LESSON 5 Giving away things

1 Grammar in context
A Are there a lot of homeless people in your area? How do people generally react toward the homeless?
B Read the article, what did Hannah Salwen´s family do and why?

THE POWER OF HALF

What would you do it saw a homeless person begging in the street? Walk on by?
Give a few spare coins? Not the Salwen family……. They gave much more than
that. Read their story and ask yourself, “What would I have done?”

Kevin Salwen was driving his 14 years old daughter, Hannah, back from a
sleepover. Hannah had often seen homeless people begging for food at the
stoplight near their home. But on this particular day, while they were waiting for
the light, Hannah noticed an expensive car in front of them and a homeless man
standing on the side of the road.
“If that guy didn’t have such a nice car, the man over here could have a meal,”
Hannah said the scene clearly made a deep impression on her, and she
continued to discuss it with her parents and brother for some time. She wanted
her family to make a difference in the world – even if it was a small difference.

“How much are you willing to give up?” her mom asked. “this house?” eventually, that’s exactly what the family did,
they sold their $2 million dream home and donated half the proceeds to the hunger projects work in Africa

If Hannah hadn’t seen the homeless man alongside the car that day, maybe the Salwens would still be in their dream
home. But would they be as happy? In their new, smaller house, they found they were spending more time together and
became closer as a family. They admit they might not have become so close if they had stayed in their old home

If you want to learn more about the Salwens´ remarkable story, visit their website.

C Turn your page. Then retell the story with a partner. How much detail can you remember?
2 Grammar imagining situation
A Circle the correct form of the action to complete the ideas below. Use the article to help you.
Then read the grammar chart.

1 What would you do if you see/saw a homeless person?

2 The family might not have become/become so close if they hadn’t moved to a smaller house.
3 If Hannah didn’t see/hadn’t seen the man and the car, the family might still live in the big house.

Conditionals
You can use connector If to talk about hypothetical events in the present or past. Notice the commas.
Present what would you do if you saw a homeless person on the street?
If + action in past / Helper + action if they looked hungry, I’d probably give him some money.
Past if you’d been in the car with Hannah, what would you have done?
If + past perfect / I might not have thought about it if she hadn’t mentioned it.
Helper + HAVE + present perfect

Mixed present and past if they still lived in their big house, would they have raised any money?
Maybe. But they might not be so close now if they had stayed there

B Complete the conversations with a correct form of the action given. Sometimes there is more than one correct
answer. Then ask the questions and give your own answers.
1. A Would the Salwens have had (have) the idea to sell their home, do you think, if Hannah
________ (Not see) the expensive car that day?
B Maybe not. If the car __________ (not stop) in front of them, she ______________ (might not decide) to
do something. But maybe she ___________ (do) something later.
2. A If you ____________ (be) in the car with Hannah that day, how ____________ you ___________ (react)?
B You mean, if I _____________ (see) the homeless man, too? I _____________ (not to do) anything.
3. A If you __________ (be) Hannah, how would you have ___________ (feel) when the house was sold?
B I ___________ (be) really upset if I ____________ (have to) move. But I guess I __________ (agree) to it.
4. A What __________ you ____________ (do) if someone ____________ (ask) you for money on the street?
B It Depends. Maybe I’d give them a few coins-if I ______________ (have) change.

3 Listening and speaking What would you give away?

A listen to three people talk about ways to help others. Number the summaries of what they say 1-3. Then listen
again and complete the ideas for each person.

If I Wanted to help, I’d…. I’d be able to do it if I….. I’d give to…….

Use the car less
Donate my time
Watch my spending on groceries

B Class activity Make a chart like the one above, and ask your classmates questions. Complete the chart with your
classmates’ ideas.