FALSE FRIENDS

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Noun phrases and noun clusters:

I

dog house
house dog

  1. face mask
  2. toy store
  3. language school
  4. gift shop
  5. chicken soup bowl
  6. car production costs
  7. the England football team coach
  8. the school cricket team coach
  9. village church
  10. kitchen window
  11. door bell
  12. sports car
  13. office chair
  14. picnic table
  15. umbrella stand
  16. coat pocket
  17. potato peeler
  18. ice bucket, ice cube, ice breaker, ice age, ice bucket challenge
  19. spine injury
  20. leather goods
  21. police dog (dog police)
  22. farm buildings
  23. flower bed
  24. family room couch
  25. toy factory building
  26. rock garden tools
  27. four-bedroom country house
  28. six-year prison sentence
  29. grammar program
  30. government administration
  31. state subsidy
  32. court case
  33. trade deal
  34. drug overdose
  35. health care system
  36. cancer treatments
  37. comments section
  38. insurance market
  39. can sculpture
  40. paper ornaments
  41. nursery school
  42. school nurse
  43. nursing school
  44. seasonal bedding plant nursery
  45. marriage certificate
  46. materials laboratory vs laboratory materials
  47. grammar practice exercises
  48. vision examination vs visual examination
  49. government road accident research center
  50. remote-sensing detectors
  51. cross-section
  52. laboratory set-up
  53. power station
  54. insurance policy, company policy, shop refund policy
  55. the experienced summer baseball league staff
  56. child health care research center
  57. faculty office
  58. a low-temperature power system
  59. low-frequency system
  60. water-proof material
  61. bullet-proof vest
  62. national security satellites
  63. standard long-term effects
  64. computer mediated communication
  65. flea market
  66. carboot sale

II

dog house
house dog

race horse
horse race

chocolate milk
milk chocolate

tour group
group tour

traffic light
light traffic

barrier cone
cone barrier

government official
official government website
government official website

software organisation
organisation software

phone case
bookcase
casebook

car production
production car

club record
record club

family member
member family

houseboat
boathouse

care home
home care

target market
market target

course management
management course
course management software

III

He is self-employed and carries out a range of building, repair and maintenance jobs to the outside of tall structures such as church spires, monuments, industrial chimneys and high rise buildings.

IV

Dawlish pub car park cliff plunge man rescued
(in: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-26010026)
(a screenshot of the article)

BIRD HEALTH RESEARCH CENTRE MURDER MYSTERY

FAX TRANSMISSION NETWORK ACCESS COST OPTIMIZATION PROPOSAL

V

service level agreement achievement percentage
business computing solution areas
security policy orchestration software
business process improvement methodologies
remote encryption passphrase reset
(source: http://contentrules.com/noun-cluster/)

Word order

  1. the concerned parents
  2. the parents concerned
  3. the present situation
  4. the people present
  5. a responsible person
  6. the person responsible

False friends:

I

  1. skin, leather, hide, fur, pelt
  2. letter, later, latter, ladder, lather, litter, liter
  3. tough, taught, though, thought, through, throughout, thorough, threw
  4. quiet, quite, quit, cute
  5. brief, breathe, breath, bread, breadth
  6. strait, straight
  7. trust, thrust
  8. great, grate, greet
  9. corps, corpse
  10. people, peoples
  11. effect, affect
  12. accident, incident
  13. accept, except, expect
  14. hair, hairs
  15. work, works
  16. damage, damages

II

  1. She told him that she loved him.
  2. Only she told him that she loved him.
  3. She only told him that she loved him.
  4. She told only him that she loved him.
  5. She told him only that she loved him.
  6. She told him that only she loved him.
  7. She told him that she only loved him.
  8. She told him that she loved only him.

III

  1. man eating chicken, man-eating chicken
  2. I am sorry I love you. I am sorry: I love you.
  3. He eats, shoots, and leaves. He eats shoots and leaves.
  4. I am going to eat, Grandma. I am going to eat Grandma.
  5. I love cooking, my family, and friends. I love cooking my family and friends.
  6. A woman, without her man, is nothing. A woman, without her, man is nothing.
  7. twenty five-dollar bills, twenty-five dollar bills
  8. Working twenty four-hour shifts is not the same as twenty-four hour shifts, or working twenty-four-hour shifts.

