The senses

Dialogue

Read the conversations below. Note these patterns used to talk about the five basic senses.

ALook at that!

ВI can't see anything.

A It looks like a boat. В Where?

A Over there! It's clearly visible. It's just come in sight

It's just come into view.

ВYou must have good eyesight. You must have sharp eyes.

AListen to that!

ВI can't hear anything.

A It sounds like a cry for help. В Where's it coming from?

AOver there! It's clearly audible.

It's a very clear sound.

ВYour hearing must be good. You must have good ears.

ASmell this!

ВI can't smell anything.

A It smells like stale fish.

ВDoes it?

A Yes, it's quite a strong smell.

You must have a very sensitive nose.

You must have a keen sense of smell.

A Taste this!	A Touch (Feel) this!
В I can't taste anything wrong.	В I can't feel anything.
A It tastes like vinegar.	A It feels as if it's vibrating.
В Really?	В Where?
A Yes, it's got quite a strong	A Here. It's quite a strong
(after-)taste.	sensation.
В You must have a very sensitive	It's a very funny feeling.
palate.	В You must have very sensitive
Your sense of taste must be very good.	fingers.
	You must have a special sense
	of touch.

Remember: taste can also relate to artistic and social life.

Is your bedroom tastefully decorated?

Don't you think that joke you told at the party was in rather poor (bad) taste? The vicar certainly thought it was tasteless.

Note too:

That darts player has a good eye.

That musician has a good ear.

And also:

It's out of sight, out of earshot, and out of reach.

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The senses

There are more than five senses, aren't there? Have a look at this short conversation.

ASomething tells me you could do with another drink.

ВYou must be psychic. Thanks.

AI can sense that you probably love tea. Is that so?

ВGreat. You must have extra-sensory perception.

AAnd I feel it in my bones that it's China tea. Am I right?

ВFantastic. We must be telepathic.

AMy intuition says it's green tea.

ВWhat an instinct you have! A small cup, is it?

A No, a large one, please.

Practice

Often our five senses don't work as well as they might.

Cover the right column, and then the left, and try to recall the equivalent expression from the other column.

to be short-sighted/long-sighted		to be hard of hearing
to go blind	to go deaf
to wear glasses / contact lenses		to wear a hearing aid
to be as blind as a bat	to be deaf as a post
to read Braille	to lip-read
		to use sign language
to be colour blind		to be tone-deaf (of music)
tovisit an oculist	to go to an ear specialist

Look at the list of words formed from the word sense. Complete the sentences with an appropriate word from the list or the word sense, which you will use three times.

sensible sensitive sensation sensational sensual sensuous senseless

1What should you say? You'll just have to use your common ... .

2The news of the scandal caused a ....

3I've always found the buzzing of bees has a very ... attraction.

4I think the ... thing to do would be to stop now and get a good night's sleep.

5In one ... I think you're right, but not completely.

6Kleindorf's defeat of Real Madrid in the European Cup was ....

7It's ... trying to argue with him; he never listens to a word anybody says.

8She's very ... on the subject of divorce, so be careful what you say.

9I felt a ... of 'deja vu' when I was turned down for the job the second time. 10 The cashier at the bank has incredibly ... hands.

A hundred British people were asked to complete the phrase a sense of. These were the most popular choices. Do they tell you anything about the British?

Complete each sentence 1-9 with an appropriate phrase.

a sense of humour	a sense of duty	a sense of power
a sense of fairness	a sense of adventure	a sense of timing
a sense of discipline	a sense of fun	a sense of balance

1Having a little red button not far from his desk must give a President an enormous

2Without a ... you'll never be able to hit the ball correctly.

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The senses

3Some people say that a ... is the only thing that makes difficult situations bearable.

4He went ahead and arrested his uncle through a ....

5 One of the major tasks of parents should be to give their children a ....

6His inborn ... led him to the slopes of the Himalayas.

7At high altitudes one is apt to lose one's ... .

8	His ... is so strong, he protests to umpires on behalf of his opponent.
9	Personally, I don't call putting dead fish in friends' beds a sign of a healthy....

Discuss or write the answers to these questions.

1What ten things would you miss most ifyou were blind or deaf? In other words, what are your favourite sights and sounds?

2What evidence have you heard of people who are deprived of one sense having unusually well-developed other senses?

3Do you believe in a sixth sense? Have you heard of any cases of ESP (extra-sensory perception)?

4Goethe said that a meal should please the eye before it pleases the stomach. How important do you think this is?

