The Hunger: Since x For - Present Perfect

This is a classic. One of my all times favorite. This film talks about immortality and aging. I love it. I used this scene to practice the use of for and since in present perfect sentences. I hope you like it.

A. Before viewing the segment, discuss the following questions with a partner.



1. Are you afraid of aging? Why (not)?

2. Would you rather die extremely old or not that old? Explain it.

3. Would you make use of cosmetic surgeries to look young forever? Why?

4. Do you think that life gets better as you get older? Explain it.



B. Watch the segment now and fill in the blanks with since or for.

1. Some liver spots have appeared on his skin ............................ yesterday.

2. He has been aging fast ....................................the last 24 hours.

3. The Doctor has asked him to wait .....................................15 minutes.

4. He has lost a lot of hair .......................................... he started waiting for the doctor.

5. He has been waiting for the doctor ...................................... 2:35 pm.

6. He has been waiting .............................................. 2 hours and the doctor still hasn't seen him.


C. Now work with a partner. Make a list of everything you can remember that has changed in his appearance during the couple of hours he has been waiting for the doctor.


Ex: He has lost a lot of hair.

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Answer key:

1. since
2. for
3. for
4. since
5. since
6. for

The Brothers Bloom: Modal for Ability - Can

Not many people had the chance to see this under rated movie. I like it a lot and this scene is just perfect to talk about the use of modal verb CAN, for ability.





A. Ask a partner if he/she can do the following activities.


Model:


S1: Can you...?

S2: Yes, I can / No, I can't


1.Play a musical instrument?



2. Practice karate?


3.Turn somersaults?


4. Skate?


5. Play badminton?


6. Play table tennis?


7. Juggle with balls?


8. Juggle with chainsaws?


9. Jet ski?


10. Mix music at parties?


11. Make origami?


12. Speak Chinese?


B. Now watch the movie segment and write sentences about the main characters. Use the activities in the previous exercise and use can or can't. She sees people doing what she likes, so she buys books and learns how to do it. What can and can't she do now?



1. Ex. She can play the piano, the violin, the harmonica, the guitar and the banjo.
2.......................................................................
3.......................................................................
4.......................................................................








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City of Angels: Mixed Conditionals Sentences

This is a touching movie that makes you reflect upon your life. It is excellent. I used this moving scene to practice conditionals with mixed time frames. It is clear enough fo the students to realize the difference between present and past results in conditionals.





A. Watch the movie segment and read the sentences below. They describe what happened in the segment. Then fill in the blanks with the correct verb tense of the verb in parentheses. Pay attention to whether the consequences have a past or present result and if you will use affirmative or negative forms to make sense. These are hypothetical situations with different mixed time frames.

1.
The doctor operated on the patient.
She had to give the family the bad news.

If the doctor ____________ ( operate) on the patient, she ____________ (have) to give the family the bad news.


2.
The family didn't expect to lose him on the operating table.
They are suffering a lot now.

If the family __________ (expect) to lose him on the operating table, they __________ (be) suffering so much now.


3.
The doctor had to give the family the bad news.
She fell apart.

If the doctor __________ (have) to give the family such bad news, She _________ (fall) apart.


4.
She didn't massage the patient long enough.
She regrets it now.

If she _______________ (massage) the patient longer, she _________ (regret) it now.



5.
She couldn't see an angel comforting her.
She didn't have the chance to open up her heart to him.


If she _____________ (see) an angel comforting her, she __________ (had) the chance to open up her heart to him.

Answer Key:

1. hadn't operated / wouldn't have had

2. had expected / wouldn't be

3. hadn't had / wouldn't have fallen

4. had massaged / wouldn't regret

5. had seen / would have had

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Girl, Interrupted: Short Answers and Questions with There + to be

Angelina Jolie's amazing acting makes this movie stand out others. This scene is perfect topractice the verb there to be in a contextualized way. My students enjoyed it a lot!




A. Talk to a partner. Check the items that you think there is in a psychiatric institution.


( ) Several floors
( ) an art room
( ) a living room
( ) a gym
( ) phones
( ) a nurse's station
( ) a swimming pool
( ) classrooms
( ) a TV room
( ) bedrooms
( ) a post office


B. Now watch the segment about Susanna's (Winona Rider) first day at the institution. Check the items that you can find there.

C. Now ask questions using the items in exercise A. Make sure you use Is there... and Are there... in your questions. Your partner should answer with Yes, there is or No, there aren't.

Ex:
S1: Are there several floors there?
S2: Yes there are.


S2: Is there an art room there?
S1: Yes, there is.

D. Think about an ideal hospital. In your opinion, what is there and what isn't there in an excellent hospital? Use there is (not) or there are (not) to describe it.

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My Life in Ruins: Get / Have Something Done (Passive Voice with Causative Verbs)

I really liked this comedy. Greece is simply fabulous and the views are fascinating. The story is very relaxing and funny too. I used many scenes for different activities. This is the first one of them. I used it to practice causative verbs GET and HAVE in passive constructions. It is an unconventional manner to practice such a barren, unnatractive grammar point.






I. Before viewing the segment, talk to a partner about the following questions.









1. Have you ever stayed at a very bad hotel? Tell you partner about it and how you managed to stay there.



2. Do you complain when there is a problem in your hotel room? What do you do if they do not resolve the problem for you?


3. Do you prefer to stay at a bad hotel that is very well located in the city or at a sophisticated hotel that is not so well located? Explain it.



II. Watch the movie segment and check the problems that you could identify in the Greek hotel.

1. ( ) The elevator

2. ( ) The air conditioning system

3. ( ) The mini bar

4. ( ) The shower

5. ( ) The toilet

6. ( ) The fan

7. ( ) The bed

8. ( ) The TV

9. ( ) The telephone

10. ( ) The closet





III. Fill in the blanks with the passive form of the verbs in parentheses.










1. The elevator needs repairing. The hotel needs to _____________ (get / fix).

2. The shower doesn't work properly. The managers will ___________ (have/repair).

3. The toilet broke. Plumbers will ________________ (get/replace).

4. The TV stopped working. The hotel will __________(have/send) to the electrician.

5. The telephone is out of order. They will _______________ (get / reconnect) as soon as possible.





IV. Now write two sentences about the other problems you identified, using passive construction with get and have. Follow the patterns in exercise III.



V. Class discussion:

What would you do if you were in such a breathtaking place like Greece, but in that horrible hotel? Would you complain, demand to change rooms or hotels? Justify it.


Answer Key:

II.

1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10

III.

1. get it fixed
2. have it repaired
3. get it replaced
4. have it sent
5. get it reconnected




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Shall We Dance? & Save the Last Dance: Similes x Metaphors

Both movies are great. Shall We Dance? has Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez at their best and Save the Last Dance is absolutely amazing, with great songs. Both talk about kinds of music and these scenes are perfect to contrast similes and metaphors, about which many people, even teachers, have doubts.

A. Remember the difference between SIMILES and METAPHORS:


A simile - or to be like something - is to retain a difference which means one can never fully substitute for the other. On the other hand, a metaphor actually is a substitution - it is an equation in principle. Typically, if it needs further explanation, it's probably a simile; if it makes instant sense, it's most likely a metaphor. The simile is always poetic, while the metaphor always has the ring of truth. They are similar, but different in essence.

Simile - Basic Rule: If it uses the words "is like" or "is as", it is usually a simile; if it uses the word "is", without "as" or "like", it is usually a metaphor .

B. Before watching the first movie segment from the movie "Shall We Dance?", try matching the first part of the sentence with the simile or metaphor in the second column.

1. The rumba

2. The rumba

3. You have to hold her

4. Let her go

5. Put her back

6. Then finish

( ) like the skin of her thigh is your reason for living.

( ) like she's ruined your life.

( ) is the dance of love.

( ) like your heart's being ripped from your chest.

( ) is a vertical expression of a horizontal wish.

( ) like you're going to have your way with her, right there on the dance floor.

C. Now watch the segment and check your answers. Identify which items are similes and metaphors.

Answer key: 3, 6, 1 (or 2), 4, 2 (or 1), 5
Metaphors are: 1 and 2

D. Now repeat the process with the next segment from the movie Save the Last Dance. Make a guess matching the first part of the sentence with the simile or metaphor.

1. Hip Hop is

2. Be strong

3. Sit

4. Slouch a little bit

( ) like you're chilling

( ) like you're a nasty bitch

( ) like an attitude

( ) like a tree

E. Now watch the movie segment and check your answers. Identify which items are similes or metaphors

Answer Key: 3, 4, 1, 2 - All are similes.

F. Think about the most popular dance or music in your country and write 2 similes and 2 metaphors describing it.

Ex: SAMBA.

Samba is like a volcano in the heart. (Simile)

Samba is a ferocious animal in the shape of dance. (Metaphor)

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Ice Age: Possessive Adjectives

Ice Age is one of my favorite animated movies. This scene is great and I used it to practice the use of adjective pronouns, not for beginners, but basic learners. I hope you enjoy it!






A. Watch the movie segment about an eskimo family that is attacked by a group of sabre-tooth tigers. Then complete the blanks with adjective pronouns.


My - Your - His - Her - Its - Our - Their








1. The eskimo tribe lived in the woods. The sabre-tooth tigers invaded __________ territory.


2. The eskimos had some dogs. They barked to warn _________ owners about the dangerous tigers.


3. Kinu, the eskimo, used ___________ spear to fight the tiger and protect ________ family.


4. Jana, the eskimo mother, held __________ baby before Diego, the tiger, attacked it. She would never leave _______ child behind.


5. The tiger grabbed ____________ necklace, but it didn't grab ___________ baby.


6. ________________ husband could not help her because of the tigers. Kinu wanted to help _______________ wife and child, but she ran away with _________ baby.


7. The dogs defended ______________ owner from the tigers.


8. The tigers were unhappy with Diego because of __________ incompetence to get the baby.


9. Kinu found _________ wife's necklace. _______________ friends followed him to look for _________ wife and child.


10. Did you like the segment? What's __________ opinion about it?



11. I (liked/didn't like) it. In ___________ opinion, the segment is (great / terrible / fantastic / etc).




Answer Key:

1. their
2. their
3. his / his
4. her / her
5. her / her
6. her / his / their
7. their
8. his (its)
9. his / his / his
10. your
11. my



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