IV

  1. Don’t sir me.
  2. We eat what we can and what we can’t we can.
  3. His cavalier attitude towards women is abominable.
  4. The session ran well into the afternoon.
  5. The cat jumped into the well.
  6. You can come any day you want.
  7. Mr Smith had an iron will and learned to walk again.
  8. Without the will to win, the team won’t go far.
  9. I really should make a will, just in case something happens.
  10. Ed’s father didn’t leave him anything in his will.
  11. The higher the temperature, the higher the pressure.
  12. The more, the merrier.
  13. They want to start a family soon.
  14. She works for a well-known magazine.
  15. Tom ordered a cheese sandwich.
  16. I was busy doing housework when the doorbell rang.
  17. A lonely child sometimes creates an imaginary friend to play with.
  18. The Equator is just an imaginary line.
  19. He was more imaginative than most history teachers.
  20. They suggested some very imaginative ways of reducing costs.
  21. 21 Things You’ll Always Long For
  22. Don’t worry. Tom won’t be long.
  23. I think Jody’s in her late twenties.
  24. She hasn’t been looking too well lately.
  25. She gave her late husband’s clothes to charity.
  26. They met secretly in the conservatory.
  27. There were a lot of exotic plants in the conservatory.
  28. The duty on petrol has been raised.
  29. He walked through customs.
  30. His grandmother lives in the country.
  31. Unlike acid rain or deforestation, global warming has no visible manifestation.
  32. The demonstrations were a manifestation of the people’s discontent.
  33. They held a rally outside the town hall.
  34. She spread marmalade on her toast.
  35. It seems to me his favourite occupation is eating.
  36. The new homes will be ready for occupation in August.
  37. The protesters voted to continue their occupation of the building.
  38. Please give your name, address, and occupation.
  39. The Prime Minister was quick to claim the credit for abolishing the tax.
  40. He is credited with painting one hundred and twenty-five canvases.
  41. His name wasn’t mentioned in the closing credits.
  42. He is a credit to our school.
  43. Homemade salad dressing is simple to make and comes together in minutes.
  44. His work primarily involved dressings and bloodletting.
  45. As a consultant physician I work a basic 48- hour week.
  46. Could you give me the receipt, please?
  47. Could you give me the recipe, please?
  48. Both countries called for the peaceful resolution of the border dispute.
  49. Diplomats are hoping for a speedy resolution to the crisis.
  50. Make a resolution to go to the gym once a week.
  51. She tried to use a sympathetic tone of voice.
  52. Jill was a sympathetic listener.
  53. Take/bring/fetch the child.
  54. The incident affected the ultimate outcome of the war.
  55. Ultimately, he’ll have to decide.
  56. You might as well take your father’s car – there’s no point in having it sit there unused in the garage.
  57. Firefighters battled to control a blaze at a disused warehouse.
  58. I had no option but to pretend ignorance.
  59. I pretend that things are really okay when they’re not.
  60. The children pretend to be different animals dancing to the music.
  61. The government abandoned any pretence of reform.
  62. She made absolutely no pretence of being interested.
  63. I soon realized my mistake.
  64. This victory is the realization of our dreams.
  65. Then came the sudden realization that he was in love with her.
  66. Senior vice presidents report directly to the chief executive officer.
  67. Two uniformed officers arrived on the scene quickly.
  68. We elect the club’s officers at the first meeting of each year.
  69. The prime minister has spent the day canvassing in Doncaster.
  70. He has a closet full of designer suits.
  71. His brother is a closet smoker.
  72. He was closeted with the king.
  73. She kept putting off the date.
  74. Only a specialist can date those rocks.
  75. “Don’t worry. The police will eventually catch him.” “I know they will. But eventually is a very long time.”
  76. Although she had been ill for a long time, it still came as a shock when she eventually died.
  77. Her parents eventually relented and let her go to the party.
  78. Work has begun on the construction of the new faculty building.
  79. How can faculty improve their teaching so as to encourage creativity?
  80. Even though she is 102, she still has all of her faculties.
  81. She has a faculty for inspiring confidence in people.
  82. Has he ever worked hard? – He hardly ever works.
  83. The government is promising a formal investigation.
  84. We intend to make a formal written complaint.
  85. When we first met, he was a little stiff and formal.
  86. She’s got a lot of experience but no formal qualifications.
  87. Don’t be too familiar with the customers.
  88. His voice sounded familiar.
  89. People are more relaxed in familiar surroundings.
  90. He is not familiar with the customs of the country.
  91. The medical council disqualified him for infamous misconduct.
  92. Since it was raining, the kids had recess in the gymnasium.
  93. The kitchen had a homely atmosphere.
  94. Mrs Jones was a pleasant, homely person with a ready smile.
  95. Brad was a serious boy, very ordinary-looking but not downright homely.
  96. Pierce lost to the eventual winner of the tournament.
  97. It is impossible to predict the eventual outcome of the negotiations.
  98. The eventual design was a great improvement on the one we originally considered.
  99. His mistakes led to his eventual dismissal.
  100. Your help made a big difference.
  101. It may not matter to you, but it makes a world of difference to me.
  102. She says that she got into politics because she wanted to make a difference.
  103. I could never tell the difference between him and his younger brother.
  104. She found the business world very different from academia.
  105. The meeting was chaired by a leading Japanese academic.
  106. It was only with the revolutionary party that he was in full accord.
  107. The opening chords of the Symphony were magnificent.
  108. The actual situation was quite different.
  109. The actual number of people killed is not yet known.
  110. We don’t know her actual date of birth.
  111. The play is based on actual events.
  112. It looks like Jamie has left for good this time.
  113. He was an untiring advocate of economic reform.
  114. Voters supported candidates who advocated an Assembly.
  115. He advocates the return of capital punishment.
  116. I hadn’t seen him for 25 years. Still, I recognized him immediately when I saw him.
  117. Even though she doesn’t really have the time, she still offered to help.
  118. Her quiet words stilled the animal.
  119. His father is a famous collector of Dutch and Flemish still lifes.
  120. Still waters run deep.
  121. Still more snow fell overnight.
  122. He has yet to learn.
  123. He loves tea as well as coffee.
  124. She has invited Jill as well as Kate.
  125. I might as well have a look.
  126. She sounds alternately confused and confident.
  127. His brother is an aspirant politician.
  128. The aspirant actress worked as a waitress to pay her bills.
  129. The library is open to the public.
  130. The river burst its bank.
  131. Willows lined the bank of the stream.
  132. Thousands of jobs are in jeopardy.
  133. Since it was Monday, we had to get up quite early.
  134. They had to leave, for it was well past midnight.
  135. I told her to leave, for I was very tired.
  136. If it wasn’t for the life jacket, I would have drowned.
  137. I didn’t say anything for fear of offending him.
  138. For all her qualifications, she’s still useless at the job.
  139. “How many people should I invite to the party?” “It’s not really for me to say.”
  140. She remained silent, for her heart was heavy and her spirits low.We’re going to break for lunch very shortly.
  141. Police arrived at the scene shortly after midnight.
  142. Excuse me a moment, I’ll be with you shortly.
  143. In accordance with his practice of good husbandry, he never buys anything on credit.
  144. He gave a lecture on crop and animal husbandry.
  145. The Gherkin tower has flat diamond-shaped windows.
  146. They used it to further their nascent careers.
  147. The film lends itself for an experience full of adventure.
  148. Maths is not my best subject.
  149. I’ve said all there is to be said on the subject.
  150. He was subject to bouts of manic depression.
  151. The proposed merger is subject to the approval of the shareholders.
  152. The legislation is applicable only to British subjects.
  153. The city had been subjected to Macedonian rule.
  154. The scheme is dependent on goodwill between the two sides.
  155. The company’s assets are worth £200 million, plus goodwill.
  156. He hid the money in the cabinet.
  157. There is a built-in cabinet in the hallway.
  158. You will find the aspiring in the medicine cabinet.
  159. My room was a mess and my parents were cross.
  160. We don’t have much room in our house.
  161. Many of Dickens’s characters are grotesque.
  162. Runes are characters in the ancient Germanic script.
  163. You ought to address your questions to the chair.
  164. He is the best chef this hotel has ever had.
  165. We all joined in the chorus of the song.
  166. Civil engineering is a difficult discipline.
  167. He is a pilot in the civil aviation.
  168. I know you don’t like Phil, but try to be civil.
  169. As deputy he had no vote, and he naturally took little share in the debates, but it was part of his duty to send written reports of the proceedings to his patron, since the government, with a well-grounded fear of all that might stir popular feeling, refused to allow any published reports.
  170. Diet varies between different countries in the world.
  171. He kept the fast for a week.
  172. He skinned his knees climbing down the tree.
  173. We learned how to trap and skin a rabbit.
  174. You’ll need four ripe tomatoes, skinned and chopped.
  175. He expects me to save his hide every time he messes up.
  176. The inventory of his personal effects didn’t contain any jewellery.
  177. Sir Henry can’t be very long now.
  178. It is illegal to harbour a fugitive.
  179. The water came from a natural hot spring.
  180. Cheaper mattresses have springs that link together.
  181. He walked with a spring in his step, excited to meet her.
  182. ‘Let’s get going,’ my father cried, springing into action.
  183. This boat will surely spring a leak.
  184. He really enjoyed cross-country skiing.

