Great People, Great Actions

1. A unique woman.
2. Understanding the simple past.
3. Adverbs of time.
4. Reading.

By the end of this unit, you should be able to:

Read and understand the text on "Lady Diana Spencer", share knowledge;

Describe events in the past using time adverbs;

Understand general and specific ideas using reading strategies.

Lesson 1: A UNIQUE WOMAN

Diana Spencer was born on 1st of July, 1961 and became Lady Diana Spencer in 1975 because her father received the title of Earl Spencer. She married Prince Charles on 29th July, 1981 and had two sons called William and Harry. She got a divorce in 1996. She died in a car crash when she was trying to escape from some paparazzi in Paris on 30th August, 1997.

During her short life, she was one of the most adorable members of the British royal family. However, she did not have a fairy tale wedding. There were reports of infidelities from both parties. Diana’s problems included depression and bulimia.

Diana was a shy person with interest for fashion and popular culture. However, she got fame for her desire for helping people in need, especially the homeless, people living with HIV and victims of land mines.

When the press announced her death, it shocked the world and thousands of people all over the world decided to pay tribute to the a’XZ ]“people’s princess”.

Activity 1 : Understading the story

Answer questions related to the story:

a. When was Diana born?

b. Who was her father?

c. Who was her husband?

d. When did she get married?

e. What were her two sons’ names?

f. When did she get a divorce?

g. When did she die?

h. How did she die?

i. What were her problems?

Activity 2

Read the text about Princess Diana and circle all the verbs. After that, put them into the table below. Pay attention on the columns.

Regular verbs (ending in ED) | Irregular verbs

................................................... |......................................................

................................................... |......................................................

................................................... |......................................................

................................................... |......................................................

................................................... |......................................................

Past Simple – Completed actions in the past

The Past Simple expresses the idea that actions began and ended at a specific time in the past. Sometimes the speaker may not mention this time, but there is a specified time in mind.

Examples:

1. I saw a movie yesterday.
2. I didn't see a play yesterday.
3. Last year, I traveled to Japan.
4. Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.
5. Did you have dinner last night?
6. We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
7. Did she speak English with the teacher?

The Past Simple is a simple verb tense, made up of only one main verb inflected in the past form (for all people), and which makes use of the auxiliary verb (did) only in interrogative and negative forms.

The inflection of the verb in the past tense is different for regular and irregular verbs. Regular verbs take the ending (-ed) to form the past tense. Irregular verbs must be memorized, as they have no logic in their formations.

REGULAR VERBS

I visited

You visited

He visited

She visited

You went

They went

IRREGULAR VERBS

I went

You went

He went

She went

You went

They went

The verb TO BE has two forms in the past simple: was / were

SINGULAR PLURAL

I was / wasn’t | We were / weren’t

You were / weren’t | You were / weren’t

He was / wasn’t | They were / weren’t

She was / wasn’t |

It was / wasn’t |

Activity 2

Complete the sentences with the past simple of the verb to be.

Charles Chaplin _______________ British. He _______________ famous for his character “The Tramp”. Charlie Chaplin was an iconic figure of the silent-film era. He _______________ newsvendor, printer, toymaker. The Vagabond (1916), The Kid (1921) andThe Pilgrim (1923) _______________ some of his famous films.

Janis Joplin _______________born on January 19, 1943, in Texas. She

_______________ an only child until the age of 6, when her sister, Laura, _______________ born. She _______________ unlike any other white female vocalist at the time. "Piece of My Heart" and "Summertime" _______________ great Janes Joplin’s hits.

Activity 3

Complete the paragraphs on famous people with the past simple of the verbs in parentheses.

Elton John _______________ (compose) a song in honour of Marilyn

Moroe. He _______________ (modify) the song for Princess Diana’s funeral.

Meryl Streep _______________ (graduate) from Yale Drama School. In the film Sophie's Choice (1982), she _______________ (play) a Polish woman traumatized by her experiences during the Holocaust.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart _______________ (start) playing in public at the age of 6. He _______________ (have) only one sister _______________ (call) Maria Anna.

