Read Between the Lines: Hyperboles & Clichés - The Proverbial Issue

Reading and vocabulary activity

A HYPERBOLE is an obvious and intentional exaggeration, used for emphasis or effect. For example: “I could sleep for a year” or “You made me wait an eternity”, and longer fragments such as: "My toaster has never once worked properly in four years. I follow the instructions and push two slices of bread down in the slots, and seconds later they rifle upwards. Once they broke the nose of a woman I loved dearly."  (Woody Allen, "My Speech to the Graduates")

This is a real essay written by student Hugh Gallagher when applying to New York University. Mark all hyperboles, including cultural references and clichés.

QUESTION: ARE THERE ANY SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE HAD, OR ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU HAVE REALIZED, THAT HAVE HELPED TO DEFINE YOU AS A PERSON?

I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I write award-winning operas, and I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. Children trust me. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several cover operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary meals using only a tomato and a toaster. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis. But I have not yet gone to college.

 
Clichés

Culture and language “go hand in hand”. People share a common history that influences the way they speak. Some phrases, usually with a humorous component, become popular and speakers start using them often. They are called clichés.

Exercise: Here are a few examples with very common clichés. Can you match sentence and meaning? Afterwards, use a few to write examples of your own.

1-I work "from dusk till dawn". 2-She's "walking on thin ice". 3-"It's not over till the fat lady sings." 4-We'll "throw in the towel". 5-It's "out of this world". 6-"Do I look like I was born yesterday?"  7-I'm "caught between a rock and a hard place". 8-He's "tough as nails". 9-"When pigs fly." 10-"Love it or leave it." 11-That's "the way the cookie crumbles". 12-He's "on top of the world."   13-"Whatever will be, will be." 14-"What goes around comes around." 15-"It's all Greek to me!" 16-I have his name "on the tip of my tongue." 17-"Look what the cat brought!" 18-That's "the lesser of two evils". 19-"Time flies when you're having fun."  20-John’s eating "like there’s no tomorrow".

a-it's not finished yet b-accept the facts c-I don't understand d- all day long e-never f-don't worry g-you get what you give h- successful, happy i- in trouble j- in a dangerous situation k-an unexpected surprise arrival l- wonderful m-without looking at the consequences n- give up o- I'm having a good time p-hard q- do you think I’m stupid? r-reality s-the best of two bad options t-I'll remember soon

 Answers here!

Lost In Translation Movie Trailer - The Proverbial Issue

Video activity  - 2.14 minutes

LOST IN TRANSLATION is the second feature film by Sofia Coppola. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson bring humor and credibility to two characters lost in Tokyo’s culture and lifestyle.

The phrase “lost in translation” is used when something translated into another language loses some of the original meaning. Figuratively, it refers to a word, phrase or basically anything removed from its original context, and that cannot be fully understood or lost part of its contents.

e.g.The film “The Hobbit” lost so much in translation. The book is far better.

Some proverbs seem universal but many idioms really lose in translation.

I was totally lost in translation with all the baseball hand gestures.

A)Discussion.

What is culture shock? Have you ever experienced it? When people from other countries think about your culture or country, what do they usually think of? What is considered rude in your country? What advice would you give to people coming to your country to live temporarily? Do you agree with the saying "when in Rome, do as the Romans do"?

B)Watch the clip and answers the questions.



1. Who is Bob?:
 an actor
 a movie producer
 a businessman

2. Why is the girl (Scarlett Johansson) in Japan?:
  She came with her husband
  She came to visit a Japanese photographer
  She's a photographer

3. What does she do?:
  She's a photographer
  She's a model
  She doesn't know yet

4. Why is Bob being paid 2 million dollars?
  To produce a whisky commercial
  To endorse a whisky

  To make sure the whisky is effective

5.What did she study?
  Literature
  Philosophy
  Psychology

6.What is 25 years?
  Her age
  The years he’s been married
  The years he has lived in Japan
 

Answers here!

Stereotyped Phrases And Movie Lines - The Proverbial Issue

Listening and vocabulary activity NPR - 2.46min

Stereotyped sentences, phrases or clichés usually express a popular thought or idea, but have lost originality or impact after long overuse. They are very common in humor, comedy and informal speech, but often criticized in intellectual or academic environments. Examples: “Avoid something like the plague”, “No pain, no gain”, “Curiosity killed the cat”,and “Time and time again”.

