Corr OT6 U2 Workbook

‘He is Romeo, and he is heartbroken.
Every word is
wistful. When he says, “O, teach me how I should
forget to think!” I, for the first time, see what the
big deal is about Shakespeare.’
Nina LaCour, Hold Still
Unit 2: A rose by Any other nAme

In this unit you will:
listen to a speech about Shakespeare and his importance today;
2
read Shakespearean sonnets and connect them to contemporary music styles;
read, watch and compare scenes from Romeo and Juliet;
read film reviews, analyse their structure and write your own opinion of a film;
research and present new words in the English language;
write a review (integrated language task).
1 TOADS, BEETLES, BATS …
1.1 ⁄ WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH SHAKESPEARE ANYWAY?
WiLLiAm shAKesPeAre
William Shakespeare (+/- 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was
the English poet and playwright who is often regarded as the
greatest writer in the English language. Writing during the
English Renaissance, he was a favourite of the two monarchs
who ruled during his lifetime, Elizabeth I and James I.
1 Think about the following questions and discuss them in your group. SPOKEN
INTERACTION
a What else do you know about Shakespeare?
b What do you associate with the name ‘Shakespeare’?
c Why do we (still) learn about Shakespeare?
d Have you ever read anything by Shakespeare (unabridged, authentic text)?
e Have you ever seen a Shakespeare play?
the WeDnesDAy WArs

In this award-winning novel, Gary D. Schmidt offers an
unforgettable antihero. The Wednesday Wars is a wonderfully
witty and compelling story about a teenage boy’s mishaps and
adventures over the course of the 1967–68 schoolyear. During
the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons, when all his
classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-
grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker’s classroom where
they read the plays of William Shakespeare, and Holling learns
much of value about the world he lives in.
Source: goodreads.com
2 Read the following novel extract and answer these questions. reading
a What does Holling (‘Mr. Hoodhood’) think about Shakespeare? Indicate the lines in the text
that led you to this decision.
He thinks it’s boring: ‘Of all the strategies Mrs. Baker could come up with, this must
be the worst. Teachers bring up Shakespeare only to bore students to death. And I
was going to be bored to death for eight months.’
b Is Holling’s reaction to Shakespeare similar to your group’s?
free answer
54 A rose by Any other nAme Unit 2

‘Mr. Hoodhood,’ said Mrs Baker, ‘we have been wasting our opportunities.’
‘We have?’
‘We have. On Wednesday afternoons from now on, we will be reading Shakespeare
together.’
5 'Shakespeare.'
‘You don’t have to repeat everything I say. I presume you know the English language well
enough or I wouldn’t ask you to read Shakespeare.’
I nodded.
‘First we’ll read The Merchant of Venice aloud together, so that I can be sure that you are
10 following the dialogue. Afterward, you’ll be reading on your own.’
Reading Shakespeare. Of all the strategies Mrs. Baker could come up with, this must be the
worst. Teachers bring up Shakespeare only to bore students to death. And I was going to be
bored to death for eight months. No human being could stand it.
Source: Gary D. Schmidt, The Wednesday Wars
3 Read the next extract from The Wednesday Wars and answer the questions. reading
a What is the tone of this novel extract? Why do you think that?
Humorous. Free answer, but the way Holling reacts to his sister should raise a few
laughs.
b What two things is Holling surprised about?
- Shakespeare’s plays are full of action and fantasy.
- There are a lot of cuss words (curse or swear words) in Shakespeare’s plays.
This makes Holling think adults must not have read Shakespeare very well, or they
would have banned his works.
c What is Holling going to do?
He decides to learn all the cuss words by heart.
d What is the most important thing about cussing in Holling’s opinion?
The delivery: it’s all in the way you say them.
But that’s November. It’s the kind of month where you’re grateful for every single glimpse
of the sun, or any sign of blue sky above the clouds, because you’re not sure that they’re there
anymore. And if you can’t have sun or blue sky, then you wish it would snow and cover all the
gray world with a sparkling white so bright that your eye can’t take it in.
5 But it doesn’t snow on Long Island in November. It rains. And rains and rains.
Which is how, I think, Mrs. Baker got the idea of assigning me The Tempest.
But her nefarious plot to bore me to death failed again, because The Tempest was even
better than The Merchant of Venice. In fact, it almost beat out Treasure Island – which is saying
something.
10 It was surprising how much good stuff there was. A storm, attempted murders, witches,
wizards, invisible spirits, revolutions, characters drinking until they’re dead drunk, an angry
monster named Caliban – can you believe it? I was amazed that Mrs. Baker was letting me read
this. It’s got to be censored all over the place. I figured that she hadn’t read it herself, otherwise
she would never have let me at it.
Unit 2 A rose by Any other nAme 55

15 Caliban – the monster in the play, not the escaped rat – he knew cuss words. I mean, he
really knew cuss words. What Mr. Vendleri said while standing on Danny Hupfer’s desk didn’t
come close. Even Doug Swieteck’s brother couldn’t cuss like that – and he could cuss the yellow
off a school bus.
I decided to learn them all by heart – even if I didn’t know exactly what they meant. I didn’t
20 know what Doug Swieteck’s brother’s cusses meant, either, and it didn’t make all that much
difference. It’s all in the delivery anyway. So I practiced in my bedroom, thinking of my sister.
A southwest blow on ye and blister you all o’er!
I know it doesn’t sound like much. But if you say it slow and menacing, especially when
you get to ‘blister,’ it’ll do. Keep your eyes half-closed, and it will really do. But for the rest of the
25 Caliban curses, it’s a lot better to say them loud and fast, like:
The red plague rid you!
and:
Toads, beetles, bats, light on you!
and:
30 As wicked dew as e’er my mother brushed with raven’s feather from unwholesome fen drop on you.
I’m not exactly sure what that last one means, but if you really hit the last three words, it
will do its stuff.
I told you that Mrs. Baker wouldn’t have let me read this if she’d read it herself.
Every night after supper, I practiced in front of the dresser mirror – without my shirt, because
35 I could look more menacing that way. I decided to perfect the ‘Toads, beetles, bats’ one first, since
that was the one I understood the best and because when I said it, a little bit of spit came out with
the ‘beetles’.
By the second Tuesday night, I had gotten it about down and could say ‘toads’ with a
bloodcurdling croak when my mother knocked on my bedroom door.
40 ‘Holling?’ she said. ‘Are you all right?’
‘I’m fine,’ I called.
‘It sounds like you’re talking to someone.’
‘I’m practicing for a speech,’ I said, which was sort of true.
‘Oh,’ she said. ‘Oh. Then I’ll leave you to finish.’
45 I worked on the ‘red plague’ for a bit, because that one is all in the timing.
Then my father knocked on the door. There must have been a commercial on.
‘I can hear you all the way down in the den. What are you doing?’
‘Practicing Shakespeare,’ I said.
‘What do you need Shakespeare for?’
50 ‘For Mrs. Baker.’
‘For Mrs. Baker?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then get it right,’ he said, and walked away.
I went back to the ‘toads, beetles, bats’ until my sister knocked on the door.
55 ‘Holling?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Shut up.’
‘A southwest blow on ye and blister you all o’er,’ I said.
She threw open my door. ‘What did you say to me?’
60 In the face of a sixteen-year-old sister who’s about to drop something on you from heaven,
even Shakespeare fails. ‘Nothing,’ I said.
‘Keep it that way,’ she said, ‘and put your shirt on, you weirdo.’ She slammed the door shut.
I decided I was done with practicing for the night.
Source: Gary D. Schmidt, The Wednesday Wars

1.2 ⁄ YOU’RE A FISHMONGER!
1 Discuss the following questions. SPOKEN

INTERACTION
a Why do you think people use insults?
b Which insults do you know (both ‘physical’ as well as in words)?
c Do you know any art forms in which the use of ‘insults’ is important?
2 Now read these short articles about the use of insults in different art forms. reading
a Describe the importance of the audience in flyting and in the Dozens.
They are contests in which two parties exchange (poetic) insults. It is the audience
that usually decides who the winner is.
b What are snaps?
They are the insults in the game of the Dozens.
c Why are there so many rap songs with ‘mother insults’?
The mother figure in African and African-American culture is very important and
is at the heart of the game: insulting someone else’s mother is sure to inflame the
passions of the other player. It intensifies the game and the player needs to show
remarkable control to deal with them. It’s a show of power and control.
Search
Article Talk
Flyting or fliting is a contest consisting of the

exchange of insults, often conducted in verse,
between two parties. Flyting is a ritual, poetic
exchange of insults practiced mainly between the
5th and 16th centuries. The root is the Old English
word 'flītan' meaning quarrel (from Old Norse word
'flyta' meaning provocation). Examples of flyting are
found throughout Norse, Anglo-Saxon and Medieval
literature involving both historical and mythological
figures. The exchanges would become extremely
provocative, often involving accusations of cowardice or sexual perversion.
In Anglo-Saxon England, flyting would take place in a feasting hall. The winner would be decided by the
reactions of those watching the exchange. The winner would drink a large cup of beer or mead in victory,
then invite the loser to drink as well. Flytings appear in several of William Shakespeare’s plays.
Flyting is similar in both form and function to the modern practice of freestyle battles between rappers and
the historic practice of the Dozens.
Adapted from en.wikipedia.org

