English Matters
Workbook 2
Julia Sander
Macmillan Education
Between Towns Road, Oxford, OX4 3PP
A division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
Companies and representatives throughout the world
www.macmillan-caribbean.com
ISBN: 978–0–230–02368–0
Text © Julia Sander, 2010
Design and illustration © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2010
All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be
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The authors and publishers would like to thank the following for permission
to reproduce their photographs: tbc
The authors and publishers would like to thank the following for permission to reproduce their
material: Macmillan Education for Dictionary extracts taken from Macmillan English Dictionary for
Advanced Learners, copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2007, used with permission; Penguin
Books for the poem “Serious Love” from Funky Chickens by Benjamin Zephaniah, Viking, 1996
copyright © Benjamin Zephaniah 1996; and an extract from The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern
Prose Version of the Indian Epic by R.K. Narayan (first published by Viking Penguin Inc. 1972,
Penguin Books 1977) copyright ©, R.K. Narayan 1972; PFD for the poem “Sad Music” by Roger
McGough from Everyday Eclipses copyright © Roger McGough 2002. Reproduced by permission
of PFD www.pfd.co.uk on behalf of Roger McGough; Keensdee Productions Ltd for the poem
“Windjammer” by Paul Keens-Douglas from Savannah Ghost Selected Works of Paul Keens-Douglas
Vol.11, copyright © Paul Keens-Douglas; George Braziller, Inc. for an extract from The Bride Price
by Buchi Emecheta, New York, George Braziller, 1976, reproduced with permission; Random House
Group Ltd for an extract from The Hills Were Joyful Together by Roger Mais, published by Jonathan
Cape 1981. Reprinted by permission of The Random House Group Ltd; Cubola Productions for an
extract from “When my Father Comes Home” by Shirley Warde published in Ping Wing Juk Me
edited by Michael Philips, Belizean Writers Series, reproduced with permission.
Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders, but if any have been inadvertently overlooked
the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.
Printed and bound in Malaysia
2014 2013 2012 2011 2010
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
1. Introductions
4
2. Famous People
10
3. Relationships
16
4. Language
22
5. Opinions
28
6. Society
34
7. Caribbean People
40
8. Traditions
46
9. Myths
52
10. Legends
58
11. Celebrations
64
12. Mysteries
70
13. Natural Disasters
76
14. Pollution
82
15. Healthy Living
88
16. Theatre
94
17. The School Show
100
18. Cinema
106
Index
112
Unit
1
Introductions
Comprehension
An Unwelcome Visitor
I was there when the blow fell. And
Father took it like a man.
Jake Hibbertson, who was the other
big man in our village, the other besides
Father, rode up in his car shortly before
noon. He wasn’t driving. He had always
done his own driving, but today he
had a chauffeur, Lorne Bakersfield,
who ordinarily filled out a weekly work
schedule by driving a truck or working
around Jake’s farm. But today he was
chauffeuring the car.
Alighting with haste, he opened the door for Jake who was sitting big-shot like in the
back seat. As he stepped out, Jake took a mighty long time to straighten himself out, looking
around with pleased eyes as he did.
The Jaguar was purring nicely.
I had seen Jake climb from a battered Austin to a brand-new Humber Hawk and now he
owned a Jaguar sedan, sleek and seemingly poised for speed. Unlike Jake, Father had gone
backwards, climbing down from a car to a horse.
Today Jake was the personification of triumph. Although he was beaming happily, his
eyes weren’t laughing. It was hard to like a man like him. His face was not only axe-shaped
but he had a sick, washed-out colour. He didn’t look kind and he didn’t look cruel. He
didn’t look anything. Lifting his pith helmet with a veined hand, he scratched his head as he
surveyed our Robin Hill property.
Father was on the verandah. I was in the yard. Father was cool. He was leaning against
one of the verandah posts, waiting for it.
Jake said, ‘How ya, Merton?’
‘Hello, Jake,’ Father said.
‘Nice day, eh?’
‘Sunny and hot,’ Father said. ‘Stifling. Come on in.’
Jake looked around at the car. ‘Shut her off, Lorne,’ he said. ‘Me and Merton have
business.’
from My Father, Sun-Sun Johnson by C. Everard Palmer
1 Are the following statements about the extract true or false?
1.
2.
3.
4.
4
Both Jake and the writer’s father are important members of the community.
Lorne regularly drives Jake around.
The writer’s father runs a thriving business.
The writer’s father appears to be feeling tense.
