4000 Essential English Words 5 » Unit 11: Beethoven’s Gift

Word List
  • acute [əˈkjuːt] adj.
    When a bad thing is acute, it is very severe and intense.
    When she fell out of the tree, the girl felt an acute pain in her arm.
  • aggression [əˈgreʃən] n.
    Aggression is behavior that is mean or violent to others.
    The problem was only made worse by Mark’s aggression.
  • banquet [ˈbæŋkwit] n.
    A banquet is a grand formal dinner.
    Both families brought a lot of food for the wedding banquet.
  • biography [baiˈɒgrəfi] n.
    A biography is an account of someone’s life that is written by someone else.
    We read a biography about Charles Darwin in science class.
  • boost [buːst] v.
    To boost something means to increase or improve it.
    Lowering prices boosts customers’ interest in shopping.
  • clap [klæp] v.
    To clap means to hit one’s hands together to express pleasure or get attention.
    After the speech, everyone in the crowd clapped their hands for the speaker.
  • compel [kəmˈpel] v.
    To compel someone to do something means to force them to do it.
    Traffic signs compel drivers to drive safely.
  • dominance [ˈdɒmənəns] n.
    The dominance of a person is their state of being more powerful than others.
    Large gorillas hit their chests to express their dominance over others.
  • gorgeous [ˈgɔːrdʒəs] adj.
    When something is gorgeous, it is very pleasing and attractive.
    The girl picked out a gorgeous dress to wear to the dance.
  • inevitable [inˈevitəbəl] adj.
    When something is inevitable, it is certain to happen or cannot be avoided.
    It is inevitable that the days will get longer in the summer.
  • legacy [ˈleɡəsi] n.
    A legacy is an effect that exists because of a person or thing in the past.
    The legacy of the ancient Egyptians can be seen in their monuments.
  • masterpiece [ˈmæstərpiːs] n.
    A masterpiece is a very good painting, novel, movie, or other work of art.
    The Arc de Triomphe is considered a masterpiece in the world of architecture.
  • multiple [ˈmʌltəpəl] adj.
    If there are multiple things, there are many of them.
    When the stunt went wrong, the man suffered multiple injuries.
  • narrate [næˈreit] v.
    To narrate a story means to write about it or read it aloud.
    This story was written by John, but Aaron is narrating it to the crowd.
  • notorious [nouˈtɔːriəs] adj.
    When something is notorious, it is well-known because of something bad.
    This area of town is notorious for gang activity.
  • outdated [ˈautˈdeitid] adj.
    When something is outdated, it is old and no longer useful in modern time.
    Tape players are becoming outdated because of digital music.
  • overall [ˈouvərɔːl] adv.
    When a thing is talked about overall, the whole thing is considered.
    Overall, the party was a huge success.
  • partiality [ˌpɑːrʃiˈæləti] n.
    A partiality is a tendency to prefer one thing to another.
    She has a partiality for walking to school instead of driving.
  • spontaneous [spɒnˈteiniəs] adj.
    When an act is spontaneous, it is not planned. It happens suddenly.
    My wife made a spontaneous decision to buy a new sofa while I was at work.
  • virtue [ˈvəːrtʃuː] n.
    A virtue is a good quality or way of behaving.
    My best virtue is forgiveness.
Exercise 1

Choose the one that is opposite in meaning to the given word.

  1. gorgeous
    • a. stiff
    • b. unpleasant
    • c. colorful
    • d. cold
  2. boost
    • a. to lower
    • b. to feel
    • c. to increase
    • d. to sleep
  3. spontaneous
    • a. short
    • b. crowded
    • c. planned
    • d. faked
  4. multiple
    • a. one
    • b. lousy
    • c. grand
    • d. free
  5. inevitable
    • a. heavy
    • b. pretty
    • c. silly
    • d. avoidable
Exercise 2

Write a word that is similar in meaning to the underlined part.

  1. I would like to write a story about his life for my father someday.
    ____________
  2. My little brother has an awful, intense case of chicken pox.
    ____________
  3. The entire family decided to talk to Father about his constant violent behavior.
    ____________
  4. The preacher strongly believed that kindness was the most important good quality.
    ____________
  5. The action in the play was read aloud by the teacher. The students read the rest.
    ____________
  6. The girl had a strong preference over another flavor for chocolate ice cream.
    ____________
  7. Black and white TVs are no longer used in modern time because people prefer color TVs.
    ____________
  8. The great actor left behind a great result of his actions that continues to exist.
    ____________
  9. She is known for bad things because she likes to hang around the wrong people.
    ____________
  10. I have no idea what would force Dan to act in such a mean way.
    ____________
Exercise 3

Write C if the italicized word is used correctly. Write I if the word is used incorrectly.

