Space and time ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

 

ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

UNIT 46

Space and time

A	Talking about space ••• Reply Forward Hi Liz, How frustrating house-hunting is! We’ve just looked at a city-centre flat near Oliver’s new job. The estate agent’s ad said it was ‘spacious’. Ha, ha! How anyone could live in such a confined space, I don’t know. It was tiny. I know you have to expect cramped conditions in the city centre but this was ridiculous. We’re short of space already where we are now, what with the new baby and everything. Kids take up a lot of space, don’t they?   Love, Emma   ••• Reply Forward Dear Emma, Sorry to hear of your problems. Yes, kids do seem to take up a lot of room. But listen, a friend of ours is selling her house in town and moving to Australia. It’s not huge, but there’s ample1 room for a family with two children. There’s even a garden, and though it’s not a vast expanse, it’s very pleasant. There’s a shed on it at the moment, which is a bit of a waste of space2, but that could be removed to leave room for a play area. There’s no garage, but it’s on a quiet street and there are always plenty of vacant parking spaces. Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll have a word with her.   Best, Liz 1 more than enough 2 bad use of space when there is a limited amount of it Note that you can say ample space/room; leave space/room; short of space/room and take up a lot of space/room. However, you can only talk about something being a waste of space (NOT a waste of room).
B	Talking about time In these magazine extracts, notice the useful collocations for talking about time. Pop bands come and go over the course of time1, but few bands have made such a lasting contribution as The Beatles. They will go down in history2 as possibly the greatest pop musicians of all time. Their music represents the golden era3 of British pop in the 1960s, and every one of their songs brings back memories of that unforgettable time. Their music is all preserved for posterity4 in this collection. 1 as time passes 2 be remembered 3 can also be golden age; period of time when a particular art, business, etc. was very successful 4 (formal) kept for people in the future Buildings from a bygone era5 are the main attraction at Castmere Folk Village. Homes, shops, even a cinema, have been restored to their former glory6 in a massive project that has now reached completion. 5 (literary) a time in the distant past 6 glory here means ‘beauty’ For many people, the 1970s are nothing more than a dim and distant7 memory, but in the decades that have elapsed, those of us born in the ‘70s begin to realise how that decade, which is still well within living memory for much of the population, has shaped our destiny. Our parents worked with pen and paper, or machines, or with their hands. They couldn’t have known how computers would change everything in the not-so-distant future8. All indications are that many more changes will help to shape our children’s lives in the foreseeable future9. 7 remembered slightly, but not very well 8 not the immediate future but relatively near 9 as far into the future as you can imagine or plan for
	Tip Where alternatives exist for a collocation, make a note in your vocabulary book and list the alternatives together. For example, take up (a lot of) space/room, a golden age/era.

 

EXERCISES

 

46.1	Match the beginning of each sentence with its ending. 1 Living in such a confined room for a bigger kitchen and utility room. 2 The piano took up a lot of space, so we’re going to convert it into a study. 3 This office is better than the cramped space is difficult with three kids. 4 We’re moving because we’re short of room, so we sold it. 5 We demolished an old outhouse to leave conditions I used to work in. 6 The attic is a waste of space where we’re living at the moment.
46.2	Complete the second sentence using a collocation from the opposite page so that it has the same meaning as the first sentence. 1 Einstein’s ideas significantly contributed to our understanding of the universe. Einstein’s ideas made ____________ our understanding of the universe. 2 The hotel car park didn’t have any room, so we parked in the street. There were no at ____________ the hotel, so we parked in the street. 3 Few people now have any clear memories of the Second World War. The Second World War is now a ____________. 4 We won’t have problems with our furniture as it’s a big house. It’s a big house, so there will be ____________ for all our furniture. 5 She crossed the enormous Senoui Desert on horseback. She crossed ____________ of the Senoui Desert on horseback.
46.3	Rewrite the underlined part of each sentence using a collocation from the opposite page based on the words in brackets. 1 It’s ten years since the agreement was signed. (ELAPSE) 2 I can’t see any great changes happening in the future as far as we can imagine. (FORESEE) 3 Machines from an era which has long passed are the theme of the exhibition at the city museum. (GO BY) 4 The event will be remembered in history as the nation’s worst tragedy. (DOWN) 5 Everything changes as time passes. (COURSE) 6 In the fairly near future we can expect to be able to travel to other planets. (DISTANT)
46.4	Complete the crossword.   Across 1 The palace was restored to its former ___________. 3 The events have ___________our lives. 5 That song brings ___________memories. 6 Many things shape the ___________of a nation. 7 It all happened within ___________memory. Down 1 It was the _______ era of Italian football. 2 My schooldays are now just a dim and _______ memory. 3 This table takes up a lot of _______. 4 The castle has been preserved for _______. 5 The cottage is a remnant of a _______ era.

 

ANSWER KEY

 

46.1 1 Living in such a confined space is difficult with three kids. 2 The piano took up a lot of room, so we sold it. 3 This office is better than the cramped conditions I used to work in. 4 We’re moving because we’re short of space where we’re living at the moment. 5 We demolished an old outhouse to leave room for a bigger kitchen and utility room. 6 The attic is a waste of space, so we’re going to convert it into a study.   46.2 1 a lasting contribution to 2 (vacant) parking spaces 3 dim and distant memory 4 ample room 5 the vast expanse 46.3 1 A decade has elapsed 2 foreseeable future 3 a bygone era 4 go down in history 5 over the course of time 6 not-so-distant future   46.4