A PERFECT GUIDE FOR MARRIED WOMEN

7. APPRECIATE HIM

I joined Charlie on a business trip to California some months ago. One evening we met before dinner at a Los
Angeles law office. High atop the penthouse office overlooking Beverly Hills, the lawyer told us about his partner
who had passed away six years before. “He was the most amazing and unforgettable person I ever knew”, he said.
“He was only fifty-nine when he died. Just before his heart attack, he shared some personal thoughts about life with
me. He told me several times, ‘As you grow older you’ll find that the one thing to treasure most in life is loyalty,
and the worst and hardest thing to accept is ingratitude.’”
The greatest attribute – loyalty. The worst – ingratitude. As I pondered the counselor’s last words I realized they
were, to a degree, opposites. Ingratitude is almost the antithesis of loyalty. This prominent California lawyer must
have been burned more than once. The very statement implied that the cruel act of ingratitude had hurt him to the
core.

Underdone or Overkill

Husbands, too, feel that deep hurt. One remarked to me, “Maybe it’s the age we’re living in, but everybody
seems to me so unappreciative. And my wife heads the pack. There’s just no joy in giving, mainly because she is so
ungrateful.” An ungrateful wife is no joy to her husband, yet so many wives are guilty of gross ingratitude. They
have forgotten those simple words, “Thank you,” and all the actions and emotions those words connote.
If your husband came home tonight and met you at the door with a box of candy or a bouquet of roses, what
would be your first reaction – suspicion or warmth? I think many wives might not express appreciation but would,
instead, react in one of the following ways:
1. She’d say, “Now where have you been?”
Translation: “You’ve been up to something and I’m suspicious!” Instantly her husband reads these vibrations. To
him, she’s the judge and he’s suddenly on the stand. He feels guilty and condemned even if he came home with a
clear conscience.
2. Or she’d say, “Well, it’s about time!”
Translation: “I’ve deserved this for months. My efforts have been overlooked. You’re long overdue.” Her
husband has now witnessed a transformation before his very eyes. His wife has become a creditor, and he’s actually
owed her the flowers for months. Instead of being a donor, he’s been made a debtor.
3. Another might say, “Is this a rewrap or did the funeral home close early?”
Translation: “The price of your gift is in direct proportion to your love for me. I’d really love you for a biggie;
but I can’t get carried away over these flowers.” The shell-shocked husband now sees his wife as the cashier, and
he’s the cheapskate who sheepishly paid for the smaller item in the store.
4. Finally, she might say, feebly, “Candy, how nice.”
Translation: “Just what I don’t need! You know I’m on a diet, dumb-dumb!” The husband now looks at Miss
Insatiability in utter frustration. Everything he tries is a failure. He blew it again. He’s incapable of fulfilling her
desires.
More often than not a wife will react in one of these ways, all of which are examples of ingratitude.
Occasionally, however, a wife will go overboard in the opposite direction and say, with teeth showing, “Oh, dahling,
I just love it!” But inside, she says to herself, “Smile, anyway.”
Miss Overkill never fools anyone – especially her husband. He’s seen the same fixed grin on a thousand other
occasions. Her reaction is always the same, regardless of the motivation. It’s merely ingratitude in a different
disguise. Inside he feels unworthy of a true response from his wife.

Attitude of Gratitude

Stop a moment and check your gratitude meter. Are you guilty of that heinous act of ingratitude? Are you
appreciative of the basics your husband knocks himself out to provide? Not just the birthday and Christmas
“specials”, but money for the groceries, doctor bills and pillowcases?
Appreciation involves two parts – internal and external. First of all, a wife cannot be grateful if she’s grasping
for her rights. If she feels she has the right to be taken out to dinner once a week, she will not express sincere
gratitude. Only if she yields this right to her Creator is she able to fully appreciate dinner out, since it is then a
privilege, an unforgettable experience.
Secondly, appreciation from within must be communicated outwardly, by words, attitude, or action, or by all
three. This is easy since a heart of gratitude must express itself. A thankful person cannot keep quiet.
Don’t let your “rights” keep you from being grateful. Thank your husband for all those little things in life and
he’ll begin to give you those extras you’ve always wanted. Thank him for supporting the family. If you’re a working
wife, he especially needs your reassurance and appreciation, since his masculinity may be threatened by your
paycheck.
Last Christmas, I watched as a husband shopped at a perfume counter. He told the saleslady, “Just hand me one
of those gift packages. It doesn’t matter what I buy for my wife as long as it’s expensive. She’ll bring it back
anyway.”
Then he smiled and said, “Now I’d like to pick out another gift. This is for my secretary. I love to see her
reaction.” He spent twenty minutes choosing the right one for her!
When a man gives his wife a present, his only reward is seeing how pleased he is. In one case, a husband gave his
wife a bracelet, but it wasn’t to her choosing. She took away his joy by constantly complaining about it. Finally she
exchanged it for one she liked. Her husband hasn’t bought her any gifts since, and why should he?
If you’re not really crazy over a gift, be careful. If at all possible, try to use it. Express your appreciation for
taking his time from his busy day. If you don’t actually like the gift, don’t be insincere and say you do. But you can
still tell him how thoughtful he is for thinking of you, and be sure to thank him for the surprise.
Charlie told me about the morning he drove our three-year-old, Michelle, to her grandmother’s house. As he
dropped her off, Michelle kissed him good-bye and tenderly whispered, “Thank you, Daddy.” Charlie felt like a king
all day. Childlike appreciation lifts the heart. Daddies need that too!
The perfect balance between ingratitude and overkill is an attitude of gratitude. A sincere “Thank you, honey,”
by words and actions will satisfy any husband, whether it be for a mink stole or a bag of popcorn. That biblical
admonition, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” is so true. Don’t keep your husband from being blessed!

