Different places, different ways

• other cultures
• verb / adjective + to + -ing structures
• verb / adjective + other preposition + -ing structures
• modal verbs with infinitives for present meanings
• ‘past modal’ verb forms (modal verb + have + past participle)
• linking words and phrases
• writing about personal memories

Read the writer’s memories of New York, paragraph by paragraph.

Now the next task.

When everything around you is different

What do you think are the main things that go together to make the culture of Palestinians?

1 Replace the underlined parts of the sentences with words or phrases from the text.

(The sentences are in the same order as the words and phrases in the text.) 1 The reason for her decision is still a hard thing to explain.

2 She is able to express herself easily in several languages.

3 I don’t know why you’re being so unwilling to change your mind.

4 He spent two hours holding on tightly to the rock before he was saved.

5 When you live in another country, there are many things you have to get used to.

6 He has a strong belief that what he is doing is the right thing.

1 What was the main difference the writer noticed between Palestine and New York?

2 What did she find especially surprising?

3 Why did the family move to another country?

4 How did these people react to the new situation?

The writer Her brother Her uncle

5 Why did her aunt refuse to learn English?

6 What did the writer think about her aunt’s attitude at the time?

7 How have the writer’s feelings now changed?

1 What are the positive and negative points of living in another country?

2 Do you think children find it easier or more difficult to get used to new situations than adults? Why?

Why people hold on to accent and habits

1 What cultures do the pictures make you think of? 2 What things (e.g. clothes, food) would you choose to show the following?

2 Read the text. Then choose the best title. Circle A, B or C.

A The advantages and disadvantages of living abroad

B There’s no place like home

C Culture, language and identity

3 Match the words and phrases from the text with their meanings.

1 expatriates 2 fellow countrymen 3 committed 4 object 5 unconsciously 6 essential 7 accent a way of speaking b people who live permanently in another country c think or say something is wrong d very necessary e those who come from the same country f without thinking about it g completely sure

4 Use the words and phrases in Activity 3 to complete the sentences below.

1 Others might ___ that it’s too expensive, but I think it’s worth the money.

2 He never stops trying because he’s fully ___ to the career he’s chosen.

3 Most ___ at least try to learn the language of their new home.

4 If you want to study science, it’s ___ to have a good knowledge of maths.

5 When I’m on holiday, I don’t want to spend all the time with my ___ .

6 I guessed from your ___ that you are from Australia.

7 I’ve done this journey so many times that I can find the way ___ .

2 The writer says that the behaviour of many expatriates is

A hard to explain.

B rather surprising.

C quite well known.

4 The writer believes that

A no one can ever speak a second language perfectly.

B it is natural for language learners to keep their foreign accent.

C English is especially hard to pronounce for French people.

1 The text is probably

A a letter to an academic journal.

B an article in a magazine.

C a letter to a colleague.

3 The writer’s neighbour

A made a decision to speak in a certain way.

B had lived in the north for a long time.

C had difficulty in pronouncing some words.

6 Work in pairs. Discuss which opinion below you agree with most.

If you’re learning a language, you should try to pronounce it as correctly as possible.

Even if it was possible, I wouldn’t want to speak English like a native speaker.

To plus the -ing form

1 Which verb form is are used in the examples in column A?

2 What kind of word is to in the examples in column B?

3 What verb form is used after to in the column B examples?

2 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets: infinitive or -ing form.

1 The manager decided to _ spending. (increase) 2 Don’t worry, I’m quite accustomed to . (wait) 3 We’ve all agreed to a party next week. (have) 4 I object to sorry for something I didn’t do. (say) 5 We are committed to this idea a reality. (make) 6 People here don’t seem to _ about their neighbours. (know)

In which sentence is 1 used to a verb to talk about the past?

2 used an adjective followed by the preposition to, with the same meaning as accustomed to?

