Lessons 5A–7A and Life Skills Performance, negotiating informally, an article, h

• I can talk about performances.
• I can negotiate informally.
• I can write an article.

Words for theatre, comedy, film and TV

THINK BACK Complete the table with the words from the box. Some words may fit in more than one category.

Which of these words belong to more than one kind of show?

Theatre

2 Add these phrases to the table above.

Swap plain words for show phrases

Use the phrases you just met.

3 Replace the underlined parts of the sentences with phrases from Exercise 2.

When he gave the final line of the joke, nobody laughed.

You can’t miss this film.

I would never have the confidence to go up on a stage and tell jokes.

I was in suspense right through the film.

We missed our favourite TV show yesterday, so we’ll watch the latest one tonight instead.

My uncle told a few jokes and got everyone laughing.

4 Complete the sentences with the adjectives from the box. Sometimes more than one correct answer is possible.

My friend is always cracking ___ jokes that aren’t at all funny.

Her acting was totally ___; I couldn’t believe in her as a character at all.

It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen – really ___.

Her performance was ___ – far better than anyone else in the cast.

He told a really ___ joke. It was rude about people and nobody liked it.

The costume made him look really ___ – I couldn’t stop laughing!

It was a(n) ___ show full of laughs and excitement and kept our interest throughout.

Easily confused words: which one fits?

• Some pairs of words are often confused.
• This may be because there are two very similar forms from the same root; adjectives ending in -ic and –ical often behave like this, e.g. comic / comical, historic / historical, classic / classical.
• Sometimes two words look similar, but have completely different meanings, e.g. tasteful / tasty, lively / alive.
• Sometimes it is the prefix or suffix which causes the confusion, e.g. invaluable / worthless, childlike / childish.

6 Choose the correct words to complete the sentences.

This lively / alive new play is a must-watch.

The new comic / comical put on a great show at the comedy club.

I believe a play is worthless / invaluable if the audience aren’t fully engaged.

All’s Well That Ends Well is a classic / classical comedy.

People will still be talking about this historical / historic production for years.

The costumes and scenery were very tasty / tasteful.

He plays the role with a childish / childlike innocence.

Four events, three friends, one choice

Learn about the beliefs and ideas of rural Jordanians through a look at traditional costumes, stories and food.

• Folklore: Learn about the beliefs and ideas of rural Jordanians through a look at traditional costumes, stories and food.
• Olive oil tasting: Find out why Jordanian olive oil is so good with a free tasting of this important product.
• Handicrafts: Look at or buy beautiful handicrafts from different regions of the country, including rugs, ceramics and beautiful art.
• Traditional food tasting: Sample some delicious dishes from different parts of the country, all cooked in the traditional style.

2 10.7 Listen to Eman, Ghada and Zeina discussing which event to go to. Answer the questions.

Which event does each want to see?

What arguments against seeing the events do the others make?

3 10.7 Listen again and complete the phrases with the words from the box.

How would you ___ about (+ -ing) …?

I thought ___ we could …

Isn’t that a ___ unprofessional/childish/boring?

What ___ of thing were you thinking of?

I could go ___ with that.

___ enough.

I can ___ what you’re saying, but …

I don’t want to be ___, but …

So how can we ___ this? Is everyone happy with that?

Start by suggesting: three openers

• How would you feel about (+ -ing) …?
• I thought perhaps we could …
• Supposing we … Would it be OK if …?

Ask what they really mean

• Isn’t that a bit unprofessional/childish/boring?
• So, are you saying (that) …?
• What kind of thing were you thinking of?

Say yes

• I could go along with that. Fair enough.
• I’m happy with that.

Say no without being rude

• I don’t know if I would fancy that.
• I can see what you’re saying, but …
• I don’t want to be awkward, but …

4 Study Watch Out! Then rewrite the final sentence in the box in four different ways, starting with the words given.

What if ___?

Supposing ___?

I thought ___.

Would it be ___?

Close the deal, then practise

• So how can we resolve this? Is everyone happy with that?

Is TV ‘chewing gum for the eyes’?

Do you prefer to watch a film, a TV series or go to the theatre? Say why.

Read it once, then spot the writer’s tricks.

4 What does a writer do to engage your interest? Find examples of some of these techniques in the article below.

Grabbing the reader’s attention at the beginning of the article.

Addressing the reader directly.

Giving personal opinions.

Giving concrete examples.

Using a range of interesting vocabulary.

Using emphatic structures.

5 Find and underline phrases from the Writing box in the article.

How an article is built, paragraph by paragraph

An article sometimes involves reviewing a book, film, etc. and expressing your opinion.

• Give key information and summarise the plot:
• … is set in (Egypt/the 1950s) …/… plays the role of …/… tells the story of …
• As the story unfolds, we discover that …
• Talk about the major themes or the plot:
• The plot is (quite) complex/intriguing/difficult to follow/predictable, etc.
• One of the main themes of the show/play/film is …/One of the great strengths of the series is that …
• A huge twist that I didn’t see coming was …
• I saw the ending coming because …
• Describe the lead actors’ performance(s):
• … gives a mesmerising/fascinating/convincing portrait of a person who …/…. ’s performance draws in the viewer/audience.
• I was blown away/unimpressed by the performance of …

• Summarise the main points:
• Far from being …/I believe that it is …

6 Read the article again and find synonyms for these words which the writer used to avoid repetition.

performance ___

series ___

excellent ___

story ___

7 Study Watch Out! and complete the text with one, so, such or a pronoun.

The character Oliver is the ___ we identify with right from the start of Dickens’s novel Oliver Twist.

As the novel develops, we meet other children and start to relate to ___ too, even though they are thieves.

We sympathise with them because we can understand that _ upbringing made them the way they are, and _ a childhood would affect anybody negatively.

We keep hoping that Oliver will escape from the thieves, and when he finally does ___, we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

Your turn: plan and write your article

Which phrases from the Writing box will you use?

Avoid repeating words: use a substitute

• In both speaking and writing, we usually try to avoid repetition of the same words or phrases.
• We can use pronoun reference, replacing a noun or noun phrase with a pronoun.
• We can replace a noun or noun phrase with one, ones, both or some.
• We can replace a verb phrase with an auxiliary verb (do, be, have) and sometimes with an auxiliary + so or the same.
• We can also use such before a or an or after expressions the first, the only to substitute for a clause meaning ‘of this or that kind’.

• Make an outline plan for each paragraph.
• Describe the performance.
• Engage your reader’s interest using a variety of techniques.

Resilience is built, not born

People sometimes think that a resilient person is someone who is never upset or worried by stressful situations, but in fact, resilience is something that people build by going through difficulties and coming out the other side.

• Everyone can learn to be more resilient.
• As much as anything, building resilience is about changing how you look at the world.
• When difficult situations arise, try to keep them in perspective.
• Don’t assume that because something has gone wrong, everything will continue that way.
• See the problem as a challenge, and trust that eventually you will overcome it, even if it takes a few tries.
• Try setting yourself small, manageable tasks that will move you slowly towards your final goal.

Learn from it, look after yourself, ask for help

• Sometimes, you really can’t do anything to improve the situation but you can always learn from it.
• Maybe that’s about learning what you might do differently another time, or simply gaining a heightened awareness of the positive things in your life.
• Accept that change happens and that you can’t always control it.
• When going through a tough time, it’s important to take care of yourself.
• Eat food that will nourish and sustain you, get enough sleep and exercise.
• Make time for activities that you enjoy, and that bring you pleasure.

• And remember that you don’t have to do everything alone.
• The support of others can make all the difference between being resilient, and feeling overwhelmed.
• Appreciate and make use of any support offered, and don’t be afraid to ask for help when in need.

Eight habits that build resilience

2 Read the article and use the information to complete the summary in the Life Skills box.

Accept that _ happens and that it isn’t always possible to _ it.

Try to keep things in ___ and have a positive and hopeful outlook.

Be determined and don’t ___ up easily. Break tasks down into small manageable chunks.

See a setback or disappointment as an opportunity to ___ something about yourself or about life.

Take care of yourself. ___ well and get enough sleep and exercise.

Even if you’re busy, make sure you have time to ___ yourself.

Be willing to ask for ___ or help from your friends and family.

Present a resilient person

• Brief description of the person and what difficulties they experienced.
• How they dealt with the difficulties. (They may not have dealt with them well at first).
• How they were supported by others, if appropriate.
• What they learnt and/or how they changed as a result.
• The positive impact they have had on others or on the world.

Seven adjectives to review a show

• Comic is used before a noun to describe things which are meant to be funny, e.g. a comic film.
• Comical is used to describe something that makes you want to laugh; it can be used before or after the noun, e.g. a comical hat / the hat was comical.
• Historic is used to describe something that was or will be important in history, e.g. a historic occasion.
• Historical is used to describe books, plays and films that are set in the past, e.g. a historical novel.
• Childlike is used to describe positive qualities that are typical of a child, e.g.
• She has a childlike way of looking at things.
• Childish is used to show disapproval of behaviour that makes one seem like a child, e.g.
• Don’t be so childish!
• Tasteful can be used to describe something made or decorated well, e.g. tasteful furnishings.
• Tasty food has a good taste.
• Lively is used to describe someone who has a lot of energy.
• Alive is used to describe somebody that is still living, but also something full of energy and happiness, e.g. the house was alive with activity.
• Classic is used before a noun to mean high quality.
• It is often used to describe a traditional style which is valued now. e.g. a classic novel.
• Classical is used to describe art forms and culture from the past, e.g. a classical composer.
• Invaluable is used to describe something extremely useful, e.g.
• The Internet is an invaluable source of information.
• Worthless is used to describe something of no value, e.g. a worthless piece of information.

• Poetry from around the world! Come to our poetry evenings featuring 31 amazing Arab poets from around the region along with 80 poets from Jordan.
• There will be something for everyone.
• Find out about local heritage Find out about the beautiful traditional crafts from different countries including Saudi Arabia, Egyypt, Kuwait, Oman and, of course, Jordan.
• Folk Band Formed in 2007, Folk Band is still going strong, singing happy songs about everyday life.