Unit Thirty-Seven

A Protest Meeting

The debate was due to begin at 7.30, and by 7.15 the street outside the hall was so full that nobody could move. At length the doors opened and the audience rushed into the building

Sir Edward let them settle down, and then introduced Mr i larold Eltonby, who was going to support the motion, proposing that the new steam railway should not be allowed to run through Cardenby.

Unfortunately nobody had turned up to speak for the railway company, so the meeting looked as though is was going to be rather a disappointment.

it was going to be rather though it

Eltonby's speech started off with a virulent attack on modem morals and the evils of industrialisation. Before long, Sir Edward was thinking about something completely different and hoping that the meeting would soon be over.

Notes

SETTLE DOWN E At a concert, the musiciane do not start playing until the audience has settled down.

START OFF E Speeches usually start off with an introduction,

THINK ABOUT AD You think about something or somebody.

BE OVER E The guests go home when a party is over.

Exercises using verbs from the passage

A Complete these sentences:

1 James isn't here he always late

2 Your proposal needs careful consideration. We'd lika to it for a while.

3. Though the match in fine weather, it finished in rain.

4 The concert started as soon as the audience had

5 I don't claim to everyone, but I hope I represent the viev views of the majority

6 The play finished in confusion, many of the audience leaving before it

7 He as a bank-clerk, but became a major financier

8 Look who's It's Joe. I thought you weren't coming.

B Answer these questions

1 Could you speak for yourself?

2 When would you leave a restaurant?

3 If you had an appointment at 6.30 am. would you turn up on time?

4 If you were offered a trip in a submarine what would you do?

5 Did your town start off as a village?

6 What would you do before watching a long film?

7 What will you do when this lesson is over?

8 What do you think about before going to sleep?

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

1 be over, settle down. be over

2 turn up, speak for.

3 start off, think about.

4 tum up, be over.

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Exercise: