Páginas brillantes de la literatura inglesa - 7

Hoy comparto con vosotros un fragmento de una de las más famosas obras de la literatura inglesa: Animal Farm de George Orwell, publicada por primera vez en 1945 y considerada por la inmensa mayoría de los críticos como una sátira mordaz de las dictaduras, sean del signo que sean. 
El fragmento elegido es parte del discurso de Major, el viejo cerdo, al resto de los animales de la granja, incitándolos a rebelarse contra Mr Jones, el propietario de la granja, al que presenta como un cruel dictador que se aprovecha de ellos, obligándoles a trabajar sin descanso en beneficio propio. Leed este librito de nuevo y os ayudará a entender el posterior fracaso de la doctrina comunista, nacida de la revolución del pueblo ruso contra la dictadura zarista, pero que a la larga terminó por convertirse en otra dictadura, la del proletariado:

'Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself. Our labour tills the soil, our dung fertilizes it, and yet there is not one of us that owns more than his bare skin. You cows that I see before me, how many thousands of gallons of milk have you given during the last year? And what has happened to that milk which should have been breeding up sturdy calves? Every drop of it has gone down the throats of our enemies. And you hens, how many eggs have you laid this last year, and how many of those eggs ever hatched into chickens? The rest have all gone to market to bring in money for Jones and his men. And you, Clover, where are those four foals you bore, who should have been the support and pleasure of your old age? Each was sold at a year old - you will never see one of them again. In return for your four confinements and all your labour in the field, what have you ever had except your bare rations and a stall?
'And even the miserable lives we lead are not allowed to reach their natural span. For myself I do not grumble, for I am one of the lucky ones, I am twelve years old and have had over four hundred children. Such is the natural life of a pig. But no animal escapes the cruel knife in the end. You young porkers who are sitting in front of me, every one of you will scream your lives out at the block within a year. To that horror we all must come - cows, pigs, hens, sheep, everyone. Even the horses and the dogs have no better fate. You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will send you to the knacker, who will cut your throat and boil you down for the fox-hounds. As for the dogs, when they grow old and toothless, Jones ties a brick round their necks and drowns them in the nearest pond.
'Is it not crystal clear, then, comrades, that all the evils of this life of ours spring from the tyranny of human beings? Only get rid of Man, and the produce of our labour would be our own. Almost overnight we could become rich and free. What then must we do? Why, work night and day, body and soul, for the overthrow of the human race! That is my message to you, comrades: Rebellion! I do not know when that Rebellion will come, it might be in a week or in a hundred years, but I know, as surely as I see this straw beneath my feet, that sooner or later justice will be done. Fix your eyes on that, comrades, throughout the short remainder of your lives! And above all, pass on this message of mine to those who come after you, so that future generations shall carry on the struggle until it is victorious.
'And remember, comrades, your resolution must never falter. No argument must lead you astray. Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest, that the prosperity of the one is the prosperity of the others. It is all lies. Man serves the interests of no creature except himself. And among us animals let there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship in the struggle. All men are enemies. All animals are comrades.'

GLOSSARY

plough - arado
rabbit - conejo
the bare minimum - lo justo/lo mínimo
to starve - morir de hambre
to till the soil - labrar la tierra
dung - estiercol
gallon - galón (4,546 litros)
to breed up - criar
sturdy - robusto
calves - terneros
to hatch into chickens - salir polluelos (del huevo)
foal - potrillo
to bear - engendrar
confinement - parto
stall - pesebre
to reach their natural span - alcanzar su tiempo de vida natural
to grumble - quejarse
young porker - cerdito
scream your lives out at the block - gritar cuando se dejan la vida en el tajo
fate - destino
muscle - músculo
knacker - matarife
foxhound - perro raposero
toothless - desdentado
to tie - atar
brick - ladrillo
to drown - ahogar
pond - estanque
crystal clear - más claro que el agua
evils - males
to spring from - tener su origen en
almost overnight - casi de la noche a la mañana
body and soul - en cuerpo y alma
overthrow - derrocamiento
straw - paja
remainder - resto
struggle - lucha
to falter - vacilar
to lead someone astray - equivocar a alguien

EJERCICIO

Rellenar los huecos con el verbo adecuado, usado en el texto:

