Additional reading
1. Brain Teaser.
Try this little brain- teaser when you have five or ten minutes to spare. Alternatively, just note the names we give to the various members of our family. Each of the fourteen people below is married to one of the others. From the information you are given, find out who is married to whom. Note there are three generations here.
Alan is Caroline's nephew and Larry's cousin.
Barbara is Larry's mother and Maggie's sister-in-law.
Caroline is Edward's daughter and Maggie's sister-in-law.
David is Gordon's brother-in-law and Alan's uncle.
Edward is Ingrid's grandfather and Maggie's father-in-law.
Fanny is Caroline's mother and Alan's grandmother.
Gordon is Helen's son-in-law and Nigel's brother-in-law.
Helen is Barbara's mother-in-law and Larry's grandmother.
Ingrid is Gordon's niece and David's daughter-in-law.
John is David's father and Gordon's father-in-law.
Karen is Gordon's daughter-in-law and Maggie's daughter-in-law.
Larry is John's grandson and David's son.
Maggie is Larry's aunt and Fanny's daughter-in-law.
Nigel is Ingrid's father and Fanny's son-in-law.
Practice
Choose the most suitable word or phrase to complete the sentences below.
1. Mrs. Jones had....
a a trio b a treble c triplets
2. Mrs. Vine had had ... the week before
a quarts b quads c a quartet
3. Twins often seem to ... a generation.
a hop b skip c jump
4. There was a case of... twins in our town recently. .
a Japanese b Chinese c Siamese
5. There's a ... of twins in our family - on my father's ... .
a story b geography c history d tree
e side f line
6. I was ... child, though.
a an only b a missing c a single
7. All the members of our football team are related ... marriage.
a by b to c on
8. When Mother remarried, her second husband, my... gave me a new bicycle.
a forefather b stepfather c grandfather
9. He said to me, “Look, I know you're not my own..., but let's be friends.
a flesh and blood b blood and guts c skin and bones
10. My... originated from a tribe of Red Indians.
a ancestors b ancients c antiques
11. Not many of my own ... relatives are still alive.
a blood b skin c heart
-
MARITAL STATUS
(tick as appropriate)
single
engaged
married
separated
divorced
widowed (if a widow or widower, please state which)
Note how various relationships are described in the letter from Hollywood below.
185 Beverley Hills, Hollywood, Nr. Los Angeles, California
13th
July 1985
Dear Fiona,
Thanks for all your news. Things are very much as normal here. Harry and I have split up - we both felt we had had enough of each other. He's dating a girl who was going steady with Paul when you were here - I think they're quite serious - and I'm seeing a film producer called Harvey who's waiting for his divorce to come through. We're more than 'just good friends' but I don't know how long it will last. My late husband's former mistress is marrying his first wife’s third husband on Saturday.
In fact, it's going to be a double wedding because her second son by her first marriage is getting married to the girl he's been sharing a flat with for the past six months. You remember? That's her half-brother's ex-fiancée, the one who was going out with Jason back in January. Anyway, how are you? Still the ideal couple over there in Eastbourne, are you? Do I hear wedding bells?
Lots of love for now,
Mandy