That's English! - Module 7 - Unit 6: Films

The topic of this week is really appealing, isn't it? Films (or movies as Americans call them,) is one of the most typical entretainment for everybody all over the world.

As usual, let's start with some questions taken from your textbook (exercise 11, p.62):

• What kind of films do you enjoy the most? Why?
• What is the last film you've seen? What was it about? Did you enjoy it?
• Who is your favourite film star? Why? What was the last film starred by the actor you saw?
• Are there any kind of films you can't stand? Why?
• Do you follow any film festival? Do you usually see films rewarded with an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Lion of Venice or any other award? Are these festivals necessary?
• Do you know anything about ALCINE Festival in Alcalá de Henares? Have you ever been to?
• Do you like short films or animation films?
• What do you do to choose the film to see? Do you read film reviews? Do you ask anybody about the film?
• Do you prefer watching films on television, a DVD at home or going to the cinema? Explain the main differences in your opinion.  

Activity 1

Talk to your partner about the main differences between European or Spanish films and American ones. Explain which ones you prefer and give reasons for your answer.

Activity 2

Revise the vocabulary of this lesson and try to find a definition with your own words of these terms:

• blockbuster - dubbed films - feature - length - selected for screening - to release - indie films

Activity 3

Here you are a listening comprenhension exercise with an ordinary conversation about movies; click here. This other exercise is about inviting someone to the cinema; click here. Both are a good example to practise with your partner later. 

Activity 4

About grammar, we deal with an important point: passive voice. Remember it's much more usual in English than in Spanish and it has the function of impersonal forms in our language. Here you have a link with a long explanation and exercises at the end: click here. You should use it in your writing but also in your speaking as it is very usual. Rephrase these sentences using passive tenses to see how frequent it is in English:

• Someone stole my movile yesterday
• Many people say American films are much better than Europeans
• Somebody gave me this packet for you
• Someone told me you have a new job
• They opened a new exhibition about Picasso

Activity 5

To practise for the exam, here you are an exercise of gap filling. The topic is different but you can find many examples of passive voice; click here.

Hope to see you in class!