Garden path sentences:

  1. Fat people eat accumulates.
  2. Mary gave the child the dog bit a band aid.
  3. I convinced her children are noisy.
  4. That Jill is never here hurts.
  5. The old man the boat.
  6. The complex houses married and single soldiers and their families.

The passive:

I

  1. Tom was met at the airport. 
  2. The door is being opened. 
  3. A lot of money was paid by their parents. 
  4. She is paid a lot of money. 
  5. Jim will be told to wait here.
  6. You haven’t been helped. 
  7. The table was set by the waiting staff.  

II

  1. That day she was seen little of. 
  2. At that moment he was being listened to with great interest. 
  3. A man who is much talked about is always very attractive. 
  4. My daughter was sent for. 
  5. He could see that the bed was empty and that it had not been slept in. 
  6. Her marriage was looked upon as arranged by her parents. 
  7. The child will be taken care of somehow, don’t worry about it. 
  8. For several months now I have been trying to make myself heard in the popular press. I have been laughed at as a fool. 
  9. The effect of his education could never be done away with. 
  10. Benson told me that he had been written to and asked to take up the election campaign. 
  11. When Mary came in, the wedding preparations were being agreed upon. 
  12. I have been given to understand that you can be relied upon. 
  13. One child in a household of grown people is usually made very much of. 
  14. Julia was both pleasant to look at and interesting to talk to.
    (source: English Grammar Practice – Анна Павлова, Лили Грозева, София, 1993)

III

Has Tom had his hair cut?
Tom will have the participants called.
Tom will have his secretary call the participants.