The course of Analytical Reading is aimed at developing various reading skills from skimming and general comprehension to elements of in-depth character, theme, style and point of view analysis.

The purposes of the course also include increasing fluency in reading, expanding the vocabulary, training critical attitude towards text and raising cultural awareness.

The texts in this learner's guide range from classical and contemporary short stories to real life anecdotes. The texts selected for the course are meant to introduce a variety of styles, moods and problems. Contrasting pieces of writing are supposed to sharpen the students' linguistic perceptibility in a second-language medium and their awareness of multiple points of view present in a narrative as well as of means of their representation.

The programme combines close analysis of the stories' subject matter and texture with intensive vocabulary training. To this purpose each text is accompanied by varied activities:

1. Pre-reading activities either help channel text perception or explore the readers' anticipation through warming-up questions.

2. Multiple-choice and true/false Comprehension tasks are best after the first quick reading.

3. Vocabulary Training section includes studying word meaning in context, idiom, phrasal verb and pattern practice, explaining and paraphrasing, noting polysemy and conversion, topic-related vocabulary building. These tasks help master, activate and consolidate vocabulary essential for further discussion. The emphasis is on vocabulary likely to be used outside the particular text analysis. Theme-wise the texts are related to the topics “Food and Cooking”, “Bank”, “Post”, “TV and Radio”, “Telephone”, “Shopping”, “Everyday Services”, “Hotel”, “Travelling”, “Cinema”.

analytical reading course

4. Recounting and Interpreting Details section includes questions and tasks which lead, step by step, from noting meaningful details to grasping the narrators' point of view and their treatment of the problem. While literary texts are open to multiple interpretations, meaningful details are hints that enable to get the most out of reading.

5. Creative Follow-up Work section proposes tasks that help explore the problem from a different perspective or relate it to the reader's experience.

Completion of comprehension and vocabulary tasks provides thorough preparation for text analysis according to the guidelines given in the Appendices - an ample reference section facilitating the students' independent work.

Contents

Choose the best answer.

1. The narrator was

a. of the same age as his guest at the luncheon

b. younger than his guestc. older than his guest

2. The woman

a. was invited by the narrator to have luncheon

b. asked the narrator to have luncheon with her

c. recognized the narrator at the restaurant and joined him

3. The narrator agreed to have luncheon at an expensive restaurant with the woman because

a. he wanted to discuss certain art issues with her

b. he was interested in her personally

c. it would have been embarrassing for him to refuse

4. The narrator

a. ordered the same dishes and drinks for his guest and for himself

b. ordered different dishes and drinks

c. didn't order anything at all for himself

5. After the luncheon the narrator

a. had but a few francs leftb. had no money on him at all

c. couldn't pay the bill

Vocabulary Training

I. Understanding Word Meaning from Context.

Choose a word or a word group that has the same meaning as the word in bold. Use the example sentences and refer back to the text to help you guess the meaning.

1. Only a tiny minority hold such extreme views.

a. very strangeb. very smallc. differentd. stupid

2. He charged a relatively modest fee.

a. highb. largec. unfaird. not very large

3. I was startled to find her sitting in my office.

a. glad b. pleasantly surprisedc. unpleasantly surprised d. happy

4. She flashed him a false smile of congratulation.

a. pleasantb. warmc. sincered. insincere

5. He thoroughly examined the papers before signing them.

a. quicklyb. attentivelyc. poorlyd. hastily

6. She deals with all correspondence promptly and efficiently.

a. thoroughlyb. quicklyc. attentivelyd. slowly

II. Find two words with the meaning opposite to “tiny" in the text.

III. Look up the word “mean" in a dictionary. How many meanings does it have (as a verb, a noun and an adjective)? In what meaning is it used in the text? Illustrate three meanings with examples of your own.

IV. Explain the following words in English. Use an explanatory dictionary if necessary. If a word has several meanings, point out the meaning in which it is used in the text.

1) to flatter2) talkative3) generous4) tip5) revenge

V. Note how each of the following idioms is used in the text:

1) to catch sight of;

2) in answer to;

3) by all means;

4) at the sight of;

5) to be obliged to;

6) to make up one's mind;

7) can't bring myself to do smth.

Now use each of these idioms in an example of your own. Try to relate them to your own experience.

NOTE. We should distinguish between author, writer and narrator.

The words author and writer are often interchangeable. They both are used to describe a person whose occupation is book writing, the word author being more common in this meaning.

The word writer tends to designate a person who has written a particular text, not necessarily a professional writer.

The narrator is an imaginary or half-imaginary person who tells the story in fiction. The narrator may be very close to the actual author but should never be confused with him/her. The narrator may be the author at a different stage of his/her life, which changes the whole perspective. We should not always “believe” the narrator, the narrative may be false, misguided, biased etc. The narrator may be unreliable. This is partially applicable to nonfiction as it is difficult to come across writing that is totally unbiased. As a result, in contemporary literary theory the word “narrative” is used in relation to both fiction and nonfiction.

Recounting and Interpreting Details

Whenever possible, use details from the text to support you point of view.