'Man is the only creature that .... (eats/drinks/consumes) without producing. He does not .... (give/produce/makes) milk, he does not ....(put/lay/set) eggs, he is too weak to .... (push/pull/draw) the plough, he cannot ....(walk/jump/run) fast enough to ..... (catch/grab/kill) rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He ..... (sets/puts/lays) them to work, he .... (offers/gives/lays) back to them the bare minimum that will ...... (avoid/stop/prevent) them from starving, and the rest he .... (keeps/retais/saves) for himself. Our labour .... (ploughs/digs/tills) the soil, our dung .....(manures/fertilizes/fructifies) it, and yet there is not one of us that ....(possesses/has/owns) more than his bare skin. You cows that I ....(contemplate/see/gaze) before me, how many thousands of gallons of milk have you ..... (given/made/done) during the last year? And what has ....... (occurred/happened/become) to that milk which should have been ...... (breeding/feeding/rearing) up sturdy calves? Every drop of it has ..... (come/dropped/gone) down the throats of our enemies. And you hens, how many eggs have you .... (laid/put/set) this last year, and how many of those eggs ever ....... (broke/conceived/hatched) into chickens? The rest have all ..... (travelled/gone/sold) to market to bring in money for Jones and his men. And you, Clover, where are those four foals you ....(bear/bore/born) , who should have .... (had/been/meant) the support and pleasure of your old age? Each was .... (killed/slaughtered/sold) at a year old - you will never ...(see/love/caress)  one of them again. In return for your four confinements and all your labour in the field, what have you ever .... (received/kept/had) except your bare rations and a stall?
'And even the miserable lives we .... (live/endure/lead) are not allowed to ..... (reach/attain/achieve) their natural span. For myself I do not ...... (complain/grunt/grumble), for I am one of the lucky ones, I ... (was/am/have) twelve years old and have ... (had/bred/produced) over four hundred children. Such is the natural life of a pig. But no animal ..... (escapes/flees/saves) the cruel knife in the end. You young porkers who are .... (standing/sitting/sleeping) in front of me, every one of you will .... (expire/shout/scream) your lives out at the block within a year. To that horror we all ... (ought/should/must) come - cows, pigs, hens, sheep, everyone. Even the horses and the dogs ... (have/enjoy/meet) no better fate. You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours .... (lose/miss/waste) their power, Jones will ..... (send/sell/give) you to the knacker, who will ....(nick/slice/cut)  your throat and ... (boil/cook/roast) you down for the fox-hounds. As for the dogs, when they .... (become/turn/grow) old and toothless, Jones .... (ties/knots/fixes) a brick round their necks and .... (chokes/drowns/stifles) them in the nearest pond.
'Is it not crystal clear, then, comrades, that all the evils of this life of ours .... (spring/derive/stem) from the tyranny of human beings? Only ....(free/clear/get) rid of Man, and the produce of our labour would ... (remain/be/stand) our own. Almost overnight we could .... (turn/grow/become) rich and free. What then .... (must/ought/should) we do? Why, .... (work/labour/toil) night and day, body and soul, for the overthrow of the human race! That is my message to you, comrades: Rebellion! I do not ....(understand/know/realize)  when that Rebellion will come, it might ... (happen/occur/be) in a week or in a hundred years, but I ...., (understand/think/know), as surely as I .... (see/eye/behold) this straw beneath my feet, that sooner or later justice will be ....(executed/done/achieved). Fix your eyes on that, comrades, throughout the short remainder of your lives! And above all, ...(give/hand/pass) on this message of mine to those who .....(exist/live/come) after you, so that future generations shall ....(continue/keep/carry) on the struggle until it is victorious.
'And ..... (recollect/remember/recall), comrades, your resolution must never .....(falter/fail/fall) No argument must .... (take/drive/lead) you astray. Never ..... (believe/listen/hear) when they tell you that Man and the animals .... (have/shared/enjoy) a common interest, that the prosperity of the one is the prosperity of the others. It ... (is/was/will be) all lies. Man .....( has/helps/serves) the interests of no creature except himself. And among us animals .... (allow/let/permit) there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship in the struggle. All men ....(are/were/become) enemies. All animals ... (are/remain/keep) comrades.'

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Páginas brillantes de la literatura inglesa - 6

The Pickwick Papers de Dickens tiene un tono general humorístico, pero este fragmento del capítulo XI, que hoy comparto con vosotros no es para reírse, sino más bien para llorar. Pone los pelos de punta pensar cuántos individuos como éste habrá sueltos por ahí:

A Madman's Manuscript

"Yes! - a madman's! How that word would have struck to my heart many years ago! How it would have roused the terror that used to come upon me sometimes; sending the blood hissing and tingling through my veins, till the cold dew of fear stood in large drops upon my skin, and my knees knocked together with fright! I like it now though. It's a fine name. Show me the monarch whose angry frown was ever feared like the glare of a madman's eye - whose cord and axe were ever half so sure as a madman's grip. Ho! ho! It's a grand thing to be mad! to be peeped at like a wild lion through the iron bars - to gnash one's teeth and howl, through the long still night, to the merry ring of a heavy chain - and to roll and twine among the straw, transported with such a brave music. Hurrah for the madhouse! Oh, it's a rare place!
I remember days when I was afraid of being mad; when I used to start from my sleep, and fall upon my knees, and pray to be spared the curse of my race; when I rushed from the sight of merriment or happiness, to hide myself in some lonely place, and spend the weary hours in watching the progress of the fever that was to consume my brain. I knew that madness was mixed up with my very blood, and the marrow of my bones; that one generation had passed away without the pestilence appearing among them, and that I was the first in whom it would revive. I knew it must be so: that so it always had been , and so it ever would be; and when I cowed in some obscure corner of a crowded room, and saw men whisper, and point, and turn their eyes towards me, I knew they were telling each other of the doomed madman; and I slunk away again to mope in solitude.
"I did this for years; long, long years they were. The nights here are long sometimes - very long; but they are nothing to the restless nights, and dreadful dreams I had at that time. It makes me cold to remember them. Large dusky forms with sly and jeering faces crouched in the corners of the room, and bent over my bed at night, tempting me to madness. They told me in low whispers, that the floor of the old house in which my father's father died, was stained with his own blood, shed by his own hand in raging madness. I drove my fingers into my ears, but they screamed into my head till the room rang with it, that in one generation before him the madness slumbered, but that his grandfather had lived for years with his hands fetered to the ground, to prevent his tearing himself to pieces. I knew they told the truth - I knew it well. I had found it out years before, though they had tried to keep it from me. Ha! ha! I was too cunning for them, madman as they thought me.
"At last it came upon me, and I wondered how I could ever have feared it. I could go into the world now, and laugh and shout with the best amon them. I knew I was mad, but they did not even suspect it. How I used to hug myself with delight, when I thought of the fine trick I was playing them after their old pointing and leering, when I was not mad, but only dreading that I mught one day become so! And how I used to laugh for joy, when I was alone, and thought how well I kept my secret, and how quickly my kind friends would have fallen from me, if they had known the truth. I could have sreamed with ecstasy when I dined alone with some fine roaring fellow, to think how pale he would have turned, and how fast he would have run, if he had known that the dear friend who sat close to him, sharpening a bright glittering knife, was a madman with all the power, and half the will to plunge it in his heart. Oh, it was a merry life!

