Murder is always a mistake – one should never do anything one cannot talk about after dinner. (Oscar Wilde)
The police car went round a sharp bend and Thumbleton Manor appeared in the distance. Inspector Caulder of Scotland Yard smiled to himself. The complicated case he had been called upon to solve had all the ingredients of a Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie classic. The setting, the characters, nothing was missing, but he was no Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot, nor did he have a Watson or a Hastings at hand to help him out.
Invitation to Murder would no doubt be an appropriate title for the corresponding thriller. In fact, Lord Thumbleton, the prestigious judge, must have been mad to invite that group of people to spend the weekend in his country house, for unless one is tired of living and wants to commit suicide – and this wasn’t Lord Thumbleton’s case, as he certainly knew how to enjoy life – it isn’t wise to invite someone who hates one’s guts, and he had asked over Barton, whose father he had sent to the gallows, and Borderlow, the infamous swindler, who was indebted to him for spending a quarter of his life in prison. It had not been a bright idea, either, to invite Helen, his own wife, from whom he had been separated for over two years, especially when she was aware that Miss Prescott, her husband’s secretary and mistress, would be of the party. And to complete the picture, among the guests would be Salford, his lawyer, whom Lord Thumbleton had sufficient reasons to distrust since he had discovered by chance that he had been carrying on for six months with Miss Prescott, of all women. With these antecedents in mind, it was logical to expect that Lord Thumbleton would be murdered, and it only remained to know who was to beat the others in this race to crime.
The car had reached the house and the inspector could see his man, Sergeant Turner, waiting for him outside, and judging from the satisfied grin on his face, he must have already caught the murderer, or at least have a pretty good idea about who the criminal might be. “Good evening, Sir, everything’s in order, and I think that…” “Just a moment, Turner”, the inspector interrupted him, “before you report about your inquiries, I’d like to have a look at the suspects’ statements. I know you’re an orderly man, and I’m sure you’ve kept your notes.” “Yes, of course, everything’s here, Sir”, said the sergeant producing his pad, “but I have good reasons to believe that…” “All right, Sergeant, but give me some time to guess for myself. As is customary in these cases, take me to the library and have somebody bring me a good cup of tea.” “Very well, Sir”. Though somewhat disappointed by the inspector’s reluctance to hear his clever conclusions, the Sergeant led his superior to the library, asked the maid for two cups of tea and waited impatiently to be given the opportunity to explain himself.
The inspector sat down quietly in one of the comfortable armchairs, and as he sipped his tea, he began to get acquainted with the facts. Lord Thumbleton had dropped dead at about two after drinking a cup of coffee. According to the witnesses’ testimony, all the suspects had been present when tea and coffee had been served in the living room: his wife, his mistress, his lawyer, the hanged man’s son and the ex-convict, but there was a small detail, apparently irrelevant, that struck him as curious nonetheless. Lord Thumbleton, who always had tea after lunch, today had had coffee instead. Had he sensed the danger and substituted coffee for tea to throw off his would-be murderer? If so, it had all been to no avail. He went on reading, but the statements did not tell him much, except that it was Miss Prescott who would benefit the most from the late Lord Thumbleton’s will. Apart from a small pension for his widow, he left his secretary and mistress everything (which did not amount to much anyway, after all his gambling debts had been paid off). Well, well, he thought, now we have the motive, and motive is essential in a murder case, but hatred or jealousy can be equally important…
