SUBJECTS

I’m not very fond of school. The only subject I really enjoy is P.E. I don’t mind Art or Music, either and I al­ways have good marks in them. Unfor­tu­na­te­ly, I ha­te sub­jects which are said to be the most important: Maths, Polish, History and Biology. I’m not the worst student in my class but I ra­re­ly get anything better than a sa­tis­fac­to­ry mark.

SUBJECTS – PRZEDMIOTY NA­UCZA­NIA

  • Art – plastyka
  • Biology – biologia
  • Chemistry – chemia
  • English – język angielski
  • Polish – język polski
  • French – język francuski
  • German – język niemiecki
  • Spanish – język hiszpañski
  • Russian – język rosyjski
  • Italian – język włoski
  • Latin – łacina
  • Nature – nauka o środowisku
  • Ethics – etyka
  • Geography – geografia
  • History – historia
  • Information Technology (IT) – in­for­ma­ty­ka
  • Maths – matematyka
  • Music – muzyka
  • Philosophy – filozofia
  • Physical Education (P.E.) – wy­cho­wa­nie fizyczne
  • Physical Training (P.T.) – wy­cho­wa­nie fizyczne
  • Physics – fizyka
  • Religious Education (R.E.) – re­li­gia
  • Culture Studies – wiedza o kul­tu­rze
  • Social Studies – wiedza o spo­łe­czeństwie
  • Sciences – nauki ścisłe
  • Arts – nauki humanistyczne

MARKS

I used to be the best pupil when I was in primary scho­ol. I got only excellent and very good marks. I’m a student of a secondary school now. The teachers are more demanding and the material is more dif­fi­cult so my re­sults are rather poor. My parents are not very happy with the average marks I usually get. I know I should work harder because pass marks are not what I dream about. Moreover, if I want to study at uni­ver­si­ty, I’d bet­ter have really good marks.

MARKS – OCENY

  • mark (GB) – ocena
  • grade (US) – ocena
  • excellent: A – celująca
  • very good: B – bardzo dobra
  • good: C – dobra
  • satisfactory: D – dostateczna
  • unsatisfactory: E – niedostateczna
  • failing mark – niedostateczna
  • pass mark – ocena dopuszczająca
  • good/ bad marks – dobre/ złe oceny
  • average marks – przeciętne oceny
  • semester mark (US) – ocena se­me­stral­na
  • assessment – ocena (po­stę­pów)
  • to have poor results – mieć sła­be wyniki

TYPES OF SCHOOL

I wish I had brothers and sisters. I’m an only child so I’m always the centre of attention for my family. They are trying to plan my future without asking my opinion. My Dad wants me to go to a technical college al­tho­ugh he knows I hate Physics, Chemistry and Maths. Mum would like me to attend a good grammar school. My grandparents oppose to co-edu­ca­tio­nal schools so they’d rather send me to a private girls’ scho­ol. And I dream about going to a boarding school and staying far away from my family.

TYPES OF SCHOOL – RO­DZA­JE SZKÓŁ

  • nursery school/ kindergarten – przed­szko­le
  • infant school (GB) – szkoła dla dzie­ci w wieku 5 – 7
  • primary school – szkoła pod­sta­wo­wa
  • middle school – gimnazjum
  • secondary school – szkoła średnia
  • grammar (GB) – liceum
  • high school (US) – liceum
  • comprehensive school (GB) – państwo­wa szkoła śred­nia
  • sixth form college – szkoła średnia dla licealistów, któ­rzy zostają w szko­le po 16. roku życia i chcą zdawać maturę
  • vocational school – szkoła ­zawodowa
  • technical college – technikum
  • state school (GB) – szkoła państwo­wa
  • public school (GB) – szkoła pry­wat­na (średnia)
  • public school (US) – szkoła państwo­wa
  • private school – szkoła pry­wat­na
  • fee-paying school – płatna szko­ła
  • preparatory school (GB) – pry­wat­na szkoła pod­sta­wo­wa
  • preparatory school (US) – pry­wat­na szkoła średnia przy­go­to­wu­ją­ca do studiów wyższych
  • college of further education
  • – szko­ła policealna, ko­le­gium
  • co-educational/ mixed school
  • – szkoła koedukacyjna
  • single sex school – szkoła nie­ko­edu­ka­cyj­na
  • girls/ boys school – szkoła żeńska/ męska
  • boarding school – szkoła z in­ter­na­tem
  • a boarder – mieszkaniec in­ter­na­tu