GLOSSARY

to strike to one's heart - llegar al alma
to rouse terror - provocar terror
to hiss - silbar
to tingle - hormiguear
dew - rocío
angry frown - ceño airado
glare - mirada furiosa
cord and axe - cuerda y hacha
grip - acción de agarrar con fuerza, (fig) fuertes garras
to be peeped at - ser mirado con curiosidad
to gnash one's teeth - rechinar los dientes
still night - noche tranquila/silenciosa
to howl - aullar
to roll and twine - rodar y enroscarse
straw - paja
madhouse - manicomio
a rare place - un lugar especial
to start from one's sleep - despertarse sobresaltado
to be spared from the curse of my race - librarse de la maldición de mi estirpe
merriment - diversión, alegría
weary - tedioso,-a
brain - cerebro
mixed up with my very blood - mezclada con mi propia sangre
marrow of my bones - mi médula ósea
pestilence - pestilencia
to cow - estar encogido lleno de miedo
to whisper - susurrar
doomed - condenado
I slunk away - me iba con las orejas gachas
to mope - deprimirse
restless - inquieto,-a
dreadful - terrible, espantoso,-a
dusky forms - formas oscuras
with sly and jeering faces - con caras maliciosas y burlonas
to crouch - agazaparse/estar agazapado
stained - manchado,-a
shed - derramado,-a, vertido,-a
raging madness - furiosa locura
I drove my fingers into my ears - me metía los dedos en los oídos 
to scream - gritar
to slumber -dormitar (tamb. fig estar dormido/estar latente) 
fettered to the ground - encadenado,-a al suelo
to tear oneself to pieces - hacerse pedazos uno mismo
cunning - astuto,-a
to keep sth from sb - ocultar algo a alguien
madman as they thought me - aunque me creían loco
with the best among them - como el que más/el primero
to hug oneself - abrazarse
to play sb a trick - engañar a alguien
to dread - temer
some fine roaring fellow - algún tipo apuesto y vigoroso
to sharpen - afilar
glittering -reluciente
with all the power, and half the will - con toda la fuerza y casi las ganas
to plunge - hundir (cuchillo, etc)

EJERCICIO

Rellena los huecos con partes del cuerpo humano y luego mira de nuevo el texto para comprobar si tus respuestas son correctas:

"Yes! - a madman's! How that word would have struck to my ..... many years ago! How it would have roused the terror that used to come upon me sometimes; sending the ....... hissing and tingling through my ......., till the cold dew of fear stood in large drops upon my ....., and my ...... knocked together with fright! I like it now though. It's a fine name. Show me the monarch whose angry frown was ever feared like the glare of a madman's ...... - whose cord and axe were ever half so sure as a madman's grip. Ho! ho! It's a grand thing to be mad! to be peeped at like a wild lion through the iron bars - to gnash one's ....... and howl, through the long still night, to the merry ring of a heavy chain - and to roll and twine among the straw, transported with such a brave music. Hurrah for the madhouse! Oh, it's a rare place!
I remember days when I was afraid of being mad; when I used to start from my sleep, and fall upon my ......, and pray to be spared the curse of my race; when I rushed from the sight of merriment or happiness, to hide myself in some lonely place, and spend the weary hours in watching the progress of the fever that was to consume my ........ I knew that madness was mixed up with my very ......., and the marrow of my .......; that one generation had passed away without the pestilence appearing among them, and that I was the first in whom it would revive. I knew it must be so: that so it always had been , and so it ever would be; and when I cowed in some obscure corner of a crowded room, and saw men whisper, and point, and turn their ..... towards me, I knew they were telling each other of the doomed madman; and I slunk away again to mope in solitude.
"I did this for years; long, long years they were. The nights here are long sometimes - very long; but they are nothing to the restless nights, and dreadful dreams I had at that time. It makes me cold to remember them. Large dusky forms with sly and jeering ...... crouched in the corners of the room, and bent over my bed at night, tempting me to madness. They told me in low whispers, that the floor of the old house in which my father's father died, was stained with his own ....., shed by his own ..... in raging madness. I drove my ....... into my ......, but they screamed into my ..... till the room rang with it, that in one generation before him the madness slumbered, but that his grandfather had lived for years with his ...... fetered to the ground, to prevent his tearing himself to pieces. I knew they told the truth - I knew it well. I had found it out years before, though they had tried to keep it from me. Ha! ha! I was too cunning for them, madman as they thought me.

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Páginas brillantes de la literatura inglesa -5

Aquí tenéis la 2ª parte del divertido episodio sobre el desmañado Uncle Podger, tomado del capítulo tres de Three Men in a Boat de Jerome K. Jerome:

We would find the hammer for him, and then he would have lost sight of the mark he had made on the wall, where the nail was to go in, and each of us had to get up on the chair beside him, and see if we could find it; and we would each discover it in a different place, and he would call us all fools, one after another, and tell us to get down. And he would take the rule, and remeasure, and find that he wanted half thirty-one and three-eighths inches from the corner and would try to do it in his head, and go mad.
And we would all try to do it in our heads, and all arive at different results, and sneer at one another. And in the general row, the original number would be forgotten, and Uncle Podger would have to measure it again.
He would use a bit of string this time, and at the critical moment, when the old fool was leaning over the chair at an angle of fort-five, and trying to reach a point three inches beyond what was possible for him to reach, the string would slip, and down he would slide on to the piano, a really fine musical effect being produced by the suddenness with which his head and body struck all the notes at the same time.
And Aunt Maria would say that she would not allow the children to stand round and hear such language.
At last, Uncle Podger would get the spot fixed again, and put the point of the nail on it with his left hand, and take the hammer in his right hand. And, with the first blow, he would smash his thumb, and drop the hammer, with a yell, on somebody's toes.
Aunt Maria would mildly observe that, next time Uncle Podger was going to hammer a nail into the wall, she hoped he'd let her know in time, so that she could make arrangements to go and spend a week with her mother while it was being done.
'Oh! you women, you make such a fuss over everything,' Uncle Podger would reply, picking himself up. 'Why, I like doing a little job of this sort.'
And then he would have another try, and, at the second blow, the nail would go clean through the plaster, and half the hammer after it, and Uncle Podger be precipitated against the wall with force nearly sufficient to flatten his nose. 
Then we had to find the rule and the string again, and a new hole was made; and, about midnight, the picture would be up - very crooked and insecure, the walls for yards round looking as if it had been smoothed down with a rake, and everybody dead beat and wretched - except Uncle Podger.