The inspector finished his reading and turning to the sergeant snapped: “Well, Turner, out with it, who’s our murderer?” “Don’t worry, Sir, everything’s under control, I have one of my men watching him. Kinderley can’t escape.” “Kinderley?”, the inspector was puzzled, “who on earth is this Kinderley?” “The butler, Sir. I found the jewels and the silver cutlery in his suitcase. The bird was about to fly – “Kinderley, a murderer?”, the inspector couldn’t help bursting out laughing, but seeing that the sergeant was not amused, he hastened to add: “you did well, Turner, to arrest the petty thief, but it’s evident that we can’t charge him with murder. If you question him again, you’ll find that our man knew Thumbleton Manor was going to be closed down and his services would no longer be necessary, so he thought he was entitled to a little extra silver handshake; the chap’s guilty of stealing, but murdering Lord Thumbleton is another story; no, I’m afraid we’ll have to go on looking.” His momentary disappointment over, the sergeant ventured to say: “Well, if you allow me, Sir, I think it’s obvious that Miss Prescott did it, I’ll arrest her…” “Wait a minute, Turner, you can’t charge Miss Prescott with anything, except perhaps attempted murder. If you go over the statements again, you’ll find that someone said, I think it was Borderlow, that Miss Prescott offered her employer a cup of tea, saying: “Here’s your tea, Lord Thumbleton, as you like it, with two lumps of sugar and a slice of lemon.” She was clearly upset when he had preferred coffee, and quickly took the cup back to the kitchen. If we’re lucky and nobody has washed up yet, we’ll find a trace of poison in the cup that will allow us to charge Miss Prescott and her new lover, the lawyer, with attempted murder, but we’re still left with the actual murder of Lord Thumbleton on our hands, unsolved…” “Then, it must be the wife”, said a more and more baffled sergeant. “No”, the inspector said calmly, “if we are to believe Hobson, the stable lad, Lady Thumbleton had chosen a different method to do her husband in, which obviously failed too when, on some pretext or other, he begged off his customary morning ride on his favourite horse which, curiously enough, for no apparent reason, reared up and bolted that very morning…Nor can we accuse young Barton, or Borderlow, unless murderous wishes can be counted as the real thing.
No, Turner, if there’s a culprit in this case it’s Lord Thumbleton himself.” “You mean he took his own life?” “No, I mean he was too clever by half when he planned his cunning invitation to murder.” “I don’t understand, Sir, Lord Thumbleton’s dead…” “On the contrary, he’s alive and kicking, and if you hurry you’ll be able to arrest him at Heathrow as he gets off the plane from Paris in about two hours’ time, and charge him with the murder of Richard Thumbleton, his twin brother.” The sergeant was astonished. “But, but…”, he stammered, “he could hardly kill his brother if he was in Paris…” “With a bit of luck, we’ll find Lord Thumbleton’s fingerprints on the box of tablets his brother had every day after lunch, tablets that were cunningly replaced by others with a deadly dose of cyanide.”
And his clever deductions made, Inspector Caulder, as in any good novel of the genre, lit his pipe and began to explain everything to his bewildered subordinate: “The idea had occurred to Lord Thumbleton when visiting his twin brother in Paris. Harassed by his debtors, he thought a good way to outwit his enemies and collect the substantial life insurance he had taken out naming his brother as beneficiary was to stage this macabre invitation to murder in his Manor House. For a small sum of money, he must have persuaded his needy bohemian brother to impersonate him, assuring him it was all part of a harmless practical joke on his friends and lover. And the joke had proved fatal to poor Richard.
SEMANTIC ANALYSIS (for help go here)
3.2.1 LEARNING NEW WORDS AND PHRASES
as is customary in these cases (como es costumbre en estos casos)
baffled (desconcertado, confundido)
bewildered (desconcertado, confundido)
bohemian (bohemio)
to bolt (desbocarse un caballo)
to burst out laughing (echarse a reír, soltar la carcajada) (for ways of laughing, see 11.2.6a)
butler (mayordomo) (for occupations and professions, see 10.2.5)
cunning/cunningly (astuto/astutamente)
deadly dose (dosis mortal)
debtor (deudor)
disappointed (decepcionado, defraudado)
employer (patrón, empresario)
gambling debts (deudas de juego)
genre (género literario)
to harass (acosar)
harmless (inofensivo) (for words with –less/full suffixes, see 4.2.10)
hatred (odio)
to impersonate (hacerse pasar por, suplantar)
infamous (infame)
jealousy (celos)
life insurance (seguro de vida)
needy (necesitado)
nonetheless (no obstante, sin embargo)
to outwit (ser más listo que)
pad (bloc de notas)
a practical joke (una broma)
to prove fatal (resultar fatal/mortal)
to rear (up) (encabritarse un caballo)
reluctance (desgana, reticencia)
setting (ambientación, escenario)
a sharp bend (una curva cerrada) (for other meanings of sharp, see 7.2.5)
silver cutlery (cubiertos de plata)
to snap (decir bruscamente, espetar)
stable lad (mozo de cuadra)
to stage (organizar, montar)
swindler (estafador) (for crime and criminals, see 5.2.6g)
the late Mr… (el difunto Sr….)