SCHOOL SYSTEM

My best friend is going to be expelled from school. He’s an extremely lazy person. He didn’t write even one com­po­si­tion during the last term and he hardly ever did his homework. I offered to revise with him be­fo­re tests but he never had time. He has already repeated a year so now according to the school regulations he has to chan­ge school. I had no problems with pro­mo­tion to the third grade of secondary school. My certificate is almost per­fect so I got a prize for one of the best re­sults at school.

SCHOOL SYSTEM – SYS­TEM SZKOLNY

  • compulsory schooling – obowiązek szkolny
  • to attend school – uczęszczać do szko­ły
  • curriculum – program nauczania
  • syllabus – program zajęć
  • certificate – świadectwo
  • school-leaving certificate – świa­dec­two ukończe­nia szko­ły

Examination/ exam

I took school leaving exams last year. First, I had oral exams which seemed very difficult to me. All members of the examination board looked so serious and unfrien­dly that I almost got frightened. Moreover, the set of qu­estions I drew was not the easiest one. I was not sur­pri­sed when it turned out that I failed the exam. I had to re-sit it after six mon­ths. Fortunately, I did well in a written exam. I had to wait long for the result but it proved to be very good.

  • school report – wyniki w na­uce za dany se­mestr
  • to repeat a year/ a class – po­wta­rzać klasę
  • test – klasówka
  • pop quiz/ short test – kart­ków­ka
  • composition/ essay – wy­pra­co­wa­nie
  • paper – referat
  • to hand in sth – wręczyć
  • homework – praca domowa
  • to revise – powtarzać ma­te­riał
  • promotion – promocja do na­stęp­nej klasy
  • prize – nagroda
  • to be promoted – dostać pro­mo­cję
  • expulsion from school – wy­da­le­nie ze szkoły
  • to be expelled from school – być wyrzuconym ze szkoły
  • examination/ exam – egzamin
  • written exam – pisemny eg­za­min
  • oral exam – ustny egzamin
  • mock exam – próbny eg­za­min
  • final exams – egzaminy koñcowe
  • school leaving exams – egzaminy koñcowe
  • entrance exam – wstęp­ny
  • examination board – ko­mi­sja eg­za­mi­na­cyj­na
  • to administer a test – prze­pro­wa­dzić, nad­zo­ro­wać test
  • examiner – egzaminator
  • examinee – zdający eg­za­min
  • a set of questions – ze­staw p­ytañ
  • result – wynik
  • performance – wyniki
  • assessment – ocena
  • score – liczba punktów
  • to take/ sit an exam – pod­cho­dzić do egzaminu
  • to pass an exam – zdać eg­za­min
  • do well in an exam – dobrze wy­paść na egzaminie
  • to pass with flying colours – zdać śpiewająco
  • to fail an exam – oblać egzamin
  • do badly in an exam – Ÿle wy­paść na egzaminie
  • to resit an exam – powtarzać eg­za­min
  • retake/ resit – poprawka
  • to bone up on sth – gruntownie prze­stu­dio­wać
  • to have a brainwave – doznać na­głe­go olśnienia
  • to scrape through – zaliczyć z tru­dem, ledwo przebrnąć

SCHOOL ORGANIZATION / SCHOOL LIFE

I’m a first grade student of a secondary school. I’m neither good nor bad, just average. I miss classes only when I’m ill but I’m often late because I commute to school by train. The school year started only two mon­ths ago and I feel it will be really hard. The ti­me­ta­ble for my grade is not very convenient as we begin les­sons at 8 a.m. o’clock twice a week and at 11 a.m. three times a we­ek.

I hate my school. It’s said to be very good but in my opinion they pay too much attention to discipline. The caretaker checks if we always wear uniforms and scho­ol badges. We have to be in front of the clas­sro­om two minutes before the bell rings. I played truant last week because I really didn’t feel like going to school. I knew I would be punished but I didn’t care. My form master informed my Mum about it during the parent-teacher meeting so I’m grounded till the end of the month.

Lesson
My favourite subject at school is Maths. I always listen carefully when my teacher explains the rules of ari­th­me­tic or geometry. He often makes students draw conclusions from what he says and I take active part in every di­scus­sion. I like solving complicated ma­the­ma­ti­cal tasks very much. First, I make a rough copy. Next, I check if I haven’t made a mistake. Fi­nal­ly, I make a final copy of it and show it to the teacher. I har­dly ever learn the rules by heart; I prefer to un­der­stand everything rather than to spend hours on cramming.

TEACHER

I like my Geography teacher very much. Although she has been te­aching for a year so she is not experienced yet, but she knows how to deal with students. She is ra­ther strict and she’s always able to maintain di­sci­pli­ne in the classroom. I respect her not only for her know­led­ge but also because she is patient, understanding and just. She knows how to motivate and encourage stu­dents to work hard. I believe she is a born teacher.
STUDENT
My sister is the best student in her class so no wonder she is a teacher’s pet. She is diligent and systematic but I doubt she is very intelligent. I’d rather say she is a swot and a toady. She always obtains excellent marks whe­re­as I usually have poor ones. I’m neither dull nor clever and my form teacher says I’m lazy, reckless and cheeky. I often di­sturb teachers during lessons because I easily get bored. However, I never che­at in the tests.

SCHOOL AREA

I go to a very modern school. The school building was built only two years ago so you can imagine that we have spacious classrooms, well-equipped laboratories and a well-stocked library with a nice reading room. On the ground floor there are the headmaster’s and the se­cre­ta­ry’s offices, a changing room with a number of lockers for stu­dents and a canteen. The gym is large eno­ugh to do all sorts of sport activities. Corridors mi­ght be a bit wider because they are sometimes too crowded during bre­aks. The teacher’s room and most of the clas­sro­oms are situated on the first floor. If the weather is fine, we can go to the school yard or do sports on the playing field.

SCHOOL EQUIPMENT

Although our classroom hasn’t been redecorated for a long time I think it’s comfortable and cosy. There are

SCHOOL ORGANIZATION – ORGANIZACJA SZKOŁY

  • registration/ enrolment – wpis do szkoły
  • school year – rok szkolny
  • lesson – lekcja
  • break – przerwa
  • lunch break – przerwa obiadowa
  • register – dziennik
  • classroom – klasa (sala lekcyjna)
  • grade (US) – klasa (grupa osób)
  • year (GB) – klasa (grupa osób)
  • semester/ term – semestr
  • schedule/ timetable – plan lekcji
  • school regulations – regulamin

SCHOOL LIFE – ŻYCIE SZKOŁY

  • absence – nieobecność
  • to miss classes – opuszczać za­ję­cia
  • uniform – mundurek szkolny
  • school badge – tarcza szkolna,
  • identyfikator
  • assembly – apel
  • to be late for school – spóźnić się
  • to play truant – chodzić na wagary
  • to miss classes – opuszczać lekcje
  • to be late – spóźnić się
  • discipline – dyscyplina
  • behaviour – zachowanie
  • caretaker – woźny
  • bell – dzwonek
  • parent-teacher meeting – wy­wia­dów­ka
  • parent-teacher association – ko­mi­tet rodzicielski
  • schoolmate/ classmate – szkolny kolega
  • punishment – kara
  • to punish – ukarać
  • detention – zatrzymanie po lek­cjach
  • reprimand – udzielać nagany
  • suspend – zawiesić
  • lesson – lekcja
  • topic of a lesson – temat lekcji
  • knowledge – wiedza
  • to pay attention to – uważać
  • to listen carefully to – słuchać ­uważnie
  • to explain – wyjaśnić
  • to dictate – dyktować
  • to draw out conclusions – wy­cią­gać wnioski
  • to write down – zanotować
  • to make a rough copy of sth – pi­sać na brudno
  • to make a final copy – przepisać na czysto
  • to underline – podkreślić
  • to summarise – streszczać
  • to describe – opisać
  • to practise – ćwiczyć
  • to take part in – brać udział
  • to make a mistake – zrobić błąd
  • to correct mistakes – poprawiać ­błędy
  • to learn by hart/ memorise – uczyć się na pamięć
  • to cram – wkuwać
  • to check – sprawdzić
  • to solve – rozwiązać

TEACHER – NAUCZYCIEL

  • headmaster – dyrektor
  • headmistress – dyrektorka
  • principal (US) – dyrektor
  • form teacher/ tutor – wychowawca
  • a special needs teacher – pedagog
  • librarian – bibliotekarz
  • demanding – wymagający
  • lenient – mało wymagający
  • experienced – do­świad­czo­ny

Three rows of green desks. The te­acher’s desk is si­tu­ated next to the blackboard. The walls are covered with dra­wings, posters and maps. We also have a lot of she­lves where we keep books, a globe, boxes of spare chalk and other useful and un­ne­ces­sa­ry things.

STUDENT’S EQUIPMENT

My schoolbag is always heavy. I try to take only ne­ces­sa­ry equipment to school but it doesn’t change anything as I need coursebooks and exer­ci­se books every day. Perhaps my pencil case is too packed but I like to have a lot of colourful felt-tip pens and pen­cils. I always remember to take an eraser, a pen­cil shar­pe­ner and at least two ballpoint pens. My Ma­ths teacher al­ways wants us to have a ruler and com­pas­ses.

  • in­e­xpe­rien­ced – nie­do­świad­czo­ny
  • strict – surowy
  • trustworthy – budzący za­ufa­nie
  • understanding – wyrozumiały
  • just – sprawiedliwy
  • unjust – niesprawiedliwy
  • patient – cierpliwy
  • impatient – niecierpliwy
  • malicious – złośliwy
  • to be a born teacher – być na­uczy­cie­lem z powołania
  • to mark tests – poprawiać klasówki
  • to stimulate students – mo­bi­li­zo­wać uczniów
  • to motivate students – motywować uczniów
  • to encourage students – zachęcać uczniów
  • to arouse interest in… – rozbudzać zainteresowanie
  • to demand little – mało wymagać
  • to punish students – karać uczniów
  • to maintain discipline – utrzy­my­wać dyscyplinę
  • to respect – szanować

STUDENT – UCZEÑ

  • first grade/ year schoolboy – pierw­szo­kla­si­sta
  • swot – kujon
  • toady – lizus
  • teacher’s pet – pupil
  • telltale – skarżypyta
  • good student – dobry uczeñ
  • intelligent – inteligentny
  • clever – bystry
  • diligent – pilny
  • hard-working – pracowity
  • systematic – systematyczny
  • gifted – zdolny, utalentowany
  • excellent at… – wyśmienity
  • proficient at… – biegły, wprawny
  • obedient – posłuszny
  • to have good marks – mieć do­bre oceny
  • to be good at… – być dobrym z…
  • to make progress – robić po­stę­py
  • to master a subject – opa­no­wać przedmiot
  • bad student – zły uczeñ
  • lazy – leniwy
  • average – przeciętny
  • cheeky – bezczelny
  • reckless – beztroski
  • sloppy, untidy – niedbały
  • absent-minded – roz­tar­gnio­ny
  • dense, dull – tępy
  • truant – wagarowicz
  • to disturb – przeszkadzać
  • to interrupt – przerywać
  • to cheat/ crib – ściągać, od­pi­sy­wać
  • to misbehave – Ÿle się za­cho­wy­wać
  • to disrupt – przerywać
  • remedial course – zajęcia wy­rów­naw­cze

SCHOOL AREA – TEREN SZKOLNY

  • school building – budynek ­szkolny
  • teachers’/ staffroom room – po­kój nauczycielski
  • headmaster’s office – gabinet dyrektora
  • secretary’s office – se­kre­ta­riat
  • classroom – klasa
  • chemistry lab/ laboratory – pra­cow­nia chemiczna
  • library – biblioteka
  • reading room – czytelnia
  • changing room – szatnia
  • gym/ gymnasium – sala gim­nas­tyczna
  • assembly hall – aula
  • canteen – stołówka
  • corridor – korytarz
  • school yard – podwórko szkol­ne
  • (sports) field – boisko