Unit 1
True / False
True / False
True / False
True / False
2 Explain in your own words the expression sitting big-shot like.
3 Tick () the answer that completes the sentence. Jake looked around with pleased eyes
because
. he was looking forward to meeting the writer’s father.
a
b. he was proud of having a chauffeur to drive him around.
c. he was about to get the better of the writer’s father.
d. he thought it was a really nice day.
4 What do you learn about Jake and the writer’s father from their modes of transport?
5 What might be the blow to which the writer refers in the first sentence?
6 Did the writer’s father expect to see Jake? Find evidence in the text to support your
answer.
7 What do you learn about Jake from this extract? Make notes in the table.
Facts about Jake
Jake’s appearance
Jake’s character
owns a Jaguar car
8 Find expressions in the text to replace the underlined words.
1. Lorne did not usually work as Jake’s chauffeur.
2. The car drew up and I watched him getting out and surveying our yard.
3. The chauffeur opened the door hurriedly for his passenger.
4. Jake had treated himself to a glossy new car.
5. The Jaguar sedan appeared ready for action.
6. There was a look of jubilation on Jake’s face as he looked around him.
Unit 1 5
Language
1 What parts of speech are the underlined words?
1. Father led Jake into the room we called his office.
2. Lorne leaned against the car and picked his teeth with a straw.
3. I decided to eavesdrop on the proceedings.
4. I learnt that Father had borrowed a lot of money from Jake.
5. I knew our farm was still as it was before, maybe even worse.
6. I heard Jake threaten Father angrily.
2 What parts of speech are the underlined words as they are used in the following
sentences?
1. Father had had a bad break the previous year and
had fallen into debt.
2. He had begun to look increasingly tired and
worn.
3. The writer’s mother had tried to distance herself
from her husband.
4. Most people in the village thought she was right
to leave him.
5. It seemed that Father did not mind being
reduced to poverty.
Remember:
Words can
often be used as
different parts of
speech.
6. They heard a burst of laughter as they drove out
of the square.
3 Write sentences using the underlined words in Exercise 2 as different parts of speech.
State what part of speech they are in your sentences.
Example: I managed to break a cup while I was washing up. (verb)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6
Unit 1
4 There are 14 verbs that are used incorrectly in the following conversation. Find and
correct them.
Your brother has...
‘Your brother have a car?’ Carl asked Rosa.
‘Yes, he do,’ Rosa answered. ‘He need it for his work.’
‘What type of work does he do?’
‘He is a vet, so he have to travel to farms.’
‘Does you ever go with him?’
‘Yes, when I is on holiday I often go out on call with him.’
‘Does your brother enjoy his work?’
‘Yes, he really love what he do. A lot of the farms he visits is quite remote. Everyone always
seem pleased to see my brother.’
‘Do you help him when you out on call with him?’
‘Mostly I just watch what he do, but when he performs tests on the animals he let me record
the results for him.’
‘Do you want to be a vet like your brother?’
‘I not sure. Sometimes vets has to go out in the middle of the night to see sick animals.’
5 Imagine that you have just met the athlete Charlene Simmonds.
Write a dialogue in which you ask her questions about herself
and her occupation. Use verbs in the simple present tense.
You:
?
Charlene:
You:
Charlene:
You:
Charlene:
You:
Charlene:
You:
Charlene:
?
?
?
Charlene Simmonds
?
Unit 1 7
Vocabulary
1 Use your dictionary to find the answers to the following questions.
1. What are the guide words on the page where the word business appears?
2. How many different definitions are given for the word business?
3. Write all the words you can find which are related to the word appear.
4. Which head words immediately precede and follow the word passenger?
5. The word guard can be used as different parts of speech. Which ones?
2 Read the dictionary entries. Match the underlined words to the definitions.
form
form (noun) [c] 1. a type of something 2. an official document with spaces where people
write information 3. the body of a person, or the shape of an object
Example: I could just make out a shadowy form in the distance.Definition 3
1. He wrote his impressions down regularly in the form of a journal.
2. She handed her immigration form over to the official.
expose
expose (verb) [T] 1. to remove something covering something else so that it is no longer
hidden 2. to put someone or something in a particular situation, especially one which
involves danger 3. to tell the public about something that was not previously known
3. The journalist’s report exposed the truth about working conditions.
4. After they had germinated, the plants were exposed to sunlight.
5. The scientist was exposed to radiation during his research.
3 Write your own example sentences for the definitions given below.
model
model (noun) [c] 1. a small copy of something 2. someone whose job is to show clothes 3. a
particular type of vehicle or machine a company makes
1.
2.
3.
8 Unit 1