Reading about old and new machines: guessing words
When you meet a new word in a text, do not stop. First decide its type: is it a noun, a verb or an adjective? Then look for clues near the word. A contrast clue uses but or however. An example clue gives a case of the word. An opposite clue shows the opposite meaning. An explanation clue follows a colon or a dash. Replace the new word with your guess and check that the sentence still makes sense. Two idioms from your unit are useful for texts about change. Lay the groundwork means to prepare the base for something that will come later. Full steam ahead means to go forward with great energy. Your book has an article on pages 25 and 26 about machines in Egypt; read it after this lesson and guess its words with the same four clues. When you speak about a machine you invent, say what it does, how it helps and what could go wrong.
| Clue in the text | Example | Word it explains |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast (but, however) | Everything was manual, but now the oven is automated. | manual: done by hand |
| Example | a mixer that could prepare a whole sack of flour | adopted: began to use |
| Opposite | a sophisticated oven, not a simple fire | sophisticated: advanced |
| Explanation after a colon | automated: it switches itself off | automated: works by itself |
When Hassan’s grandfather opened the family bakery, everything was manual. He mixed the dough by hand, and he judged the heat of the oven by the colour of the flames. Twenty years later, Hassan’s father adopted a mixer that could prepare a whole sack of flour in ten minutes. The bakery could then bake twice as many loaves, and the workers were less tired. Last year Hassan took the initiative and suggested a sophisticated oven with a timer and a temperature display. The new oven is automated: it bakes each tray for exactly the same time and switches itself off. Not everybody was happy at first. An old baker worried that the bread would lose its taste, and a customer complained that the shop smelled less of wood smoke. Hassan answered that the machine only helps with the timing, and that the recipe is still his grandfather’s. Today the family uses machines for the heavy work and shapes the loaves by hand. They say that new tools are best when they support old skill and do not replace it.
Invent a machine. Think of a machine that would help your family at home. Tell a grown-up in one minute what it does, how it helps and what could go wrong. Use two words from the table.