Human actions

Task 1. GENERAL ACTIONS

Complete each of the sentences below with the most suitable word from the box. In somecases, more than one answer is possible.

fainted              shivered           fidgeted             sweated              trembled          nodded         dived                  started                     squatted            crouched       doze       stretched              leaned / leant                     dragged            blushed

1. He woke up, stood up and ________ his arms and legs.

2. The suitcase was too heavy to pick up, so she ________ it across the platform.

3. We ________ down to get through the low hole in the wall.

4. She ________ on the floor, trying to get the stains out of the carpet.

5. He ________ in and swam across the pool under water.

6. He ________ out of the car window and was almost hit by another car coming in the opposite direction.

7. She ________ in fear when she saw the lion come towards her.

8. She ________ with cold in the bitter wind.

9. The tennis players ________ in the hot sun.

10. She ________ with embarrassment when he spoke to her.

11. She ________ in surprise when she heard the loud bang.

12. She ________ when she saw the blood, and remained unconscious for about ten minutes.

13. She ________ off for a while after lunch and was suddenly woken up by the telephone ringing.

14. When he asked her if she understood the question, she ________ yes.

15. After an hour, he couldn't sit still any longer and ________ in his seat.

Task 2. WAYS OF MOVING

Match the following verbs  with the person who might behave in that way below.

Verbs

hop
dash
crawl
creep
tiptoe
leap
dawdle
stagger
skip
march
stroll

Person

A. A man who has been injured in an accident but is still able to walk to the hospital.
B. People walking in the park on a warm summer evening
C. A girl jumping across a wide stream of water
D. Soldiers on parade
E. Someone who has hurt their foot and must move around on one leg.
F. A young man running home to watch the football on television.
G. Young children running, hopping and jumping along the road.
H. A very young baby who can't walk yet.
I. A teenage daughter arriving home late and walking quietly up the stairs.
J. A boy walking quietly past a sleeping dog
K. A child walking very slowly to school

Task 3. HAND AND ARM ACTIONS

Choose the correct verb in each of the following sentences.

1. He punched / snapped / grabbed me on the nose.

2. They all punched / slapped / shook him on the back to congratulate him.

3. The nurse pointed / beckoned to / saluted her to come into the room.

4. She rubbed / wiped / stroked the cat as it sat in her lap.

5. He patted / wiped / folded his pocket to make sure his wallet was still there.

6. He snapped / grabbed / flexed his suitcase and ran to the train.

7. It was dark in the cellar and he had to grope / scratch / grab for a light switch.

8. Ordinary soldiers must salute / shake / point their officers

9. They waved / punched / beckoned goodbye as the boat left the harbour.

10. He groped / scratched / stroked his head as he wondered what to do

11. He sat down and tapped / crossed / folded his arms.

12. Here's a handkerchief - wipe / pat / rub your nose.

13. You should always pat / grope / shake the bottle before you open it.

14. A policeman tapped / scratched / stroked him on the shoulder and arrested him.

15. He shook / rubbed / wiped his hands together to get them warm.

Task 4. IDIOMS, COLLOQUIALISMS AND OTHER EXPRESSIONS

Look at the expressions in bold in the following sentences and decide if the definitions which

accompany them are TRUE or FALSE.

1. She made a beeline for the chocolate cakes. / She walked slowly towards the chocolate cakes.

2. Once bitten, twice shy. / Once you have had a bad experience, you will not want to do it again.

3. The telephone's on the blink. / The telephone is ringing.

4. We all gave Brian a pat on the back. / We all congratulated Brian.

5. She looked daggers at me. / She looked at me angrily.

6. He ran like the wind. / He ran very fast.

7. We salute the firemen who entered the burning building to save lives. / We are angry with the firemen.

8. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. / Don't be unkind to people who are less fortunate than you.

9. In the coffee break I went into the garden to stretch my legs. / After sitting down for a long time, I went for a small walk.

10. Bob is not fully stretched. / Bob is not very tall.

11. There was a mad dash to buy the tickets. / Nobody wanted to buy the tickets.

12. Don't worry - I was only pulling your leg. / I was only teasing you.