In a recent nightmare, my grandson was saying to his girlfriend: Tour hands are like vinyl, the skin on your face is like purest acrylic and your hair is like real. polystyrene'[r]
(1)Wordbuilder
Guy Wellman
HEINEMANN
(2)Substances, materials
and textures
Quiz
[1] Even if chemistry lessons are a thing of the (distant) past for you, try this exercise on elements, metals and gases Cover the column on the right and see if you can say which elements, metals and gases these symbols stand for Each one has a simple clue beside it to help you
Ag Zn Al U Au Sn
Ca
S CO Pu Fe Pt H P Hg Ni О N Cu NaCl
a twenty-fifth wedding anniversary a bluish-white metal
light to carry and silvery to look at named after a planet
an Olympic winner a can is made of it think of your teeth think of matches breathe out
nuclear power can come from this the most widely used metal of all
describes a particular type of blonde hair think of the bomb
gives out light in the dark used in thermometers and an American coin life-supporting 80% of the air
maybe the first metal used by man commonly known as salt
silver zinc aluminium uranium gold
tin
calcium sulphur carbon dioxide plutonium iron platinum hydrogen phosphorus mercury nickel oxygen nitrogen copper
sodium chloride Does that bring back memories of acids, alkalis and smelly experiments? If you're in good form, try these What alloys or other substances will you get if you mix the following? (Keep the right-hand column covered.)
copper and tin copper and zinc iron and carbon
lime, clay, sand and water the above plus gravel
3rd place medal a band
knives brick walls for a path
bronze brass steel cement concrete
Practice
In a recent nightmare, my grandson was saying to his girlfriend: Tour hands are like vinyl, the skin on your face is like purest acrylic and your hair is like real
polystyrene'.
(3)Substances, materials and textures The old lace handkerchiefs satin bed-linen cotton pyjamas tweed jackets woollen cardigans flannel trousers leather shoes
feather (preferably down) beds velvet curtains
marble floors solid wood funiture
(of teak, pine, mahogany, oak) cast iron pots and pans
china tea-service porcelain dinner plates steel cutlery brown paper wooden boats The new paper tissues nylon sheets polyester shirts denim tops acrylic sweaters cord(uroy) slacks
suede uppers, man-made soles polyurethane-foam pillows vinyl upholstery
formica worktop, polystyrene tiles chipboard units
hardboard shelves stainless steel saucepans smoked-glass cups enamel mugs plastic spoons polythene bags fibreglass yachts [2] Most materials are happy to act as adjectives as well as nouns
Sheffield produces a lot of steel It has quite a large steel industry I need a steel bar to put across this cage-door
Most materials, however, can also add a letter or two to make another adjective with a different, more figurative meaning
He gave me a steely look, (a bit like steel)
Cover the second and fourth columns below Choose nouns to go with the two lists of adjectives, then see how many of yours are the same as the ones the book suggests
1 a leather rubber a glass a silk a grass a mud a stone a skin a tin 10 an ice 11 a wire 12 an oil 13 a silver 14 a meat 15 a gold 16 a metal 17 a milk 18 a smoke 19 a wooden 20 a grease 21 a soap 22 a woollen
jacket gloves eye scarf skirt hut wall disease drum cube coat-hanger well chain pie tooth container bottle signal leg gun bubble jumper a leathery rubbery a glassy silky a grassy muddy a stony a skinny a tinny an icy a wiry an oily silvery a meaty a golden a metallic a milky a smoky a wooden a greasy soapy a woolly steak lips look hair slope boots silence person
sound from a cheap radio stare marathon runner rag hair discussion opportunity voice complexion room actor rag water argument
Note the two exceptions: a wooden leg, a wooden actor (unnatural); a woollen jumper, a
(4)Substances, materials and textures
Practice
Discuss or write the answers to these questions
1 Are precious metals and stones — diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, etc.
— as beautiful as their prices suggest?
2 How have materials for clothes, household goods, furniture etc changed during your lifetime? In what ways are these changes for the better and in what ways are they changes for the worse?
3 What is being done in your country to counter the dangers of certain materials in use today: asbestos, lead, DDT, nuclear waste, nicotine?
2 Write a paragraph from your latest short story in which the hero, blindfolded, stumbles through a cardboard box factory in an attempt to escape from his pursuers Describe his feelings as he comes into contact with various substances and surfaces during the chase
Add here any more words about substances as you meet them