Sound

F.L.U.P.
2017/2018
B2.3
English Course

Vision

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 A Musical Questionnaire

1. How important is music in your daily life?

2. Do you listen to different types of music at different times of day or doing different
activities?
3. Do you have a favourite artist? Why do you like them?
4. If you had to choose just one music album to take with you to a desert island, what
would it be? Why?
5. What media do you use to listen to music?
6. How has the Internet changed the way you receive music?
7. How has the way we receive and play music changed (technologically and culturally) in
the last 10 years, 20 years, 50 years, 100 years, 150 years?
8. Does music serve a political purpose?
9. Where do you never hear music and why?
10. What musical instruments do you play?
11. Have you ever played in a band or sung in a choir, etc? When/Where?
12. Have you ever written music?
13. What is the best gig (rock/pop concert) you have been to?
14. Does anything annoy you about going to gigs?
15. What music festivals have you been to and what were they like?

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Music Vocabulary
d) ‘The Edge’ (David Evans) is the _____________
1) Arrange the words from the box below into
in U2. His guitar technique is what gives the band
pairs with a similar meaning and decide which
its unique sound.
one is usually used for classical music and which
for rock music. Write them in the table below. e) Mozart is usually associated with string and
piano music, but he also wrote pieces for wind
accompanist arrangement
___________________ .
backing vocalists band choir composer
cover version drummer ensemble f) Everyone recognises the guitar _____________
first violinist five-piece band gig at the beginning of (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
guitar legend keyboard player by the Rolling Stones.
lead guitarist maestro motif
percussionist pianist quintet recital g) I’m going to a piano and cello ______________
riff session musician songwriter by Hélène Grimaud and Sol Gabetta next week.

h) I Will Always Love You was originally a Dolly

Classical Music Rock Music Parton song, but it’s the ____________________
by Whitney Houston that will always be
remembered.

i) I used to sing in my church _______________

as a boy, but they didn’t want me after my voice
broke!

j) Beethoven’s Minuet in G was originally written

for orchestra, but only an __________________
for piano now exists.

3) The following words are all connected to the

structure of a song. What do they refer to?

a) verse b) chorus c) lead vocal

c) backing harmony d) key change
e) middle eight (also known as a bridge)
f) chord sequence g) instrumental break
h) tempo change i) intro j) coda

2) Complete the spaces with one of the words or

phrases from Exercise 1.
a) My brother studied classical piano at music
college, but now he’s a _____________________
in a rock band.
b) Schubert was a _____________________ who
wrote many songs as well as symphonies and
chamber music.
c) The Oscar-winning film 20 Feet From Stardom
is about the unknown ______________________
who sang on some of the greatest hits of all time.
4) What‘s another word for …
a) the words of a song? _____________
b) the beat of a song? ______________
c) part of a song played by one instrument? ____
d) to play music together informally? ______
e) a song or musical recording? __________
f) the main melody line of a song? _________
g) part of a piece of music that is sung? ________

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Music and Psychology

1) Discuss the following:

• What are your favourite genres of music? Why do you like them?
• What factors influence your taste in music?
• Is there a genre of music that you don’t like? Why?
• Do you have any particular favourite pieces of music?
How do your favourite pieces of music make you feel?

• What is the psychological effect of different types of music? Consider different genres.
• Why do different types of music have these different psychological effects?

• How can you define music? What are its “ingredients”?

• Can noise be music?

• Can music be noise?

2) Work with a partner. You will read a text about a psychological effect of music.

• Read the text and underline and unfamiliar vocabulary.

• Discuss with your partner what the text is about. What’s your opinion about it?
• Check together the meaning of any words you may have underlined.
• Write a brief summary of:
- what the text says about research into the psychological effects of music
- any other experiments / experiences that it mentions

3) Work in a group of 6 made up of three pairs, each with a different text.

• Take it in turns to tell the other students what your text is about, referring to your
summary.
• Discuss together your opinions about each other’s texts. Which example of the
psychological effect of music do you agree with most/least? Why?

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The Mozart Effect Claudia Hammond BBC News

The Mozart effect is the idea that if children or even babies listen to music composed by Mozart
they will become more intelligent. A quick internet search reveals plenty of products to assist you in
the task. Whatever your age there are CDs and books to help you to harness the power of Mozart’s
music, but when it comes to scientific evidence that it can make you more clever, the picture is
more mixed.

The phrase “the Mozart effect” was coined in 1991, but it is a study described two years later in the
journal Nature that sparked real media and public interest about the idea that listening to classical
music somehow improves the brain. It is one of those ideas that feels plausible. Mozart was
undoubtedly a genius himself, his music is complex and there is a hope that if we listen to enough of
it, a little of that intelligence might rub off on us.

The idea took off, with thousands of parents playing Mozart to their children, and in 1998 Zell
Miller, the Governor of the state of Georgia in the US, even asked for money to be set aside in the
state budget so that every newborn baby could be sent a CD of classical music. It’s not just babies
and children who were deliberately exposed to Mozart’s melodies. When Sergio Della Sala, the
psychologist and author of the book Mind Myths, visited a mozzarella farm in Italy, the farmer
proudly explained that the buffalos were played Mozart three times a day to help them to produce
better milk.

I’ll leave the debate on the impact on milk yield to farmers, but what about the evidence that
listening to Mozart makes people more intelligent? Exactly what was it was that the authors of the
initial study discovered that took public imagination by storm?

When you look back at the original paper, the first surprise is that the authors from the University of
California, Irvine are modest in their claims and don’t even use the “Mozart effect” phrase in the
paper. The second surprise is that it wasn’t conducted on children at all: it was in fact conducted

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with those stalwarts of psychological studies – young adult students. Only 36 students took part. On
three occasions they were given a series of mental tasks to complete, and before each task, they
listened either to ten minutes of silence, ten minutes of a tape of relaxation instructions, or ten
minutes of Mozart’s sonata for two pianos in D major (K448).

The students who listened to Mozart did better at tasks where they had to create shapes in their
minds. For a short time the students were better at spatial tasks where they had to look at folded
up pieces of paper with cuts in them and to predict how they would appear when unfolded. But
unfortunately, as the authors make clear at the time, this effect lasts for about fifteen minutes. So
it’s hardly going to bring you a lifetime of enhanced intelligence.

Nevertheless, people began to theorise about why it was that Mozart’s music in particular could
have this effect. Did the complexity of music cause patterns of cortical firing in the brain similar to
those associated with solving spatial puzzles?

More research followed, and a meta-analysis of sixteen different studies confirmed that listening to
music does lead to a temporary improvement in the ability to manipulate shapes mentally, but the
benefits are short-lived and it doesn’t make us more intelligent.

Then it began to emerge that perhaps Mozart wasn’t so special after all. In 2010 a larger meta-
analysis of a greater number of studies again found a positive effect, but that other kinds of
music worked just as well. One study found that listening to Schubert was just as good, and so was
hearing a passage read out aloud from a Stephen King novel. But only if you enjoyed it. So,
perhaps enjoyment and engagement are key, rather than the exact notes you hear.

Although we tend to associate the Mozart effect with babies and small children, most of these
studies were conducted on adults, whose brains are of course at a very different stage of
development. But in 2006 a large study was conducted in Britain involving eight thousand children.
They listened either to ten minutes of Mozart’s String Quintet in D Major, a discussion about the
experiment or to a sequence of three pop songs: Blur’s “Country House,” “Return of the Mack,” by
Mark Morrison and PJ and Duncan’s “Stepping Stone”. Once again music improved the ability to
predict paper shapes, but this time it wasn’t a Mozart effect, but a Blur effect. The children who
listened to Mozart did well, but with pop music they did even better, so prior preference could
come into it.

Whatever your musical choice, it seems that all you need to do a bit better at predictive origami is
some cognitive arousal. Your mind needs to get a little more active, it needs something to get it
going and that’s going to be whichever kind of music appeals to you. In fact, it doesn’t have to be
music. Anything that makes you more alert should work just as well – doing a few star jumps or
drinking some coffee, for instance.

There is a way in which music can make a difference to your IQ, though. Unfortunately, it requires a
bit more effort than putting on a CD. Learning to play a musical instrument can have a beneficial
effect on your brain. Jessica Grahn, a cognitive scientist at Western University in London, Ontario
says that a year of piano lessons, combined with regular practice can increase IQ by as much as
three points.

So listening to Mozart won’t do you or your children any harm and could be the start of a life-long
love of classical music. But unless you and your family have some urgent imaginary origami to do,
the chances are that sticking on a sonata is not going to make you better at anything.

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Music to deter yobs by Melissa Jackson BBC News

yob = rude, noisy and aggressive youth

It will be music to the ears of anyone who's been plagued by vandalism and anti-social behaviour -
a blast of Mozart or Vivaldi. It seems the classics can speak volumes when it comes to changing the
mood music.

The experience of standing at a bus stop or railway station and feeling intimidated, perhaps by a
group of teenagers hanging around, is not uncommon.

Dealing with it has led to a variety of expensive attempted solutions, including the installation of
CCTV. But the idea of using piped classical music, for some years spoken of as a joke, is gradually
being adopted as a widespread and low-cost solution.

For the cost of some speakers, and the necessary licence to play piped music, problem areas can
apparently be painlessly resolved. Even the Co-op (Chain of Supermarkets) is giving it a go, outside
some of its shops.

Tyne and Wear Metro was one of the first to recognise the pacifying force of the great composers
when, inspired by the success of schemes operating in Canada, it began playing classical music at
some outlying stations.

Spokesman Tom Yeoman says: "We had problems with youths hanging around, not getting up to
criminal activities, but involved in low level anti-social behaviour, like swearing, smoking at stations
and harassing passengers.

"Even if they didn't have a violent agenda, they looked like they might have."

Passengers complained and the company felt compelled to respond. They introduced classical music
at Tynemouth, Whitley Bay and Cullercoats stations.

"It has completely eliminated the problem," says Mr Yeoman. "The young people seem to loathe it.
It's pretty uncool to be seen hanging around somewhere when Mozart is playing."

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Music aversion

It's a win-win situation. Troublemakers have been driven out, but the music continues by popular
demand because passengers say it helps pass the time while they are waiting for their train.

London Underground has flirted with the idea, and for the past 12 months, has been running a pilot
project at Elm Park station on the District Line in East London with some success.

Glasgow Caledonian University psychologist Dr Raymond MacDonald says: "People will often use
music as a badge of identification. It is important to their sense of self.

"So if they're faced with some music they don't like they will have a strong aversive response to it
and remove themselves from that situation."

The magic of Mozart has changed the atmosphere at a bus station in Beverley in East Yorkshire.
Residents near the Sow Hill bus station had complained of youths playing loud music, shouting abuse
and urinating near their front doors.

Last summer, East Riding of Yorkshire Council installed a public-address system with covert, vandal-
proof speakers in the bus station and along the road and started piping out music from 1930-2330
each evening.

Verbal abuse

A woman who works locally says: "The music has made a huge difference." A lot of children used to
hang around the bus station at lunchtime and after school and they have been banished. "I used to
feel intimidated by them when I was walking home from work, but now you don't see them standing
around anymore."

At about the same time, the Co-op piloted a scheme targeting a handful of its stores where young
people used to gather and cause a nuisance.

Co-operative Group general manager of central services Julia Rogers says: "In many communities a
local convenience store like the Co-op is the only place open in the evening, so young people often
gather outside. "It can be intimidating for shoppers and for our staff, who often face verbal abuse."

The shops, in Worcester, Bristol and north Wales have loudspeakers fitted outside the premises and
staff fire off a round of Rachmaninov or Rimsky-Korsakov, which rapidly appears to have the desired
effect.

Leicester University psychologist Adrian North, who researches links between music and behaviour,
says classical music is not going to be a cure for all anti-social behaviour. "I'd be pretty surprised if it's
a panacea. You're just moving the problem elsewhere," he asserts.

And although the impact of music played to disperse people has not yet been studied closely, he
says, his research does seem to indicate that a degree of familiarity with music affects how
comfortable people feel.

An experiment undertaken among students at his university, in which "student-friendly" music

appeared to attract people and unfamiliar music deter them, could back up the argument.

The way music can act in identifying a group would also have the same effect, he says. After all,
"Closet chamber music" fans who happen to be troublemakers may not want to admit their secret
preferences to their friends.
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Listening to 'extreme' music makes you calmer Kim Kelly The Guardian

Heavy metal is more commonly associated with headbanging, satanism, moshpits and
the decapitation of small mammals. According to a new study, however, metal, and all forms of
“extreme” music, can positively influence the listener, inspiring calmness rather than anger.

