Can you pass this vocabulary test?

/ Sue Burke / 4 Comments

I used to teach English to teenagers when I lived in Spain, often working with candidates for tests to certify their level of English. One of the tests was the Cambridge University Certificate of Proficiency in English, designed for those with the highest level of skill.

This test became 100 years old in 2012, and to celebrate, it was redesigned. One part of the exam was eliminated, an advanced vocabulary test, the part that almost all my students hated passionately — and sometimes I found it difficult, too. It presented three sentences with blanks, and the exact same word could be used in each of the three blanks. Here are some examples. Can you get them right? (Scroll down for the answers.)

1.

The hospital would only give news to Trudy’s … family and not her friends and distant relatives.

The law will take place with … effect.

The patient reported experiencing … benefits following the operation and is not expected to need any further treatment.

2.

His employer … that he had been ill, and she did not penalize him for having been absent.

She never … the things he did for her.

He said that the value of the house had … considerably.

3.

When he was in his nineties, the famous writer’s health began to ….

If the potato crop were to …, it would create many problems for the local people.

Please do not … to check the safety precautions for this device.

4.

I thought I had a good solution to the problem, but my plan was … by the director, who said it would be too expensive.

In many parts of the country, black clouds completely … out the sun and whole towns were cast into darkness.

Enrico had to take a different route home because the main coast road was … by a lorry which had overturned.

5.

After lunch, we had a … of cards, just to pass the time.

His grandparents had a … in Luca’s upbringing, as his parents worked full time.

Mrs. Spencer opened the door and said, “If you lay a … on my son, there’ll be trouble.”

6.

I do not … with young people staying up until all hours.

How many books does this bag …?

Ben’s parents … shares in several major multinational companies.

7.

A mobile phone is almost an absolute … for this job, as you will need to be available at all times.

The summary of his findings is, of …, very brief, but it gives as much information as is relevant.

There was no … for her to give up her job — it was entirely her own choice.

8.

He thought that a few illustrations or anecdotes would add … to his report.

The fascinating old market is full of … and activity, and is well worth a visit.

You’re looking better today — you’ve got a bit more … than you had yesterday.

9.

She couldn’t … the pressures of her new job and eventually resigned.

He was unwilling to … the goods the two men offered him, as he suspected they were stolen.

It wasn’t very polite of you just to … off without saying goodbye to anyone.

10.

Angela gasped as she felt the … pain in her knee again.

There is a … bend in the road just after the post office, so don’t drive too fast.

The slightly … taste of the drink will not appeal to everyone.

A

N

S

W

E

R

S

1. immediate

2. appreciated

3. fail

4. blocked

5. hand

6. hold

7. necessity

8. color

9. take

10. sharp

“En Paz” — two translations

/ Sue Burke / 2 Comments

Because “En Paz” is my husband’s favorite poem, I read it at a recent open mic here in Chicago, along with my two translations. The poem is by Amado Nervo, a Mexican poet, and it’s one of his most beloved poems, published in 1916.

My first translation aimed at keeping the meter and rhyme of the original poem. Then I thought it might be a bit sing-song, and I had to force a few meanings to make it rhyme, so I made a second translation that hewed close to the original. At the reading, people had mixed opinions about which one they preferred. How about you?

En paz

Muy cerca de mi ocaso, yo te bendigo, vida,
porque nunca me diste ni esperanza fallida,
ni trabajos injustos, ni pena inmerecida;
 
porque veo al final de mi rudo camino
que yo fui el arquitecto de mi propio destino;
 
que si extraje la miel o la hiel de las cosas,
fue porque en ellas puse hiel o mieles sabrosas:
cuando planté rosales, coseché siempre rosas.
 
…Cierto, a mis lozanías va a seguir el invierno:
¡mas tú no me dijiste que mayo fuese eterno!
 
Hallé sin duda largas las noches de mis penas;
mas no me prometiste tú sólo noches buenas;
y en cambio tuve algunas santamente serenas...
 
Amé, fui amado, el sol acarició mi faz.
¡Vida, nada me debes! ¡Vida, estamos en paz!


At Peace

So close now to my sunset, life, I bless you,
you never gave me hopes that were untrue,
nor unjust labor, nor suffering undue;
 
at the end of my rough road I see
I was architect of my destiny;
 
Wherever I put ice in things, they froze,
when I wanted honey, its sweets I chose:
my rosebushes always grew me a rose.
 
