Sound ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

 

ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

UNIT 47

Sound

A	The human voice Here are some brief extracts from novels, where people’s voices and speech are being described. ·           Lennox noticed a trace of1 a foreign accent in the man’s voice. It was a booming2 voice, one he had heard before, many years ago. ·           Wilson watched Robert trying to fire the gun. Then, in a gruff3 voice, he said, ‘You’re useless! Bring it here!’ Robert muttered something under his breath as he obeyed. ·           Zoe met with a stony4 silence as she entered the room. It was as if everyone had lost their voice. Nobody uttered a word5 as she walked across to the table. ·           The woman spoke with a broad6 Scottish accent. She had a rather husky7 voice, which James found attractive, but she slurred her words8 a little, as if she were too tired to talk. ·           Muffled9 voices could be heard coming from the next room, but I couldn’t make out what was being said. ·           After failing to dissuade her son from leaving his job, she raised her voice angrily and shouted, ‘Okay, do it your way then!’ 1 very slight 2 very loud 3 low, unfriendly and harsh 4 cold and unfriendly 5 note, this collocation is normally 6 strong (of accents) 7 low and rough, often thought to be attractive 8 spoke unclearly, running the sounds together 9 quiet and unclear in the negative or has a negative subject
B	Sounds and silence Here are four winning entries from a student poetry competition. The theme of the competition was ‘Sound and silence’. ••• <  > SOUND AND SILENCE Poetry Competition 1ST PRIZE: Sasha Brokenburg   A clap1 of thunder then a deathly hush2. In a soft whisper the wind tells the moon how beautiful she is. 2ND PRIZE: Abdul Zahra   Silence descends on Carthmore Lake. My heart is still. Only the distant echo of a sad cry can be heard. 3RD PRIZE: Nuria Palomar   In the street below, the incessant3 noise of trams and vans of trucks and cars. But my soul makes no sound. Here in this darkened room silence reigns4. 4TH PRIZE: Liu Chan   A dull thud5 awakens me. The sound travels from the valley where it was made to this place here, where no one dares let out a cry. 1 sudden loud noise made by thunder 2 extreme silence, in a way that is unpleasant 3 which never stops 4 dominates 5 unclear sound made when something heavy falls

 

EXERCISES

 

47.1	Read the sentences. Then answer the questions. Despite his gruff voice, Fabrice’s boss is actually quite an approachable person. Zara was unable to utter a word when she realised the child was injured. Kevin spoke in a booming voice, as if he were an army sergeant. Ilona raised her voice and angrily addressed the young man at the door. As she entered, she could hear Joe’s husky voice addressing someone. 1 Who spoke in an extremely loud voice? ____________________________ 2 Who spoke in a low, rough, but perhaps attractive way? ____________________________ 3 Who spoke in a low, unfriendly voice? ____________________________ 4 Who started to speak louder than before? ____________________________ 5 Who found it impossible to speak? ____________________________
47.2	Complete each sentence using a word from the box in the appropriate form. descend whisper mutter let lose make slur travel utter   1 The grumpy old woman ____________ something under her breath. 2 Try not to a ____________ sound as we pass the baby’s bedroom. 3 We didn’t ____________ a single word as Harry told his sad tale. 4 The sound ____________ through the thin walls of my apartment; I hear everything. 5 The patient ____________ out a cry of pain as the doctor took her hand. 6 Silence ____________ on the hall as Mrs Traynor walked to the platform to speak. 7 The man was so ill, his voice sounded like a soft ____________. 8 What’s the matter with you? Have you ____________ your voice? Say something! 9 Travis ____________ his words somewhat. I thought he might have been drinking.
47.3	Correct the collocation errors in these sentences. 1 I could hear a slight track of an Irish accent in her voice. 2 Paolo was met with a rocky silence as everyone tried to absorb the bad news. 3 The old woman let off a cry of anger when she heard the result of the trial. 4 She has a wide American accent, even though she was not born there. 5 The weather was terrible last night, with heavy rain and cries of thunder. 6 The voices were muttered, so I could not make out what anyone was saying. 7 Silence ruled in the classroom as the pupils were all hard at work. 8 Speak up. I hate it when you mutter something under your voice.
47,4	Replace the underlined words with their opposites to form collocations from the opposite page. 1 The nearby echo of gunfire could be heard across the valley. 2 The intermittent noise of the planes kept me awake all night. 3 In a loud whisper she said, ‘You look wonderful tonight.’ 4 I heard a sharp thud as the men dropped the heavy box on the floor above me. 5 There was a joyful hush in the room as the director broke the news. 6 Suddenly there was a murmur of thunder and it started to rain heavily.

 

ANSWER KEY

 

47.1 1 Kevin      2 Joe      3 Fabrice’s boss          4 Ilona            5 Zara   47.2 1 muttered 2 make 3 utter 4 travels 5 let 6 descended 7 whisper 8 lost 9 slurred   47.3 1 I could hear a slight trace of an Irish accent in her voice. 2 Paolo was met with a stony silence as everyone tried to absorb the bad news. 3 The old woman let out a cry of anger when she heard the result of the trial. 4 She has a broad American accent, even though she was not born there. 5 The weather was terrible last night, with heavy rain and claps of thunder. 6 The voices were muffled, so I could not make out what anyone was saying. 7 Silence reigned in the classroom as the pupils were all hard at work. 8 Speak up. I hate it when you mutter something under your breath.   47.4 1 distant 2 incessant (also constant) 3 soft (also quiet) 4 dull 5 deathly 6 clap (Note that the phrase a murmur of thunder in the original sentence would be a very unusual combination of words in English.)