Shakira _______________ (win) her first Grammy Award (best Latin pop album) for Shakira: MTV Unplugged in 2000. Pies Descalzos, meaning "bare feet," _______________ (sell) more than 3 million copies. Her hit "Waka Waka" _______________ (become) the theme song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Shakira _______________ (create) the Pies Descalzos Foundation to help children in her native Colombia.

The University of Michigan, _______________ (offer) Madonna a full scholarship to their dance program. Madonna _______________ (give) birth to Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon and Rocco John Ritchie. She _______________ (write) her first children’s book, The English Roses, in 2003. Madonna _______________ (release) her latest studio album, MDNA, in March 2012.

Activity 4

1. What did Garfield do?

2. How does he feel about it?

3. Did he forget him? Why?

ADVERBS OF TIME

Adverbs of time play a crucial role in specifying when an action occurs in a sentence. They provide context and clarity to the timeframe of an action, whether it's happening in the past, present, or future. Let's delve deeper into this topic with examples:

1. Past Tense Adverbs:

- She finished her homework yesterday.

- They went to the beach last summer.

- He visited his grandparents two weeks ago.

In these sentences, "yesterday," "last summer," and "two weeks ago" are adverbs of time that indicate when the actions (finishing homework, going to the beach, visiting grandparents) took place in the past.

2. Present Tense Adverbs:

- They are currently watching a movie.

- I usually go for a run in the morning.

- He is always late for class.

Here, "currently," "usually," and "always" are adverbs of time that describe the timing or frequency of actions in the present.

3. Future Tense Adverbs:

- She will travel to Paris next month.

- They are planning to buy a house soon.

- He is going to start his new job next week.

These sentences use adverbs such as "next month," "soon," and "next week" to indicate when future actions will occur.

4. Adverbs of Frequency:

- They often go to the gym.

- She rarely eats fast food.

- He sometimes plays soccer on weekends.

Adverbs like "often," "rarely," and "sometimes" indicate how frequently an action occurs, providing additional temporal information.

5. Adverbs of Duration:

- They have been waiting for hours.

- She studied all night for the exam.

- He will travel abroad for a month.

Adverbs such as "for hours," "all night," and "for a month" specify the duration or length of time an action lasts.

READING

Jane Austen was born on 16 December 1775 in the village of Steventon in Hampshire. She was one of eight children of a clergyman and grew up in a close-knit family. She began to write as a teenager. In 1801 the family moved to Bath. After the death of Jane's father in 1805 Jane, her sister Cassandra and their mother moved several times eventually settling in Chawton, near Steventon.

Jane's brother Henry helped her negotiate with a publisher and her first novel, 'Sense and Sensibility', appeared in 1811. Her next novel 'Pride and Prejudice', which she described as her "own darling child" received highly favorable reviews. 'Mansfield Park' was published in 1814, then 'Emma' in 1816. 'Emma' was dedicated to the prince regent, an admirer of her work. All of Jane Austen's novels were published anonymously.

In 1816, Jane began to suffer from ill-health, probably due to Addison's disease.

She travelled to Winchester to receive treatment, and died there on 18 July 1817. Two more novels, 'Persuasion' and 'Northanger Abbey' were published posthumously and a final novel was left incomplete.

Read the text and answer the questions:

1. Who’s Jane Austen?

2. Why did she become famous?

5. About Jane’s life, what can we infer from the reading?

a) Jane’s family moved to Bath at the beginning of the 18th century.

b) “Pride and Prejudice” was her first novel.

c) Jane wrote “Emma”, dedicating it to a prince.

d) Jane’s father died in 1810.

6. According to the text, all of the following novels were written by Jane Austen, EXCEPT:

a) Sense and Sensibility

b) A Christmas Carol

c) Persuasion

d) Northanger Abbey

7. All of the following sentences are true, EXCEPT:

a) Jane was born in 1775.

b) One of her sister was called Cassandra.

c) Jane lived in Bath for a while.

d) Jane was 50 years old when she died.

8. Make questions to the answers below:

a) ___________________________________________________?

Jane Austen was born on 16 December 1775

b) ___________________________________________________?

Jane Austen was born in the village of Steventon in Hampshire.

c) ____________________________________________________?

She began to write as a teenager.

____________________________________________________?

d) Jane's father died in 1805

WRITING AND SPEAKING

Look for more information about one of Jane’s book and write a summary and present to your teacher and class.