I received a postcard recently from an alumna who had generously used the four A’s – to accept, admire, adapt
and appreciate her husband. The card read:

The Total Woman is in heaven – a beautiful suite overlooking the

Atlantic Ocean in the heart of San Juan – new, gorgeous luggage
in my closet, with the sweetest guy in the world as my companion.
That course is powerful stuff! “Nothing’s too good for my honey!”
Bob says. Those four A’s are the keys to making my man come
alive!

(excerpts from The Total Woman by Marabel Morgan)

A
READING COMPREHENSION AND STYLE

1. Take a close look at the language and type of argumentation used in the text above and try to approximately
identify the decade in which this guide was written (the 50’s, 70’s, 90’s, etc.) Try to support your decision with
evidence from the text.
2. a) Consider the following essay on women. Can you relate the point made in this essay about ‘women’s language’
to the language used by Marabel Morgan in the text above? Is ‘women’s language’ different from men’s? Can you
find evidence in Marabel Morgan’s discourse?
b)* Translate the essay in English, paying attention to the style, vocabulary used in it:

Despre femei
“Dacă eternul masculin, în termeni ideali, constă în ceea ce aş numi geniul dăruirii – îi explică odată Zacharias
Lichter unui tânăr care făcea declaraţii misogine – eternul feminin l-aş identifica geniului receptivităţii. Numai aşa
îmi explic, de pildă, un fapt destul de curios la prima vedere: sentimentul deplinei înţelegeri, al unei înţelegeri
stimulatoare, care-mi dă aripi şi mă face să planez în spaţii din ce în ce mai pure, îl am rareori cu bărbaţii decât cu
femeile, chiar şi cele mai simple. Mi s-a întâmplat să vorbesc ore întregi, în limbajul meu complicat şi rebarbativ
(fără a face nici cea mai mică concesie, fără a coborî, sfătos şi ipocrit, la un nivel mai cotidian sau mai familiar), - cu
câte o femeie de serviciu sau cu câte o ţărancă aproape analfabetă venită să vândă zarzavaturi în piaţă, şi – dincolo
de reacţia imediată, dincolo de micile uimiri speriate sau de chicotelile înăbuşite – simţeam tot timpul bucuria unei
comunicări dintre cele mai fecunde şi geniul meu iradia cu o forţă rareori atinsă.
Desigur, această înţelegere, această comunicare-molipsire se realiza pe un plan metaverbal. Cuvintele nu mai
însemnau nimic, devenind purtătoarele unei energii inefabile, cu totul străină de semnificaţia lor: prezenţa îngerilor
stăruia deasupră-le. Pierzându-şi orice individualitate semantică, ele nu mai erau decât nişte simple vehicule ale unei
realităţi care se refuză semnului. Prin extraordinara lor receptivitate, femeile pot depăşi cu uşurinţă
“convenţionalismul” tipic masculin (prejudecata comunicării exclusiv în limitele codificate ale “limbajului”),
participând direct, prin intuiţie, la mişcările esenţiale ale spiritului, la fluxurile şi refluxurile lui, pe care vorbirea le
poate transmite, dar fără să le semnifice. Bărbaţii care se plâng că nu pot fi înţeleşi de femei, misoginii de toate
felurile, îi cer femeii să se integreze în sistemul lor de convenţii şi stereotipii, să le înţeleagă – în chip cât mai precis
şi mai mecanic – limbajul explicit. Or, la majoritatea, acest limbaj explicit n-are nici o acoperire interioară, e rece şi
mort.”
(Matei Călinescu– Viaţa şi opiniile lui Zacharias Lichter)

B
VOCABULARY

1. Find expressions in your text that would match the meaning of the following ones:
to a certain extent/ the lawyer must have been cheated more than once/ she is the worst of the lot/ he has failed
again/ very often/ a wife can exaggerate her reaction in the opposite direction/ a wife can smile hypocritically and
praise her husband/ a horrible act of ingratitude/ the wife is trying to get her rights/ the bracelet wasn’t to his wife
liking/ appreciation raises one’s spirits

2. Paraphrase the following:

a foxy woman/ a runaway victory/ a tightfisted fellow/ a catty sister/ a scorcher/ sizzling passion/ mousy hair/
flagging energy/ to pare down one’s expenses/ a taxi-stand/ zest for life/ a mulish expression/ in donkey’s years/
waspish remark/ a fishy situation/ a horsy face/ sheepish smile/ nicely underdone vegetables/ saccharine smile

3. IDIOMS: Fill in the blanks with the appropriate ‘animal/insect’ words, in order to make up a simile:
as poor as a ……….. like a …. ……. in a china shop
as dead as a ………. like a ……….. with a sore head
as bald as a ………. like a ………...on hot bricks
as slippery as an…. like a ………..out of water
as busy as a……… he eats like a………
as meek as a……… he drinks like a………
as happy as a………
as stubborn as a……
as free as a ………..
as mad as a…………
as strong as an………
as blind as a…………

5*.SYNONYMY: EXAGGERATE. Translate into English, making use of some of the following phrases:
exaggerate, overkill, overstate, overstatement, to overstate your case, overemphasize, overrate, overdo, to make
too much of, blow something out of all proportion, lay it on thick, (over)dramatize, make a thing of:

