a great time ____________________ but easily got her degree.
5b. There's going to be a concert in the student union building ____________________
tonight.
6a. My mother is too old to take care of herself so she has to live
____________________ for old people at the end of the road.
6b. I'll be ____________________ tonight after 11.00.
7a. There are some beautiful stained glass windows ____________________ on the
corner.
7b. Not many people go ____________________ on Sunday mornings these days.

14.

Good Page

This exercise practises different uses of the word good. Read through this text
and fill each gap with one of the prepositions in the list.
about, to, with, of, on, at (2), for (2)
At school I was always told that physical exercise was good (1)________________ me,
but I was never really good (2) _______________ sports. My teacher always reminded
me of this and called me good (3) ________________ nothing. However, I then
discovered boxing. I was so happy when I finally realised I was good (4)
________________ my hands (5) ________________ something.
My teacher stopped criticising me and actually began to praise me. "Good (6)
________________ you!" he would say as I won another fight. I thought it was very
good (7) ________________ him to help me win the national championship. Now I'm
world champion and very rich. Boxing has been very good (8) ________________ me.
Even when I knocked out my last opponent he was very good (9) ________________ it
and told me not to worry.

15.

Latin/German 1

English is a Germanic language, that is, it belongs to the same family of

languages as German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish and shares a core

vocabulary with these languages. However, a very large proportion of words in

English derive from Latin, which is the mother language of French, Spanish,
Portuguese, Italian and Romanian.
As a result, English has many synonym pairs, with one from Germanic and one
from Latin or French. Usually, if the Germanic synonym is informal or colloquial,
the Latin synonym is neutral or more formal. If the Germanic synonym is
neutral, the Latin synonym is either also neutral or more formal than the
Germanic one.
This worksheet explores some of these synonyms and aims to familiarise the
student with the contexts in which they are used. Each of the sentence pairs
has a gap to be filled by either a Germanic or a Latin verb. First, match the
synonyms in the table and then fill the gaps.
apprehend, commence, consume, criminal, crook, domesticate, eat, embrace, empty,
end, folk, grab, hug, people, sight, start, tame, terminate, vacant, vision

16.

Latin/German 1

English is a Germanic language, that is, it belongs to the same family of

languages as German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish and shares a core
vocabulary with these languages. However, a very large proportion of words in
English derive from Latin, which is the mother language of French, Spanish,
Portuguese, Italian and Romanian.
As a result, English has many synonym pairs, with one from Germanic and one
from Latin or French. Usually, if the Germanic synonym is informal or colloquial,
the Latin synonym is neutral or more formal. If the Germanic synonym is
neutral, the Latin synonym is either also neutral or more formal than the
Germanic one.
This worksheet explores some of these synonyms and aims to familiarise the
student with the contexts in which they are used. Each of the sentence pairs
has a gap to be filled by either a Germanic or a Latin verb. First, match the
synonyms in the table and then fill the gaps.
apprehend, commence, consume, criminal, crook, domesticate, eat, embrace, empty,
end, folk, grab, hug, people, sight, start, tame, terminate, vacant, vision

1.Thirty ____________________ applied for the ____________________ position of

Office Manager.
2. When she opened the door after the burglary an awful ____________________ met
her eyes.

3. The announcement came that the day's proceedings would ____________________

an hour late at 10.00.
4. "Come here and give your grandmother a big ____________________ ," she cried. "I
haven't seen you for so long."
5. Last year the population of Great Britain ____________________ 10 million tonnes of
potatoes.
6. They said that the game would ____________________ late.
7. When he arrived at the hall for the meeting it was ____________________ . "Where
is everybody?" he thought.
8. Humans long ago realised that it was more advantageous to capture and keep animals
in their care than to hunt them. Thus, the first animals were ____________________ .
9. The ____________________ around here are very friendly. You'll like them a lot.
10. The president said that he had a ____________________ of life in a country where
everyone would have work and no one would go hungry.
11. "The exam will ____________________ at 4.00," the teacher announced. "Please
leave your papers on your tables and leave quietly."
12. After they had signed the peace agreement the two presidents
____________________ each other.
13. "Right, I'm ready, " said Detective Jones. "Let's go and ____________________
these crooks."
14. "Don't ____________________ your food so quickly," Mary's mother said.
15. "When I grow up I want to join the circus and ____________________ lions," said
little Jimmy.
16. The police decided to ____________________ the operation when it became evident
that they could not ____________________ the ____________________.

17.