A study by the University of Queensland, the Australian public research institution in

Brisbane, revealed that rather than proving the hypothesis that “extreme music causes anger”, the
theory that “extreme music matches and helps to process anger” was supported instead. Focusing on
heavy metal, emo, hardcore, punk, screamo and the various other subgenres featured in the
category of “extreme” music, honours student Leah Sharman and Dr Genevieve Dingle studied 39
regular listeners of extreme music, between the ages of 18 and 34.

“We found the music regulated sadness and enhanced positive emotions,” Sharman said. “When
experiencing anger, extreme-music fans liked to listen to music that could match their anger.” “The
music helped them explore the full gamut of emotion they felt, but also left them feeling more active
and inspired,” reads the study. “Results showed levels of hostility, irritability and stress decreased
after music was introduced, and the most significant change reported was the level of inspiration
they felt.”

The subjects of the study, which was published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, were monitored
after a 16-minute “anger induction”. This involved each individual describing topics that might inspire
irritation, such as relationships, money or work, before spending a further 10 minutes listening to
songs of their choice and then experiencing 10 minutes of complete silence. The researchers
discovered that metal music relaxed participants as effectively as sitting in silence.

Metal Yoga

What’s a sworn metal fan to do when they’d rather slow it down, and sink into a good stretch?
Waterfalls and calming eastern melodies are fine and dandy, but a bit jarring to ears more used to
the not-so-dulcet tones of Goatsnake and Napalm Death. That’s why more long-haired yoginis are
turning to classes like the ones run by Black Yoga founder Kimee Massie and Metal Yoga Bones’s
Saskia Thode that cater specifically to those who prefer to mix a little darkness with their
enlightenment.

“I had been teaching yoga in the regular studios and gyms for a couple of years, and I needed
something to play in my classes that that would fit me and my personality (my own record collection
is mostly Babes in Toyland and Sepultura). It wasn’t so much about being ‘metal’, that just kind of
naturally creeped in there because of who I am and what I’m into,” 200-hour RYT-certified instructor
Kimee Massie explains.

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She soundtracks her vinyasa-style classes with drone, experimental ambient, depressive black metal,
and post-rock from bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Darkspace, Ulver, and Grails, sounds
she characterizes as “music that shakes up your chakras, but in just a certain way – it’s always about
the feeling it provides, sonically as well as emotionally”. She started holding Black Yoga classes in the
back room of a print shop in October 2012, and has seen a whole community spring up around her
unique practice, which focuses on creating a heavily meditative space to help people to calm their
inner demons.

She’s currently working with her husband, Scott, and several other like-minded heshers and hippies
who call themselves BLACK YOGA Meditation Ensemble to create original soundscapes to accompany
the yoga poses and spread the gospel of yoga to other people within the art and music communities.
They’ll be releasing an instructional DVD come autumn, and have plans to expand, with Massie
confiding, “Right now we’ve got to catch up with this current whirlwind, though. One breath at a
time.” As her website says, “You can’t fully appreciate the light until you understand the darkness.”

Saskia Thode, the German-born Brooklynite founder of Metal Bones, found her own metal yoga
calling through more practical means. “It all started during my own home practice,” she explains. “At
home, I usually played metal and enjoyed the two together, so during my teacher training, when we
were supposed to think about playlists for our demonstration yoga class, I was thinking, what can I
play that is me? Metal, of course!”

Her classes – which take place all around New York City, from in front of the stageat metal venue
Saint Vitus to the back room of Bushwick’s Cobra Club – embrace the more primal energy of extreme
metal, and are a bit less Zen than Massie’s approach. For example, the Metal Yoga Bones slogan is
“Unleash Your Inner Beast” and Thode’s rowdy classes feature plenty of grindcore, headbanging and
devil horns.

“Metal Yoga starts off with a lot of growling, screaming, and hitting the floor with our fists to give
people a chance to release some of the anger, stress and the darkness inside. I also encourage
people to move; if they like a song and like the beat, why not move with it? Occasionally we will start
a circle pit or such, and to close the class, we raise our voices to Satan with a dark and deep howl,”
she grins.

Her description of a “typical” class may sound more like hell than heaven to some, but Thode finds
that there is a special kind of emotional release involved, one that resonates most deeply with those
who feel disconnected from traditional yoga’s reliance spirituality and light: “We all go home and
listen to certain kinds of metal depending on how we feel or we all have been at a show and have felt
things coming up that were hidden within – like memories, melancholia, joy, anger – and I think
that’s one reason why we listen to this kind of music; it helps us overcome what we feel, and makes
us feel better.”

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 You Are The Music
A) On a radio programme called Recommended Reads, guests choose a book and say what they
enjoyed about it. Listen to Part 1 of the programme and answer the questions.
1) Why was Rosie’s book not an obvious choice for her?
2) What is an amusic? What percentage of the population think they are amusical? What is the
actual percentage?
3) When was music played to the babies in the experiment?
4) How did the researchers know that the babies recognised the music?
5) What is the everyday term for Infant Directed Speech (IDS)? What is it? Give examples of it.
6) Why do tone-deaf people struggle with language learning?

B) Listen to Part 2 and make notes. What does Rosie say about…?
Life memories

Music and identity

in adolescence

Montreal

YouTube

The amygdala

Film music

Musical instruments

C) In pairs, use your notes to talk about the different topics in exercise B.
D) Listen again to Part 2 and match the verbs in A with the phrases in B. What do they refer to in the
programme?
A B
take somebody back your attitude to music
play in underground stations
go less self-conscious
hang around from dementia
hit to a period of their life
suffer a role
come haywire
change upon a solution
feel to life

E) How good do you think you are at singing? Is it necessary to be good to enjoy singing?
Choose three songs or pieces of music that would be the top three on the soundtrack to your life
so far? What memories do you associate with them?

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Read the text What is Music? which begins on the next page. Then answer A, B and C below:

A) General questions
According to the text ...

a) What’s the difference between tempo and rhythm?

b) What is pitch?

c) What’s the difference between melody and harmony?

d) What aspects of music have some kind of psychological explanation?

e) What aspects of music have some kind of biological/evolutionary explanation?

f) How can cultural differences in music be explained?

B) True / False

1) You’re more likely to have a car crash if you’re listening to music with a high tempo.
2) A carousel can be suggested by a piece of music with a 2-4 beat?
3) The word ‘upbeat’ could be used to describe someone with an optimistic outlook on life.
4) A piano is a suitable instrument to show the harmonic sequence?
5) A cello is a suitable instrument to show the lower end of the harmonic sequence?
6) Discordant music involves using ‘major’ chords.
7) The music heard in a supermarket should not differ widely in terms of pitch.
8) It is inconceivable that extra-terrestrial music could be recognisable to ours.
9) Traditional music from distinct areas around the world is increasingly being diluted by the kind of
music found predominantly in the United States.
10) Musical preferences are to a certain extent idiosyncratic.

C) Synonyms

Find words in the text with the same meaning as the following (line numbers are given to isolate the
paragraph).

a) more energetic (lines 1-9)

b) strongly desire (lines 14-21)
c) running fast (of a horse) (lines 22-26)
d) super-confident way of walking (lines 27-34)
e) common (lines 35-38)
f) On the other hand (lines 40-47)
g) untroubled (lines 40-47)
h) activate/generate (lines 81-88)
i) machine for cutting grass (lines 89-97)
j) plain/insipid (lines 98-105)

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 What is music? Author: Jim Paterson

We are all aware that music and "atmosphere" go together. We might put on relaxing music for a
quiet romantic dinner, but listen to something livelier while doing some physical work or exercise, or
when out socialising in larger groups. You might have heard of farmers who increase production by
playing music to their animals, recent studies showing that listening to fast music whilst driving
5 increases the rate of car accidents, and the Mozart Effect claims to boost intelligence. While some
claims may be exaggerated, there is no denying that music can suggest and affect our state of mind.
But the reason for this is very mysterious. Why should organised sounds affect us to such an extent
that billions are spent annually making music?

Tempo & Rhythm

10 Music tends to have a steady tempo to it, often measured in "beats per minute". A simple
observation is that most music is in the range of 50-200 beats per minute, the same as the extreme
range of our heartbeats. In general too, the tempo of a piece of music roughly equates with the
heartbeat associated with the corresponding physical state or emotion which the music suggests.

Anything in the range 60-80 beats per minute is calm and relaxed, less than 60 is often very relaxed,
15 introspective or even depressed. 80-100 is moderately alert and interested. 100 upwards is
increasingly lively, excited or agitated and, since we crave some degree of excitement from our
entertainment, 80-120 is quite a common tempo, and even 120-160 is common in some energetic
situations. There is no absolute correspondence between heartbeat and music tempo, but there is a
strong degree of suggestion between the two. Music moves in time and suggests movement, and we
20 tend to associate music unconsciously with movements made by our bodies while talking, walking,
running, dancing, riding, etc.

To illustrate this, note that marches are usually in 2/4 time, giving that "left, right, left, right ..." feel.
In contrast to this 3/4 time seems to completely lack that left-right feel, and we therefore frequently
associate it with circular motions, like swirling waltzes, or roundabouts at the fun-fair. Music
25 suggesting a horse galloping or a train ride is fast with more complicated rhythms representing 4 legs
or several sets of wheels.

This latter example illustrates that while tempo sets the basic pace of music, there are many ways in
which composers can alter and adjust this using different note patterns or rhythms. Syncopation is a
familiar example with notes unexpectedly landing "off the beat", which adds complexity and interest
30 to a basic beat, often turning a simple march tempo into a jaunty swagger. The rhythm of music can
qualify the repetitive nature of the underlying beat by suggesting more frequent or less frequent
movement. Even though the tempo of a piece of music might be slow and relaxed, a high frequency
of notes can suggest a degree of contained excitement within that relaxed state. But the combination
of tempo and rhythm has an immediate almost physical impact on our perceptions.

35 There is also a strong degree of correspondence between tempo and emotions and this is evident
from everyday metaphors. In the English language, not only do we talk about "beats" of the heart
and "beats" in music, but we also say that something is "upbeat" when it is happy and positive or
"downbeat" when something is sad or depressed.

Pitch, Melody & Harmony

40 Lots of things make noises but in general bigger objects make deeper noises, whether long columns
of air or long strings in a musical instrument, big chests, large animal footsteps (like an elephant), or
simply large objects generally banging together. Conversely, smaller instruments, short columns of
air, short strings or tight strings, small animals (like a mouse) or objects make higher pitched noises.
We tend to find large things more threatening than smaller things (part of our evolutionary heritage)
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45 so pitch on its own can affect how we perceive sounds and music, providing a basic scale from "high
= light, happy, carefree, funny" to "low = dark, sad, ominous, serious".

A melody consists of a linear sequence of tones. A good melody is often one that we could hum, sing
or whistle. In general we prefer melodies where the tones are reasonably close together, with a
variety of harmonious intervals between them, and a rhythm similar to that of speech. The notes
50 should not be in an extreme range and shouldn't have large awkward jumps between them. The
notes should also have durations which are not too short and not too long (often in the range of 0.1
second to 2 seconds). In this way melodies are very similar to sentences that our brains are designed
to speak and listen to. Different types of melodies also help to convey different emotions, for
example chromatic melodies or melodies belonging to a minor scale are often seen as darker than
55 melodies from a major scale. Research has also shown that the emotions of melodies mirror the
emotions of speech. Just as sad people tend to talk in a monotone, sad music seems to move in very
small intervals within a narrow range. In contrast happy people talk using a greater tonal range, and
happy music follows this pattern using larger intervals over a wider range.

Unusual things happen when we combine tones of different pitches, called harmony. Some
60 combinations go well together and some don't. Those notes which combine well seem to be close to
what's called the "harmonic sequence". The harmonic sequence is the completely natural set of
different notes produced by something vibrating, and is most easily demonstrated musically using
brass instruments. The lowest notes of this series are like those produced by a "natural" (without
keys) instrument such as a bugle, and include octaves, fifths and thirds. These are just the notes
65 which go well together to make "harmonious" sounds like major chords. On a stringed instrument
you can demonstrate the lower notes of the harmonic series by playing the strongest "harmonics" of
the strings which divide the length into fractions like halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, etc. These
harmonics are always present to varying degrees within all notes, and their proportions help to give
sounds their unique "timbre" or colour or tone.

70 A minor chord differs from a major one by using a "minor third" interval. The minor third is further
up the harmonic sequence and therefore sounds remote from the original note, which goes to make
the minor chord sound darker and less natural. Other combinations of notes are even more remote
on this sequence and can give rise to musical clashes or "discord".