GLOSSARY

to do it in his head - calcularlo mentalmente
to sneer at - burlarse de
row - pelea
he would smash his thumb - se golpeaba el pulgar
yell - alarido
toe - dedo del pie
to pick oneself up - levantarse (tras haberse caído)
the nail would go clean through the plaster - el clavo atravesaba por completo el yeso
to flatten - aplastar
crooked - torcido
insecure - inseguro
to smooth down - alisar
rake - rastrillo
dead beat - agotado
wretched - desgraciado, infeliz

EJERCICIO

Rellena los espacios en blanco y luego mira el texto para comprobar si tus respuestas son correctas:


We would find the hammer for him, and then he would have ..... sight of the mark he had made on the wall, where the nail was .... go in, and each of ... had to get up on the chair beside him, and see if we ....find it; and we would ......discover it in a different place, and he would .... us all fools, one after another, and tell us to get down. And he would take the rule, and remeasure, and find that he wanted half thirty-one and three-eighths inches from the corner and would try to do it in his head, and ....mad.
And we would all try to do it in our heads, and all arive ...... different results, and sneer at .... another. And in the general row, the original number .....be forgotten, and Uncle Podger would have to measure it .......
He would use a ......of string this time, and at the critical moment, when the old fool was leaning over the chair .... an angle of fort-five, and trying to reach a point three inches ....... what was possible for him to reach, the string would slip, and down he would slide on to the piano, a really fine musical effect .... produced by the suddenness with which his head and body ..... all the notes at the same time.
And Aunt Maria would say that she would not .......the children to stand round and ....such language.
At last, Uncle Podger would get the spot fixed again, and put the point of the nail on it with his left hand, and take the hammer in his .... hand. And, with the first blow, he would smash his thumb, and drop the hammer, with a yell, on somebody's toes.
Aunt Maria would mildly observe that, next time Uncle Podger was .....to hammer a nail into the wall, she hoped he'd ......her know in time, so .... she could make arrangements to go and spend a week with her mother while it was .......done.
'Oh! you women, you .......such a fuss over everything,' Uncle Podger would reply, picking himself ...... 'Why, I like doing a little .... of this sort.'
And then he would have another try, and, ....the second blow, the nail would go clean through the plaster, and half the hammer after it, and Uncle Podger be precipitated .......the wall with force nearly sufficient to flatten his nose. 
Then we had ..... find the rule and the string again, and a new hole ......made; and, about midnight, the picture would be up - very crooked ....insecure, the walls for yards round looking ..... if it had been smoothed down with a rake, and everybody dead......and wretched - except Uncle Podger.

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Páginas brillantes de la literatura inglesa- 4

Comparto hoy con vosotros la primera parte de otra divertida página, tomada del capítulo tres de Three Men in a Boat de Jerome K. Jerome:

You never saw such a commotion up and down a house in all your life, as when my Uncle Podger undertook to do a job. A picture would have come home from the frame-maker's, and be standing in the dining-room, waiting to be put up; and Aunt Podger would ask what was to be done with it, and Uncle Podger would say:
'Oh, you leave that to me. Don't you, any of you, worry yourselves about that. I'll do all that.'
And then he would take off his coat, and begin. He would send the girl out for sixpenn'orth of nails, and then one of the boys after her to tell her what size to get; and, from that, he would gradually work down, and start the whole house.
'Now, you go and get my hammer, Will,' he would shout; 'and bring me the rule, Tom; and I shall want the step-ladder, and I had better have the kitchen chair, too; and, Jim! you run round to Mr Goggles, and tell him, "Pa's kind regards and hopes his leg's better; and will he lend him his spirit-level?" And don't you go, Maria, because I shall want somebody to hold me the light and when the girl comes back she must go out again for a bit of picture-cord; and Tom! - where's Tom? - Tom, you come here; I shall want you to hand me up the picture.'
And then he would lift up the picture, and drop it, and it would come out of the frame, and he would try to save the glass, and cut himself; and then he would spring round the room, looking for his handkerchief. He could not find his handkerchief, because it was in the pocket of the coat he had taken off, and he did not know where he had put the coat, and all the house had to leave off looking for his tools, and start looking for his coat; while he would dance round and hinder them.
'Doesn't anybody in the whole house know where my coat is? I never came across such a set in all my life - upon my word I didn't. Six of you! - and you can't find a coat that I put down not five minutes ago! Well, of all the -'
Then he'd get up, and find that he had been sitting on it, and would call out:
'Oh, you can give it up! I've found it myself now. Might just as well ask the cat to find anything as expect you people to find it.'
And when half an hour had been spent in tying up his finger, and a new glass had been got, and the tools, and the ladder, and the chair, and the candle had been brought, he would have another go, the whole family, including the girl, and the charwoman, standing round in semi-circle, ready to help. Two people would have to hold the chair, and a third would help him up on it, and hold him there, and a fourth would hand him a nail, and a fifth would pass him up the hammer, and he would take hold of the nail, and drop it.
'There!' he would say, in an injured tone, 'now the nail's gone.'
And we would all have to go down on our knees and grovel for it, while he would stand on the chair, and grunt, and want to know if he was to be kept there all the evening.
The nail would be found at last, but by that time he would have lost the hammer.
'Where's the hammer? What did I do with the hammer? Great heavens! Seven of you, gaping round there, and you don't know what I did with the hammer!'

to be continued

GLOSSARY

to undertake to do sth - ocuparse de hacer algo
frame-maker's - tienda del fabricante de marcos
sixpenn'orth of nails - seis peniques de clavos
to start the whole house - alborotar toda la casa
step-ladder - escalera de tijera
kind regards - saludos
spirit-level - nivel (herramienta)
to lift up - levantar
to save the glass - salvar el cristal
to spring - saltar
to leave off looking for his tools dejar de buscar sus herramientas
to hinder - estorbar
to come across sb/sth - toparse con alguien/algo
might just as well - más me valdría
candle - vela
to have another go - intentarlo de nuevo
charwoman - mujer de la limpieza
hammer - martillo
in an injured tone - en tono lastimero
to grovel for sth - buscar algo a gatas
to grunt - gruñir
to gape - mirar embobado

EJERCICIO

A ver cómo andáis de memoria. Rellenad los espacios en blanco y luego mirad el texto para comprobar si vuestras respuestas son correctas:


