Vincent Van Gogh British English Teacher

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GENERAL ENGLISH · HISTORICAL FIGURES · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)
VINCENT
VAN GOGH
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1 Warm up
Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch painter who lived from 1853 to 1890. Look at four of his paintings
and answer the questions.
1. Which of these paintings have you seen before?

2. Which do you like the most and why?
3. What do you know about Vincent’s life?
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INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)
VINCENT VAN GOGH
2 Vocabulary
Part A: Choose the best option to complete each sentence.
1. She was very poor when she was younger. She had hard / hardly / hardily any money.
2. I’m sorry that I can’t help you, but I’m just too busy. I have little / a little / a little of spare time.
3. We’re painting the kitchen a nice cheering / cheered / cheerful yellow.
4. He’s sick in bed with the flu and feeling really misery / misers / miserable.
5. Unfortunately, my elderly grandmother has become quite confused / confusing / confusingly so

she’s had to move into a care home.
6. They work so hard. They’re determining / determined / determine to make their new business a
success.
Part B: Match the words in bold from each sentence with the correct meanings.
1. Steam trains were invented in the 19th century, and they were in use for more than 100 years in
the UK.
2. Ordinary folk like us don’t stay in five-star hotels.
3. In the factory, the plastic game pieces are stamped with pictures using a die.
4. I’m going to buy some blue and green wool so I can knit a jumper for my son.
5. My doctor said I should eat more mackerel - it’s very healthy.
6. What ago-getter! I’m sure she’ll be a millionaire by the time she’s thirty.
a. a type of oily fish whose skin has beautiful colours and patterns
b. thick thread made from the hair of sheep or some other animals
c. an energetic, hard-working and intelligent person who is keen to succeed in life
d. a hard metal shape that is used to put a pattern on metal or plastic
e. transport that is powered by burning coal as fuel
f. people of a particular type
How do you think these words will be used in the story of Vincent’s life?
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VINCENT VAN GOGH
3 Listening 1
Read these sentences about Vincent’s life and try to predict if they’re true (T) or false (F). Then watch
the video to check your ideas.
1. The Van Gogh Museum is located in Paris.
2. Vincent’s mother suggested that he become an artist.
3. When he lived in Paris, Vincent learned how to use colour from other artists.
4. Vincent realised that he could paint the sea using many different types of blue.
5. Vincent made many beautiful paintings when he was ill in hospital.
6. Towards the end of his life, he gave up painting completely.
4 Language in context
Read these sentences from the video and choose the best option to explain the meaning of the words
in bold.
1. "He was proud of what he was doing, but others didn’t like it one bit. ...But Vincent carried on regardless."
→ He continued to work...
a. ...without looking at the painting he was working on.
b. ...without being affected by what anyone said.
c. ...without showing the paintings to anyone else.
2. "Vincent sometimes even had arguments about that. ... It made him unhappy he became ill and
confused. Very confused indeed."
a. at that time
b. for no reason
c. certainly, or really
3. "His troubles came back, and he didn’t want to live anymore." → This sentence hints that
a. ...he killed himself.
b. ...he moved to another area.
c. ...he couldn’t make enough money from his painting.

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VINCENT VAN GOGH
5 Listening 2
Read the questions. Can you remember the answers? Watch again to check.
1. Was Vincent famous in his lifetime?
2. Why was his painting "The Potato Eaters" typical of his work?
3. How did he use balls of wool in his work?
4. What were two reasons why he decided to leave Paris?
5. Vincent had a lot of arguments with people before the terrible event when he cut off his own ear.
What were these arguments about?
6. What can we learn from Vincent’s life?
6 Language point
Read these sentences from the video and put the words/phrases in the correct order.
1. drawing and painting / enjoyed most / he / of ordinary folk. / the lives / was / What
2. can teach us / he / is / should do / that you / What / what you’re good at.
These are called cleft sentences. Compare them with the sentences below, which have a more usual
word order. How does the word order in cleft sentences change the emphasis?
1. He most enjoyed drawing and painting the lives of ordinary folk.

