Christmas is nearly upon us again, so it’s time for another holiday-themed exercise to get you in the merry spirit. I’ve decided to revisit the same style of exercise I produced for Christmas last year: a short story gap-fill exercise to test your understanding of phrasal verbs (check out the first Christmas phrasal verbs exercise here!).

These exercises complement the master list that I was slowly developing here, which is something I aim to get back to in the New Year. It also uses seasonal Christmas language which you can find a list of here.

 This exercise tests understanding of 17 phrasal verbs, which are given in alphabetical order at the start with short definitions. To complete the exercise, choose the right phrasal verb for each gap in the story, and put it in the right form. The text is written in the past tense, so you’ll mostly have to use the past simple and past perfect tenses.

The answers are given both as a list and in the text below. Note: some of the phrasal verbs are quite similar, and might be used in similar places. 

Phrasal Verbs Exercise

Put the following phrasal verbs into the text below in their correct form.

to knock over – make something fall over

to make for – go towards something

to pick up – collect

to put up – erect/construct or raise something for display

to slow down – do something slower

to start out – begin a trip or venture to somewhere

to take up – begin doing/learning something (usually regularly)

Kate Skates at Christmas

Kate was determined to (1) __________ ice skating this Christmas.

Her town (2) __________ an ice rink every December, but her mother said she couldn’t go. It was too dangerous, her mother said. What if she (3) __________ and hurt her wrist? Besides, her mother was too busy with work to take her, even going out on Saturdays now.

Kate was sure if she went for lots of lessons and (4) __________ her skating practice it would be safe. And her mother was at work so much lately, she could not watch Kate all winter.

One foggy day Saturday in Advent, Kate waited until her mother had (5) __________ to work, then quickly (6) __________ to her friends and persuaded them to come to the skating ring. Billy’s dad agreed to drive and came to (7) __________ Kate ten minutes later.

They were away!

Kate marvelled at the ice rink, sitting on the grassy town common. It was a big white building with two huge Christmas trees standing by the entrance, covered in glittering lights and tinsel. She and her friends raced inside and (8) __________ at the counter to hire some skates. It was very busy. They had to squeeze through the crowd, and the music was loud with carols playing.

Kate started to worry, as they reached the ice. There were so many people she might get (9) __________. She was clumsy and unsteady with the skates, and when she (10) __________ the rink her feet almost skidded away. She clung to the side, scared, as her friends (11) __________ the centre of the ice.

Her friends called her out, waving their hands and urging her to (12) __________ with them. If she did not move soon, they would all (13) __________ to the crowd and she would lose them. Gritting her teeth, Kate pushed the wall and (14) __________ onto the ice, moving fast, really skating! Then she slipped. Each foot went a different way! She was going to hit the ice.

“(15) __________!” someone cried, and a hand caught her, Kate looked up with surprise to see it was her mother who (16) __________ (her). Her mother was dressed in skates!

“You’re not supposed to be here,” Kate’s mother said, but she didn’t sound angry. Before Kate could apologise, her mother smiled. “Not until next week. I’ve been taking lessons so I could teach you myself. But now you’re here, let’s get started.”

Kate was (17) __________ by the surprise and grinned from ear to ear. Her mother took her hand and led her onto the ice, saying, “Merry Christmas!”

Answers

Kate was determined to (1) take up ice skating this Christmas.

Her town (2) put up an ice rink every December, but her mother said she couldn’t go. It was too dangerous, her mother said. What if she (3) fell over and hurt her wrist? Besides, her mother was too busy with work to take her, even going out on Saturdays now.

Kate was sure if she went for lots of lessons and (4) kept at her skating practice it would be safe. And her mother was at work so much lately, she could not watch Kate all winter.

One foggy day Saturday in Advent, Kate waited until her mother had (5) gone out to work, then quickly (6) called around to her friends and persuaded them to come to the skating ring. Billy’s dad agreed to drive and came to (7) pick up Kate ten minutes later.

They were away!

Kate marvelled at the ice rink, sitting on the grassy town common. It was a big white building with two huge Christmas trees standing by the entrance, covered in glittering lights and tinsel. She and her friends raced inside and (8) checked in at the counter to hire some skates. It was very busy. They had to squeeze through the crowd, and the music was loud with carols playing.