Write a paragraph on one or all ofthe following subjects.

1Your sensations (visual, aural and personal) while watching a forest fire. This will be part of your short story.

2A page from your diary, recording your feelings and sensations as you looked at a room the morning after a party.

3Part of a letter to a friend telling him or her about a lovely long walk you had one spring morning.

Add any other words about the senses as you meet them.

38

Character and personality

Game

Are we the kind of people we are because of the time of the year we were born? See if you can complete the adjectives below at home over the next day or so. Each one has a clue beside it to help you and a dot for each letter that you need to add.

ARIES (Mar 21-Apr 20)		o.tg.i.g
You won't find him in the corner at the party.
That's her doing the can-can on the table.		ex...v.rt
She has no problems.		c.. ef.ee
He never frowns.		l...t-h.a.t.d
She tells no lies.		t.u.hf..
He has few secrets.		o..n
He'll tell you if he doesn't like your make-up.		c.n.id
She'll tell you if she doesn't like your after-shave.		f...k
He's the person to ask for that five pounds you are owed.		e..y-g...g
TAURUS (Apr 21 - May 20)		s.r.n.-wi..ed
He knows what he wants and he usually gets it.
She never gives up without a	fight.	d.t.r.i.ed
He knows he's good.		s.l.-as.u..d
She knows she's as good.		s.l.-co..i..nt
She likes to be the boss, the one on top.		d.m.n.nt
He wants to be even bigger, even better — the best		am..t.o.s
and expects high standards of performance from others.		d.m.n.i.g
He works 18 hours a day, jogs,and plays squash.		e.e.ge..c
She hates to lose, in business or at tiddlywinks.		c.mp...t..e
GEMINI (May 21 - Jun 20)		p.o.d
She thinks she's good.
He thinks he's superior to everyone.		a.r.g..t
'As the most experienced and sensible person		p.mp..s
present, I...'
'Of course, I could have beaten him even more		b..stf.l
easily, but I wanted to give him a chance.'
She won't share her presents with her sister.		s..f..h
He spends half the day in front of the mirror.		v..n
She thinks the whole world revolves around her.		s..f-c.n.r.d
He thinks he's the centre of the universe.		e.oc..t..c
She looks down on anyone who hasn't got a		s.o.b.Ji
heated indoor swimming pool at home.
CANCER (Jun 21 - Jul 20)		c.it...l
She seems to enjoy finding fault with others.
He'll take off marks if you don't dot your i's.		P-t.y
She can only ever see one side of things.		na...w-m.n..d
He always likes the fat taken off his bacon.		f.s.y
He's like a donkey.		s.u.b.r.
She's like a mule.		o.s.in.t.
He loves money, loves having 'things'.		m.t.r.a.i.t.c

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Character and personality

Oh yes, he'll help you - if you make it worth his while. She never lets her husband out ofher sight.

LEO(Jul21-Aug21)

You never know what he's going to do. He never knows what he's going to do.

There are two things I don't like about her - her face! Be careful what he's saying about you behind your back. Be careful what she's doing while your back is turned. He behaves like the weather in April.

She behaves like the proverbial primadonna. He says what I want to hear, not what he thinks. He never does all the things he says he'll do.

VIRGO (Aug 22 - Sep 22)

Other people's points of view always impress him. She'd believe you ifyou told her pizzas grew on trees. She lacks will-power.

He lacks courage.

He doesn't do much — he just sits back and watches. She'll do what she's told.

You never know what he's thinking.

'It was an honour just to be on the same court as McEnroe. How I beat him 6-0, 6-0, 6-0? It was just luck.'

LIBRA (Sep 23-Oct 22) He uses his common sense.

She never does silly things under pressure. She's like the Libran symbol of the scales. She'd solve all the problems on a desert island, and nothing would upset her.

He'd be a good judge or referee.

She's got both feet on the ground and is really down-to-earth. His heart rarely rules his head.

I think, therefore I am. That's my approach.

SCORPIO (Oct 23 - Nov 22)

Keep out ofher way when she loses her temper. He's always the first one to put his fists up, and he's quick to use them - to the full.

He may even add a boot or two for good measure. She won't let anything stand in her way.

He has no principles about hurting other people. He almost seems to enjoy causing trouble.

She's a strong believer in an eye for an eye, and a tooth - or, in her case, teeth - for a tooth.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 - Dec 20)

Those with some Latin blood in their veins. They are fiery and emotional.

She's not afraid to go mountain climbing, or to join a mountain rescue team.

