23. Imaginative, imaginable, imaginary

Introductory material

Read and translate the following sentences paying special attention to the words in bold type.

1. She brought imaginative insight to this tale of despair and outrage after a broken love affair. 2. Not for a moment did he doubt that this impression of his was objective, it was no imaginative phantom of his invention that made itself so real. 3. Perhaps there may not have been blood in the courtyard. Perhaps it is only what an imaginative Irish porter imagined. 4. But the passionately intense life of children, that imaginative existence which is to them the whole purpose and vital interest of their days is not a game. It seems a game to the grown-up people around them. 5. It was the face of the inspired shepherds of the Hebraic legends, living close to nature, dwellers in the wilderness, solitary, imaginative, having strange delusions, gifted with strange powers. 6. He had the greatest difficulty imaginable in his attempts to do it. 7. He knew only that he was hungry, and through his restless sleep he dreamed of feasts and banquets and of food served and spread in all imaginable ways. He awoke chilled and sick. 8. Noteworthy here is Oxbridge, often imagined to be a modern coinage and sometimes ascribed to H. G. Wells, but in reality it comes in the first place from the pen of Thackeray, who sent his hero Pendennis to that imaginary seat of learning. 9. In order to save trouble I changed Hong Kong to an imaginary colony of Tching-Yen. 10. «That is the end of the story. Or is it?» Logically one might have expected to find, in the imaginary example just given, a form «Or isn’t it?»

EXPLANATORY NOTES

Imaginative adj. Having, using, or showing imagination; having creative or productive talent; able to imagine or fond of imagining; resulting from imagination, e.g. an ~ idea, an ~ poet.

Imaginable adj. That can be imagined, e.g. the only way ~, we had the greatest difficulty ~ getting here in time. Antonym: unimaginable, adj.

Imaginary adj. Existing only in the mind; fanciful, unreal, e.g. an ~ object, an ~ conversation.

Imaginative, imaginable and imaginary are not synonymous adjectives but they are sometimes confused because of the identity of the root word. Imaginative (одаренный богатым воображением; образный, художественный) applies to that which is the product of the imagination or has a character indicating the exercise or the power of imagination, e.g. imaginative writings are often distinguished from historical, argumentative, and similar types of writing; an imaginative poet is one whose imagination heightens a thing or brings out its fine and almost imperceptible essence. Imaginable (вообразимый, мыслимый) often means little more than conceivable. Imaginary (воображаемый, мнимый, нереальный) applies to that which is fictitious, unreal, and purely the product of an active or, especially, an excited imagination.

Exercises

Exercise 1. Translate the following phrases into Russian; use theu in sentences or situations.

1. An imaginative girl. 2. An imaginary dialogue. 3. An imaginative painter. 4. To have an imaginative mind. 5. An imaginary enemy. 6. An imaginative effort. 7. The best solution imaginable. 8. The greatest difficulty imaginable. 9. An imaginative writer. 10. Imaginative literature. 11. Imaginative power. 12. An imaginary difficulty. 13. To take all the trouble imaginable. 14. An imaginative plan. 15. The worst thing imaginable. 16. Imaginary dangers.17. An imaginary situation. 18. An imaginary conversation. 19. An imaginary figure. 20. An imaginative nature.

Exercise 2. Answer the following questions.

1. What do you call a thing existing only in your imagination? 2. Does it require an imaginative effort on the part of a student to compose a story? 3. Why are we justified in saying that G. G. Byron and P. B. Shelley are imaginative poets? 4. Will you name a few imaginative writers of our time? 5. In what professions is an imagina­tive mind an indispensable feature? 6. What is your attitude to your friend’s decision to discontinue his studies at the university? 7. What are your favourite works of English imaginative literature? 8. Will you make up an imaginary conversation between W. Shakespeare and G. B. Shaw on the subject of modern plays? 9. Do you think that Mary Graham’s decision to send Antony to Winnerton was the-best solution imaginable? 10. Did the events described by Ch. Bronte in «Jane Eyre» take place in real life?

Exercise 3. Paraphrase the’following phrases and sentences using one of the words under discussion.

1. A person having, using, or showing imagination. 2. People and events existing only in the writer’s mind. 3. The greatest difficulty that can be imagined. 4. A difficulty existing only in imagination. 5. A conversation that did not, or could not take place in reality and exists in one’s imagination. 6. A painter having and showing in a high degree the faculty of imagination. 7. In those days she was the most ethereal thing you could imagine. 8. He had no imagination beyond lumber and furniture, no poetry in his soul.

Exercise 4. * Fill in the blanks using one of the words under discussion.

1. R. gave a low chuckle and he washed his thin old hands with ... soap. 2. It’s about that young composer, Casper Ettelson. So far Ettelson has not had a book worthy of his ... whimsical music. 3. I entered an ... ring and rode Sandy Two round at a walk, trot, and canter. He went very well, and I was rather thrilled when Mrs. Darcy as the judge called me in 1o stand in an ... first place. 4. And if you Ihink these ponies were called by ... and romantic names you will also be disappointed. 5. Then I rode him (the pony) at the loose rein walk and the ordinary walk and put him through a complete ... show. 6. The same thing happened every Saturday afternoon. When he was on his way to meet Isabel there began those countless ... meetings.

Exercise 5. Complete and expand on the following sentences using one of the wor-ds under discussion.

1. Cheer up! I think ... 2. Most children are ... 3. I don’t think you have any real enemies ... 4. Do you find Frank Norris ...? 5. Different people possess a different degree of ... 6. I am sure you acted correctly; that was ... 7. S. J. Coleridge is a highly ... 8. I know you took all the trouble ... 9. Can you make up ...? 10. You should distinguish between real dangers and ... 11. The plan put forward by her was ...

Exercise 6. Use the following sentences in situations.

1. Hopelessly she compressed the full red lips to an imaginary sternness. 2. Andrew was there. Ivory insisted that he be present, in the most genuine and friendly fashion imaginable. 3. «There you nre,» said Mrs Oliver, addressing the empty air and conjuring up an imaginary publisher, «There you are, and I hope you like it.»

Exercise 7. Make up a list of nouns that go with the adjectives imaginable, imaginary and imaginative; use several of the resulting phrases in short dialogues or situations based on the subject matter of English or American novels.

Exercise 8. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. П. И. Чайковский — необыкновенно яркий композитор. 2. Я очень люблю английскую художественную литературу. 3. Это едва можно себе представить. 4. Дети часто обладают богатым воображением. 5. У него были исключительные трудности в решении этого вопроса. 6. Любой писатель должен обладать творческим воображением. 7. Я считаю, что сейчас единственно возможный путь — это твое скорейшее возвращение домой. 8. Эти неприятности существуют только в твоем воображении. 9. Составьте, пожалуйста, воображаемый диалог между этими персонажами. 10. Некоторые люди совершенно лишены фантазии.

Revision Exercises (based on the Introductory Material)

Exercise 1. Make up several questions of different types (including indirect questions) based on the following sentences: 1, 2. 8.

Exercise 2. Make up several sentences on the analogy of sentences 3, 7, 9, 10.

Exercise 3. Comment on the following sentences: 4, 8.

Exercise 4. Develop the following sentences into short situations: 1, 7.

Exercise 5. Build dialogues round the following sentences: 6, 8.