thriller (novela/película de suspense)
to no avail (en vano, inútil)
twin brother (hermano gemelo)
upset (alterado, afectado; molesto, contrariado; preocupado)
to venture (atreverse, arriesgarse)
widow (viuda)
would-be (supuesto, aspirante a)
3.2.2 SYNONYMS AND NEAR-SYNONYMS
bewildered (baffled)
cunning (crafty, artful, guileful, shrewd, astute, clever)
culprit (guilty party)
to go over sth (to review, to run through)
harassed (harried, hard-pressed)
to impersonate (to pass oneself off as)
to take one’s own life (to commit suicide, to kill oneself)
3.2.3 ANTONYMS
comfortable (uncomfortable)
to fail (to succeed)
guilty (not guilty, innocent)
harmless (harmful)
irrelevant (relevant)
needy (wealthy, affluent, rich, well off)
orderly (disorderly, untidy, messy)
substantial (worthless)
3.2.4 POLYSEMOUS TERMS
late [tarde; the late Mr… (el difunto Sr…)]
pipe [tubería, tubo, caño, cañería; cañón/tubo (de órgano); pipa; pipes (also bagpipes) gaita]
plane (avión; cepillo de carpintero; árbol del plátano; plano, nivel)
3.2.5 HOMONYMS
fair (justo) (from OE faeger)/fair (feria) (from ME, from OF feire, ult. from Late Latin feria)
race (carrera) (from ME)/race (raza) (from F, from Italian razza)
3.2.6 METONYMY AND METAPHOR
…a Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie classic (classic is a metonymy for ‘a classic novel’)
…the bird was about to fly is a metaphor for ‘the person was about to escape’.
3.2.7 LEXICAL FIELDS
- a) containers:
bag [bolsa (de la compra, de caramelos); saco; talega]
barrel [barril (de vino o cerveza)]
basket [cesta ( de la compra, de la ropa)]
bottle [botella (de leche, vino, limonada)]
bowl [cuenco (para fruta, azúcar, sopa)]
box [caja (de cerillas, bombones, herramientas)]
bucket/pail (cubo)
case [estuche (para joyas, gafas)]
chest (baúl, cofre, arcón)
crate (caja de botellas)
can [lata (esp. de Coca-Cola o cerveza)]
carton [cartón (de leche, de paquetes de cigarrillos)]
drum (bidón)
glass [vaso (para agua, leche, vino, jugos)]
jar [bote (de mermelada, miel)]
jug [jarro (de leche, agua)]
litter bin (BrE)/trash can (AmE) (papelera pública)
mug [jarra (para beber té, café, cacao)]
pack (baraja de cartas; seis latas de Coca-Cola o cerveza)
packet [paquete (de cigarrillos, galletas, cereales)]
packing crate (cajón de embalaje)
pan (cacharro de cocina)
pedal bin (cubo de pedal)
pot [olla (de comida); maceta ( para plantas)]
pots and pans (cacharros de cocina)
sack [saco (de carbón, patatas, harina)]
shopping bag/basket (bolsa/cesta de la compra)
tank (depósito, tanque)
Thermos®/Thermos flask/ flask (termo)
tin (BrE)/can (AmE) [lata (esp. de conservas)]
trunk (baúl)
tub (barreño; tina, bañera; tarrina de helado)
tube [tubo (de dentrífico, pomada, pintura)]
wastepaper basket (papelera)
wheelie bin (BrE)/trash container (AmE) (contenedor de basura)
- b) cutlery and tableware:
beer glass (vaso para la cerveza)
beer mug (jarra para la cerveza)
bottle opener (abridor)
bowl (bol, tazón, cuenco)
butter knife (cuchillo para la mantequilla)
carving fork (tenedor de trinchar)
carving knife (cuchillo de trinchar)
coaster (posavasos)
corkscrew (sacacorchos)
cup (taza)
dessert spoon (cucharilla de postre)
dish (plato hondo; fuente)
egg cup (huevera)
fish fork (tenedor para el pescado)
fish knife (cuchillo para el pescado)
fork (tenedor)
fruit bowl (frutero)
glass (vaso)
knife (cuchillo)
ladle (cucharón)
milk jug (jarro de la leche)
mug (jarra)
napkin (servilleta)
napkin ring (servilletero)
nutcracker (cascanueces)
oil and vinegar bottle (aceitera y vinagrera)
place mat (mantel individual)
plate (plato)
salad bowl (ensaladera)
salt cellar/pot (salero)
sauce boat (salsera)
saucer (platillo para la taza)
serviette (servilleta de papel)
serving trolley (mesita/carrito de ruedas para servir comida o bebida)
side plate (plato pequeño para el pan
