FAMILY AND FRIENDS ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN USE PRE INTERMEDIATE

 

ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN USE PRE INTERMEDIATE UNIT 13 FAMILY AND FRIENDS

 

A Relatives* My father died when I was nine, and so my mother was a widow1 with four young children. She remarried five years later, so now I have a stepfather. As he is not my real father, I call him by his first name, which is Dieter. I’ve got an elder2 brother called Thomas and two younger sisters, Anya and Claudia, who are twins3. We’re a close family4. My mother is an only child5, but I’ve got two uncles on my father’s side. One is married with two children, and the other is married with three children, so altogether I have five cousins. I get on well with6 Uncle Rolf, and he always tells me I’m his favourite nephew. Of his nieces, I think he likes Anya best. Recently my brother Thomas got married. His wife’s name is Sabine, so I now have a sister-in-law7 as well. Common mistakes   It’s more common and more natural to say ‘Thomas’s wife’ (NOT the wife of Thomas) or ‘Anna’s younger sister’ (NOT the younger sister of Anna). B Friends My best friend is Florian, an old school friend1. We got to know each other2 when we were in the same class at school. We’ve been mates3 ever since4, and our friendship is very important to both of us. He spends a lot of time with my family, and his current5 girlfriend is actually one of Thomas’s ex-girlfriends. But we all get on really well.   Language help   We use the prefix ex- for a relationship we had in the past but do not have now, e.g. The children stay with my ex- husband at the weekend; I saw an ex- girlfriend of mine yesterday. EXERCISES 13.1 Look at the family tree, then complete the sentences below. 1 Simon died two years ago, so Cath is a _____widow_______ . 2 Leyla is Cath’s _______________. 3 Tom is Cath’s _______________. 4 Cath is Meg’s _______________. 5 Simon was Brian’s _______________. 6 Tom is Leyla’s _______________ brother. 7 Emily is Leyla’s _______________. 8 Emily is an _______________child. 13.2 Which words are being defined? 1 Your ______ current _______ boyfriend is the one that you have now. 2 _____________ means get married again. 3 _____________ are all the members of your family. 4 Your _____________ friend is the one you like more than any other. 5 An _____________ friend is someone you have known for a long time. 6 _____________ are two children born to one mother at the same time. 7 _____________ is an informal word for a friend. 8 _____________ is the noun when two people are friends. 9 Your _____________ is the man who is married to your mother but is not your father. 13.3 Complete the text. “I was still going out with James when I met my husband, Ben. We 1. ___ got to know______ each other because we went to the same gym twice a week. We went out with each other for about 18 months, and we got 2.___________ three years ago, so 3.___________ we’ve been a couple for almost five years. We’ve continued to go to the gym ever 4.___________ we got married, and I still quite often see James when we’re there. It’s nice if you can still 5.___________with an 6.___________ -boyfriend or -girlfriend.” 13.4

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