Kate started to worry, as they reached the ice. There were so many people she might get (9) knocked over. She was clumsy and unsteady with the skates, and when she (10) got in the rink her feet almost skidded away. She clung to the side, scared, as her friends (11) made for the centre of the ice.

Her friends called her out, waving their hands and urging her to (12) catch up with them. If she did not move soon, they would all (13) blend in to the crowd and she would lose them. Gritting her teeth, Kate pushed the wall and (14) started out onto the ice, moving fast, really skating! Then she slipped. Each foot went a different way! She was going to hit the ice.

“(15) Slow down!” someone cried, and a hand caught her, Kate looked up with surprise to see it was her mother who (16) held her up. Her mother was dressed in skates!

“You’re not supposed to be here,” Kate’s mother said, but she didn’t sound angry. Before Kate could apologise, her mother smiled. “Not until next week. I’ve been taking lessons so I could teach you myself. But now you’re here, let’s get started.”

Kate was (17) blown away by the surprise and grinned from ear to ear. Her mother took her hand and led her onto the ice, saying, “Merry Christmas!”

I hope you enjoyed this exercise – if you’d like more Christmas-themed English learning articles, go here. And otherwise, happy holidays!

With Christmas fast approaching, it’s time for another holiday-themed exercise! Today, I’m continuing my advanced reading exercise series with the opening from a very famous Christmas story, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. I previously discussed the cultural impact of this book on the website here, but now we’ll take a dive into some of the writing itself.

Dickens is an interesting writer to look at for English. By today’s standards, his prose is rather grand and his sentences sometimes very long, so this may be difficult to read. However, by the standards of his time he was actually quite an accessible writer, and his themes and style helped modernise writing. Though his sentences are very long, with many descriptive words (and some rather archaic uses of semi-colons), his writing is also quite simple in structure and his vocabulary is either simple or uses words that are well worth learning!

As before with these exercises, we’ll take a look how some of the specific language works, but this is a piece that you may benefit from merely reading through trying to understand the descriptions. And if you’d like to read more of this classic story, it is available free online, here. It is worth continuing, or otherwise finding in film form, not least because the story starts in a negative way, but this is only the beginning, and Scrooge must, eventually, appreciate Christmas!

Useful Vocabulary

Here are some words that may be useful to understand the passage (though you may need to look up some more!):

• Biting (weather): sharp, bitter or otherwise nasty
• Chink: a very small gap in something
• Dingy: gloomy or otherwise miserable
• Dismal: sad, glum or miserable
• Gaily: happily, with joy (rather old-fashioned)
• Humbug: used in the past to refer to fraud/lies, though it has come (through this story) to be considered a general exclamation of displeasure
• Intimation: indication or hint
• Palpable: something that can be felt, or is almost physical
• Phantoms: spirits/ghosts
• Replenish: restore, restock or revive
• Ruddy: reddish colour
• Spur of the moment: in that instant
• Wheezing: breathing heavily

Reading Exercise: A Christmas Carol (Extract)

Read the following extract from A Christmas Carol and consider the questions below.

Once upon a time—of all the good days in the year, on Christmas Eve—[1] old Scrooge sat busy in his counting-house. It was cold, bleak, biting weather: foggy, and he could hear the people in the court outside, go wheezing up and down, beating their hands upon their breasts, and stamping their feet upon the pavement stones to warm them. The city clocks had only just gone three, but it was quite dark already—it had not been light all day—and candles were flaring in the windows of the neighbouring offices, like ruddy smears upon the palpable brown air. The fog came pouring in at every chink and keyhole, and was so dense without, that although the court was narrow, the houses opposite were mere phantoms. To see the dingy cloud come drooping down, obscuring everything, one might have thought that Nature lived hard by, and was brewing on a large scale.[2]

The door of Scrooge’s counting-house was open that he might keep his eye upon his clerk,[3] who in a dismal little cell beyond, a sort of tank, was copying letters. Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerk’s fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal.[4] But he couldn’t replenish it, for Scrooge kept the coal-box in his own room; and so surely as the clerk came in with the shovel, the master predicted that it would be necessary for them to part. The clerk put on his white comforter, and tried to warm himself at the candle; in which effort, not being a man of a strong imagination, he failed.[5]

“A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!” cried a cheerful voice.[6] It was the voice of Scrooge’s nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.[7]

“Bah!” said Scrooge, “Humbug!”

