Практикум по грамматике английского языка : учебное пособие

‘The Railway Ticket’/’No Teeth’
1. There were eight of us in the carriage, and soon the railway inspector 
punched seven tickets.
2. Some weeks later Peter met his friend in the street, and the friend asked him, 
“What’s happened?”
3. “All tickets, please!” said the railway inspector when he appeared at the 
door of the carriage.
4. Peter had to join the army but he didn’t want to, so he asked his friend, 
“What shall I do?”
5. “Funny thing, absence of mind,” said the helpful traveller when the inspec-
tor had gone.
6. But the old man, who looked very unhappy, was still searching through his 
pockets.
7. His friend said, “Well, why don’t you go to the dentist and ask him to pull 
out all your teeth? You won’t get past the medical then.”
8. “You haven’t lost your ticket,” said the man next to him, helpfully. “You’re 
hold ing it in your teeth!”
9. So he was, and the inspector looked very pleased as he quickly punched the 
ticket.
10. Peter, who had no teeth left, mumbled, “The officer said I was no good 
for the army—I’ve got flat feet!”
11. “Absence of mind?” said the old man.”I was chewing off last week’s 
date!”
GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT
Exercise 39. Answer the following questions
1. Do you prefer to watch films in the cinema or at home on television or vid-
eo? Explain why.
2. Do you like watching TV?
3. Do you usually have a meal when your TV is on or do you just sit and watch it?

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4. How many hours a day do you watch TV?
5. What’s your favourite programme? Do you always try to stay at home and 
watch it?
6. Which TV programmes do you not like? Why?
7. Who is your favourite TV presenter?
8. What do you think of commercials?
9. Which films do you like: comedies, thrillers, action films, etc? Why?
10. What do you think makes a good film? (the director, the cast, the script, the 
camera work, sound effects, etc.)
11. How do you choose a film to see: do you look through film magazines or 
newspapers, listen to the radio or just rely on your friends’ opinion?
12. Most people, young and old, like cartoons. How can you explain the phe-
nomenon?
13. Who is your favourite actor (actress)? What do you like about him (her)?
14. How easy is it for you to get used to a new role of your favourite actor if it 
is quite dif ferent from the previous ones?
15. Is there any director whose films you never miss? Why do you like his (her) 
films?
16. Is there any name in the world of cinema that can ensure the success of the 
film?
17. When they advertise a film they usually draw the viewers’ attention to the 
cast. Do you think that an all-star cast is a guarantee of a good film? Give 
your reasons.
18. What’s your attitude to a screen version of books? Do you prefer to see 
it before or after reading the book? In which case is your disappointment 
greater?
19. Which films do you find disappointing of late? What do you think makes 
them poor production?
20. What international film festivals can you name? Which award is the most 
prestigious one?
21. Most foreign films that you watch on the video are undubbed. Some people 
just hate watching films with an interpreter. What about you?
22. How often do you watch undubbed films in English? Do they really help 
you in study ing English?
23. There are quite a lot of video English learning courses. Have you ever 
watched them?
24. How often do you go to the theatre? Which plays do you prefer?
25. There was a gloomy forecast that the attendance of theatre audience would 
drop because of television. What’s your opinion?
26. Modern theatre differs greatly from the one it used to be some time ago. 

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In what way? What do you think—are these differences for better or for 
worse? Give your reasons.
27. Do you ever go to the opera?
28. ‘New Opera’ and ‘Gelicon Opera’ are the most popular Moscow opera 
houses now adays. Can you explain why? In what way are they different?
29. Do you like ballet? Which ballet do you prefer, classical or modern?
30. Have you ever seen performances of modern French and American ballet 
companies? What’s your impression?