You never saw .... a commotion up and down a house in all your life, ... when my Uncle Podger undertook to ... a job. A picture would have come home ...the frame-maker's, and be standing in the dining-room, ..... to be put up; and Aunt Podger would ask what was to be ...with it, and Uncle Podger ....say:
'Oh, you ...that to me. Don't you, any of you, worry yourselves about that. I'll do all that.'
And then he would take ... his coat, and begin. He would send the girl out for sixpenn'orth of nails, and then one of the boys ... her to tell her what size to get; and, from that, he would gradually work down, and start the ...house.
'Now, you go and get my hammer, Will,' he would shout; 'and ... me the rule, Tom; and I shall want the step-ladder, and I ...better have the kitchen chair, too; and, Jim! you run round to Mr Goggles, and tell him, "Pa's kind .... and hopes his leg's better; and ...he lend him his spirit-level?" And ...you go, Maria, because I shall want somebody to hold me the light and when the girl comes back she must go out again for a ...of picture-cord; and Tom! - where's Tom? - Tom, you come here; I shall want you to hand me up the picture.'
And then he would lift up the picture, and drop it, and it would come out of the frame, and he would ...to save the glass, and cut ...; and then he would spring round the room, looking ...his handkerchief. He could not find his handkerchief, .... it was in the pocket of the coat he had taken off, and he did not know ... he had put the coat, and all the house had to leave ...looking for his tools, and start looking for his coat; ...he would dance round and hinder them.
'... anybody in the whole house know where my coat is? I never came ... such a set in all my life - upon my word I didn't. Six of you! - and you ... find a coat that I put down not five minutes ...! Well, of all the -'
Then he'd get up, and find that he ... been sitting on it, and would call out:
'Oh, you can give it up! I've found it ... now. Might ...as well ask the cat to find anything ... expect you people to find it.'
And when half ... hour had been spent in tying up his ..., and a new glass had been got, and the tools, and the ladder, and the chair, and the candle had been ..., he would have ... go, the whole family, ... the girl, and the charwoman, standing round in semi-..., ready to help. Two people would have to hold the chair, and a third would help him up on it, and hold him there, and a fourth would hand him a nail, and a fifth would pass him up the hammer, and he would ... hold of the nail, and drop it.
'There!' he would say, in an injured tone, '... the nail's gone.'
And we would all have to go down ... our knees and grovel ... it, while he would stand on the chair, and grunt, and want to know if he ... to be kept there ... the evening.
The nail would be found at last, but ... that time he would have ... the hammer.
'Where's the hammer? What ... I do with the hammer? Great heavens! Seven of you, gaping round there, and you don't ... what I did with the hammer!'

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Páginas brillantes de la literatura inglesa- 3

Comparto hoy con vosotros una página, tomada del capítulo 4 de Three Men in a Boat de Jerome K. Jerome, que me hizo reír en su día y que todavía me divierte. Espero que a vosotros también os guste. Como el texto es de nivel algo avanzado, incluyo un glosario y un ejercicio para practicar las partículas:

I remember a friend of mine buying a couple of cheeses at Liverpool. Splendid cheeses they were, ripe and mellow, and with a two-hundred horse-power scent about them that might have been warranted to carry three miles, and knock a man over at two hundred yards. I was in Liverpool at the time, and my friend said that if I didn't mind he would get me to take them back with me to London, as he should not be coming up for a day or two himself, and he did not think the cheeses ought to be kept much longer.
'Oh, with pleasure, dear boy,' I replied, 'with pleasure.'
I called for the cheeses, and took them away in a cab. It was a ramshackle affair, dragged along by a knock-kneed, broken-winded somnabulist, which his owner in a moment of enthusiasm, during conversation, referred to as a horse. I put the cheeses on the top, and we started off at a shamble that would have done credit to the swiftest steam-roller ever built, and all went merry as a funeral bell, until we turned a corner. There, the wind carried a whiff from the cheeses full on our steed. It woke him up, and, with a snort of terror, he dashed off at three miles an hour. The wind still blew in his direction, and before we reached the end of the street he was laying himself out at the rate of nearly four miles an hour, leaving the cripples and stout old ladies simply nowhere.
It took two porters as well as the driver to hold him in at the station; and I do not think they would have done it, even then, had not one of the men had the presence of mind to put a handkerchief over his nose, and to light a bit of brown paper.
I took my ticket, and marched proudly up the platform, with my cheeses, the people falling back respectfully on either side. The train was crowded, and I had to get into a carriage where there were already seven other people. One crusty old gentleman objected, but I got in, notwithstanding; and, putting my cheeses upon the rack, squeezed down with a pleasant smile, and said it was a warm day. A few moments passed, and then the old gentleman began to fidget.
'Very close in here,' he said.
'Quite oppressive,' said the man next to him.
And then they both began sniffing, and, at the third sniff, they caught it right on the chest, and rose up without another word and went out. And then a stout lady got up, and said it was disgraceful that a respectable married woman should be harried about in this way, and gathered up a bag and eight parcels and left. The remaining four passengers sat on for a while, until a solemn-looking man in the corner who, from his dress and general appearance, seemed to belong to the undertaker class, said it put him in mind of a dead baby; and the other three passenger tried to get out of the door at the same time, and hurt themselves.
I smiled at the black gentleman, and said I thought we were going to have the carriage to ourselves; and he laughed pleasantly and said that some people made such a fuss over a little thing. But even he grew stangely depressed after we had started, and so, when we reached Crewe, I asked him to come and have a drink. He accepted, and we forced our way into the buffet, where we yelled, and stamped, and waved our umbrellas for a quarter of an hour; and then a young lady came and asked us if we wanted anything.
'What's yours?' I said, turning to my friend.
'I'll have half-a-crown's worth of brandy, neat, if you please, miss,' he responded.
And he went off quietly after he had drunk it and got into another carriage, which I thought mean.
From Crewe I had the compartment to myself, though the train was crowded. As we drew up at the different stations, the people, seeing my empty carriage, would rush for it. 'Here y' are, Maria; come along, plenty of room.' 'All right, Tom; we'll get in here,' they would shout. And they would run along, carrying heavy bags, and fight round the door to get in first. And one would open the door and mount the steps and stagger back into the arms of the man behind him; and they would all come and have a sniff, and then drop off and squeeze into other carriages, or pay the difference and go first.
From Euston I took the cheeses down to my friend's house. When his wife came into the room, she smelt round for an instant. Then she said:
'What is it? Tell me the worst.'
I said:
'It's cheeses. Tom bought them in Liverpool, and asked me to bring them up with me.'
And I added that I hoped she understood that it had nothing to do with me; and she said that she was sure of that, but that she would speak to Tom about it when he came back.

GLOSSARY

ripe and mellow - muy curado
and a two-hundred power scent about them - y con un olor de 200 caballos/y con un fortísimo olor
that might have been warranted to carry three miles - que es seguro que podría haberse olido a tres millas de distancia
and knock over a man at two hundred yards - y tirar para atrás a un hombre a 200 yardas
my friend said that if I didn't mind he would get me to take them back with me to London - mi amigo dijo que si no me importaba si se valía de mí para llevarlos de vuelta conmigo a Londres
he did not think the cheeses ought to be kept much longer - no creía que los quesos aguantarían mucho más tiempo
cab - coche de caballos
ramshackle - desvencijado
knock-kneed - patizambo
broken-winded - de respiración dificultosa
we started off at a shamble that would have done credit to the swiftest steamroller ever built - partimos a un paso lento que habría hecho honor a la apisonadora más veloz jamás construida
all went merry as a funeral bell - todo fue alegre como una campana tocando a muerto
the wind carried a whiff from the cheeses full on our steed - el viento trajo una bocanada procedente de los quesos que le dio de lleno a nuestro corcel
It woke him up - lo despertó
and, with a snort of terror - y con un bufido de terror
he dashed off at three miles an hour - salió disparado a tres millas por hora
he was laying himself out - iba lanzado
leaving the cripples and stout old ladies simply nowhere - apartando del camino a los tullidos y a las  gruesas ancianas
It took two porters as well as the driver to hold him in - hicieron falta dos mozos además del cochero para pararlo
to have the presence of mind - tener la suficiente presencia de ánimo
to light a bit of brown paper - quemar un poco de papel de estraza
the people falling back respectfully on either side - echándose la gente respetuosamente para atrás a ambos lados
crusty - gruñón
notwithstanding - no obstante
rack - portaequipajes
to squeeze down - hacerse un hueco
to fidget - moverse inquieto
very close in here - muy estrecho aquí dentro
quite oppressive - muy agobiante
to sniff - olfatear
they caught it right on the chest - les alcanzó el olor en pleno pecho
disgraceful - vergonzoso
to be harried about - ser agobiada por todos lados
to sit on - seguir sentado
seemed to belong to the undertaker class -  parecía ser alguien de las pompas fúnebres
it put him in mind of a dead baby - le recordaba a un bebé muerto
some people made a fuss over a little thing - alguna gente protestaba por una insignificancia
we yelled, and stamped, and waved our umbrellas - gritamos, pateamos y agitamos los paraguas
'what's yours?' - ¿que quiere usted tomar?
half-a-crown's worth of brandy - media corona de coñac
neat - solo, sin agua
which I thought mean - lo cual me pareció mezquino
As we drew up at the different stations - Cuando parabamos en las distintas estaciones
plenty of room - mucho sitio
to stagger back - tambalearse para atrás
to drop off - retirarse
to go first - irse a la primera clase
she smelled round for an instant - olió a su alrededor durante un instante
'Tell me the worst' - dime lo peor

EJERCICIO

Rellena los huecos con las partículas usadas en el texto:

I remember a friend of mine buying a couple of cheeses at Liverpool. Splendid cheeses they were, ripe and mellow, and ... a two-hundred horse-power scent .... them that might have been warranted to carry three miles, and knock a man ..... at two hundred yards. I was in Liverpool ... the time, and my friend said that if I didn't mind he would get me to take them ... with me to London, as he should not be coming up ... a day or two himself, and he did not think the cheeses ought to be kept much longer.
'Oh, with pleasure, dear boy,' I replied, 'with pleasure.'
I called ... the cheeses, and took them ... in a cab. It was a ramshackle affair, dragged along ... a knock-kneed, broken-winded somnabulist, which his owner ... a moment of enthusiasm, during conversation, referred ... as a horse. I put the cheeses ... the top, and we started ... at a shamble that would have done credit ... the swiftest steam-roller ever built, and all went merry as a funeral bell, until we turned a corner. There, the wind carried a whiff ... the cheeses full on our steed. It woke him ..., and, ... a snort of terror, he dashed ... at three miles an hour. The wind still blew ... his direction, and before we reached the end ... the street he was laying himself out ... the rate of nearly four miles an hour, leaving the cripples and stout old ladies simply nowhere.
It took two porters as well as the driver to hold him in ... the station; and I do not think they would have done it, even then, had not one of the men had the presence ... mind to put a handkerchief ... his nose, and to light a bit ... brown paper.
I took my ticket, and marched proudly ... the platform, with my cheeses, the people falling ... respectfully ... either side. The train was crowded, and I had to get ... a carriage where there were already seven other people. One crusty old gentleman objected, but I got ..., notwithstanding; and, putting my cheeses upon the rack, squeezed down ... a pleasant smile, and said it was a warm day. A few moments passed, and then the old gentleman began to fidget.
'Very close ... here,' he said.
'Quite oppressive,' said the man next ... him.
And then they both began sniffing, and, ... the third sniff, they caught it right ... the chest, and rose up ... another word and went .... And then a stout lady got ..., and said it was disgraceful that a respectable married woman should be harried about ... this way, and gathered up a bag and eight parcels and left. The remaining four passengers sat on ... a while, until a solemn-looking man in the corner who, ... his dress and general appearance, seemed to belong ... the undertaker class, said it put him ... mind of a dead baby; and the other three passenger tried to get ... of the door ... the same time, and hurt themselves.
I smiled ... the black gentleman, and said I thought we were going to have the carriage ... ourselves; and he laughed pleasantly and said that some people made such a fuss ... a little thing. But even he grew stangely depressed ... we had started, and so, when we reached Crewe, I asked him to come and have a drink. He accepted, and we forced our way ... the buffet, where we yelled, and stamped, and waved our umbrellas ... a quarter of an hour; and then a young lady came and asked us if we wanted anything.
'What's yours?' I said, turning ... my friend.
'I'll have half-a-crown's worth ... brandy, neat, if you please, miss,' he responded.
And he went ... quietly after he had drunk it and got ... another carriage, which I thought mean.
From Crewe I had the compartment ... myself, though the train was crowded. As we drew up ... the different stations, the people, seeing my empty carriage, would rush ... it. 'Here y' are, Maria; come along, plenty ... room.' 'All right, Tom; we'll get in here,' they would shout. And they would run ..., carrying heavy bags, and fight round the door to get ... first. And one would open the door and mount the steps and stagger ... into the arms of the man ... him; and they would all come and have a sniff, and then drop off and squeeze ... other carriages, or pay the difference and go first.
From Euston I took the cheeses down ... my friend's house. When his wife came ...to the room, she smelt round ... an instant. Then she said:
'What is it? Tell me the worst.'
I said:
'It's cheeses. Tom bought them in Liverpool, and asked me to bring them up ... me.'
And I added that I hoped she understood that it had nothing to do ... me; and she said that she was sure ... that, but that she would speak ... Tom ... it when he came back.

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Páginas brillantes de la literatura inglesa -2

Siguiendo con mi programa de páginas selectas de la Literatura Inglesa, le toca hoy el turno al arranque de la novela Pride and Prejudice de Jane Austen. He leído varias veces esta novela y visto algunas versiones cinematográficas y siempre me ha encantado. La página que hoy comparto con vosotros es realmente genial y es considerada por muchos como prototipo de ese fino humor inglés no exento de sarcasmo. Si os apetece, tras los banquetes de Nochebuena y Navidad, podéis dedicar unos minutos a leer o releer esta página e incluso contestar a las comprehension questions que incorporo:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of someone or other of their daughters.
'My dear Mr Bennet,' said his lady to him one day, 'have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?'
Mr Bennet replied that he had not.
'But it is,' returned she; 'for Mrs Long has just been here, and she told me all about it.'
Mr Bennet made no answer.
'Do not you want to know who has taken it?' cried his wife impatiently.
'You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.'
This was invitation enough.
'Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it that he agreed with Mr Morris immediately; that he is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week.'
'What is his name?'
'Bingley.'
'Is he married or single?'
'Oh! single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a-year. What a fine thing for our girls!'
'How so? how can it affect them?'
'My dear Mr Bennet,' replied his wife, 'how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them.'
'Is that his design in settling here?'
'Design! nonsense, how can you talk so! But is is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes.'
'I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better, for as you are as handsome as any of them, Mr Bingley might like you the best of the party.'
'My dear, you flatter me. I certainly have had my share of beauty, but I do not pretend to be anything extraordinary now. When a woman has five grown up daughters, she ought to give over thinking of her own beauty.'
'In such cases, a woman has not often much beauty to think of.'
'But, my dear, you must indeed go and see Mr Bingley when he comes into the neighbourhood.'
'It is more than I engage for, I assure you.'
'But consider your daughters. Only think what an establishment it would be for one of them. Sir William and Lady Lucas are determined to go, merely on that account, for in general you know they visit no newcomers. Indeed you must go, for it will be impossible for us to visit him if you do not.'
'You are over scrupulous, surely. I dare say Mr Bingley will be very glad to see you; and I will send a few lines by you to assure him of my hearty consent to his marrying whichever he chooses of the girls; though I must throw in a good word for my little Lizzy.'
'I desire you will do no such thing. Lizzy is not a bit better than the others; and I am sure she is no half so handsome as Jane, nor half so good-humoured as Lydia. But you are always giving her the preference.'
'They have none of them much to recommend them,' replied he; 'they are all silly and ignorant, like other girls; but Lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters.'
'Mr Bennet, how can you abuse your own children in such a way? You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion on my poor nerves.'
'You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these twenty years at least.'
'Ah! you do not know what I suffer.'
'But I hope you will get over it, and live to see many young men of four thousand a year come into the neighbourhood.'
'It will be no use to us, if twenty such should come, since you will not visit them.'
'Depend upon it, my dear, that when there are twenty, I will visit them all.'
Mr Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve and caprice, that the experience of three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. Her mind was less difficult to develop. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news.
Mr Bennet was among the earliest of those who waited on Mr Bingley. He had always intended to visit him, though to the last always assuring his wife that he should not go; and till the evening after the visit was paid she had no knowledge of it.........

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.- How many daughters do Mr and Mrs Bennet have?
a.- 3; b.- 4; c.- 5
2.- How long had they been married?
a.- 23 years; b.- 40 years; c.- 33 years
3.- Who told Mrs Bennet that Netherfield had been let?
a.- Mrs Long; b.- Mr Morris; c.- Lady Lucas
4.- Why was Mrs Bennet so keen on Mr Bennet's visiting Mr Bingley?
a.- To welcome him into the neighourhood; b.- Because she wanted her family  to be friends with Mr Bingley; c.- Because if Mr Bennet did not visit him first, it would be impossible for her and her daughters to visit him later
5.- Which of these three statements about Mr Bingley is true?
a.- He wants to get married; b.- He's well-off; c.- He's a widower
6.- Why does Mrs Bennet want Mr Bingley to meet her daughters?
a.- Because he's very handsome; b.- Because one of her daughters is in love with him; c.- Because she hopes he may fall in love with one of her daughters
7.- Which of his daughters does Mr Bennet prefer?
a.- Jane; b; Lizzy; c.- Lydia
8.- Why?
a.- Because she's more handsome than her sisters; b.- Because she's wittier than her sisters; c.- Because she's the eldest
9.- What was Mrs Bennet's opinion about Lydia?
a.- That she was very pretty; b.- That she was rather good-humoured; c.- That she was very hard-working
10.- How do you think Mrs Bennet took her husband's commentary that Mr Bingley might like her better than her daughters?
a.- She thought that her husband was being jealous; b.- She was angry because she suspected her husband was pulling her leg; c.- She was pleased because she took her husband's commentary as a compliment
11.- What do you think was Mrs Bennet's main goal in life?
a.- That her children would go to university; b.- To rub shoulders with the nobility; c.- To get all her daughters suitably married.
12.- Do you think Mr Bennet did not really intend to visit Mr Bingley?
a.- No, he was only teasing his wife; b.-Yes, he never visited anybody. c.- Yes, he'd rather wait till other young men came into the neighbourhood to visit them all. 

CLAVE
1.- c; 2.- a; 3.- a; 4.- c; 5.- b; 6.- c; 7.- b; 8.- b; 9.- b; 10.- c; 11.- c; 12.- a.

