PRINT & TEACH LESSON MARCH 2010

NEVER
This lesson requires a
recording of
All Saints’ song:
Never Ever

advanced
Language Function: listening comprehension; understanding lyrics
upper-intermedia te
intermediate
Grammar Focus: present perfect with time words; present perfect vs past simple pre-intermediate

focus on grammar:
present perfect with time words

I have never been an intellectual but I

have this look.

When we talk about events with words that mean

‘at some/any time up to now’, we normally use
the present perfect.
Have you ever been in love?
I’m almost sure I’ve met him before.
Have you seen any good films
recently? I’ve already read this book.
My son has never been to England.
I haven’t finished my homework yet.

We do not normally use the present perfect with

expressions which refer to a finished time, such
as: last month, two weeks ago, yesterday, etc.
Were you in love when you married him?
I’m almost sure I met him two weeks ago.
I have never been Did you see any good film last night?
an intellectual but I have this look. I read this book a couple of years
ago.
My son went to England when he was 16.
I didn’t go to school last week.
NEVER EVER

Activity 1. Choose the correct tense.

1. (Has / Did) the postman come yet? 6. She (has left / left) at six this morning.

2. We (havenʼt seen / didnʼt see) Johnʼs daughter
recently.
3. I (have received / received) an email from him
yesterday.
4. When (have you got / did you get) married?
7. I donʼt think we (have met / met) before.
8. The shops (have already closed / already closed) for
the day.
9. We (have stayed / stayed) in a 5 star hotel during
our holidays.

5. I (have never worked / never worked) for this 10. I (have made / made) a lot of mistakes in my life.
company.

focus on listening
Activity 2. Listen to the beginning of the song. What
All Saints enjoyed tremendous
questions the singer would like to ask her ex-
boyfriend? success in Britain, the States and
Australia during the late 1990s. Their
‣ How ..............................................................
biggest hit was Never Ever. Shazney
Lewis, one of four girls forming the
..................................................................... so?
band, wrote the song after splitting
‣ What ............................................................. up with her boyfriend.
The song won 1998 Brit Awards for
.............................................................. wrong ?
Best Single and Best Video.
‣ How long ......................................................
.................................................................... on?

‣ Was .............................................................
......................................................... attention ?

‣ Did ..............................................................
......................................................... affection ?

‣ Did .............................................................
................................................................ right ?

‣ Did ..............................................................
................................................................ fight ?
NEVER EVER

Activity 3. Listen to the whole song and underline the correct word in every pair.

All Saints Album: All Saints

NEVER EVER Lyrics and Music: Robert Jazayeri,

Shazney Lewis, Sean Mather

lyrics

A few questions that I need to know 'Cause I heard this feeling

how you could ever hurt me so won't last that 10) [long / wrong]
I need to know what I've done wrong Never ever have I ever felt 11) [so low /
and how long it's been going on solo]
Was it that I never paid enough attention? When you gonna take me out of this 12)
Or did I not give enough affection? hole? [rat / black]
Not only will your answers keep me sane Never ever have I ever felt so sad
but I'll know never to make the same mistake again The way I'm feeling yeah, you got me feeling really bad
You can tell me to my face or even on the phone
You can write it in a letter, either way, I have to know Never ever have I had to find
Did I never treat you right? I've had to 13) away to find my own peace of
Did I always start the fight? mind [dig / be]
Either way, I'm going out of my mind I've never ever had my conscience to fight
all the answers to my questions The way I'm feeling, yeah, I just don't feel right
I have to find
I'll keep 14) [surgeon / searching]
My head's 1) [steaming / spinning] 15) within my soul [Deep / Live]
Boy, I'm in a 2) [daze / days] For all the answers
I feel 3) [isolated / I’m so late] Don't wanna hurt no more
Don't wanna communicate
I need peace, got to feel at ease
I'll take a 4) , I will scour [show / shower] Need to be.
I will 5) [run / rub] Free from pain - going insane
To find peace of mind My heart aches, yeah
The happy mind I once 6) , yeah [owned /
owed] Sometimes vocabulary runs ...

7) vocabulary runs right through me I'm not crazy,

[lesson / vexing] I'm sure ...
The alphabet runs 8) from A to Z [light /
right] Never ever have I ever felt ...
Conversations, hesitations in my mind
You got my conscience asking questions that I Never ever have I had to find ... x4
9) find [can / can’t]
You can tell me to my face,
I'm not crazy You can tell me on the phone,
I'm sure I ain't done nothing wrong, no Uh, You can write it in a letter, babe
I'm just waiting 'Cause I really need to know
NEVER EVER

focus on vocabulary
Activity 4. Find these words and expressions in the lyrics of the song.

1. ..................................................... not mentally ill

2. .................................................... to turn around and around quickly

3. .................................................... unable to think normally

4. .................................................... to remove dirt from something by rubbing it hard with

something rough

5. .................................................... causing someone to feel angry, annoyed or upset

the part of you that judges how moral your own actions are
6. .................................................... and makes you feel guilty about bad things that you have
done

7. ..................................................... relaxed

Game
You need: Objects which can be used as tokens
How to prepare: Sit in a circle (groups should consist of at least 4
players). Hand out the same number of tokens (e.g. 10) to each
person playing the game.
How to play: Each person, when it is his/her turn, says something
he/she has never done, but which he/she thinks or knows other
players have. For instance, the first person says, “I’ve never eaten
octopus”. All players who have eaten octopus must put one token in
the centre on the circle. They now have nine tokens left. The next
player says his/her sentence, “I’ve never driven a Porsche”.
Whoever admits they have driven a Porsche must put their token in
the middle. After a few rounds, players have fewer and fewer tokens.
Once someone turns in their last token, they are out of the game.
Who wins: The player who is the last person still in the game