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2. Crossing Rivers

INGENIOUS Family

  • ingenious = very clever and creative
  • ingeniously = in a very clever way
  • ingeniousness = the quality of being very clever
  • ingenuity = cleverness and creativity

INNOVATE Family

  • innovate = to create new ideas or methods
  • innovation = a new idea or invention
  • innovative = using new and creative ideas

INVENT Family

  • invent = to create something new
  • invention = something new that someone created
  • inventor = a person who creates new things

TECHNICAL Family

  • technical = related to machines, science, or special skills
  • technicality = a small rule or detail (often boring)
  • technically = strictly speaking; according to the rules
  • technician = a person who works with machines or equipment

Completed Sentences with Answers

  1. It was the ingeniousness of his plan that attracted the team to the project.
  2. We are looking for an innovative new product that will outshine our competitors.
  3. Even the most elaborate and ingenious escape plan can go wrong.
  4. A technicality meant that the prisoner was released early from his sentence.
  5. To innovate means to come up with something new or make radical changes.
  6. The idea was so ingeniously simple that he wished he has thought of it first.
  7. The computer was the most important invention of the twentieth century.
  8. Digital media can bridge the gap between tradition and innovation.
  9. In the laboratory, the technician was testing out a new kind of bio-fuel.
  10. He liked to invent things, but most of them had little practical application.
  11. Thomas Alva Edison was the inventor of the light bulb.
  12. The red team showed real ingenuity to win the outdoor survival competition.
  13. Technically speaking, there is little structural difference between the two bridges.
  14. The engineer had a set of technical drawings showing the new bridge design.

Write definition of following words :

Pier/pile : A pillar, often cylindrical, supporting an arch
Arch : A curved structural element that spans an opening and supports weight
Deck : The flat surface of a bridge that carries traffic (road or walkway)
Cable : Strong wire rope used to support suspension or cable-stayed bridges

Write opposites

stable : unstable
vertical : horizontal
long : short
low : high
weaker : stronger
flexible : rigid

Choose correct word from list
Beam , Construction, Deck, Location, Suspension, Truss, Viaduct

A beam is a long, sturdy piece of timber or metal.
He wanted to know the precise location of the Millau bridge.
A viaduct is another word for an elevated roadway or bridge.
To stop the rope bridge swinging they had to tighten the suspension.
He worked for a construction company that specialized in building bridges.
The truss framework of the bridge cast a pattern over the water.
A deck is another word for the road of a bridge or highway.


Part 1: Highlighting Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Text Analysis: “The Millau Viaduct is the highest and heaviest bridge ever built. It used construction and design techniques which did not exist even ten years ago. An even bigger bridge is planned to span the Straits of Messina between southern Italy and Sicily.”

Identified Forms:

  • highest – superlative (irregular: high → higher → highest)
  • heaviest – superlative (regular: heavy → heavier → heaviest)
  • bigger – comparative (irregular: big → bigger → biggest)

Part 2: Classification Table

delicate, elegant, famous, high, old, rigid, strong, wide

Regular adjectiveComparativeSuperlativeIrregular adjectiveComparativeSuperlative
strongstrongerstrongestgoodbetterbest
delicatemore delicatemost delicatebadworseworst
elegantmore elegantmost elegantfarfarther/furtherfarthest/furthest
famousmore famousmost famousoldolder/elderoldest/eldest
rigidmore rigidmost rigid
widewiderwidest
highhigherhighest

Part 3: Sentence Completion

Available words: darker, fastest, harder, most difficult, most significant, older, oldest, quickest

Completed sentences:

  1. The London Underground is the oldest underground train system in the world.
    • Logic: Superlative needed for historical comparison; “oldest” fits the context of being the first/earliest system.
  2. The Industrial Revolution in Europe was one of the most significant periods in bridge-building.
    • Logic: Superlative needed; “most significant” is the only multi-syllable superlative available that fits contextually.
  3. Irena was one year older than her sister Olga, but everyone thought they were twins.
    • Logic: Comparative needed for age comparison between two people; “older” is the only age-related comparative.
  4. The gold medallist had recorded the fastest time in the 100 metres freestyle.
    • Logic: Superlative needed for race time; “fastest” is more appropriate than “quickest” for athletic records.
  5. Often, the most difficult part of writing an essay is coming up with the opening sentence.
    • Logic: Superlative needed; “most difficult” fits the context better than “hardest” for academic writing.
  6. As the evening got darker, it became harder to see the cricket ball.
    • Logic: Two comparatives needed showing progression; “darker” (less light) and “harder” (more difficult) create logical sequence.
  7. Both sisters reached for the last cake, but Lucy was the quickest of the two.
    • Logic: Superlative form used even with two people (common in informal English); “quickest” refers to speed of reaction.

Grammar Rules Summary

Regular Adjectives:

  • 1 syllable: add -er/-est (strong → stronger → strongest)
  • 2+ syllables: use more/most (elegant → more elegant → most elegant)
  • Special spelling rules apply (big → bigger, heavy → heavier)

Irregular Adjectives:

  • Completely different forms (good → better → best)
  • Some have alternative forms (old → older/elder → oldest/eldest)
  • Must be memorized as they don’t follow standard patterns

Auto- Words and Bridge Metaphors – Complete Solution

Part 1: Words Starting with ‘Auto-‘ – Matching Exercise

Etymology Note: The prefix “auto-” comes from Greek meaning “self” or “same.”

