Memoirs of a Geisha: Compound Adjectives

This is a marvelous movie that is full of cultural information and conflicts. I learned a lot about the fascinating Japanese culture, but the most important thing is the plot, which is gripping from the very first scene. I strongly recommend it. My students had a great time practicing this very hard-to-explore grammar point, which became attractive with the segment.

A. Watch the movie segment and rewrite the phrases below, using compound adjectives.

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA

1. The geisha was a lady who has fair skin.

She was a fair-skinned lady.

2. She is a Japanese woman who has blue eyes.

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

3. She was a geisha that had been trained well.

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

4. The geisha had to flirt with a man who was on a bicycle that was moving fast.

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

5. It was difficult for the geisha to walk on those shoes that had very high heels.

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

6. The geisha has to learn how to dance with fans that had a beautiful design.

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

7. The geisha's training is based on ancient beliefs that are rooted deeply.

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

8. They have to wear kimonos that were tailored perfectly.

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

B. Now discuss these questions with a partner.

1. What are some of the tasks a geisha has to go through to become successful?

2. Who are geishas?

3. What's your opinion about this tradition?

4. This segment takes place in 1941. How different do you think this tradition is nowadays?

WORKSHEET

Answer key:

2. a blue-eyed woman

3. a well-trained geisha

4. fast-moving bicycle

5. high-heeled shoes

6. beautifully-designed fans.

7. deeply-rooted beliefs

8. perfectly-tailored kimonos