Latin/German - Teacher's page

English is a Germanic language, that is, it belongs to the same family of

languages as German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish and shares
a core vocabulary with these languages. However, a very large proportion
of words in English derive from Latin, which is the mother language of
French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Romanian.
Latin-derived words have entered English at various times over the last
2000 years. Until the Norman conquest in 1066 these words were
absorbed into the language of the time and assimilated. However, after

the Norman conquest French became the prestige language for some 200
years. Only in the late Middle Ages did French cease to be spoken
exclusively by the upper classes and English begin to reassert itself.
However, hundreds of French and Latin words were assimilated into
English, mostly in more formal, educated and religious situations. Since
then English has continued to absorb Latin-based words.
While many French-derived words have displaced Old English words and
become parts of the standard, everyday vocabulary of the modern
language, there remain many words derived from French and Latin which
are used in more formal situations. Hence, we often have a choice of two
or more words or phrases which mean more or less the same thing, but
which are used in different situations. Generally, the Germanic-derived
words are either more widely used or more colloquial and informal than
the Latin-derived words. Look at the following examples with the focus
word underlined:
Germanic: I got a new car yesterday. It goes really well.
Latin: In his life Shakespeare acquired a reputation for being an
exceptionally talented playwright.
Although got and acquired have the same meanings they would sound
rather awkward if they exchanged positions.
The worksheets in this section are designed to help students acquire a
greater feel for choosing vocabulary depending on register and situation,
based on the above analysis. The same section in the forthcoming 200
password-protected pages will include more background information and a
framework for classifying the register and origin of each word.

18.

Latin/German 2

English is a Germanic language, that is, it belongs to the same family of

languages as German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish and shares a core
vocabulary with these languages. However, a very large proportion of words in
English derive from Latin, which is the mother language of French, Spanish,
Portuguese, Italian and Romanian.
As a result, English has many synonym pairs, with one from Germanic and one
from Latin or French. Usually, if the Germanic synonym is informal or colloquial,
the Latin synonym is neutral or more formal. If the Germanic synonym is
neutral, the Latin synonym is either also neutral or more formal than the
Germanic one.
The sentences below are in pairs, with sentence a) in each pair expressed in
informal or colloquial language , and sentence b) expressed in more formal or
official language.

After reading through the sentence pairs to get the gist, for each pair select a
phrasal verb (which are mostly Germanic in origin) from box A and put it in
sentence a and then choose a Latin derived word from box B to put in sentence
b.
A
get off, go along, go off, join in, make up,
pay back, pick up, put up, put up with, run
away, tip off, watch over

B
abscond, accommodate, acquire, dismount,
fabricate, inform, invigilate, participate,
proceed, putrefy, reimburse, tolerate

1a. I'm not going to ____________________ this noise any longer.

1b. The Prime Minister said today that he would no longer ____________________
benefit fraud.
2a. Urgh! Who left the milk out? It's ____________________.
2b. After the flood dead animals lay everywhere, ____________________ in the hot
sun.
3a. It's too late for me to go home. Can you __________ me ________ for the night?
3b. This hotel can ____________________ 56 guests.
4a. Could you ____________________ the kids for me for a few minutes?
4b. There will be no teaching in the last week of term, but all the teachers are expected
to ____________________ the examinations.
5a. You can't ride on the pavement. ____________________ your bike and push it.
5b. Cyclists must ____________________ before crossing the road.
6a. Can you __________ me _________ the 20 that you borrowed from me last week?
6b. If the goods are faulty we will ____________________ you on the production of a
receipt.
7a. Come here and ____________________ our game. We need another player.
7b. The organisers of the competition are looking for more people to
____________________.
8a. His explanation is a pack of lies. He __________ it all __________.
8b. The defence lawyer told the court that the police had ____________________ the
confession and that it was therefore invalid.
9a. Don't worry. It's very easy to learn. You'll __________ it __________ as we
____________________.
9b. The foreign students had to ____________________ the language as they
____________________ through their studies.

10a. There's nobody here. They've all ____________________. Someone must have
__________ them __________ that we were coming.
10b. The forgers ____________________ because someone
____________________them that the police were going to raid the warehouse that
night.

19.

Latin Root scrib/scrip

English is a Germanic language, that is, it belongs to the same family of

languages as German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish and shares a core
vocabulary with these languages. However, a very large proportion of words in
English derive from Latin, which is the mother language of French, Spanish,
Portuguese, Italian and Romanian. The worksheets in this section explore some
of the roots and prefixes which come from Latin, either directly or through
French.
In this worksheet, we examine the root scrib/scrip, which means write in
Latin. The prefixes used in these words generally, but not always, have specific
meanings. These will be dealt with in the Affixation section when all the
worksheets come online.
Put each of the words into the correct sentences in the correct form.
ascribe, conscript, describe, inscription, prescribe, proscribe, scribble, scripture,
subscribe, transcription
1. Can you ________________ the people who attacked you?
2. It was difficult to read what the old man had ________________ on the piece of
paper.
3. The ________________ on the tomb said "In loving memory of our dear father".
4. The doctor ________________ antidepressants for her to try and improve her mental
condition.
5. No one is sure who said these words, but they are ________________ to Julius
Caesar.
6. The opposition party was becoming so powerful that the government became
extremely worried and ________________ it, putting its leaders in jail.
7. When the war broke out, many young men were ________________ into the army,
many against their wishes.
8. Many religious people believe that the Bible and other ________________ are the
absolute truth revealed by God.
9. After recording the speech she made a ________________ on her computer and
printed it out.