Search
Article Talk
The Dozens is a game of spoken words between two contestants,

common in African-American communities, where participants insult
each other until one gives up. It is customary for the Dozens to be
played in front of an audience of bystanders, who encourage the
participants to reply with more egregious insults to heighten the
tension and consequently, to be more interesting to watch. Among
African-Americans it is also known as ‘sounding’, ‘joning’, ‘woofing’,
‘wolfing’, ‘sigging’, or ‘signifying’, while the insults themselves are
known as ‘snaps’.
The origin of the game is unclear, but it has roots in Africa: similar
contests are held in Nigeria among the Igbo people, and in Ghana.
Comments in the game focus on the opposite player’s intelligence,
appearance, competency, social status, financial situation, and
disparaging remarks about the other player’s family members –
mothers in particular (‘yo’ mama ...’) – are common. Commentary is
often related to sexual issues, where the game is then referred to as the ‘Dirty Dozens’.
Several theories have been put forth to explain why the game was developed. One hypothesis from 1939
suggests that the game formed as a way for African Americans to express aggression in an oppressive
society that severely punished such displays against whites. Another theory from 1962 highlights the game’s
focus on one’s opponent’s mother as a reflection of the dominance of females in African-American families
and how young males may feel rejected by females and react accordingly. The importance of mothers in
African and African-American families is at the heart of the game: insulting someone else’s mother is sure to
inflame the passions of the other player. The Dozens is a contest of personal power: wit, self-control, verbal
ability, mental acuity, and toughness.
3 Watch the video and answer the questions about the listening
importance of words in Shakespeare’s plays.
a According to Gudenrath, what is one

of Shakespeare’s most impressive
accomplishments? Why is this the case?
His use of insults because they would
unify the entire audience; everyone
could laugh at what was going on
on stage.
b What is the purpose of dialogue in drama?
To set the mood, to give more atmosphere
to the setting and to develop relationships
between the characters.

c What does ‘fishmonger’ mean in the context of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet?
Similar to pimp: Polonius is brokering out his daughter (for money to do the king a
favour).
d What happens in Romeo and Juliet that is like giving someone the finger?
One character uses the expression ‘to bite your thumb’, which the other party takes
as an insult.
e In the scene from Romeo and Juliet, what is heightened by the use of insults?
The tension between the two parties (Montagues and Capulets). In this scene
‘heartless hinds’ is used to say Benvolio is a coward. If he didn’t respond to it (in
front of his own men) he would surely be one.
f What is the conclusion of the narrator?
Shakespeare’s words do matter: they are trying to tell us something.
2 SONNETS, SHAKESPEARE AND … HIP-HOP?
2.1 ⁄ PARALLELS BETWEEN SHAKESPEARE AND HIP-HOP

1 Brainstorm with a partner and fill in the diagram. Which words are at the centre of the SPOKEN
INTERACTION
diagram? Share your findings with another group.
What is poetry? What is hip-hop?
free answer

2 Who said this? Try to guess whether the following lines are by Shakespeare or from hip-hop. SPOKEN
INTERACTION
Line Shakespeare Hip-hop

To destroy the beauty from
Jay Z – You must love me
which one came
Maybe it’s hatred I spew,

Eminem – Renegade
maybe it’s food for the spirit
Men would rather use their

Othello
broken weapons than their
bare hands
I was not born under a

Much ado about nothing
rhyming planet
The most benevolent king

Wu Tang Clan, RZA –
communicates through your
dream Impossible
Socrates, philosophies and
Wu Tang Clan
hypotheses can’t define me
3 What does this short quiz tell you about the language of Shakespeare and the language of reading
hip-hop?
When you take away the context and the perception (= image), and you just look at the
language of the two art forms, it’s not always clear whether a line is from Shakespeare
or from hip-hop. In other words: hip-hop could be Shakespeare and vice versa.
4 Watch the clip in which London hip-hopper Akala discusses rhythm. Answer the questions. listening
a What is the rhythm of the sonnets? How does Akala define it?
Iambic pentameter. Akala calls this ‘5 sets and 2 beats’.
b Why can he ‘rap’ sonnet 18? What is the link with the rhythm?
He can ‘translate’ the meter of the iambic pentameter
into two different hip-hop beats:
− the very fast 'grime' beat of 140 bpm;
− the more traditional hip-hop beat of 78 bpm.
This works because the beats imitate the heartbeat.

© See Li/Demotix/Corbis
c What is a mnemonic device?
It is a device which makes it easier to remember something.

d What does Akala mean by ‘tonality in hip-hop’? Can you think of other art forms where this is
important?
Tonality: how you say something is as important as what you say in hip-hop.
2.2 ⁄ SONNET 18
1 Read Shakespeare’s sonnet 18 and answer these questions. reading
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? A

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
temperate: B
quatrain
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, A
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date: B
5 Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, C
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d; D
quatrain
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
declines, C
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
untrimm’d; D
But thy eternal summer shall not fade E
10 Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; F
quatrain
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade, E
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:
grow’st: F
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, G
couplet
So long lives this and this gives life to thee. G
a Paraphrase the poem in your own words.
The poet compares somebody to a summer’s day
and says this person is even more beautiful. He
goes on to say ‘The love I have for you is eternal,
like the words in a poem.’ The power of a poem
can defy time and will last forever, like his love.
b What is meant with ‘And summer’s lease hath all too short a date’?
Summer will pass.
c How is the beauty of the lover different from the summer?
Summer will pass, but to describe the beauty of the lover, the words ‘eternal
summer’ are used. This beauty will not fade because of the ‘eternal lines’ (= the
poem).
d What does ‘this’ refer to in the last line?
It refers to the poem.
e Shakespeare has not only paid a compliment to someone else, but also to himself. How does
he do this?
His poetry is so powerful it will ‘survive’ after he is dead.

2 Check the formal aspects of this poem. reading
a This is a Shakespearean sonnet. What are the formal aspects of this? Indicate the different
parts in the poem.
– 3 quatrains + 1 couplet (= 2 lines)
– rhyme scheme: ABAB ABAB ABAB CC / ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
– quatrains = sequence of metaphors and ideas
– couplet = summary or new take on quatrains
b Look up what the difference is between the Shakespearean and the Petrarchan sonnet.
the Petrarchan sonnet:
– octave = 8 lines = 2 quatrains
– sestet = 6 lines = 2 tercets
– rhyme scheme: ABBA ABBA CDCDCD / ABBA CDDC CDE CDE
– contrast through VOLTA (= break between octave and sestet)
c What is the rhyme scheme of Sonnet 18?
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
d What is said in the couplet?
As long as there are men, the poem will exist and will show his love.
e Where is the volta in this sonnet? Indicate in the poem.
There are two possibilities: either at ‘but’ (line 9, first line of 3rd quatrain) or at ‘so’
(the couplet).
2.3 ⁄ MORE MISCONCEPTIONS
DID YOU KNOW?

The Hip-Hop Shakespeare Company is a music theatre production company founded by
MOBO-award winning hip-hop artist Kingslee ‘Akala’ Daley. Based in London, THSC offers
young people a different view of the arts and ultimately themselves. Through education
programmes, live music events and music theatre productions they engage young people,
particularly those who are considered ‘hard to reach’ and push them toward artistic
excellence. By bridging music, theatre and performing arts in non-conventional venues
they also strive to alter the perceptions of audiences of all ages, creating the ultimate
entertainment experience via literature and the arts across the UK and beyond.
Source: www.hiphopshakespeare.com
62 A rose by any other name Unit 2

1 Watch the second part of Akala’s presentation about the misconceptions about Shakespeare listening
and hip-hop, and then answer the questions.
a Are these statements true or false? Explain.
Statement True False

1 Shakespeare spoke really ‘posh’ (RP = Received Pronunciation).
It wasn’t even ‘invented’ yet. He had a more Yorkshire sounding X
accent.
2 Today people question whether Shakespeare really wrote Shakespeare.
Some people find it hard to believe someone like him could X
have written all this ‘knowledge’.

3 The reason people don’t think much about the ‘knowledge’ aspect of
hip-hop is because of the way hip-hop is represented today (e.g. on TV).
X
Representation today is not owned by the founders of it.
b What does ‘hip’ and ‘hop’ stand for?
‘to open one’s eyes and see, or enlightenment’ + ‘movement’ = intelligent movement
c What are the five elements of hip-hop?
DJ-ing, MC-ing, breakdancing, graffiti art and
knowledge
d What is a ‘griot’?
In medieval West African empires (e.g. Mali and
Ghana) he was a rhythmic oral poet, singer,
musician and custodian of the history and cultural
traditions.
e Circle the correct answer(s). Who influenced the hip-hop culture of the late 70s and early 80s?
2Pac Shakur – James Baldwin – Amiri Baraka – Martin Luther King – Mohammed Ali –
James Brown – Wu-Tang Clan
f What does the phrase ‘custodian of knowledge’ mean?
The person who is ‘entitled’ to hold and spread the knowledge of a culture.

g Why was the Wu-Tang Clan so important for the hip-hop culture?
For the first time (early 90s), people who listened
to very different types of music united around
this album that was all about openly proud
intelligent discourse. They didn’t pretend they
were anything else than they were, but they had
decided to educate themselves and be the custodian
of knowledge.
h What does Akala say about education in today’s society? Mark the correct answer.
It is still important that every person is trained to do one particular thing, like during the
industrial age.
✓ It is important that every person learns how to be the best they can be because the future
of our society depends on ideas.
Every person should be educated according to their social class.
Every school should teach hip-hop.
2 Watch this clip from a film that is an adaptation listening

of Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew.
Then answer these questions.
a What does the English teacher do?
He raps a Shakespearean sonnet.
b How does the girl react?

© Blue Lantern Studio/Corbis
She is impressed and really likes the assignment the
teacher is giving the class, which is to write their
own sonnet.
3 Listen to the sonnet. It’s now your turn to do the same. Be creative! writing
a Choose a suitable topic to write a sonnet about (love and beauty are often written about in
poems).
b Now write a 14-line lyric poem in iambic pentameter (… if possible).
c Afterwards, present it to the class (maybe you could even rap it?).

