POSTGRADUATE COURSE. MEETING 2

Activity 1: Words often confused or misused: lie or lay?
Lay is a regular verb (lay – laid – laid). It is transitive (takes an object) so you always lay something.
Lay means: a. to put something in especially a flat or horizontal position, usually carefully or for a particular purpose. Example: The woman laid the baby on the bed carefully. b. to produce eggs from out of the body. Example: Hens lay eggs.
Lie is an irregular verb (lie – lay – lain). It is intransitive (takes no object), so something lies. However, lie is a regular verb (lie – lied – lied) when it means to tell a lie, not to tell the truth.
Lie means: a. to be in or move into a horizontal position on a surface. Example: Many people usually lie in bed for a few minutes after lunch. b. to say or write something which is not true in order to deceive someone. Example: Are you lying to me?
Exercise: Fill in with the correct form of lay or lie:
1. I was so tired that I ________ on bed for a few minutes before going out again. (lay – past tense of lie)
2. Thousands of turtles drag themselves onto the beach and _________ their eggs in the sand. (lay)
3. Don’t ever ________ to me again or I won’t believe in you anymore. (lie)
4. Why don’t you ___________ on my side while we are ___________ on the beach? (lie – lying)
5. My wife was already _____________ the table when I arrived home at lunchtime. (laying)
6. I suspect that woman has __________ about her age. (lied)
Activity 2:
The Wolf and the Crane
A Wolf had been gorging himself on an animal he had killed, when suddenly a small bone in the meat stuck in his throat and he could not swallow it. He soon felt terrible pain in his throat, and ran up and down groaning and groaning and seeking for something to relieve the pain. He tried to induce every one he met to remove the bone. “I would give anything,” said he, “if you took it out.” At last the Crane agreed to try, and told the Wolf to lie on his side and open his jaws as wide as he could. Then the Crane put its long neck down the Wolf’s throat, and with its beak loosened the bone, till at last it got it out.
“Will you kindly give me the reward you promised?” said the Crane.
The Wolf grinned and showed his teeth and said: “Be content. You have put your head inside a Wolf’s mouth and taken it out again in safety; that ought to be reward enough for you.”
MORAL: Gratitude and greed go not together.
Analysis of vocabulary
 gorge: (v) /gɔrdʒ/ to eat until you are unable to eat any more. E.g. If you gorge yourself on crisps like that, you won’t eat your dinner. (Sp. Atiborrarse)
 stick: (v) /stɪk/ (stuck – stuck) to cause something to become fixed, for example with glue or another similar substance. E.g. My book got wet and all the pages have stuck together.
PROVERB: Sticks and stones may break my bones, (but words can never hurt me). CHILD’S EXPRESSION. Said in order to show that people cannot be hurt by unpleasant things that are said to them (A palabras necias oídos sordos.)
IDIOM Vulg.: Stick it up your arse (BrE) or ass (AmE)! ¡Métetelo por el culo!
 swallow: [VI or VT] /ˈswɑloʊ/ to cause food, drink, pills, etc. to move from your mouth into your stomach by using the muscles of your throat, or to use the muscles of your throat as if doing this. E.g. My throat is so sore that it really hurts when I swallow (VI). / He put a grape into his mouth and swallowed it whole (VT).
INFORMAL: to accept something without question or without expressing disagreement. E.g. He swallowed her story whole (VT).
SAYING: One swallow doesn’t make a summer. Used to say that because one good thing has happened, it is not therefore certain that a situation is going to improve.
 groan: (VI) /groʊn/ to make a deep long sound showing great pain or unhappiness. E.g. He collapsed, groaning with pain. (gimiendo de dolor)
 lie: (VI) to be in or move into a horizontal position on a surface (yacer, echarse, tumbarse)
 jaws: mandíbulas
 beak: pico
 loosened: aflojó
 reward: recompense
 grinned: sonrió abiertamente
(to grin / smile from ear to ear): to look extremely happy
 greed: gula, codicia
greed: wanting a lot more food, money, etc. than you need. E.g.: greedy, selfish people (Some people are greedy for success / power, etc.)
 content: /kənˈtent/ adjective [after verb]: pleased with your situation and not hoping for change or improvement. E.g.: He seems fairly content with (his) life. / [+ to infinitive] They’re content to socialize with a very small circle of people.
/kənˈtent/ verb [T]: to make someone feel happy and satisfied. E.g.: You’re quite easily contented, aren’t you? / My explanation seemed to content him.
/ˈkɑntent/ noun