5 READING a Which do you think has more advantages, being an only child, or having brothers and sisters? Why? b_ Work in pairs. A read The younger brother, Bread The only child. © Tellyour partner about 1 and 2 below. Whose childhood sounds happier? 1 other family members who are mentioned 2 how the writer's experience as child affects him/her now Look at thelhighlighted words in the two texts. Try co work out their meaning From the context. Then match them with definitions 1-12. 1 jill 2 iv’sno surprise that 3 nour-competition between ‘wo people 4 nous the time when you were achild 5 nouna meeting of people, eg. family 6 ‘noun people who are fully grown, 7 ‘adj knowing about or being conscious of sth 8 nouna school where children can live during the year ° verb think thar sb or sthis important 10 verb divided sth herween wo ‘or more people verb ery o hurt sh else 2 nouna group of friends (DP vwchotter When thers and str get oer they ale eechethar nae Ure nach ter to tak bout an actin babar two peonece ges of pele "aot gt on aywel hy dd west Uncorland each other ©. Talktoa partner. Do you have brothersand. sisters, or are you an only child? Do you feel positive or negative about it? Cite alee) ae a: THE YOUNGER BROTHER NOVELIST TIM LOTT beaween brothers is normal, but there was a special reason fr the tension between us, Lwas very ill when Tyas born, and spent three months in hospital with my mother. My brother didnot see her at all during that time, as Ihe went co stay with an aunt. When our mother returned home, it was with a sik newborn baby who took all the attention. No wonder he hated me (although ifyou ask Jeff, he will say that he didn't — we remember things differently). My brother and I were completely different, We shared the same bedroom, Toute was tidy, ad T was really untidy, ‘He was responsible, [was rebellious. He ‘was sensible, Iwas emotional. [haven't got any postive memories of our childhood together, though there must have been good moments. JefTsays we used to play Gowvboys and Indians but [only remember him trying to sufTocate me ‘under the bedeovers. ‘My relationship with JefThas influenced my atte towards my own four daughters [the girs fight, T always think that the younger child fs innocent, But the good news about brothers and sisters is that when they get older, they vale each ether mote JefTis now one of my best friends, and [ike and admire him greatly. For better or for worse, we shave a whole history Is the longest relationship in my lie. THE ONLY CHILD JOURNALIST SARAH LEE ‘went to boarding school when Twas seven, and the hardest thing 1 faunel was making friends, Because Twas an only child, {just did't {know how to doit The thing is that when you're an only child you spend alot of your ime with adults and you're often dhe only cil in ‘gathering of adults Your parents goon living more oles the way they have always lived, only now you are there too. found being an only child interesting because it gave me View of the world of adults that childeen in a big Family might wot get. And I kuow it has, atleast partly, made me the kind of person Iam ~ I never like being one of a group, for example, I'L have tobe in a group, Iwill always try 10 g0 olfand do something on my own, oF be with just one other person — I'm not comfortable with being one of gang. ‘My parents are divorced now and my mother lives in the US, and my father in the UK. [feel very responsible for ther — 1 feel responsible for their happiness. Lm the elesest relative in ‘the world each of them, and Iam very aware ofthat ‘Adapts froma Bish newspaperVOCABULARY adjectives of personality Without looking back at The younger brother text, can you remember who was. Lidy, responsible, and sensible and who was untidy, rebellions, and emotional? Do you know what che adjectives mean? Would you use any of them to describe yourself? > p.153 Vocabulary Bank Personality Write down the first three adjectives of personality that come into your head. Don't show them to your partner. Now go to > Communication Personality p.104. PRONUNCIATION word stress, adjective endings (@26)) Underline the stressed syllable in shese mult-sllable adjectives. Listen and check 1 jealious anjxous ambitious Be|nelrous.relbellious 2 solcaible rallalble 3 relspon|silble sensible 4 competitive taljealtive algere|ssive sensitive 5 unfftiend|ly_in|selcure imjpaltiont _immalture Listen again and answer the questions. 1 Is-ous pronounced laus! or os!? 2 Is-able pronounced /sh o fibl/? 3 Is ible pronounced /sbl/ or libl/? 4 Is ve pronounced fu! of iv’? 5 Are-ous | -able| -ible | -ive stressed? 6 Areun- | in-|im-stressed? 8 LISTENING & SPEAKING What's your position in the family? Are you the oldest child, a middle child, the youngest child, or an only child? 1b 27) Look atthe cover of Linda Blair's book. Now listen toa journalist talking aboucit ona radio programme. Complete the chart by writing four moreadjectives of personality in each column € Compare with a partner. Then listen to the four sections one by cone, Check your answers. What reasons or examples does the journalist give? 4d. Look at the completed chart above. In pairs, say if you think itis true for you~ and if nat, why not? if you think its true for other people you kaw (your brothers and sisters, friends, etc) 9 WRITING > p.113 Writing A description of a person. Write a description of friend you know well. i