10. If you want to ________________ to "Student Weekly" magazine for a year, send
30 to us today.

20.

Latin Root spec/spic

English is a Germanic language, that is, it belongs to the same family of

languages as German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish and shares a core
vocabulary with these languages. However, a very large proportion of words in
English derive from Latin, which is the mother language of French, Spanish,
Portuguese, Italian and Romanian. The worksheets in this section explore some
of the roots and prefixes which come from Latin, either directly or through
French.
In this worksheet, we examine the root spec/spic, which means look in Latin.
The prefixes used in these words generally, but not always, have specific
meanings. These will be dealt with in the Affixation section when all the pages
come online.
Put each of the words into the correct sentences in the correct form.
aspect, circumspect, conspicuous, expectation, inspection, introspective, perspective,
prospect, respect, suspect
1. If I pass the exam my ________________ for finding work will be excellent.
2. We should all ________________ other people's views.
3. After the ________________ the college received a good report from the Department
for Education.
4. John's parents had very high ________________ of him, so his poor exam results
were very disappointing.
5. When dealing with such an important and complicated matter, it is necessary to be
________________.
6. Before making a decision we have to examine every ________________ of the plan.
7. Talking to someone else about your problems helps you to see them from a new
________________.
8. Peter looked very ________________ in his white suit.
9. Police ________________ him of killing his wife, but they had no evidence.
10. Jane should stop talking about everybody else and think more about what she's
doing. she should be more ________________.

21.

Middle Verbs here

Teacher's notes

Middle verbs are verbs which can either be transitive or intransitive. When
they are transitive, they can take an object and can also be made passive.
When they are intransitive, they do not take an object. Look at these
examples:
(a) The fire burned the house. - transitive/active
(b) The house was burned by the fire. - transitive/passive
(c) The house burned. - intransitive/middle
In sentence (a) burned is active because it has the object the house.
In sentence (b) was burned is passive, with the house, the object of
sentence (a) becoming the subject of the passive verb, and the fire
becoming the agent.
In sentence (c) burned is not transitive, because the house is the subject
and houses cannot burn anything. It is not passive, because there is no
passive construction. It is technically active, but also intransitive, as there
is no object. In effect, it shares both active and passive features, which is
why we refer to it as middle.
There are many middle verbs in English. Some of them appear in the
worksheets in this section, but there will be many more in the passwordprotected worksheets when they come on line. In other textbooks and
grammar books, they may be referred to differently (or not at all).

22.

Middle Verbs 1

There are many verbs in English which can be used in the active, middle or
passive (see the teacher's page). Look at these verbs and put them in the
correct sentences in the correct form. Then state whether they are active,
middle or passive by putting a, m or p after the sentence.
change, drive, feel, increase, return
1. The government has ________________ tax on cigarettes and alcohol.
2. The explosion was so powerful it could ________________ up to two miles away.
3. After he came out of prison I could see that he had ________________ a great deal.
4. I ________________ the car from London to Paris in six hours last week.
5. I have to ________________ these books tomorrow or I'll get a fine.
6. I ________________ my head and found blood coming from a cut caused by the fall.
7. She ________________ home by the police after they had questioned her.

8. When everyone has gone and you've locked up, make sure that the keys
________________ to the security cupboard.
9. John decided to ________________ his name from Smith to Jones.
10. Last month inflation ________________ from 1% to 1.5%.
11. When I finished my last exam I ________________ fantastic.
12. When Adrian came back from holiday he found that the locks had
________________ and he couldn't get in to his house.
13. I can't wait for the warm weather to ________________.
14. My new car ________________ beautifully.

23.

Middle Verbs 2

There are many verbs in English which can be used in the active, middle or
passive (see the teacher's page). Look at these verbs and put them in the
correct sentences in the correct form. Then state whether they are active,
middle or passive by putting a, m or p after the sentence.
break, close, develop, end, give
1. When the film ________________ everyone was crying.
2. He ________________ the door quietly and walked off down the street.
3. After the election, the new government promised they would provide millions of dollars
to ________________ new industries.
4. I don't really like this sofa. It ________________ too much and I prefer something
firmer.
5. His leg ________________ in two place as a result of the accident.
6. At first the demonstration was peaceful but then fighting started and
________________ into running battles with the police.
7. This ring ________________ to me by my mother and to her by her mother.
8. All the shops in this town ________________ at 1.00 on Wednesdays.
9. Johnson has ________________ the world 100 metre record for the second time this
year.
10. She decided to ________________ her marriage after she found out about her
husband's affair.
11. When she poured the hot water into the glass it suddenly ________________.
12. The new study plan ________________ by the teachers and the students together.

