Describing yourself, prose, speeches and poetry to read aloud, idioms and proverbs

1. Spoken English

2. Listen as one of your classmates
reads the following:
• What did they do well, what was
good?
• Name one thing that needs
improvement - how can they
achieve this?

3. Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green
pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.

4. 4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

5. Jesus Christ, Matthew 5
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.

6. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.

7. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are
persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

8. Edward Lear and William
Cosmo Monkhouse
There was a young lady of Niger
who smiled as she rode on a tiger;
They returned from the ride
with the lady inside,
and the smile on the face of the tiger.

9. “Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.
He followed her to school one day,
That was against the rule.
It made the children laugh and play,
To see a lamb at school.”

10. Emmeline Pankhurst
Freedom or Death 1913
You have left it to women in your land, the men
of all civilised countries have left it to women,
to work out their own salvation. That is the way
in which we women of England are doing.
Human life for us is sacred, but we say if any
life is to be sacrificed it shall be ours; we won’t
do it ourselves, but we will put the enemy in
the position where they will have to choose
between giving us freedom or giving us death.

11. Sir Winston Churchill, 1941
Never give in - never, never, never,
never, in nothing great or small, large
or petty, never give in except to
convictions of honour and good
sense. Never yield to force; never
yield to the apparently overwhelming
might of the enemy.

12. I have a dream (1963)
by Martin Luther King Jr
I have a dream that one day down in
Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its
governor having his lips dripping with
the words of interposition (place
something between) and nullification –
one day right there in Alabama little
black boys and black girls will be able to
join hands with little white boys and white
girls as sisters and brothers.

13. I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every
valley shall be exalted and every hill
and mountain shall be made low, the
rough places will be made plain, and
the crooked places will be made
straight, and the glory of the Lord shall
be revealed and all flesh shall see it
together.

14. Funeral Blues
by W.H. Auden
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy
bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled
drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners
come.

15. Let aeroplanes circle moaning
overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message
“He is Dead”.
Put crepe bows round the white necks
of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black
cotton gloves.

16. He was my North, my South, my East
and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my
song;
I thought that love would last forever: I
was wrong.

17. The stars are not wanted now; put out
every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the
wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any
good.
© 1936 by W.H. Auden.

18. COMMONLY USED IDIOMS
A speech form or an expression that is peculiar to itself grammatically
or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/idiom

19. A combination of words that have a
figurative (not literal) meaning.
What you read or say in an idiom is not
what is actually meant!
There are estimated to be at least 25,000
idiomatic expressions in the English
language.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiom

20. For each of the following try
to think of an example of
how they could be used.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiom

21. It’s a “piece of cake”
Something that is very
easy to do.

22. “I’m over the moon”
Meaning that I am
delighted with something/
one.

23. “A penny for your
thoughts”
A way of asking what
someone is thinking

24. “It cost(s) an arm and a leg”
This means that something was / is very
expensive.

25. Commonly used
Proverbs
A short saying in frequent and widespread use that
expresses a basic truth or practical rule.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/proverb

26. Proverbs are short
statements of
wisdom or advice
(that are passed from
generation to
generation and on into
general use).

27. "Two wrongs don't
make a right."
Said to emphasize that
it is not acceptable to
do something bad to
someone just because
they did something
bad to you first.

28. "A picture is worth a
thousand words."
Pictures convey
emotions and
messages better than
written or spoken
explanations.

29. Kim Phuc, a Vietnamese
girl is fleeing the scene of
a napalm bombing by the
U.S. military during the
Vietnam War on 8 June
1972. The girl was
hospitalized for 14 months
with severe burns and had
to undergo a total of 17
skin grafts.

30. Kim Phuc, a Vietnamese
girl is fleeing the scene of
a napalm bombing by the
U.S. military during the
Vietnam War on 8 June
1972. The girl was
hospitalized for 14 months
with severe burns and had
to undergo a total of 17
skin grafts.

31. Kim Phuc, a Vietnamese
girl is fleeing the scene of
a napalm bombing by the
U.S. military during the
Vietnam War on 8 June
1972. The girl was
hospitalized for 14 months
with severe burns and had
to undergo a total of 17
skin grafts.

32. "There's no place
like home."
Your own home is the
most wonderful /
comfortable place to
be.
Also, “Home is
where the heart is.”

33. "Better late than
never."
It's best to do
something on time.
But if you can't do it
on time, do it late.

34. "The pen is mightier
than the sword."
Convincing people
using ideas and words
is more effective than
trying to force them to
do what you want.

