Youth and age ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

 

ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

UNIT 41

Youth and age

A	Childhood   Ever since he was a newborn baby, Harry’s adoring parents were convinced he was a child prodigy1 and pandered to his every whim2, so that he soon grew into a spoilt brat3. As a young teenager, he hung around with the rest of the town’s disaffected youth4, and was on the verge of becoming a juvenile delinquent5. But then a music teacher realised he had a talent for singing and helped him to see the error of his ways6. He spent the rest of his teenage years singing for a band which made a considerable contribution to popular youth culture. 1 young genius 2 did every little thing that he wanted even when it was not appropriate 3 (informal, disapproving) an unpleasant child, one who behaves badly and whose parents allow to behave as he/she wishes 4 young people who do not accept society’s values 5 a criminal who is still legally a minor 6 understand his mistakes
B	Middle age Amy and Stewart got married young. They had a baby1 and then another a year later and quickly fell into the pattern of family life. They concentrated so much on providing a stable environment for their children that they neglected their relationship and soon began to take each other for granted2. The children left home and went off to university and Stewart began to go through a midlife crisis3. He said he was bored with his daily routine and he wanted to go off and travel the world while he was still young enough. Amy thought he was just going through a phase4 but she felt she had no choice but to respect his wishes. She said nothing to stop him as he bought a red sports car and set off on a road trip through Europe. 1 NOT got a baby 2 not value each other 3 period of dissatisfaction in the middle of one’s life 4 going through a period of strange or difficult behaviour
C	Old age Louise and John are in their seventies now. They say they don’t feel their age1 except for ‘the occasional twinge2’. They both admit to the occasional ‘senior moment3’ and John can sometimes be a bit of a grumpy old man4. They don’t have to support their family anymore, so they live quite a comfortable life5. When they were younger, they were quite poor but those days are only a hazy memory now. At home they are surrounded by things of great sentimental value to them and it has become their habit to spend the evenings poring over their photo albums. These are full of pictures that rekindle memories6 of days gone by. Louise and John are happiest when their grandchildren come to stay. They give them their undivided attention. In fact, they don’t let them out of their sight. Sometimes the grandchildren complain about this but Louise always explains, ‘We just want to make sure you don’t come to any harm.’ 1 feel as old as they are 2 a slight ache from time to time 3 moment of forgetfulness 4 (informal, uncomplimentary) an old man who is always complaining about things 5 note how live often collocates with a life 6 bring back memories

EXERCISES

41.1	Combine the words in the box to form five collocations presented on the opposite page. baby brat child delinquent disaffected juvenile newborn youth spoilt prodigy A number of other collocations using words from the box are possible apart from those presented in A. What are they?
41.2	Complete these short dialogues using collocations from 41.1. 1 A Georgia can play all Mozart’s violin concertos and she’s only nine. B Yes, I’ve heard she’s a ________________. 2 A Meena has just had a son. I want to get him a present. B Well, they’ve got lovely things for ________________in the shop next to the hospital. 3 A Why did the police decide to build that new unit for young off enders? B It was suggested by a businessman who’d once been a ________________ himself. 4 A Tim’s older boys are nice but the youngest screams if he doesn’t get his own way. B Yes, he’s a ________________. His parents give him whatever he wants. 5 A I’ve read a lot recently about young people who feel alienated from society. B Yes, there seems to have been a spate of headlines about ________________.
41.3	Correct the collocation errors in these sentences. 1 It is all too easy to make your close friends and your family for granted. 2 Liz’s got four children and she’s just bought herself a sports car. Do you think she’s going against some kind of midlife crisis? 3 My sister got a baby boy last month. 4 You’ll spoil your daughter if you keep on wandering to her every whim. 5 My parents are vegetarians, so I admire their wishes and don’t eat meat in their house. 6 Sorry, I must be having an elderly moment. I just can’t remember your name! 7 Jacqui insists she has seen the mistake of her ways. 8 Don’t worry about your daughter leaving home. She won’t go to any harm. 9 Make sure you don’t let the child out of your view.
41.4	Explain the difference between: 1 leaving home and leaving the house. 2 a hazy memory and a distinct memory. 3 a grumpy old man and a dear old man. 4 an occasional twinge and a sudden twinge. 5 become a habit and develop a habit. 6 fall into a pattern and fit into a pattern.
41.5	Cross out the word in each set which does not form a normal collocation. 1 live / lead / go / have a comfortable life 2 a firm / familiar / pleasant / stable environment 3 feel / look / talk / show your age 4 go through a crisis / stage / divorce / problem 5 undivided / perfect / careful / close attention 6 share / wake up / rekindle / stir up memories 7 have adventures / a baby / visitors / an increase 8 sentimental / sensitive / practical / outstanding value

 

ANSWER KEY

 

41.1 newborn baby spoilt brat child prodigy juvenile delinquent disaffected youth (Other possible collocations are: spoilt baby, spoilt child, delinquent youth.)   41.2 1 child prodigy 2 newborn babies 3 juvenile delinquent 4 spoilt brat 5 disaffected youth   41.3 1 It is all too easy to take your close friends and your family for granted. 2 Liz’s got four children and she’s just bought herself a sports car. Do you think she’s going through some kind of midlife crisis? 3 My sister had a baby boy last month. 4 You’ll spoil your daughter if you keep on pandering to her every whim. 5 My parents are vegetarians, so I respect their wishes and don’t eat meat in their house. 6 Sorry, I must be having a senior moment. I just can’t remember your name! 7 Jacqui insists she has seen the error of her ways. 8 Don’t worry about your daughter leaving home. She won’t come to any harm. 9 Make sure you don’t let the child out of your sight.   41.4 1 Leaving home means going to live in another place, and leaving the house is what you do when you go out of your front door every day. 2 A hazy memory is vague, not clear or distinct, and a distinct memory is very clear. 3 A grumpy old man is one who is bad-tempered and complains a lot, and a dear old man is one who is kind and good-natured. 4 An occasional twinge is a pain that happens from time to time, and a sudden twinge is a pain that happens unexpectedly. 5 Something becomes a habit but a person develops a habit. 6 If you fall into a pattern, that pattern gradually develops, whereas if you fit into a pattern, the pattern has already been established by someone else and you adapt to it.   41.5 The collocations that are impossible (or at least very unlikely) are: 1 go 2 firm 3 talk 4 problem 5 perfect 6 wake up 7 an increase 8 sensitive