all fingers and thumbs, pain in the neck, tongue in cheek, bat an eyelid, see eye to eye, wet behind the ears 

1. Bill doesn’t like his new boss. They never …………………

2. My Chemistry practical exam was a disaster! I was ………………… and spilled the liquid all over the floor!

3. Nick’s little brother is a real ………………… He wouldn’t let us listen to music, and kept interrupting us all the time!

4. I think the teacher’s remark about punishing the whole class was …………………! She didn’t mean it, did she?

5. When I told William I was going to marry his sister, he didn’t …………………

6. James will make a great businessman one day but at the moment he’s completely …………………

      Why is it that parents are so often egocentric when it comes to matters concerning their children? Although their ______(1) are undoubtedly altruistic, they assume that the choices they make for their offspring are the right ones. Take the _______(2) of colour, for example. Who decides what colour trousers to buy for young Jimmy? Who chooses the colours for his bedroom or bedclothes? _________(3), parents condition their child's _________(4) of colour from a very early age. Choosing a pair of pink trousers for their six-year-old son ________(5) counter to most parents' idea of how to dress a boy, and they would be loath to decorate their daughter's bedroom in brown. In a similar way, a small child seen drawing a red tree may be quietly told that trees should be green. Yet the underlying criticism ___________(6) in that can be detrimental to the child's ___________(7) of the world around them.

      Psychologists believe that allowing children to choose their own colours increases their self-confidence and their ability to express themselves. They use colour as a _________(8) of helping children to identify their feelings and discuss them. For instance, _____________(9) have shown that after listening to a sad story, children tend to draw in dark brown, black or grey, whereas one with a happy ending will evoke a response in yellow or orange. So, a mother should be delighted to see her four-year-old drawing an orange tree or a yellow house, and perhaps be concerned if the child only uses grey.   _________(10) children free rein to choose colours for themselves may help parents to understand them better.

Exercise 3. Complete the sentences with the comparative and superlative of the adjectives in brackets

1.      My brother has a (tidy)  _______________room than me.

2.      Australia is (big)  _______________than England.

3.      I'm (good)  _______________ now than yesterday.

4.      She's got (little)  _______________ money than you, but she doesn't care.

5.      He thinks Chinese is (difficult)  _______________ language in the world

6.      Valencia played (bad)  _______________ than Real Madrid yesterday.

7.      Cats are not (intelligent)  _______________ as dogs.

8.      Show me (good)  _______________ restaurant downtown.

9.      (hot)  _______________ desert of all is the Sahara and it's in Africa.

10.      Who is (talkative) _______________ person in your family?

Exercise 2. Are the following sentences right (V) or wrong (x)? Mark them with (V ) or (x) and correct the mistakes.

1. Syrups are gooder than pills in treating a sore throat.___________________

2. Ointments are the most effective medicines for bruises. __________________

3. Inhalers are best for breathing problems. __________________

4. My Latin class is more boring than my English class.______ _______________

5. In the UK, the streets are generally more narrow than in the USA._________________

6. London is more busier than Glasgow . ___________________

7. My garden is a lot colourful than this park. __________________

8. Yesterday the weather was much more nicer than it is today. ___________________

9. Amanda is the most ambitious than her classmates. ____________________

10. This is the most interesting type of recreation. __________________________

Exercise 1. Complete the sentences with the comparative and superlative of the adjectives in brackets.

1. A cut is _________________________ (painful) than an insect bite.

2. The weather this summer is even (bad) __________________________ than last summer.

3. Apartments are usually _________________________ (cheap) than separate houses.

4. A tumour is _________________________ (bad) of all diseases.

5. He was the (clever) _____________________ thief of all.

6. A man is normally___________________________ (strong) than a woman.

7. This flower is (beautiful) _____________________ than that one.

8. This is the (interesting) _______________________ book I have ever read.

9. Fruit and vegetables are ____________________________ (healthy) than fast food.

10. Fish is one of ___________________________ (nutritious) food possible.

11. Non-smokers usually live (long) _____________________ than smokers.

12. Which is the (dangerous) ___________________ animal in the world

Exercise 2. Give the correct form of the given words to complete the following sentences:

1. Susan believes in ghosts and the world for the dead. She is so ___________. (SUPERSTITION)

2. Their ________ of the plan caused the experiment to be abandoned. (APPROVE)

3. He is so ___________ that he had an accident. (CARE)

4. Many women nowadays often seek financial _____________by going out to work. (DEPEND)

5. All the guests got dressed in ___________ costume. (NATION)

6. Boys and girls may behave ___________ in this situation. (DIFFERENCE)

7. The 23^rd mascot eagle is the ___________ of elegance, strength and pride. (SYMBOLIZE)

8. Claulfied claimed they had _________ against him because of his nationality. (DISCRIMINATION)

9. There is no evidence of his direct __________ in the bombing. (INVOLVE)

10. The exact origin of the universe remains a ____________. (MYSTERIOUS)