2. He can teach us that you should do what you’re good at.

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VINCENT VAN GOGH
Tip: Cleft sentences are very useful in presentations. They are also used in written texts
where we cannot use our voice to emphasise important points.
Complete these cleft sentences so they are true for you. Share your ideas in pairs.
1. What I liked best about the video was . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2. What I learned was that . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. What I don’t understand is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4. What I’m good at is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5. What I enjoy most is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7 Talking point
Discuss these questions in pairs or small groups.
1. What would you ask Vincent if you could meet him?

2. Why was travel so important to Vincent in his life?
3. What’s your answer to this question that the video asks: What should be in a painting, something
that you can picture in your head or something that’s there before your eyes?
4. How do you think he would feel about how well-known and popular his work is today?
5. Which of these Vincent van Gogh quotes do you like best and why?

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VINCENT VAN GOGH
8 Optional extension
Nowadays, many people want to experience art in different ways. Look at these pictures and read
the captions. Then compare and contrast the two experiences and say which experience you would
enjoy more and why. Use at least one cleft sentence.
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TEACHER MATERIALS · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)
VINCENT VAN GOGH
Transcripts
3. Listening 1
00:00.00 This is the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. People come to this museum from all over
the world to admire the paintings of Vincent van Gogh. These days Vincent is world
famous, but when he was alive, hardly anyone knew his work. Do you want to know who
he was?
00:00.00 Take a journey back in time with us, and we’ll tell you how Vincent became an artist.
Vincent grew up in an exciting age - the age of the steam train. Vincent took the train to
other countries. He didn’t really know what he wanted to be, but fortunately his brother
Theo had a good idea. He wrote, “Vincent, you’re good at drawing.
00:00.00 Why not try something with that?” That was true. Vincent loved drawing. And painting?
He could learn that, couldn’t he? From that point on, Vincent knew what he wanted to
be - an artist. He made a start. What he enjoyed most was drawing and painting the lives
of ordinary folk, like this family of farmers: The Potato Eaters. He was proud of what he
was doing, but others didn’t like it one bit.
00:00.00 “That woman’s nose looks like the stem of a pipe with a die on the end of it!” But Vincent
carried on regardless. He wanted to be a good artist and worked hard. He just kept on
practising and practising, and then went to live with his brother Theo in Paris. There, he
learnt a lot from other artists. They used lots of different colours - he liked that. Vincent
began to paint with the same bright cheerful colours - bright reds, yellows and blues.
00:00.00 Vincent had little money, so he was careful with his paint. Before he started to paint, he
put balls of wool together to see whether the colours looked good. See, we still have his
box with the balls of wool. After a while, Paris became too busy for Vincent and there
was no one who wanted to buy his paintings.
00:00.00 He moved further south towards the sun and the light to the colours. In the South of
France, Vincent painted the colours of the corn, of the night and the sea. Vincent looked
very closely at the scene. After all, the sea was not just blue, it was made up of many more
colours - green, purple, blue, pink. The sea changes colour like the skin of a mackerel.
00:00.00 Vincent wanted to paint life the way he saw it and felt it. He talked about that with others
but not everyone could understand that. What should be in a painting, something that you
can picture in your head or something that’s there before your eyes? Vincent sometimes
even had arguments about that. That made him miserable. It made him unhappy he
became ill and confused. Very confused indeed.
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VINCENT VAN GOGH
00:00.00 Have you heard the story of how he came to cut off his own ear? Luckily there was
a hospital where they could take good care of him. It was a difficult time, but he kept
working when he could. He created very beautiful paintings like this one for his new-
born nephew. Once he was feeling a little better, Vincent moved to the countryside near
Paris.
00:00.00 All he did was paint and paint but even then, he wasn’t happy. His troubles came back,
and he didn’t want to live anymore. Vincent wasn’t very old when he died. He was a
determined and curious go-getter, and in his work he never gave up. What he can teach
us is that you should do what you’re good at. For Vincent that meant drawing and painting.
And you - and you what are you good at? Language point
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VINCENT VAN GOGH
Key
1. Warm up
5 mins.
Go over the introduction (you may need to elicit or explain that Dutch is the nationality word for people who come
from the Netherlands), and the pronunciation note below, to address any difficulties right from the start. Then
give students a minute to look at the paintings and answer the questions as a whole class activity. For the final
question, don’t confirm or deny any of their ideas. It’s fine if the class have limited knowledge – they will discover
more about Vincent during the lesson.
Pronunciation note: the Dutch pronunciation of van Gogh is very difficult for non-native speakers to produce. It
is recommended that English native speakers say van GOKH (with the -kh as in Scottish loch). However, English
native speakers often say Gogh as /g6f/ (to rhyme with off) or /g@U/ as in go. The video and lesson refer mostly
to Vincent, to avoid using the difficult surname. (Source: BBC)
Source:www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/magazinemonitor/2010/01/how_to_say_van_gogh.shtml
By Vincent van Gogh - National Gallery (NG3863), London, Public Domain,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=151970,
Sources for images: Reuters
2. Vocabulary
10 mins.
Part A
Explain that students will need to know some vocabulary to understand the listening. First, students complete
an exercise focusing on the meaning of some items which may already be familiar, but the challenge is to select
the correct form to complete the sentences. You should elicit or explain the meanings of hardly and little (used
without an article) - here they have a negative meaning of almost none. Drill pronunciation paying special attention
to miserable /"mIz.r@.b@l/ which looks as if it has four syllables but is often pronounced with three in fast speech.
The stress in confused and determined can also be tricky for students.
In the second exercise, students match meanings to words in bold. Drill pronunciation of all items and note that
mackerel is another word with a lost syllable: /"mæk.r@l/. Pose the follow-up question for students to discuss
briefly in pairs. This will help to prepare them for the listening. You could elicit some short responses around the
class to conclude this stage.
1. hardly 2. little 3. cheerful