3 WORDS, WORDS, WORDS …
3.1 ⁄ SHAKESPEARE AND NEW WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
DID YOU KNOW?

The Bard is on Twitter and has more than
45,000 followers.
Tweet Willy Shakes @IAM_SHAKESPEARE.
In all of his work – the plays, the sonnets and the

narrative poems – Shakespeare used about 18,000
words. Most people today only use 7,500 to 10,000
unique words in their writing and speech. Of those
words, Shakespeare invented about 1,700 of them
by changing nouns into verbs, changing verbs
into adjectives, adding prefixes and suffixes, and
devising wholly original words! As if all of the words
Shakespeare invented were not enough, he also
put common words together to make up phrases
new to the English language. Many of the phrases
Shakespeare invented are still often used today.
1 Watch the video. Then link the words to their meaning. listening
Word or idiom Meaning

1 hobnob a attempt to become friends, find a good way to initiate
conversation with someone you don’t know
2 dauntless
b jealousy
3 besmirch
c exaggerate or overstate something
4 lackluster
d your relatives
5 your flesh and blood
e a type of biscuit (made of oats)
6 to eat out of house and home
f lit: to eat everything someone has in the house; fig: to
7 good riddance
ruin someone by eating so much
8 the green-eyed monster
g to be happy that someone is gone
9 to break the ice
h damage, slander
10 dead as a doornail
i obviously dead; not active at all
11 to get your money’s worth
j get good value for the amount you paid
12 to be given short shrift
k fearless, resolute and determined
13 to lay it on with a trowel
l be harmed by something that was intended by you to
14 to hoist with your own petard harm someone else
m monotonous, boring
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
e k h m d f g b a i j h c l
Unit 2 A rose by any other name 65

2 Complete the idioms with the correct word. What do they mean?
1 vanish into thin air
2 to wear your heart on your sleeve

gold thin air
3 cruel to be kind play
4 catch a cold
5 a heart of gold
truth be kind
6 clothes make the man the man
7 fair play
8 the naked truth on your sleeve cold
3.2 ⁄ THE VOCABULARY OF HIP-HOP ARTISTS
Your teacher will distribute two articles about the vocabulary used by hip-hop artists. Work in reading
pairs and decide who is going to read which article.
a Indicate in your article what the main ideas are of each paragraph.
b Write down a conclusion: what is the point the writer of your article is trying to make?
c Sit with someone who has read the same article as you. Did you indicate the same things in each
paragraph? Did you come to the same conclusion?
d Now sit with two students who have read the other article and share what you have found.
3.3 ⁄ NEW WORDS FOR A NEW ERA
DID YOU KNOW?

Shakespeare may have been one of the first ‘neologists’ of the English language, but he was
by no means the last. A neologism is a newly coined term, word, or phrase that may be in the
process of entering common use, but has not yet been accepted into mainstream language.
Neologisms can often be directly attributed to a specific person, publication, period, or event.
Today, the Internet is one of the world’s most important sources of neologisms.
1 Answer these questions about the text on Internet speak. reading

a What has changed about the way we communicate because of the Internet?
We send e-mail (instead of snail mail), we hardly call on the phone anymore
(Facebook), we look for a job online.
b What does EMC stand for and what does it mean?
'Electronically mediated conversation' or EMC means that our language is impacted
by the Internet.

c What does the use of ‘retweet’ show about how we adapt our language?
Twitter introduced the idea of a 're-tweet' as an action, but people informally
incorporated it into their vocabularies as a verb. This happens regularly when new
features appear online, e.g. Facebook gave us things like 'liking' and 'friending'.
d Describe what is meant by ‘semantic shift’.
In this case the semantic shift means that there is a different nuance to certain
familiar words, but also that, within these ‘new’ words, meaning has changed. The
word LOL is used as an example: 'the original meaning of “LOL” has transformed,
with its original humorous connotations becoming toned down or even disappearing
entirely.'
e What is David Crystal’s main point about ‘Internet speak’?
He says not to exaggerate the importance of it. 'The Internet has only been around
for some 20 years. It takes a lot longer for permanent or significant language
change to operate.'
f What is, according to Crystal, the biggest change to language due to the Internet? Why does
he say this?
The Internet does not change the way we talk in his opinion (see lines 70 to 74).
g What does the use of the Urban Dictionary in a court case indicate?
Even though there might not be a huge impact of the Internet on how we talk,
something like the Urban Dictionary indicates there is a gap between generations.
'But as the first generation of native speakers grows up, the amount that Internet
speak weaves into normal dialogue will become even more pronounced.'
DAViD CrystAL
David Crystal (1941-) is a linguist whose many academic
interests include English language learning and teaching and
Shakespeare. He is the author, co-author, or editor of over
120 books on a wide variety of subjects. In his 2004 book The
Stories of English, a general history of the English language, he
describes the value he sees in linguistic diversity and showing
respect for varieties of English generally considered ‘non-
standard’. He is a proponent of a new field of study, Internet
linguistics. As an expert on the evolution of the English
language, he was involved in the production of Shakespeare
at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2004 and 2005 in the ‘Original
Pronunciation’. © Colin McPherson/Corbis

KTHXBAI! HOW INTERNET-SPEAK IS CHANGING
THE WAY WE TALK IRL (IN REAL LIFE)
By Kate Knibbs
I can haz unadulterated English language?

Definitely not – the Internet has a huge
influence on our vocabularies and favorite
sayings. But don’t worry about the downfall of
5 English just yet. While some people worry that
hashtags and emoticons will fundamentally
diminish the spoken word as we know it,
these fears are overblown.
When it comes to the way we communicate

10 with each other, it’s obvious the Internet
influenced some major changes: email
superseded snail mail, Facebook pretty much swallowed the idea of calling someone and wishing
them a happy birthday, our job hunts are conducted through LinkedIn or Craigslist.
It’s slightly less in-your-face, but the Internet is also shifting the words we use to speak to one
15 another, not just the way we choose to communicate. Our obsession with the Internet even
influences the simple act of talking – out loud, in real life (IRL, if you prefer). Certain acronyms,
neologisms, and abbreviations have infiltrated everyday speech – if I say something like ‘OMG,
WTF, why did my ex like my status, obvi I’m unfriending him,’ most people would know what
I’m talking about (even if they’ll roll their eyes at how annoying I am). Since people often
20 communicate online and through text messages, truncated turns of phrase and space-saving
emoticons are now mainstream.
LOLing at the language changes

Internet-speak is firmly implanted in language now, and as we continue to live our lives online,
new expressions and words will continue to develop. Just as languages evolved before – by
25 interacting with other languages – we will adjust the way we use words based on what we do
and see. And since what we see is so often the white glow of a computer screen, our language
is impacted by the Internet. Linguist Ann Curzan has a term for this kind of back-and-forth:
‘electronically mediated conversation,’ or EMC.
‘Did you re-tweet Tom’s GIF link? Shaking my head.’ My brother said this to a friend yesterday,
30 verbalizing the popular ‘SMH’ acronym aloud. And the sentence showcases a few different ways
the Internet shapes language. Obviously, since we talk about the Internet, the content of the
sentence is contingent on the Web. But the use of ‘re-tweet’ shows how we adapt our language
around new technological concepts.
Twitter introduced the idea of a ‘re-tweet’ as an action, but people informally incorporated it into
35 their vocabularies as a verb. This happens regularly when new features appear online – things
like ‘rickrolling,’ ‘ icing,’ ‘lurking,’ ‘trolling,’ and ‘fapping’ arose from forums and spread mimetically,
while Facebook gave us things like ‘liking’ and ‘friending.’ Oxford Dictionaries wrote a blog post
highlighting how Facebook introduced a variety of new words and phrases into the lexicon, noting
‘Facebook has given a slightly different nuance to these familiar words.’ So when it comes to

40 vocabularies, the words we choose to use in our conversations now often give the impression of a
logged-in life.
And we’ve already moved to a stage in Internet-speak where the original meaning of ‘LOL’ has
transformed. The Atlantic Wire talked to linguist Ben Zimmerman about it, who said LOL has
definitely been undergoing a semantic shift, with its original humorous connotations becoming
45 toned down or even disappearing entirely. Professor Curzan agrees, ‘LOL is now a way to flag that
a message is meant to be funny (similar to JK – ‘just kidding’) or to signal irony. LOL can also be a
way to acknowledge that a writer has received a text – a written version of a nod of the head and
a smile.’
In other words, now LOL is more of a placeholder or a way to show that you’re listening than
50 a way to say you’re laughing or you think something is funny. This is the most obvious sign of
Internet-speak becoming divorced from its original meaning and taking on a new definition. And
if you look at the evolution of the hashtag, you’ll see that the symbol can be used to signify a
variety of moods and purposes.
Don’t worry about a world of emoticons and misspellings just yet

55 Even though Internet and text speak pervade daily conversations, the influence of technology like
SMS and Facebook on the English language is often overstated, according to renowned linguist
Professor David Crystal, who wrote a number of books on text and Internet language. So has
Internet-speak given English an interesting boost? ‘No. It is too soon to say,’ Crystal bluntly tells
me. ‘The Internet has only been around for some 20 years, which is no time at all. It takes a lot
60 longer for permanent or significant language change to operate.’
Crystal also downplayed the role of the Internet further down the road, and emphasized that it’s
futile to try to predict the future. When asked if he thought the Internet would eventually have a
lasting impact on language, he sounds dubious. ‘No one should ever try to predict the long term
linguistic future of a language. But in the short-term, no. Think of other technological events.
65 When broadcasting arrived in the 1920s, we saw the arrival of all kinds of new styles, such as
sports commentary and news-reading. Such things don’t seriously rearrange a language, whatever
that might mean. They simply add new styles, and extend the language’s expressive richness.’
So even down the road, Crystal sees the Internet as a thing that will offer ways to supplement
English rather than seriously disrupt or supplant it. He made that clear with his response when
70 we asked him if he could name some of the biggest changes to language due to the Internet.
‘None. As the Internet is predominantly a graphic medium, the most noticeable changes have
been there, not in speech at all. So there have been some interesting novel informalities in
orthography, such as punctuation minimalism, and the arrival of emoticons. But in speech,
nothing. Most people speak today just as they did before the Internet arrived. The occasional
75 additional spoken abbreviation (such as LOL) is hardly a significant effect.’
In other words, Crystal notes that rampant use of smiley faces is a real thing, but he does not
believe the Internet is really substantially changing the way we talk – that should be good news
for frustrated English teachers who die a little inside each time one of their students yells ‘YOLO,’
though I think his focus on the big picture overlooks just how common it is to hear acronyms and
80 text speak in daily conversation.

But young people are spearheading the change
Even though Crystal downplayed the impact of the Internet on how we talk, it’s hard to deny how
younger people are bringing Internet-speak into the mainstream. A 14-year-old girl from England
recently wrote a blog post detailing some pertinent slang for older people, and it seems like
85 they may need it — as reported by the New York Times, courts around the U.S. are using sites like
Urban Dictionary to understand the parlance of their younger defendants.
Right now, middle-aged people did not grow up with the Internet; they started using it as teens
or adults, so they don’t have the same relationship to how people talk online and through mobile
devices — they’re not native speakers. But as the first generation of native speakers grows up and
90 has children of their own — children who will no doubt be even more acclimatized to living online,
if the babies I see playing with iPads are any inclination — the amount that Internet speak weaves
into normal dialogue will become even more pronounced.
Of course, it’s not just Bieber-loving tweens who pepper Internet-speak into their conversations —
it’s anyone who regularly uses the Internet or participates in Internet culture. And while sites like
95 Reddit and Tumblr, with vocabularies specific to their online communities, used to be more on the
fringe of society, now the president of the United States is doing Reddit interviews and making a
Tumblr page.
So it seems likely that the Internet will continue influencing the way we talk as long as it’s an
important part of society. But that doesn’t mean more changes aren’t up ahead. Will words like
100 ‘unfriend’ persist even after everyone gets sick of Facebook and moves on to the next big thing?
Or will these types of words go the way of other antiquated vernacular like ‘groovy’ or ‘daddy-o’?
It’s possible that many of the recent changes to the mainstream vocabulary are as impermanent
and trivial as Crystal suggested — but it’s also likely that they will be replaced by other words that
stem from our lives online.
Source: www.digitaltrends.com
2 Here are a few ‘recent’ Internet speak words. What do they mean? Choose the correct answer.
Use the Internet to help you, if you don’t know (e.g. Urban Dictionary).
1 hashtag to copy a tweet and then send

it again on twitter
✓ a way for people to search for tweets
that have a common topic and to begin
a conversation
replying or sending someone
a tweet
2 YOLO ✓ abbreviation for: you only live once;

the phrase was popularized by the 2011
song ‘The Motto’ by Canadian rapper Drake.
abbreviation for: you only live once, the phrase
was popularized by the 2010 song ‘Drop the
World’ by American rapper Lil’ Wayne.
abbreviation for: you only live once; the
phrase was popularized by the 2007 song
‘100 Million’ by American rapper Birdman.
3 obvi ✓ short for obviously

short for like duh, obviously
short for blatantly obvious

4 SMH acronym for ‘shake my head’ or ‘shaking my head.’ Usually used when
someone finds something so funny, no words can do it justice.
✓ acronym for ‘shake my head’ or ‘shaking my head.’ Usually used when
someone finds something so stupid, no words can do it justice.
acronym for ‘shake my head’ or ‘shaking my head.’ Usually used when
someone finds something so annoying, no words can do it justice.
5 rickrolling ✓ an Internet meme with the video of the song ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’: a
person provides a hyperlink which is seemingly relevant to the topic at hand,
but actually leads to this video.
an Internet meme involving the image of a cat. The image’s text is often
idiosyncratic and grammatically incorrect.
an idea that is spread from blog to blog
6 icing ignoring someone in an online community

✓ a drinking game in which people are required to drink a bottle of Smirnoff Ice
spending a lot of money on online gambling
7 lurker / a member of an online community who actively participates and annoys

lurking other people in doing so.
a member of an online community who harasses other people online.
✓ a member of an online community who observes, but does not actively
participate.
8 troll / ✓ somebody who starts arguments or upsets people by posting inflammatory

trolling or off-topic messages in an online community.
a member of an online community who observes, but does not actively
participate.
somebody who stalks someone online.
9 fapping ✓ Internet slang for masturbation

Internet slang for having a porn addiction
Internet slang for beating someone at an online game
3.4 ⁄ VOCABULARY QUIZ
Your teacher will give you some of the most recent additions into the Oxford Dictionary Online speaking
(which currently counts over 600,000 words).
a Work in groups.
b Look up the meaning of the words

you have been assigned.
c Make a multiple-choice quiz. Find

three suitable explanations for every
word (also include a sentence with
the word for each option).
d Present the quiz to your class.
e Keep score! Who’s the most

language-savvy group in your class?

4 ROMEO AND JULIET AND … ZOMBIES?
4.1 ⁄ WARM BODIES

1 Watch the trailer of the 2013 film Warm Bodies. listening
a Who are the main characters?
a zombie (R)
a girl (Julie)
b What is this film about?
It is about a zombie (whose name starts with an R)
who falls in love with a girl. That changes him.
At the same time there’s a war going on between
humans and zombies. The leader of the human
army is the girl’s father.
DiD yoU KnoW?

Did you know that Warm Bodies (2013) is actually an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s
play Romeo and Juliet? The film itself is based on the novel Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
(2010). There is also a prequel to Warm Bodies, called The New Hunger.
2 Read the background information about Romeo and Juliet on the next page and then find out reading
what the following idioms mean:
1 to go on a wild goose chase a search that is completely unsuccessful and a waste of
time
2 a fool’s paradise a state of happiness that is based on mistaken beliefs or
false ideas
3 Which stories of forbidden love are mentioned?
Metamorphoses (20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18): there is the story of Pyramus and
Thisbe.
Dante (c. 1265–1321) mentions the names Montecchi (Montagues) and Cappelletti
(Capulets) in his Divine Comedy.
4 Is Romeo and Juliet an ‘original’ story?
No, Shakespeare probably based it on a poem he read.
5 Do you know any other books or films about a forbidden love?
free answer

Search
Article Talk
Background information about Shakespeare’s most famous play
The basic story, of two young lovers from

opposing families in Italy, had been popular
for hundreds of years before Shakespeare
wrote his play. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses (20
March 43 BC – AD 17/18) there is the story
of Pyramus and Thisbe, who have parents
who hate each other; Dante (c. 1265–1321)
mentions the names Montecchi (Montagues)
and Cappelletti (Capulets) in his Divine Comedy. Research suggests that Shakespeare probably based the
play on a poem he had read.
Romeo and Juliet has been filmed many times and adapted in all sorts of ways. For instance, there are
cartoon versions for children, Japanese manga versions, a musical version with gang fights in the USA. The
zombie movie Warm Bodies is just another one of those (unconventional) adaptations.
There are also almost endless references to Romeo and Juliet in songs, books, even in ordinary conversation.
For instance, a boy who goes out with lots of girls is often referred to as a real ‘Romeo’.
The play also contains a lot of expressions that Shakespeare invented and are still in use today, such as
‘to go on a wild goose chase’ or ‘a fool’s paradise’. More recently, architects have started to use the term
‘Juliet balcony’, a balcony that does not protrude out of the building and is usually part of an upper floor,
with a balustrade only at the front. The balcony of Juliet at Villa Capuleti in Verona is not in fact a ‘Juliet
balcony’, as it does indeed protrude from the wall of the villa. Oddly enough, there’s no mention of a balcony
in Shakespeare’s play itself: Juliet merely appears at her window. It has become traditional, however, to have
Juliet talking to Romeo from one.
Source: www.en.wikipedia.org
4.2 ⁄ THE BALCONY SCENE
1 Read the following extract from Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion. Summarise what happens. reading
Make sure to mention setting, characters and plot. Use a separate piece of paper.
2 What is going on inside R’s head?
The intensity of Julie’s scent doubles with each block. As the first few stars appear in the
Stadium’s oval sky, I turn a corner and halt below a solitary edifice of white aluminium siding.
Most of the buildings seem to be multi-family apartment complexes, but this one is smaller,
narrower, and separated from its tightly packed neighbours by an awkward distance. Four
5 storeys tall but barely two rooms wide, it looks like a cross between a town house and a prison
watchtower. The windows are all dark except for a third-floor balcony jutting out from the side
of the house. The balcony seems incongruously romantic on this austere structure, until I
notice the swivel-mounted sniper rifles on each corner.
Lurking behind a stack of crates in the AstroTurf backyard, I hear voices inside the house.
10 I close my eyes, luxuriating in their sweet timbres and tart rhythms. I hear Julie. Julie and

another girl, discussing something in tones that jitter and syncopate like jazz. I find myself
swaying slightly, dancing to their conversational beat.
Eventually the talk trails off, and Julie emerges onto the balcony. It’s only been one day
since she left, but the sense of reunion that surges in me is decades strong. She rests her
15 elbows on the railing, looking cold in just a loose black T-shirt over bare legs. ‘Well, here l am
again,’ she says, apparently to no one but the air. ‘Dad clapped me on the back when I walked
in the door. Actually clapped me on the back, like a fucking football coach. All he said was, “So
glad you’re okay,” then he ran off to some project meeting or something. I can’t believe how
much he’s ... I mean, he was never exactly cuddly, but ...’ I hear a tiny click and she doesn’t
20 speak for a moment. Then another click. ‘Until I called him he had to have assumed I was
dead, right? Yeah, he sent out the search parties, but how often do people really come back
from stuff like this? So to him ... I was dead. And maybe I’m being too harsh but I absolutely
can’t picture him crying over it. Whoever told him the news, they probably clapped each other
on the back and said, “Soldier on, soldier,” and then went back to work.’ She stares at the
25 ground as if she’s seeing through it, down into the hellish core of the Earth. ‘What’s wrong
with people?’ she says, almost too quiet for me to hear. ‘Were they born with parts missing or
did it all fall out somewhere along the way?’
She is silent for a while, and I’m about to show myself when she suddenly laughs, closing
her eyes and shaking her head. ‘I actually miss that stupid ... I miss R! I know that’s crazy,
30 but is it really that crazy? Just because he’s ... whatever he is? I mean, isn’t ‘zombie’ just a silly
name we came up with for a state of being we don’t understand? What’s in a name, right? If
we were ... If there was some kind of ...’ She trails off, then stops and raises a mini-cassette
recorder to eye level, glaring at it. ‘Fuck this thing,’ she mumbles to herself. ‘Tape journaling
... not for me.’ She fast-pitches it off the balcony. It bounces off a supply crate and lands at my
35 feet. I pick it up, tuck it into my shirt pocket and press my hand against it, feeling its corners
dig into my chest. If I ever return to my 747, this memento will go in the stack closest to where
I sleep.
Julie hops onto the balcony railing and sits with her back to me, scribbling in her battered
old Moleskine.
40 Journal or poetry?
Both, silly.
Am I in it?
I step out from the shadows. ‘Julie,’ I whisper.

