Exercise 1

Choose all the TRUE statements from the list below.

There may be more than one true statement.

Brent asks Ray to call the studio once he is near a big city.

In the next segment, Brent and Moira are going to talk to someone who builds pogo-sticks.

Ray says that he, Bonnie and Rachid are close to Lisbon.

Rachid, the helicopter pilot, made a navigational mistake while flying over Barcelona.

Ray and Rachid are flying over the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Choose all the TRUE statements from the list below.

There may be more than one true statement.

Brent asks Ray to call the studio once he is near a big city.

This statement is true. Brent asks Ray to call the studio once he is "closer to a major city", and Ray agrees to do this when he says "sounds good". "Close" and "near" are synonymous in this context. Both terms describe proximity to a location.

In the next segment, Brent and Moira are going to talk to someone who builds pogo-sticks.

This statement is false. Brent and Moira are going to speak with someone who traveled around the world on a pogo stick. The expression "to circle the globe" describes the act of traveling all over the world. A "globe" is a sphere (a three dimensional circle), and the term is often used to describe the planet earth. "To build (an object)" is to construct, assemble or create it.

Ray says that he, Bonnie and Rachid are close to Lisbon.

This statement is true. Ray tells Brent and Moira that he, Rachid and Bonnie are "not far" from Lisbon, meaning that they are "close" (in proximity) to Lisbon.

Rachid, the helicopter pilot, made a navigational mistake while flying over Barcelona.

This statement is true. Ray reports that Rachid "took a wrong turn over Barcelona". The expression "to take (or make) a wrong turn" describes the act of turning at the wrong place.

Ray and Rachid are flying over the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

This statement is false. Ray reports that he and his team are flying over the coast of Portugal. The "coast" describes the strip of land which borders the sea or ocean. The helicopter is flying over land, not over the middle of the ocean.

Exercise 2

Philip: Hey Kevin, do you want to come to Argentina with me?
Kevin: Isn’t that really from here?
Philip: Well, it’s than Mexico. But it’s nearer than India.
Kevin: What is the best to get there?
Philip: Definitely by plane.
Kevin: Sounds expensive. I’m out.

Philip: Hey Kevin, do you want to come to Argentina with me?
Kevin: Isn’t that really far 1 from here?
Philip: Well, it’s farther away 2 than Mexico. But it’s nearer than India.
Kevin: What is the best way 3 to get there?
Philip: Definitely by plane.
Kevin: Sounds expensive. I’m out.

1 far: If something is 'far from here', then it is distant, or a long way from here. For example: '-Where is London, my lord? -Very far from here, Geoffrey. We live in Cornwall. Don't think about it again.'

1 away: A place cannot be situated '~~really away from~~' somewhere. We mostly use the words 'away from' in the context of movement. For example: 'I offered my nephew a banana, but he ran away from me'.

1 way: 'Way' is a noun, so it cannot be preceded by the adverb 'really'. 'A way' is a route, a path, or a road; or a method, a means, or an approach. For example: 'What's the best way to get to the Lost City of Atlantis?'.

2 farther away: The comparative form of 'far away' (meaning 'distant') is 'farther away' (or 'further away'). For example: 'When choosing between holiday destinations, I like to choose the one which is farther away than the others'.

2 more far: 'Far' is a short adjective, so we do not use 'more' in its comparative form. Short adjectives generally have a comparative form ending in '-er'. For example: shorter, harder, smoother.

2 more away: As a general rule, we do not say 'more away' in English. If we want to express a greater or increasing distance, we tend to use the expression 'farther away' instead.

3 way: 'The best way' means 'the best method' or 'the best route'. For example: 'The best way to find a partner in life is to be happy' (the best method); 'The best way to the supermarket from here is through the park' (the best route).

3 ways: It is correct to use the noun 'way' here. However, we cannot use the plural form 'ways', because Kevin uses the singular form of the verb, 'is'. However, he could have said 'What are the best ways to get there?'.

3 away: Don't confuse the adverb 'away' with the noun 'way'! 'Away' describes movement which becomes increasingly distant. For example, 'go away' means 'leave' or 'move farther from here'.

Far from meaning in English

Definition

Examples

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