TimeConscious Americans

1
Unit 1

• Time-Conscious Americans

2
Guess the meaning of the italicised term in each
sentence according to the context and your own
experiences.

• The government has budgeted for two bridges in
  the city.
• It is important to balance this years budget.
• The telephone line was dead. Wendy replaced the
  telephone handle.
• George has replaced Edward as the personnel
  manager.

3

• Well have to replace the old computers with new
  ones.
• I tried to stop him, but he elbowed me out of the
  way.
• She elbowed her way through the crowd
• Increased interaction between the police and
  citizens will improve the rate of solving crimes.

4

• Everyday the work begins with the ritual phrases
  of greeting.
• I start to read English aloud the first thing
  after I get up in the morning and that has become
  a ritual.
• The police are probing (into) trading, which
  breaks the law.
• My watch doesnt tick because it is electronic.

5

• A team from the United Nations will observe the
  election to be sure that it is fairly conducted.
• The company should be able to fulfill our
  requirements for product quality.
• Four weeks have elapsed since we left home.

6
Give synonyms for the words as many as you can

• 1. Acute sensitive keen penetrating severe fine
  sharp
• 2. Abrupt blunt brief brisk curt hasty short
  sudden unexpected
• 3. Convention practice custom conference meeting
  routine
• 4. Surroundings environment setting conditions
  situations circumstances

7

• 5. Assess judge decide value appraise estimate
  evaluate rate
• 6. Device plan equipment machine tool instrument
  apparatus implement trick
• 7. Obtain get catch buy borrow earn gain attain
  receive acquire
• Superb beautiful good great brilliant majestic
  magnificent gorgeous grand glorious imposing
  excellent wonderful perfect impressive

8

• 8. Competent capable be equal to be up to able
  adequate experienced qualified effective

9
Homework

• Learn the new words and expressions of the text
  by heart.
• Go over the text and write down the difficult
  points.

10
Language points

• past participle used as objective complement
• He did not wish it mentioned.
• He was about to enter the hall when he heard his
  name called.

11
Nominative absolute participle construction

• 1.Logic subject present participle or with
  (without)logic subject present participle
• He groaned and fell to the floor, blood
  streaming from his nose.
• He passed by without anyone noticing him.

12
2.Logic subject passive participle or with
(without) logic subject passive participle

• The table being set, we began to dine.
• With all things being considered, he has done his
  best.

13
3.Logic subject past participle or with
(without) Logic subject past participle

• The storm having destroyed their hut, they had to
  live in a cave.
• We sat face to face, without a single word said.

14
4.Logic subject infinitive or with (without)
logic subject infinitive

• Here are the first two volumes, the third one to
  come out next month.
• I now pay you half the sum, with the other half
  to be paid next week.

15
5.Logic subject noun or with (without) logic
subject noun

• He appeared, his hair a wreck.
• With his first shot a failure, Dyke fired again.

16
6.Logic subject adjective or with (without)
logic subject adjective

• He sat there, his face serious and his attention
  steady.
• With the weather so close and stuffy, ten to one
  it will rain presently.

17
7.Logic subject adverb or with (without) logic
subject adverb

• He lay on the floor face downward.
• He went out with no hat on.

18
8.Logic subject prepositional phrase or with
(without)logic subject prepositional phrase

• He leaned on the wall, a pipe in mouth.
• With the whole meeting in uproar, the chairman
  abandoned the attempt to take a vote.

19
9.Logic subject of the nominative absolute
participle construction

• 1.The storm having damaged everything, many
  became homeless. (????)
• 2.He being absent, nothing could be done. (????)
• 3.It being very stormy, she had to stay at home.
  (?????)

20

• 4.Himself still only a child, he had to rule over
  grown men. (????)
• 5.It having been proved that Mulroy was guilty,
  the judge passed sentence. (????it????)

21
10. Grammatical role of the nominative absolute
participle construction

• The nominative absolute phrase expresses time,
  cause, condition, circumstances, etc. and is
  equal to an adverbial clause,e.g.

22

• 1.The dark clouds having disappeared (When the
  dark clouds have disappeared), the sun shone
  again. (Time)
• 2.The door of the opposite parlour being then
  opened (Because the door of the opposite parlour
  is then opened), I heared some voices. (Cause)
• 3.He felt more uneasy with the whole class
  staring at him (because the whole class stared
  at him). (Cause)

23

• 4.Conciliation failing (If conciliation fails),
  forces remains but force failing (if force
  fails), no further hope of conciliation is left.
  (Condition)
• 5.They had many talks with the native, the guide
  acting as (and the guide acted as) interpreter.
  (Circumstances)

24

• 6.She went to the market, with her son following
  her (and her son followed her). (Circumstances)
• 7.So much money having being spent (Though so
  much money has been spent), we have not seen any
  good result. (Concession)
• 8.I read a novel, my wife sewing (and my wife
  sewed) by my side. (Compound)

25

• 1.slave to/of sth a person who is completely
  influenced or dominated by sth, e.g.
• a slave to drink, a slave to money, a slave to
  fashion
• We are slaves of the motorcar.
• 2.nothing but only, e.g.
• He is nothing but a criminal.
• The report contains nothing but lies.

26
as if, as though

• 1. as if, as though????????????????,????????????,?
  ??????(?????)??,?????????????,??be, look, seem,
  ?as if, as though??, ??????be, look,
  seem,????????,???????(notional verb)?Compare

27

• a) He looks as though he had seen a ghost.
• b) It does look as if the very crisis is here.
• c) He looks as if he were going through a great
  crisis.
• d) He acts as if he is in love with her.

28
2. as if, as though??????(amorphous
sentence),?????????????????????

• For example
• a) As though you didnt know that?
• b)  As if he would ever do such a thing!

29
3. as if, as though to infinitive

• for example
• a) He shook his head as if (he wanted) to say
  No.
• b) He opened his lips as if to say something.

30
Metaphor

• Metaphor means figurative language. It uses words
  to indicate something different from their
  literal meaning, that is one thing is described
  in terms of another so as to suggest a likeness
  or analogy between them. The comparison in a
  metaphor is usually implicit.

31

• For example
• 1.Military glory is a bubble blown from blood.
• 2.The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time
  to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
  It is its natural manure.
• 3.The hall way was zebra-striped with darkness
  and moonlight.

32
Takepersonally

• l If you take sb.s remarks personally, you are
  upset because you think that they are being
  critical about you in particular, e.g.
• You mustnt take her negative comments of your
  plan personally.

33
present participle used as objective complement

• I shall have the machine running by the time you
  get back.
• The news left me wondering what would happen
  next.

34
whereas in contrast, but while

• l  e.g.
• 1. They want a house, whereas we would rather
  live in a flat.
• 2. We thought she didnt like us, whereas in fact
  she was very shy.
• 3. Their country has plenty of oil, while
  (whereas) ours has none.

35
Weight importance

• e.g.
• Dont worry about what he thinks, his opinion
  doesnt carry much weight.
• The many letters of support added weight to the
  campaign.

36
Get sth./sb. doing sth make sth./sb. do sth

• Can you get the old car going again?
• Its not hard to get the boy talking the problem
  is stopping him.

37
Rewrite the sentences using the patterns.

• 1. Time is treated as if it were something almost
  real.
• 2. We communicate rapidly through faxes, phone
  calls or emails rather than through personal
  contacts, which though pleasant, take
  longer---especially given our traffic-filled
  streets.

38

• 3. In some countries no major business is
  conducted without eye contact.
• 4. The more important a task is, the more
  capital, energy, and attention will be poured
  into it in order to get it moving.