Dan spune că a văzut filmul Marea evadare de cel puţin douazeci de ori, dar cred că exagerează. / E exagerat să spui
că o să dăm faliment. Avem şi noi o problemă, două, asta-i tot./ Ai cam întins coarda cu maică-ta azi. Nu vezi că
aproape ai făcut-o să-ţi plângă de milă?/ Să spui că are o voce ca a Mariei Callas înseamnă să deformezi serios
adevărul./ N-am vrut decât să o speriem puţin, dar ţipetele ei ne fac să credem că am cam întins coarda când ne-am
jucat de-a stafiile./ Ce faci atâta caz pentru că a spart un pahar?/ Iar dramatizezi. Nu poţi şi tu să spui exact cum a
fost?/ S-ar putea să fi prezentat lucrurile deformat, dar n-am vrut decât să o conving că am dreptate./ S-au exagerat
prea mult în ultima vreme virtuţile pastei de dinţi Aquafresh./ Nu mai face din ţânţar armăsar! Nu eşti singurul care a
picat la examenul de conducere.

6*.POLYSEMY: STAND. Translate into English, trying to make use of any collocations containing the
verb/noun stand:
La intrarea în gară era un chioşc unde se vindeau hamburgeri./ Kane nu a depus încă mărturie la procesul care se
judecă acum./ La cuier erau atârnate o mulţime de pălării, toate furate de fratele său./ Te rog aranjează tu partitura pe
suport/ stativ, pentru că George se pregăteşte să cânte./ Dacă nu te grabeşti, o să închidă chioşcul de ziare şi să vezi
că nu mai punem mâna pe Evenimentul Zilei./ Am reuşit să fac rost de un loc în partea de sus a stadionului./ Prea
multe tarabe strică priveliştea oferită de frumoasele noastre străzi./ Rezistenţa lor a durat o lună încheiată./ A luat în
sfârşit poziţie faţă de problema aceea importantă./ Trupa de actori a poposit câte o noapte în fiecare oraş din
regiune./ N-ar fi rău dacă toată lumea şi-ar apăra ferm punctul de vedere. / S-a dus şi şi-a ocupat poziţia lângă
aspirator şi maşina de spălat: de-acum încolo avea să fie un soţ model, nu un fotoliu cu papuci şi ziar.

C
GRAMMAR: PRESENT PERFECT

Compare the first paragraph of the text above to the next ones. While the first paragraph contains a story, a narrative
piece of text, making use of past tenses that ‘move narration forward’, the next paragraphs use present tenses which
help the writer to formulate generalizations related to ‘conjugal life’.

Now consider the following Present Perfect instances taken from these paragraphs:
(1) Now where have you been?
(2) You’ve been up to something and I’m suspicious!
(3) I’ve deserved this for months. My efforts have been overlooked.
(4) Her husband has now witnessed a transformation before his very eyes. His wife has become a creditor and he’s
actually owed her the flowers for months. Instead of being a donor, he’s been made a debtor.
(5) He’s seen the same fixed grin on a thousand other occasions.
(6) He’ll begin to give you those extras you’ve always wanted.
(7) Her husband hasn’t bought her any gifts since, and why should he?

All of these instances of Present Perfect have something in common: they make a link to speech time. In other
words, none of these sentences conveys information on something which strictly happened in the past and has no
connection to the moment of speaking. The tense used in these cases clearly indicates that the information contained
in them has relevance for the present moment. This is why we have underlined the time adverbials that are
combined with the temporal forms: if you take a close look at these adverbials, you will see that all of them make a
link between a past moment and speech time.

One conclusion that we can safely draw so far is that Present Perfect is indeed a present tense, since it helps creating
a link between a past moment and speech time (now). In that, this tense form exhibits a strong resemblance to the
Romanian perfect compus, which can also create this semantic effect. But if you try to translate the examples above,
you will see that not all of them can be translated by means of perfect compus. The misconception that the
perfect compus is the equivalent of Present Perfect is one of the reasons why Romanian learners have trouble
mastering the use of this English tense.

NOTA BENE!

PRESENT PERFECT ≠ PERFECT COMPUS

What are the reasons why Present Perfect is considered to be a present tense? And why is this particular tense so
different from other ‘present perfects’ in other languages?
a) Present Perfect is not used in narration (you don’t tell a story by means of Present Perfect). Consider again
the first paragraph of our text and you will see that Past Tense is the one temporal form preferred for narrating
past events.

b) Present Perfect cannot be combined with past adverbials (it cannot be combined with a past adverb like
yesterday for instance). Grammarians call this phenomenon the past-adverb constraint.

How do we check that this is true? Let’s take the first paragraph of our text and try to replace the Past Tense forms
by Present Perfect ones. You will clearly notice that the result is ungrammatical:

(8) *I have joined Charlie on a business trip on California some months ago. One evening we have met before
dinner at a Los Angeles law office. The lawyer has told us about his partner who had passed away six years
before…

The exercise performed proves that Present Perfect cannot be used to tell a story, since the time of narration is
normally a past one. Therefore stories can only be linked to the present moment when the story-teller makes his
presence felt through paranthetical phrases such as lo and behold, as you see, etc.

Moreover, this exercise has shown us that the two interdictions discussed above under (a) and (b) are closely
interrelated: (a) is derived from (b). We do not combine a Present Perfect form with a past adverbial and we cannot
tell a story by means of Present Perfect, since this story takes place exactly during the interval of time established by
such an adverbial (e.g. some months ago, one evening).

