B) Persuade your partner to start practising sport immediately.

c) Speak on: 1. the role of sport in modern life; 2. sport as part of school and college life.

XVII. Role-playing.

Work in groups of four or fire. You are people of different age and social standing. Express your attitude to sport and sportsmen in general.

XVIII. Describe these pictures in suds a way as if you have seen the event with your own eyes. Use some details, try to sound as convincing as possible. Use some words and phrases given below:

the stadium with a seating capacity of ...; a pole-jumper; in good form; a referee; a starter; a cross-bar;

wave a start; rushing towards; like lightning;

race past; carrying the pole; puzzled;

plant the pole; up in the air; with a smile on his face; awestricken;

pretty-looking; embarrassed; with her eyes downcast; with his hands pressed; land onto; break the record; the record of his life; candidate master of sports of Russia.

STUDIES OF WRITTEN ENGLISH

VI

The plot is a very important aspect of written works. But there is something even more important, that is, the main idea or the message.

Messageis the main idea that a writer wants to commu­nicate in his work through the characters and their behaviour, the physical and emotional background or sometimes through his own generalizing statements. To make it clear and understandable you have to learn how to write the gist.

Gistis commonly understood as the essence or main point (of an article, paragraph or argument), also as the essential part of a story, novel, or play that helps to understand the main idea.

Summary deals with the plot of complete written works, such as a story, novel or play. Gist deals with the main idea of any thoughtful writing, no matter whether it is a paragraph or a novel. It is expected to be very short and clear.

In order to write the gist of a story ("A Day's Wait", for example) you have to do the following:

1. Read the story carefully, paying attention to the charac­ters, general atmosphere and the author's remarks or state­ments (е.g. a bright cold day, a pale-faced and shivering boy, the growing strain), the atmosphere of suspense.

2. Jot down the main points and see how they are linked (е.g. the boy is ill but he won't go to bed; he is still worried and keeps staring at the foot of the bed; he can hardly believe that he has no reason to worry about his health).

3. Point out the author's remarks (the boy was looking at the foot of the bed strangely; that's a silly way to talk; he had been waiting to die all day; relaxation was very slow).

4. Go over these points, reconsider them carefully and formulate the main idea, е.g. It is a story telling us how fear and self-pity through ignorance or misleading information may cause worry and suffering or how remarkably patient the child's endurance may be.

Assignments:

1. Give your own version of the gist of "A Day's Wait" and "How We Kept Mother's Day".

2. Write the gist of "A Friend in Need". When writing analyse the title of the story.

3. Write the gist of two letters written by Judy and compare them. What is their message?