soup spoon (cuchara sopera)
soup tureen (sopera)
spoon (cuchara)
sugar bowl (azucarero)
table mat (salvamanteles)
tablecloth (mantel)
tea cosy (cubretetera)
teapot (tetera)
teaspoon (cucharilla)
tray (bandeja)
vegetable dish (fuente para la verdura)
wine glass (vaso para el vino)
- c) legal terms:
accessory after the fact (encubridor, cómplice)
accomplice (cómplice)
to acquit (absolver)
acquital (absolución, sentencia absolutoria)
affidavit (declaración jurada)
aggravating circumstances (agravantes)
alibi (coartada)
allowance/alimony (pensión alimenticia)
to appeal (apelar, recurrir)
assault and battery (asalto con violencia)
attempted murder (intento de asesinato)
bail/on bail (fianza/bajo fianza)
bailiff (alguacil)
the Bar (el colegio de abogados, abogacía)
barrister (en GB, abogado que defiende el caso ante los tribunales)
the Bench (magistratura)
breach of contract (incumplimiento de contrato)
bribery (cohecho)
to bring an action/file a lawsuit against sb (entablar una demanda judicial contra alguien)
to charge sb with (acusar a alguien de)
to claim for damages/compensation (demandar por daños y perjuicios/pedir una indemnización)
to come into force (entrar en vigor)
contempt of court (desacato al tribunal)
to contest (impugnar)
to convict (declarar culpable)
convict (presidiario, preso)
corrupt practice/perversion of the course of justice (prevaricación)
counsel for the defence (BrE)/defense attorney/lawyer (AmE) (abogado defensor)
counsel for the prosecution (BrE)/district attorney (AmE) (fiscal)
court (tribunal)
the court is adjourned (se levanta la sesión)
court of appeal (tribunal de apelación)
court order (orden judicial)
courthouse (Palacio de Justicia)
to cross-examine (repreguntar)
culprit (culpable)
death penalty/sentence/capital punishment (pena de muerte/pena capital)
death row (corredor de la muerte)
deed (escritura)
defendant (acusado, demandado)
to dismiss [desestimar (recurso, apelación); sobreseer (causa)]
dock (banquillo del acusado)
to enforce (hacer cumplir la ley)
evidence (prueba)
examination (interrogatorio en el juicio)
to examine [preguntar (en un juicio)]
examining magistrate (juez de instrucción)
exhibits [pruebas documentales (objetos o documentos que se exhiben como prueba en un juicio)]
extenuating circumstances (circunstancias atenuantes)
eyewitness (testigo ocular)
fingerprint (huella)
to go to court (acudir a los tribunales)
hard labour (trabajos forzados)
hearing (vista, audiencia)
High Court (Tribunal Supremo)
a hung jury (un jurado dividido, que no se pone de acuerdo sobre el veredicto)
indictment (acusación, cargos)
influence peddling (tráfico de influencias)
to issue a writ against sb (expedir una orden judicial contra alguien)
judge (juez)
to jump bail (huír estando en libertad bajo fianza)
juror (miembro del jurado)
jury (jurado)
juvenile court (tribunal de menores)
lawsuit (demanda judicial, pleito)
libel (difamación)
life imprisonment/sentence (cadena perpetua)
to lodge an appeal (interponer recurso)
marriage by proxy (casamiento por poderes)
misdemeanour (delito menor)
notary public (notario)
null and void (nulo y sin valor)
on parole (en libertad bajo palabra)
on probation (en libertad condicional)
to pardon (indultar)
to pass sentence (dictar sentencia)
petition (solicitud, instancia)
plaintiff (demandante)
to plead guilty/not guilty (declararse culpable/no culpable)
power of attorney (poder otorgado ante notario)
proceedings (proceso, procedimiento)
to prosecute (procesar)
public defender (defensor de oficio)
to question [interrogar (la policía)]
questioning (interrogatorio por la policía)
to reprieve (aplazar una ejecución)
restraining order (orden de alejamiento)
to return a verdict of guilty/not guilty (pronunciar un veredicto de culpabilidad/inocencia)
to rule (dictaminar)
to send to the gallows (mandar a la horca)
