TASK 1 – APRIL 2021

Pre- reading

Can you guess the meaning of the following words in the text?

SISTER- IN-LAW: ……………………………………………………………………

MAISONETTE: ………………………………………………………………………
SUBURB: ……………………………………………………………………………….
RECEPTIONIST: …………………………………………………………………….
BRUNCH: ………………………………………………………………………………
GO OUT: ……………………………………………………………………………….
DISSERTATION: …………………………………………………………………….

Read and check:

Hi! My name´s Mary-Joe. I´m American. I´m 25 and I´m single, with no
children. I live with my brother and sister-in –law (and my little black
Yorkshire Feli) in a large maisonette in Pellham, which is a suburb of
NYC. I work as a receptionist for the Sheraton ´s Hotel & Towers at NYC. Every morning, I go to
work by train. At 11.30 am, I stop to have brunch (I don´t eat lunch). I get home about 6.30 am. In the
evening I usually go out with my friends to see a movie, go to a disco or a nightclub if it is Friday - or
if it is not, I go to the library to find information about my dissertation. I´m a post-graduate student at
New York University. Sometimes I go to shows or music plays with my friends. I have recently seen
Evita in Broadway. In New York, there´s something to do every evening!

Complete the chart with information from the text:

Full name

Nationality

Age

Family

job

Evening activities

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Post reading activities
GRAMMAR AWARENESS 1

Have a look at these three sentences:

My name´s Mary-Joe. I´m American. I´m 25 and I´m single.

● What verb is common in all of them? How is this verb called?

● How is this verb formed? What does it indicate?
● Can you complete this chart with this verb tense use in the AFFIRMATIVE?

SINGULAR PLURAL

I YOU

YOU WE

HE/SHE/ IT THEY

● How is the NEGATIVE FORM used? Are there examples in the text? And the INTERROGATIVE?
Create a chart with their use.

GRAMMAR AWARENESS 2

a. Have a look at the words in the pre-reading section. These words can be grouped in this way:

⮚ SISTER- IN-LAW is a HYPHENATED COMPOUND. DEFINITION:

Combination of two or more words together, especially when they're used as an adjective, you should
hyphenate them.

⮚ MAISONETTE is a BORROWING. DEFINITION the process by which a word from one language is adapted
for use in another

⮚ SUBURB and RECEPTIONIST are TRANSPARENT WORD. DEFINITION these are words that are similar in
FORM & MEANING to Spanish words (in this case)

⮚ BRUNCH is a BLENDED WORD. DEFINITION: The end of one word is appended to the beginning of the
other. In this case, Breakfast is blended with luNCH

⮚ GO OUT is a PHRASAL VERB. DEFINITION: a phrase that combines a verb with a preposition or adverb.
meaning is different from the combined meanings of the individual words.

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 ⮚ DISSERTATION is a FALSE FRIEND. DEFINITION: a word or expression that has a similar form to one in a
person's native language, but a different meaning. DISSERTATION isn´t DISERTACION like in Spanish.

b. Can you put these other examples in the corresponding groups?

conductor / selfie / get up / temperature / toilet / mostaneza /chilli /sensible / / break up

/ camcorder / go on /smog / get-together/ newscast / / hands-on / cut off/ close-up /
communication/ follow-up/ / television / argument / intelligent / pizza / summary

HYPHENATED BORROWINGS TRANSPARENT BLENDED FALSE PHRASAL

COMPOUND WORDS WORDS FRIENDS VERBS

c. Can you look for these words definitions? (ex b)

d. Can you look for TWO more examples of each group?

a. Now, visit the following sites and do some grammar games with the new VERB TENSE!

https://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=2813

http://www.engames.eu/grammar/Verb%20to%20be/Verb%20to%20be%20quiz%20(Web)/index.html

b.

Imagine (John Lennon)

Here the author describes himself and an “imaginary world”. Listen to the song and complete with the correct form of
the verb “to be” in the present simple.

https://youtu.be/YkgkThdzX-8

Imagine there _____ no heaven Nothing to kill or die for

It ______ easy if you try And no religion, too
No hell below us Imagine all the people
Above us only sky Living life in peace... You...
Imagine all the people
Living for today... Aha-ah... You may say I _______ a dreamer
But I ______ not the only one
Imagine there’s no countries1 I hope someday you'll join us
It _______ hard to do And the world will be as one

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Imagine no possessions
Remember that songs sometimes alter grammar to I wonder if you can
respect metrics and rhythm

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No need for greed or hunger Imagine all the people
A brotherhood of man Sharing all the world... You...

Beautiful (Christina Aguilera)

Here the author starts describing a personal situation and herself and then, she empathically describes her listeners.
Listen to the song and complete with the correct form of the verb “to be” in the present simple.
https://youtu.be/eAfyFTzZDMM

Every day _____ so wonderful Yes words can't bring you down
Then suddenly Oh no
It ______ hard to breathe So don't you bring me down today
Now and then I get insecure
From all the pain No matter what we do (no matter what we do)
I ______ so ashamed No matter what we say (no matter what we say)
We _____ the song inside the tune (yeah, oh yeah)
I ______ beautiful Full of beautiful mistakes
No matter what they say
Words can't bring me down And everywhere we go (and everywhere we go)
I ______ beautiful The sun will always shine (the sun will always, always,
In every single way shine)
Yes words can't bring me down And tomorrow we might awake
Oh no On the other side
So don't you bring me down today
'Cause we _____ beautiful
To all your friends you _____ delirious No matter what they say
So consumed Yes words won't bring us down
In all your doom, ooh Oh no
Trying hard to fill the emptiness We _____ beautiful
The pieces gone In every single way
Left the puzzle undone Yes words can't bring us down
Ain't that the way it is Oh no
So don't you bring me down today
You ______ beautiful
No matter what they say Oh, oh oh
Words can't bring you down Don't you bring me down today, yeah
Oh no Don't you bring me down, ooh
You ______ beautiful Today
In every single way