4 Complete the sentences with used + to + the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

1 I think I’ve finally got _ this kind of food. (eat) 2 I like a stranger when I first lived here. (feel) 3 Because he works at night, he’s during the day. (sleep) 4 She _ watching films, but now she prefers reading books. (enjoy)

5 Complete the sentences with the prepositions in the box.

1 The customer insisted ___ speaking to the manager.

2 They accused me ___ not telling the truth.

3 All his parents want to do is prevent him ___ getting hurt.

4 She had to be satisfied ___ getting the second prize.

5 Who is responsible ___ causing all this mess?

6 She’s very serious ___ wanting to be a doctor.

6 Look at the examples. Then complete the grammar rule by adding the same word in both spaces.

7 Complete the sentences with the -ing form of the verbs in the box.

1 He is hard to understand because he speaks very quietly, as well as ___ a strong accent.

2 Despite ___ money for six months, I still can’t afford to buy it.

3 He’s thinking of getting a job instead of ___ to university.

4 My mother is becoming ill as a result of ___ such long hours.

5 What else don’t you like about the job apart from ___ work at weekends?

6 In addition to ___ the family, she has a part-time job.

Modals for now and for the past

1 What time do all the underlined verbs on the left refer to?

A the past?

B the present?

2 What time do all the underlined verbs on the right refer to?

3 Which is the correct construction for ‘past modals’?

A modal verb + infinitive of have + past participle

B modal verb + present tense of have + past tense

4 Which pairs of sentences have the following meanings?

1 This is my advice.

It was important to do, but I didn’t do it.

2 It is a possibility.

It was possible, but it didn’t happen.

3 It’s the only logical conclusion left.

This is a logical conclusion about the past.

2 Match the beginnings of the sentences with the correct endings.

1 He’s eating it all, so 2 You should always ask questions 3 When you go walking in the mountains, 4 We could win a lot of money a you should always take water.

b by entering this competition.

c it must be very tasty.

d when you don’t understand.

1 You shouldn’t have blamed him because 2 He could have helped if 3 It’s not in my bag, so 4 We don’t know what caused the fire, but a he’d been here earlier.

b it could have been an electrical fault.

c it wasn’t his fault.

d I must have taken it out.

3 Circle the correct form (present or past).

1 It is getting late and you look very busy. You must be / must have been exhausted.

2 We’re not sure yet, but this could be / could have been the solution to our problem.

3 That car nearly hit you. You should look / should have looked before crossing.

4 She could win / could have won the race, but she hurt her leg.

5 He must be / must have been out because he isn’t answering the phone.

6 The meeting is about to start. Everybody should turn off / should have turned off their mobile phones.

4 Complete the sentences with the past form of the modals in the box + the verbs in brackets.

must (×2) could should (×2) 1 He realises now that he _ the offer of a job. (accept) 2 I can’t find my keys. I them at home. (leave) 3 There was no need to work late. We the job this morning. (finish) 4 Everyone is getting worried. Hassan an hour earlier. (arrive) 5 He is smiling. So he __ his exams. (pass)

5 Discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.

1 Is there anything you didn’t do or didn’t know in the past that you now realise was wrong or silly?

I should have known/realised that … 2 How old were you when you spoke your first word? What was it?

I’m not sure but I must have been … It might have been … 3 Is there anything in your past that you had the chance to do but didn’t?

When I was …, I could have … but I … instead.

First memories and writing a story

1 Discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.

1 What is the earliest thing you remember in your life?

2 How can you be sure that you really remember it? Could it be that someone told you later and you only think you remember?

2 Listen to the story of someone’s first day at school and answer the questions.

1 How did Laurie Lee get to the school on his first morning?

2 What didn’t he understand during the day?

3 How does he feel when he gets home?

4 He refuses to go again. Why does the speaker find this so believable?

5 What did the teacher mean by ‘sit over there for the present’?

6 What did the young Laurie Lee think the teacher meant?

3 Listen again and check your answers.

4 Work in pairs or small groups. Tell your partner(s) what you remember about your own first day at school.

▸ How did you feel?

▸ What happened during the day?

▸ Do you remember anything unusual, surprising or funny?

▸ Was it a happy or an unhappy experience?

5 Write a short paragraph about your first day at school or your earliest memory.

Add details about what happened and how you felt to make the story more believable, and include one or two events that aren’t actually true.

6 Work in pairs. Read your paragraphs aloud and try to guess which details are invented.

1 Complete the story with the linking words and phrases in the box.

2 Write a similar story of a memorable holiday (or other experience) that you had. (It could be memorable for good or bad reasons.) Use the story in Activity 1 as a model and keep the same paragraph structure.

Paragraph 1: introduction and background Paragraph 2: the beginning of the holiday / experience Paragraph 3: the rest of the holiday / experience Paragraph 4: conclusion (What do you think about it now?)