Talking about hypothetical situations. These kids ages 3 to 11 play"Would You Rather". Listen and see if they have
anything to teach us.
In this video, taken from Jamie Keddie's site, Lessonstream.org, James and Jess decide which would be better: to spend a month in prison or two
years alone on a desert island.
Now, it's your turn to talk. Do you agree or disagree with James and Jess? Give reasons for your answers.
Let's discuss similar questions proposed by Jamie Keddie:
Would you rather be able to speak English like a native English speaker, or speak 12 other languages at elementary level?
Would you rather walk to work naked or eat a sheep’s eye ball?
Would you rather be the world’s best singer or the world’s best dancer?
Would you rather be able to fly or make yourself invisible?
As we have just heard in the video, when talking about hypothetical situations, we can use these expressions below:
I would … / I’d …
I wouldn’t …
Would you … ?
You would have to …
You would be able to … / You could …
Second conditional structures (e.g. If I had enough books, I would choose a desert island.)
Video
transcript
Jamie: Would
you rather spend a month in prison or two years alone on a desert island?
James: Oh, a
month in prison, definitely.
Jess: Why?
James:
Because, a month in prison, you have company for a start. It’s only a month
long and you get adequate care taken of you. A desert island, you’re left
alone. You don’t have that.
Jess: But
that’s kind of fun.
James: Well,
it’s fun if you have, you know, adequate resources.
Jess: If I
had enough books, I would definitely choose a desert island.
James: What
about water and food?
Jess: Well,
yeah. As in like ... hmm ... yeah, I wouldn’t be very good at that.
James: Plus,
you have to think suncream ... you know ... you get books in prison.
Jess: Then
I’ll sit in the shade. I don’t know. Hmm ...
James: What
would be the problem for prison for you?
Jess: It
would just be a bit grim. Like at least if you were on a nice island, it would
be nice and scenic.
James: Yeah.
And you’d feel like a free person.
Jess: It’d
be like ... it’d be like a holiday. But then you wouldn’t see anyone for two
years and probably go crazy.
James: Two
years is quite a long time ...
Jess: Yeah
James:
Whereas one month is ...
Jess: Maybe
I’d pick prison as well.
James: Yeah
Jess: You’d
also get really ripped because you’d probably ...
Write a narrative for the story of Sarah and Juan. First, watch the video and then, write all the facts in the Past Simple tense. After that, organize the ideas with sentences using the Past Perfect and the Past Simple tenses. Connect your ideas with the following words: when, by the time, after, before and because.
"Can't Help Falling In Love" - Elvis Presley (Cover by Haley Reinhart)
I would like to leave this city
This old town don't smell too pretty and
I can feel the warning signs running around my mind
And when I leave this island
I book myself into a soul asylum
I can feel the warning signs running around my mind
So here I go
I'm still scratching around in the same old hole
My body feels young but my mind is very old
So what do you say?
You can't give me the dreams that are mine anyway
You're half the world away
You're half the world away
And when I leave this planet
You know I'd stay but I just can't stand it and
I can feel the warning signs running around my mind
And if I can leave this spirit
I'll find me a hole and I'll live in it
I can feel the warning signs running around my mind
So here I go
I'm still scratching around in the same old hole
My body feels young but my mind is very old
So what do you say?
You can't give me the dreams that are mine anyway
You're half the world away
You're half the world away
You're half the world away
I've been lost, I've been found
But I don't feel down
You're half the world away
I've been lost, I've been found
But I don't feel down
I don't feel down
"Real Love" (John Lennon)
All my little plans and schemes
Lost like some forgotten dream
Seems like all I really was doing
Was waiting for you
Just like little girls and boys
Playing with their little toys
Seems like all they really were doing
Was waiting for you
Don't need to be alone
No need to be alone
It's real love
It's real, yes it's real love
It's real
From this moment on I know
Exactly where my life will go
Seems that all I really was doing
Was waiting for love
Don't need to be afraid
No need to be afraid
It's real love
It's real, yes it's real love
It's real
Thought I'd been in love before,
But in my heart I wanted more
Seems like all I really was doing
Was waiting for you
Don't need to be alone
No need to be alone
It's real love
Yes it's real, yes it's real love
It's real, yes it's real love...
As we learnt in class, these three pattern verbs are easy to use: "Let someone do something", "Make someone do something" and "Want someone to do something". However, you may need some more practice "to get the hang of it".
Of course, Ed Sheeran has a great command of these structures. We can see how he makes good use of "let" and "make" in his song Photograph.
Photograph - Ed Sheeran
Write the opposites of the underlined words
Loving can heal, loving can heal sometimes
But it's the only thing that I know
And when it gets easy
You know it can get easy sometimes
It is the only thing that makes us feel dead
(Chorus) Fill in the gaps 1
We ........
this love in a photograph
We …….. these memories for ourselves
Where our eyes are never ……..
Hearts are never ……..
And times are forever …….. still
So you can keep ……..
…….. the pocket of your …….. jeans
Holding me …….. till our eyes meet
You won't ever be ……..
Wait for me to …….. home
Write the synonyms
for the underlined words
Loving can cure,
Loving can repair your soul
And it’s the only thing that I know know
I swear it will get simpler
Remember that with each part of you
And it's the unique thing
we take with us when we pass away
(Chorus) Fill in the
gaps 2
And if you …….. me
Well, that's ok baby only …….. bleed
Inside these …….. you just hold me
And I won't ever …….. you go
Wait …….. me to come home (x 4)
Cross the odd word out
Oh, you can to fit me
Inside of the necklace you got
When you were sixteen years
Next to your heartbeat in
where I should to be
Keep it deep within in your soul
Fill in the
gaps 2
Order the words in the sentences
I’m when away
You will remember I how me kissed
Back on the sixth lamppost under street
you phone whisper through the hearing
me for home wait to come
Full lyrics You can watch a video with the lyrics in English and Spanish here.
In Rihanna's song Stay, we can listen to the "want someone to do something" and "make someone do something" pattern verbs.
"Stay" – RIHANNA (feat.
Mikky Ekko)
Fill in the gaps
[Rihanna:]
All along it was a ……..
A cold …….. hot-headed believer
I …….. my hands in the air, said, "Show me something,"
He said, "If you …….., come a little …….. ."
(Chorus)
Cross the odd word out
Round and around and around and around here we go
Oh now, tell me now, tell me now, tell me now what you know
Not really sure of how to feel about
it
Something in the way that you move
Makes me to feel like I can't live without you
It takes me all along the way
I want that you to stay
Write the
opposites of the underlined words
[Mikky:]
It's not little of a life you're living
It's not just something you take, it's taken
(Chorus)
Write the synonyms
for the underlined words
[Both:]
Ooh, ooh, ooh, the cause I hold on
Ooh, ooh, ooh, 'cause I need this hollow gone
Funny you're the fragmented one
but I'm the only one that needed saving
'Cause when you never see the light it's difficult
to know which one of us is giving in.
Cross the odd word out
[Rihanna:]
Not really sure of how to feel about it
Something in the way that you move
Makes me to feel like I can't live without you
Yeah, it takes me all along the way
I want that you to stay, stay
I want you to stay, oooh. Full lyrics