SCHOOL FACILITIES & EQU­IP­MENT – WYPOSAŻENIE SZKO­ŁY

  • desk – ławka
  • teacher’s desk – biurko ­nauczyciela
  • chalk – kreda
  • blackboard – tablica
  • sponge – gąbka
  • map – mapa
  • globe – globus
  • projector – projektor
  • OHP/ overhead projector – rzut­nik
  • microscope – mikroskop
  • tape player – magnetofon
  • television set – telewizor
  • photocopier – kserokopiarka

STUDENT’S EQUIPMENT – PRZYBORY SZKOLNE

  • textbook/ coursebook – ­podręcznik
  • copybook/ notebook – zeszyt
  • ballpoint pen – długopis
  • pencil – ołówek
  • pencil case – piórnik
  • felt-tipped pen – flamaster
  • crayon – kredka
  • pencil sharpener – tem­pe­rów­ka
  • eraser – gumka
  • paints – farby
  • ruler – linijka
  • compasses – cyrkiel
  • glue – klej
  • scissors – nożyczki
  • correcting fluid – ko­rek­tor
  • report card – dzien­ni­czek ucznia
  • school bag – teczka szkolna

STUDIES

I have worked hard this year because I want to study at university. I’ve already chosen two faculties which seem to be interesting to me: philosophy and psychology. I dream about day studies but it is likely that I will have to find a job so evening or extramural studies will be more convenient to me.

My brother has just graduated from university. He stu­died law for five years and had his diploma exa­mi­na­tion last week. He was quite satisfied with the choice of faculty because he had professional tutors and lec­tu­rers and attended interesting lectures. With such a university degree he has a promising career ahe­ad.

STUDIES – STUDIA

  • university – uniwersytet
  • technical university – politechnika
  • business school – szkoła biznesu
  • medical school – akademia me­dycz­na
  • day studies – studia dzienne
  • extra-mural studies – studia za­ocz­ne
  • evening studies – studia wie­czo­ro­we
  • a first degree/ undergraduate stu­dies – studia li­cen­cjac­kie
  • graduate studies – studia ma­gi­ster­skie
  • postgraduate studies – studia po­dy­plo­mo­we i dok­to­ranc­kie
  • to be admitted to university – zo­stać przyjętym na stu­dia
  • academic year – rok akademicki
  • lecture – wykład
  • to attend a lecture – brać udział w wykładzie
  • dean – dziekan
  • vice-dean – prodziekan
  • rector – rektor
  • lecturer – wykładowca
  • tutor – wykładowca akademicki
  • lecture hall/ room – sala wy­kła­do­wa
  • degree – stopieñ naukowy
  • faculty – wydział
  • to graduate from university – kończyć studia
  • to take a Master’s/ Bachelor’s de­gree – zrobić licencjat/ ma­gi­ste­rium
  • graduate – absolwent
  • university degree – stopieñ na­uko­wy
  • course credit – zaliczenie
  • examination period – sesja eg­za­mi­na­cyj­na
  • diploma examination – egzamin dyplomowy
  • tutorial – seminarium, ćwi­cze­nia
  • seminar – seminarium
  • entrance requirements – wy­ma­ga­nia wstępne
  • grant – stypendium socjalne
  • tuition fee – czesne
  • university faculties and majors – wydziały i kie­run­ki studiów
  • archaeology – archeologia
  • biology – biologia
  • computer science – in­for­ma­ty­ka
  • economics – ekonomia
  • engineering studies – inżynieria
  • law – prawo
  • mathematics – matematyka
  • medicine – medycyna
  • philology – filologia
  • philosophy – filozofia
  • physics – fizyka
  • political science – nauki ­polityczne
  • psychology – psychologia