He had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, this nephew of Scrooge’s,[8] that he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked again.

“Christmas a humbug, uncle!” said Scrooge’s nephew. “You don’t mean that, I am sure?”

“I do,” said Scrooge. “Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.”

“Come, then,” returned the nephew gaily.[9] “What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You’re rich enough.”

Scrooge, having no better answer ready on the spur of the moment, said, “Bah!” again; and followed it up with “Humbug.”

“Don’t be cross, uncle!” said the nephew.

“What else can I be,” returned the uncle, “when I live in such a world of fools as this? Merry Christmas! Out upon merry Christmas! What’s Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour richer; a time for balancing your books and having every item in ’em through a round dozen of months presented dead against you? If I could work my will,”[10] said Scrooge indignantly, “every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!”

“Uncle!” pleaded the nephew.

“Nephew!” returned the uncle sternly, “keep Christmas in your own way, and let me keep it in mine.”

Discussion Questions

1. Why is this phrase put between dashes?
2. Why is Nature capitalised?
3. Is there a word missing in this sentence that would help it make sense?
4. Why does Dickens write “so very much smaller”?
5. Why does the clerk’s lack of imagination mean he fails to get warm?
6. What does “cried” mean here?
7. What does “the first intimation of his approach” refer to?
8. Why is “this nephew of Scrooge’s” in commas, at this point in the sentence?
9. What does it mean that the nephew “returned”?
10. What does it mean for Scrooge to “work his will”?

Answers and Points for Discussion

1. This is additional information, clarifying the exact day after the vague “once upon a time”; the dashes work like parentheses here.
2. Nature is given a capital letter to make it sound more important and like a respected, almost living entity, considered as a whole. (It is, essentially, personification of Nature as a concept.)
3. It would read more grammatically to say “door was open so that he could . . .”; not using the connector is a rather archaic, fairly poetic way to structure this.
4. “so very much” uses three adverbs to create extra emphasis; this is a dramatic way of phrasing it, and works as a comparative to “very small” earlier in the sentence.
5. This is clever phrasing from Dickens, as it suggests with enough imagination a person could be warmed by a candle. He acknowledges that it is not a realistic thing to do, but rather than say it was not possible, the text instead blames the clerk’s inner traits, creating a sense of how sad the clerk’s attitude might be, or how Scrooge might harshly judge him.
6. “Cried” is used in this sentence to mean “cried out”, essentially to call out, shout or say something loudly – not to cry in sadness.
7. It refers to the nephew’s speech; the first hint Scrooge had that he was there was hearing him talk.
8. The phrase defines the subject, “he”, used throughout the sentence, but comes later, in commas, as additional information. The explanation of his actions and the results are described first, setting the scene, before clarifying who we are referring to.
9. “Returned” is used here to mean “replied/responded”, i.e. he returned a response of his own to what was said to him.
10. To do as he would like to.

If you found this exercise useful or have any further thoughts or questions, let me know in the comments below!

For today’s reading exercise, I’ve taken an extract from a creepy old horror story by M.R. James. James was an accomplished scholar who wrote ghost stories heavy with real mythological references. He wrote in a “visceral” way, creating strong feelings/reactions, but he did so with very minimal details. Often he did not describe whole things, but just enough to make the reader very frightened!

That is not to say his writing was simple, though. This is a very advanced text, from a time when writing was more extravagant. It comes from the 1894 story “Canon Alberic’s Scrapbook” (which you can read in full here), in which a scholar researching a church is unsettled by strange sounds and a painting, before he has an unusual encounter after removing a book from the church. This passage comes towards the end of the story, when things get rather sinister!

Useful Vocabulary

Here are some words that may be useful to understand the passage:

• Acquisition: something you have obtained
• Coarse: rough
• Conviction: strong feeling/belief
• Crucifix: cross
• Flitted: moved very quickly/lightly
• Incalculable: something that cannot be calculated/understood
• Manifested: brought into being
• Nuisance: something annoying
• Sacristan: a person in charge of a sacristy, the place where important items are stored in a church
• Take in: to observe
• Tendons: flexible tissue that attaches muscle to bone

Reading Exercise: Canon Alberic’s Scrapbook (Extract)

Read the following extract from a short horror story and consider the questions below.