1. What was the narrator's profession?

2. Why did he agree to have luncheon with the woman who wanted to have a talk with him? What was the only thing that might prevent him from doing this?

3.comment on the narrator's phrase “I was too young to say no to a woman”. Did the narrator change over the years, to your mind?

3. What did the narrator expect of this luncheon?

4. Describe the appearance of the woman at the time when the luncheon took place.

5. Why did the narrator worry during the luncheon?

6. How did the woman describe her eating habits? What were they in reality?

7. Name everything that the woman had for luncheon in the order that it came in the story. Enumerate the dishes that the narrator had.

8. Why were the peaches so expensive?

9. In what way did the narrator plan to solve his problem if the bill proved impossible for him to pay?

10. How did the woman's appearance change over the years? Can you calculate her weight in kilograms?

11. What advice did the woman give to the narrator? Was she being sincere, to your mind?

12. Why did the woman call the narrator “a humorist” after the luncheon?

13. Can you explain what the narrator meant in the following lines: a) Did I remember? (after the first two paragraphs) b) But I have had my revenge at last (the last line)?

14. Can you explain the humour of the story? What are the most amusing points in the story? Can you find any instances of irony?

Creative Follow-up Work

I. Tell the story shortly from the waiter's perspective.

II. Find as many words and expressions related to the topic “food" in the text as you can. Use them to make up a short story of about 150 words.

Text 2. Cooking skills

1. The writer

a. can cook pretty wellb. can cook several simple dishes

c. can't cook at all

2. The “Snowbirds” are

a. birds who feed on the leftovers that the writer gives them

b. the writer's friends who sometimes give him food leftovers

c. the writer's friends who occasionally ask him to cook for them

3. In the situation that the writer describes he ended up with

a. a dozen of eggsb. two dozen of eggsc. three dozen of eggs

4. The last egg boiling was not a success because

a. the writer could not boil the waterb. the eggs had been cracked

c. the eggs got cracked when placed into boiling water

5. What did the writer do with the boiled cracked eggs?

a. He threw them away. b. He used them to make a salad.

c. He put them into his refrigerator.

6. The writer

a. underestimates his cooking skillsb. overestimates them

c. estimates them quite adequately

Vocabulary Training

I. Understanding Word Meaning from Context.

Choose a word or a word group that has the same meaning as the word in bold.

1. Can you forecast where the economy is heading?

a. developingb. growingc. movingd. leading

2. Dirty hands can be a breeding ground for germs.

a. birdsb. groceriesc. microbesd. cells

3. The whole process is wasteful and inefficient.

a. slow b. uneconomicalc. dirty d. useless

4. He claims that he has not been given a fair hearing.

a. agreesb. statesc. deniesd. remembers

5. We can handle up to 200 calls an hour at our new office.

a. makeb. deal withc. helpd. collect

6. In retrospect, I think that I was wrong.

a. in realityb. frankly speaking c. unfortunately d. looking back

II. Note that the words “head" and “handle" can be both nouns and verbs. These are cases of conversion. Look up the meanings of these words as nouns and as verbs in a dictionary and illustrate them with examples of your own.

III. Note the use of the verb tend to (+Inf). It means “to be likely to do something or to happen in a particular way because this is what often or usually happens”. This is the common way to make generalizations, a polite and diplomatic way to say something critical.

When he's tired he tends to make mistakes. (polite criticism).

It tends to get very cold here in winter. (mild generalization).

Think of two examples of your own making true observations, if possible.

IV. a) Find several phrasal verbs with the postposition UP in the text. What does this postposition add to the meaning of the verbs? b) Find two verbs with the postposition OUT and two verbs with the postposition FOR. Make sure you understand their meaning.

Use two of the phrasal verbs in examples of your own.

V. Explain the following words in English. Use an explanatory dictionary if necessary. If a word has several meanings, point out the meaning in which it is used in the text.

1) average2) to claim 3) to pickle4) leftovers 5) specialty

VI. Note how each of the following idioms is used in the text:

1) from time to time;

2) to be (to be kept) in the dark about smth;

3) for a change;

4) word for word;

5) in retrospect;

6) fresh from;

7) on top of all this.

Now use each of these idioms in an example of your own. Try to relate them to your own experience.

Recounting and Interpreting Details

1. How does the writer describe his cooking skills?

2. How did the writer end up with three dozen of eggs that he didn't really need?

3. How many attempts at boiling eggs had the writer made before calling his friend? Why weren't they successful in each case? Did he try different methods?

4. How many attempts did the writer make after calling his friend?

5. In what way did he boil water in each case? What method was less wasteful?

6. How did the writer solve the problem of timing?

7. Why wasn't the last attempt successful?

8. Why hadn't his friend mentioned in her instructions that eggs fresh from the refrigerator shouldn't be put into boiling water?

9. Why did the writer cook so many eggs at a time?

10. The writer calls himself “a pretty fast learner”. Do you agree? Prove your point using details from the text.

11. Find the phrase “I probably should plan better, but you just never know what jewels are going to fall into your lap…” in the 4^th paragraph. Can you explain the irony in this phrase? Can you find any other instances of irony in the text?