In a manner of speaking, this is good news because once we are in possession of a list containing all the past
adverbials, we can steer clear of trouble by not combining them with Present Perfect. Below we offer a three-column
list with time adverbials initially devised by McCoard (1978). The adverbials under the first column are not to be
combined with Present Perfect:

[+THEN] [±THEN] adverbials: [-THEN] adverbials:

adverbials: co-occur co-occur with both Past co-occur with Present
with Past Tense Tense and Present Perfect
Perfect
then long since at present
long ago in the past up till now
five years ago once = one time so far
once = formerly today as yet
yesterday in my life not yet
the other day recently during these 5 years past
those days just now lately
last night often of late
in 1989 always since the war/ 1989
at lunch/ 5 o’clock never before now
after the war already
no longer before
at the time
when I first met her when = whenever
on Monday
one evening

for three years e.g. I never saw a purple for three years (now)
(closed interval of cow. e.g. He has been married
time) I have never seen a for three years. (i.e. he is
e.g. He was married purple cow. still married)
for three years (i.e. - both examples are
he is no longer grammatical
 married)

Students need to be extra-careful about the manner in which they make use of ‘since’ phrases. Consider the rules in
the table below:

MAIN CLAUSE ‘SINCE’ CLAUSE

Present Perfect Past Tense (the verb phrase in the

e.g. I have admired her
Present Perfect
e.g. I have admired her
subordinate is an event, anterior to the
verb phrase in the main clause)
since I first met her.
Present Perfect (the verb phrase in the
subordinate is a state, simultaneous to
the verb phrase in the main clause)
since I have known her.

If you translate these examples in Romanian, you will notice that Romanian also establishes a difference between
the two sentences. The first ‘since’ clause is translated by means of perfect compus, whereas the second ‘since’
clause is translated by means of the prezent. This is evidence to the fact that the verb phrases in the second example
are interpreted as expressing a relation of simultaneity. Compare:
O admir de când ne-am cunoscut. / O admir de când o ştiu.

Make sure you use the correct tense form in combination with since.

EXERCISES:
1. Fill in the blanks,, using the correct tense form:
1. Last time we went to the movies, we (meet) Susan’s brother.
2. As soon as they told us the news, we (rush) home to tell mother about it.
3. So far, my husband and I (be interested) in our son’s progress.
4. How long (be) it since you started this business?
5. Ever since we (be) together, people (gossip) about us.
6. Ever since we (get married), people (gossip) about us.
7. For some time now, I (wonder) whether to resign.
8. When (you visit) Paris for the first time?
9. (you ever) listened to this music?
10. He (be) a colonel for more than ten years, but now he’s retired.
11. They have been playing this game for two months and (fight) for as long a time.

2. Finish each sentence in such a way that it means exactly the same as the sentence above it:
1. We started this business two years ago. / We have….
2. They appointed her chairman in 1998./ She has……..
3. Mary learned to play chess when she was five. / She has…..
4. How long have you been smoking?/ When………..
5. He stopped smoking five years ago. / He hasn’t…..
6. I have been skating since the age of ten./ I learned…….
7. I haven’t been to Bucharest for ten years./ The last time…..
8. We haven’t eaten caviar in ages. / It’s …..
9. I haven’t seen her for two years now./ It…
10. When did you get this job? / How long…

So far, one thing has been made clear: thorough knowledge of the adverbial contexts where Present Perfect can
occur may help us use this tense correctly. This generalization has one shortcoming though: there are cases, as
shown in the first example offered from our text, where there is no time adverbial that might indicate which tense
form to use. Consider these examples again:
(9) Now where have you been?
(10) You’ve been up to something and I’m suspicious!
(11) Her husband has now witnessed a transformation before his very eyes.

It appears that there are contexts where Present Perfect does not co-occur with any time adverbial listed in the table
above. This means that this tense form is required by the overall meaning of its context. In order to be able to use
Present Perfect correctly, we will therefore need to know more about the possible values this tense might acquire
within a context. Below we offer the traditional approach to the values of Present Perfect.

As you will see by reading the information offered in the table below, the uses of Present Perfect can be roughly
divided into three. This division was first made by Zaandvort in 1957 and most studies in the literature have been
using it since. Thus, according to this distinction, we can speak about a Present Perfect of Result, a Continuative
Present Perfect and an Experiential Present Perfect. The value that Romanian learners find most difficult to grasp
is that known under the name of the Experiential Present Perfect (e.g. I have met this man before). This is due to
the fact that the semantic distinction between this particular value and the basic value of Past Tense is rather difficult
to trace. Consequently, Romanian learners of English mistake this value of Present Perfect for the basic value of
Past Tense.

The students are advised to learn by heart the examples offered for each value of Present Perfect.
 RESULTATIVE PRESENT PERFECT
The event presented has visible results at the moment of speaking:
e.g. I’ve broken my glasses (I can’t read)./ I have turned on the heat (it will
warm up). / He’s been shot! (He is dead)
This use also includes the so-called ‘Hot News’ Present Perfect (an instance
of Present Perfect by means of which some piece of recent news is stated. The
news is then reported with the help of past tense forms):
e.g. President Jones has been assassinated. He was killed last night in the
presidential residence. The assassin was arrested soon after the incident. …
CONTINUATIVE PRESENT PERFECT
The event started in the past but continues up to the moment of speaking:
e.g. He’s been sleeping for two hours./ I’ve known him all my life./ It has been
snowing since noon./ Ever since the house has been occupied the poltergeist
have been acting up.

Modes of occurrence: a) continuous continuative

e.g. I have been sitting in all day.
b) discontinuous continuative
e.g. He has been building the house for the last five
years. (i.e. on and off)
EXPERIENTIAL PRESENT PERFECT
The Present Perfect of experience lays emphasis on the occurrence of some
past experience for a person/ group of persons. No mention is made of the
time when this experience took place.
e.g. I have definitely met him before. / They have seen ‘The Silence of the
Lambs’. / My mother has never met my boyfriend.
If the definite time when the experience occurred is mentioned, the speaker
shifts from Present Perfect to Past Tense:
e.g. A: Have you been to Edinburgh?
B: Yes, I have.
A: When did you go?
B: Oh, last April, that’s when I did.
A: And did you visit many places while you were there?
B: Yes, I went to Hollyrood Palace.

Modes of occurrence: a) general experiential

e.g. He has never liked heavy metal./ A: Have you ever
in your life seen anyone so entirely delightful? B: Only
when I’ve looked in the mirror.
b) limited experiential
e.g. Have you had a letter to type today?/ She has
already had three proposals this morning.

EXERCISES:
1. Consider the following instances of Present Perfect. Try to identify the values of Present Perfect used in
each of these sentences:
1. I have loved him all my life. 2. Where have I seen him before? 3. For all that you’ve suffered I beg your
pardon most humbly. 4. I hope I have made enough tuna salad. 5. I have fixed the fuse, so there won’t be any
more light problems. 6. I have fixed the fuse at least twice these days. 7. She has cooked a lavish meal for the
newly weds. 8. The steak has been cooking for an hour. 9. She has never cooked a meal like that before. 10. I
have called her my dear auntie since I was a little boy.

2. Try to explain the difference in meaning between the following pairs of sentences:
1. Sorry about the mess, I have been painting the house. / I have painted two rooms since lunchtime.
 2. Who has slept in my bed? / Who’s been sleeping in my bed?
3. My parents have lived here ever since they got married./ We have been living here for six days.
4. I have used the corkscrew to make holes in this skin./ I’ve been using the corkscrew to make holes in this
skin.
5. Everybody has worked bloody hard this morning./ Everybody has been working bloody hard this morning.

3. Choose the correct verb form:

a) P. is an Ulster Catholic who started out as a medical student and then (run) away to the Gate Theatre in
Dublin. I first (see) him as the Playboy and (covet) his talents at once. For a while we (work) together. But, as I
always (have) to terrorize him to get on the stage sober, we (take) leave of each other. Since he (part) professional
company with me some years ago, he (play) the fat charming television villain. He knows what I think of his career.
But we remain friends; and this in spite of the fact that I (steal) his wife. He (marry) again, and (be) happily married
for some years now. Recently there (be) talk of a film made after his life, but nothing (come) of it so far.
b) BIKES CUT CRIME RATE
The ‘green bike’ scheme, providing free, recycled bikes to anyone who (need) transport between certain points in
the city, (be) now is in its third month, and (hail, Passive) as a key weapon in the war against crime by Cambridge
police and councilors. A 10% drop in bicycle thefts across the city in November (credit, Passive) to the scheme. The
big drop (praise, Passive) by police as it (allow) them to concentrate their resources on more serious crimes.
According to one officer, “There (be) a definite drop in the number of bike thefts since the scheme (start). This (be)
welcome as it frees up our time.” a councilor (add), “The scheme (intend, Passive) not just to recycle bikes but also
(reduce) bike crime, and it (be) a tremendous success.” He (hope) that the scheme (expand, Passive) to other areas of
the city and beyond. He (note) that other councils (already, show) great interest in it.

4. Read the letter below and take a look at the manner in which Present Perfect is employed in order to
convey information about the person writing the letter. Translate the text in Romanian:
Charles, how are you getting on? We are all consumed with curiosity. No one admits to having been invited.
But don’t you miss us terribly? Perhaps you have sneaked back to live secretly in your new flat, not answering
the phone and going out at night? Someone said your house was on a lonely wave-washed promontory but that
can’t be true. I see you in a cosy marine bungalow on the sea front. After all, how could you live without your
liquidizer? I couldn’t bear it if you had really changed your life. That is something which I have always wanted
to do but never could and never will. I shall die with my boots off, the bastard I have ever been. I have been
drinking for a week after returning from hell, alias Belfast. Civilization is terrible, but don’t imagine that you
can ever escape it, Charles. I want to know what you are doing. And don’t imagine that you can ever hide from
me, I am your shadow. I think I shall come down and see you at Whitsun. (Someone dared me to and you know
I can’t resist dares.) Various people would send their love if they knew I was writing, but of course it isn’t love
it’s insolent curiosity. Few are worthy of you, Charles. Is the undersigned one? Time will show. Shall I come
and bring my swimming trunks? I haven’t swum since our epic days in Santa Monica. Another theory is that
you are not in England at all but gone to Spain with a girl. To disprove which you must write. Your shadow
salutes you,
Peregrine.
(excerpt from The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch)