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

My parents want me to attend some additional classes. I think they exaggerate because I already go to a lan­gu­age school twice a week and I have some pri­va­te lessons on Mondays because I’m not very good at Ma­ths. Mum wo­uld be very happy if I took ballet lessons but I hate classical music. Dad would rather I attended a de­ba­ting club as he thinks I’m too shy and it would be beneficial to me. I’ve been thinking about an amateur theatre but there is no­thing like that neither at my scho­ol nor at the leisure centre.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES – ZAJĘCIA PO­ZA­LEK­CYJ­NE

  • correspondence courses – kursy ko­res­pon­dencyjne
  • ballet school – szkoła baletowa
  • additional classes – zajęcia do­dat­ko­we
  • optional classes – zajęcia ­fakultatywne
  • private lessons – korepetycje
  • debating club – klub dyskusyjny
  • drama group – kółko dramatyczne
  • amateur theatre – teatr amatorski
  • pottery – ceramika
  • language course – kurs językowy
  • language school – szkoła językowa
  • football/ rugby/ basketball etc. prac­ti­ce – zajęcia spor­to­we
  • choir practice – chór

Matura tip (Wskazówka maturalna)

Podczas egzaminu będziesz musiał się wykazać tym, że rozumiesz, o czym czytasz. Służą temu takie zadania, jak:

  • odpowiadanie na pytania do tekstu,
  • wypełnianie luk (gap filling) pojedynczymi słowami lub całymi zdaniami,
  • dopasowywanie tytułów do akapitów w tekście,
  • rozwiązywanie zadań typu true/false.

Pamiętaj: przeczytaj tekst kilkakrotnie, pierwszy raz po to, żeby w ogóle zrozumieć, o czym jest! Nie musisz rozumieć każdego słowa!
Dopiero czytając drugi raz, koncentruj się na konkretnym zadaniu, które masz wykonać.

Zadanie maturalne: Przeczytaj tekst poniżej, a następnie wybierz właściwą odpowiedź do każdej z luk, zaznaczając ją kółkiem.

1. a) more; b) most; c) many; d) much
2. a) as; b) along; c) about; d) to
3. a) said to be; b) say to be; c) saying to be; d) said to being
4. a) or; b) as; c) neither; d) either
5. a) made about; b) fell off; c) fell in; d) fall in
6. a) him; b) himself; c) ourselves; d) his
7. a) commited; b) made; c) did; d) hanged
8. a) although; b) therefore; c) in spite of; d) moreover
9. a) or; b) nor; c) neither; d) both
10. a) thorough; b) thoroughly; c) though; d) although

Jak rozwiązywać taki typ zadania:

  • wykreśl od razu wszystkie odpowiedzi, które nie pasują pod względem gramatycznym (np. są po przyimku, ale nie w formie gerund – zakończone na -ing itd.)
  • dopiero spośród odpowiedzi, jakie Ci zostały, wybierz tę właściwą, kierując się przede wszystkim znaczeniem (wiadomo, że jeśli tekst jest o szkole, to raczej nie pasuje słowo z zakresu żywienia itd.)
  • koniecznie przeczytaj tekst jeszcze raz po tym, jak go już uzupełnisz!

Mysterious schools

Do you consider your school the1………. boring place you could ever imagine? Well, maybe it has not revealed all its secrets yet.

According 2……… some students and teachers one of famous British secondary schools is haunted. Doorway leading to the most haunted place is 3……………….. located in a certain place in the school building – the problem is only few can localize 4……………….. the doorway or the mysterious place.

The school legend involves the teacher who miserably 5…………………. love, and, when the beloved refused to marry him, hanged 6……………….. The other story is linked to the unhappy boy who had 7…………… suicide there or the cleaning lady who, after falling in love with one of the teachers, jumped out of the school tower.

8 …………… nobody is able to reveal the truth, the fact is that strange things are happening in this school. Once school principals found all the windows open, next time some students heard screaming and the sound of pacing upstairs.

However, neither the school authorities 9 ………… the students are scared.

“Our visitors are friendly, we know it”, said one of the students. “I am sure that all schools have got its small secrets, but they are usually not discovered by the students. You have to look very carefully if you want to notice something unusual”.

