24. Insert prepositions where necessary.

1. The trustees insisted ________ seeing all the wards in the new hospital. 2. It’s no use _________ trying to make you vote in favour of our project. 3. Miss Marple was surprisingly clever _________ unraveling mysteries. 4. The Simpsons are thinking __________ selling their London flat and moving to a quiet suburb. 5. When Ken was on the point __________ quitting his job he got a promotion. 6. Everybody wondered what prevented Julia _________ coming to the party. She has always been a party animal. 7. The parents turned off the television for fear __________ waking the sleeping baby. 8. Being a self-confident man Jim saw no harm ________ admitting his mistake. 9. The candidate succeeded ________ winning the majority of votes. 10. The strange couple tried to leave the restaurant ___________ paying the bill. 11. _________ returning home Norah saw that the flat had been burgled into. 12. Neil is considering ________ buying a new flashy car. 13. Mike’s exam results discouraged him __________ studying for a more advanced degree. 14. Val apologized to the movie star __________ misquoting her words. 15. The politician could not deny __________ being involved in money-laundering. 16. Paula was never able to put up _________ failing as a business-woman.

25. Paraphrase using the Gerund.

Model: – The student said he was sorry that he had missed the

previous lesson. (to apologise)

– The student apologised for missing the previous lesson.

1. The customer said that the cashier had tried to overcharge her. (to accuse) 2. Fred passed his exam only at the second attempt. (to succeed) 3. If a customer gets poor service, you can’t say it’s wrong of him to make a fuss. (to blame) 4. The policeman didn’t let the suspect leave the house. (to prevent) 5. Despite the late hour Henry said he had to tell me all the details of his job interview. (to insist) 6. The police think that it was the night clerk who set the room on fire. (to suspect) 7. In the last ten years Helen has been breeding Persian cats. (to engage) 8. Robert didn’t want to be called Bobby at work. (to object) 9. We are anxious to see the new Hollywood production which is coming out in December. (to look forward) 10. Rita’s parents don’t like that she goes to night clubs so very often. (to approve)

26. A) Read the following opinions and complete the sentences using the Gerund.

• In India, we have a Hindi proverb that lays down four basic ingredients of happiness, in order of priority. It translates as: first, happiness is a healthy body; second is prosperity; third, a devoted spouse, and fourth, obedient (closely bonded) children. So, happiness is not self-centred but flows from interaction with the family and society. Despite having good health and prosperity, one may find happiness elusive if one is deficient in one or both of the last two elements. Their absence will generate a feeling of emptiness, of not belonging. In fact, based on these four considerations, even a Calcutta slum-dweller may turn out to be happier than an affluent banker in Switzerland. – Vishwa Pal Singh, India.

• People have finally realized that the current economic system is not suitable for developing our well-being and happiness. Our economic system, in fact, is creating problems: widespread pollution, poverty, refugees, terrorism and wars are a consequence of the curse of having so many resources. I believe that the World Health Organization’s definition of health as ‘physical, mental and social well-being’ comes closest to defining happiness. Iwan Soetjahja, Philippines.

• Genuine happiness comes when one does selfless service without wishing for a reward. – Arun Sethi, India.

• I believe that happiness comes to those who work at it, and not to those who chase after it. It is a result of our positive actions. It cannot be measured by any known statistical tool, nor can it be expressed as a function of how much money one earns. Even work-related success does not guarantee it. I agree with Robert Kennedy who attributed it to family, devotion to one’s country, and the strength of one’s personal character. Here in Africa, amidst wars, hunger, diseases and political unrest, we still find a beautiful reason to smile every day – family. This is what keeps us going. There’s always someone willing to share your problems, to listen to your complaints without charging $200 per hour. This is probably the reason there’s such a low rate of suicide in Africa. – Osoego Elochukwu Anthony, Nigeria.

(From Newsweek, 2007.)

1. Happiness means… 2. Being happy implies… 3. People in India see no point in… 4. Iwan Soetjahja argues that the modern materialistic world is not suitable for… 5. The advance of the current economic system results in… 6. In Mr. Anthony’s opinion, working at one’s happiness is preferable to… 7. He is grateful to his family for… 8. Happiness is not worth…

b) Compare the idea of happiness as seen by the four respondents above and the writer of the article Pursuing Happiness In a Complex World

(exercise 4). Use the phrases suggested below.

• compared with, in comparison with

• similarly, in exactly/precisely the same way

• unlike, by contrast, however, on the other hand, while

• in reality, on the contrary

c). What is your own idea of happiness?