Jun 30, 2012

Splice: Simple Past x Past Perfect


I. Watch the movie segment and write 1 next to the activity that was performed first and 2 next to the second one.





1.

( ) She looked at the ceiling.

( ) She stuck her tongue out of her mouth.



2.

( ) She opened the suitcase.

( ) She saw herself in the mirror.


3.

( ) She played with toys.

( ) She wore the crown.


4.

( ) She looked at the picture.

( ) She closed the suitcase.


5.

( ) She saw the cat.

( ) She fetched the cat.


6.

( ) She held the cat tenderly in her arms.

( ) She ran with the cat in her arms.


II. Fill in the blanks with either the simple past or the past perfect forms of the verbs in parentheses. Remember that the action that took place first should be in the past perfect form and the most recent one in the simple past.


1. She _______ (look) at the ceiling when she ______ (stick) her tongue out of her mouth.

2. She ________ (open) a suitcase when she _____ (see) herself in the mirror.

3. When she ______ (play) with the toys, she ______ (wear) a crown.

4. She _______ (look) at the picture when she ______ (close) the suitcase.

5. She ______ (see) the cat when she ______ (fetch) it.

6. When she _____ (hold) the cat tenderly in her arms, she ______ (run) with it in her arms across the barn.


III.

1. Describe her to your partner. Is she human? Why (not)?

2. What are some of her human characteristics?

3. Which ones are not?


WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - SPLICE


Answer Key:

I.

1 1,2
2 1,2
3 2,1
4 1,2
5 1,2
6, 2,1

II.

1. She had looked at the ceiling when she stuck her tongue out of her mouth.

2. She had opened a suitcase when she saw herself in the mirror.

3. When she played with a toy, she had worn a crown.

4. She had looked at a picture when she closed the suitcase.

5. She had seen the cat when she fetched the cat.

6. When she held the cat carefully in her arms, she had run with it in her arms.

Jun 23, 2012

Grease: Dangling Modifiers

This a classic with an unforgettable song. It is important that teens learn about the classics, and they usually like experimenting with new material.







Decide if the sentences below are correct. If they are not, make the necessary changes to correct them. There may be more than one possible correction.





Danny with the guys and Sandy with the girls.




1 - After sitting around Danny, the boys asked him to tell them about the girl he met.

2 . While telling her friends about her summer loving, the girls listened to her curiously.

3. After telling the guys about the girl, they asked him several questions.

4. When dancing on the stairs, the girls were dancing in the school patio.

5. Whereas Sandy was romantic, Danny was naughty.

6. While dating, they made a true love vow.





II. Talk to each other.

1. How different do you think dating was in the 60's and nowadays?

2. How different are the guys' and girls' views about dating and romance in the 60's?

3. How different is it nowadays?

4. Do guys and girls still talk about their relationships to their friends? Who does it more often - guys or girls?

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - GREASE


SING THE SONG TOGETHER:

TELL ME MORE:

Summer loving had me a blast
Summer loving happened so fast
I met a girl crazy for me
´Met a boy cute as can be
Summer days drifting away to oh oh the summer nights

Tell me more, Tell me more
Did you get very far
Tell me more, Tell me more
Like does he have a car

She swam by me, she got a cramp
He ran by me, got my suit damp
I saved her life, she nearly drown
He showed off splashing around
Summer sun, something´s begun but oh oh the summer nights

Tell me more Tell me more
Was it love at first sight
Tell me more, tell me more
Did she put up a fight

Took her bowling in the arcade
We went strolling, drank lemonade
We made out under the rock
We stayed out till ten o´clock
Summer flying don´t mean a thing but oh oh the summer nights

Tell me more, tell me more
But you don´t gotta brag
Tell me more, tell me more
Cause he sounds like a drag

He got friendly, holding my hand
She got friendly, down in the sand
She was sweet, just turned eighteen
Well she was good, you know I mean
Summer heat, boys and girls meet but oh oh the summer nights

Tell me more, tell me more
how much dough did he spend
Tell me more, tell me more
Could she get me a friend

It turned colder, that´s where it ends
So I told her we´d still be friends
Then we made our true love vow
Wonder what she´s doing now
Summer dreams ripped at the seams but oh those summer nights

Tell me more, tell me more





Answer key:

1 - After sitting around Danny, the boys asked him to tell them about the girl he met (correct).