1.Discuss the title of the radio segment you are going to listen:

“Pomp And Circumstance And Tried-But-True Clichés”

What does a)“pomp and circumstance” mean? What about b)“tried-but-true”?

What do these phrases suggest to you? What do you think the report is about?

2.Listen to the radio segment and fill the blank spaces with the phrase missing.

Click here to open the player

SCOTT SIMON, host:

“It's commencement season. Politicians, philanthropists, philosophers and movie stars fan out for the next few weeks to give 1................................................................ Bill Clinton was at NYU on Wednesday, Stephen Colbert goes to Northwestern in three weeks, Tom Hanks visits Yale tomorrow. I wonder if Mr. Hanks can resist saying life is 2................................................................ President Obama gave the commencement speech at Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis on Monday. Just three years ago, only half of the school's students graduated. But students and teachers 3.......................................................... This year's graduation rate is over 80 percent. The president of the United States told the graduating seniors, 4.............................................................. of what you do. Great speech. Last year, Al Gore charmingly confided to students at the University of Tennessee that he couldn't remember his own 1969 commencement speaker at Harvard. I just remember the weather and 5...............................................................  , he told the students to wild applause, and the parties. Stewart Udall, the former Secretary of the Interior, gave Harvard's commencement speech in 1969. You'd think a man who invented the Internet 6............................................................... to Google. Even I get asked to give commencement speeches. It's a privilege. People call you doctor for the day, and ask you to take a look at something on their neck. You meet smart professors backstage, and you get to hear them talk without 7.............................................................. And it's gratifying to run into a bright, smiling young person on the street or in an airport who say they remember you as their commencement speaker, and see they're not being 8............................................................ A few years ago, I opened a commencement speech with a few jokes about what I thought were plainly graduation cliches: Remember, education 9............................................................  ; today is the first day 10........................................................... But several students later shook my hand to tell me how much those opening words had meant. And I realized: graduations, like weddings, funerals, and World Series parades, are one of those days that make clichés ring true. So, if any graduates are up early, let me 11..................................................... as they step into these arduous and exciting times. Let life 12.............................................…. You've worked hard and learned a lot. But if you live well, you're going to know love, loss, confusion and failure - life's 13.................................................... Real life can shatter certainties like 14...................................................... Keep learning. Be inconsistent. Don't have a rich, full life only to... wind up at 40 with the same convictions you had when you were 20. Let life in. And remember, today really is 15........................................................ (Soundbite of song) And you're listening to NPR News.”

3.Vocabulary

A)Phrasal Verbs: Match the verbs on the left to their definitions on the right. Find the context in the text in ex.2.

1.fan out	a. Admit, include.
2.wind up	b. Involve oneself in some matter
3.let in	c.Spread, move around.
4.run into	d. Come or bring to a finish.
5.step into	e. Stand, be on your feet
6.be up	f. Meet or find by chance

B)Collocations: Match the words in both columns to make 4 collocations from the text in ex. 2. Then, use them to complete the sentences below.

A collocation is an arrangement of words commonly used together in English, such as “dead serious”, “to feel free”, and” excruciating pain”.

1.wild	a. words
2. opening	b. certainties
3. to shatter	c.true
4.to ring	d.applause

a)New scientific discoveries have ...................... a few .......................

b)The famed actor went onstage to get the award and was met by  ..............................................

c)What you are saying ............................................. but I’m not entirely conviced.

d)I need some clever ................................................ for my lecture.

4.Discussion: Movie Lines

a.In the first part of the radio segment there’s a reference to Tom Hanks and the phrase “Life is like a box of chocolates...”. The end of the quote is “... you never know what you're gonna get.” This is a movie line from Forrest Gump. What does it mean? When would you use this phrase? Do you agree with it?

b.Another well-known and much heard line is “You had me at hello” Which movie is it from? What can it mean? Guess.

c.”Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'” is a line from which Oscar winning film? What do you understand by this? What are your thoughts on this saying?

d. "Hasta la vista, baby", has been overheard a thousand times. Where is the line from? When would someone say this?

e. "You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me?"  Who says this and why? What does it mean? In what context would you use this line?

