River

Verb + river

• cross a river
• pollute a river
• rivers flow
• rivers freeze

Adjective + river

a deep / shallow river a wide / narrow river a long river

Common expressions

• fall into a river:
• walk along a river:
• sail up / down a river:
• drift down a river:
• catch fish in a river:
• a bridge across a river:

1. Verb + river

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the above verbs:

1. Two major rivers …… through our town.
2. The river …… over completely during the freezing weather.
3. The only way to …… the river is by ferry. There isn’t a bridge for miles.
4. Waste from factories continues to …… our rivers, killing fish and wildlife.

2. Adjective + river

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the above adjectives:

1. Is the Nile the …… river in the world or is it the Mississippi?
2. I don’t think we’ll be able to swim across the river at this point. It’s far too …… .
3. The river’s quite deep here.Let’s try to cross further up. It looks …… there.

3. Common expressions

Match the halves. Then underline the prepositions.

1. I caught six fish
2. We were only able to sail
3. They’re building a new bridge
4. The boat drifted slowly
5. After dinner we went for a walk
6. I slipped on the wet ground and fell

• a. across the river.
• b. into the river.
• c. in the River Tyne at the weekend.
• d. along the river bank.
• e. down the river towards the open sea.
• f. up the river as far as the dam.

Note

One side of a river is called the river bank. Both sides are the banks of the river.

• The river overflowed its banks after a week of heavy rainfall.
• The village was flooded when the river rose and burst its banks.