She doesn’t startle. She turns slowly, and a smile melts across her face like a slow spring
45 thaw. ‘Oh ... my God,’ she half giggles, then hops off the railing and spins around to face me.
‘R! You’re here! Oh my God!
I grin. ‘Hello.’
‘What are you doing here?’ she hisses, trying to keep her voice down.
I shrug, deciding that this gesture, while easy to abuse, does have its place. It may even be
50 vital vocabulary in a world as unspeakable as ours.
‘Came to ... see you.’
‘But I had to go home, remember? You were supposed to say goodbye.’
‘Don’t know why you ... say goodbye. I say ... hello.’

Her lip quivers between reactions, but she ends up with a reluctant smile. ‘God, you’re a
55 cheeseball. But seriously, R —’
‘Jules!’ a voice calls from inside the house. ‘Come here, I wanna show you something.’
‘One sec, Nora,’ Julie calls back. She looks down at me. ‘This is crazy, okay? You’re going
to get killed. It doesn’t matter how changed you are, the people in charge here won’t care, they
won’t listen, they’ll just shoot you. Do you understand?’
60 I nod. ‘Yes.’
I start climbing up the drainpipe.
‘Jesus, R! Are you listening to me?’
I get about three feet off the ground before I realise that although I’m now capable of
running, speaking and maybe falling in love, climbing is still down the road for me. I lose
65 my grip on the pipe and fall flat on my back. Julie covers her mouth, but some laughter slips
through.
‘Hey, Cabernet!’ Nora calls again. ‘What’s going on? Are you talking to somebody?’
‘Hang on, okay? I’m just doing a tape journal.’
I stand up and dust myself off. I look up at Julie. Her brows are tight and she bites her lip
70 ‘R ...’ she says miserably. ‘You can’t ...’
The balcony door swings open and Nora appears, her curls just as thick and wild as they
were in my visions, all those years ago. I’ve never seen her standing, and she’s surprisingly tall,
at least half a foot above Julie, long brown legs bare under a camouflage skirt. I had assumed
she and Julie were classmates, but now I realise Nora is a few years older, maybe in her mid-
75 twenties.
‘What are you — ‘ she starts, then she sees me, and her eyebrows go up. ‘Oh my holy Lord.
Is that him?’
Julie sighs. ‘Nora, this is R. R ... Nora.’
Nora stares at me like I’m Sasquatch, the Yeti, maybe a unicorn. ‘Urn ... nice to meet you ...
80 R.’
Source: Isaac Marion, Warm Bodies
3 Now watch the balcony scene in Warm Bodies and compare it to the extract from the novel. listening
Discuss similarities and differences.
The setting and the characters
are the same, but what is
obviously missing is Julie’s
soliloquy (talking to herself) and
R’s thoughts.

4 From your teacher you will get a copy of the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. On the left reading
you will find the original text, on the right is a modern translation. Read the texts and put the
following events from the balcony scene in order. Indicate the lines from the text.
# Event Lines
4 Juliet wants to know how Romeo got into the orchard. 86-96
7 They agree to meet the next day. 208-230
5 Juliet worries about Romeo being seen and killed. 98-110
2 Juliet wishes Romeo was not a Montague. 45-64
8 They say goodbye, although they struggle to do so. 232-296
First Romeo professes his love, but Juliet is unsure of his true feelings.
6 Nevertheless they both exchange vows of love. They get interrupted by 112-205
the nurse a few times.
3 Juliet realises that Romeo is there. Romeo says he will give up his name. 66-84
1 Romeo describes Juliet’s beauty. 1-43
5 What is going on in this scene? reading

a Who speaks first at the beginning of the scene, and who is spoken to?
Romeo does. He speaks to himself (and the audience).
b Who speaks second in the scene, and who is spoken to?
Juliet. She also speaks to herself.
c When does Juliet notice Romeo for

the first time?
When Romeo says: ‘I take thee
at thy word.’ (line 66)
d What is Juliet worried about? Why?
Romeo’s name. Because he’s a
Montague and she’s a Capulet.
Their families are at war.
e Why is Juliet embarrassed?
Because Romeo has heard her
talking about him.
f What concerns does Juliet have?
She is not sure if his intentions are honourable.
g When she thinks things are moving too quickly, to what does she compare the ‘contract’?
To lightning: It’s too much like lightning, which disappears before you can even say,
‘it’s lightning.’ (line 170)

h What does Juliet suggest Romeo should do if he is serious about her?
She will send him a messenger the next day and he can tell the messenger when and
where they can get married. When Juliet questions Romeo’s intentions, he is forced to
either give up Juliet’s affections or offer a respectful and committed relationship
(i.e., marriage).
6 Have a look at the form and the language of the text and answer these questions. reading
a Why do you think Romeo and Juliet was written in verse?
Stories were written in verse because they were recited and easier to remember.
This also shows that the play was meant to be performed, rather than read.
b In the opening of this scene Shakespeare

uses asides. What is an aside? What
effect does an aside have?
An aside is when a character speaks
to the audience; it is usually a brief
comment, rather than a speech, such
as a monologue or soliloquy. It gives
a true statement of the character’s
thoughts or emotions.
c Which imagery is used throughout this scene?
The most remarkable images are those of light, sunlight and starlight, which convey
the meaning of love between the young lovers in a dark world.
For Juliet, Romeo is ‘day in night’. For Romeo, Juliet is ‘the sun rising from the east’.
d What three things does Romeo compare Juliet to?
Juliet is compared to the sun (line 7) and also daylight (line 26). Her eyes are
compared to stars (line 20).
e Can you find other words associated with light in his speech? What is their effect?
moon, twinkle, brightness, bright, lamp
The effect: Shakespeare wants to emphasise Juliet’s beauty by using words for light.
Also, using lots of light words contrasts well with the fact that in the play it is
night-time and the stage would be quite dark. This makes the scene more dramatic.

f What do the following literary terms and style figures mean? Link them to the correct
definition.
analogy – dramatic irony – hyperbole – oxymoron – personification – simile – soliloquy
Style figure Meaning

when the reader or audience knows something the
1 dramatic irony
characters do not
a comparison of similarities between things which are
2 analogy
otherwise unlike
a speech that one gives to oneself. In a play, a character
delivering a soliloquy talks to herself – thinking out loud,
3 soliloquy
as it were – so that the audience better understands
what is happening to the character internally.
4 hyperbole use of exaggeration to enhance a point
two words that contradict each other, placed beside each
5 oxymoron
other
attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics
6 personification to something non-human, or the representation of an
abstract quality in human form
g Find an example of each in the balcony scene.
1 analogy:
Act 2 -scene 2 (lines 58-59). What’s in a name? That which we call a rose. By
another word would smell as sweet. What Juliet really means is even though
Romeo is a Montague, he is still perfect to her.
2 dramatic irony:
When Romeo watches Juliet and makes a comparison to the sun about her beauty.
We as readers know of his presence but Juliet doesn’t know that Romeo is
watching her. Then she talks to herself about ‘O Romeo, wherefore art thou
Romeo’ which shows she isn’t aware that he is just under the balcony.
3 hyperbole:
Juliet says: ‘My bounty is as boundless as the sea.’ This is an exaggeration or
overstatement which makes it a hyperbole. This line is from act 2, scene 2, line
194. Romeo says: ‘The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars as
daylight doth a lamp.’ (line 24)

4 oxymoron:
When Juliet struggles between her love for Romeo and dislike for him for killing
Tybalt. ‘Parting is such sweet sorrow’
5 personification:
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief,
that thou her maid art far more fair than she. Romeo personifies the moon and
the sun. He gives the emotion of envy and grief to the moon, as he is jealous of
his love, ‘Juliet’. He asks the sun to rise, as he’s beckoning someone to come.
6 soliloquy:
Act 2, scene 1 when Romeo reveals his thoughts about Juliet and he is amazed by
her beauty while secretly watching her.
In the balcony scene, when Juliet speaks to herself about why Romeo has to be
Romeo. She wishes that Romeo could be someone else (but not a Montague), reject
his father and refuse his name.

7 Watch another version of the balcony scene, that of the 1968 Zeffirelli listening
film Romeo and Juliet. Then make a comparison of the four balcony
scenes (original Shakespeare text, 1968 Zeffirelli film and Warm
Bodies text (2010) and film (2013)).
a First make a few notes in the table below. writing

b Then write a short text (about 100 words) in which you describe the
similarities and the differences.
c End with a personal preference.
Original text Zeffirelli film Warm Bodies text Warm Bodies film
Characters
Setting
Language
Plot
Other

Comparison checklist me
1 Content and structure
• I wrote about 100 words.
• I structured my text using paragraphs.
• I included information about the four versions.
• I discussed characters, setting, language and plot.
• I ended with a personal preference.
2 Language
• I used the correct language for expressing a preference.
• I checked my text for grammar and used the correct words.
• I checked my spelling and punctuation.
Feedback
5 A MUST-SEE!
DiD yoU KnoW?

