Showing posts with label comparatives. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comparatives. Show all posts

Jul 16, 2015

The Adventures of Tin Tin: Developing Different Grammar Points Exercises with the Same Movie Segment

This post will show you how you can develop several activities - 10 to be precise -  for different grammar points, using the same movie segment. If you choose a segment that shows a series of events, it is much easier, Here are several activities based o the same segment of The Adventures of Tin Tin. 





The Adventures of Tin Tin
Present Perfect
I.                    Watch the movie segment. Pay attention to the activities the characters have performed during that day. Remember, the day is not over yet. Write T if Tin Tin performed the activity, C if The Captain  did it, and  S if Snowy performed it.

 


1.       ( ) Read the plane manual
2.       ( ) Fly a plane
3.       ( ) Drink alcohol
4.       ( ) Go out of the plane
5.       ( ) Be hit by lightning
6.       ( ) parachute from the airplane
7.       ( ) Have the hair cut by the propeller
II.                  What has happened to Tin Tin, the Captain and Snowy today? Rewrite the items above, using the present perfect tense.  You may write negative statements too.
EX: Tin Tin has read the plane manual.

1.       ____________________________________________
2.       ____________________________________________
3.       ____________________________________________
4.       ____________________________________________
5.       ____________________________________________
6.       ____________________________________________
7.       ____________________________________________



III.                Make a list of 6 things that you have done today.
EX: I have brushed my teeth.

1.       ____________________________________________
2.       ____________________________________________
3.       ____________________________________________
4.       ____________________________________________
5.       ____________________________________________
6.       ____________________________________________




IV.                Share your list with a partner and check what both of you have done so until this moment.

Answer key:
1.       T        2.  T       3. S and C      4. C       5. C      6. C       7. T



The Adventures of Tin Tin
CAN

I.                   

Watch the movie segment and write who can perform the following actions, according to the segment. Write T if Tin Tin performed the activity, C if The Captain  did it,  P if the prisoners performed it, and NO if none of them performed the activity.

1.       ( ) Fly a plane
2.       ( ) Speak English
3.       ( ) Fix the plane during a flight
4.       ( ) Land a plane easily
5.       ( ) parachute
6.       ( ) Count on friends

II.                  Rewrite the sentences below, saying what the characters can or can’t do. You may add – Very well  or BUT not very well.
EX: Tin Tin can fly a plane, but not very well.

III.                Make a list of three  things that you can do very well, three things that you can do, but not very well, and three things that you can’t do.
EX:
I can do very well
I can do, but not very well
I can’t do

I can sing very well.







I can swim, but not very well.

I can’t speak German.
  
Answer Key:
1.       T
2.       T and C
3.       N
4.       N
5.       P and C
6.       T







The Adventures of Tin Tin
Passive Voice

I.                    Watch the movie segment and check the alternatives with the actions that you managed to see during the scene.
1.       ( ) Tin Tin flew the plane
2.       ( ) The Captain and Snowy drank alcohol during the flight
3.       ( ) The plane took the passengers into a thunderstorm.
4.       ( ) Tin Tin landed the plane easily.
5.       ( ) Snowy and The Captain helped Tin Tin.
6.       ( ) The propeller trimmed Tin Tin’s hair.
7.       ( ) The fall killed the Captain.

II. Now rewrite the sentences above in the passive voice. Make sure you write affirmative or negative sentences according to the information presented in the segment.

EX:    1. The  plane was flown by Tin Tin.
1.       ____________________________________________
2.       ____________________________________________
3.       ____________________________________________
4.       ____________________________________________
5.       ____________________________________________






The Adventures of Tin Tin
Simple Past x Past Perfect

I.                    Watch the movie segment and decide which action took place first. Write 1 for the first activity and 2 for the second activity.

 


1.        (    ) Tin Tin read the manual.
 (    ) Tin Tin started the engine.

2.       (     ) The Captain saw the thunderstorm.
(     ) They flew over a ship.

3.        (    ) The Captain and Snowy drank all the alcohol.
 (    ) They ran out of gas.

4.       (    ) The plane crashed on the desert.
(    ) The prisoners parachuted from the plane.

5.       (    ) Snowy tried to save Tin Tin.
(    ) The propeller stopped working.

II.                  Now complete the blanks with either the simple past or the past perfect tenses, according to the movie segment.

1.       Tin Tin _____________ (read) the manual when he ____________ (start) the plane.
2.       The Captain ____________ (see) the thunderstorm after they ____________ (fly) over a ship.
3.       The Captain and Snowy ______________ (drink) all the alcohol when they __________ (run) out of gas.
4.       When the plane ______________ (crashed) on the desert, the ___________________ (parachute) from the plane.
5.       Tin Tin  _____________(try) to help Tin Tin when the propeller ____________ (stop) working.

 Answer Key:
1.       Tin Tin had read (read) the manual when he started (start) the plane.
2.       The Captain saw (see) the thunderstorm after they had flown (fly) over a ship.
3.       The Captain and Snowy had drunk (drink) all the alcohol when they ran (run) out of gas.
4.       When the plane crashed (crashed) on the desert, the prisoners had (already) parachuted (parachute) from the plane.
5.       Tin Tin  had tried (try) to help Tin Tin when the propeller stopped (stop) working.





The Adventures of Tin Tin
3rd conditional
I.                    Watch the movie segment and decide if the statements below are True or False.
1.       ( ) Tin Tin didn’t know how to fly a plane
( ) He had to read the manual to learn how to fly.

2.       ( ) The Captain and Snowy drank all the alcohol from the bottle.
( ) They didn’t have any alcohol to fill in the fuel tank.

3.       ( ) The plane went straight into the thunderstorm
( ) The plane fell.

4.       ( ) Snowy and the Captain tried to save Tin Tin.
( ) Tin Tin didn’t die.

II.                  Now complete the blanks with the conditional forms of the given verbs, according to the information presented in the segment.

1.       If Tin Tin ____________ (know) how to fly a plane, he ___________ (have) to read the manual to fly it.
2.       If the Captain and Snowy _____________ (drink) all the alcohol from the bottle, they _______________ ( have) enough  fuel to fill in the tank.
3.       If the plane ______________ (go) straight into the thunderstorm, it  ______________________  (fall).
4.      

If Snowy and the Captain _______________ (try) to save Tin Tin, ______________________.

 Answer Key:
1.       If Tin Tin had known (know) how to fly a plane, he wouldn’t have had (have) to read the manual to fly it.
2.       If the Captain and Snowy hadn’t drunk (drink) all the alcohol from the bottle, they would have had (have) enough fuel to fill in the tank.
3.       If the plane hadn’t gone (go) straight into the thunderstorm, it  wouldn’t (mightn’t) have fallen (fall).
4.       If Snowy and the Captain hadn’t tried (try) to save Tin Tin, he would (might) have died.





The Adventures of Tin Tin
Comparatives / Superlatives
I.                    Complete the chart with the adjectives in the chart that best describe each character.

YOUNG  - INTELLIGENT – FUNNY -  COURAGEOUS – THIN – CONFIDENT – HEAVY - SKILLED

TIN TIN

SNOWY

CAPTAIN









Ex: FUNNY


II.                   Now write 3 sentences comparing the characters above:
Ex: Tin Tin is thinner than the Captain
1.       _______________________________________________
2.       _______________________________________________
3.       _______________________________________________

III.                Now compare one of the characters with the other ones.
EX: Tin Tin is the most intelligent character in the segment.
1.       ________________________________________________
2.       ________________________________________________
3.       ________________________________________________




The Adventures of Tin Tin
Past Modals for Regrets


I.                    Watch the movie segment. Check the statements that you think were bad ideas.

1.       ( ) Tin Tin flew a plane without receiving instructions.
2.       ( ) Tin Tin  flew into a severe thunderstorm.
3.       ( ) Tin Tin didn’t check whether there was enough fuel to fly a plane.
4.       ( ) The Captain drank all the alcohol from the bottle.
5.       ( ) Snowy was not wearing a seat belt.

II.                  Now write sentences expressing regrets, using the information above:

Ex: Tin Tin shouldn’t have flown a plane without having received any instructions.
2. _____________________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________________________________
5. _____________________________________________________________________



III.                Work in pairs. One student is the Captain and the other one is Tin Tin. Try to convince your partner about everything that he did that shouldn’t have been done.  Imagine you are having the conversation right after the accident.





The Adventures of Tin Tin
Modals for Speculation (Present and Past)

I.                    Watch the movie segment. Talk to a partner and decide if the statements below are True or False.

1.       ( ) Tin Tin has flown other planes before.
2.       ( ) Snowy likes adventures
3.       ( ) The Captain is a trustworthy professional.
4.       ( ) Tin Tin is a brave guy.
5.       ( ) The prisoners died in the accident
6.       ( )  The Captain is an alcoholic.

II.                  Now rewrite the sentences above, using modals for speculation. Decide which modal you will choose to make the odds plausible.
Ex:
1.  Tin Tin might have flown other planes before. OR Tin Tin can’t have flown other planes before.
2. Snowy must (might) like adventures.




The Adventures of Tin Tin
Simple Past x Past Continuous

I.                    Watch the movie segment and complete the blanks with the simple past or past continuous form of the given verbs.

1.       Tin Tin ___________________ (read) the manual when he ___________ (start) the engine.
2.       They ____________________ (fly) over a ship when the Captain __________ (see) a severe thunderstorm in front of them.
3.       The prisoners _________________ (parachute) from the plane when it _____________ (fall).
4.       Snowy _________________________ (try ) to save Tin Tin when the Captain ____________ (land) on the plane propeller.
5.       The propeller ___________ (cut) Tin Tin’s hair when the Captain ______________ (save) him.

II.                  Watch the segment again and check your answers




Answer Key:
1.       Was reading / started
2.       Were flying / saw
3.       Parachuted / was falling
4.       Was trying / landed
5.       Was cutting / saved







The Adventures of Tin Tin
Asking Questions

I.                    Before watching the segment, make guesses about the segment you are about to watch.

1.       There were __________ people on the plane.
a)      3
b)      4
c)       5
d)      6

2.       Tin Tin’s sweater  is _______________.
a)      blue
b)      yellow
c)       green
d)      red

3.      


The Captain drank ________________.

a)      A soda
b)      An alcoholic drink
c)       Coconut water
d)      Water

4.       They fell _______________________.
a)      In the ocean
b)      In the lake
c)       On a house
d)      On the sand

5.       ______________ saved Tin Tin.
a)      Snowy
b)      The Captain
c)       The prisoners
d)      A pirate

II.                  Now check your answers by watching the segment. Then write wh-questions to the answers you chose in exercise I
Ex:
1.       How many people were there on the plane?
               There were four  people on the plane.

Apr 15, 2014

Ivan the Incredible: Similes, Figures of Speech


This movie is great. It is wonderful to see the story of an ordinary boy who can be the best at everything for just one day. You can't miss it.


http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/figures-simile.htm


A simile is a figure of speech that says that one thing is like another different thing. We can use similes to make descriptions more emphatic or vivid.
We often use the words as...as and like with similes.
Common patterns for similes, with example sentences, are:
  • something [is*] AS adjective AS something 
  • His skin was as cold as ice.
    It felt as hard as rock.
    She looked as gentle as a lamb.
  • something [is*] LIKE something
    My love is like a red, red rose.
    These cookies taste like garbage.
    He had a temper (that was) like a volcano.
  • something [does**] LIKE something
    He eats like a pig.
    He smokes like a chimney.
    They fought like cats and dogs.
* stative verb: be, feel, smell, taste etc
** action verb


A simile is a direct comparison of two things. Similes are a easy to understand. The uses of similes can be confusing to people who are not fluent in a given language, because they will interpret the words literally. Also, similes  can change from region to region, and even among groups of people, like musicians or teenagers.



I. Match the adjectives and nouns and make similes connecting them. You may repeat the adjectives. What does the witch say to Ivan, using similes?


1. Strong
2. Calm
3. Happy


( ) Cow
( ) Steer
( ) Tarzan
( ) Hog

1. _______________________________________
2. _______________________________________
3. _______________________________________
4. _______________________________________


II.  Watch the segment and check your guesses.

III. Work in groups. Mention five things that you would like to do or be, using similes.

Ex: I'd like to be as fast as Superman.

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - IVAN THE INCREDIBLE

Answer key:

He is as strong as a steer
He's as calm as a cow.
He's as happy as a hog. 
He's just as strong as Tarzan.