12. How does the writer see himself? Can you make any inferences about him as a person from this text?

Creative Follow-up Work

I. What would you do in this situation? (Finish the story)

II. Tell the episode with the phone call briefly from the friend's perspective.

III. Text 1 “Luncheon" was written in the first half of the XX century by a brilliant and world-famous short story writer. Text 2 “Cooking skills” is a real life anecdote written in 2010 by an Internet blogger. Both texts are related to the topic “food”. Can these texts be compared in any way? Can you see any similarities between them? What are the differences? Study the “Glossary of Literary Terms" for clues (see Appendix 4).

IV. Find as many words and expressions related to the topic “cooking” in the text as you can. Use them to make up a short story of about 150 words.

Text 3. The TV blackout

Comprehension

Decide whether the following statements are true or false.

Correct the statements that are false.

1. Mr. Bufkins' TV set went out of order.

2. The Bufkinses had more than one TV set in their apartment.

3. When the TV set stopped functioning Mr. Bufkins was in panic.

4. The Bufkinses sent for an electrician.

5. When Mr. Bufkins was left without television he didn't recognize his family.

6. Mr. Bufkins' children went to high school at the time when the blackout occurred.

7. Mr. Bufkins had two children.

8. Mr. Bufkins had lost his job because of his addiction to watching TV.

9. Mrs. Bufkins worked in a department store.

10. Mr. Bufkins couldn't wait for the antenna to be fixed.

Vocabulary Training

I. Understanding Word Meaning from Context.

Choose a word or a word group that has the same meaning as the word in bold.

1. A tremendous amount of work has gone into the project.

a. considerableb. insignificantc. very greatd. important

2. We've got plenty of time, there's no need to rush.

a. argueb. move fastc. calld. cancel

3. She demanded an immediate explanation.

a. gaveb. remembered c. quickly prepared d. asked firmly

4. The car won't start - can you fix it?

a. have a look atb. stop c. repair d. sell

5. I've seen her a couple of times before.

a. a few, about twob. a great many

c. quite a few, more than fived. half a dozen

II.1) Find in the text:

a) three phrasal verbs that mean something has broken down or is out of order;

b) a phrasal verb that means something began;

c) a phrasal verb that means “to stop a phone talk”.

d) a phrasal verb with the same meaning as “switch on”. What is its opposite?

Now use the phrasal verb from “c” and one phrasal verb from “a” in sentences of your own.

III. Look up the word “set” in a dictionary. How many meanings does it have (as a verb, noun and adjective)? In what meaning was it used in the text? What new expressions with this word have you found?

Illustrate two meanings of the word “set” with examples of your own. You may make up sentences with useful expressions that you have found.

IV. Note that the verb “to play” is followed by the definite article when used with musical instruments: Do you want to hear me play the guitar? But: to play a tune; to play football/tennis/chess/cards.

Use the verb “to play” with a name of a musical instrument in a sentence about yourself or somebody you know (you may use an affirmative, negative or conditional sentence).

V. Which characters said the following lines? Who were they addressing and in what situations?

a) If you ever got out of that armchair in front of the TV set you'd know who we are.

b) If I had known that, I would have told you to quit last year.

Compare these two conditional sentences. In which case do we have a real condition (the situation can be changed) and in which case an unreal condition (the situation can no longer be changed)?

VI. Mr. Bufkins says the following to his wife:

You should have mentioned it.

Note the structure “should have + V3”. It is used to express a reproach in a situation that cannot be changed.

Can you think of Mrs. Bufkins' reply to this remark? (use the same structure)

Recounting and Interpreting Details

1. What was Mr. Bufkins' usual pastime?

2. What happened one day in the area of New York where the Bufkinses lived and what was Mr. Bufkins' reaction?

3. How did he learn that there was a blackout and that his TV set hadn't broken down?

4. What did Mr. Bufkins say when he saw his family?

5. How many members were there in the family and what was their occupation?

6. Who left the family some time ago and why?

7. What can you say about Mr. Bufkins' career?

8. Has the blackout influenced Mr. Bufkins in any way? How did his attitude towards his family change?

9. The plot of the story “The TV blackout” is based on a hyperbole. Look up the meaning of this term in the “Glossary of Literary Terms”. Can you explain how it works in the text and give some examples? What is the purpose of hyperbole here?

10. According to literary theory, hyperbole is internally realistic because we can exaggerate only that which is true. Do you think this applies to the story “The TV Blackout”? To what extent?

Creative Follow-up Work

Continue the story. Imagine that the antenna is fixed and decide whether the blackout has had an impact on Mr. Bufkins' life or not. You may choose the form of a dialogue or tell the story in the third person.

Text 4. Lost in the post

Comprehension

1. Dicky Soames was

a. Ainsley's brotherb. Adela's cousinc. Ainsley's friend

2. Ainsley threw Dicky's letters away

a. because he had fallen out with himb. by mistake

c. because he was jealous of him

3. Ainsley didn't want Dicky to return because

a. he didn't like himb. he was afraid his wife would go away with him

c. he was afraid Dicky would try to borrow money from them

4. Ainsley lost his job because

a. he stole a letterb. he couldn't copec. he was pensioned off