35. "When in Rome, do
as the Romans."
Act the way that the
people around you
are acting.

36. "When in Rome, do
as the Romans."
Act the way that the
people around you
are acting.

37. Introducing yourself
• A common every day
situation
• Certain ways of
speaking make you
sound more fluent
and confident

38. Richard: Hi, I’m Richard.
Soso: Hello Richard, my name is Soso.
Richard: Pleased to meet you.
Soso: And you.

39. Richard: Hi, I’m Richard.
Soso: Hello Richard, my name is Soso.
You can say my name is or I’m…
I’m is a short form of the verb be (I am)

41. It is common in English to use short
forms of some verbs in this case: (to) be

42. It is common in English to use short
forms of some verbs in this case: (to) be
• I am = I’m

43. It is common in English to use short
forms of some verbs in this case: (to) be
• I am = I’m
• you are = you’re (NOT your)

44. It is common in English to use short
forms of some verbs in this case: (to) be
• I am = I’m
• you are = you’re (NOT your)
• he is = he’s she is = she’s

45. It is common in English to use short
forms of some verbs in this case: (to) be
• I am = I’m
• you are = you’re (NOT your)
• he is = he’s she is = she’s
• it is = it’s

46. It is common in English to use short
forms of some verbs in this case: (to) be
• I am = I’m
• you are = you’re (NOT your)
• he is = he’s she is = she’s
• it is = it’s
• we are = we’re they are = they’re

47. It is common in English to use short
forms of some verbs in this case: (to) be
• I am = I’m
• you are = you’re (NOT your)
• he is = he’s she is = she’s
• it is = it’s
• we are = we’re they are = they’re
were there, their

48. Man, Male = He

49. Woman, female =
She

50. Note:
• In British pronunciation the full form
of the verb has two syllables - the
short form only one
• When a name ends with -s -ch -sh - x
-z you cannot use the short form. So,
• Fred is here = Fred’s here
• James is here = James’s here
• Rich is here = Rich’s here

51. Developing things…
• Adding something like a question or
tagline to a statement:
• Can check if something is true.
• Invites the other person to speak
more or to explain.
• Helps the conversation go on.

52. Richard: You’re Soso, aren't you?
The question tag has been added to
check the fact (using the short form)
Soso: Yes I am…
Soso replies using the full form of the
verb

53. You’re a doctor, teacher, gymnast,
pastor…aren’t you?
You’re from Korea, India, Pakistan…
aren’t you?
Complete the following:
This food is delicious…_____?
We are running late this morning…
_____?

54. You’re a fireman __________?
Kim’s a footballer _____________?
Jeevan and Leena are church leaders
_____________?
It’s cold this morning _____________?
Teresa’s from Korea _____________?

55. Introducing others
• Teresa: Hi Richard, this is Soso.
• Soso: Hello Richard, it’s good to meet
you…
• Teresa: Soso, do you know Richard?
• Soso: I don’t think so, hello Richard
(Just saying NO would have sounded
rude and abrupt)

56. This leads us into the idea of asking
questions using the verb be [where
there is no short form]:
I am —— Am I…?
You are —— Are you…? [’re they?]
He is / she is —— Is he / Is she? [’s he?]
We are —— Are we…?
They are —— Are they…?

57. Make the following into questions:
• It’s cold today.
• Kim’s late.
• Anna’s not ready.
• Richard’s coming.
• Soso’s made cake for all of us.

59. Go around the group describing the
person and their location as if you
are introducing them to someone:

60. Go around the group describing the
person and their location as if you
are introducing them to someone:
That is Richard, he is English.

61. Go around the group describing the
person and their location as if you
are introducing them to someone:
That is Richard, he is English.
Sitting on his left is Soso, his wife.

62. Go around the group describing the
person and their location as if you
are introducing them to someone:
That is Richard, he is English.
Sitting on his left is Soso, his wife.
By her side is Kim, he is a Korean
taekwondo instructor.

63. Go around the group describing the
person and their location as if you
are introducing them to someone:
That is Richard, he is English.
Sitting on his left is Soso, his wife.
By her side is Kim, he is a Korean
taekwondo instructor.
Kim’s wife is the Korean lady with a
sweater and trainers in the same colour.

64. Personal Pronouns
• I, you, he, she, we, they.
• Singular male and female are
different - he, she
• When speaking in the plural we use
only one word for both - they
• You can be singular or plural (and is
for both formal and informal no polite
form)