Well, perhaps since now you will explore your school more 10……………?

Rozwiązania

1. b) tylko most z podanych słów jest używane w stopniu najwyższym przymiotnika, po the – najnudniejsza szkoła

2. d) po according zawsze piszemy to – według

3. a) zwrot „mówi się o nim, że jest” ma właśnie formę is said to be (dosł. jest mówiony być). Pozostałe formy nie funkcjonują w ogóle.

4. d) mamy stałe zestawienie either… or (albo… albo)

5. c) zakochać się to po angielsku fall in love, to zdanie wymaga czasu przeszłego (zakochał się)

6. b) powiesił się, czyli sam siebie, stąd forma z -self (tak jak np. I can see myself in the mirror. – W lustrze widzę sam siebie).

7. a) samobójstwo, podobnie jak zabójstwo się popełnia (commit), a nie robi (pozostałe czasowniki), ani wiesza (hang)

8. a) chociaż, b) dlatego (nie pasuje do zdania znaczeniowo), c) mimo (mimo co?), d) co więcej (żadnego więcej tu nie ma i po tym powinien być przecinek)

9. b) neither… nor (ani… ani)

10. b) thorough – dokładny, thoroughly – dokładnie, pozostałe słowa to zupełne zmyłki: though – choć, although – chociaż

English loan words in Polish

Have you ever thought where the word “horde” in English comes from? Yes, you are right. It is Polish word “horda” that means the disorganized crowd of people – only with slighty changed spelling. Nevertheless, let`s not have illusions about importance of Polish loan words in English – they are just a tiny fraction of the linguistic borrowings from English into Polish. Even a brief glimpse on the on-going process of creating new vocabulary gives clear answers to the question: Why are there so many anglicisms in contemporary Polish? It is easy to notice that most of the borrowings relate somehow to the world of technology, information, mass media and – on general – contemporary world. On the other side, there is a massive group of loan words referring to the ”pop world” of teenagers as well as other aspects of their culture. The answer to the question: Why are the Polish young people so willing to use anglicisms in their everyday talks instead of native words? might not be so simple.

“Internet from its very beginnings was English – friendly”, says Piotrek, an internaut from the little village in Mazovia countryside, “no surprise nowadays, when I want to be brief and communicative I use IMHO (in my humble opinion) instead of Polish equivalent for it or ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing) instead of emoticons which drive my pals mad.”

His classmate, Paula, has distinctly different opinion to Piotrek:
“To be honest, most of my friends can hardly speak English, they have no idea about reported speech, passive voice or relative clauses – but what do they do speaking Polish? They say: Babe, I spent all evening yesterday in a chatroom. Thanks. Sorry. You`re welcome. Give me a call. Have you got some cash? and so on, I could go for the whole day like that, I guess. They don`t assume how ridiculous they are!”

Some linguists predict nowadays it is inevitable for the Polish language to be more and more inundated with English words. Is it really as inevitable as night follows a day or death and taxes? I hope not. Eventually, there are the young people who can speak their mother tongue perfectly. Moreover, they can speak foreign languages very well, too. But they can easily distinct both of them.

1) My cousin Anna, who attends the same school as Piotrek, doesn`t like word loans in Polish much.
Informacja o tym, że Anna chodzi do tej samej szkoły co Piotrek jest wtrącona, rozmówca i tak wie, o którą Annę chodzi.

2) Piotrek told me about his fleeting converstation, which took part in The English Centre.
Piotrek opowiedział mi o swojej krótkiej rozmowie – tylko dodatkową informacją jest to, że rozmowa miała miejsce w Cen­trum Angielskim, zaimek bezpośrednio nie określa tej rozmowy.
Uwaga! To samo zdanie można sobie wyobrazić bez przecinka, wtedy znaczyłoby, że to jest „ta krótka rozmowa z Centrum Angielskiego” – informacja znajdująca się po which określa w tym przypadku rozmowę, a nie jest tylko dodatkowa.

Last but not least
W zdaniach, w których stawiamy przed zaimkiem względnym przecinek, nie używamy that.