Going to the cinema or watching a movie?
The word ‘film’ is generally used in British English, while
‘movie’ is mainly American English.
People in Britain would say, ‘I’m going to the cinema’,
whereas Americans tend to say ‘I’m going to the movies’
or ‘I’m going to the movie theater’. When at home,
someone from Britain would rather say, ‘Let’s put on a
film’, while an American would say, ‘Let’s watch a movie.’
However, that being said, Americans and Brits do
understand each other!
5.1 ⁄ WHAT MAKES A GOOD REVIEW?
1 Read the review of Warm Bodies. Discuss these comprehension questions in your group. reading
a What is the purpose of the text?
– informative: to give a description of the film
– argumentative: to persuade, to give an opinion
b What is the overall opinion of the reviewer? How do you know this?
positive: ‘I kinda love this movie.’ (§5)

c What is the main objection the reviewer has to typical zombie films and series?
Always the same, never from the zombie point of view: ‘We almost never get inside
the rotted mind of the zombie or see things from the zombie point of view. They’re
forever penned in as the Big Metaphor.’ (§3)
d In his opinion, how is Warm Bodies different?
It flips (or reverses) the typical zombie horror script.
e What does the reviewer say about the performance of the main actors?
‘an earnest and winning performance’, ‘scene-stealing performance’, ‘a relatively
restrained performance’
f What does the reviewer say about the performance of the director of the film?
‘well-paced, nicely directed’, ‘stylistic flourishes’
g Are there any negative aspects? If so, which ones?
§12: ‘Warm Bodies’ isn’t perfect.’ ‘mediocre special-effects creations’, ‘some of the
musical choices are too broad and easy’, ‘the message is delivered at least two or
three more times’
h Do you consider this review successful? Why (not)?
free answer
REVIEW WARM BODIES

by Richard Roeper WATCH TRAILER
As much as I enjoy The Walking Dead

on AMC and movies such as 28 Days
Later one of my ongoing complaints
Later,
about the explosion of the zombie
genre is the general mopery and
overall predictability of those ever-
staggering creatures. They lurch.
They snarl. They sniff the air for the
scent of human flesh. They pounce
and gnaw. They pound windows and
doors, and express frustration when
confronted with 10-foot-high cyclone fences. And then they get shot in the head and die.
That’s pretty much it. We almost never get inside the rotted mind of the zombie or see things
from the zombie point of view. They’re forever penned in as the Big Metaphor.

One of the many exhilarating pleasures of Warm Bodies is the flipping of that script. This is
a bloody fresh twist on the most popular horror genre of this century, with none-too-subtle
echoes of a certain star-crossed romance that harks back to a certain bard who placed a
certain young Romeo under a certain balcony.
I kinda love this movie. Warm Bodies is a well-paced, nicely directed, post-apocalyptic love
story with a terrific sense of humor and the, um, guts to be unabashedly romantic and
unapologetically optimistic.
Looking a little like a boy-band heartthrob who won first place at a Hollywood Halloween
party thanks to a professional make-up job and an artfully bloodied red hoodie, Nicholas
Hoult gives an earnest and winning performance as ‘R,’ who could be a character in The
Perks of Being a Wallflower or a John Hughes movie, if not for the small fact he’s undead,
having been recently zombified. (R’s attempt to fill us in on the exact nature of the zombie
apocalypse is one of the film’s many affectionate nods to the all-too-familiar elements of so
many zombie TV shows and movies.)
Unable to recall even his full first name (he’s pretty sure it begins with the letter R), the kid
knows he’s a zombie and doesn’t deny his hunger for living human flesh – but there are
still traces of a real person inside. He spends his days lurching about an airport where he
imagines the previous lives of his fellow zombies, listens to music in the grounded airplane
he’s converted into something of a condo and establishes the beginnings of a bond with M
(Rob Corddry in a scene-stealing performance), who also seems to have more than a trace of
his former humanity still lurking deep within.
Working from Isaac Marion’s short story-turned-novel, writer-director Jonathan Levine infuses
Warm Bodies with stylistic flourishes and winking in-jokes – some of them subtle, some so
obvious characters are compelled to comment on them. (‘What? It’s funny!’ says the delightful
Analeigh Tipton when she chooses a particular song to accompany a makeover montage.)
There are three distinct species populating the Earth post-worldwide infection nightmare:
Humans. They’re scarred from seeing spouses, children and friends turned into zombies or
killed, but they’re armed and they WILL shoot any corpse that comes within growling distance
of their walled city.
Zombies. Wandering the streets, living in airports and warehouses, always on the alert for the
next human meal. Maybe hopelessly lost. Maybe not.
The Bonies. Zombies that have given up all hope and have resorted to tearing off their own
flesh, leaving behind skeletal killing creatures that would just as soon take down a zombie as
a human.
There’s a key difference between the dead and the really and truly dead – a difference that
comes to light when R strikes up a bond with Julie (Teresa Palmer). Granted, their ‘meet
cute’ involves mass slaughter and the consumption of one character’s brains, which allows
a zombie to access a dead character’s memory. But other than those small details, the
courtship of R and Julie isn’t all that different from what we’ve seen in any number of human/
human as well as human/supernatural creature romances, including the Twilight movies.
Hoult and Palmer have a lovely, natural chemistry, even when the circumstances are grisly or
silly – or both.
Perhaps recognizing there’s no way he can out-crazy the material, John Malkovich actually
delivers a relatively restrained performance as Julie’s father, who of course is the leader

of the military force that believes in shooting first, asking questions never. This guy’s so
hard-core, he probably wouldn’t let his daughter date Tim Tebow, let alone a zombie who’s
desperately trying to get in touch with his human side. (‘That could have gone better,’ says
Julie with deadpan understatement after Dad finally meets R.)
Warm Bodies isn’t perfect. It’s a shame those Bonies are mediocre special-effects creations
that run with a herky-jerky style that would have been mocked by the 1991-era Terminator 2:
Judgment Day liquid-metal dude. Some of the musical choices are too broad and easy. And
even after we get the message, the message is delivered at least two or three more times.
But those are minor drawbacks. Clocking in at a brisk 97 minutes, Warm Bodies is terrific
entertainment. A lot of zombie movies have heart – but usually the heart ends up on
someone’s plate. Cheers to Warm Bodies for taking us in a different direction for a change.
Source: www.rogerebert.com
2 Check the structure of the review. reading

a When is the first time the reviewer gives his opinion?
Under the title there’s a star rating + ‘One of the many exhilarating pleasures …’
b How does the reviewer begin the review?
with a reference to other films/series with a similar theme/plot (genre):
The Walking Dead, 28 Days Later.
c Besides giving an opinion, what background information does the reviewer share about the
film?
summary
reference to genre
opinion about acting, director, music etc.
d Go through the body paragraphs of the text and indicate:
− the elements of plot (= summary);
− the elements that show opinion.
What can you conclude from this?
There is more time spent on giving opinion than on plot summary.
e How does the reviewer end the review?
ending: (opinion) ‘Cheers to Warm Bodies for taking us in a different direction for a
change.’
f Does the reviewer give a rating to the film? If so, how does he do this?
yes, 3.5 stars out of 4

3 Analyse these beginnings and endings of other reviews. reading
a What are some other ways in which a reviewer can start a review?
Consider the following examples and write the corresponding letter(s) next to the paragraph.
Choose from (more than one is possible):
A Short summary of plot E Reference to a current trend
B Opinion about the film F Reference to genre
References to other films

C G Rating
with a similar theme
Reference to previous work

D
of the actors/directors
I know why you’re reading this. And it isn’t for plot-description foreplay.
So let’s just cut to the supposed heavy-panting stuff and get it over
with, shall we? In the annals of sexually-charged event cinema, Fifty
Shades of Grey barely lights a candle let alone combusts with unbridled
forbidden passion. Nothing comes close to Michael Douglas and C/G
Glenn Close humping on the kitchen sink in Fatal Attraction or Marlon
Brando’s inventive use of butter with Maria Schneider in The Last
Tango in Paris. Even those ejaculating dolphin fountains in Showgirls
were steamier than what shows up in this tempered version of E.L.
James’ S&M rewrite of Beauty and the Beast.
Source: www.rogerebert.com
In the spring of 2013, with a crushing buildup, a film was released

in which Leonardo DiCaprio played a wealthy adventurer who was
afflicted by so many things beside money – which shirt to wear, a lost
love to reclaim, pretending to be English, preferring taste to the loot.
The Great Gatsby was as bad as films come, and a forlorn quagmire for
D DiCaprio. Now he is redeemed. Rascality thrives in America, our last
vitality.
Source: www.newrepublic.com
They say the longest journey starts with a single step. But with The
Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first in a trilogy adapted from J.R.R.
B
Tolkien’s first novel, Peter Jackson has taken a different approach:
He’s gone two steps forward and three steps back.
Source: edition.cnn.com

Millions of people, having read Gillian Flynn’s best-selling psychological
thriller, already know the story of Nick and Amy Dunne, a handsome A/G
couple living in the American Midwest whose marriage has started to
implode before she goes missing on their fifth wedding anniversary.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Consider the numeral zero. It’s not exactly a number, which measures
a finite amount, but a concept that means nothingness. For the past
B decade, the movie reviews in these pages have used a scale of one to
four stars. A one-star rating is supposed to represent the lowest of the
low. But after suffering and then sleeping through The Divergent Series:
Insurgent, your humble correspondent had an awakening: There is such
a thing as an infinitely bad movie, and this is it.
Source: www.stltoday.com
In the battle between dystopian science-fiction movies C/F/G

about butt-kicking young heroines, the new Divergent
movie, Insurgent, is actually slightly more believably glum
than the third Hunger Games movie, The Hunger Games:
Mockingjay Part 1.
Source: www.theglobeandmail.com
David Fincher is a director who can seemingly do no wrong. After his

career began with a bit of a rocky start with Alien³ (a bit of an infamous
blunder that was hardly his fault), he would go on to make a number of
great and highly-successful films that have included Seven, Fight Club,
and The Social Network (a film that had him within inches of winning
his first Oscar). Lately, his career has been all about adaptations, such
as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Girl with the Dragon
D Tattoo, with his latest project, Gone Girl, continuing the trend.
Source: www.examiner.com

b What are some other ways in which a reviewer can end a review?
Consider the following examples and write the corresponding letter(s) next to the paragraph.
Choose from (more than one is possible):
Reference to next instalment Reference to other films with a