5. Translate into English, paying attention to Present Perfect and Past Tense:
1. Când m-am trezit, era iar noapte şi am ieşit din ladă şi mi-am făcut nevoile într-un colţ al prăvăliei. Eram în
colţul ăla cănd a venit Saul. A venit atât de încet, încât nu l-am auzit decât după ce a ciocănit în ladă.
- Sânt aici! am spus.
- Ce faci acolo?a spus. Pe urmă a spus: A! Şi: Când termini, vino să vorbim.
- Am terminat!am spus şi m-am apropiat de el.
- Mai stau puţin şi plec de tot! a spus. Ce faci, te-ai hotărât?
- Nu vin cu tine!
- Bine, faci cum vrei!
- Mi-e sete! am spus.
- A, da, nu m-am gândit la asta! O să-ţi aduc apă. Ar fi mai bine însă să pleci cu mine.
- Nu plec! O să vină mama şi atunci o să plec. Până atunci o să stau în ladă.
- I-au prins pe ăia! Vreau să spun că l-a prins pe unu şi acum atârnă în spânzurătoarea oraşului.
2. După ce l-au îngropat pe bătrân, ei s-au întors acasă şi au început să vorbească. Şi tot vorbind, una din femei a
zis:
- Nu mă aşteptm ca tata să moară.
- De ce? a întrebat cineva, nu ştiu care o fi fost ăla.
- E simplu, a spus femeia, una din fiicele bătrânului. Tot timpul a lipsit câte ceva din mâncare şi mă gândeam că
bătrânul…
- Nu, n-a fost el! a spus altcineva şi s-a aşternut tăcerea peste ei.
O vreme au tăcut, apoi unul a avut curaj să zică tare ceea ce gândeau de fapt toţi.
- Băiatul ăla înseamnă că era aici în casă de la început! Şi ştiu şi locul unde ar putea fi.
3. Sluga îl privea temătoare, nu ştia cum să spună. Tache se gândea la altceva, zâmbea unui gând, când sluga
spuse:
- Stăpâna e bolnavă!
- Cum adică bolnavă? întrebă.
- Aşa! spuse celălalt. A căzut jos deodată şi s-a făcut galbenă ca o gutuie.
- Unde e acum? întrebă Tache indiferent.
- În odaia dumneaei. O îngrijeşte Maria.
- Bine, şi ce vrei de la mine? întrebă morocănos.
- M-am gândit să vă spui, ca să ştiţi! spuse omul prostit, apoi ceru voie să plece.
Tache îl opri cu un gest.
- Ai fost duminică la biserică? întrebă.
Închise cartea şi se uită într-o parte.
- Am fost, boierule, spuse celălalt, că aşa ne-ai dat poruncă!
- Şi când a zis popa în predică pilda cu Tânărul cel bogat din Sfânta Scriptură, tu ce-ai gândit?
- Nu m-am gândit la nimic, boierule!
- Minţi, te-ai gândit! Dar nu vrei să spui!
4. Se aşeză pe marginea patului, îşi puse faţa în palme şi începu să plângă.
- Ce e? întrebă Tache într-o vreme.
- Nimic! spuse ea. Tocmai plângeam!
- Plângeai?
- Da, plângeam.
- Cred că am băut prea mult lichior! spuse el.
- A venit popa! spuse ea.
- Bine a făcut! Am nevoie de el.
- Mă duc să mă spăl! spuse ea.
- Trimite, te rog, pe cineva cu un pahar de apă.
Rămas singur, se sculă buimac în picioare şi îşi netezi hainele cu mâna. Veni feciorul cu o tavă, şi pe ea era un
pahar cu apă aburit. Bău cu poftă. Spuse:
- Adu-mi o carafă plină! Şi să se aşeze masa! De când a venit popa?
- De un ceas, boierule!
Îl găsi pe popă răsfoind o carte.
- Ce faci, părinte? O să chiorăşti pe întunericul ăsta!
- Ai dreptate! spuse popa. Unde ai fost până acum?
- Cred că am dormit! spuse Tache.
- Aha! spuse popa. Dar înainte să dormi, ai băut!
- De ce crezi asta? spuse Tache.
- Păi miroşi a anason!
- Miros? se miră Tache. A, da, anason, sigur că da, am băut lichior de anason. Nu ştiu ce m-a găsit.
Se aşeză. Veni feciorul cu apa.
- Sărut mâna, părinte! spuse feciorul.
Tache se gândi o clipă, apoi spuse:
- Du-te la bucătărie şi spune că am poruncit să se pregătească ceva de post pentru părinte.
- Nu, nu, spuse popa. Ţin post negru.
Feciorul plecă.
- Uitasem! spuse Tache. Noi nici n-am mâncat încă!
- Ce face Flora? întrebă popa.
- E bine, ce să facă. Din cauza ei te-am chemat. Vreau să mă însori.
- Când? întrebă popa.
- Oricând, şi acum! spuse Tache.
- Mâine dimineaţă! Veniţi la biserică!
- Bine, o să venim! Şi mai e ceva, spuse Tache. Ai auzit, a venit Bălăşeanu de la Paris.
- Da, ştiu! spuse popa.
- Se zvoneşte despre o revoluţie! spuse Tache.
- O fi! spuse popa, şi privirea lui căzu mohorâtă undeva peste Tache.
- O să fie, n-avea nici o grijă! Nu se întorcea Bălăşeanu altfel. Da’ n-o să facă el revoluţia. Altţii au s-o facă.
- Cine? întrebă popa.
- Îmi pui o întrebare ciudată, părinte! cine a vorbit duminica trecută în biserică despre revoluţie şi avere?
Popa se scărpină gânditor în creştetul capului:
- Eu am vorbit! spuse apoi cu o voce obosită.
- Ai vorbit, nu-i aşa? frumos îţi şade, răscoli oamenii, asta faci!
- Şi ce dacă-i răscol? spuse popa.
- Treaba ta, părinte, faci ce vrei, spuse împăciuitor Tache. Ai vorbit de revoluţie, ce-ai aflat, de fapt?
- Păi n-am aflat nimic! făcu popa. Tăcu o vreme. Zise apoi: Uite, eu, care va să zică, sunt popă. Da’ aşa popă cum
sunt, am făcut revoluţia cu Tudor. Şi ce dacă am făcut-o? stau şi mă întreb câteodată. În sfârşit, când am fost la
revoluţie, am cunoscut mulţi oameni, şi buni şi răi, şi greci şi români şi sârbi, de toate felurile am cunoscut.
5. Plecând, Tache o cuprinse pe Flora de după umerii subţiri şi ea se făcu mică sub mâna lui, şi călcând uşor,
ajunseră în odaia unde era aşternută masa. Mâncară în tăcere, doar din când în când se auzea un clinchet de
pahare sau de tacâmuri.
- O să fie revoluţie! spuse Tache spre sfârşit.
- Azi pe la amiază mi-a fost rău, spuse Flora.
- Ştiu! spuse Tache.
- Ştii, da’ nu ştii de ce mi-a fost rău!
- Ba da, ştiu şi asta! aştepţi un copil!
- De unde poţi să ştii asta?
- Nu trebuia să mă gândesc prea mult ca s-o ştiu.
- Şi nu te bucuri? întrebă ea.
- Nici nu mă bucur, nici nu sunt trist.
Ea se posomorî parcă sub lumina ce-i acoperea blândă faţa. Feciorul le aduse cafele.
- Nu, spuse Tache, o să le bem cu părintele. L-am lăsat destul singur.
Sluga se înclină şi luă tava. Rămaşi singuri, Tache spuse sculându-se.
- Am vorbit cu părintele, mâine dimineaţă mă însoară cu tine.
- Mulţumesc! spuse ea.
- Nu ai de ce să-mi mulţumeşti, spuse el.
(Stefan Agopian - Tache de catifea)
6. Sevastiţa, femeia de serviciu, care nu e nici pe departe proastă, mi-a relatat ieri câteva observaţii de-ale lui Gentile
ce denotă că mă antipatizează. A zis, printre altele, că oi fi scris eu trei cărţi, trăgând din amintirile şi cunoştinţele
mele de altădată, dar că el unul poate să-şi pună gâtul jos că nu mai sunt în stare de o pagină în plus.
Stau acum şi mă gândesc la răutăţile lui de mai bine de-o oră şi nu-mi pot aduna gândurile. N-am scris de două
săptămâni nici măcar o pagină.
Au venit la el câţiva prieteni, iată, fereastra e puternic luminată. Îl sărbătoresc. A scos ieri primul volum şi
Sevastiţa, căreia i-a citit, susţine că are acolo nişte povestiri care-ţi fac părul măciucă, formidabile. Ea a şi plâns. El
i-a spus că manuscrisul, citit de Vladimir Streinu, a fost considerat de acesta ca un eveniment în peisajul literaturii
actuale. Aprecierile astea îmi fac greaţă. Ce poate cunoaşte el, dacă aria în care se învârteşte se rezumă la un cerc de
prieteni de chef? (…)
Mi-am pus ordine în toate hârtiile. De mâine voi relua nuvela pe care-am întrerupt-o acum opt luni. N-aş vrea să
cad în păcatul de-a lua tot ce spune el şi relatează Sevastiţa drept adevărat. Poate că am căzut în unele prejudecăţi.
Va trebui să mai meditez. Oricum, nu face să îi întorc spatele.
Îl aştept în dreptul ferestrei. Dacă va ieşi, îi voi face cu mâna, aşa cum, dintr-o prietenie fără mari speranţe, îmi
făcuse el. Doarme ca un porc. A chefuit azi-noapte până târziu sau a scris. (…)
Ceasul arată unsprezece. N-am scris azi nici un rând. Singurătatea asta mă exasperează. Încerc să-mi pun în
ordine unele proiecte, dar gândul nu-mi stă la aşa ceva. Fereastra lui se dă la o parte. Soarele îi bate puternic în ochi.
Lampa de pe masă e încă aprinsă. Înseamnă că a lucrat până acum cu storurile trase, că încă n-a observat sosirea
dimineţii. (…)
 Îi fac semn, pe muteşte, cu palma strânsă adusă la gură şi cu capul aplecat pe spate. Să înţeleagă că am băut.
Ridică degetul în semn de mustrare. Sevastiţa iese pe poartă de la el şi-mi aduce o foaie de hârtie.
(Mircea Horia Simionescu – excerpts from Ingeniosul bine temperat, slightly adapted)
7. Trebuie să mă cunosc. Trebuie să ştiu odată sigur cine sunt şi ce vreau. Am amânat mereu lucrul acesta pentru că
mi-era teamă. Mi-era teamă că nu voi izbuti să-mi luminez sufletul, sau ca lumina ce va aluneca asupră-i să nu mă
îndurereze. Eu mi-am închipuit anumite lucruri despre mine însumi. Ce se va întâmpla dacă acestea nu există
aievea? Dacă ele nu au fost decât o părere? Ceva mai mult. Eu am căutat să mă supun acestor trăsături pe care le-am
socotit părţi din sufletul meu. Mi le-am impus şi mi le-am însuşit. Ce se va întâmpla cu ele, dacă voi şti că nu sunt
decât nişte vestminte îmbrăcate în silă? Voi putea oare să le părăsesc fără să mă copleşească golurile sufletului meu?
Am hotărât de multe ori să mă analizez până la capăt, ca să pătrund cât mai adânc şi calm în suflet. Dar n-am
izbutit. Niciodată nu m-am putut concentra. N-am putut gândi despre mine însumi. De câte ori încercam să mă
