Money

a. Match the nouns and definitions.

1. Budget — the money that is available to a person or organization and a plan of how it will be spent over a period of time
2. Grant — money that is given by the government or another organization for a particular purpose
3. Loan — money that a bank lends and somebody borrows
4. Fee — an amount of money that you pay for professional advice or services
5. Fare — the money you pay to travel by bus, plane, tax
6. Savings — money that you keep in the bank, and don’t spend
7. Donation — money that you give to an organization such as a charity in order to help them.
8. Fine — money paid as a punishment for breaking a law
9. Instalment — one of a number of payments that are made regularly until something has been paid
10. Deposit — the first part of a larger payement
11. Will — a legal document that says what is to happen to somebody’s money and property after they die
12. Lump sum — an amount of money that is paid at one time and not on separate occasions

b. Look at the Oxford Learner’s Thesaurus entries for rich and poor. Match the synonyms and definitions.

1. Affluent — having a lot of money, property, or valuable possessions
2. Wealthy — rich and with a good standard of living: The Western countries are better equipped to face the problems of global warming
3. Loaded — rich (negative)
4. Well-off — very rich (informal)
5. Poor — having very little money; not having enough money for basic needs
6. Penniless — having no money, very poor
7. Broke — having very little money, especially for a short period of time
8. Hard up — having no money

Expressions with time

a. Complete the sentences with the verbs in the list.

1. I waste a lot of time playing games and messaging on my computer instead of studying.
2. If you take the motorway, you’ll save time — it’s much quicker than the local roads.
3. I had three hours to wait for my flight, so I sat there doing sudoku puzzles to kill time.
4. There’s no hurry, so take your time.
5. When my mother was young, she never had the chance to travel. Now she’s retired and wants to make up for lost time, so she’s booked a trip around the world.
6. The novel is 700 pages long and I’m a slow reader. It’s going to take me a long time to finish it.
7. I’d better go home now. If I’m late again, Dad will give me a hard time.
8. I would like to go camping this weekend, but my final exams are next week, so I can’t spear the time.
9. My children take up all my time — I never seem to get to read a book or watch a film!
10. New York’s such a fantastic city! You’re going to have the time of your life here.
11. Let’s not spend too long at the museum or we’ll run out of time.

b. Complete the column with the prepositions in the list.

1. I’m really punctual, so I hate it when other people aren’t on time.
2. I’ve never heard of that singer. He must have been before my time.
3. By the time we got to our hotel, it was nearly midnight.
4. I missed the birth of my first child. I was on a plane at the time.
5. He’s been working too hard recently. He needs some time off.
6. If we don’t take a taxi, we won’t get to the airport in time for the flight.
7. I don’t eat out very often, but I do get a takeaway from time to time.
8. He suffers from back pain and it makes him a little irritable at times.
9. You can come any time from 10:00 to 14:00.
10. He’s a bit behind the times — he still thinks men should wear a suit and tie at work.
11. Don’t try to multitask. Just do one thing at a time.

c. Match sentences 1-12 to A-I.

1. There isn’t much time left. The referee’s looking at his watch. (I)
2. He spent the whole time talking on his phone. He hardly spoke to me at lunch. (B)
3. This time next week I’ll be lying on the beach. I’m really looking forward to my holiday. (J)
4. I’m a little short of time. I’m sorry, I can’t help you this week. (D)
5. I’ll have to carry on with this one for the time being. I can’t afford a new computer. (F)
6. It’s only a matter of time. She’s sure to find a job eventually. (G)
7. I’ve got time on my hands since I retired. I think I need to take up a hobby (E)
8. Time’s up. The exam is over. Stop writing, please. (C)
9. I really thought I was going to be late. But in the end I got to the airport with time to spare. (A)
10. It’s very popular with women who want a bit of me time. Why not spend a morning at our spa? (H)
11. It’s incredibly tedious and time-consuming. I hate having to fill in my tax return. (L)
12. It’s about time you got a new one. You’ve had that computer for ages. (K)

Inversion

a. Rewrite the sentences to make them more emphatic.

1. I didn’t realize my mistake until years later.
   Not until years later did I realize my mistake.
2. We had never seen such magnificent scenery.
   Never had we seen such magnificent scenery.
3. They not only disliked her, but they also hated her family.
   Not only did they dislike her, but they also hated her family.
4. We only understood what he had really suffered when we read his autobiography.
   Only when did we read about his autobiography, we understood what he had really suffered.
5. We had just started to eat when we heard someone knock at the door.
   Hardly had we started to eat, when we hears someone knock at the door.
6. I have rarely read such a badly written novel.
   Rarely have I read such a badly written novel.
7. Until you’ve tried to write a novel yourself, you don’t realize how hard it is.
   Not until have you tried to write a novel yourself, you don’t realize how hard it is.
8. The hotel was depressing, and it was cold as well.
   Not only was the hotel room depressing, it was cold as well.
9. We only light the fire when it is unusually cold.
   Only when it is unusually cold, we light the fire.
10. Shortly after he had gone to sleep the phone rang.
    No sooner after had he gone to sleep than the phone rang.
11. I only realized the full scale of the disaster when I watched the six o’clock news.
    I watched six o’clock news. Only then did I realize the full scale of the disaster.
12. He has never regretted the decision he took that day.
    Never has he regretted the decision he took that day.
13. I spoke to the manager and the problem was taken seriously.
    Only when did I speak to the manager the problem was taken seriously.
14. He had scarcely had time to destroy the evidence before police arrived.
    Scarcely had he had time to destroy the evidence before police arrived.

Describing books and movies

a. Complete some readers’ comments about books and films with an adjective from the list.

1. A wonderful film. So moving it brought tears to my eyes!
2. A thought-provoking novel that raised many interesting questions.
3. Rather heavy-going. I really had to make an effort to finish it.
4. A gripping story. I was hooked from the very beginning.
5. A light and entertaining novel, perfect for beach reading!
6. The plot was intriguing. It was impossible to predict how it would end.
7. The characters were totally implausible. I couldn’t take any of them seriously.
8. A fast-moving story which jumps from past to present and back again at breakneck speed.
9. A well-written novel, but so depressing it made me feel almost suicidal!
10. A haunting take which stayed with me long after I’d finished reading it.