Dinner was over, and Dennistoun was in his bedroom, shut up alone with his acquisition. The landlady had manifested a particular interest in him since he had told her that he had paid a visit to the sacristan and bought an old book from him. He thought, too, that he had heard a hurried dialogue between her and the said sacristan [1] in the passage outside.

All this time, a growing feeling of discomfort had been creeping over him—nervous reaction, perhaps, after the delight of his discovery.[2] Whatever it was, it resulted in a conviction that there was someone behind him, and that he was far more comfortable with his back to the wall. All this, of course, weighed light in the balance as against the obvious value of the collection he had acquired.[3] And now, as I said,[4] he was alone in his bedroom, taking stock of Canon Alberic’s treasures, which in every moment revealed something more charming.

“Bless Canon Alberic!” said Dennistoun, who had a habit of talking to himself. “I wonder where he is now? Dear me! I wish that landlady would learn to laugh in a more cheering manner; it makes one feel as if there was someone dead in the house.[5] I wonder what that crucifix is that the young woman insisted on giving me? Last century, I suppose. Yes, probably. It is rather a nuisance of a thing to have round one’s neck—just too heavy. Most likely her father has been wearing it for years. I think I might give it a clean up before I put it away.”

He had taken the crucifix off, and laid it on the table, when his attention was caught by an object lying on the red cloth just by his left elbow.[6] Two or three ideas of what it might be flitted through his brain with their own incalculable quickness.

“A penwiper? No, no such thing in the house. A rat? No, too black. A large spider? I trust to goodness not—no. Good God! a hand like the hand in that picture!”[7]

In another flash he had taken it in. Pale, dusky skin, covering nothing but bones and tendons of appalling strength; coarse black hairs, longer than ever grew on a human hand; nails rising from the ends of the fingers and curving sharply down and forward, grey, horny and wrinkled.[8]

Discussion Questions

1. What is purpose of “said” in the phrase “the said sacristan”?
2. The description following the dash has no verb. What kind of additional information is this?
3. Can you rewrite (or summarise) this sentence in a simpler form?
4. This clause is in the first person. What does that tell us about the story?
5. This sentence has no logical connection to the one before (likewise the following sentence). Do you know what we call this? Why does the writer do this?
6. Is this sentence active or passive? Why did the writer choose this style?
7. Though this is dialogue, it creates a sense of what is happening. How is this done?
8. This long sentence of descriptions has no main verb. What is the effect created by this?

Answers and Points for Discussion

1. In this case “said” means “previously mentioned”.
2. The additional information redefines what has already been described, expanding on his “feeling of discomfort”.
3. Suggested: “All this (these concerns), of course, was balanced by the collection he had acquired.”
4. The story is being narrated in first person, with someone recounting it. In this case, it can add a sense of creepiness as the writer is suggesting he was personally involved somehow, so it should be more believable.
5. This is a non-sequitur, and it is used here to create what we call a “stream of consciousness”. In this case, the speaker is observing something in the moment, describing action through his reaction, so the writer gives us both activity and a response at once.
6. This is passive; here it helps present the information in the character’s perspective, he observes and then sees the object.
7. As with [5], we get a flow of the character’s consciousness, giving first his ideas of what the object is, then his realisation of the truth, demonstrating his reaction without describing it, or the object.
8. By merely listing the descriptive qualities, with no active verb, we are fully immersed in a description, making the details bolder and the moment of taking this in stronger. The reader is as transfixed as the character by looking at the hand!

If you found this exercise useful or have any further thoughts or questions, let me know in the comments below!

As my last post going into detail analysing the opening to a novel proved popular, I’ve put together another reading exercise looking at a different style of novel. This one is modern and from my more recent writing, so let’s see if we can spot some interesting details and differences! Again, I’ve provided questions below to help you think critically about the English involved, with the answers below.

The writing we’re looking at today comes from my short novel The City Screams. This one is what we mostly call urban fantasy (or contemporary fantasy), which means it has a modern setting with elements of fantasy. I included a rather unique main character for this, so let’s see how the language helps bring her to life. Be warned though, this is a more advanced piece that looks at some quite difficult areas of writing with some creative descriptions.