A D
of the series similar theme/element/effect
Reference to a particular (exciting)

B Final opinion E
scene/performance in the film
Reference to the performances of the

C Rating F
actors/director
Woodley, who was so lively in The Descendants, eschews emotion as if she were the
B/C/F
cancer patient in The Fault in Our Stars. Her co-conspirator in that bathetic movie,
Ansel Elgort, plays her brother here (ick), and some cardboard hunk named Theo
James plays the token love interest. Were it not for the five lines of recognizably
human dialogue spoken by Miles Teller, this whole thing would implode into a black hole.
Which is the only thing less than zero.
What: The Divergent Series: Insurgent • No stars out of four • Rating PG-13 • Run time 1:59 •
Finally, director Robert Schwentke (Flightplan) opens things up with a series of Matrix/
Inception-style journeys into Tris’s inner world. As her body lies on a hammock of
tentacles attached to electrodes (reminiscent of Jane Fonda in Barbarella), Tris’s mind D/C
sends her chasing a floating burning house across the sky and engaging in a rooftop
battle with her own double.
What any of this has to do with social conformity is unclear, but if they ever make a
Divergent theme park, this ride should be worth the line-up.
**
The Wolf of Wall Street has been more than controversial. As well as disliking it, a
number of critics have voiced stern disapproval. As such, it reminds me of Harmony D
Korine’s Spring Breakers, which was released in early 2013 and which also mounted a
resolutely uncritical view of a kind of depravity. So the shock effect of both films rests
in the makers’ abdication from conventional moral attitudinizing. What’s the point, they say
– this is how we have decided to be. It is all the more disturbing that they are two of the most
beautiful and liberated films of the year.
While there is a lot to like about David Fincher’s Gone Girl, including a great ensemble and
excellent direction, the film suffers from a flawed structure that reveals too much
too soon, thereby leaving little for the audience to get engaged with for its second
half. With a little restructuring, the film’s intriguing mystery could have been played B/C
up right to the end, which would have been a far more appropriate time to learn what
really happened. When it comes right down to it, I suppose it depends on whether
you like your endings in the middle of the film or at its conclusion. I, for one, like them right
where the word indicates they should be.
Score: 3/5

Three cheers too for Flynn, who claims to have pictured what Fincher (whose F
extensive and eclectic CV includes Se7en, Fight Club, Panic Room, The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button and The Social Network) would do with the story even while she was
first writing it. She was right in that he is the ideal director for a story like this, with a
sure feel for suspense, but also an eye and ear for suburban American mores that even he
has rarely dissected quite so ruthlessly.
Ana, it turns out, is none too pleased with the idea of punishment as a turn-on. But
if anyone is punished by Fifty Shades, it is the audience. By the time the screen goes A
black, leaving much unresolved and little in the way of a real climax, no one can blame
those who loudly groaned after realizing they have to wait for the inevitable sequel for
any sort of real satisfaction.
The movie does sputter into life in the last 45 minutes, especially during a lengthy
E/B
battle of wits between Bilbo and Gollum. And Ian McKellen miraculously, alone among
the cast, transcends the picture’s artificial surface and imposes himself on such
drama as he can find.
In my book that’s not enough return for three hours at the movies, or whatever inflated price
they’re charging for your ticket now.
5.2 ⁄ BE DESCRIPTIVE
1 Check the language used by the reviewer of Warm Bodies.

List at least ten adjectives, adverbs, phrases, idioms or expressions that clearly show the opinion
(positive or negative) of the reviewer. Highlight them in the text. Fill in the table below.
Example Meaning
exhilirating
well-paced
nicely directed
terrific sense of humor
earnest performance
scene-stealing performance
mediocre special effects
herky-jerky style
terrific entertainment
lovely natural chemistry
stylistic flourishes

2 Put the following adjectives to describe films in the appropriate column.
Use a dictionary when necessary.
big-budget - black-and-white - bland - boring - charismatic - cliché-ridden - dazzling -

disappointing - disgusting - dramatic - dreadful - fast-moving - first-rate - hilarious -
imaginative - low-budget - original - predictable - powerful - riveting - romantic - satirical -
second-rate - sensitive - slow - surprising - trite - uneven - unpretentious - weak
Positive Negative Neutral
first-rate disappointing big-budget
original cliché-ridden low-budget
powerful boring slow(-moving)
dazzling uneven fast(-moving)
charismatic disgusting romantic
sensitive predictable satirical
surprising dreadful dramatic
imaginative second-rate black-and-white
hilarious weak
riveting bland
unpretentious trite

3 Watch the trailer and describe it with at least five adjectives and adverbs. listening
free answer: luminous, black and white, stylish, fast-moving, dramatic …
4 Fill in an appropriate adjective or adverb in the text below. Choose from the adjectives in the
box. Change them to adverbs when necessary.
absolute - accessible - beautiful - delightful - essential - fine - flowery - honorific -

idiotic (2) - immediate - initial - irresistible - luminous - near - obvious - particular -
special - stupid - sublime
One day Joss Whedon decided to film one of the
plays, casting it with all his thespian buddies,
and using his (1) beautiful house
and the Santa Monica Mountains as the setting.
The result is this (2) delightful
rendering of one of the Bard’s most (3)
accessible , and most (4)
idiotic , plays.
I say (5) idiotic , because like a lot of Shakespeare’s comedies, the plot of
Much Ado About Nothing is (6) stupid and (7) nearly
irrelevant. But the verbal bantering is (8) sublime , (9)
particularly when it’s coming from the mouths of Beatrice (Amy Acker) and
Benedick (Alexis Denisof), the sparring duo who are (10) obviously hot for
each other but don’t realize it until the play is almost over.
Whedon’s take on Much Ado About Nothing, which is shot in (11) luminous
black and white, is (12) initially a bit off-putting. The contemporary
setting doesn’t (13) immediately jibe with the (14) flowery
language, (15) especially when various characters refer to each other with
(16) honorific titles from the play’s 16th century origins. Yet once you go
with the flow of the verbiage, you start to ignore the anachronisms, and begin to enjoy the
humor, style and (17) fine acting.
Whedon has contemporized what is (18) essentially highbrow slapstick and
made it (19) absolutely (20) irresistible summer fare.
Source: www.newsobserver.com

5.3 ⁄ SOME REVIEW TIPS
strAteGy
A film review
Writing a film review is a good way of expressing your opinion. The purpose is to help the
reader in determining whether he/she wants to watch the film too. The review should give
enough details about the film so that the reader can make an informed decision, without
giving away too many spoilers.
In essence, writing a review of a film or a book is similar. In general, however, keep the
following in mind: a good review should as a bare minimum be informative and argumentative,
but if it’s good it will also be entertaining. Keep three things in mind when you are writing:
your readers, the type of review and the purpose of the review.
Components of a good review:
HEADLINE
Think of a good title for your review. Try to use a pun!
The introductory paragraph of a review usually includes:
• bibliographic information about a book (title, author and year of publication);
INTRODUCTION
• basic information about a film (title, director, date of release etc);
• thesis: opinion of the reviewer.
The body paragraphs usually include:
• brief summary of book or film (be careful not to give away anything that
would spoil the suspense for the reader/spectator!);
• the reviewer’s reaction to the book/film;
• concrete examples to support the reviewer’s opinion of the book or film.
BODY
PARAGRAPHS There can be additional paragraphs that deal with:
• comparisons to other works by the author/director;
• links with other works in the same genre;
• exploration of the issues the book or the film raises (e.g. theme or moral).
What possibilities does the book or film suggest? What matters does the
book or film leave out?
The conclusion should:
• summarise the main point(s) of the reviewer;
CONCLUSION
• close with a direct comment on the book or film: a recommendation,
question or piece of advice.
strAteGy
Choosing a title
A good title is what decides whether your work will be read or passed over. Make it powerful
to attract readers, yet simple and clear enough to have instant appeal.
Leave the writing of the title for the end, when you know more clearly what’s in your text, what
keyword you want to use, and what your tone of voice is.
Choose the best title for the review you analysed. reading

TASK
6 WRITING A REVIEW
Write a review of a film that is an adaptation of a well-known book or play. The links between the writing
original work and the adaptation may or may not be obvious.
Use the ‘components of a good review’. Think about the following questions for your first draft.
Date:
a What is your overall opinion of the film?
b Write down ten adjectives, adverbs, phrases or expressions that represent your opinion.
Substantiate this with an example from the film.
How I felt Scene or example from the film

Name:
c How are you going to begin your text (= introduction)?
d Body paragraphs: what will you discuss in detail?
e How are you going to end your text (= conclusion)?

Class:
f Write a draft of your text. Use the table you made in b.
g Have another student read your first draft. They will comment on it: where is the opinion not
clear, what do you really mean, what about the language you used, etc.?
h Use the comments on your first draft to edit your text.

Number:
i Do a final check of your text by filling in the checklist.
j Hand in your text!