Do you know other classic and often repeated movie lines?

Answers here!

Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) by Green Day - The Proverbial Issue

Song & video clip - vocabulary & discussion activity

A)Pre-watching/ listening discussion

“Good riddance!” is a phrase used to express relief that someone or something has gone.

e.g. “When the boss finally retired, we all said:  Good riddance!”

“When I announced I would give up my piano lessons, all my family exclaimed: Good riddance. I didn’t think I was that bad.”

Think about at least three situations when you would say “Good riddance!”

What do you understand by the seccondary title: “Time of your life”?

Think about at least three situations when you can say that you had the “time of your life”.

What is the connection between both phrases?

What do you expect this song to be about, being known by 2 tittles: “Good riddance” and “Time of your life”?

B) Watching/ listening segment

1.Watch the clip, listen to the words and answer the following questions:

a)Which adjectives that describe emotions would you use to describe the people shown in the clip? (Look up any words you don’t know in your dictionary)

Happy     Sad     Angry     Mad     Depressed     Fearful     Guilty

Longing     Shameful     Proud     Jealous     Anxious     Frustrated     Lonely

Appreciative     Hopeful     Thrilled     Overjoyed     Supportive     Serene     Overwhelmed

Grumpy     Joyful     Tearful     Devastated     Horrified     Hurt     Annoyed

b)How is the singer, Billie Joe Armstrong, feeling?

c)Classify the adjectives into positive and negative emotions.

C) The Lyrics

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go So make the best of this test, and don't ask why It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right. I hope you had the time of your life. So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind Hang it on a shelf of good health and good time Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial For what it's worth it was worth all the while It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right. I hope you had the time of your life.

Vocabulary:

Find the set phrases for these definitions:

1.a turning point 2.a fork in the road 3.a lesson learned 4.for what it’s worth 5.it’s worth the while

a) a bifurcation or separation b) valuable of the time or effort spent c) knowledge or understanding gained by experience d) opinion or suggestion offered without expecting validation. e) a decisive moment

Analyze the rest of the words, and find any necessary definitions in your dictionary.

D) Think about it!

• This song is often played at graduations, funerals etc. Why do you think that is?
• Look again at the list of adjectives in the Watching/listening segment. How does this song make you feel?
• Do you know any other cliché songs played at weddings, birthday parties, farewell gatherings, bachellor/bachelorette parties, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, etc.?

Answers here!

Sayings and Proverbs - The Proverbial Issue

Vocabulary game & video activity

1.Complete the sayings below with a word from the box.

For example "Don't look a gift ... in the mouth."  : horse.

sight – shoe – poison  - bush – chickens – bird – news  -  bites – mother Romans  -  fire – gold - mountain – heart  - beauty - never - book - bed  nose  - best – cooks – juice  - money

Where there's smoke, there's .............

Don't judge a ............. by its cover.

He who laughs last, laughs .............

A bird in the hand is worth two in the .............

Better late than .............

Don’t make a ....................... out of a molehill.

If the .............. fits, wear it.

Get on the wrong side of the .......................

Necessity is the ................ of invention.
Too many ............ spoil the broth.
When in Rome, do as the ............ do.
The blacker the berry, the sweeter the ...........
 

Don't count your ............. before they hatch.

All that glitters is not .............

Out of ............., out of mind.

A barking dog never .............

The early ............. catches the worm.

A fool and his .......... are soon parted.

One man's meat is another man's ..........
Absence makes the ........... grow fonder.
Bad .............. travels quickly.
.................. is only skin deep.

Keep your ................... to the grindstone.

2.Discuss their meanings and usage. Check with your dictionary to solve any doubts or enter http://www.english-sayings.com a large online collection of sayings and proverbs in the English language.

                                   

3.Video clip – 1.30 min.

Watch this short by Jake Hurwitz and answer the questions.

Proverbs from Jake Hurwitz on Vimeo.

a)Which proverbs from the list are mentioned?

b)What’s the issue they are discussing in connection with proverbs?

Answers here!