  1. ______ The good father was notorious for doing nice things for his family.
  2. ______ We discussed the overall details of the plan.
  3. ______ We planned our spontaneous vacation for weeks before we left for the trip.
  4. ______ At the mayor’s banquet, guests ate steak and lobster.
  5. ______ It is polite to wait until the end of a play to clap for the performers.
  6. ______ The outdated computer came with all the newest software.
  7. ______ This novel is a masterpiece by the best writer of the 20th century.
  8. ______ When the child got scared, he hid in the closet to show his dominance.
  9. ______ A funny movie always boosts my mood when I am feeling sad.
  10. ______ The sunset was so gorgeous that everyone turned away in disgust.
  11. ______ The acute puppy rolled around on the floor.
  12. ______ I moved to a different climate because of my partiality for warmer weather.
  13. ______ I will write my own biography when I turn 50 years old.
  14. ______ My need to pay rent compelled me to get a job and make enough money.
  15. ______ Screaming loudly in the library is a virtue.
  16. ______ One coat of paint was not enough, so I put on multiple coats.
  17. ______ The author of this book narrates some famous battles.
  18. ______ My legacy will be tested in the coming week.
  19. ______ We knew a win was inevitable when our team was ahead by 100 points.
  20. ______ I can be really mean. I wish I were better at controlling my aggression.
Answer Key
Exercise 1
  1. b
  2. a
  3. c
  4. a
  5. d
Exercise 2
  1. biography
  2. acute
  3. aggression
  4. virtue
  5. narrated
  6. partiality
  7. outdated
  8. legacy
  9. notorious
  10. compel
Exercise 3
  1. I
  2. C
  3. I
  4. C
  5. C
  6. I
  7. C
  8. I
  9. C
  10. I
  11. I
  12. C
  13. I
  14. C
  15. I
  16. C
  17. C
  18. I
  19. C
  20. C
Answer Key
Beethoven’s Gift

Beethoven was a great composer of classical music in the 1800s. Many biographies have been written that narrate his dominance in the music world. But do you know what really makes him special? Even though millions of people got to hear his multiple masterpieces, he never did. Beethoven wrote his best pieces after he went completely deaf!

His partiality toward classical music developed when he was very young. He wasn’t interested in anything else as a child. When he was five, he learned how to play the piano. From then, nothing could stop his passion for writing and playing music.

When Beethoven was twenty, he began to lose his hearing. He got acute, spontaneous pains in his ears. His hearing kept getting worse over time. It was inevitable that he would eventually lose it altogether. It was very hard for him to keep writing music. He lost the virtue of patience, and he became notorious for his aggression. Still, he never stopped trying. His passion for music compelled him to keep performing even after he went deaf. He couldn’t hear himself play, but he knew that his creations sounded gorgeous.

His final concert was held at a huge banquet. He gave the musicians a cue, and they began to play. He directed the concert with all his heart. He couldn’t hear the music, but he said that he could feel it. Overall, performance was one of the finest in history. When it was over, he turned to the crowd. They clapped and cheered wildly. In that beautiful moment, the applause boosted his emotions, and he began to cry.

In 1827, he suffered from lead poisoning. He didn’t survive the sickness, but his music did because great music never becomes outdated. Even though Beethoven is gone, his legacy will live on forever.

Reading Comprehension

Part A: Mark each statement T for true or F for false. Rewrite the false statements to make them true.

  1. _____ People have narrated biographies about Beethoven’s dominance.
    • _____________________________________________________
  2. _____ Beethoven created multiple masterpieces that sounded gorgeous.
    • _____________________________________________________
  3. _____ It was inevitable that Beethoven would lose his virtue altogether.
    • _____________________________________________________
  4. _____ Beethoven became notorious for his aggression.
    • _____________________________________________________
  5. _____ Beethoven’s legacy lives on because great music is outdated.
    • _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. What did the young Beethoven develop a partiality for?
    _____________
  2. How old was Beethoven when he first learned to play the piano?
    _____________
  3. What did Beethoven do when he saw the crowd clap and cheer at the banquet?
    _____________
  4. What compelled him to keep performing after his acute, spontaneous hearing loss?
    _____________
  5. What was special about Beethoven’s last performance?
    _____________
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
Part A
  1. T
  2. T
  3. F / It was inevitable that Beethoven would lose his hearing altogether.
  4. T
  5. F / Beethoven’s legacy lives on because great music never becomes outdated.
Part B
  1. The young Beethoven developed a partiality for classical music.
  2. He first learned to play the piano when he was five.
  3. He began to cry.
  4. His passion for music compelled him to keep performing.
  5. It was one of the finest in history.
Favorite Books

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 1: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

Read more

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 2: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

Read more

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 3: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

Read more

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 4: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

Read more

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 6: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

Read more