to serve a sentence (cumplir condena)
to settle a case out of court (resolver una querella sin ir a juicio)
slander (calumnia)
solicitor (en GB, abogado que prepara el caso para el barrister)
statement (declaración)
to sue (demandar, entablar una demanda)
to sue for damages (solicitar daños y perjuicios)
to sue for divorce (solicitar el divorcio)
summons (requerimiento judicial)
suspect (sospechoso)
tax evasion (evasión de impuestos/fraude fiscal)
to trespass (entrar sin autorización en propiedad ajena, transgredir)
trial (juicio)
to try (juzgar)
warrant/writ (orden/mandato judicial)
witness box/stand (tribuna de los testigos)
witness for the defence/prosecution (testigo de descargo/de cargo)
3.2.8 GRAMMATICAL COLLOCATIONS
to accuse sb of sth (acusar a alguien de algo)
to benefit from (beneficiarse de)
to be aware of/that… (estar enterado de/de que/estar al corriente de)
to be entitled to sth (tener derecho a algo)
to be indebted to sb for sth (estar en deuda con alguien por algo)
cannot help + -ing form (no poder evitar hacer algo)
to get acquainted with sth (ponerse al corriente de, informarse)
to expect sth/to expect sth from sb/to expect to do sth/to expect sb to do sth/to expect
that…./to expect not/to expect so [esperar algo (de alguien)/esperar poder hacer algo/que alguien haga algo/suponer que no/que sí]
to hasten to do sth (apresurarse a hacer algo)
to know how to [saber (hacer algo)]
to occur to sb (ocurrírsele a alguien)
to steal sth (from sb)/to rob sb (of sth)/to rob a bank/a petrol station, etc. [robar algo (a alguien)/robar a alguien (algo)/robar en un banco/una gasolinera, etc.]
3.2.9 LEXICAL COLLOCATIONS
to drop: to drop sth (dejar caer o caérsele algo a alguien), to drop onto (the bed/sofa) (dejarse caer en en la cama/sofá), to drop in price (bajar de precio), to drop the price of (bajar el precio de), the temperature, etc dropped (bajó la temperatura, etc.), to drop sharply (bajar en picado), to drop an idea/a project (abandonar una idea/un proyecto), to drop a subject (dejar un tema), to drop one’s opponent (derribar al adversario), to drop from a list, etc (suprimir de una lista, etc.), to drop sb (dejar de ver a alguien), to drop everything (dejarlo todo), to drop sb somewhere (acercar a alguien a algun lugar en el coche), to drop off (bajarse de un vehículo), to drop sb off somewhere (soltar, dejar que alguien se baje/apee en algún lugar), to drop one’s aitches (comerse las haches), to drop sb a line/a note (escribir a alguien unas líneas/una nota), to drop a hint/ suggestion/ remark (dejar caer una pista/ sugerencia/ observación), to drop maths/English (dejar las matemáticas/el inglés), to drop one’s voice (bajar la voz), to drop one’s eyes (bajar los ojos), to drop a clanger/brick (meter la pata), to drop a stitch (irse un punto – costura), to drop anchor (echar anclas, anclar), to drop dead (caerse muerto), drop dead! (¡muérete!), to drop one’s guard (bajar la guardia), to drop names (mencionar nombres de gente importante para presumir/darse tono), to let the matter drop (no ahondar en el tema, dejarlo estar), to drop behind (quedarse atrás), to drop by/over/round/in (pasarse por la casa de alguien), to drop off (quedarse adormilado), to drop out (of) [abandonar (estudios, una actividad); marginarse (de la sociedad)], to drop out of sight (desaparecer de la vista)
3.2.10 ANALYSIS BY DISTINCTIVE SEMANTIC FEATURES
killing:
to kill (matar)
to murder [ + human being, premeditated killing] (asesinar)
manslaughter [ + human being, without premeditation] (homicidio involuntario)
to slaughter [ + animal, for food, or people in large numbers in a cruel or violent way] [sacrificar (reses), matar brutalmente, en gran número, masacrar]
to butcher [ + animal, and cut them up for food or + people, brutally, cruelly] [sacrificar/abrir en canal (animal); masacrar, hacer una carnicería]
