Exercise 14

1. The Governor's wife had been a spinster and he had been a bachelor before they married. What other terms do you know to denote the mari­tal status of a person? Consult the Topical Vocabulary.

an unmarried person —

a person, having a spouse —

a person, who divorced his or her spouse —

2. The characters' marriage is called "a marriage of convenience". What other types of marriages do you know?

marriage, when people love each other —

marriage of people who are distantly related —

marriage of people with different social status —

3. The Governor and his wife celebrated the anniversary of their wedding. Do you know what we call the most often celebrated anniversaries?

25 years of family life —

50 years of family life —

75 years of family life —

Exercise 15

Imagine the following situation. Your parents have chosen a mate for you. They insist that you should marry the person they have found. How would you react? What do you think of arranged marriages in India and other ori­ental countries? Can an arranged marriage work?

Use the following expressions:

It is all very well, but...

One can never tell with...

What have/has they/it got to do with...

There would be no harm in...

I don't see how...

Imagine my surprise to...

Even had I wished it...

No wife, no...