2 - (incorrect)

While Sandy was telling...


3 - (incorrect)


While Danny was telling ....

4 - (incorrect)


While the guys were dancing ...

5 - (correct)


6 - (correct)

Jun 16, 2012

Cars: Comparatives of Adjectives and Nouns

I have said many times that I just love animated movies. Cars was a turning point in animation. The movie is great and this scene is perfect for comparatives. I also use it for the practice of USED TO, but this is something for another post. I hope you like this one.









A. Read the features below and compare the same city before and after the construction of Interstate 40. Write B if the adjectives or nouns are more evident in the city before the construction of the interstate 40 years ago or A if it applies to the city after the construction of the Interstate.





1. ( ) visitors

2. ( ) cars

3. ( ) busy

4. ( ) rich

5. ( ) jobs

6. ( ) crowded

7. ( ) empty

B. Now write comparative sentences about the city in the past and nowadays. Pay attention whether the items are adjectives or nouns when you write the sentences.


Ex:
1. In the past the city had more visitors than nowadays.
Nowadays the city has fewer visitors than in the past.


2. ..............................................................
3. ..............................................................
4. .............................................................
5. .............................................................
6. .............................................................
7. .............................................................

Answers:


2. In the past the city had more cars than nowadays.
Nowadays the city has fewer cars than in the past.

3. In the past the city was busier than nowadays.
Nowadays the city is less busy than in the past.

4. In the past the city was richer than nowadays.
Nowadays the city is less rich than in the past.

5. In the past the city had more jobs than nowadays.
Nowadays the city has fewer jobs than in the past.

6. In the past the city was more crowded than nowadays.
Nowadays the city is less crowded than in the past.

7. In the past the city was less empty than nowadays.
Nowadays the city is emptier than in the past.

Jun 9, 2012

Crazy Heart: Past Modal for Speculation and Regrets

This movie has great music and touching acting. The scene the little boy disappears is perfect for modals for speculation and regrets. I used it for a production, not controlled exercise.






A. Watch the movie segment and write sentences using past modal verbs.






I. Write down 3 sentences saying what might have happened while the boy was lost.



Ex: The boy must have hidden himself somewhere.



1. _____________________
2. _____________________
3. _____________________


II. Write down 3 sentences saying what the main character should not have done.


Ex: He shouldn't have left the boy unattended.



1. ______________________
2. _____________________
3. _____________________


III. Write down 3 sentences saying what he should have done.

Ex: He should have kept an eye on the boy all the time.



1. _______________________
2. _______________________
3. _______________________

Jun 2, 2012

The Uninvited: Narratives - Simple Present

This film and scene are a bit scary. Make sure your audience is ready for this kind of material. It is great, though, and very easy to understand. The students can easily perform the assigned tasks and practice writing a narrative, using the simple present tense.



I. Work in pairs:


1. Do you dream every night?

2. Do you remember your dreams?

3. Which kind of dream do you remember with more details? Dreams or nightmares?

4. Do nightmares have meanings?


II. Complete the paragraph with the verbs provided below. You may repeat the verbs. This paragraph is a teenager's description of a nightmare she had in the previous night.

BE - WANT - HEAR - GO - RUN - FEEL (neg)


I _____ at a party, but all I _________ to do is get home. And then I _____ my mother's bell. I ________ to find her. She __________ alone. She ________ not supposed to be alone. I ______ up to the house to find my dad. There _____ something wrong. It ______ safe. There ______ something evil in the house.
III. Now watch the segment and check your answers.



(Segment without subtitles)





IV. Now write a short paragraph narrating a nightmare or a dream of yours. Use the simple present tense to describe it.



WORKSHEET


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE UNINVITED

Answer key: am, want, hear, go, is, is, run, is, doesn't feel, is.