V. Make up dialogues or situations, using the patterns

TEXT. HOW WE KEPT MOTHER'S DAY by Stephen Leacock

Leacock, Stephen (1869-1944) — a famous Canadian writer of the 20th century. His stories, full of humour and sarcasm, expose the contradictions of life in modem bourgeois society.

Leacock says that the basis of humour lies in the contrasts offered by life itself, but "the deep background that lies behind and beyond what we call humour is revealed only to the few who. by instinct or by effort have given thought to it."

So we decided to have a special celebration of Mother's Day. We thought it a fine idea. It made us all realize how much Mother had done for us for years, and all the efforts and sacrifice that she had made for our sake.

We decided that we'd make it a great day, a holiday for all the family, and do everything we could to make Mother happy. Father decided to take a holiday from his office, so as to help in celebrating the day, and my sister Anne and I stayed home from college classes, and Mary and my brother Will stayed home from High School.

It was our plan to make it a day just like Xmas[32] or any big holiday, and so we decided to decorate the house with flowers and with mottoes over the mantelpieces,[33] and all that kind of thing. We got Mother to make mottoes and arrange the decorations, because she always does it at Xmas.

The two girls thought it would be a nice thing to dress in our very best for such a big occasion and so they both got new hats. Mother trimmed both the hats, and they looked fine, and Father had bought silk ties for himself and us boys as a souvenir of the day to remember Mother by. We were going to get Mother a new hat too, but it turned out that she seemed to really like her old grey bonnet better than a new one, and both the girls said that it was awfully becoming to her.

Well, after breakfast we had it arranged as a surprise for Mother that we would hire a motor car and take her for a beautiful drive away into the country. Mother is hardly ever able to have a treat like that, because we can only afford to keep one maid, and so Mother is busy in the house nearly all the time.

But on the very morning of the day we changed the plan a little bit, because it occurred to Father that a thing it would be better to do even than to take Mother for a motor drive would be to take her fishing; if you are going to fish, there is a definite purpose in front of you to heighten the enjoyment.

So we all felt that it would be nicer for Mother to have a definite purpose; and anyway, it turned out that Father had just got a new rod the day before.

So we got everything arranged for the trip, and we got Mother to cut up some sandwiches[34] and make up a sort of lunch in case we got hungry, though of course we were to come back home again to a big dinner in the middle of the day, just like Xmas or New Year's Day. Mother packed it all up in a basket for us ready to go in the motor.

Well, when the car came to the door, it turned out that there hardly seemed as much room in it as we had supposed.

Father said not to mind him, he said that he could just as well stay home; and that he was sure that he could put in the time working in the garden; he said that we were not to let the fact of his not having had a real holiday for three years stand in our way; he wanted us to go right ahead and be happy and have a big day.

But of course we all felt that it would never do to let Father stay home, especially as we knew he would make trouble if he did. The two girls, Anne and Mary, would gladly have stayed and helped the maid get dinner, only it seemed such a pity to, on a lovely day like this, having their new hats. But they both said that Mother had only to say the word, and they'd gladly stay home and work. Will and I would have dropped out, hut unfortunately we wouldn't have been any use in getting the dinner.

So in the end it was decided that Mother would stay home and just have a lovely restful day round the house, and get the dinner. It turned out anyway that Mother doesn't care for fishing, and also it was just a little bit cold and fresh out of doors, though it was lovely and sunny, and Father was rather afraid that Mother might take cold if she came.

So we all drove away with three cheers for Mother, and Father waved his hand back to her every few minutes till he hit his hand on the back edge of the car, and then said that he didn't think that Mother could see us any longer.

Well, — we had the loveliest day up among the hills that you could possibly imagine.

It was quite late when we got back, nearly seven o'clock in the evening, but Mother had guessed that we would be late, so she had kept back the dinner so as to have it just nicely ready and hot for us. Only first she had to get towels and soap for Father and clean things for him to put on, because he always gets so messed up with fishing, and that kept Mother busy for a little while, that and helping the girls get ready.

But at last everything was ready, and we sat down to the grandest kind of dinner — roast turkey and all sorts of things like on Xmas Day. Mother had to get up and down a good bit during the meal fetching things back and forward.

The dinner lasted a long while, and was great fun, and when it was over all of us wanted to help clear the things up and wash the dishes, only Mother said that she would really much rather do it, and so we let her, because we wanted just for once to humour her.

It was quite late, when it was all over, and when we all kissed Mother before going to bed, she said it had been the most wonderful day in her life, and I think there were tears in her eyes. So we all felt awfully repaid for all that we had done.

VOCABULARY NOTES

1. to get (got, got) υt/i 1. доставать, добывать; to get smb. smth., to get smth. for smb., е.g. I can get this book for you. (I can get you this book.)

2. получать, е.g. Did you get (= receive) my telegram?

3. покупать, приобретать, е.g. The two girls got new hats.

4. прибывать, добираться, достигать, е.g. We cannot get to Moscow tonight. It was very late when he got home.

5. приготовить, подготовить, обеспечить, е.g. It was decided that Mother would stay home and get the dinner (= get it ready).

6. заставить кого-л. что-л. сделать, добиться, чтобы кто-л. что-л. сделал, е.g. We got Mother to arrange the decorations.

7. становиться (as a link-verb), е.g. It was getting dark when we arrived at the station. I got very cold while waiting in the street.

Syn. to become

to get smth. done, е.g. I got everything arranged in time.

have got = have, e, g. I have got something to tell you. I haven't got the book you're talking about (cf.: I have no books by this author.).

N о t e: In modern conversational English the word combination have gotin the meaning of иметь, обладать is used much more often than the verb have m the same meaning, especially with a concrete object.

have got to do smth., е.g. I have got to (= must) finish my work in time. It has got to be done.

to get back = to come back, е.g. At what time shall we get back?

to get over a disease (fear, difficulties, grief, etc.), е.g. Don't worry, the child will soon get over his illness.

to get up and down, е.g. Mother had to get up and down a good bit during the meal fetching things back and forward.

to get on smb.'s nerves, е.g. Don't get up and down every minute, you're getting on my nerves.

2. to turn υt/i 1. вращать(ся), поворачивать(ся), вертеться), е.g. At hearing her voice I turned (turned my head). The car turned the corner.

2. превращать(ся), изменять(ся) (into smth.), е.g. The water in the pond turned into ice as the night had been frosty.

to turn away (from smb. or smth.) отвернуться (от)

to turn back повернуть назад

to turn inside out вывернуть(ся) наизнанку, е.g. My umbrella turned inside out in the wind.

to turn out оказаться, е.g. He turned out a bad actor. The day turned out (to be) a fine one. It turned out that there were no vacant seats in the bus.

as it turned out... = as it happened

to turn over перевернуть(ся), е.g. He turned over a page. He turned over in bed.

to turn up (по)явиться, прийти, е.g. We expected him to join us, but he never turned up.

to turn smth. upside down перевернуть вверх дном, разбросать, е.g. Someone has turned everything upside down in my drawer.

3. to treat υt 1. обращать(ся), обходиться, относиться; to treat smb. well, kindly, coldly, etc., е.g. Don't treat me as if I were a child. Better treat his words as a joke. You treat" the matter too lightly.

2. лечить; to treat smb. for smth. with smth., е.g. Who treated your child for scarlet fever? What medicine are you treated with?

3. угощать чем- n. (перен. доставлять удовольствие); to treat smb. to smth., е.g. I'll treat you all to (= I'll buy you) some ice-cream. Wouldn't you like him to treat you (= to pay for your ticket) to a ballet? I shall treat myself to a week-end holiday.

treat n 1. удовольствие, наслаждение, е.g. I've never had a treat like that! What a treat it is not to have to get up early! Every chance to listen to good music is a great treat to her.

2. угощение

treatment n 1. обращение (с кем- n.), е.g. Her treatment of the pupils is always kind and patient, (prep, "of")

2. лечение, е.g. Have you heard of a new treatment for pneumonia? (prep, "for")

4. afford υt (быть в состоянии) позволить себе (usu. with can, could, be able to)

smth.; е.g. Ican't afford time for movies.

To afford

to do smth., е.g. Can you afford to go away for a holiday?

5. to keep (kept, kept) υt/i 1. держать (в разных смыслах); а) хранить, е.g. She always keeps old letters.; b) задержать, не отдавать, е.g. You may keep the book, I don't want it yet.; с) (с) держать (слово и т. п.), е.g. Не always keeps his promise.; d) содержать, е.g. Mr. Watson had a wife and family to keep.; e) задержать, заставить ждать, е.g. I'm sorry I kept you waiting.

2. праздновать, справлять, е.g. "How We Kept Mother's Day"; She always keeps her birthday.

to keep smth. + adj., е.g. This work kept the children busy. You must keep your feet warm.

to keep to smth., е.g. Keep to the diet. Let's keep to the middle of the road.

to keep on doing smth., е.g. She kept on writing when I came in (not used of a state, but only of activities. Cf.: He kept on standing up. But He remained standing.).

to keep smb. from doing smth., е.g. It kept me from Joining you.

to keep (smth.) back, е.g. The young men kept the crowd back. I'm sure he is keeping something back (= not telling all; concealing something). Mother had guessed that we would be late, so she had kept back the dinner.

6. to occur υi 1. случаться, происходить, е.g. Such incidents occur every day. It must never occur again.

2. приходить на ум, е.g. It occurred to me that something might be wrong with her. Didn't it occur to you to close the window to keep the noise back?

7. to enjoy υi получать удовольствие, наслаждаться, е.g. I enjoyed the trip very much. I've enjoyed seeing you.

to enjoy oneself, е.g. I enjoyed myself at the concert last night.

enjoyment n удовольствие, наслаждение

8. fun n 1. веселье, забава, развлечение, е.g. Children are fond of fun. What fun we had when we were together! He is full of fun.

to make fun of высмеивать, подшучивать, е.g. He's fond of making fun of people. Nobody likes to be made fun of.

to do smth. in (for) fun делать что-л. в шутку, е.g. I said it only in (for) fun.

2. предмет шуток, источник веселья, удовольствия, е.g. The party (your friend) was great fun.

funny adj смешной, забавный, е.g. I have a funny story to tell you.

NOTES ON STYLE

1. In Leacock's story "How We Kept Mother's Day" you will find numerous words and phrases of informal functional style (See Note A on p. 52), е.g. all that kind of thing (cf. the Russian «и все такое»), awfully (in "awfully becoming", cf. the Russian «ужас как идет; потрясающе к лицу»), a little bit («чуть-чуть»), have a big day («здорово провести время»), get messed up («перемазаться, вывозиться в грязи»), the dinner... was great fun («весело было за обедом»), etc.

Note also the interjection well introducing some of the passages (which normally occurs in oral speech), the omission of the conjunction that and the syntax imitating that of oral communication by its free and careless structures.

2. The story presents an interesting example of the indirect method of characterization. The author does not say directly that the members of the family were selfish, callous and hard-hearted people (that would be the direct method of characterization) but makes them act and lets the reader draw his own conclusion.

3. "How We Kept Mother's Day" is a humorous story. Humour in fiction may be of two principal types. It may be humour of situation when the author makes us laugh at certain funny or absurd facts, е.g. the members of the family buying presents for themselves on Mother's Day, but buying nothing for their mother. There is also humour of words when the reader does not laugh at what is happening in the story but at how it is put by the author. E. g. But of course we all felt that it would never do to let Father stay at home, especially as we knew he would make trouble if he did.

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