Basic Teacher, Step 28

The Basic Teacher

STEP 28

	VOCABULARY
Nouns	Nouns	Adjectives
brush	monkey	delicate
camera	mountain	fat
chest	muscle	fixed
chin	powder	kind -- cruel
comb	process	serious
feather	quality
fold	range
form	rice
group	skin
lip	smile

GETTING ONE'S PICTURE TAKEN

The young woman in the waiting-room had come to get her picture taken for her young man, who was going away. She had got dressed with special care that morning because one doesn't have one's picture taken every day. She had a flower fixed to the neck of her black dress with a gold ornament, and her black hat had a white feather in it. There was a beautiful wave in her dark hair and her lips were as red as lipstick had been able to make them. She had taken almost an hour to do her hair, and even then she had put a comb in her bag, fearing that it might be needing attention again before she went in front of the camera. When she saw herself in the looking-glass before she came out she was quite pleased with the effect, but now she was getting tired of being dressed up. Her new shoes were tight, her dress seemed very warm on this summer day, and her hat came so low over one eye that it was hard for her to see. She had a great desire to give her noise a blow but didn't do so because it might have made it red.
While she was waiting she had a look at the pictures on the walls. They were all examples of the camera-man's work. The camera had been kind to some and cruel to others. There was a picture of a laughing girl with bright eyes and a clear skin which she kept looking at again and again. Was the girl naturally as beautiful as that or had the camera made her seem better-looking than she was ? How pleased Jim would be if she gave him a picture like that. Another picture was of a sailor. He was a young man with a strong chin, very white teeth, and eyes which gave the suggestion of a sense of humour. "That's a face one would be pleased to have opposite one at meals," she said to herself. Then, feeling that this thought would not quite have Jim's approval, she quickly gave her attention to a family group. The mother and father were seated side by side. The mother had a baby in her arms and a little girl was resting her hand on her father's knee. At the back of the group was a curtain on which a range of mountains had been painted. Another picture was of a man and woman on the steps of a church, looking as if their one desire was to get away from the camera. There was rice on the steps and the woman had some flowers. Clearly they were newly married. On the opposite wall was a picture of a fat man, resting on the sand after having been in the sea. Though he hadn't much hair on his head, his chest and arms were covered with it. It was hard not to make a comparison between him and the monkey whose picture was hanging on the same wall. In fact, the young woman came to the decision that the monkey was better-looking than the man.
After some time the camera-man came in and said he was ready. First, however, she was taken to a small room where there was a dressing-table with a looking-glass. The table had a brush and comb on it, but they did not seem very clean, so she took the comb out of her bag and made use of that. When she had given her hair a comb, she put on a little more powder and lipstick and then went into the room where the camera-man was waiting for her. This was a long bright room which had windows in the roof. There were great electric lights with bulbs of a special sort but these were not on. The man said that they were used only on dark days, because electric light had not the same qualities as daylight and was not as good for camera work.
The young woman was interested in the camera and went near to have a look at it. The man wouldn't let it be touched because, he said, it was a new camera with very delicate apparatus which would readily be broken. After answering some questions about the process of taking pictures, he said, "Aren't you going to take that hat off and let your beautiful hair be seen ?" She took it off, feeling a little angry because she had got the hat specially to have her picture taken and had given a high price for it.
When she had done her hair again he made her take a seat at a table, with her chin resting on her hand. "No, no," he said, 'that's not right." and put her in another position which was no better. He put a flower in her hand. Then he took it away and gave her a book. He kept moving her about and changing the position of the table. Then he gave her dress a touch here and a touch there to get the folds right, till at last he got every detail right. He put his head under a black cove and took a look through the camera. "Now let me see a smile," he said. Your face is so serious. And be a little more natural. That's better. keep that position for a minute, without moving a muscle." The young woman went on smiling till the smile on her face seemed to have become fixed. Was he never gong to take the picture ? The longer the time he kept her waiting the more unnatural the smile became. At last there was a little noise like the sound of a key being turned in a lock and the picture was taken.
The camera-man said that she might have a short rest and he would take another picture. After all this, the young woman was tired of being in front of the camera and she made a protest. Wasn't one picture enough ? But the man said it was his rule to take at least two pictures, and he cruelly made her go through the complete process again in a different position. At the end of it she had the feeling that she had done a hard day's work. "After this experience," she said laughingly, "I've no desire to be a Marlene Dietrich or a Betty Grable."
Before the young woman went away she had a look at some picture-frames. There wad a wide range of different forms and sizes. The one which she took for her young man was like a heart in form. She had never seen one like it before and she was very pleased with it. The man made a parcel of it for her and she gave him the money.
On her way out she put a question about when the pictures would be ready. The man said he would send them to her in less than a week and that if they weren't good he would take her picture again with pleasure. "That is very kind of you," said the young woman, though her private thought was that if the picture wasn't good after she had taken so much trouble, Jim would have to do without one.