It is a matter of life and death to most animals that they can focus on important things and ignore
75 unessential ones. Some of this might be instinctive and some learned by experience but at its root it
is all about recognising and responding appropriately to certain patterns, maybe weather conditions
or vegetation that indicate a good source of food, or shapes or sounds that might indicate danger
from a predator.

Human brains in particular seem to have a highly developed and flexible pattern recognition
80 capability. This aspect of our intelligence has allowed us to adapt to many different climates and
conditions, make the best use of available shelter and resources, and to build language and culture to
communicate to each other and succeeding generations. It also allows us to appreciate and to create
pattern for its own sake in the form of visual and aural arts. The simplest form of pattern is just
repetition. If we see something familiar, then it triggers memories and related thoughts, sometimes
85 consciously and sometimes unconsciously. The repetition needn't be exact, but "similar" enough to
trigger that familiarity.

Translating this into musical terms, if we hear a similar sound or group of sounds twice, then it clicks
with our brains and we recognise this as a pattern or an association. The pattern is often fairly
simple, consisting of a single note or a few notes in sequence. If the sequence of notes is too long, we
90 will struggle to remember them. Conversely if we hear a short sequence of notes repeated many
times then this becomes too boring (part of the background which we tend to ignore) and we only

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 notice when there is a change to the sequence. You might have a picture hanging on your wall, but it
is so familiar that you don't really notice it any more (until someone moves it or removes it). In the
same way, we can block out repetitive noise (road traffic or next door's lawn mower) but
95 immediately notice if it suddenly stops.

Some music is designed to be in the background, unobtrusively creating "atmosphere" or ambience

in a restaurant, shop, lift or other public place. Such music (or "muzak") should be ideally of a
common volume, timbre and consistency, in other words predictable or "bland"! (It can be annoying
if such music is too loud or otherwise obtrusive when you are trying to think or hold a conversation.)
100 Other music is designed to grab your attention, by being loud or otherwise having an immediately
distinctive pattern. These two types of music are often played together so that a memorable melody
is distinctive and stands out from a simple accompaniment of chords and repeating percussion.
Melody and accompaniment is like foreground and background in a visual scene.

Musical patterns help us recognise different instruments or singers in a piece of music. Patterns of
105 different types also give rise to figures, phrases, themes, melodies, forms and styles. These structures
help musicians to provide both recognition and variety in music, and optimise the listener's
experience by providing works that seems consistent and balanced yet with interesting features to
make the experience enjoyable. Sometimes people listen with concentration to music and become
involved with it, but at other times the music is playing in the background or accompanying another
110 activity.

Cultural Aspects

So far, based upon tempo, pitch and pattern, we have a natural basis for some of the foundations for
music and how it affects us. Indeed, it is quite possible that aliens on another planet who also
respond to sounds, might also share some of these basics and understand aspects of our music or us
115 theirs. But there is no denying that many aspects of music appreciation and music psychology are
learned by repeated exposure (both passive where children are exposed to various types of music,
and active where individuals seek out types of music that interest them.)

The cultural aspects of music are built upon these basic foundations, and evolve over time into
complex conventions which are passed on from generation to generation. The relative isolation of
120 different communities during this musical development mean that they are likely to evolve in
different directions. Then later cross-fertilisation between different cultures can lead to the
introduction of new elements which are initially molded to fit the adopting culture and then evolve
further. With increased means of communication across the globe we now have some familiarity
with the music of different cultures and can perhaps recognise the region of origin, though there is
125 no denying that many old forms of world music are being "westernised".

As well as recognising music of different countries, we also recognise lots of different styles of music
like Latin dance styles, Blues music, Classical, Rock and Roll, Viennese waltzes, Hymns, R&B, Techno,
military Marches, Ragtime or Jazz. The distinguishing features of these styles might include particular
rhythms, tempi, themes, instruments or music structures or combinations of these. The culture of
130 music is such that we share a common set of associations with different music styles, linking some
with parts of the world, certain periods in history, or certain groups of people. In some cases this
might be amazingly closely defined sub-styles of music which to people of another "culture" might all
sound "the same", but sometimes it can be as simple as a certain instrument or rhythm being enough
to suggest the style. Because of these associations we might be drawn towards or away from certain
135 styles of music, such that we may enjoy Tibetan music because it is linked to our faith, or perhaps we
hate Rock and Roll because our parents love it. So, as well as a large set of cultural music
associations, we have some very individual associations (maybe even a favourite song, singer or
composer) which alter our musical perceptions and appreciation.

14
The Quietest Place On Earth Oli Usher writing in The Guardian 11 August 2015

Silence holds a paradoxical place in science and in human consciousness. In science, the quietest conditions that
modern technology allow are invariably used to research sound. (1) _________ Real silence is strange and
disturbing, not relaxing. Most people cannot sleep without at least some background sound.

The closest humankind can get to complete silence is the inside of a heavily soundproofed anechoic chamber, a
handful of which exist in universities and labs across Britain. These are used for a range of interesting research -
but they also have a profound effect on the people who go into them.

My search for one leads me to University College London, whose anechoic ("without echo") room is in an
anonymous, windowless building. (2) _________ Dave Cushing, a technician in the phonetics and linguistics
department, which owns the facility, shows me the stacks of equipment used in the chamber, and the extensive
precautions taken to keep sound pollution inside to a minimum.

Stepping into the chamber is a strange experience, "like being in a field in the middle of the night" according to
John Fithyan who runs Southampton University's facility. The silence is profound and the room looks unusual too,
with jagged sound-cancelling spikes covering the walls and ceiling that take on a menacing look in the dim light. A
70s-style padded armchair sits incongruously in this other-worldly environment. As I sit on the chair, I try to
speak. My voice sounds quiet and dead, and yet I am conscious of the sound of my breathing. (3) _________ The
experience is disconcerting.

Unpleasant or not, complete silence is incredibly difficult to achieve. Insulate a room, build it within thick brick
walls, and vibrations will still get in. Mount the whole thing on springs, and the vibrations will stop - but the
echoes won't. (4) _________ These absorb virtually all the sound, meaning that measurements of sound levels
typically weigh in far below zero decibels, the threshold of human hearing. The Bell Labs chamber, the first ever
built, featured in the Guinness Book of Records as the "quietest place on earth" after its construction in 1940.

(5) _________ So the chamber at UCL has specially designed silent air conditioning, and the walls contain coils to
cancel out the hum of the substation. The chamber is lit with light bulbs instead of noisy fluorescent tubes. And
users must walk on a platform, raised above the soundproofed floor. (6) _________

While most anechoic chambers are used for acoustic research, UCL's is used in phonetics - the scientific study of
the human voice. Researchers make precise recordings of voices, using both microphones and laryngographs.
(7) _________ Linguists at UCL use the recordings to identify the root causes of speech abnormalities in children.

The silence of the anechoic room was a source of inspiration for American composer John Cage, who visited
Harvard University's facility in the late 1940s. Though he was in a room with no background sound and no echo,
Cage discovered that total silence is not actually possible: he claims he heard two sounds, "one high, my nervous
system in operation, one low, my blood in circulation". After this experience, he was inspired to write his "silent"
piece, 4'33", in which the "music" is made by the ambient sounds of the concert hall alone.

(8) _________ Professor Linda Luxon, an audiologist at the Institute of Child Health, questions why this might be.
"I can't give you any rational explanation of why people would lose their balance in an anechoic chamber," she
says. But she does agree that people find orientation easier if they have full use of all five senses.

As I step out of the anechoic chamber and back into the control room, my sensory deprivation ends. Before going
into the chamber, I had thought the control room was quiet, but I now hear the fans of the computer systems, the
echoes of students chatting outside. The shock of hearing all this is as great as was the shock of hearing nothing.

15
READING
1) You are going to read an article called The Quietest Place on Earth. What do you think it will be
about? What’s the quietest place you’ve ever experienced? Describe it.

2) Read the article, ignoring the gaps, and answer the questions.
i. What is an anechoic chamber?
ii. What is it used for?
iii. How does the writer describe his experience …
a) whist inside the chamber?
b) on leaving the chamber?

3) Complete the gaps 1 – 8 in the article with the sentences A – H below.

4)
A Anechoic chambers eliminate this problem by covering walls, ceiling and floor with wedges
of fibreglass which stick out 18in into the room.

B This latter device, developed by one of the academics who used this chamber, measures
the opening and closing of the voice box while the subject speaks.

C And our own search for "peace and quiet" never extends as far as wanting no noise at all.

D Once you have a silent room, you don't want to ruin it.

E As I hold my breath and try to experience the silence without the sound of my breath, I
begin to hear a whistling noise in my ears.

F Some people, standing in an anechoic chamber, have lost their balance.

G In one of the busiest parts of campus, and next to the low hum of an electricity substation,
it is hard to believe the unassuming walls can block out all sounds.

H Even the steel door is covered with a foot and a half of fibreglass.

5) Underline all instances of the noun sound in the article, together with any accompanying verbs,
adjectives or nouns.

Most people cannot sleep without at least some background sound.

6) Discuss:
a) Do you agree that our own search for ‘peace and quiet’ never extends as far as wanting no
noise at all?
b) How important is silence to you when you are …
• working or studying?
• reading?
• sleeping?
• eating?

7) Listen to John Cage’s 4’33”. Make a note of all the “ambient sounds” you can hear.
16
Onomatopoeia

A. Choose the most appropriate words to complete the sentences.

1) Bacon sizzled / buzzed in the frying pan and my stomach squeaked / rumbled in anticipation.
2) When the clock finished ringing / chiming, there was a sound of champagne corks popping /
plopping and glasses clinking / snapping.
3) A car horn bleeped / beeped outside and he came clattering / crackling excitedly down the stairs.
4) There was a screech / scratch of brakes followed by the croak / crack of gunfire.
5) Leaves began to whistle / rustle, windows rattled / muttered and a door splashed / banged shut.
6) They lay awake, relieved to hear the door click / crash quietly shut, her keys hum / jingle briefly
as she returned them to her pocket and the stairs creak / shriek as she crept up to her room.

B. Underline the noun in the groups a – h that does not correspond to the verb 1 – 8.

1. beep a. horns, alarm clock, drum

2. click b. footsteps, camera, fingers
3. creak c. floorboard, coins, door
4. howl d. wind, wolf, plane
5. hum e. fridge, keys, conversation
6. rumble f. wind, thunder, stomach
7. screech g. brakes, balloon, tyres
8. sizzle h. sausages, fly, bacon

C. Match pictures A-I below to the correct onomatopoeic words used as choices in Exercise A.

A B C

D E F

G H I

17
The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel

Hello darkness, my old _________ Fill in each gap with a word that
I've come to talk with you again rhymes with the word in italics
Because a vision softly creeping immediately above or below it.
Left its seeds while I was ______________
And the vision that was planted in my __________
Still remains within the sound of silence.

In restless dreams I walked _________

Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and _______
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon _________
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence.

And in the naked light I saw

Ten thousand people, maybe _________
People talking without speaking; People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one ___________ disturb the sound of silence.

"Fools, " said I, "you do not _________

Silence, like a cancer, grows.
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might _____________ you."
But my words like silent raindrops __________
And echoed in the wells of silence.

And the people bowed and _____________

To the neon God they made
And the sign flashed out its _____________
And the words that it was forming

And the sign said,

"The words of the prophets are written on the subway ___________
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sound of silence.”