He wants to go to wild and unexplored places. They're vivacious, like champagne bubbles. She puts her heart and soul into her profession.

On the sinking ship, the dog never left its master's side. These friends do not desert you in a crisis.

CAPRICORN (Dec 21 - Jan 19)

He'd always stop to help a disabled person across the road. That's her on the beach wiping oil off the sea-birds' feathers.

m.r.en.ry p.ss.ss..e

u.p.ed.ct.Je

i.d.c.s.ve t.o-f...d h.po.r.t.c.l d.sh.n..t cha.g.a.le t.mp.r.m..t.l i.s.nc.r. u.r.l.a.l.

i.p.e.s.on.Je

g.lLble w..k-w....d c.w..d.y p.s..v. ob.d...t s.cr.t..e h.mb.e m.d..t

s.n.i.le l.v.l-h..d.d w..l-b.l.n.ed p.ac..c.l c..m f..r-m..d.d r.aL.t.c r.t..n.l l.g.c.l

a.gr..s.v. v.J.nt b.u.al v.c.o.s r..hl..s

u.sc.u.u.ous

m.l.c.ous sp.t...l v.n.i.t.ve

p.s.i.n.t. h..- bl..d.d b.a.e c.ur.g...s a.v.nt.r..s l.v.l. d.d.c.t.d . d.v.t.d l.y.l

c.ns.d....e t.nd..

40

Character and personality

Shewouldn'thurtafly.	g.nt..
Heleaves£10 tips.	g.n.r..s
He wouldn't mind if she dyed her hair green.	t.l.r..t
She lets him sleep when he gets back from a hard day's work.	u.d.rst.n.i.g
He defends her in any argument.	p.o.ect.ve
She kisses him on the cheek every minute or so.	a.f.c.i.n.te
She always sends a card on her parents' anniversary.	th..g.tf.l
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 - Feb 18)	i.p.l.i.e
If she likes you, she'll fling her arms around you and say so.
He jumps into the bath without testing the water.	i.p.t.ous
Lose your way with her in the car? You'd better not!	i.p.t.e.t
He's constantly like a child on Christmas Eve.	ex.i.abl.
He's a typical 'angry young man'.	r.b.l.i.us
She's Trotsky, Castro and Guevara all rolled into one.	r...lut.o..ry
He's got a memory like a sieve.	fc.g.tf..
He thought a double brandy would help the baby sleep.	i.res...s.ble
If she gets an idea in her head, there's no stopping her.	u.c.n.r.l.a.l.
PISCES (Feb 19 - Mar 20)
There she is, over there, on her own in the corner.	s.y
He's afraid that the whole world is looking at him.	s.l.-c..s..ous
She peeps round her front door like a mouse.	t.m.d
He's always the last to introduce himself.	r.s..ved
Be careful not to upset her. It's easily done.	s.n.i..ve
He can see beauty in a pile of rubbish.	i..gin....e
He can then turn the pile of rubbish into a work of art.	c.e.t.v.
I was moved to tears by the beauty of his sculpture.	em.t.... 1
He doesn't know who he is, where he is, what to do or why.	u.sta.le
Practice

Ladies and gentlemen, which of these traits of character do you most dislike in a partner? Place them in order.

vanity	hypocrisy	pomposity	stubbornness
obstinacy	selfishness	dishonesty	pettiness
arrogance	snobbishness	timidity	possessiveness
shyness	meanness	rashness	aggressiveness

Ladies and gentlemen, which of these qualities is most important for you in a partner? Place them in order of importance.

compassion	vivacity	frankness	self-assurance
tolerance	patience	generosity	ambition
sincerity	imagination	passion	humility
modesty	sensitivity	courage	creativity

Discuss or write down the personal characteristics (good and bad) that you would expect to find in these people.

1a nurse

2the chairman of a multinational company

3an actor

4a politician

5a teacher

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Character and personality

Discuss or write answers to these questions.

1How would you say your national character is different from that ofpeople in the immediately neighbouring countries?

2How do you think your character has changed or developed over the years? Are there any aspects ofyour personality you still don't like?

3Write a sentence to describe the character of each ofyour fellow students or family. Then read the sentences to them. See if they can identify each person.

4Choose two of the star-signs and write a paragraph for each, as if for a magazine, analysing personality. Use the adjectives in those sections to give you some ideas.

5'The weaker sex? The fairer sex? Not any more!' Write an article of250 - 300 words contrasting the image of women today with that of a few hundred years ago.

Add any other expressions about personality and character as you meet them.

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