to assassinate [ + a political or religious leader, for political or religious motives] (cometer magnicidio)
to massacre [ + a large number of people, cruelly or violently] (cometer una masacre, masacrar)
to exterminate [ + all the members of a group of people or animals] (exterminar)
to execute [ + a condemned person, legally or as a political act] (ejecutar)
to put to death [ + official decision] (dar muerte a un reo)
to put to sleep/put down (BrE)/put away (AmE) [ + too old or ill animal, painlessly] (sacrificar un animal por vejez o enfermedad)
to finish off [ + wounded person or animal] (rematar)
to eliminate [ + person or animal to prevent them from causing trouble] (eliminar)
to mow down [ + large number of people, with a machine gun] (matar en gran número, barrer con una ametralladora)
to shoot down [ + with a gun, helpless person] (abatir de un disparo)
to do away with/do in/ bump off/knock off/liquidate/take out/polish off (AmE.)/rub out (AmE.) [murder a person + informal style] (liquidar, cargarse a)
to take/end the life of [ kill a person + formal style] (acabar con la vida de)
to slay [to kill a person + literary style] [matar (estilo literario)]
to commit suicide [to kill oneself/take one’s own life] (suicidarse, cometer suicidio)
to perform/practise euthanasia [kill painlessly terminally ill people in order to stop them suffering] (practicar la eutanasia)
3.2.11 WORDS EASILY CONFUSED
classic/classical
classic: a) (n. and adj.) clásico (en su género; excelente, que no pasa de moda): a classic (film, book, etc.); a classic dress; b) (adj.) típico: a classic situation; she had the classic symptoms of flu; c) (n. pl.) classics (carrera universitaria de) clásicas
classical (adj.): a) clásico (tradicional): He prefers the classical methods of fishing; b) clásica (cultura griega o romana): classical architecture/literature; c) clásica (música): classical music; Mozart is one of the most famous classical composers
economic/economical
economic (económico, referido a la economía, las finanzas: economic reforms, economic adviser, economic growth, economic forecast, etc.)
economical (económico, referido a que ahorra dinero, esfuerzo o tiempo: an economical car, an economical method of heating, it’s more economical going by bus than by taxi)
historic/historical
historic (histórico, que ha hecho historia: a historic battle/change/day/moment/event)
historical (histórico, relacionado con la historia: historical novel/film/document)
3.2.12 WORD FORMATION
the prefix out- is often used to indicate that sb/sth is bigger/greater/better, etc. than sb/sth else: to outwit (ser más listo que), to outlive (sobrevivir a), to outlast (durar más que), to outdo (superar, ser mejor que), to outgrow (crecer más rápido que; quedársele a alguien pequeña la ropa), to outnumber (superar en número), to outride ( galopar más rápido que), to outrun (correr más que), etc.(see also 2.2.10)
3.2.13 IDIOMS
a silver handshake (cantidad de dinero dada a alguien que se despide o se va de una empresa, como compensación por los servicios prestados – also golden handshake)
alive and kicking (vivito y coleando) (for binomials, see 1.12b)
to be too clever by half (pasarse de listo)
to hate sb’s guts (odiar a alguien a muerte)
the bird was about to fly (el pájaro estaba a punto de volar/escapar)
who on earth…? (¿quién demonios…?)
3.2.14 PHRASAL VERBS
to beg off (from sth) (excusarse de hacer algo)
to call on/upon sb to do sth (llamar a alguien para que haga algo)
to carry on with sb (tener un lío amoroso con)
to close sth down (cerrar definitivamente negocio, tienda, casa, etc.)
to get off (bajarse de)
to go on (seguir, continuar)
to go over sth (repasar)
to help sb out (sacar de un apuro)
to pay sth off [liquidar (deuda, etc.)]
