You name it
'Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes'Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) - Irish playwright
Name nouns
A name is the word by which a person, thing or place is known. But what is ..?
1 a big name
a. a person who is overweight
b. a famous or important person
2 a pen name
a. a name that a writer uses instead of their real name
b. a type of writing implement from centuries ago
3 a pet name
a. a name you would only give to a dog
b. an affectionate name given to you by someone close
4 a brand name
a. the name of a type of music
b. the name given to a product by the company that makes it
5 a stage name
a. the chosen name by which an actor is known by the public
b. the name of the person who writes a play to be performed in a theatre
Which name?
Which noun do you need to complete each of these sentences?
1 Is J.K. Rowling her real name, or is it a (brand name/pen name)?
2 Is 'Hoover' a (big name/brand name) or just an ordinary noun?
3 Adele is a (big name/pet name) in Western pop music at the moment.
4 My dad's (pen name/pet name) for me is 'Cuddles'.
5 I know 'Emma Watson' is her real name, not a (stage name/big name).
Name verbs
What do these useful phrasal verbs mean?
1 to name call
a. to phone someone late at night
b. to upset someone by calling them unpleasant names
2 to name drop
a. to mention anyone famous or important you know so that you yourself sound important
b. to give someone a nick-name
3 to name the day
a. to announce when you plan to do something important, especially get married
b. to forget a good friend's birthday
4 to be on first name terms
a. to know someone very well
b. to have a big argument with someone
5 to know someone by name
a. put someone in your contacts list
b. to recognise someone's name, but not really know them
Which verb?
Complete the dialogue
1 I wish you would stop ...
a. calling me names.
b. knowing someone by name.
2 When are you two going to ..?
a. know each other by name
b. name the day
3 I am really fed up with your ...!
a. name dropping.
b. being on first name terms.
4 I don't like .................... with my boss.
a. name dropping
b. being on first-name terms
Name phrases
What are you telling someone when you say ...
1 Your name is mud!
a. people are angry with you because of what you said or did
b. everyone is very happy because of what you did
2 Give a dog a bad name!
a. we can expect him to behave badly now because he has done so in the past
b. it is always best to forget the bad things people have done
3 That's the name of the game!
a. That's the amount of money I have earned
b. Yes, that's the most important part of the activity
4 I will name and shame him.
a. I'm going to make sure everyone knows his name and the bad thing he's done
b. I'm going to persuade people to forgive his mistakes
Answers:
Name nouns: 1. b, 2. a, 3. b, 4. b, 5. a
Which name: 1. pen name, 2. brand name, 3. big name, 4. pet name, 5. stage name
Name verbs: 1. b, 2. a, 3. a, 4. a, 5. b
Which verb: 1. a, 2. b, 3. a, 4. b
Name phrases: 1. a, 2. a, 3. b, 4. a