Bridesmaids: Paired Conjunctions

Watch the movie segment.


















I. Work in groups. make a list of 3 things  the bride and the guest have (or did) in common. Use both... and...

EX: . Both the bride and the guest sang a song.

1 ______________________________________________
2 ______________________________________________
3 ______________________________________________

II. Do the same thing, using neither... nor...

EX: Neither the bride nor the guest like each other.

1 ______________________________________________
2 ______________________________________________
3 ______________________________________________

III. Write sentences about the members of your group, using both... and... / neither... nor...

1 ______________________________________________
2 ______________________________________________
3 ______________________________________________

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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - BRIDESMAIDS

Warm Bodies: Both... And... and Neither... Nor

Warm Bodies is a nice film about zombies. The story is well conducted and some of the scenes can be really funny - or even scary. I liked it a lot.

Watch the movie segment and check who performed the following actions. R (the zombie) or Julie (the girlfriend of one of his victims), or both. Write B for both or N for none of them.

(   ) Likes vinyl records and songs from the 80s.

(   ) Likes Bruce Springsteen songs, especially Dancing in the Dark.

(   ) Had something to eat on the plane.

(   ) Looked at old pictures.

(   ) tried out some sunglasses.

(   ) Danced on the plane.

(   ) Had fun

(   ) sang a song.

(   ) Left the plane.

Check your answers with a partner.

Rewrite the items above, using the conjunctions BOTH... AND...  or NEITHER... NOR.

Ex: Both R and Julie like vinyl records and songs from the 80's.

Discuss with a partner:

1. How different would life be if there were real zombies among us?

2. Why are zombie movies so popular?

3. What do Julie and R have in common?

4. How different are they from each other?

5. Is this scene scary? Why (not)?

6. Why do you think they were alone on the plane?

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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - WARM BODIES

Answer key:

B

B

N

B

B

B

B

N

N

2.  Both R and Julie like Bruce Springsteen songs, especially Dancing in the Dark.

3.  Neither R nor Julie had something to eat on the plane.

4. Both R and Julie looked at old pictures.

5. Both R and Julie tried out some sunglasses.

6. Both R and Julie danced on the plane.

7. Both R and Julie had fun.

8. Neither R nor Julie sang a song.

9. Neither R nor Julie left the plane.

Megamind: Adversative Conjunctions

This is one of my favorite animated movies. Megamind is a lovely villain, with an incredible background story. I used this scene to practice the use of adversative conjunctions in a contextualized manner.

 I. Watch the segment and decide if the sentences below refer to Evil (Megamind) or Mr. Goody Two-Shoes. Write (M) if it is about Megamind or (G) if it about Mr. Goody.



Mr. Goody Two Shoes (G)

Evil - Megamind (M)


















1. Landed in the White House ( )
    Landed in a the Metro City Prison for the Gifted ( )

2. Was adopted by the presidential family ( )
     Was adopted by the prisoners ( )

3. Had life handed to him on a silver platter ( )
    Was taught the difference between right and wrong by the prisoners ( )

4. Had the power of flight, invulnerability and and great hair ( )
    Had his amazing intellect. ( )

5. Had already amassed an a gigantic army of soft-headed groupies ( )
    Was given an opportunity to better himself. ( )

6. Is sent to quiet time in the corner. ( )
    Receives all the praise, adulation. ( )

7. Was destined to be a super villain. ( )
    Was destined to be Megamind's rival. ( )


II. Connect both sentences with one of the adversity conjunctions below. Mind punctuation. Try not to repeat the conjunctions.

BUT / HOWEVER / IN CONTRAST / WHILE / WHEREAS / ON THE OTHER HAND / THOUGH (FINAL POSITION)

Ex: Goody landed on the White House whereas Megamind landed on the Metro State Prison for the Gifted.
or
Whereas Megamind landed on the Metro State Prison for the Gifted, Goody landed on the White House.

2. ___________________________________
3.___________________________________
4. ___________________________________
5. ___________________________________
6. ___________________________________
7. ___________________________________

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Answer key:

I.

1. Landed in the White House (G)
    Landed in a the Metro City Prison for the Gifted (M)

2. Was adopted by the presidential family (G)
     Was adopted by the prisoners (M)

3. Had life handed to him on a silver platter (G)
    Was taught the difference between right and wrong by the prisoners (M)

4. Had the power of flight, invulnerability and and great hair (G)
    Had his amazing intellect. (M)

5. Had already amassed an a gigantic army of soft-headed groupies (G)
    Was given an opportunity to better himself. (M)

6. Is sent to quiet time in the corner. (M)
    Receives all the praise, adulation. (G)

7. Was destined to be a super villain (M)
    Was destined to be Megamind's rival (G)

II. Answers will vary.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding: Transitions x Subordinating Conjunctions

This is one of the best romantic comedies of all times. The cultural conflicts, good humor, and clever plot make it stand out the others. It is full of scenes you can use in your classroom. Here are a few of them, which I used to practice the use of subordinating conjunctions and transitions, the grammar point my Thomas Prime 7 students are learning right now.




I. Watch the first movie segment from the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Then choose the best conjunction or transition. Next, decide if the sentences contain a subordinating conjunction or a transition word. The 1st scene shows Toula, the young Greek woman, meeting her American fiance's family for the first time.

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - PART 1

1. The American family is quite polite, but they don't like talking very much.


The American family is quite polite. Nevertheless / Otherwise, they don't like talking very much.

( ) subordinating conjunction
( ) transition

The American family is quite polite, although/ since they don't like talking very much.

( ) subordinating conjunction
( ) transition


2. Toula showed her future parents-in-law her creative, unusual wedding plans, but they didn't seem very excited about them.


Toula's future parents-in-law didn't seem very excited, even though/however her wedding plans were creative and unusual.

( ) subordinating conjunction
( ) transition


II. Now watch the second segment from the same movie. Now, Ian, the American guy, meets his fiance's Greek family.

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - PART 2



1. Ian got very surprised with his fiance's Greek family during the dinner party. The reason is that they are noisy and agitated.


Since / Provided that the Greek family is very loud and agitated, Ian got really surprised during the dinner party.


( ) subordinating conjunction
( ) transition


The Greek family is very loud and agitated. Therefore / However, Ian got very surprised during the dinner party.


( ) subordinating conjunction
( ) transition



2. The only way for Ian to be happy after getting married is to get some ear plugs.


Unless / If Ian gets some ear plugs, he won't be happy after getting married.


( ) subordinating conjunctions
( ) transition


Ian must get some ear plugs. Consequently / Otherwise, he won't be happy after marrying Toula.

( ) subordinating conjunction
( ) transition


3. Being accepted by the Greek family depends on Ian's positive reaction to their different behavior.

As long as / Even though Ian has a positive reaction to their different behavior, He will be accepted.


( ) subordinating conjunction
( ) transition



4. Toula believes that her Greek family will treat Ian well. They don't care if he doesn't know anything about the Greek culture.


Toula believes that her Greek family will treat Ian well unless / even if he doesn't know anything about the Greek culture.


( ) subordinating conjunction
( ) transition


5. Toula and Ian have very different families. For this reason, their integration will not be very easy.


Toula and Ian have very different families. Nonetheless / Consequently, their integration will not be very easy.

( ) subordinating conjunction
( ) transition



The integration of Toula's and Ian's families will be difficult since / unless they have very different families.


( ) subordinating conjunctions
( ) transition



III. Now watch the 3rd segment from the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Then connect your ideas, using subordinating conjunctions to connect ideas within a sentence and transitions to connect ideas between sentences.

MOVIE SEGMENT DONWLOAD - PART 3

Ex: (provided that - subordinating conjunction)


Toula's mother will understand spoken English well provided that (as long as, only if or if) someone occasionally translates or paraphrases difficult words.


Ex: (otherwise - transition)


Ian's parents had a few drinks. Otherwise, they would not relax during the dinner party.



1. because (or since) - subordinating conjunction

..............................................................................


2. even though (or although) - subordinating conjunction

..............................................................................

3. therefore (or consequently) - transition

...............................................................................

4. However (or nevertheless) - transition

...............................................................................



Answer key:
I.
1. Nevertheless (transition) and although (subordinating conjunction)
2. Even though (subordinating conjunction)

II.
1. Since (subordinating conjunction) and therefore (transition)
2. Unless (subordinating conjunction) and otherwise (transition)
3. As long as (subordinating conjunction)
4. even if (subordinating conjunction)
5. Consequently (transition) and since (subordinating conjunction)


III. Answers will vary.



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The Heartbreak Kid: Adversative Conjuctions - Opposition

This segment is excellent because the main characters want to do completely different things, which is great to practice adversative conjunctions.

A. Talk to a partner:

1. Do you believe everyone has a soul mate? Have you found yours? Explain it.

2. Is it important for lovers to like the same things? Why (not)?

B. Watch the movie segment about a newly weds who do not know each other very well. Write HE in the square next to the sentence if it is about Eddie, SHE if it is about Miranda, or THEY if it is about both of them.

1 (He) loves to go fishing.

(She) gets seasick.

2 ( ) would like to go on an adventure and go up the mountains.

( ) thinks it would be nice to just relax on the beach.

3 ( ) kept on singing very excitedly.

( ) got tired of singing.

4 ( ) was sick and tired of her singing.

( ) wasn’t courageous enough to reveal it.

5 ( ) were going on their honeymoon.

( ) knew very little about each other.

C. Now combine the sentences above using the conjunctions below:

But / still / yet / whereas / while / although / despite the fact / though / however/ nevertheless

1 …………………………………………………….…………….

2 ………….....…………………………………………………....

3 …………………………………………………………………..

4 ............…………………………………………………………

5 ……………………………………………………………………

Answer Key:

B.

1. He/she
2. He/she
3. He/she
4. He/he
5. They/they

C. Answers will vary.

How to prepare your own video activity.

- Select a scene in which the characters enjoy or perform different activities.

- Prepare sentences for the students to identify who enjoys/performs the activities
- The students rewrite the sentences using the given conjunctions

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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE HEARTBREAK KID

How to prepare your own video activity:

- Select a scene in which two characters enjoy/ perform different activities
- Write down two sentences with the same or opposite ideas about the characters likes and dislikes
- Provide the students with the conjunctions you want them to use
- Ask them to combine both sentences with the conjunctions

Rachel Getting Married: Adverb Clauses - Conjunctions

This scene shows the wedding of a Caucasian American woman and a black man in an extremely relaxed atmosphere, perfect harmony, and joy. The wedding is very unusual, compared to the ones in Brazil. This activity helps students practice writing adverb clauses expressing opposition in a contextualized manner. The lesson plan fosters a cultural approach to the topic as well.




A. Talk to a partner about the following questions:

 

1. Tell your partner about the last wedding you have been to. Who was getting married? Where was it? Describe the party after the ceremony.

2. What was the most unusual wedding you have ever been to? Why was it unusual?

3. What would you like your wedding ceremony to be like? (or) Describe your own wedding ceremony?

4 – Is it important to get married nowadays? Justify your answer.

B. Read the descriptions below and check the ones you consider traditional in a wedding ceremony in your country. Then watch the segment and check the ones you saw in the movie.


Example:



1. The Wedding march is played by a guitarist and a drummer.
In my country (NO)
In the Movie(YES)

2. The bride carries a white flower bouquet.


3. The bride wears a sari.

4. The bridesmaids wear lilac saris.

5. The groom wears a flower necklace around the neck.

6. Both the groom and the bride tell each other and the guests about how their loving feels.

7. The groom sings a song for the bride.

8. They exchange rings.

9. They kiss each other.

10. They say “I Do”.

11. The guests scream and applaud the couple.



C. Combine 4 pieces of information above and write adverb clauses showing opposition, contrasting the information presented in the movie segment and in your country, which you checked in the exercise above.



Use WHEREAS or WHILE

Ex. In Brazil, the wedding march is played by a pianist and a violinist whereas in the movie it is played by a drummer and a guitarist.






Answer key:


B. All the sentences are true for the movie segment wedding, but the answers about the students' own country will vary.
How to prepare your own video activity:


- Select a scene in which a traditional ceremony takes place.
- Write down steps that are part of the rite or ceremony.

- Ask students to decide whether the ceremony steps are the same as in their own countries.
- Students write down sentences with adverb clauses expressing opposition with whereas and while.


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Outlander: Transitional Words or Phrases - Connectors

I don't usually enjoy science fiction movies, but I decided to try this one out. This is a great scene for students to practice the use of connectors, transitional words, and writing a paragraph as well. I integrated grammar, writing, listening and speaking in the lesson plan. The main goal for this activity is to enable students to write a paragraph, using the movie context and the transitional words you are teaching

A. Watch the movie segment, talk to a partner, and put the events of the story in the correct order.

( ) They killed the Moorwens, the beasts that lived on the island, with fire.

( ) As part of his pay, he received a place for his family to live.

( ) He left on a journey.

( ) They hunted down those Moorwens they missed.

( ) They removed and buried all the dead Moorwens.

(1) They took the island they wanted.

( ) This surviving Moorwen killed everyone.

( ) He knew one of the Moorwens had survived
B. The Outlander was a man in conflict because of his memories. Write a paragraph telling his story, using the given transitional words below. In the end, write a concluding sentence justifying why the Outlander is such a sad man.

First

Second

Then

Next

After that

Three weeks later

Subsequently

Afterward

Finally

C. Paragraph writing:

His people was no different from hers, hungry for lands. First, they took the island they wanted

.............................................................................

.............................................................................

............................................................................

............................................................................

...........................................................................

..........................................................................

..........................................................................

..........................................................................

..........................................................................

..........................................................................

For your information:

Answer Key:

The correct sequence is:
2, 6, 3, 4, 5, 1, 7, 8.

The transitions words may vary.

How to prepare your own video activity:

- Select a scene in which a character or a narrtaor is telling a story.

- Write the sequence of the narration out of order.

- Students put the story in the correct order

- Students write a paragraph using the grammar point to connect their sentences in the paragraph.

- Ask them to come up with a topic sentence and/or a concluding sentence for their paragraph.

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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - OUTLANDER

The Ultimate Gift: Conjunctions - Because / So / Since

This movie has a touching message and is a dramatic comedy. The main character has to go through several tasks in order to become a better person and receive an ultimate gift as inheritance. This scene is perfect to practice the use of conjunctions, in this case contrasting the use of so x because and since.

I. Discuss the following questions with a partner.

1. Should the man always pay the check when he takes his girlfriend to a restaurant? Why (not)?
2. What would you do if you invited someone for dinner in an expensive restaurant and you found out you didn’t have money to pay the check?

3. Would you ask for expensive dishes in a restaurant to impress your girlfriend (boyfriend) even if you couldn’t spend a lot?

4. What would you do if someone invited you to go to a very expensive restaurant and he asked you to pay the check?

5. What would you do if you found out you didn’t have money to pay for the dinner you have just finished eating?

II.Watch the video segment and combine both sentences with so, because or since.

The waiter was amazed.
The young couple had ordered pricey wine and lobster.
1. (Because) …………………………………………………………………………………..

Jason’s credit card was declined by the charge card company.
The waiter told Jason about it.
2.(So) ………………………………………………………………………………………….

Jason’s credit card was declined twice.
Jason gave the waiter another credit card.
3. (Since) ………………………………………………………………………………………

Jason wanted to move in to his girlfriend’s place.
Jason’s place was being remodeled.
4. (So) …………………………………………………………………………………………..

Jason was switching bank accounts at the moment.
Jason asked his girlfriend to pay the check.
5.(Because) …………………………………………………………………………………….

Jason didn’t have money to pay the check.
Jason’s girlfriend left him alone in the restaurant.
6. (Since) …………………………………………………………………………………….

How to prepare your own video activity:

- Select a scene in which the characters have to make decisions because of unexpected events.

- Write sentences with both the causes and their consequences.

- Ask students to combine both sentences with because/so/since.

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE ULTIMATE GIFT

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Flashbacks of a Fool: Paired Conjunctions - Both... And, Neither... Nor, Either... or, Not only... but (also)...

This is a fantastic scene that shows the first date of these two teenagers, Joe and Ruth, who lived the 80's to its extreme and loved David Bowie and Bryan Ferry's Roxy Music.


Watch the movie segment and write YES if the activity or item is true according to the segment and NO if it is not.


1. Ruth and Joe would like to drink? (___________ red wine; ___________white wine)

Ruth and Joe would like to drink either red or white wine.

2. (Ruth ___________ and  Joe ____________ ) are wearing make up.
................................. wearing make up.


3. (Joe ___________; Ruth ________________) laid on the carpet.

.................................... laid on the carpet.


4. (Joe ____________Ruth ____________) liked William Burroughs's books.

................................... liked William Burroughs's books. ( )


5. Ruth likes listening to (David Bowie _____________; Bryan Ferry ____________).

Ruth thinks it is great to listen to ..........................................
 

6. (Ruth _______________; and Joe _____________) imitated Bryan Ferry's (___________ singing _______________ dancing)
 
Not only... imitated Bryan Ferry's .........................

Answer Key:
2. Both Joe and Ruth are / not only Joe but (also) Ruth…
3. Both Joe and Ruth / not only Joe but (also) Ruth …
4. Neither Joe nor Ruth…
5. Either David Bowie or Roxy Music.
6. not only Ruth but Joe... / both singing and dancing.


 
How to prepare your own video activity:
- Select a scene in which two or more people are performing several actrivities.
- Choose activities both or neither one perform.
- Have students write sentences with the target language.



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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - FLASHBACKS OF A FOOL