to take out life insurance/ a life insurance policy (hacerse un seguro de vida)
to throw sb off (despistar a alguien)
to wash up (lavar los platos)
3.2.15 PARTITIVES USED WITH UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
a bar/square/piece of chocolate una barrita/tableta/onza/pedazo de chocolate
a bar/cake of soap una pastilla de jabón
a bit of sand/salt/fun/research un poco de arena/sal/diversión/investigación
a blade of grass una brizna de yerba
a blob of glue/paint/honey/wax una gota de pegamento/pintura/miel/cera
a block/cube of ice una barra/cubito de hielo
a bolt of lightning un rayo
a breath of air un soplo de aire
a burst of applause una salva de aplausos
a chunk of bread/cheese/rock un buen trozo/pedazo de pan/queso/roca
a clap of thunder un trueno
a clod of earth un terrón de tierra
a cube of sugar un terroncito de azúcar
a cut of meat una tajada de carne
a dash of milk/sauce una gota de leche/salsa
a dollop of jam una cucharada de mermelada
a drop of water/oil/whisky una gota de agua/aceite/ whisky
a fit of anger un ataque/acceso de ira
a flash of lightning un relámpago
a grain of rice/sand/salt un grano de arroz/arena/sal
a gust of wind una ráfaga de viento
an item of information/research una información/investigación
an item of clothing una prenda de vestir
an item of furniture/news un mueble/una noticia
a joint of meat un redondo de carne
a loaf of bread un pan
a lump of coal un pedazo de carbón
a lump of sugar un terrón de azúcar
a means of transport un medio de transporte
a pane of glass un cristal (de puerta o ventana)
a patch of fog/mist un banco de niebla
a peal of laughter una carcajada
a piece of cake/bread/chocolate un trozo de pastel/pan/chocolate
a piece of meat/bacon un pedazo de carne/tocino
a piece of paper/wood/iron/glass un trozo de papel/madera/hierro/cristal
a piece of chalk un trozo de tiza
a piece of toast una tostada
a piece of information/research una información/investigación
a piece of advice/furniture/news un consejo/un mueble/una noticia
a puff of wind/smoke una racha de viento/una bocanada de humo
a pinch of salt una pizca de sal
a rasher of bacon una loncha de tocino
a roar of laughter una carcajada
a scrap of paper un trocito de papel
a segment of orange un gajo de naranja
a sheet of paper/metal una hoja de papel/una lámina de metal
a shred of cloth un jirón de tela
a slab of concrete un bloque de hormigón
a slice of bread/cake/meat una rebanada de pan/pastel/carne
a sliver of glass/wood una astilla de vidrio/madera
a speck of dirt/dust una mota de suciedad/polvo
a spell of good/bad weather una racha de buen/mal tiempo
a splinter of wood una astilla de madera
a spot of rain/whisky un poco de lluvia/whisky
a squeeze of lemon un chorro de limón
a state of chaos/anarchy/tension/ un estado de
confusion/agitation/disorder caos/anarquía/tensión/confusión/agitación/ desorden
a stick of chalk/dynamite una tiza/un cartucho de dinamita
a stroke of luck un golpe de suerte
a suit of armour una armadura
a touch of class/humour/irony un toque de distinción/humor/ironía
a trickle of water/blood un hilo de agua/sangre
a wisp of smoke una espiral de humo
3.2.16 CULTURAL NOTES
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) – Famous Anglo-Irish playwright, novelist, poet and critic.
Agatha Christie (1890-1976) – famous English writer of detective novels.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) – famous English writer of detective novels.
Hastings – a friend of Hercule Poirot’s, who assists him in some of his cases.
Hercule Poirot – famous Belgian detective, a character in many of Agatha Christie’s novels.
Hobson – (a touch of humour on the narrator’s part): Hobson, often used in the idiom Hobson’s choice (to have no choice), was a Cambridge stable lad well known in his day (16th c.) for refusing to let out any horse except in its proper turn.
Sherlock Holmes – famous detective, the main character in Conan Doyle’s novels.
Watson – assistant of Sherlock Holmes, who often explains a case to him with the well-known phrase “elementary, my dear Watson”.
3.3 GRAMMAR REVISION
3.3.1 Conditional sentences with unless
…unless one is tired of living…
3.3.2 Adjective post-modifiers
…logical to expect…
…it isn’t wise to invite…
…I’m sure you’ve kept your notes
…it’s evident that we can’t charge him with murder
3.3.3 Causative have
…have somebody bring me a good cup of tea
3.3.4 Di-transitive complementation
…he left his secretary and mistress everything…