Saturday, July 31

The Proposal: Past Perfect x Past Perfect Continuous

Romantic comedies are not my favorite kind of movie, but they usually have great scenes for grammar. This one is no exception. I think this is one of the funniest scenes involving dogs that I have ever seen. I used it to practice contrasting the past perfect and the past perfect continuous tenses.





A. Fill in the blanks with the past perfect or the past perfect continuous form of the verbs in parentheses. When both are possible, use the past perfect continuous.



1. She _______________ (leave) the house when the dog started following her outside.


2. She _________________(talk) on the phone for a few minutes when the eagle fetched the dog.



3. The eagle _____________ (fly) with the dog in its claws when she threw the phone at the bird.


4. The eagle ___________ (drop) the dog when she caught him before he hit the ground.


5. She ______________ (run) away from the eagle when it suddenly took her phone from her hands.


6. She _________________ (carry) the dog around the yard when her fiance and his family finally saw her there.



7. She ___________(let) the dog go when the couple held each other in the garden.



Answer Key:

1.had left
2. had been talking
3. had been flying
4. had dropped
5. had been running
6. had been carrying
7. had let

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Saturday, July 24

12th Braz Tesol - São Paulo

I have just returned from the 12th Braz Tesol in São Paulo. I had a great time there and attended some very interesting presentations. I met old friends, peers, presenters, people who make a difference. I believe the workshops I presented there worked just fine and the audience was very receptive. In 2012, try joining the conference. I'm sure you will enjoy it. By the way, it will be in Rio!!! If you were in São Paulo at this Braz Tesol, give your opinion about it here, please.

The Third Miracle:Past Modals for Speculation

If you have never seen this movie, run to the next dvd store and don't hesitate renting it. I love the unexpected ending. This scene is great to practice past modals, but this time answering questions with the target grammar goal.








A. Watch the movie segment and answer the questions using past modals for speculation.





1. The little girl prayed in front of a church. What must/might she have asked for in her prayers?

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


2. What might have happened after her prayers that made her smile?

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



3. What might the soldiers have seen in the sky?

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


4. What might have happened after that scene?

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




B. Now watch the second segment, which explains what actually happened.
Check whether your guesses were right. Then discuss the questions that follow.








1. What actually happened?

2. Do you believe in miracles? Why (not)?

3. What could have been a possible explanation for the happening?

4. Do you believe this is a true story? Why (not)?

5. Have you ever heard of a miracle you believed actually happened? Tell us about it.


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Saturday, July 17

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



Saturday, July 10

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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Saturday, July 3

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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