Week 1 L3-4 Handout

1. Read the beginning of an article about urban legends. Answer the following questions:
1. What is an urban legend?
2. Where can people read urban legends?
3. Are urban legends ever true?
4. Why do people change some stories?
It must be true, I read it on the Internet ...
Urban legends are funny, surprising, or scary stories that are told again and again, often by
people saying that they happened to 'a friend of a friend’. These days they're often passed on by
email or collected together on websites. Most urban legends are stories that people have made
up, but not always. A few turn out to be completely true, and others are based on actual events
but have been changed to make them sound more interesting or shocking. For example, have you
heard the one about the dead kangaroo, the falling cow, or the exploding house?
Listening
2. Fill in the gaps with one word.
THE DEAD KANGAROO STORY
1. In 1987 the world's best _______ were competing in the America's Cup yacht ________off
the coast of Fremantle.
2. One day, one of the ________ went for a drive in the outback and accidentally ran over a
_________ . 3. While the sailor was taking some _______, the kangaroo came round.
THE FALLING COW STORY
4. The boat had been sailing in calm waters when a ______ fell from the _______ .
5. Eventually the pilot of a ________transport plane told the ________ what had happened.
6. Before they took off from their Siberian airbase, the plane’s _________ had stolen some
_______ .
THE EXPLODING HOUSE STORY
7. A woman from ________ had been trying to get rid of all the ________ in her home for
years.
8. She put all the bug ________ in her house, but unfortunately she hadn't read the ________ .
3. Listen to the recording and answer the questions:
1 a Why was the sailor in Australia?
b Was the kangaroo dead?
2 a Why did the man insure the cigars?
b What did he do with the cigars?
3 a What was wrong with the woman's house?
b How did she try to solve the problem?
 Grammar: Narrative verb forms
4. Look at the verb forms in bold in sentences 1-3 and complete these rules
with Past Simple or Past Continuous.
1. In 1987, the world's best sailors were competing in the America's Cup yacht
race off the coast of Fremantle.
2. One day, one of the sailors went for a drive in the outback and accidentally ran
over a kangaroo.
3. While the sailor was taking some photos, the kangaroo came round.
• We use the ________ for completed actions in the past. These tell the main
events of the story in the order that they happened.
• We use the _________ for a longer action that was in progress when another
(shorter) action happened.
• We also use the ________ for background information that isn't part of the main
story.
5. Choose the correct words in these rules.
• We usually use the Past Perfect Simple/Continuous for an action that was
completed before another action in the past.
• We usually use the Past Perfect Simple/Continuous for a longer action that started
before another action in the past (and often continued up to this past action).
6. Fill in the gaps with had, ‘d, verb + ing or past participle. How do we make
these verb forms negative.
PAST PERFECT SIMPLE PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
Subject + had or _____ + _____ . Subject + ______ or ‘d + been +
______ .
7. Read another famous urban legend. Choose the correct verb forms.
A few years ago. Robert Monaghan, from Ballymena in Northern Ireland, 1)
had/had had a very bad day. He 2) crossed/was crossing the road near his home
when a van 3) hit/was hitting him. While he 4) was getting/got to his feet, another
car 5) ran him over/was running him over and then 6) drove away/ had driven
away. Some people who 7) walked/had been walking past 8) stopped/were
stopping to help Robert. They 9) were calling/had called an ambulance and 10)
helped/had helped him to his feet. When the ambulance 11) had been
arriving/arrived, everyone 12) stepped/was stepping back —everyone except
Robert, who 13) didn't realise/wasn't realising what everyone 14) waited/had been
waiting for and was run over by the ambulance.
8. Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the verbs in brackets. Sometimes
more than one verb form is possible.
1. I know that Rory __________ (try) to find a new job for ages.
2. My brother ____ (call) while I _____ (watch) the football.
3. Robin and Cecilia ______ (not go out) together for very long when
he_______ (propose) to her.
4. When I _____ (get) home, I ______ (realise) that I ______(leave) my
mobile at work.
5. By the time the others _____ (arrive), we _____ (already wait) for over two
hours.
6. While Angela _______ (walk) home, she _______ (meet) an old school
friend that she _______ (not see) for years.

Homework
Narrative verb forms; Past Perfect Continuous
a) Read the first part of the story and choose the correct verb.
Andy 1) jogged/ was jogging through the park one day on his way to the shops
when another jogger 2) bumped/was bumping low him. The other jogger 3)
apologised/was apologising to Andy and then 4) went on/was going on running.
Feeling a little annoyed, Andy, then 5) noticed/had noticed his wallet 6) went/had
gone. So he 7) chased/was chasing the jogging pickpocket through the park. When
he 8) had caught up/had been catching up with him, he 9) shouted/had shouted,
"Give me that wallet!"
b) Read the second part of the story. Choose one of the verbs a), b) or c).
The frightened robber did what he 1)____ and then 2)_____ as quickly as he could.
Anxious to tell someone about what 3) ____ Andy went straight home, where his
wife, Barbara, 4) ______ for him to return. As soon as he came in the door she
asked him why he 5) _______ to the shops. Andy 6) ______ saying that he 7)
_____ a good excuse. Barbara 8) ______ "I know you have. You left your wallet
on the table."
1 a) was saying b)said c) had been saying
2 a) ran away b) was running away c) had been running away
3 a) happened b) was happening c) had happened
4 a) was waiting b) had waited c) waited
5 a) didn't go b) hadn't been going c) hadn't been
6 a) was apologising b) apologised c) had apologised
7 a) had had b) was having c) had
8 a) replied b) was replying c) had been replying