TASK
Review checklist me classmate
1 Preparation and language attitude
• I brainstormed before I started writing.
• I asked a classmate to read my text and give feedback.
• I edited my text before handing it in.
2 Structure and content
• My introduction includes basic information but it also gives
opinion, refers to genre, or other accomplishments.
Number:
• The body of my text is divided into paragraphs. It is substantially
developed, includes more than a summary, and the focus is on
opinion and comparison rather than merely plot.
• My conclusion is a new take on my opinion and/or includes a
recommendation.
• I have written a catchy headline.
Class:
3 Language
• I have used descriptive adjectives, adverbs, idioms and
expressions in my text (at least ten).
• I used a spell checker to avoid spelling mistakes.
Feedback
Name:
Date:

7 PIT STOP
ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS
1 Choose the correct form: adjective or adverb.
1 The students wanted to finish their homework quick / quickly so they could go to the local /
locally theatre to see Hamlet in the original / originally Shakespeare language.
2 Jake walked very sneaky / sneakily down the hallway because he didn’t want his parents to
hear him leave this scary / scarily house.
3 Grace was in such a hurry to get out of the classroom that she did bad / badly on the
assignment and failed.
4 The girl sang Adele’s ‘Skyfall’ beautiful /

beautifully and took home the first prize.
5 The classroom was very noisy / noisily so the

teacher decided to do another boring / boringly
grammar test.
6 Julian threw the football hard / hardly and

accidental / accidentally hit his sister in the face.
7 Whoever made the cake did a wonderful / wonderfully job.
8 She was running down the hallway crazy / crazily, but when she saw the stern / sternly face
of the headmaster she reluctant/ reluctantly calmed down.
9 She answered two questions wrong / wrongly but she knew she would get another chance to
do good / well on her final / finally exam.
10 The flowers smelled good / well, so Amir bought the incredible / incredibly big bouquet for
his latest / last sweetheart.
2 Link an adverb on the left to the adjective on the right that it often collocates with.
Adverb Adjective
1 highly a shy
2 entirely b damaged
3 eternally c recognised
4 terminally d accomplished
5 painfully e grateful
6 widely f serious
7 terribly g false
8 badly h worried
9 totally i logical
10 deadly j ill
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
d i e j a c h b g f

3 Now write a sentence with each adverb-adjective collocation. writing
4 Choose the correct adjective for each set of sentences. Then decide whether to fill in the
adjective or the adverb.
careful - dangerous - easy - good - magnificent
1 She performed magnificently . It was a magnificently beautiful
performance.
2 He was a very careful person. He acted very carefully .
3 Andrea knows the material very well . She always treats us
well .
4 He did not pass the course as easily as he thought he would. The course
was not an easy A.
5 It was a dangerous lake to swim in. The gas smelled dangerous .
5 Rewrite the following paragraphs using adjectives and adverbs to enhance meaning and mood. writing
1 Ryan entered the classroom. The class had come back from lunch and it was time to take the
physics test. He sat down at his desk and took out a pen. The teacher told the class to settle
down and began to pass out the test papers. Ryan watched as she worked her way down the
aisle towards his desk. The paper slid on to his desk and he looked at the first problem.
2 Bo and Sunny walked to their new neighbour’s house. Their mother had made some cookies
as a welcome to the neighbourhood present. The neighbour’s house stood on the corner of
the street and was surrounded by a fence. The children looked at the house as they passed
through the gate.
‘Look!’ said Bo and pointed at a cat in the window. Soon they were down the path and stood in
front of the door.
‘Well, ring it!’ said Sunny and Bo did so. They waited for someone to answer. They heard
footsteps and the door opened.

8 HELP TRACK
8.1 ⁄ VOCABULARY: FILMS
action-packed
adventure
comedy
futuristic
horror STYLE
magical
old-fashioned
romantic
scary
DESCRIBING
FILMS
(= MOVIES)
complicated vs.
simplistic
full of twists PLOT
original
(un)predictable
(un)realistic
It is set in …
It was filmed in …
colourful vs. gloomy
SETTING AND SCENERY
recognisable
spectacular
amusing
boring
confusing
fast-paced vs. slow-paced DIALOGUE
offensive
smart
witty

a star / to star
cameo
(appearances)
cast lead actors /
actresses
supporting roles
PEOPLE INVOLVED director

famous
skilful
talented
producer
cute
funny
mean
main characters
miserable
PERFORMANCES actors /
actresses nice
(un)convincing
talented
versatile
sound / music score /

soundtrack
OTHER ASPECTS
special effects
stunts

8.2 ⁄ DESCRIPTIVE ADJECTIVES
Positive Negative Neutral

first-rate disappointing big-budget
original cliché-ridden low-budget
powerful boring slow(-moving)
dazzling uneven fast(-moving)
charismatic disgusting romantic
sensitive predictable satirical
surprising dreadful dramatic
imaginative second-rate black-and-white
hilarious weak
riveting bland
unpretentious trite
8.3 ⁄ EXPRESSING YOUR PREFERENCES
• I love … because …
• I’m fond of …
• I have a slight preference for …
• I prefer … / I prefer … to …
• I like … / I like … (much) more than …
• I don’t like …
• I hate …

9 TRACK YOUR PROGRESS
UNIT 2
My opinion Teacher’s
opinion
Name:
very well
very well
improve
improve
should
should
Class:
okay
okay
MY COMPETENCES
Grammar I can use descriptive adjectives and adverbs
correctly. (5.2)
Vocabulary I can use words related to film and film reviews
correctly. (5.2)
Functional I can use appropriate phrases to give preferences.
practice & (4.2)
language My written texts have a logical structure
strategies (headline, lead, body). (5.1)
I use a spell check, a(n online) dictionary and a
thesaurus when necessary. (3.3, 3.4)
I can evaluate myself using checklists (review).
Socio-cultural I can describe the importance of William
aspects of Shakespeare in English culture and literature.
language (throughout the unit)
I can describe certain literary devices used in
poetry and drama. (2.2, 4.2)
MY SKILLS
Listening/ I can determine the main idea in a report about
watching Shakespeare. (1.2)
I can determine the main idea and message in a
talk about Shakespeare and hip hop and answer
general comprehension questions. (2.1)
I can determine the main idea in a film trailer.
(4.1)
I can make a comparison between different
narrative and literary extracts (Warm Bodies,
Romeo and Juliet). (4.2)
Reading I can determine the main idea and the tone of a
narrative (literary) text. (1.1)
I can determine the main idea, select detailed
information in an informative (encyclopaedia) text.
(1.2, 4.1)
information and the message in poems by
Shakespeare. (2.2)
I can recognize and describe certain literary
devices and structures used in sonnets (poetry)
and drama. (2.2, 4.2)
I can summarise a short informative article about
the language of rappers. (3.2)

UNIT 2
My opinion Teacher’s
opinion
Name:
very well
very well
improve
improve
should
should
Class:
okay
okay
information and answer general comprehension
questions about an informative text about the
Internet and the influence on language. (3.3)
I can structure the plot of a literary text (drama).
(4.2)
I can make a comparison between different
narrative and literary texts (Warm Bodies, Romeo
and Juliet). (4.2)
I can analyse the structure of a review
(argumentative text) and select detailed
information in that text. (5.1)
Speaking I can present a short quiz. (3.4)
I can perform my own poem or play. (4.2)
Spoken I can have an informal conversation about books
interaction or films I have seen, writers I know, music I listen
to etc. (1.1, 2.1)
Writing I can write a film review (argumentative text). (6)
MY ATTITUDES
Motivation I concentrate in class.
I ask for an explanation when needed.
Work attitude I keep the appointments made.
I work actively in class.
Social attitude I show respect for classmates and teacher.
I collaborate well.
FEEDBACK

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‘He is Romeo, and he is heartbroken.

Unit 2: A rose by Any other nAme

1.1 ⁄ WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH SHAKESPEARE ANYWAY?

b What do you associate with the name ‘Shakespeare’?

c Why do we (still) learn about Shakespeare?

d Have you ever read anything by Shakespeare (unabridged, authentic text)?

e Have you ever seen a Shakespeare play?

the WeDnesDAy WArs

was going to be bored to death for eight months.’

b Is Holling’s reaction to Shakespeare similar to your group’s?

54 A rose by Any other nAme Unit 2

Source: Gary D. Schmidt, The Wednesday Wars

b What two things is Holling surprised about?

- Shakespeare’s plays are full of action and fantasy.

would have banned his works.

c What is Holling going to do?

He decides to learn all the cuss words by heart.

d What is the most important thing about cussing in Holling’s opinion?

The delivery: it’s all in the way you say them.

Unit 2 A rose by Any other nAme 55

Source: Gary D. Schmidt, The Wednesday Wars

56 A rose by Any other nAme Unit 2

1 Discuss the following questions. SPOKEN

b Which insults do you know (both ‘physical’ as well as in words)?

that usually decides who the winner is.

b What are snaps?

They are the insults in the game of the Dozens.

c Why are there so many rap songs with ‘mother insults’?

Flyting or fliting is a contest consisting of the

Adapted from en.wikipedia.org

Unit 2 A rose by Any other nAme 57

The Dozens is a game of spoken words between two contestants,

Adapted from en.wikipedia.org

a According to Gudenrath, what is one

His use of insults because they would

unify the entire audience; everyone

could laugh at what was going on

b What is the purpose of dialogue in drama?

To set the mood, to give more atmosphere

to the setting and to develop relationships

between the characters.

58 A rose by Any other nAme Unit 2

‘heartless hinds’ is used to say Benvolio is a coward. If he didn’t respond to it (in

front of his own men) he would surely be one.

f What is the conclusion of the narrator?

Shakespeare’s words do matter: they are trying to tell us something.

2 SONNETS, SHAKESPEARE AND … HIP-HOP?

2.1 ⁄ PARALLELS BETWEEN SHAKESPEARE AND HIP-HOP

What is poetry? What is hip-hop?

Unit 2 A rose by Any other nAme 59

Line Shakespeare Hip-hop

Maybe it’s hatred I spew,

Men would rather use their

I was not born under a

The most benevolent king

Iambic pentameter. Akala calls this ‘5 sets and 2 beats’.

He can ‘translate’ the meter of the iambic pentameter

into two different hip-hop beats: