The Karate Kid: Phrasal Verbs

This new version of Karate Kid in a pretty decent one. In fact, I prefer this one much better than the one from the 80's. This scene is perfect for basic learners to practice the use of phrasal verbs in a contextualized manner and have fun, playing a non-competitive game with it.




I. Before you watch the segment, try to match the verb and the preposition in order to make phrasal verbs. The object pronoun is the word JACKET (it). Remember: these phrasal verbs are separable and the word JACKET (or it) will come between the verb and the preposition. There is more than one possible matching.

PUT TAKE HANG TAKE PICK

THE JACKET (IT)

OFF ON UP DOWN

II. Watch the movie segment and check your answers.








III. GAME:


- Give each student a piece of clothing or ornament ( a handkerchief, a shirt, a jacket, a ring, a bracelet, etc).


- Student 1 tells the class what they are supposed to do with the objects, using the phrasal verbs above. He has to be fast and the other students have to perform the action. When someone makes a mistake, he/she will be the next one to give the instructions.


Ex: Put it on, take it off, put it on, take it down, pick it up, take it down, put it on, etc.






Answer key: The instructions in the segment and the correct phrasal verbs are:


"Put on your jacket, take it off, hang it up, take it down, and pick it up" ~ Mr. Han

Up: Used to

In my opinion, this is the best animated movie of all times. I laughed, but I cried a little too. This touching story has this beautiful scene that I used to practice the use of USED TO. It is great for the simple past tense too, but this will come up at a different post. Hope you enjoy it like my students did.

I. Watch the movie segment and check the activities the couple used to do during the years they lived together.

1 ( ) work around the house together

2 ( ) do home improvement

3 ( ) look for object shapes in clouds

4 ( ) swim on the beach

5 ( ) travel around the world

6 ( ) sell balloons

7 ( ) read books together

8 ( ) share the good and bad moments of life

9 ( ) save money for rainy days

10 ( ) go windsurfing

11 ( ) wear different kinds of ties

12 ( ) dance romantically

13 ( ) Be happy

14 ( ) Fight all the time

Answers: Incorrect items - 4, 5, 10, 14

II. Now write the items above using USED TO or DIDN'T USE TO.

Ex:

1. They used to work around the house together.

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - UP

Blindness: Modal Verb for Ability - CAN

Saramago's book had a decent adaptation, which was filmed in São Paulo. This intriguing scene is great for beginners to pracice the modal verb for ability CAN.

I Watch the movie segment and check the activities that the main character in the segment can do.


1. ( ) Drive home

2. ( ) Hear the car horns

3. ( ) Open the car window

4. ( ) Say what happened to him

5. ( ) Walk without any help

6. ( ) See the traffic light

7. ( ) Go home without any help

8. ( ) Call his wife for help








II. Now rewrite the sentences using CAN or CAN'T.


Ex:

1. He can't drive.



WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - BLINDNESS



Answers:

2. He can hear the car horns

3. He can open the car window

4. He can say what happened to him

5. He can't walk without any help

6. He can't see the traffic light

7. He can't go home without help

8. He can't call his wife for help

Old Dogs: Because of x Because

This is a really funny movie. There are several scenes you can use to contrast the use of because and because of, but this one is one of the best. My students loved it.

I. Watch the movie segment and then complete the blanks with because or because of.

1. They broke into an enclosure ________ they were not allowed to get in.

2. They got terrified ___________ the gorilla.

3. The gorilla threw a tire at him ______ he was intimidated by the invaders.

4. The penguins attacked them ___________ they were defending their space.

5. The gorilla held him in its arms _________ his small size.

6. He got angry at penguins __________ the attack in the enclosure.

7. A superhero was hired _____________ the birthday party.

8. He wore the superhero outfit ___________ it was the only way to get in the party.

9. He fell into a pond _____ there was a problem with the flying device.

10. Everything he did was ________ his children.

II. Talk to a partner:

1. Do you like zoos? When was the last time you went to one?

2. Is it fair to keep animals in a zoo, instead of in the wildlife? Explain it.

3. What's your favorite zoo animal?

4. What would you do if you were caught in the gorillas enclosure?

5. Have you ever been attacked by an animal? Talk about it.

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - OLD DOGS

Answer key

1. because 2. because of 3. because 4. because 5. because of 6. because of 7. because of 8. because 9. because 10. because of

