Commenting on the Grammar

Find in the novel the following sentences. Read them and translate them. Comment on the grammar structures used in them.

But he would have missed the clubbing more (9).

She would show him pictures …, he would tell her …. (9).

You can look at all the references to music, TV programmes, etc in two ways.

If you read the novel without any knowledge at all of the singers, players, lyrics and everything else which fills the life of the characters, you can still enjoy the book immensely. All you need to understand is that Marcus’s mum’s tastes are very unfashionable, and regarded as comic by most of the characters, while Will wants to be cool and he listens only to cool music.

On the other hand, the references in the novel are very important and help to understand the characters of the novel. As Nick Hornby is fond of music and is an expert in this field, music is an important part in his novels. The reader is expected not just to recognize the references, but to share the characters’ reaction to them.

That is why, if you do not know anything about the following bands, singers, etc, surf the Internet and find the bands, singers mentioned in the novel (especially such as Nirvana, Snoop Doggy Dog, Tupac, Warren G, Joni Mitchell, Bob Marley) and listen to this music.

Holloway (4) – is an inner-city district in London with a multicultural population and is one of the most densely populated areas of London.

Labour (5) – In 1993 the Labour Party had been a minority (non-ruling) party in British Parliament since 1979. Suddenly it was fashionable to support the Labour party. Will is not interested in politics, but he knows what is fashionable.

Nirvana (6) – massively popular band in the early 1990s, ‘cool beyond words’ for many people. Nirvana was the chief exponent of ‘grunge’ music. Particularly cool was Kurt Cobain, the lead singer, song writer and guitarist of the band.

Snoop Doggy Dog (6) – an American rap band

East Enders (7) – a popular BBC television soap opera set in the East end of London. It does not deal with the glamorous rich, but with ordinary working-class Londoners.

Some kids, he knew, got taught by their parents at home (11) – It is legally possible in Britain for parents to teach their children themselves rather than send them to school. It is not easy – parents and any individual tutors have to teach the National Curriculum, and to be inspected as if they were a school, but there are a few thousand parents who organize their own lives around home teaching.

Macaulay Culkin (12) – a child star who played the chief part in the film Home Alone.

Joni Mitchell (13) – a singer from the Hippy era (late 60s, early 70s). She was a noted Canadian musician, songwriter and painter. At the time of the events described in the book her popularity had declined.

Bob Marley (13) – was a very popular Jamaican reggae singer in the 1970s – died young of cancer.

registration (15) – In English schools pupils go at the beginning of the day to their ‘own classroom’ where their class teacher ‘takes the register’, i.e. marks down in the register who is present.

Here are some notes to help you understand some difficult words or phrases used in the novel.

I dunno (2) = ‘I don’t know’ when spoken by someone who is bored or irritable.

Ecstasy (5) – the street name of a banned drug

polenta and shaved parmesan (5) – polenta is a rather boring Italian cornmeal dish – a kind of heavy “каша”. Shaved parmesan means tiny scrapings of this expensive hard cheese.

Sub-zero, dry ice, Frosty the Snowman (6) – Will, according to the questionnaire is ‘very cool’. Or even extremely cold, as he reminds himself – for here he is playing with different senses of ‘cool’.

speculation (6) – размышление

he would have gone round the twist otherwise (6) – иначе бы он рехнулся (у него бы крыша поехала)

washed out (7) (infml) – измученный, измотанный, измочаленный

to burn the candle at both ends (7) – to start working early and go on working late – with no rest.

sodding (7) – irritating (vulgar, rude slang) (чёртов, долбанный) (sod - сволочь)

non sequitur (8) – ‘it does not follow’ (Latin). A remark, which is ridiculous because it is not connected to the previous argument (нелогичное заключение, неочевидное высказывание). Will considers the statement “Barney’s lovely” to be nonsense, and a contradiction of what was said before.

nappy (8) – подгузник

froth (9) – вздорные мысли, пустые слова, болтовня

oblivion (9) – забвение

embrace (9) – обьятья

you have hidden depths (9) = дословно: ‘ты скрывал свою глубину’, т.е. только казался легкомысленным, несерьёзным

swallowed his pride (10) – проглотил свою гордость

domesticity (10) – семейная жизнь, домашняя жизнь

monogamy (10) – единобрачие, моногамия

what was bothering him (11) – что его беспокоило, по поводу чего он переживал

caravan (12) – дом на колёсах, дом-прицеп (к автомобилю; фургон, оборудованный под жильё)

crap (12) (slang, vulgar) – дерьмо

rape (13) – насиловать

on the lookout (13) – наготове, начеку

dement (13) (bookish) – сводить с ума

thump sb (14) (infml) – побить, поколотить

mean (adj) (14) – недоброжелательный, низкий, подлый

decency (14) – приличие; вежливость, любезность

the tune just sort of slipped out (14) – мелодия как-то так сама вырывалась наружу

tough out (15) (infml) – выдержать, выдюжить, вынести, вытерпеть, устоять (Tough it out! — Держись!, Крепись!, Не падай духом!)

potty (16) (infml) – crasy or silly (a childish word) (слабоумный; помешанный, сумасшедший)

Put down the words or phrases which caused difficulties when reading the novel and ask the teacher about their meaning.

Lesson 2

Chapters Four – Six (pp. 17-37)

Active Vocabulary

1. to browse (17) – просматривать, бесцельно проглядывать

2. a turning point in one’s life (19) – переломный момент в жизни

3. to grasp the bull by the horns (22) – взять быка за рога (фраз.)

4. to hang around with sb (infml) (30) – водиться с кем-либо, тусоваться

to hang out (infml) (31) – обитать, тусоваться

5. to prevent sb from doing sth (31) – не позволять, не давать кому-либо

сделать что-либо

6. to run out of sth (31) – заканчиваться, иссякать (о ч/л)

7. to work out (infml) (32) – получаться, срабатывать

8. to start an affair (35) – завести роман на стороне

I. Find in the novel the following words and phrases. Learn them.

Get ready to reproduce the situations in which they were used. Try to use them in answering the questions and discussing the characters and the events of the novel.

II. Find in the novel words or word combinations with the following meaning. Put them down, translate them into Russian. Reproduce the sentences where they are used.

1. to start liking sb/sth (20, 29) _______________________________________

2. to begin a relationship with enthusiasm (23) __________________________

3. to have no connection with sb/sth (30) ________________________________

4. to come on time, punctually (34) ___________________________________

5. a person who is suffering from extreme nervous strain (34) _______________

6. a long list of sth (36) _____________________________________________

7. to be accepted (as a member of sth) (37) ______________________________

III. Find in the novel the English equivalents of the following Russian words or word combinations.

1. покраснеть от стыда, залиться румянцем (18) _________________________

2. здравомыслие, рассудок (18) ______________________________________

3. встречаться, ходить на свидания с к/л (20) ___________________________

4. скрывать, маскировать раздражение (22) ____________________________