…True, winter will follow my endeavor:
but you never said springtime was forever!
 
Indeed, I spent some long nights lost in woe;
but you never pledged just comfort to bestow;
and yet some nights I thrilled beneath moonglow…
 
I loved, was loved, in sunshine found release.
Life, you owe me nothing. Life, we are at peace!


At Peace

Very close to my sunset, I bless you, life,
because you never gave me false hope,
nor unjust troubles, nor undeserved blame;

because I see at the end of my hard path
that I was architect of my own destiny;

that if I took honey or ice from things,
it was because I put ice or delicious honey in them:
when I planted rose bushes, I always harvested roses.

…True, my youth will be followed by winter:
but you never told me May would last eternal!

I encountered of course some long nights of sorrows;
but you never promised me only good nights;
and on the other hand, I had some sacredly serene…

I loved, was loved, and the sun caressed my face.
Life, you owe me nothing! Life, we are at peace!

Last Fridays Poetry in Chicago

/ Sue Burke / 1 Comment

I’ll be reading at Last Fridays Poetry, August 29, 8 p.m., at Esquina Event Space, 4602 N. Western Ave., Chicago (corner of Western and Wilson Avenues). This is a small, very supportive event, and you’re welcome to come and enjoy or to read, even if you’ve never read in public before. We’ll be glad to see you.

I’ll be reading a work of my own, Marks of Time, and a poem by Amado Nervo, “En paz,” in Spanish and two different translations I made of it. This is my husband’s favorite poem in Spanish.

Expect another five to ten readers. Again, you could be one of them. There are no restrictions on what you can read, but please keep it brief.

A friend of mine, Mike, created this event as a friendly, creative, comfortable space. I have come to believe that not everyone gets to experience creative spaces as a regular part of their life.

What convinced me of that are the reactions I’ve seen at C2E2, the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo. It’s a huge event attended by tens of thousands of people where every kind of creativity is welcome, from costumes to visual art to writing to film-making and more. On the city bus going there, you can feel the joy among attendees. This is where they will finally find their people.

The world needs more exceptional spaces like that, large and small. For me, time spent with artists, writers, costumers, actors and other creators and seeing what they do always energizes me. That’s why I value Last Fridays. It’s like an oasis.

Calvary, bases, and other anachronisms

/ Sue Burke / 6 Comments

Recently I was reading a fantasy novel set in a parallel universe, and one character commiserated with another, saying, “You’ve suffered a calvary” — that is, she’d suffered a great ordeal. The word comes from the hill named Calvary where Christ was crucified, but the Messiah hadn’t come to that parallel universe, so no one could suffer a “calvary.” Nothing important had happened on Calvary Hill.

The word “peanut” came into use in English in 1802. The plant is native to South America. If you’re a writer, you need to know this.

In another book, set in medieval Europe, a friend remarked that someone “had his bases covered” — that is, he was prepared. This is a baseball expression, and baseball originated in the United States in the mid-1800s, so people weren’t covering their bases centuries earlier on a distant continent.

Yet another book, also set in medieval Europe, spoke of plans being “dynamited” by a setback. Dynamite was invented in 1867 by Alfred Nobel (who is also famous for prizes).

Speaking of medieval expressions, we all believe kings back then could shout: “Off with his head!” Actually, they probably didn’t, not even Richard III (1452-1483), because that exclamation comes from the play Richard III written by Shakespeare in 1592, and it was made popular in Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll in 1865.

Speaking of the Bard, the expression “lie low” also comes from one of his plays, as did “green-eyed monster” and “break the ice.” However, Lewis Carroll didn’t invent the “Cheshire cat” or “March hare”: these expressions originated a century or more before his book.

I pay attention to this because as a writer and translator, when I’m working with historical or fantastical material, I need to bear in mind that all words and expressions originate at a specific point in time and space, and they need to be congruent with the origin and setting of the work.

For help, check the Historical Thesaurus of English. It contains almost 800,000 words from Old English to the present day, primarily based on the Oxford English Dictionary.

There, I learned that “home run” only dates back to 1953. Additional research told me that home runs became more common around that year, so apparently athletes and sports writers needed to give a four-bagger an evocative name.

The lesson, for me, is to be sensitive, remain alert, do research — and expect surprises. The past is another country. They spoke differently there.