Unit Nineteen Wrong Number


"Well, that's a bit odd,' said Sheila.
'What?' I asked.
"That phone call, she replied. 'I don't know who it was. He was talking about something I couldn't understand, and then he just broke off in mid-sentence and hung up.'


'Maybe he realised he had mistaken you for someone else,' I pointed out.


'No doubt something simple lies behind it,' she replied, going over to the window. 'But doesn't it strike you as a bit odd that it's the third time this week that it's happened?"

 


Notes

BREAK OFF E In the middle of his lecture he broke off to drink some water.

HANG UP E At the end of a telephone conversation you hang up.


MISTAKE FOR BC You can mistake one thing or person for another e.g. I beg your pardon; I mistook you for my sister."

 

POINT OUT ABC You point out something to someone who has not seen it.

 


Exercises using verbs from the passage


A Complete these sentences:


1 I wonder what his strange behaviour.


2 He in mid-sentence and stared past my shoulder.

 

3 She something he had overlooked.


4 If you hadn't been here, I would have it a genuine antique.


5 I would never have noticed the fault if you had not it to me.


6 She before I could apologise.


7 I'm sorry; I your umbrella mine.

 

8 The fact that there was a dead bird on the doorstep me rather curious.

 


B Answer these questions:


1 When would you hang up?


2 Does it strike you as odd that there are no detailed photographs of the Loch Ness Monster?


3 What explanation do you think lies behind the story of the Loch Ness Monster?


4 What does a tourist guide do?


5 Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?


6 When would you break off during a conversation?


7 Is it easy to mistake a peach for an apricot?


8 When you have a telephone conversation, do you usually hang up before the other person?

 


C Use the following pairs of verbs in sentences of your own:


1 strike one as, break off.

 

2 hang up, mistake for.

 

3 point out, lie behind. hang up.



4 break off,


 

 


A Vb + prep. + NP. B Vb+NP+ prep. C Vb pron. + prep. D Vb + prep. + pron. E Intrans.


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Exercise: