&  Vocabulary Development:   top

Instructions:   Match the idiom in the column on the left with the correct definition on the right.

Idiom

Definition

breathe down one’s neck  (verb)

the small noticeable part of a much larger problem

climb the corporate ladder  (verb)

to have an opinion or make an assessment before you have all the evidence

look up to someone  (verb)

to agree with 

let down  (verb/noun)

disappoint

tip of the iceberg  (noun)

too difficult

see eye to eye  (verb)

get a promotion at work

down in the dumps  (adjective)

too watch/supervise what someone is doing too closely

jump to conclusions  (verb)

think of someone as inferior

look down on someone  (verb)

feeling depressed/sad

over one’s head  (adjective)

respect/admire someone

Instructions:   Complete the sentences using the idioms listed above.

1.  We shouldn’t _____________________, the problem may not be as serious as we initially suspected. 

2.  Carlos has been really ____________________ ever since he lost his job. 

3.   I’m under so much stress at work because my boss is constantly __________________________. 

4.  [Now it’s your turn!   Write your own sentence using one of the remaining idioms.]

__________________________________________________________________________

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$  Reading/Writing  Exercise    top

Instructions:    Read the following text and answer the comprehension questions. 

At one time or another we’ve all thought about getting a raise at work; however, usually we’re talking about an increase in pay rather than an increase in height!  A group of economists working in the United States and Great Britain have made quite a remarkable discovery.  If a person is taller, (s)he is likely to earn more money than someone of equal ability who is a little shorter.  In fact, they have actually calculated that the increase is $1,500/year for each inch.  University of Rochester economist Steven Landsburg goes as far as to say that correlation between height and income is as dramatic as, if not more dramatic than, the correlation between gender or race and income. 

Researchers also indicated that an individual’s height also affects ascension to leadership roles and a person’s ability to climb the corporate ladder within a company or organization.  Anecdotally this point can be supported by examining the height of the person who holds the office of American President.  Most presidents have been well above average height, with the five tallest presidents being:  Abraham Lincoln, Lyndon Johnson, Bill Clinton, Thomas Jefferson and Franklin Roosevelt.  Are tall people more respected by their colleagues or do tall people succeed based on self-confidence?    Economists working at the University of Pennsylvania provided some insight into this question.  Evidence revealed that the determining factor of financial success is affected not by how tall the “adult” is, but rather how tall the “teenager” was.  Their theory is that people who were tall in high school, feel greater self-esteem and tend to assume leadership roles such as captain of the football team or class president.  If your friends are “looking up to you” in high school, then you would probably carry this self confidence into your adult career. 

In light of this data, do employers look down on short people?  Researchers decided to conduct further studies to determine if there was any correlation between a teenager’s height and his/her family’s economic status.  The theory being that children from wealthy families tend to eat better and have better sleeping patterns, which in turn might lead to an increase in height.  Although this theory sounds logical, it was disproved by researchers Jere Behrman and Mark Rozenweig, who studied 3,600 pairs of twins (both male and female) and established that the taller twin tends to earn more money.  Therefore, even people who start out with the same economic opportunities have their earning potential influenced by their height.

Although researchers did not make this claim overtly, they did note that when examining the factor of height and the American presidency, they discovered that two of the tallest presidents Clinton and Lincoln were involved in political turmoil.  Contrasting this, is the “lowly” (or short) James Madison who was instrumental in writing the American Constitution.  Consequently, height may provide an economic advantage, but lack of height may provide an intellectual advantage…At least that’s what we “short” people would like to think!

 top

1.  The word “equal” (in paragraph one) is a:  (a) verb   (b) noun   (c) adjective  (d) adverb

2.  All of the following statements are true EXCEPT:   
(a) Bill Clinton was below average height.   (b)  Adult height appears not to be as important as teenage height.  (c) Research was conducted on both sides of the Atlantic.   (d)  Height often affects an individual’s success in extra-curricular high school activities. 

3.  The expression “in light of this data” (in paragraph three) means:  
(a) The data was very clear.  (b) taking this information into consideration   
(c)  in contrast to the data being presented    (d)  The data was insignificant. 