18
After listening/reading, discuss what you think of this song musically and lyrically.

Get Better Frank Turner (from the 2015 album Positive Songs for Negative People)

I got me a shovel and I’m digging a ditch

And I’m going to fight for this four square feet of land
Like a mean old son of a bitch

I got me a future, I’m not stuck on the past

I got no new tricks, yeah, I’m up on bricks
But me, I’m a machine and I was built to last

I’m trying to get better ‘cause I haven’t been my best

She took a plain black marker, started writing on my chest
She drew a line across the middle of my broken heart
And said “Come on now, let’s fix this mess”
We could get better because we’re not dead yet

They threw me a whirlwind and I spat back the sea

I took a battering but I’ve got thicker skin
And the best people I know are looking out for me
So I’m taking the high road, my engine’s running high and fine
May I always see the road rising up to meet me
And my enemies defeated in the mirror behind

I’m trying to get better ‘cause I haven’t been my best

She took a plain black marker, started writing on my chest
She drew a line across the middle of my broken heart
And said “Come on now, let’s fix this mess”
We could get better because we’re not dead yet

It’s just a knot in the small of your back

You could work it out with your fingers
It’s just a tune that got stuck in your head
You could work it out with your fingers
It’s just some numbers tangled up in your sums
You could work it out with your fingers
It’s just a simple Braille missive from the person you miss
A reminder you could always be a little bit better than this

So try and get better and don’t ever accept less

Take a plain black marker and write this on your chest
Draw a line underneath all of this unhappiness
Come on now, let’s fix this mess
We could get better because we’re not dead yet
19
Making Sense of Phrasal Verbs
1 Form
A phrasal verb (also known as a multi-word verb)
consists of a VERB e.g. come, get, give combined
with a PARTICLE up, on, away, to produce phrasal
verbs such as come up, get on and get away.
2 Multiple Meanings
The same phrasal verb can have many different
meanings.
a) How many different meanings can you think of
for the phrasal verb work out? Write an example
sentence for each one.
b) Look at the following dictionary entry. How
many of the definitions did you think of?
work 'out phrasal vb 1a. [T] to solve a problem by
doing a calculation: I was born in 1968: you work out
my age. 1b. to solve a problem by considering the
facts: I can’t work out whether to sell or rent the house.
1c. to resolve a problem in a satisfactory way: We’ve
worked out our differences. 2 [T] to formulate or
develop something: we were told to work out a new
plan. 3 [I] to be successful or to end in a particular way:
If it doesn’t work out, you can always come back here.
• Things worked out pretty well in the end. 4 [T] to
decide on a satisfactory way of doing something: An
international peace plan has been worked out. 5a. [I] to
add up to a particular amount: The mortgage works out
at about £360 a month. 5b. used for saying what the
value of something is when you calculate it: Taking the
train works out more expensive than going by car. 6 [I]
to do physical exercise as a way of keeping fit: He
works out at the local gym every day. 7 [T] to
understand someone or something: I can’t work him
out – he’s a complete mystery to me. 8 [T] to remove or
eliminate something from something by repeated or
continuous effort: We tried for hours to work the stain
out of the shirt. • No matter how hard we tried, we
couldn’t work the knot out of the rope.
Adapted from Macmillan Advanced Learners Dictionary
c) Decide which meaning from the dictionary
entry above corresponds with each of the
following sentences. After each sentence write
1a, 1b, 1c, 2, 3, 4, 5a, 5b, 6, 7 or 8.
i) Talking and listening to each other is a good way
to work out your relationship.
ii) I worked out the tangles with a comb.
iii) I’m sorry but your handwriting is like Egyptian
hieroglyphs to me and I just can’t work it out.
iv) For years Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were
Hollywood’s “it” couple, but their marriage didn’t
work out and they divorced in 2001.
v) On July 9, 2012, it was announced that Cruise and
his second wife Katie Holmes had signed a divorce
settlement which their lawyers worked out.
vi) A manned mission to Mars will certainly work
out cheaper and easier if it is a one-way trip.
vii) In 1910 Ernest Rutherford worked out that the
diameter of an atom is about 100, 000 times
larger than the diameter of its nucleus.
viii) Haytor Down in Devon was where Agatha
Christie worked out the plot of her first novel.
ix) After reading several online tutorials, Jeff
finally worked out how to use his new iPad.
x) Sophie likes to donate money to charity, which
usually works out to be around £5 a week.
d) Which of the definitions in the dictionary entry
has led to a noun formed from the phrasal verb?
3 Literal and Metaphorical meanings
Some phrasal verbs have both literal and
metaphorical (or idiomatic) meanings.
a) Which of the definitions of work out in the
dictionary entry is a literal meaning?
Phrasal verbs often have a metaphorical meaning
derived (or transferred) from the literal meaning.
b) Do the phrasal verbs in the following
sentences have literal or metaphorical
meanings? Mark them L or M.
i) She came round to my house.
ii) She’s coming round to my point of view.
iii) Don’t give away my secret.
iv) He gave away his money.
v) The court stood up when the judge came in.
vi) You must stand up for what you believe in.
vii) I’ll pick you up from your house at 7.30.
viii) I picked my pen up from the floor.
20
c) Arrange the sentences from the box in order
according to the degree to which the meaning of
the phrasal verb is literal or metaphorical.
Literal
1_______________________________________
2_______________________________________
3_______________________________________
4_______________________________________
5_______________________________________
6_______________________________________
7_______________________________________
Metaphorical
a. The plane took off.
b. The sick sailor was taken off the ship.
c. We’re taking off a fortnight in the summer.
d. Take off your coat.
e. He’s a good mimic. He can take off all the
teachers perfectly.
f. her business is taking off.
g. The government is taking 5p off income tax.
d) Complete sentences i - vii with the correct
forms of the phrasal verbs in the box below, all
used with a literal meaning.
stand up for go down take to get through
keep up with see through come up with
i) You are not allowed to _________________ the
escalator with a buggy.
ii) How did the thieves _________________ the
window without breaking it?
iii) The whole audience _________________ the
final curtain call, cheering wildly.
iv) Slow down! I can’t _________________ you.
Your legs are longer than mine.
v) Before dinner, he went down to the cellar and
_________________ two bottles of vintage wine.
vi) It was an absolute cloudburst. I could barely
_________________ the windscreen to drive.
vii) I’m from the Planet Zog. ________ me ______
your leader!
e) Sometimes the literal meaning can help us
understand the metaphorical meaning. Complete
sentences viii - xiv with the correct forms of the
same phrasal verbs in the box above, but this
time using them with a metaphorical meaning.
viii) I finally _________________ to an actual
human being after two hours on the phone.
ix) The computer system _________________ ,
causing chaos.
x) I’ve exhausted all my ideas for passwords. I
can’t _________________ any more.
xi) He had a smooth superficial charm, but she
soon _________________ and ditched him.
xii) Don’t let your boss treat like that.
_________________ your rights!
xiii) My grandma got a tablet for her 80th birthday
and she’s _________________ it in a big way.
xiv) My husband’s a real techno geek – he likes to
_________________ all the latest gadgets.
f) Write an example sentence to show the
meaning of each of the following phrasal verbs.
Example: turn down (literal meaning)
He turned down the corner of the page so as not
to lose his place in the book.
Example: turn down (metaphorical meaning)
She turned down his invitation to go to the party.
i) turn up (literal meaning)
________________________________________
ii) turn up (metaphorical meaning)
________________________________________
iii) break off (literal meaning)
________________________________________
iv) break off (metaphorical meaning)
________________________________________
iii) look up (literal meaning)
________________________________________
iv) look up (metaphorical meaning)
________________________________________
g) Some phrasal verbs are not derived from a
literal meaning and are purely metaphorical.
What are the meanings of the following phrasal
verbs? Some have more than one meaning.
i) make up ii) put up with
iii) catch up iv) put off
21
4 The Grammar of Phrasal Verbs
a) Look back at the dictionary entry for work out.
What do you think the symbols [T] and [I] mean?
Look at the examples to help you.
b) There are 4 types of phrasal verbs.
Fill in spaces 1a – 3d with phrasal verbs, using the
verbs and particles from the box below. In each
pair the same phrasal verb is used.
verbs particles
come put across through
go sail down up
pick take out
(Remember L = literal meaning and M. =
metaphorical meaning.)
Type 1 (intransitive): verb + adverb (no object)
1a) I’m just ___________. I’ll be back in a bit. (L)
1b) I didn’t put enough wood on the fire, so it
_______________. (M)
Type 2 (transitive): verb + adverb + object
2a) I ___________ the picture on the wall. (L)
2b) I ___________ my sister for the night. (M)
Type 2 phrasal verbs are separable. The object
(person or thing) can come between the verb and
the adverb.
2c) Every evening he _____ the rubbish ____. (L)
2d) I _____ a mortgage ____ on a new house. (M)
If the object is a pronoun it always comes
between the verb and the adverb.
2e) Careful with that knife! _____ it _____! (L)
2f) Our dog was ill so the vet ____ her _____. (M)
An object pronoun cannot come after a phrasal
verb with an adverb.
She took off it X I can’t work out her. X
If the object is a long structure, the phrasal verb
is not separated.
2g) You must ____________ any litter that you
drop on the ground. (L)
2h) From watching my uncle, I’ve _____________
what I know about car repairs. (M)
Type 3 (transitive): verb + preposition + object
3a) She _____________ the street to say hello. (L)
3b) She _____________ an old letter while she
was tidying her drawers. (M)
Type 3 phrasal verbs are inseparable. The object
always comes after the preposition even when it
is a pronoun.
e.g. The policeman looked into the room. (L)
The police are looking into the crime. (M)
The police are looking it into. X
3c) The ship ______________ the harbour and
out to sea. (L)
3d) She found all her exams really easy and
______________ them. (M)
Type 4: verb + adverb + preposition + object
(transitive)
Type 4 (or three-part) phrasal verbs are almost
always metaphorical. They are inseparable and
the object must always come at the end.
e.g. Every day we have to put up with lots of
noise from our neighbours. (= tolerate someone
or something that is annoying)
Complete spaces 4a – 4f with a three-part
phrasal verb. Use the verb in capital letters.
4a) I’m really ________________________ going
away on Erasmus next year. LOOK (= feeling
excited about something that is going to happen)
4b) I’ve got to _________________________ my
spending. CUT (= reduce)
4c) He was never caught and managed to
__________________________ the crime. GET
(= escape punishment).
4d) Many tennis players ____________________
Roger Federer as a role model. LOOK (= admire
and respect someone)
4e) Her aunt’s rather snobbish and tends to
__________________________ people who have
never been to university. LOOK (= consider
oneself superior or better than somebody else)
4f) The amazing experience of doing Erasmus in
Barcelona certainly ________________________
all my expectations. LIVE (= fulfil / be as good as
what was expected.)
22
5 Latin-based synonyms
Many phrasal verbs have a synonym of Latin
origin. Phrasal verbs tend to be more informal
than their Latinate equivalents (though they are
also often used in formal contexts).
a) Complete the spaces with a verb of Latin origin
from the box which corresponds with the phrasal
verb in italics. Make any necessary changes to the
form of the verb.
abolish assimilate compensate for
deceive decline discern extract
improve pretend remain tolerate
i) I find it hard to put up with ( ______________ )
people using a mobile phone at the dinner table.
ii) I never took in ( ______________ ) the song’s
message as I couldn’t make out ( ____________ )
the lyrics.
iii) Don’t be taken in ( ____________ ) by adverts
for cheap loans.
iv) The service was poor but the quality of the
food more than made up for ( ____________ ) it.
v) For a long time business has been falling off
( _________________ ) but, fortunately, it’s now
beginning to pick up ( ________________ ) again.
vi) He says he feels ill but he’s just putting it on
( ____________ ) to avoid going to school.
vii) Regardless of Internet downloading, we’re far
from doing away with ( _________________ )
cds and they will keep on ( _______________ )
being used for many years yet.
viii) I had to have all my wisdom teeth taken out
( ____________ )
b) Decide if these sentences are more formal or
informal. Underline the more appropriate verb.
i) Can you help me inflate/blow up these balloons
for the party?
ii) Little Johnny ate fourteen chocolate eggs. No
wonder he vomited/threw up all over the carpet.
iii) In court yesterday the defendant was charged
with assaulting/beating up a policeman.
iv) The battalion of soldiers were totally
outnumbered and were faced with no choice but
to surrender/give in to the enemy.
v) Stop letting everyone bully you! It’s time you
defended/stuck up for yourself!
vi) Mum, my teacher reprimanded me/told me off
for chewing gum in class.
vii) This 17th century stately home has been fully
restored/done up by its current owners.
viii) Our neighbour’s a real snob. All that matters
to her is maintaining/keeping up appearances.
c) Complete the spaces with appropriate verbs
taken from exercises a) and b). Use phrasal verbs
with those sentences that are more informal and
Latinate verbs for those that are more formal.
i) The prosecution lawyer was _______________
by the judge for trying to delay proceedings.
ii) Jim’s presentation was really heavy going.
There were too many slides and far too much
information to ______________ in one go.
iii) I can’t stand reality TV! I think they should
________________________ it completely.
iv) Do not eat or drink anything for several
hours after _________________ or you will
simply continue to feel nauseous.
v) Gran’s cottage looks OK from the outside but
really needs ________________. There are more
holes in the roof than a Swiss cheese.
vi) Certain infrared cameras can _____________
temperature differences as small as 0.1o C.
vii) It is not easy to _______________ relations
with countries that violate international law.
viii) I took up karate after being ______________
too many times by bullies at school.
ix) I know you’re fed up with this house but you’ll
just have to __________________ it till we move.
x) The economy is so sluggish at the moment.
When on Earth is it finally going to ___________?
d) On the lines in brackets write a phrasal verb
formed from the word in capitals and with a
similar meaning to the Latin-based verb in italics.
i) Complete ( _________________ ) this
application form and send it to us. FILL
ii) This afternoon’s meeting has been cancelled
( _______________ ). CALL
iii) The students submitted ( _______________ )
their exam papers and left the room. HAND
iv) We asked the boss to postpone ( __________ )
the meeting until tomorrow. PUT
v) He applied for a promotion twice this year, but
was rejected ( ___________ ) both times. TURN
vi) His report omitted ( ______________ ) a lot of
details. LEAVE
vii) The lawyers examined ( _____________ ) the
papers carefully before reaching a decision (LOOK)
23
 Phrasal Verbs with up and down 4 Start/End
Why might these things happen?
1 Movement (literally meaning up ↑and down ↓)
a. I’ll set up my own business.
What’s the situation before the movement here?
b. Let’s fire up the barbecue!
a. Chelsea moved up to 3rd place. c. The president stood down.
b. ‘Sit up straight!’ d. My marriage broke down.
c. He looked down at the floor. e. My laptop’s so slow to boot up.
d. Please, do sit down. f. The hotel shut down last year.
e. I need to lie down for a bit.
5 Completion
2 Increase/Decrease
e.g. I’ve filled up two bins with all the rubbish.
e.g. Gas prices continue to go up. The police have tracked the robber down.
Temperatures are soon likely to cool down.
What has reached its limit in these examples?
What is increasing and decreasing here?
a. You’ll wind up in hospital.
a. Turn it up – I can’t hear it! b. The bar’s closing now, so drink up!
b. Kids, quieten down now! c. I’ve used up all my leave.
c. I need to save up for a car. d. I eventually managed to pin Harry down.
d. They’ve cut down my hours. e. I’ve decided to finally settle down.
e. Speed up – it’s a 70mph zone! f. He stripped down and jumped in the lake.
f. Slow down – my legs are tired!
Complete the lines with up or down.
3 Better/Worse Which of the meanings 1 – 5 does each have?
(It may be a combination of two meanings)
e.g. We’ve just finished doing up the house.
(i.e. improving the home – painting & decorating) a. Speak _____! We can’t hear you at the back!
Work stress eventually wore him down. b. It’s too hard. I give _____. What’s the answer?
(i.e. gradually made him lose energy/confidence) c. Calm ______! I’ll pay for the repair!
Fill in the gaps with dress, dumb, jazz or talk and d. Oh lighten _____ , will you! It’s just a game!
match the examples to the definitions. e. I’m sorry I’ve let you _____.
f. You need to wake _____ and smell the coffee.
a. Films have been _________ down recently and
g. Entering the church, she knelt _____ to pray.
don’t credit audiences with any intelligence.
h. During the crisis, job offers began to dry _____.
b. After the game the manager __________ the i. Oh, grow _____ and stop acting like a child!
team down, saying they weren’t good enough. j. The wind died _____ and the waves were calm.
k. The boss is playing it _____ , but it is bad news.
c. He __________ up his room with some posters.
l. They’re finally winding the programme ______
d. Don’t worry, you can wear what you like to the after eleven series.
party. There’s no need to ___________ up.

(i) discuss someone or something in a way that
makes them seem less interesting or attractive
(ii) put on one’s best or fanciest clothing.
(iii) make something simpler and easier to
understand in a way that reduces its quality
(iv) make something brighter and more colourful
so as to be more appealing/exciting.
What’s the difference between A and B?
i) A. She tore the paper. B. She tore the paper up.
ii) A. I cut the apple. B. I cut the apple up.
iii) A. Jim Smith’s sons ran the company.
B. Jim Smith’s sons ran down the company.
iv) A. He washed. B. He washed up.
What two meanings could this sentence have?
They washed up on the beach.
24
 Phrasal Verbs with on and off Fill in the gaps with the correct form of a verb
from the box below and match each of the
1 Starting/Stopping examples a-h to one of the definitions (i)-(viii).

What might people be talking about in these advance back put run see scare sneak verge
examples?

a. Try turning it off and on again. a. We went to the airport to _________ Dan off.
b. It suddenly came on in the night. b. A man just grabbed my bag and ________ off.
c. Switch them off before take-off.
d. It went off after I burnt the toast. c. He __________ up on me and startled me.

Fill in each gap with a verb from the box and
on or off. put bring catch pay finish log
a. Do you think smart watches will ____________?
b. We ____________ the meal with a coffee.
c. Barcelona in the semi-final? __________ it ___!
d. ____________ before leaving your desk.
e. I’ll _________ the kettle ____ for tea.
f. We’ve finally ____________ all our debts.
(i)
d. Her hair’s dark brown, ___________ on black.
e. You’re too close, just _________ off a little.
f. The police ______________ on the protesters.
g. Ssh! Quiet! Don’t ___________ the birds off!
h. Can we _________ this off until tomorrow?
almost be a particular quality or state

2 Continuing/Not continuing (ii) delay / postpone

(iii) move in the direction opposite to that in
Why would someone … ?
which you are facing in order to get further
a. carry on reading a book till 2.00 a.m. away from something
b. find a lecture dragging on
(iv) move forward in order to confront something
c. go on and on about their new phone
d. cheer somebody on during a race (v) go to the place where someone is leaving
e. tell you to ‘dream on’ from in order to say goodbye to them
f. Say it’s time to crack on with work. (vi) frighten something away

What or who … ? (vii) approach someone quietly and surprise them

a. can be rained off
b. wears off after a few hours
c. can be laid off in a company restructure
d. might be broken off after a change of heart
e. can be called off after industrial negotiations
f. might you go off after visiting a factory farm
3 Closer to/Further away
e.g. Hamilton is gaining on Alonso.
(i.e. Hamilton is approaching Alonso in a race)
Dave drove off without me
(i.e. his car started moving and left)
(viii) leave someone or somewhere suddenly
4 Connected/Separated
Choose the correct particle.
a. A semi-detached house is joined on/off to
another house, with the garden fenced on/off
b. Our house has a conservatory built on/off,
and the garden borders on/off a field.
c. Police have cordoned on/off the gunman’s
house and sealed on/off the entire area.

d. The gym has added on/off a women’s weights

room, partitioned on/off from the men’s.

25
PRACTICE
Complete the responses to the questions using a verb from the box and on or off.

e.g. Is there going to be a train strike now? You write: No, it’s been called off.

drag come see lay call rain wear put (x2) catch go seal

a. A lot of people are playing Pokemon Go, aren’t they?

Yes, it really seems to have__________________________________.

b. These painkillers don’t work for very long, do they?

No. They after about three hours.

c. I thought you liked blue cheese?

I did, but I’ve_____________________________________________.

d. Do you fancy a cup of tea?

Yes, I’ll .

e. When does the heating start working?

It .

f. Was it too wet to finish your tennis match?

Yes, it got ____________________________________________:___.

g. How come you lost your job?

I got ____________________________________________________.

h. Are you taking Suzie to the airport?

Yes, I’m going to __________________________________________.

i. Have you still not written that essay?

No, I keep _______________________________________________.

j. Oh, I thought that lecture would never end! It was so dull, wasn’t it?

Yes, it did .

k. Why can’t you drive down the High Street today? Is it because of that awful traffic accident?

Yes, the police have .

26
Lit = Literal Met = Metaphorical Obj = Takes an Object No Obj = Doesn’t take an object Sep = Separable Insep = Inseparable
Meaning Grammar Example
Phrasal in Context
Lit Met Definition Obj No Sep Insep
Verb Obj
give in give a piece of work to someone in authority Have you given your homework in yet?
√ e.g a teacher √ √ Can I give in my essay next week?
give in stop competing or arguing and accept that He refused to give in and in the end was victorious.
√ you cannot win √ √ The government gave in to pressure from business.

27
Lit = Literal Met = Metaphorical Obj = Takes an Object No Obj = Doesn’t take an object Sep = Separable Insep = Inseparable

Meaning Grammar Example

Phrasal in Context
Lit Met Definition Obj No Sep Insep
Verb Obj

28
 “Starman”
1) Name as many Bowie albums from the 1970s as you can.
2) Name William Burroughs’ most famous book.
3) Name as many music movements between 1950 and 2000 as you can and put them in
chronological order.

On 28 February 1974, Rolling Stone magazine published a remarkable encounter between David Bowie
and William Burroughs. Entitled "Beat Godfather Meets Glitter Mainman", the event had been hosted in
November 1973 by the American journalist A Craig Copetas. As published it took the form of a Q&A
between the writer and the musician that, in retrospect, was an inspired piece of positioning for both parties.
Bowie was then at the zenith of his pop star cycle. Five days before the cover date his single "Rebel Rebel"
entered the British charts, where it would peak at No 5. With its teen address, deep androgyny and dancehall
imperative, the song was very much in line with previous Bowie hits such as "John, I'm Only Dancing" and
"The Jean Genie". But, although nobody knew it at the time, it would be the last in that sequence. Bowie
wasn't a traditional pop star, happy to be known for one sound or idea then to be discarded by a fickle
public. That was the Ziggy Stardust storyline, and he was determined to avoid the fate of his fictional alter
ego.

1. Rephrase "Beat Godfather Meets Glitter Mainman" in your own words.

2. Give a synonym for the word “parties”.
3. What does the phrase “cover date” mean?
4. Rephrase “teen address, deep androgyny and dancehall imperative” in your own words.
5. What was the “fate of his fictional alter ego”?

Ziggymania had begun, but this was something more than stardom. Bowie had become a phenomenon, the
kind of performer who comes along once in a generation, and carries the whole culture along in his or her
wake. His only rivals – Marc Bolan and Rod Stewart – did not have quite his allure or cutting edge: during
this period, Bowie was moving faster and further than the media that was trying to contain him.
Ziggy was on the point of saturation. Aladdin Sane was released in April. In June, Bowie decided to kill off
Ziggy. It was an inspired piece of timing: the look, culture and attitude he had fostered were in danger of
being assimilated and superseded. The trend became known as glam rock: a combination of hard rock,
flash, often absurd silver costumes and an attempted, androgynous glamour. By the middle of 1973, the
purity and power of Bowie's breakthrough had become dulled by imitation and repetition – the full stupidity
of fashion or trend evanescence: here today, gone tomorrow. Diluted elements of his style were all over the
pop charts: Sweet, Mud, Alvin Stardust.
1) Going back to the 1930s name at least five other music performers (not groups) who came along once in
a generation.
2) Why did Bowie kill off Ziggy?
3) Within the context described, is imitation the sincerest form of flattery?
29
 Bowie with William Burroughs (1973)

By now Bowie was not just a pop star but a culture leader, the focus for several micro-generations of fans,
ranging from teens to twenty-something urban sophisticates. And he was looking to push them, and himself,
forward into uncharted territory. So the November meeting with Burroughs was well timed. The author was
well known, but not the cult he would later become. He was near the end of his time in London, where he
had lived since 1968, and his burst of early 1960s creativity – brought on by the discovery of the cut-up
technique – had slowed down. However in 1971 he had published The Wild Boys: A Book of the Dead, a
nightmarish vision of a future (dated 1988) overrun by "adolescent guerrilla armies of specialised
humanoids".
1) What is the “cut-up technique”?
2) Are there any examples of "adolescent guerrilla armies of specialised humanoids" in 2016?

Bowie later stated that he got "the shape and the look of what Ziggy and the Spiders were going to become"
from The Wild Boys and from Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film version of A Clockwork Orange (1962): "They
were both powerful pieces of work, especially the marauding boy gangs of Burroughs' Wild Boys with their
bowie knives. I got straight on to that. I read everything into everything. Everything had to be infinitely
symbolic." The encounter went well. Both parties were equally aware of what they had to offer each other.
For Burroughs, who had been publishing ground-breaking books for 20 years without much appreciable
financial return, it was association with fame and the music industry, as well as the possible benefits: a
wider readership, film hook-ups and more money.
1) What do you understand by Bowie saying, “Everything had to be infinitely symbolic."?
2) What does “hooks ups” mean in this context?

Bowie's needs were less obvious, but nonetheless urgent. Searching for an exit from conventional pop
stardom, he needed another way of working and a different kind of public persona. Literary cachet offered
the chance of a deeper, wider and more permanent cultural relevance; Burroughs had an impeccable avant-
garde reputation and an image that was at once forbidding and forbidden, remote and culturally potent.
Most of all, Burroughs had a technique that would enable Bowie to renew his entire method of writing
lyrics and making music. During the early 1960s, Burroughs and his colleague, the painter and writer Brion
Gysin, had developed the cut-up as a method of visual and verbal reassembly that was equally applicable
to painting, montaged artworks, calligraphy, tape manipulation and the word. It offered, in fact, a whole
new way of seeing.

30
 Having read Burroughs' cut-up novel Nova Express to prepare for the interview, Bowie applied the
technique to the words and sound of his next album, the darkly dystopian Diamond Dogs – a fusion of
Burroughs and George Orwell. The cut-up, as he admitted later, perfectly suited his own fragmented
consciousness, and also enabled him to cut through the tangle of expectation and image that threatened to
slow him down. It sped everything up.
1) Why was the cut-up “a whole new way of seeing”?
2) Why did the cut-up speed everything up?

As well as enhancing the author's fame and credibility, the meeting helped set Bowie's trajectory for the
next few years – a series of dazzling physical and artistic changes that would not slow until the early 1980s.
Bowie became the pop star as harbinger of the future, at the same time as he injected many of Burroughs'
ideas and techniques into the mainstream of popular culture.
Few could have foreseen in 1974 a punk youth culture that took many of its cues from a figure such as
Burroughs – but Bowie saw it and helped bring it about. After all, he had been in the audience himself, as
a teenager, and he understood the dynamic of public performance with a clarity very few stars have had
before or since.
1. Can you name any of the distinct personalities or phases Bowie created over the next 7 years?

Bowie saw the members of his audience raw and close-up in 1972 and 1973. He knew their strengths
and weaknesses, and he relished their diversity. He knew he and they were a kind of mutation, and that
empowered him to push himself and his fans as far and fast as they would go. He felt they would follow
him, and they did – passing through their own rites of passage to become glam rockers, soul boys, punk and
eventually, in 1980, new romantics.
1. Name at least ONE act associated with each of the movements mentioned in the last sentence.

Bowie's increasingly remote persona and ever-more radical image and sound changes didn't stop the public
from buying his records: although his singles sales dropped from the 1972–3 peak, his albums would all
make the top five until the end of the decade. Musically, his hardcore fans would follow him wherever he
directed: into SF dystopias, contemporary American soul music, icy krautrock and the ambient
instrumentals of Low and Heroes.
1. What is SF short for?
2. What country is associated with Krautrock and can you name any acts?
31
 His subcultural influence would continue to be strong: in the Soul Boys of 1975 and 1976, with their Jerome
Newton hairdos and plastic sandals; and the bizarre, cartoon-like punks who began to emerge from
London's outer suburbs in 1976. The most visible of these were given a group name, the Bromley
Contingent, and they showed the depth of Bowie's influence in their dress and demeanour.
They were among the most obvious examples of just how deep Bowie's influence had been on this
generation – just old enough to be bowled over by his 1972 breakthrough. Bowie turned 30 in January 1977.
Just as his followers flooded the media with angry noises and blank poses – in an echo of Diamond Dogs
and the Stooges' Raw Power – he was into his next phase with Low, an album of two faces: one side of
short, clipped songs with cut-up music and lyrics, and another of longer, atmospheric synthesiser
instrumentals. His second album of the year, Heroes, marked the transition to even greater effect.
1. What is “subculture”?
2. Who is Jerome Newton?
3. What sport is alluded to by the expression “bowled over”?
4. You know the song Heroes. What is its correct title?

In doing so, Bowie helped set the electronic style that took over when punk was exhausted: the wave of
synthesiser groups that became very successful in the early 1980s. Once again, he seemed uncannily in
touch with future trends – just like the Beatles had been in the 1960s. But he was no longer involved
intimately with youth subcultures, nor did his continued relevance depend on this closeness.
1. Can you name any of the synthesizer groups influenced by Bowie and one that he was influenced by?

The hit single from the 1980 album Scary Monsters …and Super Creeps was "Ashes to Ashes", a No 1
record that lyrically appeared to close the cycle that had begun with "Space Oddity", 11 years before. Shot
by David Mallett, the ground-breaking video featured Bowie in Pierrot costume walking along a beach with
the most florid examples of the latest youth subculture he had inspired: the New Romantics, who fused
several periods of Bowie – Aladdin Sane, Station to Station, and Low – all at once.
Bowie didn't release a new record for another couple of years, while he freed himself from his contractual
obligations to RCA Records and former manager Tony Defries. The singer returned in April 1983 with the
No 1 single and album Let's Dance. Bowie was tanned, healthy, seemingly at peace with his demons. It
may well mark the "normalisation" of David Bowie – freed to be an individual and an adult.
1. Why did “Ashes to Ashes” appear to close the cycle? Did it?
2. What is suggested by the phrase “seemingly at peace with his demons”?
3. Was Bowie’s “normalisation” a good thing?
4. In 1985 Bowie released a video as part of Live Aid with a slightly older 60s rock star. Considered by many
as the nadir of Bowie’s career, can you name the song, the rock star and the American cartoon show that
showed it in its entirety just to show how bad it was?

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/mar/09/david-bowie-william-burroughs
32
Listen to the song and fill in the gaps. One group fills in the (a) words, another group the (b) words,
and a third group the (c) words. Then in new groups, with at least one person from each of the
groups (a), (b) and (c), read through the lyric and take turns to tell the others the missing words.

Then work together to see how many of the 10 questions below the song you can answer.

Let Him Dangle Elvis Costello (from the 1989 album Spike)

Bentley said to Craig "Let him have it Chris".

They still don`t know today just what he (1a) __________________ by this.
Craig fired the (1b) __________________, but was too young to (1c) __________________ ,
So the police took Bentley and the very next (2a) __________________ ,

CHORUS
Let him dangle (x4)

Bentley had (2b) __________________, he was under (2c) __________________,

When he gave Chris Craig that (3a) __________________ (3b) __________________ .
Craig shot Sidney Miles, he took Bentley`s (3c) __________________ ,
The (4a) ________________ claimed as they (4b) _______________ them with (4c) ______________

CHORUS

They say Derek Bentley was easily (5a) __________________ .

Well what`s that to the (5b) __________________ that Sidney Miles (5c) __________________ .
Though (6a) ______________ was the (6b) ______________, and Craig had shot him (6c) _________
The (7a) __________________ were for Bentley and still she never (7b) __________

CHORUS

BRIDGE SECTION
Well it`s hard to (7c) __________________ it`s the times that have (8a) __________________
When there`s a murder in the (8b) _____________ that is (8c) ____________ and (9a) ___________.
If killing anybody is a terrible (9b) __________________
Why does this (9c) __________________ (10a) ___________ come round from time to (10b) ______.
Let him dangle

Not that many (10c) __________________ thought that Bentley would (11a) __________________,
But the (11b) __________________never came, the phone never (11c) __________________.
Outside Wandsworth Prison there was (12a) __________________and (12b) __________________
As the (12c) __________________shook Bentley`s hand to calculate his (13a) __________________.
Let him dangle (x4)

REPEAT BRIDGE SECTION

From a (13b) __________________state to society (13c) __________________,

Bring "back the (14a) __________________" is always (14b) __________________
Whenever those (14c) __________________are under (15a) __________________,
But it won`t make you (15b) __________________,
It won`t bring him (15c) __________________.

Let him dangle

Let him dangle (String him up)

33
 QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DEREK BENTLEY SONG “LET HIM DANGLE”

Note: The song is about real events that took place in 1953.

1) Who killed who?

2) What was Derek Bentley’s role in the killing?

3) Who was charged with murder?

4) Who was hanged?

5) Why didn’t Craig hang?

6) What does the 1st line of the 3rd verse say about Derek Bentley (in your own words)?
…”They say Derek Bentley was ………..”

7) What were folks expecting to happen before the hanging?

8) Why does the hangman want to ‘calculate the weight’ (verse 5)?

9) What is Elvis Costello’s opinion about Capital Punishment?

10) What group of people (and their opinions) does Elvis Costello criticise in the song?

11) Why does he make this criticism?

12) What are your own views on Capital Punishment?

Give a reasoned argument,
a) in relation to your own country?
b) in relation to other countries and cultures?
c) As far as a global, general standpoint is concerned; e.g. from a moral perspective, should all
countries and cultures in the world apply the same standards and principles?

34
“Capital punishment should be restored.” Discuss.
Model essay by someone against.
Newspapers have recently been full of images of demonstrators in Atlanta, Georgia campaigning
both for and against the death of Kelly Renee Gissendaner, who was convicted of murdering her
husband in 1997. Today she is due to become the first woman in the state of Georgia to be executed
in 70 years. Following a reprieve yesterday, just hours before the scheduled time of execution, the
streets were again filled with jubilant supporters calling for clemency but right alongside them many
embittered and indignant defenders of the death penalty.

Such is the way this issue divides public opinion. I intend to examine the main arguments on each
side of the divide and finally make my own conclusion. I will begin with points in favour of bringing
back capital punishment.

Firstly, it is claimed that it would act as a deterrent to murder and so reduce instances of violent
crime. If would-be killers stopped to consider that they could lose their own lives, they would be less
likely to dispense with the lives of others.

Secondly, the death penalty gives the victims’ families the chance to legally avenge the death of their
loved one and so put an end to their grief and mourning.

Lastly, it is argued that justice is only truly served if murderers pay with their lives, thus fulfilling the
Old Testament philosophy of “and eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth.” Supporters of such a view
would even say that this was more merciful than an indefinite times spent languishing in jail.

I now turn to the arguments against restoring capital punishment.

To begin with, statistically there is, in fact, little evidence to suggest that execution does deter crime.
Indeed, during the two decades following 1995, when the death penalty was reinstated in the state
of New York, the murder rate actually went up, yet since being abolished in 2007 the rate has
declined significantly.

In addition, justice is never infallible and mistakes can be made. A famous example is the case of the
Welshman Timothy Evans, who in 1950 was convicted of serial murder but later found to be
completely innocent, in the light of new evidence that had not been known at his trial. Such was the
public outcry after this miscarriage of justice that the death penalty was indeed suspended in Britain.

A further point against bringing back capital punishment is that someone can reform and actually do
something that is useful to society while in prison. Death row inmate Karla Tucker, for example,
converted to Christianity and before becoming the first woman to be executed in the state of Texas
since 1863, she took an active role in helping other prisoners come to terms with their crimes, in
some cases aiding their eventual rehabilitation.

Finally, it could be argued that a punishment worse than death is the constant torment that
murderers face day in day out of having to deal with the realisation of the horror of the crime and
the troubled conscience which that brings. Indeed, it is precisely this that can lead some murderers
to find religion and totally change, such as was the case with English woman Myra Hindley, who had
brutally murdered young children in the 1960s (eventually dying in jail of pneumonia in 2002).

To conclude, it would seem that there are more and stronger arguments against restoring capital
punishment. The views in favour seem driven by a passion for revenge that excludes all possibility of
reconciliation and reform.

On balance, I am firmly of the opinion that the death penalty should not be restored, as otherwise, in
condemning others to die we would be no better than murderers ourselves.
35
“Capital punishment should be restored.” Discuss.
Model essay by someone in favour.

There are many cases in our society of men and women who have literally got away with murder.
Many enjoy fruitful lives within the confines of jail, and some are even released on probation to solve
problems of prison overcrowding. Should these people be allowed to live on while the families of
their victims continue to grieve for lives that were cut short?

In an attempt to answer this question, I will look at both sides of the debate before drawing my won
conclusion.

First of all, it is argued that bringing back the death penalty would not deter potential murderers
from killing, since their cold-blooded acts are the product of a deranged mind that would not pay
heed to the consequences.

However, in the state of Texas, where capital punishment is widely practised instances of violent
crime have not increased noticeably in the last decade, which seems to suggest that, if used
routinely, execution can provide an effective deterrent to would-be murderers.

Furthermore, those against capital punishment claim that even the most ruthless murderers can
reform and even be rehabilitated back into society as good, law-abiding citizens. They often cite the
case of Myra Hindley – the infamous ‘Moors Murderer’ – who brutally killed at least two young
children, burying their bodies in isolated places on the Yorkshire Moors known only to herself.
Apparently, Hindley made a full conversion to Christianity and became something of a model
prisoner in the high-security jail where she was held until her death by pneumonia in 2002. Right
until the end, supporters for her release said she was completely harmless and offered no danger to
society.

On the other hand, many people condemn what they regard as a soft attitude and insist that it was
right that Hindley should have paid with her life. They argue that the families of Myra Hindley’s
victims suffered, indeed more so than Hindley herself who in her later years was often pictured with
a broad grin on her face. Proponents of the death penalty say that such grief can finally be put to an
end if the families know that the perpetrator of the crime is dead, too.

Then again, there are those who argue that capital punishment is morally wrong and that only God
should be the judge of such cases.

Nevertheless, the famous adage “an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth” comes from the Bible itself.

To sum up, it appears that those against restoring execution think only of the concerns of the
murderer and nothing of the legitimate desire of the victims’ families to avenge the deaths of their
sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters.

I fully advocate the complete restoration of the death penalty as, in my view, it would both deter
violent crime and allow the victims’ families to assuage their thirst for revenge.

36
 Discursive Essays
A discursive essay presents a balanced discussion of a potentially controversial topic which
divides opinion. It is often based on a motion for debate e.g. Death penalty should be
restored. A discursive essay should include points both for and against the issue in question
and should be written impartially with personal opinion only at the end.
Here are two suggested ways of coherently structuring a discursive essay:
A B

INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION

POINTS AGAINST* POINT FOR*

• ………… POINT AGAINST*

• ………..
• ………..
POINT FOR*

POINT AGAINST*
POINTS FOR*

• …………
POINT FOR*
• ………..
• ………..
POINT AGAINST*

CONCLUSION CONCLUSION

The first type of structure (A) is perhaps more appropriate when there are a lot of good arguments
on both sides of the debate, and it is harder to decide which side you are in favour of.

The second type (B) is perhaps more appropriate when the issue is very controversial and when you
feel strongly one way or the other. It can create the effect of a heated oral debate with a rapid
exchange of views. However, the points (in B) should be logically linked together, or else the
composition will lack coherence and be confusing to read.

* Your choice of whether to present points in favour first or begin with points against will depend on
your own position regarding the debate. For example, using structure A, if you are in favour of the
motion, you can put the points against in first position, and then go on to show how these arguments
fail to convince. You thus build up a possible case opposed to the motion (perhaps deliberately
choosing weak or, in our view, absurd arguments which are easy to counter) and then knock them
down with well-chosen arguments for the defence.

If you are genuinely undecided, or if the motion divides public opinion about equally and is hard to
judge, it does not matter so much whether the points in favour come before or after.
37
Characteristics of a good discursive essay

1) A coherent and logical structure (see points above) with clear and appropriate paragraphing
(new point on a new line). The introduction and conclusion should each be only one paragraph.

2) A brief introduction which catches the reader’s attention by raising the theme for debate and
showing how it divides public opinion. The following are possible ways of achieving this. You can
choose one or a combination, as long as the introduction does not end up being too long.

- Outline an example that highlight the theme. This could be a (preferably recent) news
story, or a scene/event from a film or book, or a case you know of personally. Something
that immediately focuses attention on the controversial nature of the issue.

- Define what certain key words in the motion (i.e. the exam question) mean e.g. capital
punishment, soft drugs (as opposed to hard drugs), censorship, rehabilitation, etc.
(Remember – this should only be done if appropriate i.e. when providing a definition will
really help clarify the issue.)

- Mention some statistics – so as to shock the readers and make them interested in
reading more.

- Make a comparison between the past and present to show how the issue has become
more controversial.

- Make a comparison between your country and another country to show how the issue
may be perceived as being more, or less, controversial (t)here than elsewhere in the
world.

- Ask rhetorical questions (one or two maximum).

e.g. Should patients be forced to spend years of suffering in a wheelchair?
Do we have the right to allow them to die? (Euthanasia topic)
Such questions are effective as they make the reader want to read on to find an answer.
Remember, though, that they should not be used in the main part of the essay!

3) A brief statement of intent just after the introduction and before beginning the arguments.

e.g. I now intend to look at / examine the issue from both sides before drawing my own conclusion.
OR It is my intention now to discuss this controversial question and conclude with my own views on
the matter.

4) An effective conclusion that draws together the two sides of the discussion, briefly weighing
them against each other, and ending with your own personal opinion.

5) Well balanced – both sides of the discussion are given equal prominence and there is an equal
number of points for and against.

6) Relevant – the essay as a whole answers the title that was chosen, and each individual
argument is suitably appropriate to the debate.

38
7) Impartial – your own view should only be made explicit in the conclusion. Points should be
presented impartially using appropriate expressions such as the following: (Note: ‘X’ here refers to
the theme e.g. capital punishment or euthanasia)

* Some (people)
Others say
Those in favour of /against X argue
Supporters / Opponents of X assert
Those who (dis)agree with X (would) (often) state that …...
Those who are opposed to X (might) (sometimes) believe
Those who advocate X claim¹
Some doctors / patients /
scientists / victims’ families refer to / cite the case of ……
There are those who

It is (sometimes/often) said
It can / could be argued that ……
We often hear it claimed¹

According to *, ……… (* see list above)

In the view / opinion of *, ……..
As far as * are concerned, …….
It is the belief / view of * that ……

¹ claim (= allege) – to state something without proof (which may seem hard to believe)
e.g. Some scientists claim that there is life on Mars.

8) Uses appropriate linking expressions – as signposts to guide the reader through the discussion. e.g.

Starting: First of all, To begin with, For a start,

Putting Points in order: Firstly, Secondly, etc, Lastly, Finally, Last but not least,

Introducing a further point: In addition, Furthermore, Moreover, What is more,

A further / additional point in favour / against is that….

Introducing a contrasting point or paragraph: However, On the other hand, Then again,
On the other side of the coin, Nevertheless, (= in spite of this)

Introducing a consequence: Therefore, Thus, Consequently, As a result,

Introducing a topic: Regarding / Concerning X, As regards X, In terms of X, As far as X is concerned,

Introducing a conclusion: To sum up, In conclusion, To conclude, On balance,

Introducing your personal opinion (in the conclusion): In my opinion, In my view,

As far as I am concerned, Personally, I think that… It is my belief / view / opinion that…

Note: Although the above words and expressions typically come at the beginning of a sentence, some
can come in other positions, too.

e.g. According to supporters of capital punishment, however, it is a form of legitimate revenge.

Those who advocate restoring capital punishment claim, moreover, that it would save taxpayers’ money.

39
 9) No contractions! e.g. write do not rather than don’t or he is rather than he’s.

10) Variety of expressions to avoid repetition and so as to create a more impressive overall style.

11) Clear and appropriate use of examples to illustrate points (e.g. news stories or cases you know of or
have read about).

12) Good use of topic vocabulary. (You can use a dictionary in the test).

13) Accurate grammar, syntax (sentence construction) and spelling.

Summary of what to do in the exam

1) Choose a question and spend some time thinking about the issue.
2) Brainstorm on your rough paper all possible points for and against (note form).
3) Choose three (or four) points from each side.
4) Decide on a structure (see first page – A or B).
5) Write a plan – you can draw boxes for the paragraphs.
6) Fill in the plan with the points from 3) above (still in note form).
7) Think of some examples and put them on the plan.
8) Put ideas for the introduction and conclusion on the plan.
9) Write a first draft.
10) Edit the first draft, cutting points if you have exceeded the word limit and adding
points if you are well below the word limit.
11) Write the final version.
12) Read it through and check for careless errors of grammar and spelling.

__________________________________________________________________________________

A) You will be given six pictures. Speak with a partner to find out how many
differences there are between each other’s pictures. (without looking at your
partner’s page!)

B) Compare the pictures.

1) Try to put the pictures in chronological order.
2) Can you identify any of the artists and/or genres?
3) Which of the original paintings do you like best? Why?
4) Which of the parodies do you like best? Why?
5) What do you think each of the parodies was made for?

40
Describing a painting
Look at the painting below and complete each space with one word from the box.

1) The picture is painted looking _____________ on the a garden from an elevated vantage point.
2) The composition is divided into three _____________ - garden, sea and sky, which seem to rise
________________ to the surface of the canvas rather than recede into space.
3) In the ___________________ a couple are sitting on chairs in a garden facing the sea.
4) In the middle ______________ another couple are standing, apparently in conversation.
5) On the __________ brightly coloured flowerbeds catch the sunlight.
6) The left ________ of the picture is in shadow.
7) In the __________________ , to the left of the standing figures, a small yacht is passing by.
8) In the ____________ distance we can make out a lot of other yachts on the left side of the picture.
9) On the ____________ we can see some steam ships with their plumes of smoke rising into the sky.
10) ___________ the garden two flags are flying.
11) In the _________ right we can see the French Tricolour flag fluttering gently in the breeze.
12) In the top _________ the red and yellow flag of Le Havre, a city in Normandy near this seaside resort.
13) In the ___________ right ________________ we can see the artist’s signature.

above background bottom corner distance down far

foreground horizon left parallel planes right side top

Claude Monet – The Garden at Sainte-Adresse (1867 - Oil on Canvas)

41
 A) Discuss the following questions in small groups.
1 What kind of pictures do you have decorating your house or room?
2 Who are your favourite artists? Why do you like their work?
3 Do you enjoy drawing or painting? Do you consider yourself artistic?

B) Pre-reading:
1 You are going to read a newspaper article on 'Artspeak'. What do you think this is?
2 Three paintings illustrate the article. Exchange opinions on the paintings and try to give a title to each work.

2 3
42
 3 Now compare your opinions and titles with the captions at the bottom of the next page.

C) Read the text below quickly and answer the questions.

1. What is the aim of the course given by William Quinn?
2. What is your opinion of the course?
3. What is your opinion of William Quinn?
4 What is the purpose of the text? Choose from the alternatives below, as many as you think appropriate.
- to criticize - to amuse - to make fun of - to inform - to surprise - to mock
- to warn - to educate - to shock - to cause discussion

Exposed! The fine art of Artspeak

Or the instant way to be a classic bluffer
ARE you one of those unfortunates who knows little about art and, worse still, hasn't
the foggiest idea what you like or why you like it?
5 It's obvious. You look at the pictures and declare sagely:
That's very nice or
Yes, I like that, or
Mmm . . . interesting,
Well, sorry, that just isn't good enough.
10 In New York, discussions about art are the currency of social life. Just like in the
Woody Allen films, your worth is measured by your Artspeak.
Which is why William Quinn, a young Irishman from County Mayo, is the new hero
of the smart set.
He is running a £33 course on how to say intelligent things about works of art in
15 public places. And people are queuing to join his remedial class in art bluffery.
Quinn – an increasingly well-known artist who paints giant versions of the computer
bar codes on supermarket products – aims to reach the ‘basic but critical vocabulary’
of art.
‘People like to feel sophisticated’, he says. ‘But they can’t unless they know at least
20 something about art.’
‘If they are at a dinner party and start talking about the Modigliani heads being
inspired by the example of Brancusi, other people pay attention.’
As one student says: 'This course teaches you how to sound halfway intelligent about
art when you're not.'
25 Indeed, after a few evenings on Quinn's course, you can be an 'expert' without even
seeing works you discuss. And everyone defers to an 'expert'.

43
 Just like Liberace - who once revealed that his gift was to play Tchaikovsky by
leaving out the boring bits - Quinn's protégés go into New York's social whirl armed
with just the interesting snippets they need.
30 For this is the age of art for survival, where people would rather die than have nothing
to say about something, so A huge TV advertising campaign is running in America for
a series of records of the most tuneful pieces of 100 classical music favourites.
Quinn gets very shirty at his students' go-for-it attitude to art consumption. Yet he
agrees that his course title – called Meeting People at the Great Museums - does not
35 sound, well enormously deep.
Meanwhile, over in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one student gazes lamely at
Pierre Bonnard's The Terrace at Vernon and says: 'I like this one.' 'Insufficient', says
Quinn. 'And if you're with a sophisticate, you should add: "The daily intimacies of
family life add warmth to Bonnard's art.'
40 See, it’s easy when you get the hang of it!

D) Text organization
The following four sentences have all been removed from the text. Read it again more carefully and decide
where each sentence should go. Work in pairs.
a. 'You needn't waste a minute listening to tunes you don't instantly recognize,' it says.
b. If so, what do you say when you visit an art gallery?
c. In other words, places where the public can hear you.
d. 'One should speak of the boldness of the interpretation.'

E) Which of the following statements are true or false, or don't you know?
1 It is important to be able to speak sensibly about art in New York.
2 William Quinn is one of New York's smart set.
3 William Quinn gives courses on art appreciation.
4 The courses are extremely popular.
5 They produce experts on art who everyone listens to.
6 After doing Quinn's course you can speak with seeming authority about paintings you have never seen.
7 There is a series of records of 100 complete classical music favourites.
8 Quinn gets annoyed by the course participants' superficial attitude to art.

