Preview test for L2 Englishes I. Find the meaning of the following words (20%) ( ) a. supple 1. move smoothly ( ) b. slide 2. change to the opposite ( ) c. reverse 3. random ( ) d. immortal 4. disapprove ( ) e. rump 5. disgusting ( ) f. haphazard 6. careless and casual ( ) g. slovenly 7. flexible ( ) h. condemn 8. that will not die ( ) i. squeamish 9. the back part of an animal ( ) j. uncouth 10. rough, ill-mannered II. Write down the meaning of the following expressions (20%) 1. nobbut middlin 2. proper poorly 3. taking industrial action 4. working to rule 5. lower income brackets 6. under the weather 7. low IQ 8. unemployment benefit 9. Ministry of Defence 10. companion animal III. Fill in appropriate prepositions and adverbs (20%) 1. “Bags of fun” does not mix “extremely gracious”. 2. We must never tire insisting. 3. Our command a range of English styles must be wider and suppler. 4. We must know the type of occasion which each is appropriate. 5. “Bags of fun” is not a lazy substitute for thought its appropriate setting. 6. Such an attitude can do nothing but harm the good use of English. 7. Our reaction the words in this situation might well be to call them slovenly. 8. I apprehend an atmosphere of spontaneous delight your arrival. 9. Examples of gross understatement may also appeal some of us. 10. Let us do away the following expressions. IV. Judge whether the following statements are true of false (20%) 1. Although there are a scale of styles in English, each of us works with one only. 2. The sentence ---“It was extremely gracious of you to invite me, Lady Jones, and I’ve had bags of fun”---is an appropriate expression. 3. English can be measured with a single yardstick. 4. The words used in the sentence ---“My dear Frank, it was awfully nice to get your note the other day”---are unreasonable and unacceptable. 5. A person who says “I apprehend an atmosphere of spontaneous delight with your arrival” will be greatly respected for his good manner. 6. The old man prefers being called as “ a disadvantaged senior citizen”. 7. Contemporary writers hate using euphemisms according to Encyclopedia Britannica. 8. Some euphemisms are too common to be funny to people. 9. When a native of the Lake District describes himself as being “nobbut middlin” he means that his physical state is quite good. 10. According to the man, euphemisms can help people forget unpleasantness. V. Answer the following questions (20%) 1. What attitude should we take towards different styles of English? (About 5 sentences) 2. According to your own opinion, whether or not euphemisms will stay and help to avoid unpleasantness? (About 5 sentences)