13. The game ________________ early by the referee when it started snowing.
14. I ________________ my son a new computer for his birthday last week.
15. This gate must ________________ after use to keep animals out.

24.

Noun or Verb 1

There are many words in English which can be either nouns or verbs
(sometimes adjectives). Use each of these words twice to fill the gaps in each
sentence, once as a noun/adjective and once as a verb. Make sure they go in
the correct forms to fit in the sentences. Think about what makes them nouns
or verbs in the sentences.
age, back, effect, head, major, rate, place, pressure
1. This price rise will have a terrible ________________ on the sales of cars in this
country.
2. The management is trying to ________________ me into withdrawing my complaint,
but I'm not going to let them stop me.
3. Inflation is increasing at a very slow ________________ of only 0.5%.
4. The money was ________________ in a briefcase and left in the office.
5. Don't worry. I'll ________________ you all the way. You can depend on me.
6. After ten years as a football manager he had ________________ significantly, as his
grey hair showed.
7. I'm giving up my job. There's just too much ________________ and I can't cope.
8. I'm at university now, ________________ in History.
9. The college authorities today ________________ an important change in the selection
process.
10. Which direction are you ________________ in, London or Birmingham?
11. I've had a bad ________________ for months now. I've even had to stop work
because I can't pick up anything heavy.
12. I'm really delighted. I've just been promoted to the post of ________________ of
sales.
13. After the party there were glasses, cans and bottles all over the ________________.
14. I ________________ that film as one of the best I have ever seen.
15. I wouldn't buy that car if I were you. It would be a ________________ mistake.
16. There were so many delays that it took ________________ to get home.

25.

Noun or Verb 2

There are many words in English, which can be either nouns or verbs
(sometimes adjectives). Use each of these words twice to fill the gaps in each
sentence, once as a noun/adjective and once as a verb. Make sure they go in
the correct forms to fit in the sentences. Think about what makes them nouns
or verbs in the sentences.
bite, concern, figure, join, market, part, question, room
1. When I saw you with no L-plates on your car I ________________ that you had
passed your test.
2. If you want to take ________________ in this exercise you have to listen to the
instructions.
3. In the second half of the game our team played with a lot more ________________
and energy.
4. When John grows up he wants to ________________ the army.
5. We've found a new company to ________________ our products in China.
6. There's no ________________ for error. We must be very careful.
7. Be careful. That dog is very fierce and may ________________.
8. You can go home now as this situation does not ________________ you.
9. Wi
10. We shouldn't ________________ like this. We should try to stay together.
11. I ________________ the right of the police to arrest me without evidence.
12. The teacher showed a lot of ________________ for the students who were not
studying well.
13. The ________________ for used cars has gone through a bad time. Prices have
gone down a lot.
14. They fixed the vase so well that you can't see the ________________.
15. I could just about see the ________________ of a horse in the mist.
16. I used to ________________ with the current prime minister when I was at
university.

26.

one word 2 sounds

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had
to refuse more refuse.
We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in
the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he
thought it was time to present the present
8) A bass was painted on the head of
the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the
bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row amon g the oarsmen about

how to row...
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when
the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into
a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught
his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed
a tear.
19) I had to subject the subject to a series of
tests.
20) How can I intimate this to my
most intimate friend?
Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There
is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger;
neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English
muffins weren't invented in England or French
fries in France . Sweetmeats are candies while
sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We

take English for granted. But if we explore its

paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work
slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig
is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
******************

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has

more meanings than any other two-letter
word, and that is 'UP'
It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the
sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken

UP ? At a
meeting, why does a topic come UP ? Why do
we speak UP and why are the officers UP for
election and why is it UP to the secretary to
write UP a report ?
in the morning, why do we wake

UP our friends. And we use it to

brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we
warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.
We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the
We call

old car. At other times the little word has real

UP trouble,
line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and
think UP excuses.. To be dressed is one thing,
special meaning. People stir

but to be dressed

UP is special.

UP is confusing: A drain must be

opened UP because it is stopped UP. We
open UP a store in the morning but we close
it UP at night.

And this

We seem to be pretty mixed

UP

about

UP.

To be knowledgeable about the proper

of

UP, look the word UP in the dictionary.

UP almost
1/4th of the page and can add UP to about
thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might
try building UP a list of the many w ays UP is
used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if
you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a
In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes

hundred or more. When it threatens to rain, we

UP .. When
we say it is clearingUP ...
say it is clouding

the sun comes out

When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes

things UP.

When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it

now my time is
shut

UP ,

UP , for

so........it is time to

UP !

Oh . . . one more thing:

What is the first thing you do in the morning & the last
thing you do at night?
U-P