Megamind: Adversative Conjunctions

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



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







Mr. Goody Two Shoes (G)



Evil - Megamind (M)






































1. Landed in the White House ( )

    Landed in a the Metro City Prison for the Gifted ( )



2. Was adopted by the presidential family ( )

     Was adopted by the prisoners ( )



3. Had life handed to him on a silver platter ( )

    Was taught the difference between right and wrong by the prisoners ( )



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

    Had his amazing intellect. ( )



5. Had already amassed an a gigantic army of soft-headed groupies ( )

    Was given an opportunity to better himself. ( )



6. Is sent to quiet time in the corner. ( )

    Receives all the praise, adulation. ( )



7. Was destined to be a super villain. ( )

    Was destined to be Megamind's rival. ( )





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

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

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

or

Whereas Megamind landed on the Metro State Prison for the Gifted, Goody landed on the White House.



2. ___________________________________

3.___________________________________

4. ___________________________________

5. ___________________________________

6. ___________________________________

7. ___________________________________



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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - MEGAMIND







Answer key:



I.



1. Landed in the White House (G)

    Landed in a the Metro City Prison for the Gifted (M)



2. Was adopted by the presidential family (G)

     Was adopted by the prisoners (M)



3. Had life handed to him on a silver platter (G)

    Was taught the difference between right and wrong by the prisoners (M)



4. Had the power of flight, invulnerability and and great hair (G)

    Had his amazing intellect. (M)



5. Had already amassed an a gigantic army of soft-headed groupies (G)

    Was given an opportunity to better himself. (M)



6. Is sent to quiet time in the corner. (M)

    Receives all the praise, adulation. (G)



7. Was destined to be a super villain (M)

    Was destined to be Megamind's rival (G)



II. Answers will vary.

27 Dresses: Present Perfect

Romantic comedies are not my cup of tea, but they are wonderful sources of activities. 27 dresses is no exception. This scene is great for practicing the present perfect tense.

I. Talk to a partner:





1. Have you ever had insomnia? How often does it happen?





2. What do you do when you just can't sleep?





3. What makes you lose your sleep?





4. When you can't sleep, do you insist on trying to sleep or do you get up and do something else until you fall asleep?







II. Look at the activities below. Check the ones you usually do when you have a hard time to fall asleep.





1. ( ) read a magazine



2. ( ) read a book



3. ( ) use the computer



4. ( ) moisturize your hands with cream



5. ( ) work out



6. ( ) clean the stove



7. ( ) speak to yourself out loud



8. ( ) talk to your sister (or someone else)



9. ( ) dance



10. ( ) eat





III. Watch the movie segment and check what the main character has done during her insomnia.





IV. Now write sentence in the present perfect tense saying what she has (not) done during the whole night.





Ex:





1. She has read a magazine.



2. She hasn't read a book.





Answer key:



III. Don't check 2, 9, 10





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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - 27 DRESSES

Home on the Range: There + to Be

Animated movies are just great. This one is not an exception. I used this scene with beginners, practicing the use of THERE TO BE with farm animals and food items. I hope you like it.

I. Watch the segment. Read the items below and check the ones you managed to see during the scene.

( )  a black cow





( )  chickens



( ) chicks



( ) bananas



( ) apples



( ) a goat



( ) corn



( ) a dog



( ) a duck



( )  bees



( ) grapes



( )  pigs



( )   a rooster



( ) eggs



( )  a brown cow

III. Now write sentences about the items in exercise A, using There is (isn't) or There are (aren't). Remember that you may use Any and Some in your sentences





Ex: There is a black cow.

      There are some chickens

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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - HOME ON THE RANGE



Answer key:



You won't see bananas, a dog, and grapes

Planet 51: Passive Voice with Present Perfect

This has been one of the animated movies that I have laughed most. Its humor is clever and extremely attractive to both adults and children. I strongly recommend it. I used this scene to practice the passive voice use with present perfect statements, because the astronaut day's hasn't ended yet, so we can contextualize the grammar point easily.













A. Watch the movie segment and check what has happened to the astronaut since he landed on Planet 51. Fill in the blanks with the present perfect tense of the given verbs. Decide if you will use affirmative or negative forms according to the segment.

1. The astronaut ______ (place) a flag on Planet 51.



2. A boy ______ (ask) him an autograph.



3. A strange pet _________ (attack) him.



4. The pet ______ (chase) him.



5. The astronaut ________ (scare) a boy and his mother at lunch time.



6. A boy on a bike _________ (run over) him.



7. He _________ (find) other humans.



8. He ________ (take off) his suit.





B. Now rewrite the sentences above using passive voice.



Ex: 1. A flag has been placed on Planet 51 (by the astronaut).





MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - PLANET 51



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Answer key:

A. 1. has placed / 2. has asked / 3. has attacked / 4. has chased / 5. has run over / 6. hasn't found / 7. hasn't taken off

B.

2. He has been asked for an autograph (by a boy).

3. He has been attacked by a strange pet.

4. He has been chased (by the pet).

5. He has been run over by a boy on a bike.

6. Other humans haven't been found.

7. His suit hasn't been taken off.

Merry Xmas!

Dear Friends,



I'm having a vacation break now. I wish you all a merry Christmas and a Happy 2013. Brand new posts will come out in mid-January. Thanks for your constant support.





Claudio Azevedo

Water for Elephants: Possessives ('s), Vocabulary Practice - Circus & Colors

This is one of the best romantic films that I saw last year. I used this scene to talk about circus and possessives ('s)







I. Check the artists/activities you can see in the segment.





 Acrobats






 

 Trapeze swinger






 



 Contortionist






 



 Stilts walker






 



Juggler






 



 Daredevil
















Clowns











Human cannonball






 







Fire eater







 



 Magician













 Animal acts









Tightrope walker




 



Lion tamer




 



Ringmaster











II. Look at the character's clothes and animals. Decide which color they are.

The acrobats:



The clown:



The dog:



The horses:



The Ringmaster:



The trapeze swingers





III. Write sentences saying the colors. Follow the example:



The ringmaster's clothes are red.





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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - WATER FOR ELEPHANTS

Burlesque: Simple Past x Present Perfect

I love Cher and this movie. Tho movie has great dancing and musicals. It is worth seeing, for sure. The opening scene is wonderful to contrast the use of the simple past and present perfect tenses.









I. Watch the movie segment and decide if the activities refer to to her past - finished actions - (PA) or if they are still in progress in her present days unfinished actions - (PR).






































1. ( ) Practice on the bar stage



2. ( ) Pack her bags



3. ( ) walk away from her hometown



4. ( ) buy a one-way ticket to Los Angeles



5. ( ) travel by bus to LA



6. ( ) look for auditions in LA



7. ( ) stay in a small hotel room



8. ( ) have a hard time with the auditions



9. ( ) be happier in LA than in her hometown





II. Rewrite the sentences below in either the simple past or present perfect tenses. Mind whether the actions are finished or unfinished to justify your choices.





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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - BURLESQUE



Answer key: ITEMS 1 - 5 - PAST

                  ITEMS  6 - 9  - PRESENT





II.



When she lived in her hometown,





1. She practiced in a bar stage

2. She packed her bags

3. She walked away from her hometown

4. She bought a one-way ticket to LA

5. She traveled to LA by bus



 Now that she is in Los Angeles,





6. She has looked (has been looking) for auditions in LA

7. She has stayed in a small hotel in LA

8. She has had (has been having) a hard time with the auditions

9. She has been happier in LA than in her hometown