Useful Vocabulary

Here are some words that may be useful to understand the passage:

• Bodywarmer: a type of warm outdoor vest
• Bunched: gathered close together, often untidily
• Elderly: of an advanced age (usually referring to a person)
• Mumble: to speak unclearly
• Otherness: qualities that make someone/something seem different
• Serial killer: a murderer with a pattern of killings
• Shell suit: an exercise outfit of shiny material
• Skirting / Skirting board: a wooden flourish that runs along the bottom of a wall
• Spyhole: a hole in a door used to check who is on the other side

Reading Exercise & Analysis: Novel Opening 1

Read the following extract from the start of a novel and consider the questions below.

A pair of men stood either side of a doorway with an elderly resident between them, all staring at Tova.[1] One was a triangle of over-exercised upper-body[2] in a faded red bodywarmer, the other thin with a shiny green shell suit and the half-dark glasses of a serial killer.[3] [4] Tova had been getting suspicious looks all day [5], a young Westerner in Tokyo, weirdly taller than the locals,[6] but these men were different. Their stares didn’t accuse her of otherness – they said she was interrupting.[7] [8] Not the best welcome to her home for the next two weeks.

Tova mumbled an apology and hurried past, eyes on the carpet. She focused on the pattern: deeply faded yellow cross-hatched lines on a background of vomit-beige. A burnt patch by the skirting;[9] a foot wide, that must’ve been some accident.[10]

Reaching number 58, Tova shook the key in the lock, nervous, aware the men’s eyes hadn’t left her. Had she got the wrong door? The wrong key safe?[11] The lock turned and she rushed into the apartment, closing the door immediately behind her. She shot a look out through the spyhole. The men were talking to the old woman now. They were leaning over her, and her arms were bunched close to her body. Did she look frightened?[12]

Discussion Questions

1. Should there be an extra preposition in this sentence? Why/why not?
2. What language technique is being used to create this description?
3. The sentence appears to have two clauses, but there is no verb after the comma. Why not?
4. The language technique from [2] is used again; how does this create a particular style of writing?
5. What tense is used here and why?
6. What do the previous two phrases (“a young Westerner…”, “weirdly taller”) describe?
7. Why is the dash “–” used here?
8. What does “they said” refer to here?
9. Why is there no verb in this clause?
10. This sentence is very clipped, missing traditional grammar. Can you rewrite it with ordinary grammar? Why is not written that way?
11. Who is asking these questions?
12. Can you summarise the major action of this introduction in a few sentences? What kind of impression do you have of Tova?

Answers and Points for Discussion

1. It would be grammatical to say “on either side of” something, but in informal language “on” can be left out. It is possible in writing like this, for a subtle clue that it is not formally narrated.
2. The man is described as a “triangle”, which is a metaphor; in this case it draws attention to the shape of his upper-body, created by having too much muscle (and implying his lower half is less muscular).
3. The first half of the sentence describes one man, the second half another man; grammatically we should say “one was . . .” and then “the other was . . .”, but as it follows the same pattern of description and they share the same verb, we can leave the second verb out.
4. Another metaphor, “the half-dark glasses of a serial killer”, shows the narrative is imaginative (he is not actually a serial killer). Though this is third-person writing, such creative language reflects a particular perspective (Tova’s).
5. The past perfect continuous; this shows a series of continual actions was occurring before another past time (i.e. all day, before Tova arrived here).
6. These phrases both describe Tova, added as additional information with parenthetical commas.
7. The dash is used to connect two closely related sentences, so the second follows on as a logical response to the first (like a semi-colon, in place of a conjunction).
8. This is quite creative phrasing: “they” refers to the men’s stares, which do not literally “say”, but rather “indicate that”.
9. There is no verb because this is informally tagged on as another piece of information that follows the previous sentence’s description. It is given its own sentence, however, as it describes something that stands out.
10. “There was a burnt patch, which was a foot wide and must have been caused by some accident.” It is written in a more clipped, informal manner to reflect fast-moving, everyday speech that drops verbs and connectors, again building a style of writing that reflects the main character’s thoughts.
11. While the story asks the questions of the reader, actually the positioning, thanks to the style that reflect the character’s voice, suggest Tova is asking the questions herself.
12. Tova, a Westerner in Tokyo, arrived at her apartment for a two-week stay and saw two suspicious men in the hallway, talking to an old lady. They watched her go past and made her nervous. Tova seems to be imaginative and shy.

