Tuesday, 7 April 2009
Sunday, 5 April 2009
Definitely, Maybe: Restrictive Relative Clauses


This is the opening titles scene of this really nice romantic comedy. Ask your students to pay attention to what people are doing during the main character's (Will's) walk from his office to his daughter's school. Because there are several characters performing different activities, it is great for the students to practice the use of relative (restrictive) clauses.
Definitely Maybe: 3’28
I. Match the two activities the same character(s) is (are) performing.
(1) A man sells fruit for a living on the street.
(2) A man was wearing very big earphones.
(3) An elegant woman was walking her dog.
(4) Many children and parents were arguing.
(5) A girl was shouting madly at her mother.
(1) He was reading a magazine.
( ) He prevented Will from being run over by a truck.
( ) She was wearing a fur coat.
( ) They were talking about the sexual education class.
( ) She thought her mother had lied to her.
The sentences are in the order of the correct matching. Mind mixing up the sentences before you prepare the students' exercise sheets:
How to prepare your own video activity:
- Select a scene in which a lot of peole are performing different actions at the same time.
- Have students match 2 activities (or the character's physical characteristics or clothing, for example) the same character is performing.
- Have them write restrictive relative clauses combining both sentences.
WORKSHEET
Monday, 30 March 2009
The Ultimate Gift: Conjunctions - Because / So / Since


2. What would you do if you invited someone for dinner in an expensive restaurant and you found out you didn’t have money to pay the check?
The waiter was amazed.
The young couple had ordered pricey wine and lobster.
1. (Because) …………………………………………………………………………………..
Jason’s credit card was declined by the charge card company.
The waiter told Jason about it.
2.(So) ………………………………………………………………………………………….
Jason’s credit card was declined twice.
Jason gave the waiter another credit card.
3. (Since) ………………………………………………………………………………………
Jason wanted to move in to his girlfriend’s place.
Jason’s place was being remodeled.
4. (So) …………………………………………………………………………………………..
Jason was switching bank accounts at the moment.
Jason asked his girlfriend to pay the check.
5.(Because) …………………………………………………………………………………….
Jason didn’t have money to pay the check.
Jason’s girlfriend left him alone in the restaurant.
6. (Since) …………………………………………………………………………………….
WORKSHEET
Thursday, 19 March 2009
The Devil Wears Prada: Dangling Modifiers

These ladies are the main characters:



Andrea and Miranda
A. Discuss the following questions with a partner:
1. How should people behave in a job interview?
2. What should they wear?
3. What is the perfect boss like?
4. How would you deal with an extremely impolite boss if the job was very good pay and extremely important for your career? Justify your answer.
Watch the movie segment and decide whether the following sentences have dangling modifiers. Write (C) if the statement is correct and (W) if it is wrong.
1 - After getting dressed, Andrea kissed her boyfriend goodbye. (C)
2 - Going to her job interview, the waitress handed Andrea a bagel for breakfast. (W)
3 - While eating a sandwich, she took the subway to work. (C)
4 - Surprised by the message the taxi driver sent, a lot of things had to be done in a hurry. (W)
5 - After asking if someone had eaten an onion bagel, Andrea checked whether her breath was fine. (W)
6 - Before reaching her office, nobody but her assistant talked to Miranda. (W)
7 - While going to her office, the employees avoided walking or staying where Miranda was. (W)
8 - Sitting in the waiting room, Miranda called Andrea for the interview. (W)
Now revise the dangling modifiers and write a possible correction.
Possible answer key:
Ex:
1 - Correct
2 - Going to her job interview, Andrea bought a bagel for breakfast.
3 - Correct
4 – Surprised by the message the taxi driver sent, Emily had to do a lot of things in a hurry.
5 – After being asked if someone had eaten an onion bagel, andrea checked…
6 – Before reaching her office, miranda didn’t talk with anyone but her assistant.
7 – While going to her office, miranda made her employees avoid walking…
8 – Sitting in the waiting room, Andrea was called for the interview.
How to prepare your own video activity:
- Select a scene with a lot of actions
- Prepare sentences about the sentences with dangling modifiers
- Some of the sentences should be correct
- Students watch the segment and decide how to correct the wrong sentences
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Hitch: Imperative Forms
A. Talk to a partner about the following questions: 
1. How do you feel when you go on a first date with someone?

