Video Session: “The Holiday”

(starring: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Jude Law)

Watch the first scenes of the film “The Holiday” and go through the following
activities having in mind what you saw.

 Describe the main characters in detail. Write their names in each bubble.

 Where does the film take place? Describe both places.

 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the adjectives.

1. Amanda’s place is ……………………………. (big) than Iris’ place.
2. Iris’ cottage was built in the ……………………………. (beautiful) place in town.
3. The roads in L.A. are ……………………………. (large) than in Surrey but Surrey has got
……………………………. (few) traffic than L.A.
4. L.A. is one of the ……………………………. (popular) places in the USA.
5. Amanda’s house is ……………………………. (modern) than Iris’ cottage.
6. Iris is as ……………………………. (attractive) as Amanda.
7. Amanda’s house has got ……………………………. (many) facilities than Iris’ place. In fact,
her house is the ……………………………. (expensive) of the two.
8. Iris feels as ……………………………. (depressed) as Amanda.

 Complete the sentences to express preferences.

1. Iris would prefer ……………………………. (travel) to somewhere far away.

2. Amanda would rather ……………………………. (visit) a place where there aren’t any men.
3. Both girls prefer ……………………………. (travel) to ……………………………. (stay) at
home at Christmas.

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 4. Both girls prefer ……………………………. (switch) houses as soon as possible rather than
……………………………. (spend) another day in their cities.
5. Amanda would rather ……………………………. (go) to the town centre by car than
……………………………. (walk).

 Choose the correct option.

1. The girls plan Switch / switching / TO SWITCH houses.

2. This holiday will CHANGE / CHANGING / TO CHANGE the girls’ life for the better.
3. In one of the scenes, Iris considers COMMIT / COMMITTING / TO COMMIT suicide.
4. Amanda wants KNOW / KNOWING / TO KNOW if her husband cheated on her.
5. Amanda refuses LIVE / LIVING / TO LIVE another day with her husband, so she asks him
LEAVE / LEAVING / TO LEAVE the house.
6. Iris can’t help FEEL / FEELING / TO FEEL extremely miserable.

Vocabulary: choose the correct definition.

- Home exchanging: switching houses/moving far away/ changing (something) for

something else of a similar value or type
- Fall out (of love): to hate someone/ to start loving someone/ to stop loving someone
- Switch places: to change residence for a long or short period of time/ to move to a
particular place in a country/ to occupy another person’s position or role.
- Crisscross continents: to travel from one continent to another and vice versa/ to move to
another continent/ to travel across a continent
- House swapping: getting rid of your house and getting another in its place/ switching
houses/ sharing houses