If you found this exercise useful or have any further thoughts or questions, let me know in the comments below!

I’m trying something new today with a reading analysis exercise, taking an extract of writing and picking out particulars of language that might be interesting. I’ve provided questions below to help you think critically about the English involved. The answers follow.

To do this, I’m looking back at my own writing, which I have a huge supply of! This extract is the first paragraph from my debut (first) novel, Wixon’s Day, a post-apocalyptic steampunk adventure. If that genre sounds unusual, it is – imagine Victorian technology in a world where little survives. I released this back in 2014 and my writing has improved a lot since then, so there may be areas for improvement – consider this as the questions are for guidance but the writing is not necessarily all correct or the best use of language!

Useful Vocabulary

Here are some words that may be useful to understand the passage:

• Bow: the front of a boat
• Distinguishable: recognisable
• Lingering: to remain longer than usual/expected
• Melody: agreeably arranged musical sounds
• Port of call: somewhere frequently visited
• Stern: the back of a boat
• Warble: to sing a tune (with some embellishment)

Reading Exercise & Analysis: Novel Opening 1

Read the following extract from the start of a novel and consider the questions below.

Marquos on the stern.[1] He holds a copper flute and plays a haunting tune that softly slips through the fog.[2, 3] The water barely makes a sound, the gentle creaks of the boat nothing more than an occasional whisper amids his lightly drawn-out notes.[4] The tune he plays is not his own; it is an old folk melody that was once sung by rebels fighting in a war his countrymen were never involved in.[5] He has not learnt the words, but the message lives in its lingering rhythm. Something was lost so this tune could be written. Some awful truth revealed.[6] There is some tear-filled message in the notes, but it is a beautiful misery. Marquos plays the tune often and is known by it[7] in many of his regular ports of call. The light on the bow bobs as a barely[8] distinguishable dull yellow glow in this fog, but his flute announces his presence. He trusts in others’[9] hearing him to avoid collision, and does not panic when a dark shape suddenly bursts from the mist directly upon him. The pilot of the neighbouring boat is equally calm, his voice booming, “It’s been three long seasons since I heard that bitter warble.”[10]

Marquos continues playing as the boats touch and rock together.

“And so he’s heading north now. As everyone else is heading south. What are you about, Marquos?”[11]

Discussion Questions

1. What is strange about the opening sentence? Does it work?
2. What tense is this story written in? Why do you think this was chosen?
3. Is there anything interesting about the sounds of the second sentence?
4. The second half of the sentence is long but has no verb. Why not?
5. Why is a semi-colon (;) used in this sentence?
6. Is there anything interesting about the structure of these three sentences (“He has not learned …” to “… truth revealed”)?
7. What is the grammatical term for the verb form in “is known by it”? Why is it used here?
8. What do we call the repetition of the “b” sound here?
9. Is the apostrophe necessary here?
10. Are there any other problems with these two sentences?
11. Do you understand the meaning of the final sentence?
12. What can we understand from the two sentences of dialogue?
13. Can you find five examples of adverb use?
14. Can you rewrite the first three sentences in the past tense? How does this change the story?

