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GENERAL ENGLISH · GENERAL ISSUES · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

SUPERSTITION

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1 Warm up

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. What are superstitions?

2. What are some popular superstitions in your country?
3. Are you superstitious? Why/why not?

2 Key words

Complete the sentences with the words below:

doomed folklore insanity misfortune omen restored

1. If something brings , it brings bad luck.

2. If you are , something bad is certain to happen to you.

3. If something is , it is returned to an earlier good state or condition.

4. If something is a bad , it is a sign that something bad will happen in the future.

5. His friends thought his decision to quit his job was pure .

6. is the traditional stories and culture of a particular group of people.

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SUPERSTITION

3 Reading

Look at the common superstitions below. Do you know what they are about or where they come
from?

Friday the 13th breaking a mirror

black cats walking under a ladder

opening an umbrella indoors a full moon

Now read the article on page three to find out. Ask about or look up any words you don’t know.

4 Checking understanding

What do you remember? Work in pairs and answer the questions below. Then, listen and check your
answers.

1. Which two superstitions resulted in the superstition of Friday the 13th?

2. Why did breaking a mirror bring seven years of bad luck according to the Romans?

3. Why were black cats killed in the Middle Ages?

4. Why was walking under a ladder considered ‘evil’ according to early Christians?

5. Why was opening an umbrella indoors considered dangerous in the 19th century?

6. What evidence ‘proves’ that the appearance of a full moon is a bad omen?

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SUPERSTITION

Friday 13th and other superstitions

Where do superstitions come from?

A. The date Friday the 13th is considered to bring bad luck, according to western superstition. But where does
this strange belief come from? One theory states that it is a modern combination of two older superstitions: that
thirteen is an unlucky number and that Friday is an unlucky day. Let’s take a look at other well-known superstitions
thought to bring misfortune to the masses.

B. Breaking a mirror

According to this superstition, breaking a mirror will leave you doomed for seven years. The generally accepted
explanation is that the reflection in a mirror represents a soul, so damaging a mirror corrupts the soul of the one
that broke it. Some believe that the reason for the seven years is that the Romans (who were the first glass
mirrormakers) believed that life renewed itself after every seven years, so the soul wouldn’t be fully restored until
the next seven-year cycle had passed.

C. Black cat

The belief surrounding the luck of black cats varies across the world, with some cultures believing them to be
lucky and others a bad omen. The most widespread belief is that if a black cat crosses your path, you will suffer
bad luck. Black cats have often been associated with witches and during the Middle Ages, these superstitions led
people to kill black cats.

D. Walking under a ladder

This superstition is said to have originated from early Christian teachings – an object with three points represents
the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. A ladder leaning against a building was seen as
a triangle, and to pass through this triangle by walking under the ladder was seen as breaking the Trinity, putting
you in league with the devil. Of course, it could simply be bad luck for you and the person at the top of the ladder
if you accidentally knock it.

E. Umbrella indoors

This myth originates from the days when umbrellas were used mainly as protection against the sun in Ancient
Egypt. To open one indoors would be an insult to the sun god (Ra) and invite his wrath on everyone in the
household. Another legend surrounding this superstition is that it was invented specifically to cut down on the
number of accidents. In 19th century England, the umbrella had pointy and dangerous metal spokes.

F. Full moon

Full moons are traditionally linked with insanity due to the folklore that madness can occur in cycles with the moon.
It was thought that sleeping in direct moonlight caused madness or blindness and in Italy, France and Germany,
it was said that a man could turn into a wolf if he, on a certain Wednesday or Friday, slept outside on a summer
night with the full moon shining directly on him. Various facts have been claimed about the appearance of full
moons. Police in Toledo, Ohio (US) claimed that crime rises by five percent during nights with a full moon and a
study by a hospital in Bradford (England) found that dog bites were twice as common during a full moon.

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SUPERSTITION

5 Grammar: passive structures

Part A: Study the following sentences from the text.

a. The date Friday the 13th is considered to bring bad luck.

b. This superstition is said to have originated from early Christian teachings.

These sentences have the same meaning as:

1. It is considered that the date Friday the 13th brings bad luck.
2. It is said that this superstition originated from early Christian teachings.

Now, answer the following questions:

1. What do you notice about the two types of passive structures? How can the sentences be
rewritten in the active voice?

2. Find two examples of the second type of structure (‘It ...’) in Paragraph 6.

These types of passive structures are often used in reporting news. They can be used
with a number of other verbs, for example:

believed / reported / known / expected / alleged / understood

Examples:

The suspect is believed to be hiding somewhere in South America.

It is believed that the suspect is hiding somewhere in South America.
The football player was alleged to have cheated during the match.
It was alleged that the football player had cheated during the match.

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Part B: Rewrite the sentences below in another way, for example:

It is believed that Paul is in France. → Paul is believed to be in France.

1. It was considered that black cats were evil.

2. It is thought that the suspect was the mastermind behind the crime.

3. It is believed that Friday the 13th is a relatively modern superstition.

4. It is believed that the missing boy is wearing a white t-shirt and black trousers.

5. It was alleged that the accountant had stolen millions from the company.

6. It is expected that the manager will retire next month.

7. It is understood that he was relaxing on the beach when the accident happened.

8. It was known that he was out of the country at the time of the incident.

9. It is suspected that the prime minister was involved in last year’s scandal.

6 Talking point

Discuss any of the questions below in pairs or small groups.

1. Do you have the same superstitions in your country? Are there any common superstitions in your
country that are not mentioned in the article?
2. Have you experienced any of the things mentioned in the article? Which one(s)?
3. Do you feel any pressure to celebrate Halloween? Why/why not?
4. Do you think that Halloween has become too commercial? Why/why not?

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