Correct Matches:

WordDefinitionReasoning
autobiographya self-written account of a person’s life“bio” = life, “graphy” = writing; person writes about their own life
autocrata king or governor with absolute power“crat” = ruler; someone who rules by themselves with total authority
autographa person’s own writing, usually their signature“graph” = writing; person’s own handwritten signature
automaticdoing something without thought or attention, for example by a person or machineSelf-operating, happens by itself without external control
automobilea car“mobile” = moving; self-moving vehicle (as opposed to horse-drawn)
autonomouslygoverning or acting independently“nomos” = law/rule; self-governing, independent action

Part 2: Sentence Completion Using Auto- Words

Available words: autobiography, autocrat, autograph, automatic, automobile, autonomously

Completed Sentences:

  1. The fans waited at the entrance to the stadium hoping to get an autograph.
    • Context: Fans wanting celebrity signatures
    • Logic: “Autograph” is the only word that makes sense for what fans would want from celebrities
  2. The garage door was automatic and opened by remote control.
    • Context: Door operating without manual effort
    • Logic: “Automatic” describes self-operating mechanisms
  3. After retiring, the outgoing prime minister started to write her autobiography.
    • Context: Personal life story writing
    • Logic: “Autobiography” is a book about one’s own life, common retirement project for politicians
  4. Each of the new regions in the country was allowed to run itself autonomously.
    • Context: Regional self-governance
    • Logic: “Autonomously” means independently, fitting political decentralization
  5. The country’s leader, who opposed democratic reform, was an autocrat.
    • Context: Undemocratic leadership style
    • Logic: “Autocrat” describes absolute rulers who oppose democratic systems
  6. Everyone rushed outside to watch the first automobile in their town drive by.
    • Context: Historical scene of early transportation
    • Logic: “Automobile” fits the context of a significant first sighting of a car

Part 3: Bridge Metaphors – Idiom Matching

Background: Bridges symbolically represent connection, transition, and overcoming obstacles, making them rich sources for metaphorical language.

Correct Matches:

IdiomExplanationMetaphorical Logic
“It was like a bridge over troubled water”an action or person that calms a difficult situation and offers a solutionBridge provides safe passage over dangerous water = person/action provides help through difficulties
“It’s all water under the bridge now”events that happened in the past and can now be forgotten aboutWater flows under bridge and disappears = past events should flow away and be forgotten
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it”putting off thinking about a problem that has not happened yetDon’t worry about crossing until you reach the bridge = deal with problems when they actually arise
“He’s burnt his bridges now”causing offense and making it difficult to make amendsBurning bridges prevents return = damaging relationships prevents reconciliation

Metaphors Exercise – Simple Solution

Part 1: Matching Metaphors with Meanings

What is a metaphor? When we say someone IS something else to describe them (like “You are sunshine” = you make people happy).

Correct Matches:

MetaphorMeaningWhy This Match?
You are a walking encyclopediaYou know everything, are full of facts and figuresEncyclopedia = book with lots of facts. Walking encyclopedia = person who knows lots of facts
You are my sunshineYou are very dear, importantSunshine makes people happy and brightens their day, like this person does
You have a heart of stoneYou have a cold, cruel personalityStone is hard and cold, like a mean person’s feelings
You have a heart of glassYou are affected easily; very easily upsetGlass breaks easily, like this person’s feelings get hurt easily
You are a chip off the old blockYou are just like or resemble a parentA chip that breaks off wood looks exactly like the original wood block
You are a couch potatoYou take little exercise and sit a lotPotato just sits there doing nothing, like someone who watches TV all day
You are full of beansYou are active and energeticBeans give energy, so full of beans = full of energy
You are a rough diamondYou have a good character but not very good mannersRough diamond = valuable gem that hasn’t been polished yet
You are a bright sparkYou are cleverBright spark = quick flash of light, like a quick, smart mind
You are a busy beeYou are always busy and work hardBees never stop working, always flying around doing jobs

Part 2: Animal Metaphors – Human Characteristics

How it works: We compare people to animals because animals have clear personality traits that everyone knows.

Animal Characteristics:

AnimalHuman Characteristic It DescribesSimple Explanation
black sheepsomeone who is very different from their family, the odd one outBlack sheep stands out in a flock of white sheep
book wormsomeone who loves reading and studyingWorms eat through books, like this person “eats up” knowledge
chickensomeone who is scared, afraid to do thingsChickens run away from danger and hide
donkeysomeone who is stubborn, won’t change their mindDonkeys refuse to move when they don’t want to
lionsomeone who is brave, strong, and confidentLions are the “king of jungle” – fearless and powerful
monkeysomeone who is playful, silly, copies othersMonkeys swing around, play tricks, and copy what they see
mousesomeone who is very quiet, shy, doesn’t speak upMice are tiny and hide from bigger animals
night owlsomeone who stays up late, works better at nightOwls are awake at night when others sleep
peacocksomeone who is vain, shows off, loves attentionPeacocks spread their beautiful feathers to show off
snakesomeone who cannot be trusted, lies or tricks peopleSnakes are sneaky and can bite when you don’t expect it

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