Answers and Points for Discussion

1. There is no verb “to be”. This is done to catch attention with an unusual opening sentence with an immediate image; as we have the preposition “on” we can infer the subject “is” there.
2. The present tense. It makes the story more immediate and involving, aiming to place the reader in the moment.
3. There may be many answers, but one is the use of multiple “s” sounds, partly from the use of present tense (ending each verb with “s”) and the phrase “softly slips”. This is known as sibilance.
4. It is all additional information, qualifying the first verb’s comment about a lack of sound (a long example of what little sound there is).
5. The first clause tells us what the song is not and the second tells us what it is, therefore although they are separate sentences they are close enough in relationship to connect fluidly with a semi-colon (the second cause being a consequence/logical follow on from the first).
6. These three sentences get progressively shorter, the first explaining his understanding of the song, the second commenting on his understanding and the third adding a final afterthought (another fragment, not grammatically complete, as we might informally add an afterthought).
7. This is the passive tense, used because we are discussing how he is known, not who knows him.
8. Alliteration.
9. No, in fact this could be considered a mistake. He trusts in the action others do (“others hearing”). However, we can just about get away with it by suggesting he trusts the noun form, that others possess the hearing of him. That is an over-complication and the more natural form would be without the apostrophe.
10. My thoughts are that both characters remain calm as they surprise each other, but the language is very dramatic (“suddenly bursts”, “booming”). This creates an unusual contrast that does not agree well and should be changed.
11. “What are you about?” is a very informal way of asking “What is your purpose/meaning?” or “What are you doing?”, depending on context.
12. The dialogue suggests the stranger last met Marquos three years ago (“season” typically suggesting the coming and going of a year’s seasons; this is quite an archaic use of language). He is familiar with Marquos’s music and surprised that Marquos is heading in the opposite direction to most people.
13. “softly slips”, “barely makes”, “lightly drawn-out”, “never involved”, “plays the tune often”, “barely distinguishable”, “suddenly bursts”, “directly upon”, “equally calm”
14. Marquos (was) on the stern. He held a copper flute and played a haunting tune that softly slipped through the fog. The water barely made a sound, the gentle creaks of the boat nothing more than an occasional whisper amids his lightly drawn-out notes. Does it make much difference? You decide!

If you found this exercise useful or have any further thoughts or questions, let me know in the comments below!

If you’ve been following ELB for a while, you’ll know I like to run Halloween-themed posts around this time of year. A quick look at the keyword here brings up a range of vocab and reading exercises.

I got started early this month with an article on Shirley Jackson, describing her life and writing. It seemed apt to follow up with a study of an extract of her work. So today we have the opening paragraph of her most famous novel, The Haunting of Hill House – an opening praised by a great many people. Read it below and you’ll soon see why – but be warned, this is not simple, everyday English!

The Haunting of Hill House – Opening Paragraph

No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.

What makes this paragraph so great?

A number of skills connect here for a lyrical whole, including Jackson’s careful choice of vocabulary, superbly structured. The nouns range from simple materials that easily conjure an image (wood and stone, walls, bricks, hills) to the specific larks and katydids, which evokes a more scientific mood and has a nice repeated ‘k’ sound.

Note also that while a lot of writers advise caution in using adverbs, there are many in this short passage: sanely, sensibly, steadily, neatly. They all complement each other, relating to a sense of order – perhaps not what you would expect from a haunted house, but effective because for that reason. This stirs a sense of permanence and immovability – it had stood for eighty years and might stand for eighty more – that is troubling for a haunted house!

The overall style helps build on that image, as the formal introduction (including passive and respectful phrasing, no live organism, by some) makes the story sound serious and creates a more believable atmosphere. 

Another technique Jackson uses which many writers advise caution with is the semi-colon; here, she uses it brilliantly to weave the ideas tightly together. Indeed, this paragraph is only two rather lengthy sentences, drawing together what could be otherwise slightly mundane details in a close, tense flow.

Finally, the imagery of the “darkness” here is strikingly vague. The first sentence speaks of absolute reality, the second of darkness within and, most chilling, whatever walked there, walked alone. And there’s that sharp, unexplained contrast between the first, lengthy statement about dreams and reality and the dismissive aside that the house is not sane. The negatives surrounding this house are all the more unsettling for their uncertainty. This is a technique built on throughout the novel, which owes much of its success to how effectively Jackson doesn’t describe the threat – always uncertain, always frightening…

I hope you enjoyed the opening paragraph – there’s plenty to be said for the rest of the book, too, which is perhaps one our language’s most studied novels. As you can see, even a few opening lines can teach us a lot, so if you’re after a study in top-grade English, or just a good Halloween read, check the full book out now!

One of the things Brighton is most famous for, and a common sight in any great English seaside resort, is piers. Following on from my brief tale of Walking on the Beach, then, the subject of piers is a good topic for our next spot the mistake reading exercise. Again, the passage below contains mistakes that focus on the rules of the English tenses and verb use. These are designed to be tricky!

In the following reading exercise, see if you can spot 15 mistakes relating to English tenses. To help you out, a number in brackets indicates how many mistakes are in each paragraph – otherwise, it’s up to you! The answers, with brief explanations where necessary, are shown below.