2. What are the basic rules you follow on a first date?
3. What are the signs that your date is not interested in you?
4. What do you do when you observe that?
B. Give 3 (three) pieces of advice to someone who is going on a first date to the
following places. Don’t repeat them. Make sure you use imperative forms.
To a photograph exhibition
1. ……………………………………………………………….....
2. ………………………………………………………………….
3. ………………………………………………………………….
To a night club
1. ………………………………………………………………….
2. ………………………………………………………………….
3. …………………………………………………………………
To the movies
1. ………………………………………………………………….
2. ………………………………………………………………….
3. ………………………………………………………………….
C. Read the alternatives below and guess which ones are recommended on a
first date according to Hitch, the counseler.
1. When you go to a photograph exhibition on a first date…
a. Be the real you
b. Give her plenty of space
c. Stay next to your date when she lingers on a picture.
d. Maintain visual contact all the time.
e. Try to be as funny as possible.
2.When you go to a night club…
a. Dance all the time.
b. Walk a little when you leave the club.
c. Ask her/him what she thought about the show.
d. Look at her mouth when you are talking to each other
e. Listen to what she is saying and respond.
Answer Key:
C. Correct items:
1. a,b,d
2. b,c,e
Saturday, 28 February 2009
I Am Legend: Future Perfect


Discuss the following questions with a partner:
1 - Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future? Justify your answer.
2 - Do you think mankind will ever discover a cure for cancer?
3 - Will human beings be free from diseases in the future? Why (not)?
4 - What would a city like New York look like if all of its inhabitants had to evacuate it in a hurry?
5 - What would you do if you and your best friend could be alone in New York for a week, without any other inhabitants around? Would you enjoy this experience? What would you do there?
Now imagine that NY City had to be completely evacuated because of a very destructive virus. Check what you believe would happen to NY if such situation did happen.
( ) The streets would become extremely filthy.
( ) People would abandon their cars everywhere.
( ) Wild animals would escape from the zoo to look for food around the city.
( ) Animals would take control of the city.
( ) Some people would hide in the buildings to steal stores and banks.
( ) Life in NY would become a complete chaos.
( ) Power would go off.
( ) People wouldn't drive their cars because of the lack of gas.
( ) Buildings would be destroyed by the angry population.
Now watch the movie segment and pretend you are the main character in the movie, the one played by Will Smith. Imagine that you could have warned Dr. Alice Krippin about the consequences of her unfortunate discovery. Tell her what will have happened to NY within three years from now (by the year 2012) if she tests her discovery on human beings.
Ex:
By the year 2011, NY streets will have become completely filthy.
People will have abandoned their cars everywhere.
Wild animals will have escaped from the zoo to look for food around the city.
How to develop your own video activity
- Select a scene that takes place in the future, preferably with a pessimistic view of the future.
- Ask the students to observe the changes that will have taken place on Earth.
- The students write sentences with will + have + past participle.
WORKSHEET
Friday, 20 February 2009
Kangaroo Jack: Wish / If Only
A. Talk to a partner about the following questions: 

1 - What would you do if you ran over an animal in the middle of the road? Justify your answer.
2 - What do you know about Australia? Share what you know with your partner.
3 - Are you an adventurous person? Tell your partner about one great adventure of yours.
4 - Have you ever been to a safari? Would you like to go on one? Why (not)?
B. Watch the movie segment and fill in the blanks with the simple past tense of the verbs in parentheses. Use either either affirmative or negative forms, according to the segment.
Charlie, the kangaroo and Louis
1. Charlie _________________ (drive) too fast on such a dangerous road.
3. Charlie _________________(run over) a kangaroo.
4. Louis ________________ (put) on his jacket on the kangaroo.
5. Louis __________________ (check) what was in the pockets.
6. They _________________ (kill) the kangaroo.
7. They _________________ (crash) their car into a rock.
8. Charlie _________________ (be) kicked by the kangaroo.
9. The kangaroo __________________(hop) away with their money.
C. Rewrite the sentences above using wish and if only to express regrets.
Ex: 1. Charlie wishes he hadn't driven too fast on such a dangerous road.
2. If only they had paid attention to the animals on the road.
How to prepare your own video activity.
- Select a scene in which the characters regret their actions.
- Prepare an exercise in which the students have to decide whether they use affirmative or negative sentences about their wrong choices.
- Ask students to rewrite the sentences using the grammar goal.