NOTES

getting ones' picture taken : To take a picture of something is to 'photograph' it. Note that, though the possessive adjective normally expresses ownership, we may use it with picture instead of the of construction to indict the person who is depicted, but only in cases where there is no ambiguity.
have one's picture taken == undergo the experience of being photographed. Note that in this construction, have may mean either 'undergo the experience' or 'cause to be', as noted in Step 26.
waiting room == a room for waiting in.
her young man : That is, her 'sweetheart'.
was going away == was going to go away. The -ing form of an operator is frequently used in the same sense as the idiom, going to . . . : They are coming to see him tomorrow (== are going to come to see).
fixed to the neck : Note that things are fixed to ( or more specifically, on, over, etc.) other things, or in any position. -- The neck of a dress, etc., is the part nearest the wearer's neck, the top opening.
a beautiful wave : Though a wave in the hair is not a movement, its resemblance in form to a moving wave is clear.
lipstick == (stick of red) colouring substance used on the lips.
do her hair == arrange her hair. Compare with do the shoes, etc.
even then == even after all this.
needing attention == needing something doing to it. Giving attention to a physical object frequently leads a person to discover that something needs to be done and to do whatever is required. Thus, attention is also used for this whole process.
looking-glass == mirror, glass for looking at oneself in.
dressed up == dressed in one's best clothes, dressed smartly. We shall come across a number of other examples of this use of up to indicate a heightening of effect or a complete achievement of a result.
gave her nose a blow == blow her nose. By expansion, a blow may be a gust of wind or air, especially one sent through the nose or mouth.
camera-man == photographer
again and again : Note this phrase having the sense of 'repeatedly'.
better-looking : From the compound good-looking, it is possible to form better-looking.
sailor : A few words take the ending -or instead of -er (separator has already been noted). Sailing, starting as the progress or navigation of, or transport in boats with sails, has come to be applied in the case of ships generally, and a sailor is a seaman.
a sense of humour : In its root sense, humour == 'mood', but it is also used for the quality of being funny. A sense of humour is the quality of being able to see humour in things.
side by side : Note this phrase, which is a short way of saying 'one by the side of the other'.
resting her hand on her father's knee : Resting one thing on another is placing it on that thing as a support. Similarly, one thing is resting on or against another when it is supported by it (e.g. with her chin resting on her hand).
as if : As is used as a conjunction, joining statements only, with the sense 'in the way or condition in which'. Thus, we say : I will do as you do (== act in the way in which you act). He was foolish, as (== in the way in which) boys frequently are. As if is a telescoped form : Looking as if their one desire was to . . . == looking as they would do if their one desire was to . . .
newly == recently. It is used only before adjectives
came to a decision : We came to things which represent the end-point of a process -- such as a decision, or an agreement, or the end of our work -- as if these were points reached after a journey.
however : However, in addition to the use previously noted, is used also with a sense similar to that of but. But it differs from but in two ways : 1 . It is not used as a link between two parts of the same statement, but as a way of referring back from a new statement to a statement or statements immediately preceding it. 2 . It does not, like but, always have to come at the beginning of the statement ; it may come there, or at the end, or, as here, after an introductory adverb -- in fact, practically anywhere where the sense permits of a pause into which it can be inserted.
dressing-table : A table at which one makes one's toilet when dressing.
made use of : Note the important idiom make use of == use.
given ... a comb : The words comb and brush are used for the acts of combing and brushing as well as for the objects with which these acts are performed.
bulbs : An electric lamp, with its bulb-shape glass container, is called a bulb.
specially : The sense here is for the special purpose.
in another position : A position may be either 'where a thing is placed' or, as here, a 'posture'.
no better == not any better. Note this use of no corresponding to the use of any before comparatives.
moving her about : That is, 'moving her this way and that, in different directions'. The sense of about is rather stronger here than in the phrase go about, which was noted earlier.
took a look : As was noted in Step 14, take as well as have may be used with look.
fixed : The sense here is 'immovable, permanent'.
at least : An idiomatic phrase which means 'not less than'. Similarly, at most == 'not more than'.
laughingly == with a laugh. Note that -ly may be added to a number of adjectives formed by the addition of -ing to nouns.
a wide range : A range of goods, etc., is a variety of them, thought of as a row of different sorts lined up for our inspection. Wide and narrow are used more commonly than great and small in connection with words that suggest scope, expense, comprehensiveness.
like a heart in form == like a heart in respect of its form. In may be used before a number of words with this sense of 'in respect of, with regard to' (for example, equal in value, wrong in details, important in its effects). Compare with the phrase have an interest in.'
after she had taken so much trouble : The exertion of doing something with great care or attention is frequently a cause of worry, annoyance, or trouble has come to be used in the sense of 'exertion, pains'. To take trouble is to 'exert oneself', to 'take pains'.

picture-frame

EXERCISES

1. Fill in the blanks in these sentences about the pictures with a new word or compound :
(A)

(B)

2 . Make statements in Basic about these, using an adjective which means one of their qualities.

3 . Define the following words in Basic :

4. Use each of the following words in two different senses :

(a) position	(e) humor
(b) blow	(f) brush
(c) wave	(g) range
(d) however	(h) bulb

5. Re-write the parts of these sentences which are in black print without changing the sense, using some new word or expression you have learned in this Step :

using

in his best things

not any

seamen

make

6 . Point to and name as many parts as you can in the above picture.

7 . Translate into Basic : Teacher Link

8 . Answer in Basic :

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