analizez mă trezeam într-un întuneric desăvârşit. De unde să încep să mă caut? Unde aş putea să fiu eu însumi?
(Mircea Eliade – Romanul adolescentului miop)
8. Trec ani de zile fără să te gândeşti la nimic altceva decât la lucruri obişnuite. Dragostea ţi se pare o ocupaţie pentru
cei care se miră ce să mai facă cu timpul şi, deodată, echilibrul vieţii obişnuite se sfarmă. Cunoştinţele despre
lucrurile înconjurătoare capătă alt înţeles. Nu mai recunoşti realitatea în care ai trăit. Uneori, începe totul de la un
lucru de nimic. Un râs de femeie te tulbură într-o seară. Ai mai auzit o mulţime de femei râzând şi asta te-a lasat
indiferent. Ai mai văzut şi alţi ochi. Da, dar sunt altfel… ai auzit vorbind şi alte femei, dar ceea ce spune aceasta ţi se
pare foarte însemnat. Nu poate fi nimic mai frumos şi mai bine spus decât aşa. Între oameni se ţes adesea legături
nevăzute, mai durabile decât lanţurile. Lupţi, vrei să crezi că ţi se pare numai, că te înşeli, şi iată, de câte ori o vezi,
începe să-ţi bată inima ca-n tinereţe, parcă n-ai mai cunoscut alte femei. Şi cine este fata asta cu ochi oblici, cu mers
neauzit? Cum să-i spui că îţi pare rău că n-o mai vezi, că de la venirea “doctorului” nu mai ai curaj să aştepţi ora
antrenamentului ei, că pleci mai devreme cu o jumătate de ceas, ca şi când ţi-ar fi teamă să nu ţi se întâmple un lucru
foarte neplăcut. Poate şi ea gândeşte la fel, poate s-a jucat numai de-a atletismul, ca să-şi râdă de tine, că te vede atât
de prost, de neîndrăzneţ. Poţi să comanzi acestor bărbaţi de peste 25 de ani, să-i obligi să facă ce vrei tu, fără să
crâcnească, ai reuşit să-l învingi şi pe acest director, ai trecut prin viaţă bătându-te penru cea mai mică fericire, ai
smuls bucuriile una câte una, ai trăit şi prost şi bine, mai mult prost decât bine, războiul te-a facut şi mai tăcut, mai
posomorât, dar ai început să ştii mai multe lucruri, să înţelegi cu uşurinţă ceea ce altădată n-ai fi priceput decât foarte
greu. Şi-acum? Acum, fugi să nu dai cu ochii de ochii neliniştiţi ai Chirei, să nu-i mai auzi glasul în care se amestecă
şi puţină batjocură, dar şi sinceritate….
Fără această lipsă de-o lună şi jumătate a “doctorului”, poate nu s-ar fi întâmplat nimic, viaţa ta ar fi trecut liniştit
mai departe. Erau şi în orăşelul acesta câteva femei la care te-ai fi gândit, dar aveai lucruri mai importante de făcut.
Ţi-a plăcut din ce în ce mai mult să lupţi cu oamenii din jurul tău. Ei nu te înţelegeau. I-ai silit să te priceapă, dar
asta nu avea nici o importanţă. Un lucru nu-ţi merge la inimă până nu l-ai dus la capăt. Şi deodată toata indiferenţa ta
s-a sfărâmat. Arena şubredă, pe care un vânt mai mare ar lua-o pe sus, ţi se pare mai frumoasă, e un loc nepreţuit,
unde te bucuri şi suferi, oraşul înghesuit, plin de praf, cu oameni tăcuţi, amestecaţi, nu ţi se mai pare un oraş
oarecare. De el te vor lega amintiri, pentru că nu se poate să uiţi serile pline de vânt, cerul palid şi înalt, fata căreia îi
simţi respiraţia alături, bucuria victoriilor atât de grele, obţinute aici, pe bucata de pământ plină de iarbă.
Ai început să fii distrat, să nu mai bagi de seamă că unii îţi trag chiulul la antrenamente, că îi laşi prea mult să facă
ce vor pe aceşti tineri neascultători. Când îl vezi pe celălalt, pe “doctorul”, întorci privirile în altă parte. Ţi-a fost
frică să nu fi aflat de undeva că ai stat câteva seri cu Chira şi să banuiască, foarte firesc de altfel, că-l duşmăneşti, l-
ai lasat să joace în locul unuia mai bun decât el acum.
(Eugen Barbu – Unsprezece)
D
WRITING

1. BLURB. Consider the blurb (the cover text) for the guide-book you have read from. Try to write a blurb for a
guide book of your own choosing:

The Total Woman by Marabel Morgan

How to make your marriage come alive! The runaway best seller that’s working miracles for marriage!

“I do believe it is possible,” says Marabel Morgan, “for almost any wife to have her husband
absolutely adore her in just a few weeks’ time. She can revive romance, reestablish
 communication, break down barriers, and put sizzle back into her marriage. It really is up to her.
She has the power.”

Here is the daily program she developed to restore zest to her own flagging marriage. It’s fun. It’s
challenging. And it’s guaranteed to work.

Start today to have a more exhilarating life – with the man in your life!

2. YOUR OWN GUIDE. In two pages try to write a chapter from a ‘guide for married men’. Don’t forget to make
use of eye-catching phrases that will help you to buttonhole the reader.