An extended scenario that can be used for three speakers, or two, whatever the class needs. Here, a student goes to an expensive private language centre to enquire about course requirement and prices.
You will notice a lot of idiomatic speech as well as expressions. These are designed to show you how to use them in everyday conversation … have fun !
Dialogue Practice
A student comes to the office to get some information about courses
Objective: practice expressions and pronunciation of contractions.
Student Good evening, I’m looking for an English course
PEC 1 You’ve come to the right place !
PEC 2 How may we assist ? What exactly are you looking for ?
Student Well, I’d like to improve my pronunciation, as well as my grammar.
PEC 1 Seems to me that you are already quite good at English.
Student You’ re most kind, but one can always better oneself.
PEC 2 We’ve an interesting class starting soon … it’s upper-intermediate.
Student Yes, I’d prefer to hit the ground running. When does it start ?
PEC 1 Hold on, let me check …..
telephone rings
PEC 2 Hello, PEC … oh, hold the line please, she’s busy. OK, she’ll call back soon.
PEC 1 There’s a class commencing the day after tomorrow .
Student Or maybe a private lesson ?
PEC 2 I can check … bear with me … yes, with teacher John. He’s passionate about teaching.
Student Sounds good. May I ask the fee ?
PEC 2 Certainly …. she writes the price down on paper and hands it to the student.
Student Blimey ! I’ll have to think it over and get back to you. I must work now.
Darrel lists his (current) top ten films, and topping the list was this Soviet film which I hadn’t seen. So I started searching online, and the clips I saw were so mesmerising, so dazzling, the reviews so laudatory, I had to see it. I began with a review:
This introduction gives context and commentary on the film, as well as placing the film in relation to other noteworthy examples of Russian or Soviet cinema.
Despite only finding short, two-minute excepts with English text, I wasn’t going to be deterred. Instead, I decided to read the synopsis on Wikipedia:
and then watch the original Russian version sans subtitles. I’ve recently been considering how cinema should (could) be told, and how so much exposition text is actually needed, how much text, in fact, is needed. As F.W. Murnau has beautifully shown in ‘The Last Laugh’ (1924), a film, a great film can be told without any need for dialogue or title cards. But that, as they say, is for another blog …
I will briefly relate the plot, then what attracted me to the film.
SPOILER ALERT: in order to highlight the creative camerawork and staging, the plot details need to be mentioned.
Boris and Veronika are young sweethearts, staying out late and risking family censure by sneaking home, trying not to wake their parents.
Happy in love, the sun reflecting off the water, life is a dance
However, when the Germans invade Russia, Boris, along with his close friend Stepan, join up. Boris has to catch a train to get to his battalion and Veronika rushes to say goodbye, but the crowds are so thick, she has no hope of seeing him. In vain, she throws her gift, but it falls and breaks on the ground. This clearly foreshadows the fate of their romance; they will never meet again.
Meanwhile, the War comes to the city, and Veronika’s parents are killed during an air raid. With nowhere else to go, Boris’ family take her in and during another air raid, with the living room symbolically shaken, glass shattered, Boris’ younger brother, Mark, sexually assaults Veronika. Her shame compels her to marry Mark, to the disdain and contempt of the family.
With the German advance, the Russians are moved eastwards. We see both the mounting Russian casualties and the sorry sordid state of the sham marriage.
Veronika is told that Boris is dead and runs frantically, racing a train under which she plans to throw herself … yet a young boy, who we later learn is also called Boris, diverts her attention, and she takes him home.
The film ends with Veronika waiting at the train station for the victorious Soviet soldiers to return. Amidst all the tearful reunions, Veronika meets Stephan; he confirms that Boris is indeed dead. Veronika is again denied any further contact by the sheer force of the crowd, her tears of heartbreak juxtaposed against the tears of happiness. As at the beginning, she looks up and sees, in a V-formation, the cranes flying.
I love the idea of the camera-stylo – the camera being able to move as freely as a pen, the director (and cinematographer, art-director, the whole team) being able to put their personalities on to the film so that by a mere shot or two we can detect a Hitchcock from a Hawks, a Kurosawa from an Ozu, a Godard from a Truffaut. Naturally, this will later clash with Roland Barthes’ essay, ‘The Death of the Author’ (1967) … again, for another blog.
I love the idea of a camera being free, released from the constrains of the studio, allowed to move and as it were, to breathe. From an actor’s point of view, it could be different, with concerns about hitting exact marks at exact times, instead of focusing purely on the performance (yes, another blog), but as a viewer, as a lover of cinema, ‘The Cranes Are Flying’ features some breathe-taking shots and said shots add meaning to the film … they are not mere decoration. Take this shot:
Veronika is so close to her goal yet blocked … and she had no where to turn, she is trapped, confined. This next still can’t capture the circular spinning of the camera, whirling up the stairs, as their hearts whirl with love, happiness and hope … none of which will last.
Then we have the crowd scenes … and what scenes … the camera is like a character, bustling and elbowing its way through, between people, around vehicles, forcing its way off buses or onto trains.
Present perfect I have been to Ha Noi / I’ve been to Ha Noi
Idioms and expressions – bucket list
A: Hello, how’s it going ? Long time no see.
B: Yes, I’ve been in Ha Noi.
A: Amazing ! I want to go. I’ve never been there. It’s on my bucket list.
B: Really ? You must go, the food is great.
A: I’ve heard the people are not nice.
B: They are not the friendliest people in the world, but they are not so bad.
A: What were you doing there ?
B: Knocking on doors ! I had interviews for new companies.
This conversation is more complex and features more idioms and expressions
A: I’m sick of my job ! I need to change.
B: I’ve also been on the lookout for a new job. My job is so tedious !
A: Mine too. Same thing, day in, day out. But … it’s a job. Oh, Tom was fired.
B: No ! Why ? I’ve known him for a long time.
A: He was cooking the books.
B: You’re pulling my leg !
A: Yes ! Really, he went to Boston. He’s got a new job.
B: Good for him ! Now we should go to Boston.
cooking the books = writing false numbers in the accounts – a serious crime
You’re pulling my leg ! = joking with me
Downtown Boston, a very historic US city
A night out in Boston
Now, a quick customer service dialogue:
US restaurants serve LARGE portions
Speaking practice:
Try acting this out in the classroom, encouraging body language and appropriate intonation.
Café worker: Next, please! What would you like? Andi: Can I have a burger, please? Café worker: A cheese burger or double cheese burger? Andi: Double cheese burger, please. Café worker: Anything else? Andi: Yeah, I’d like some banana cake. Café worker: Would you like a drink? Andi: Yes, can I have an apple juice, please? Café worker: OK, so that’s one double cheese burger, one banana cake and an apple juice. What’s your table number? Andi: Table 3. How much is that? Café worker: That’s £8.37, please. Andi: Here you are. Café worker: Thank you … that’s £10.00 … and £1.63 change. Next, please …
As always, I use these exercise to introduce idioms and expressions, as well as demonstrating how adverbs and adjectives can be used in everyday conversation.
Speaking practice:
Pat Well, I’m exhausted. I need a damn fine cup of coffee and a big piece of pie.
Sam There’s a Highlands over the road, or we can go to Coffee Bean or Milano.
Pat I’d prefer Tran Nguyen but it costs an arm and a leg. Highlands is also incredibly expensive.
Sam But great quality and superb cakes. Come on, I’m starving, I need coffee now !
Pat OK, hold your horses hahaha. After we can meet up with Thay Paul.
Sam Sounds good. Now … shall we have chocolate cake or fruit cake … ?
costs an arm and a leg = very expensive
hold your horses = please be patient and wait
Inside Highlands
Highlands Coffee, a Vietnamese coffee chain
Sam Hi, I’ll have a large cappuccino, please. What do you fancy ?
Pat Tough decision. I’m going for the cheesecake and a slice of blueberry pie.
Sam Oh, me too. Big slice, no, only joking, I have to watch my weight.
Pat I think you look great. Lets also get some chocolate cake and we can share.
Sam Brilliant. Oh, did I show you my recent photos ? Here, on my phone.
Pat Let me see … oh, so funny. Who’s that ? The man next to Niall ?
Sam That’s Jimmy, he’s in Niall’s band. He plays drums and drinks like a fish !
Pat And that’s you, a selfie. You look adorable. Butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth !
A very sweet young lady – butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth
drinks like a fish = drinks a lot of alcohol
Butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth ! = looks very sweet and nice … but can be very naughty
Don’t invite him to your party – he drinks like a fish !
For these exercises, refer to the previous blog (‘Holiday of a Lifetime’). Put class into small groups and assign a city to each one. The groups have to make a presentation, using advertising-style language: hyperbolic adjectives, expressions, phrases. Furthermore, they must really ‘sell’ the holiday, so they can practice their intonation and stress skills.
The blurb contains the selling points, while the practicalities has information. The style should change for these two parts – the teacher can demonstrate.
Students are encourages to add their own information and to make use of classroom facilities such as internet, Google images etc to enhance their presentation.
To make it more competitive, the students have to vote on which holiday sounds most impressive.
Thay Paul's Notes 