The Skillful Issue - April 2014

Fresh Issue out today....

Idioms & Vocabulary: Take it easy
Talent: Conversation and Video Clip
Modal Verbs- Ability
Procrastination: Video and Discussion
Being left-handed: Reading  Comp
 
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Take it Easy

 
Vocabulary, conversation and listening activity

1.Describing tasks and experiences: How hard was it?

Put the following expressions in the correct column:

 It was... / I found it...     

A piece of cake

Hard

Manageable

Impossible

Complicated

No trouble

Simple

Straightforward

Tough

Feasible

easy	ok	difficult

2.Conversation: How did you feel when you first...

 

• Rode a bicycle or rollerskated?
• Used a cellphone?
• Managed to play a sport or run a long distance?
• Learned to tie your shoes?
• Cooked an elaborate dish?
• Spoke in public?
• Finished a complex task?

3.Words and Their Stories: Easy as Falling Off a Log

VOA - Audio clip  - 5.30 minutes

Source: http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/words-and-their-stories-easy-as-falling-off-a-log-139151544/118898.html

OPEN PLAYER  Here!!!

Listen to the audio clip and find phrases/ idioms for the following pictures:

PICTURE	IDIOM
1	“as easy as falling off a log”
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Answers here!

Talent

Conversation & video activity

Discuss these topics with your partners.

Is a star born or made? Is everybody on TV talented? What talents make a person a star or a great performer? Are a few people born to be a great soccer player or a pianist? Can anybody learn a language and speak well? Is everybody able to play sports well? Can you sing in tune? Or do you sing out of tune? Do you know people who can’t dance or dance very badly? Which ability would you most like to have? Are all famous painters or visual artists talented? Do you think that “practice makes perfect”?

Is Talent Enough?  

Mitsuko Uchida* – Video length: 5.54 min.

*Mitsuko Uchida,  born December 20, 1948, is a Japanese naturalized-British classical pianist.

Watch the clip and summarize Mitsuko’s ideas regarding talent.  Complete the notes and answer the questions below.

A) Talent is ...

1.urgency to _________________________________ through (for example) music and nothing else.

You need...

2.a certain amount of __________________.

3. _________________________________.

4. _________________________________.

B)Which of these points can be acquired?

C)Talent is something you are born with.  (True or False?)   

D) What other two things are needed?

E)What does she say about today’s changing world, society, technology, the record companies, people downloading music, not going to concerts, etc?

F)Why do not many people listen to classical music?

G)What does she say about making a living out of music?

Discuss  Mitsuko Uchida’s views on talent.  Do you agree/ disagree with her?     Why?

Answers here!

Can, Could & Be Able To

Grammar & Discussion Activity

These 3 modal verbs show ability in English. The point is if we are describing an ability that was used many times, or something that was done just once.

   Can is used to talk about ability in the present.
      I can swim well.

   Could is used to talk about ability in the past.
      I could swim well when I was younger.

   Be able to is used...

1) to emphasize a specific ability in the present or past (could has no particular emphasis). Remember to conjugate the verb TO BE!

       I am able to swim well. - Present

       I was able to swim well when I was younger.  - Past

And, 2)  to talk about an objective reached at a specific moment.
      I was able to swim 5 laps at the club swimming pool on Saturday. 

(In this case, speaking about a specific event, COULD is not used.)

 

The Future has just one version WILL BE ABLE TO

       I hope I will be able to swim well at the competition next week.

Conversation Practice

What can you do specially well?  What are you not able  to do at all? Can you describe a time in the past when you were able to solve a tough situation? Could you speak another language 10 years ago? Were you able to swim, ride a bike, rollerblade, ski or ride a horse when you were a child?

Exercise : Expressing Ability

Complete the sentences with: CAN- COULD- BE ABLE TO

1. My sister wears glasses because she ______________see very well.

2. Jason wasn't at home when I called but I ______________ contact him on facebook.

3. I know I promised, but I ______________ help you move out next weekend.

4. I’m not sure... If a small animal suddenly crossed the road I think that I  ______________ not stop just in time.

5. Ask the teacher about your problem. She ______________  help you.

6. My uncle has travelled a lot all his life. He ______________  speak five languages.

7. My roomate was feeling sick yesterday. He ______________ eat anything.

8. I used to run 5 kilometers but I  ______________  do it now.

9.  ______________ you help me tomorrow with my homework?

10. Speak up, please! I ______________hear what you are saying.

11. I ______________ read a short story but I ______________  to read a novel.

12. Lenny ______________  drive so he has to take the bus.

13. Whenever my bike broke in the past,  I ______________ repair it myself.

14. When we went into the apartment, we ______________  smell gas.

15. When I was 16, I was a fast swimmer. I  ______________ swim

200 metres in 20’’.

Answers here!

Are you right-handed or left-handed?

Reading & Conversation Activity

Discuss the following questions and then read the short article below to find the answers..

1. Why are some people left-handed?
2. Is it connected to talent or skill*?
3. What is being ambidextrous?
4. What percentage of people do you think are left-handed?
5. Is this something we inherit? Is it genetic?

*Skill is an ability that comes from training or practice.

Talent is believed to be an ability that you are born with.

The Brain & Being Left-Handed No-one has come up with a definitive reason for WHY some people are left-handed, but about 13% of the population around the world are, and it is thought to be genetic - it definitely runs in families. If you are left-handed, you have that gene and will pass it on through the generations. The way the brain works is incredibly complex, but this simplified explanation will give you some understanding of where our left-hand dominance comes from. The brain is "cross-wired" so that the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body and vice-versa. If you are right-handed, your dominance comes from your brain’s left hemisphere. It’s not strange to find people who favor the opposite hand and foot (e.g. left hand and right foot), and some people are lucky enough to be ambidextrous, meaning they can use their left and right sides with equal skill. Adapted from: http://www.lefthandersday.com

test your brain dominance!

For each question write RIGHT or LEFT. In groups you can interview one another.

Are you surprised at the results?

Imagine your back is itching. Which hand do you scratch it with? 

Which eye do you use to wink?

Start applauding/ clapping your hands. Which hand is on top?

Put your hands behind your back, one holding the other. Which hand is doing the holding? 

Kick a ball, which foot do you use?

Which hand do you use to write?

Imagine you can’t hear well, which ear do you cup?

Answers here!

Solutions - The Skillful Issue

Take it Easy

1)

easy	Ok	difficult
A piece of cake No trouble Simple Straightforward	Manageable Feasible	Hard Impossible Complicated Tough

3) IDIOMS

2. as easy as shooting fish in a barrel   3. piece of cake

4. easy as pie  5. Take it easy   6. easy touch

7. easy come, easy go  8. go easy on a person

9. Easy Street

Transcript:

Every people has its own way of saying things, its own special expressions. Some of these expressions are easy to understand. The words create a picture in your mind.

“As easy as falling off a log” is one such expression. It describes a job that does not take much effort.

If you ever tried to walk on a fallen tree log, you understand what the expression means. It is easier to fall off the log than to stay on it.

The expression is often used today. For example, you might hear a student say to her friend that her spelling test was “as easy as falling off a log.”

There are several other expressions that mean the same thing. And their meaning is as easy to understand as “falling off a log.” One is, “easy as pie.” Nothing is easier than eating a piece of sweet, juicy pie. Unless it is a “piece of cake.”

“Piece of cake” is another expression that means something is extremely easy to do. A friend might tell you that his new job was a ”piece of cake.”

Another expression is “as easy as shooting fish in a barrel.”

It is hard to imagine why anyone would want to shoot fish in a barrel. But, clearly, fish in a barrel would be much easier to shoot than fish in a stream. In fact, it would be as easy as “falling off a log.”

Sometimes, things that come to us easily, also leave us just as easily. In fact, there is an expression – “easy come, easy go” – that recognizes this. You may win a lot of money in a lottery, then spend it all in a few days. Easy come, easy go.

When life itself is easy, when you have no cares or problems, you are on “Easy Street.” Everyone wants to live on that imaginary street.

Another “easy” expression is to “go easy on a person.” It means to treat a person kindly or gently, especially in a situation where you might be expected to be angry with him. A wife might urge her husband to “go easy on” their son, because the boy did not mean to wreck the car.

If it is necessary to borrow some money to fix the car, you should look for a friend who is an “easy touch.” An “easy touch” or a “soft touch” is someone who is kind and helpful. He would easily agree to lend you the money.

And one last expression, one that means do not worry or work too hard. Try to keep away from difficult situations. “Take it easy” until we meet again.

Talent

A) Talent is ...

1.urgency to express ones deep emotions through (for example) music and nothing else.

You need...

2.a certain amount of intellectual ability.

3.technical ability

4.charisma

B) Except for 1, all next 3 can be acquired.

C) F

D)Character and luck.

E) She says that it doesn’t concern her. She has nothing to add to that part of the discussion.

F) People not listening to classical music is a problem of education. People start listening to music at home, at school. It is an acquired taste.

G) She thinks that it is true that they have to be able to make a living, but to be a musician is a vocation, not a profession. Musicians must not forget it. She says she would be doing it even if she didn’t get paid.

Can, Could & Be Able To

1.can’t   2.was able to /could  3.won’t be able to  4.could  5.can / could  6.can 7.wasn’t able to   8.can’t / am not able to   9.Will you be able to / Could (favors)  10.can’t  11.can – am not able  12.can’t  13.could   14.were able to / could  15.could / was able to

Are you right-handed or left-handed?

1. Because the brain’s right hemisphere dominates. 2.It is not mentioned in the article if you can practice and acquire a dominance. You can inherit it, though.  3.They can use their left and right sides with equal skill.  4. 13% of the population  5. Yes, it is thought to be genetic / it runs in families.