Theme 4: What a Life

Unit Vocabulary

Biography & Life Events

Word	Type	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example
biography	n.	/baɪˈɒɡrəfi/	biyografi, yaşam öyküsü	I read the biography of Atatürk last summer.
achievement	n.	/əˈtʃiːvmənt/	başarı	His greatest achievement was winning the Nobel Prize.
fame	n.	/feɪm/	ün, şöhret	Before he gained his fame, he had worked very hard.
raise	v.	/reɪz/	yetiştirmek, büyütmek	She was born and raised in a small village.
graduate	v.	/ˈɡrædʒueɪt/	mezun olmak	After I had graduated from high school, I entered university.
discover	v.	/dɪsˈkʌvər/	keşfetmek	Scientists discovered many important things in the 20th century.
influence	v./n.	/ˈɪnfluəns/	etkilemek, etki	His work influenced millions of people around the world.
devote	v.	/dɪˈvəʊt/	adamak	He devoted his life to science and education.
acquire	v.	/əˈkwaɪər/	edinmek, kazanmak	She acquired new skills throughout her long career.
announce	v.	/əˈnaʊns/	duyurmak, ilan etmek	The committee announced the Nobel Prize winner yesterday.
diagnose	v.	/ˈdaɪəɡnəʊz/	teşhis koymak	He was diagnosed with a serious illness at a young age.
exhausting	adj.	/ɪɡˈzɔːstɪŋ/	yorucu, tüketici	Writing the novel was an exhausting but rewarding process.
recovery	n.	/rɪˈkʌvəri/	iyileşme, toparlanma	After months of recovery, she returned to her work.
release	v.	/rɪˈliːs/	yayınlamak, serbest bırakmak	The author released her new book after years of research.
solitude	n.	/ˈsɒlɪtjuːd/	yalnızlık, inziva	The poet spent years in solitude before publishing his work.
surgery	n.	/ˈsɜːrdʒəri/	ameliyat, cerrahi	After a successful surgery, the artist continued painting.

Historical Figures & Events

Word	Type	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example
inventor	n.	/ɪnˈventər/	mucit	Edison was a famous inventor.
scientist	n.	/ˈsaɪəntɪst/	bilim insanı	The scientist made an important discovery.
masterpiece	n.	/ˈmɑːstəpiːs/	başyapıt, şaheser	Mimar Sinan had built many masterpieces around the empire.
empire	n.	/ˈempaɪər/	imparatorluk	The Ottoman Empire lasted for over 600 years.
independence	n.	/ˌɪndɪˈpendəns/	bağımsızlık	The Independence War changed the fate of the nation.
celebrity	n.	/səˈlebrəti/	ünlü kişi	She became a celebrity after her first film.
reign	n./v.	/reɪn/	hükümdarlık, hüküm sürmek	During his reign, the empire expanded greatly.
accessible	adj.	/əkˈsesəbəl/	erişilebilir, ulaşılabilir	The museum made historical artefacts accessible to everyone.
attack	v.	/əˈtæk/	saldırmak	The city was attacked several times during the war.
journalism	n.	/ˈdʒɜːnəlɪzəm/	gazetecilik	She dedicated her life to journalism and wrote for many newspapers.
sophisticated	adj.	/səˈfɪstɪkeɪtɪd/	sofistike, gelişmiş	Da Vinci created remarkably sophisticated inventions for his era.

Time Ordering Expressions

Expression	Type	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example
before	conj.	/bɪˈfɔːr/	önce, -den önce	Before he gained his fame, Sinan had built many masterpieces.
after	conj.	/ˈɑːftər/	sonra, -den sonra	After I had graduated, I entered the university.
by the time	conj.	—	-e kadar, -dığında	By the time we arrived, the concert had already started.
at the age of	phr.	—	-yaşında	He got married at the age of fifty.
first / then / finally	adv.	—	önce / sonra / en sonunda	First he studied, then he worked, finally he retired.
regrettably	adv.	/rɪˈɡretəbli/	ne yazık ki, maalesef	Regrettably, he passed away before finishing his last novel.

Grammar

Past Perfect Tense — had + past participle (V3)

Affirmative (+)

Subject + had (’d) + past participle (V3)

Subject	had + V3	Example
I / You / He / She / We / They	had + V3	She had graduated before she got the job.

Negative (−)

Subject + had not (hadn’t) + past participle (V3)

Subject	Negative	Example
All subjects	hadn’t + V3	They hadn’t finished dinner when the guests arrived.

Questions (?)

Had + subject + past participle (V3)?

Q: Had he visited Istanbul before 2020?

A: Yes, he had. / No, he hadn’t.

When do we use Past Perfect?

For the earlier of two past events

Geçmişte iki olaydan daha önce olanı için kullanılır.

Before he gained his fame, Mimar Sinan had built many masterpieces.

Ününü kazanmadan önce Mimar Sinan birçok şaheser inşa etmişti.

Ordering Events — before / after / by the time

before + Past Simple, … Past Perfect

Before + S + V2 (Past Simple), S + had + V3

Examples

Before the Independence War started, Turkish people had had a hard life.

Kurtuluş Savaşı başlamadan önce Türk halkı zor bir yaşam sürmüştü.

after + Past Perfect, … Past Simple

After + S + had + V3, S + V2 (Past Simple)

Examples

After I had graduated from high school, I entered the university.

Liseden mezun olduktan sonra üniversiteye girdim.

After he had studied for years, he became a famous scientist.

Yıllarca çalıştıktan sonra ünlü bir bilim insanı oldu.

by the time + Past Simple, … Past Perfect

By the time + S + V2, S + had + V3

By the time we arrived, the movie had already started.

Biz vardığımızda film çoktan başlamıştı.

Pronunciation of -ed Endings

Three sounds of -ed

Sound	After	Examples
/t/	voiceless sounds (k, p, f, s, ʃ, tʃ)	walked, stopped, washed
/d/	voiced sounds (b, g, v, z, l, m, n, r)	injured, discovered, raised
/ɪd/	/t/ and /d/ sounds	wanted, graduated, devoted