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GENERAL ENGLISH · PRACTICAL ENGLISH · ELEMENTARY (A1-A2)

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1 Warm up
Read the four sentences with phrases about music and films. For each phrase in bold choose the right
meaning (a or b).
1. Some singers are lucky - they attract a lot of attention when they start their career.

a. begin working at a new job:

b. make people want to look at them and talk about them:

2. Successful artists often release a new album every year.

a. singers or other performers who are popular, famous and/or rich:

b. make a new collection of songs and start to sell it:

3. She’s acting in a new film - she’s playing a character called Angel Sunbeam.

a. pretending to be another person to tell a story:

b. working as an actor in a movie:

4. Some singers change their name when they produce a film or music video.

a. decide to use a different name:

b. organise things or use technology to make a movie:

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2 Listening

Look at the picture of David Bowie. Read the sentences about this famous performer and choose the
best word to complete the sentence. Listen to check your ideas.

1. David Bowie was American / British.

2. He was from South London / East London.
3. His real name was David Jones / David Smith.
4. His first song was about the sea / space.
5. He was famous for his glasses and shoes / hair and makeup.
6. He was friends with Queen Elizabeth / the pop group Queen.
7. He was in lots of films / films and videos.
8. The name of his last album was Moonstar / Blackstar.

Use the words in the box to complete the sentences. One word is extra. Listen again to check your
answers.

1970s character album career artists attention

1
Bowie started his with the song Space Oddity in 1969.

2
In the early , Bowie played a character called Ziggy Stardust.

3
Ziggy Stardust’s hair and makeup attracted a lot of .

4
...he introduced a new in 1976 called The Thin White Duke.
5
Bowie worked with many other producers, pop groups and in the 1970s and
1980s including Queen and Mick Jagger.

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3 Language point

Study these sentences and choose the best answer to the questions below.

He was born in South London and then moved to Bromley, a nearby town. Bowie started his
career with the song Space Oddity in 1969 - this was the year that people first travelled to
the moon. Bowie married twice – in 1970 and 1992.

We use the past simple to talk about finished actions in the past.

1. We form the past simple of verbs like move, change and introduce by adding -d / -ed.
2. We form the past simple of verbs like start, play and attract by adding -d / -ed.
3. We form the past simple of verbs like travel by adding -ed / doubling the last consonant and
adding-ed.
4. We form the past simple of verbs like marry by adding -ed / removing the -y and adding -ied.
5. Find more examples of the first two types of verb in the text.

There are three ways to pronounce the -ed endings of regular past tense verbs. Listen and repeat.

/d/ /t/ /Id/

We use this for most verbs. We use this for verbs that end We use this for verbs that end
in the sounds /s/, /k/ and /tS/. in /t/ or /d/ sounds.

moved introduced started

changed worked attracted

travelled watched ended

There are three pronunciations because it is easier to say the words like this. Look at the diagram.

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Where do these verbs go in the pronunciation chart?

1. acted
2. continued
3. died
4. listened
5. played
6. released

Practise saying all the verbs.

4 Practice

Read the timeline of Nina Simone’s life. All the verbs in bold are in the present tense. Change them
to past simple. Then work in pairs to read the story out loud using the correct past simple forms and
pronunciation.

Nina Simone (1933-2003) was a famous African American singer and pianist. She was born in North
Carolina in the US. Her real name was Eunice Kathleen Waymon. She was famous for the song "My
Baby Just Cares for Me," and many others.

1936: She starts playing the piano at the age of three.

1950: She needs money to study at the best music schools.

She plays the piano at a bar to earn money. She changes her name to Nina Simone to hide her singing
career from her family.

1959: She releases an album called Little Girl Blue in 1959 but she never earns any money from it.

1960s: She works to get equal rights for African Americans in the US.

After 1970: Simone lives in different countries. She records albums in the 1980s and 1990s. She dies
in France in 2003.

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5 Writing

Two of the biggest bands in the world in the 1960s were the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Both
bands were British and their performances featured guitars and drums. But there were also many
differences.

Use the information in the table to compare the two bands using past simple forms. Connect the
information about the bands using the words but/and. The example will help you.

key words The Beatles (1960-1969) The Rolling Stones

(1962-today)

1 from Liverpool London

2 change band names The Quarrymen and The Silver Blues Boys and Blues Inc / The
Beatles / Beatles 1960 Rolling Stones 1962

3 release albums 12 studio albums 30 studio albums

4 perform last - live /laIv/ (in 1969, London 2019, Florida, US!
person for an audience)

5 act in films (as a band) A Hard Day’s Night / Help! never

/Yellow Submarine / Magical
Mystery Tour

6 attract attention long hair wild parties

7 move to India 1968 South of France 1970s

8 band members die John Lennon 1980 / George Brian Jones 1969
Harrison 2001

Example: 1 The Beatles were from Liverpool, but the Rolling Stones were from London.

Then read your sentences out loud and pronounce the -ed endings correctly.

Do you know and enjoy any music from these two groups?

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6 Extra practice/homework

Johnny Cash (1932-2003) was a famous singer and songwriter. He was born to a poor family in
Arkansas, USA. His real name was J.R. Cash. He was famous for country songs like, "I Walk the Line".

Read the rest of Johnny Cash’s life story. Use the words in the box to complete the text - you need
to change the forms to past simple. Then decide how to pronounce the endings of each verb.

arrest attract work record start

learn divorce change perform marry

1. Johnny Cash to play guitar as a young child.

2. He also in the fields with his family.
3. He to sing many songs at this time.
4. He his name to Johnny in 1950.
5. When he was a young man, the police him many times.
6. His black clothes and dangerous image a lot of attention.
7. Cash other singers’ songs as well as his own. Many of his songs were about making difficult
decisions.
8. He often in free concerts in prisons.
9. Cash his first wife in 1966 and his second wife in 1968.

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7 Optional extension

We often use the verb play when we talk about music. Look at the table below.

1) instruments 2) together 3) hearing 4) public performances

He plays (the) guitar. He plays in a group. They are playing his He plays in Las Vegas
song on the radio. every year.

Add these words to the table:

a. piano
b. solo
c. at the restaurant
d. live
e. drums
f. ten big arena concerts

Can you think of any more examples of musical instruments?

Tell your partner about music you play or music you like to hear. Use collocations with play from the
table.

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