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Páginas brillantes de la literatura inglesa -1

Mis queridos seguidores y amigos: Es Navidad, y no es cosa de ponerse a estudiar gramática o fonética. La Navidad es tiempo de reunirse y comer con familiares y amigos, de ir de tiendas para comprar regalos, etc. Pero la Navidad es también para mí tiempo de recuerdos y, entre esos recuerdos están los libros que leí en mi juventud y que tanto me hicieron disfrutar. Es por esta razón por la que, durante las vacaciones navideñas, es mi propósito subir a mi blog algunas páginas brillantes de la literatura inglesa para que disfrutéis leyéndolas, si os queda algún hueco entre las actividades típicas de estas fechas.
Pero como dicen los ingleses "once a teacher, always a teacher", que podríamos traducir como 'un profesor no deja nunca de ser profesor' (puede aplicarse también a otras profesiones, vocacionales principalmente como, por ejemplo, la de cura: 'once a priest, always a priest), y a mí, como profesor que fui y que quiero de algún modo seguir siendo, se me ocurre que estas lecturas, a la vez que placenteras, podrían servir también de reading comprehension, por si a alguno de vosotros le apetece practicar un poco la comprensión lectora, e incorporo, por tanto, algunas comprehension questions.
Empezaré con el arranque del capítulo 1 de Travels With My Aunt, de Graham Greene, que me parece un ejemplo de fino humor inglés y que espero os guste tanto como me gustó a mí la primera vez que lo leí, en mis años jóvenes. Graham Greene es uno de mis autores ingleses favoritos y he leído la mayoría de sus libros. Conozco algo de su vida (escribió varias autobiografías, la primera A Sort of Life, en 1971, la segunda, Ways of Escape, en 1980  y, la tercera, A World of My Own, en forma de diario, publicada póstumamente en 1992, un año después de su muerte). Además, en más de una ocasión, he tenido, gracias a mis queridos monjes cistercienses, el privilegio de dormir en una habitación del Monasterio de Oseira, en Orense, donde el gran escritor durmió cuando fue a Galicia, para supervisar el rodaje de un film televisivo, basado en su novela Monsignor Quixote, con Alec Guinness como actor principal:

I met my Aunt Augusta for the first time in more than half a century at my mother's funeral. My mother was approaching eighty-six when she died, and my aunt was some eleven or twelve years younger. I had retired from the bank two years before with an adequate pension and a silver handshake. There had been a takeover by the Westminster and my branch was considered redundant. Everyone thought me lucky, but I found it difficult to occupy my time. I have never married, I have always lived quietly, and, apart from my interest in dahlias, I have no hobby. For those reasons I found myself agreeably excited by my mother's funeral.
My father had been dead for more than forty years. He was a building contractor of a lethargic disposition who used to take afternoon naps in all sorts of curious places. This irritated my mother, who was an energetic woman, and she used to seek him out to disturb him. As a child I remember going to the bathroom - we lived in Highgate then - and finding my father asleep in the bath in his clothes. I am rather short-sighted and I thought that my mother had been cleaning an overcoat, until I heard my father whisper, 'Bolt the door on the inside when you go out.' He was too lazy to get out of the bath and too sleepy, I suppose, to realize that his order was quite impossible to carry out. At another time, when he was responsible for a new block of flats in Lewisham, he would take his catnap in the cabin of the giant crane, and construction would be halted until he woke. My mother, who had a good head for heights, would climb ladders to the highest scaffolding in the hope of discovering him, when as like as not he would have found a corner in what was to be the underground garage. I had always thought of them as reasonably happy together: their twin roles of the hunter and the hunted probably suited them, for my mother by the time I first remembered her had developed an alert poise of the head and a wary trotting pace which reminded me of a gun-dog. I must be forgiven these memories of the past: at a funeral they are apt to come unbidden, there is so much waiting about.
Not many people attended the service, which took place at a famous crematorium, but there was that slight stirring of excited expectation which is never experienced at a graveside. Will the oven doors open? Will the coffin stick on the way to the flames? I heard a voice behind me saying in very clear old accents, 'I was present once at a premature cremation.'
It was, as I recognized with some difficulty from a photograph in the family album, my Aunt Augusta, who had arrived late, dressed rather as the late Queen Mary of beloved memory might have dressed if she had still been with us and had adapted herself a little towards the present mode. I was surprised by her brilliant red hair, monumentally piled, and her two big front teeth which gave her a vital Neanderthal air. Somebody said, 'Hush', and a clergyman began a prayer which I believe he must have composed himself. I had never heard it at any other funeral service, and I have attended a great number in my time. A bank manager is expected to pay his last respects to every old client who is not as we say 'in the red', and in any case I have a weakness for funerals. People are generally seen at their best on these occasions, serious and sober, and optimistic on the subject of personal immortality.
The funeral of my mother went without a hitch. The flowers were removed economically from the coffin, which at the touch of a bottom slid away from us out of sight. Afterwards in the troubled sunlight I shook hands with a number of nephews and nieces whom I hadn't seen for years and could not identify. It was understood that I had to wait for the ashes and wait I did, while the chimney of the crematorium gently smoked overhead.
'You must be Henry,' Aunt Augusta said, gazing reflectively at me with her sea-deep blue eyes.
'Yes,' I said, 'and you must be Aunt Augusta.'

Comprehension questions

1.- How long was it since Henry hadn't seen Aunt Augusta?
2.- How old was Henry's mother when she died?
3.- What was Henry's profession before he retired?
4.-Why did he retire?
5.- What do we understand by 'a silver handshake'?
6.- What was Henry's hobby?
7.- Was Henry married or single?
8.- Where did Henry's father use to take his catnaps?
9.- What is Aunt Augusta like?
10.- What did Henry wait for after the funeral?

Suggested answers

1.- Over 50 years.
2.- Eighty-six.
3.- He was a bank manager.
4.- Because there had been a takeover by the Westminster and his branch had been made redundant.
5.- A silver handshake is a sum of money, more modest than a golden handshake, which is given to someone who is made redundant or retires early.
6.- He didn't have a hobby, apart from his interest in dahlias.
7.- He was single.
8.- In all sort of curious places, for instance in the cabin of the giant crane of a block of flats that was being built and which he was responsible for as building contractor.
9.- She had brilliant red hair which she wore monumentally piled, and two big front teeth which gave her a vital Neanderthal air.
10.- His mother's ashes.







  

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