44
F) Look at the paintings on the following page.
a) For each one decide on a title.
b) As in the captions that accompany the article (see below), describe each painting:
- with an ‘unintelligent’ comment.
- with an ‘intelligent’ comment.
c) Compare ideas.
1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

Artspeak captions – from exercise B on Page 42

1) Joan Miro WORK: Harlequin's Carnival
• Unintelligent comment: 'Is it the right way up?'
• Intelligent comment: 'Miro's work of this period is characterized by humour, a naive awkwardness and
violent colours."

2) Constant (Anton Nieuwenhuys) WORK: Uit de Oorlog (Out of the War)

• Unintelligent comment: 'Interesting.'
• Intelligent comment: 'One cannot really know Constant without taking into account the profound nostalgia
in his soul.'

3) Berenice Howard WORK: Forever

• Unintelligent comment: 'That's a white wiggly line.'
• Intelligent comment: Its meticulous presentation and execution effects a distancing, a feeling of something
beyond touch, not palpable.'

45
 1 2

3 4 5
46
 The Fall of Icarus
What do you know about the myth of the Fall of Icarus? Use the artworks below to help you.

17th-century relief depicting the Icarus story (Musée Antoine Vivenel)

Landscape with the Flight of Icarus by Joos de Momper the Younger (1564–1635)
47
The story of the fall of Icarus is, in fact, just the last part of a longer story about Icarus’ father,
Daedalus.

You will hear an account of the Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus. The words below all appear in
the story in the same order they appear here. Discuss together what you think the story will be.

Daedalus craftsman Athens nephew

incest mother killed

banished Crete Minos (King of CreteI

sacrifice Poseidon (god of the sea) white bull

Pasiphae (Minos’ queen) passion Daedalus

wooden cow meadow desire Minotaur (half man half bull)

Labyrinth Daedalus Icarus (his son)

escape wings feathers wax sun drowned

As they sped away from the island in a north-easterly direction, flapping their wings, the fishermen,
shepherds, and ploughmen who gazed upwards mistook them for gods.

They had left Naxos, Delos, and Paros behind them on the left hand, and were leaving Lebynthos and
Calymne behind on the right, when Icarus disobeyed his father’s instructions and began soaring
towards the sun, rejoiced by the lift of his great sweeping wings. Presently, when Daedalus looked
over his shoulder, he could no longer see Icarus; but scattered feathers floated on the waves below.
The heat of the sun had melted the wax, and Icarus had fallen into the sea and drowned. Daedalus
circled around, until the corpse rose to the surface, and then carried it to the near-by island now
called Icaria, where he buried it.
48
The painting below is The Fall of Icarus by Pieter Bruegel the elder (1527/28? – 1569), which hangs in
the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Belgium.
What elements from the extract of the story on the previous page can you see in the picture? How
dies the picture differ from the one by Joos de Momper the Younger (page 47)?
Describe the various parts of the picture objectively.
Why has the artist chosen to portray Icarus in this seemingly insignificant way. What do you think the
artist may be trying to say through the picture?

Below is a famous poem by the British poet W.H. Auden (1907-1973) about Bruegel’s painting, which
Auden saw in the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts in Brussels – hence the poem’s title. Discuss what
you think the poet is saying in this poem. Do you agree with his interpretation of the painting?

Musée des Beaux Arts (1940) W.H. Auden

About suffering they were never wrong,
The Old Masters: how well they understood
Its human position; how it takes place
While someone else is eating or opening a window or just
walking dully along;
How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting
For the miraculous birth, there always must be
Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating
On a pond at the edge of the wood:
They never forgot
That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course
Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot
Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer’s horse
Scratches its innocent behind on a tree.
In Breughel’s Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away
Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may
Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry,
But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone
As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green
Water; and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen
Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky,
had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.
49
Colours Colour idioms
1 Match a word in box A with a colour in box B to Complete the spaces in the idiomatic expressions
make a shade of a colour. written in bold, using a colour from the box, and
then match each example with the definition below.
A B
blood emerald black black blue green grey red white
pitch brick blue
nut slate brown
jet apple green a. We have always had a professional attitude to
salmon snow grey copyrighted texts, but online copyright is still a
shocking navy red bit of a ___________ area.
bottle sky pink b. Since he lost his job he’s been in a __________
cherry olive white mood.
c. People who never finish a job really make me
Match a two-word combination from above with see __________.
each of the following definitions. d. She went ___________ with envy when she
found out that Kathy was on holiday in Teneriffe.
a. _____________________ = intensely black, used
e. When Patrick saw a spider crawling towards him.
about darkness, night
he went ____________ as a sheet.
b. _____________________ = intensely black, used
f. Many __________- collar workers are fearing
about hair, eyes, etc
job-cuts as factories lay off more employees
c. _____________________ = an extremely bright
g. He joined the other __________- collar workers
pink
all on their way to their desk jobs in the city.
d. _____________________ = dark blue, used with
h. If I don’t finish this report soon, that’ll be
clothes but not eyes
another ___________ mark by my name.
e. _____________________ = strong deep red,
i. The government are investing in wind power and
also called crimson
other forms of _____________ energy.
2 Match the colours in the box with the definitions. j. During the war people bought a lot of food items
on the ____________ market.
beige crimson ginger indigo
maroon mauve scarlet turquoise
Definitions
i) ______________ = brilliant red (the colour of 1. a situation in which the rules are not clear, or in
traditional British letter boxes) which you are not sure what is right or wrong
2. feeling unhappy or depressed
ii) ______________ = a light creamy brown
3. get very angry
iii) ______________ = greenish blue, used about 4. be unhappy because someone has something
fabrics, paint, etc (but not eyes) you want
5. turn pale with fear
iv) ______________ = a very dark shade of purple
6. relating to manual work or workers, particularly
v) ______________ = dark brownish red in industry
7. relating to work done by people in an office or
vi) ______________ = pale shade of purple other professional environment
vii) ______________ = deep red (like the colour of 8. something you have done that affects your
blood) reputation in a bad way
9. environmentally friendly
viii) ______________ = orangy red, used about hair 10. illegal trading of goods that are not allowed to
and cats be bought or sold

50
Words to do with light
n. As soon as I saw her come on stage, I was
1) Write one of the following words in its correct
____________________ both by her beauty and
form in each space. Sometimes more than one
performance.
word is possible.
o. When our eyes met, a ______________ of
shine dazzle flicker flare
recognition crossed his face, but he made no other
twinkle glow sparkle flash
sign that he remembered me.
Literal meaning p. The party was alright, but it lacked ____________.
There was nothing very exciting or lively about it.
a. '_____________, _______________little star' is a
well-known nursery rhyme. It means the light of the
star changes rapidly from bright to faint.

b. If car drivers don't dip their headlights at night,

they can _______________you, and you can't see 2) Tick the boxes to show the differences between
they can anything. the words to do with light. The first one has been
done for you.
c. The dying embers of a fire do this.
______________
bright dim on and suddenly
off
d. Sailors who are in difficulty fire these into the air
✓ ✓
sparkle
to attract attention. _____________
shine
e. This is what lightning does. _________________
glow
f. This is what the sun does. ______________
twinkle
g. This is what diamonds do, or the sea on a bright,
clear day. __________________
flicker
h. A candle ___________________in a breeze, and
casts shadows round a room. flare

Metaphorical meaning flash

i. The book got a _________________review in the dazzle

newspaper, so I went out and bought it.

j. He's not much good at creative thinking, but he

really _______________ at anything that requires
manual dexterity.

k. People say that just before death, the whole of

your life _______________in front of you.

l. He prepared a gourmet meal, totally unassisted, in

the ___________________of an eye.

m. Violence has ________________ up again on the

island of Kroana, where the situation is bordering on
civil war.

51
 You should call the police.
Grammar: Modal Verbs We needn’t hurry. (Careful!)
1 All modal verbs can be used to express 6 Which of the words from the box can fit into the
degrees of probability. sentences below. Sometimes several will fit.
Tick the sentences below which express probability and
must can may might could
mark those that don’t with a cross. should will/’ll have/has to
Decide also if they refer to the past, present or future.
a. _______ I ask you a question about this exercise?
Example. b. _______ you help me with this exercise, please?
You must write more than 100 words. X (present) c. He’ll ______ hurry if he wants to get here in time.
She must be very rich. √ probability (present) d. I _______ be able to come and see you tonight.
e. Sally _______ read when she was only three.
a. You mustn’t sit on that side of the room. f. I _______ be seeing Theo later this evening, but I’m not
b. You must go and see that new James Bond film. sure.
c. We might go to Hawaii for our honeymoon. g. You _______ be feeling very excited about your trip to
d. He can’t be coming. It’s already after 10 o’clock. Florida.
h. They _______ have finished dinner by now.
e. She could speak three languages fluently by
i. You _______ pass the exam easily. You’ve worked really
the time she was five. hard.
f. He could be working in the library. j. She always _______ leave work early on Fridays.
g. The weather forecast says it may snow tonight. k. That _______ be the taxi.
h. Good morning. May I speak to Mr Jones.
i. Will you help me do my homework?
j. That will be Ken on the phone. He promised to 7 Underline the correct answer.
ring.
k. You should see a doctor as soon as possible. a. I’m sorry I’m late. I had to go / should have gone to the
l. It’s 8 o’clock. They should be arriving soon. post office.
m. They must have won the lottery. b. You mustn’t / don’t have to go to France to learn French,
n. You should have told her the truth. but it helps.
c. You mustn’t / don’t have to drive if you’ve been drinking.
2 What concepts do the other sentences express? d. I’m sorry. I may not / cannot be able to come to your party
on Saturday.
3 Make the above sentences negative. e. You lucky thing! How could you / were you able to get
Madonna’s autograph.
e.g. You mustn’t write more than 100 words.
f. I just waited outside the stage door and asked her if I could
/ was able to have it.
4 Write the ideas in the sentences below using g. The car wouldn’t / couldn’t start this morning, so I was
the modal verb in brackets. late for work.
h. I wouldn’t / couldn’t start the car this morning, so I was
a. He’s probably not still at home. (can’t) late for work.
b. It’s likely that he has missed the bus. (must) i. Do this exercise for homework. You shouldn’t / mustn’t
c. Perhaps he doesn’t know he’s late. (might) have any problems with it.
d. It isn’t possible that Jo gave him a lift. (couldn’t) j. We needn’t have paid / didn’t need to pay to get into the
e. He will probably be arriving soon. (may) museum. It was free.

8 Work in pairs. Take it in turns to be A or B.

5 could/couldn’t ‘ll/won’t should
might must/can’t may
Arrange the above modal verbs in order from
those that express the greatest degree of
certainty to that expressing the least.
Use the sentence below, which is in answer to
the question ‘Who is that at the door?’
‘That _________ be the postman’
- How could each modal be used to answer the
question ‘Who was that at the door?’
- What is the past of these sentences?
Student B should respond to A’s remarks using the
words in brackets. Make changes where necessary
and continue the conversations further. Example:
A I’ve never seen Tina eat meat.
B I know. She must be a vegetarian. (must,
vegetarian) But I’ve seen her eat fish.
a A Oh no! I’ve lost my passport.
B (could, leave, in the taxi)
b. A It’s an early start for us on Tuesdays.
B (What time, have to, English lesson)
c A I’ve brought you some flowers.
B (How kind, needn’t)

He can see someone at the window. d A All the teachers are going on strike!
She must call the doctor. B (Brilliant, don’t have, come, tomorrow)
He has to tell the police.
She won’t get out of bed.
52
Writing about images

Describe it.
What kinds of things do you see in this picture? What else do you see?
What words would you use to describe this picture?
How would you describe this picture to a person who could not see it?
How would you describe the people in this picture? Are they like you or different?
How would you describe (the place depicted in) this picture?
What is in the foreground/background/on the horizon, etc?

Relate it.
What does this picture remind you of?
What things do you recognize in this picture? What things seem new to you?
How is this picture different from real life?

Analyze it.
What can you say about the people in this picture?
What can you tell me about how they lived? How did you arrive at that idea?
What do you think is the most important part of this picture?

Interpret it.
What title would you give to this picture? What made you decide on that title?
What do you think this picture is about? How did you come up that idea?
Why do you suppose the artist painted this picture? What makes you think that?
What parts of the picture are in some way symbolic do you think?

Evaluate it.
What do you think is good about this picture? What is not so good?
Why do you think other people should see this picture?
What do you think is worth remembering about this picture?

53