(500) Days of Summer: Wish/ If Only

This is a great movie and this scene is perfect to practice the use of wish and if only, because it shows at the same time what the main character expected to happen before his date and what actually happened . The contextualization is perfect for this grammar point.






I. Watch the movie segment. Tom wanted his expectations to align with reality. Read what his expectations are and then write sentences paraphrasing his expectations, using wish or if only. Finally, write another sentence explaining what actually happened.


HIS EXPECTATIONS BEFORE THE DATE:


1. She will hug him tenderly when she receives his gift.

Ex: He wished she would hug him tenderly when she received the gift, but she just thanked him.

2. He will spend the whole dinner romantically talking to her.

.............................................................

3. He will give her a passionate kiss.

.............................................................

4. She will fall in love with him.

.............................................................

5. He will leave the dinner party with her.

............................................................

6. They will make up and be together forever.

............................................................




Answer Key:


Possible answers

1. He wished she would hug him tenderly when she received the gift, but she just thanked him.

2. If only he would spend the whole dinner romantically talking to her, but he ended up talking to her boring friends.

3. He wished he would give her a passionate kiss during the dinner party, but she didn't give him a chance to do it.

4. If only she would fall in love with him, but she had gotten engaged with another guy.

5. He wished he would leave the party with her, but he went home alone.

6. He wished they would make up and be together forever, but that didn't happen.




WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - (500) DAYS OF SUMMER

Juno: 2nd Conditional (with Would and Should)

This is a great movie. Teenage pregnancy is dealt with in a creative, different manner. My students had a lot to say about it. I used it to practice the second conditional in a contextualized manner.

I. Watch the movie segment and answer the following questions in groups:

1. Describe what happened in the segment.

2. What was her mother's reaction?

3. What was her father's reaction?

4. What was her friend's reaction?

5. What did Juno say she was going to do? Do you like her idea? What do you think will happen next?

6. What would you do if...? Make sure you use the 2nd Conditional.

If you were Juno?

If I were Juno, I would ...........................

If you were Juno's best friend?

If you were Juno's parents?

If you were the father of the baby?

If you were the foster parents to whom Juno promised to give the baby away.

II. Now imagine the same situation Juno is facing, but consider the father's situation below. What should the father of the baby do if:


- he were under aged too

If he were under aged too, he should ...


- he were over 18


- he were over 40


- he were married


- Juno denied to reveal the father's identity


WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - JUNO

The Ant Bully: This, That, These, Those - Demonstrative Pronouns

This is a wonderful movie. It's fun, clever and the graphics are amazing. I took advantage of this attractive scene to practice the use of demonstrative pronouns, because the characters use them all the time in a contextualized and visual manner.


I. Before watching the scene, complete the blanks with THIS, THAT, THESE, or THOSE. There is more than one possible answer.

1. __________ is a big nest.

2. What's ________?

It's just a door.

3. All your guests pass under __________ door?

4. Oh, ________ is too bad! Now we have to go home!

5. ________ is called hang-gliding.

6. Oh, sorry, was ________ the word?

7. ________ is Hawaii. We went there last summer.

8. ______ are the pyramids. Well, not the real pyramids...

9. Are __________ your nest mates?

Yeah, ________'s my family.

10. Is __________ what humans do when they are sad?

11. When we ants are sad, we do _________ .

II. Now watch the movie segment and check if your answers are correct, according to the segment.

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE ANT BULLY

Answer Key:

1. this, 2. that, 3. this, 4. that, 5. this, 6. that, 7. this, 8. these, 9. these / that, 10. that, 11. this