1. Complete the text with the correct form of the verbs below.
disguise exaggerate lie manipulate pass photoshop
Taste the goodness!
You can’t say that adverts 1) _________ about products to consumers, but I think it’s true to say they 2) _________ what products can do. Advertisers try to 3) _________ our emotions with images of attractive people and places. Furthermore, they have been known to 4) _________ images so that products look better than they really are. Often, food and drinks manufacturers 5) _________ off products which have too much sugar as ‘energy food’ and 6) _________ the fact that some products contain ingredients that are not good for us.
Show answers
1) lie 2) exaggerate 3) manipulate 4 photoshop
5) pass 6) disguise
2. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs.
cheat fabricate fib fool mislead swear
1) Sam was told to leave the exam because he was using his mobile phone and ________
2) The children were ____________ when they said that the dog ate the cake.
3) You have to ____________ to tell the truth in a court of law.
4) That tattoo isn’t real! She’s just trying to ____________ us.
5) The thief claims that the police ____________ the evidence against him.
6) Jack ____________ his parents about what he had really been doing on Friday evening.
Show answers
1) cheating 2) fibbing 3) swear 4) fool 5) fabricated
6) misled
3. Listen to the dialogues and choose the correct answers (a-c).
Dialogue 1
1) What is Jessica doing at the beginning of the dialogue?
a Making an excuse
b Telling the truth
c Cheating
2) What does Tom want Jessica to do?
a Deceive somebody
b Lie about something to somebody
c Own up to something
3) What does Jessica find difficult to do?
a Tell a lie
b Tell the truth
c Fool Tom
Dialogue 2
4) What is Grace doing?
a Photoshopping a picture
b Disguising her friend
c Telling the truth
5) What does Grace say she hasn’t done?
a Improved the story
b Made the story more amusing
c Fabricated a story
6) What does Leo think a newspaper should do?
a Portray things as more interesting than they are
b Tell the truth
c Reveal secrets
Show answers
1) a 2) c 3) b 4) a 5) c 6) b
Transcript
1)
Jessica Look, Tom, I’m afraid that I’m not going to be able to come to the cinema tonight after all.
Tom Oh dear. Why not?
Jessica I’ve got to do something at home.
Tom Are you sure, Jessica? This is the second time that you’ve cancelled a date. If you don’t want to go out with me, just tell me. I’ll survive!
Jessica But Tom, I do want to go out with you. It’s just that ___
Tom Just tell me the truth, Jessica!
Jessica I will, it’s just difficult ___ You see, it’s parents ___ They don’t want me to go out with you.
2)
Leo Are you working on the school newspaper, Grace?
Grace Yes, I’m just adding a photo to article about our school trip.
Leo But who’s that?
Grace It’s Molly.
Leo Molly? But that doesn’t look anything like her!
Grace Well, I’ve just improved the photo a little.
Leo A little?! Even her parents wouldn’t recognise her! You can’t do that! What about the article? Have you been honest about what happened?
Grace Well, I’ve made it a little bit more interesting, otherwise it would be boring.
Leo You mean you’ve invented things.
Grace Invented things? I’d never do that, Leo! I’ve just made things seem a little funnier than they really were.
Leo But the idea of a newspaper is to explain what really happened.
Grace Oh come on, I’m not lying to anyone. I’m just making it a little more entertaining!
4. Complete the sentences with the correct verbs.
1) A lot of people won’t tell you anything face to face, but the r______ all their secrets on the internet.
2) Nicola l______ to me about the date of her party!
3) He always m______ excuses for his mistakes and never accepts responsibility for anything!
4) Alex o______ up to breaking the window and promised to pay for a new one.
5) The machine d______ his voice so you didn’t know who was speaking.
Show answers
1) reveal 2) lied 3) makes 4) owned-up 5) distorted
5. Choose the correct words to complete the sentences.
1) The newspapers gave a very biased / manipulative report and criticised the government.
2) It’s so honest / hypocritical to tell people to help when you don’t do anything yourself!
3) Andy is really manipulative / direct and tries to control everything so that it always favours him.
4) I like Sara’s direct / ethical manner, even if she sometimes criticises what I have done.
5) There are new medical treatments such as gene therapy which raise ethical / dishonest issues.
6) I wanted to give Frank an open / honest answer, but I couldn’t tell him his suit looked awful, could I?
Show answers
1) biased 2) hypocritical 3) manipulative 4) direct
5) ethical 6) honest
6. Match the adjectives below with the descriptions.
devious fake hypocritical straight trustworthy truthful
1) Someone who is honest and says what they think. ______
2) Someone who tricks others in order to get what they want. ______
3) Something which is not genuine. ______
4) Someone who can be relied upon to do the right thing and to be honest. ______
5) Someone who says only what is true. ______
6) Someone who says one thing, but does another. ______
Show answers
1) straight 2) devious 3 fake 4 trustworthy
5) truthful 6 hypocritical
Extra exercises
1. Complete the sentences with the verbs below.
cheat disguise exaggerate fool
make photoshop swear tell
1) Why don’t you just ____________ an excuse if you don’t want to go to the party?
2) Don’t ____________ ! You can’t have walked 100 km!
3) I ____________ that I didn’t take your watch. It wasn’t me!
4) If you ____________, your test paper won’t be accepted.
5) Mary’s story didn’t ____________ me. I knew she was lying.
6) That picture can’t be real. Did you ____________ it?
7) Tom couldn’t ____________ the fact that he’d been crying.
8) _______ me the truth! Did you, or did you not, delete that fire from computer?
Show answers
1) make 2) exaggerate 3) swear 4) cheat 5) fool
6) photoshop 7) disguise 8) Tell
2. Complete the sentences with the adjective form of the nouns below.
bias ethic hypocrite manipulation truth trust
1) If you aren’t ____________ with me about your part in the incident, I won’t be able to trust you again.
2) That shop is looking for a ____________ person to look after their accounts.
3) You’re ____________ about the referee’s decision because you want your team to win.
4) Is it ____________ to buy expensive electronic devices when the people that make them are paid so little?
5) Lola’s rather ________ I don’t like the way she tries to control me and other friends.
6) It would be ____________ of me to accept Ruby’s invitation when I don’t actually like her.
Show answers
1) truthful 2) trustworthy 3) biased 4) ethical
5) manipulative 6) hypocritical