A Short History of Piers – Spot the Mistakes 2 (English Tenses)

A pier is a raised platform supported by many pillars. As the pillars are spacing apart, the tides and currents of seas and rivers could flow through them, making them safe in flowing water. (2)

A pier can be any structure on pillars, for example the base of a bridge, building or walkway. This means they have several uses, to include supporting bridges and docks for boats. In different parts of the world, piers treat differently. In Europe, and particularly the UK, piers are associated with the pleasure pier of the Victorian era. (2)

Pleasure piers are platforms primarily going to be used for leisure. They may have once been used for docking ships, and since be converted, or they may be purpose built for pleasure. Such piers were first built in Britain during the early 19^th Century; with the first structures being the Ryde Pier (built in 1813/4), the Trinity Chain Pier (1821) and Brighton’s Chain Pier (1823). (2)

Increasing rail travel made it possible for larger numbers of tourists to be visiting seaside towns at this time. The sea were not always visible from dry land, due to changing tides, so piers were constructed to give pleasure-seekers the chance walk nearer the water. The world’s longest pleasure pier – in Southend-on-sea, Essex – stretches for 1.3 miles. (3)

Early pleasure piers were made of wood, though iron followed with the world’s oldest iron pier build in 1834 in Gravesend. The construction of the Margate Jetty, in 1855, started the use of iron in seaside piers. The pier has become a symbol of the British seaside holiday during the Victorian era, and by 1914 there were over 100 around the UK. (2)

Many piers are lost to bad weather, fires and other problems. In Brighton alone, only 1 out of 3 piers remained (the Palace Pier). However, with their various amusements on offer, and 55 piers still active on the UK coast, piers have become an icon of British culture that’s here staying. (3)

Answers to the Exercise

The mistakes are indicated in the text in bold below, with the correct answers following in brackets (with an explanation if necessary). How did you get on? Any questions, let me know! Enjoyed this exercise? Try the first reading exercise here.

A pier is a raised platform supported by many pillars. As the pillars are 1. spacing (spaced – passive present is appropriate here, which uses a past participle) apart, the tides and currents of seas and rivers 2. could (can – this sentence should be in present tense) flow through them, making them safe in flowing water. (2)

A pier can be any structure on pillars, for example the base of a bridge, building or walkway. This means they have several uses, 3. to include (including) supporting bridges and docks for boats. In different parts of the world, piers 4. treat (are treated – passive tense, as the active subject is not stated) differently. In Europe, and particularly the UK, piers are associated with the pleasure pier of the Victorian era. (2)

Pleasure piers are platforms primarily 5. going to be used (used – present simple is most appropriate) for leisure. They may have once been used for docking ships, and since 6. be (been – continuing the present perfect) converted, or they may be purpose built for pleasure. Such piers were first built in Britain during the early 19^th Century; with the first structures being the Ryde Pier (built in 1813/4), the Trinity Chain Pier (1821) and Brighton’s Chain Pier (1823). (2)

Increasing rail travel made it possible for larger numbers of tourists 7. to be visiting (to visit) seaside towns at this time. The sea 8. were (was) not always visible from dry land, due to changing tides, so piers were constructed to give pleasure-seekers the chance 9. walk (to walk) nearer the water. The world’s longest pleasure pier – in Southend-on-sea, Essex – stretches for 1.3 miles. (3)

Early pleasure piers were made of wood, though iron followed with the world’s oldest iron pier 10. build (built) in 1834 in Gravesend. The construction of the Margate Jetty, in 1855, started the use of iron in seaside piers. The pier 11. has become (had become or became – this was a complete past action) a symbol of the British seaside holiday during the Victorian era, and by 1914 there were over 100 around the UK. (2)

Many piers 12. are (have been / were – past event) lost to bad weather, fires and other problems. In Brighton alone, only 1 out of 3 piers 13. remained (remains – it is still true now) (the Palace Pier). However, with their various amusements on offer, and 55 piers still active on the UK coast, piers have become an icon of British culture that’s here 14. staying (to stay). (3)

Want more English exercises?

Many more exercises like this are available in The English Tenses Exercise Book; if you found this useful, check out the book!