4. miserable 5. confused 6. determined
Part B
1. → e. 2. → f. 3. → d. 4. → b. 5. → a. 6. → c.
3. Listening 1
10 mins.
First go over the sentences and ask students to work in pairs to predict the answers before they watch – this stage
will probably be very brief. Then students can watch the video and check their ideas. Before you check answers
with the whole class, students can check answers in pairs.
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VINCENT VAN GOGH
1. F - in Amsterdam. 2. F - his brother.

3. T - he liked the cheerful colours they used. 4. F - he used lots of other colours as well as blue.
5. T- including a lovely one for his nephew. 6. F - all he did was paint and paint ... he never gave up.
4. Language in context
5 mins.
This is a quick practice in deducing meaning from context, an important skill for students at this level. Go over
the sentences with the whole class and elicit the correct answers. Encourage students to notice the whole phrase
and drill pronunciation. You could point out that both regardless and indeed are adverbs.
Note: Vincent committed suicide by shooting himself. He died two days after the incident with his brother at his
side.
1. b. 2. c. 3. a.
5. Listening 2
10 mins.
Go over the questions with the whole class. Students should work in pairs before watching to recall/predict the
answers and then watch again to confirm/find the answers. They can check answers again in pairs before you go
over the answers with the whole class.
If any students need extra support for this exercise, you could make the transcript available to them while they
listen or after they listen. Students often enjoy listening and reading anyway – if you haven’t repeated the listening
more than twice so far, they may want to do this now.
1. No - hardly anyone knew his work. We also learn later in the video that he had difficulties selling his paintings.
2. It shows ordinary folk/people, in this case a family of farmers.
3. He used them to see if certain colours went together - he did this so he didn’t have to waste paint/money
experimenting.
4. It was too busy, and no one wanted to buy his paintings.
5. The arguments were about paintings and art, especially whether art should show only what we can see, or also
what we feel or imagine.
6. You should do what you’re good at.
6. Language point
10 mins.
This is a quick look at a useful sentence structure which students at this level can easily use to add emphasis or
variety to their writing or speaking. First, students reorder words and phrases to make sentences from the video.
Check answers and then go over the information and compare the cleft sentences with the more usual versions.
You may need to elicit/explain that emphasis means making an element stronger or more obvious. Cleft sentences
signpost that significant information is to follow and even tell the reader/listener why it’s significant. Point out the
tip. Student can complete five cleft sentence stems with their own ideas and then compare ideas in pairs, or if you
prefer, with the class. Monitor and support, correcting any errors. Typical errors include students not recognising
that they will complete most of the sentence stems with noun phrases (including gerunds). The stem which has
that as a final word will be completed by a clause.
1. What he enjoyed most was drawing and painting the lives of ordinary folk.
2. What he can teach us is that you should do what you’re good at.
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VINCENT VAN GOGH
These are called cleft sentences. Compare them with the sentences below, which have a more usual word order.
How does the word order in cleft sentences change the emphasis? 7→ Cleft sentences allow us to indicate