4.  The word “ascension” (in paragraph two) could be replaced by all of the following EXCEPT:  
(a) rise  (b) promotion  (c) premonition  (d) advancement

5.  The main idea of this article is:   (a) height determines political success   (b) height determines birth order   (c) height offers some economic disadvantages   (d)  heights equals money 

6.  Provide your own definition for the word “correlation” (in paragraphs one & three).

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

7.  In paragraph three, the verb “was disproved” is:  (a) present perfect  (b) past perfect  (c) simple past passive  (d) past perfect passive

8.  The article discusses “height” as being an important factor that determines economic success; in your opinion, what other factors contribute to a successful career?    [Please write your answer in sentence form.]

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_________________________________________________________________________
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þ    Grammar Exercise:   top     

Showing Possession

F There are two primary ways to illustrate possession in English:  either with an apostrophe or with an “of phrase”.

Here are some rules to consider:

(a)  When the noun belongs to a person or animal, we usually use an apostrophe “s”

        [example]   Dave’s essay….. not   the essay of Dave

        [example]   The door of the car ….. not  the car’s door

(b)  Usually we use an apostrophe “s” when the noun is an organization

       [example]   The U.N.’s decision ….. not  the decision of the U.N.

(c)  After a singular noun, we use an apostrophe “s”… But after a plural noun (which ends in “s”) we only add an apostrophe. 

        [example]   Bill Clinton’s office.  not    the Clintons’s house 

(d)  We also use the apostrophe when making comparisons.

        [example]   Helen’s essay is better than Jason’s.

(e)  Don’t forget… that we do not use plurals in adjectives.  Therefore we say: 

        [example]    I have four weeks’ vacation this year.     not  I took a four week’s (week) vacation this year.

(f)   We use an apostrophe “s” for:  expressions of time, when referring to nature, money/measurement expressions and  when referring to groups of people.

[example]   a day’s work   the earth’s atmosphere        a dollar’s worth  

(g)   When each subject in a series possess the same thing, the possessive is used only on the last word.

        [example]    Carol and Dave’s son.    not   Carol’s and Dave’s son. 

 

Exercise One    top  
Write the singular possessive and the plural possessive for each of the following words:

Word

Singular Possessive

Plural Possessive

lady

lady’s

ladies’

man

 

 

mouse

 

 

Canadian

 

 

leaf

 

 

attorney

 

 

James

 

 

Exercise Two    top  

Join the nouns by using an apostrophe “s” or an “of phrase”.

1.  the ears / the dog   ____________________________________

2.  the score / the hockey game ____________________________________

3.  the grandchildren / Nora and Robert ____________________________________

4.  the weather / Toronto ____________________________________

5.  the front / the building ____________________________________

6.  the name / the person who lives next door to you ____________________________________

7.  the newspaper / the editor ____________________________________

8.  N.A.F.T.A. / report ____________________________________

Exercise Three    top  

Make the necessary corrections to the following sentences: 

1.  Her dress, like Anna, was purple. 

2.  Toronto’s weather is more temperate than Ottawa. 

3.  Jose’s and Yumi’s vacation was relaxing.

4.  The leafs’ colour was stunning. 

5.  The book’s style was rather unusual.

U  Generating Vocabulary    top  

[ A Group Speaking Activity ]

Instructions:    Work with your partners and complete the following vocabulary chart. Your answers can be presented as either one word or a phrase.  [Examples have been provided.  You need to supply only one word/phrase  for the “q/r” and the “/v/w/x/y/z” columns.  

Your word should begin with the following letter:

Vocabulary found in the Reading Passage above.

Ways that you can improve your English.

Hobbies or sports that you can do in your spare time.

A

 

 

astronomy

B

 

 

 

C

constitution

 

 

D

 

 

 

E

 

 

 

F

 

 

 

G

 

 

 

H

 

 

hockey

I

 

 

 

J

 

 

 

K

 

 

 

L

 

 

 

M

 

make friends with your classmates

 

N

 

 

 

O

 

 

 

P

 

 

 

Q/R

 

 

 

S

 

 

 

T

tend

 

 

U

 

 

 

V/W/X/Y/Z

 

watch the news every day

 


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