the most important information in the sentence by building up to it. Listeners know that something important is
coming and even why it’s important. Otherwise, we tend to pay attention to the initial subject + verb element of
the sentence, which here is not very interesting.
7. Talking point
10 mins.
Students can work in pairs or small groups to discuss these questions. If your classroom set-up allows, students
could move round the room, forming small groups to discuss one question at a time, changing groups for each
new question. They can use the glossary provided to help them understand the quotes. Conduct a quick round-up
of answers either after each question or at the end, encouraging students to give reasons and examples for their
answers.
Source for quotes: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/vincent-van-gogh-quotes
8. Optional extension
10 mins.
This task is similar to the picture description task in Cambridge exams and the aim is to speak on this topic for
about one minute. Go over the introduction and texts which accompany each experience. Students can take a
minute or two to formulate their responses to this task, using cleft sentences if they can. Ask them to deliver
their response to the class or to another student and offer feedback on task achievement as well as grammar,
vocabulary and pronunciation. You might even ask students to prepare a written response, perhaps as homework,
so that you can collect it for marking.
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HEAAADERLOGORIGHT

GENERAL ENGLISH · HISTORICAL FIGURES · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

1. Which of these paintings have you seen before?

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VINCENT VAN GOGH

Part A: Choose the best option to complete each sentence.

3. We’re painting the kitchen a nice cheering / cheered / cheerful yellow.

5. Unfortunately, my elderly grandmother has become quite confused / confusing / confusingly so

2. Ordinary folk like us don’t stay in ﬁve-star hotels.

5. My doctor said I should eat more mackerel - it’s very healthy.

c. an energetic, hard-working and intelligent person who is keen to succeed in life

d. a hard metal shape that is used to put a pattern on metal or plastic

e. transport that is powered by burning coal as fuel

f. people of a particular type

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VINCENT VAN GOGH

1. The Van Gogh Museum is located in Paris.

2. Vincent’s mother suggested that he become an artist.

5. Vincent made many beautiful paintings when he was ill in hospital.

6. Towards the end of his life, he gave up painting completely.

b. ...without being aﬀected by what anyone said.

c. ...without showing the paintings to anyone else.

a. ...he killed himself.

b. ...he moved to another area.

c. ...he couldn’t make enough money from his painting.

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VINCENT VAN GOGH

1. Was Vincent famous in his lifetime?

3. How did he use balls of wool in his work?

4. What were two reasons why he decided to leave Paris?

6. What can we learn from Vincent’s life?

1. He most enjoyed drawing and painting the lives of ordinary folk.

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VINCENT VAN GOGH

1. What I liked best about the video was . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Discuss these questions in pairs or small groups.

1. What would you ask Vincent if you could meet him?

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VINCENT VAN GOGH

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VINCENT VAN GOGH

1. hardly 2. little 3. cheerful

VINCENT VAN GOGH

1. F - in Amsterdam. 2. F - his brother.

VINCENT VAN GOGH

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