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Early 1970s British Ford Zephyr police car

FIRST: Complete the following exercise about what Zak Washington’s group of students did last night. Put the verbs (in brackets) into the correct tenses.

SECOND: Listen to the AUDIO to check your answers. 

After leaving the Indian restaurant at one o’clock in the morning, we [ ______BLANK] (to go) to the disco.

Sophie [ ______BLANK] (to start) (to throw) rubbish bins (SP: contenedores de basura IT: bidone de la spazzatura) at the cars that [ ______BLANK] (to be) (to pass.).

There [ ______BLANK] (to be) a lot of people in the street. Most of them [ ______BLANK] (to go) to the disco as well.

The police [ ______BLANK] (to not arrest) Sophie at first, because they [ ______BLANK]  (to not understand) what she  [ ______BLANK]  (to talk) about.

In the disco everybody  [ ______BLANK]  (to be) so drunk (SP: borracho IT: ubriaco) that they [ ______BLANK]  (to fall over) all the time.

Giovanni  [ ______BLANK] (to not realise) that his ‘girlfriend’  [ ______BLANK] (to be) actually a man.

Ahmet [ ______BLANK] (to spend) the whole night [ ______BLANK]  (to try) (to chat up) (SP: ligar IT: rimorchiare) Norwegian girl.

Sophie  [ ______BLANK]  (to try) (to pick up) her teacher. She also [ ______BLANK]  (to try) (to pick up) Giovanni, Ahmet and François and a couple of other guys (SP: chicos IT: ragazzi) that she had met at the bar.

The reason that she  [ ______BLANK] (to not be able to) [ ______BLANK] (to be) because they had all  [ ______BLANK] (to fall) in love with Maria.

When the lights  [ ______BLANK] (to be, to switch on), people [ ______BLANK] (to not want, to go) home.

They all [ ______BLANK]  (to fancy) (to carry on) (to drink). 

When the disco   [ ______BLANK]  (to close) the bouncer [1] (SP: gorilas IT: buttafuori)  [ ______BLANK]  (to throw us out).

As Ahmet [ ______BLANK]  (to be thrown out), his jacket  [ ______BLANK] (to get) (to tear).

Everybody  [ ______BLANK]  (to shout at) the bouncers, so they  [ ______BLANK]  (to call) other bouncers.

For ten minutes we  [ ______BLANK]  (to stand) there,  [ ______BLANK] (to shout at) the bouncers.

After we  [ ______BLANK] (to shout at) the bouncers for ten minutes, Ahmet  [ ______BLANK] (to throw) an orange plastic road cone at one of them, that Sophie  [ ______BLANK] (to wear) on her head.

One of the bouncers  [ ______BLANK] (to start) (to hit) François and  [ ______BLANK] (to not stop) (to hit) him until the police [ ______BLANK] (to arrive).

When they  [ ______BLANK] (to arrest) us they also  [ ______BLANK] (to detain) Giovanni’s  'lady' friend.

Check the answers in the AUDIO.

[1] To Bounce the action of a ball, like a basketball for example, when you throw it against something and it comes back. Bouncer (SP: gorilas IT: buttafuori) (noun) a nightclub’s security guard who ‘bounces’ people who misbehave, out of the club and into the street. Normally the same action as above.

You now have two minutes to memorise the story.

Then cover the text.

You must now retell what happened after the students left the Indian restaurant.

(Vine Street police station (SP: comisaría IT: questura). 4.37 a.m.)

DESK SERGEANT REYNOLDS: So what have we here? A group of seven foreigners (SP: extranjeros IT: stranieri), eh?

An English teacher and …. a gentleman dressed as a woman?!!

And all in advanced states of alcoholic inebriation[1]!

You have all been arrested and are going to spend the next few hours in the police cells until you sober up[2]. Now here are the rules of the police station.

[1] Inebriation (SP: embriaguez IT: ubriacezza) (noun) state of drunkenness. 

Drunk (SP: borracho IT: ubriacco) (adj.) is the most international and practical way of describing someone who has drunk too much.

A rude, but nevertheless very common, British word is pissed or pissed-up (adj.).

The British and the Irish, being the big drinkers that they are, have a very extensive vocabulary for describing such  a state. 

Sloshed, tanked-up, bevied are all inoffensive,  colloquial synonyms. 

Bombed, wasted, smashed and loaded, are similar, but could also imply intoxication from drugs. 

Doped-up, high or stoned refer to drugs only. Some interesting, if unusual idiomatic expressions are: 

out of your head, out of your tree, out of  it, etc. 

[2] Sober (SP: sobrio) (adj.) not drunk. To sober up is to become less drunk due to not drinking. The opposite of getting drunk.

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(TEXT VERSION)

1. Nope!

2. Not possible

3. I’m afraid not.

4. Absolutely not.

5. Forget it.

6. Forget about it!

7. Hell no!

8. Up to a point…

9. No way!

10. No way José!

11. Not on your nelly!

 12 .Certainly not.

CLASSWORK

Who is the student in the class who least looks like a criminal? Decide between you. The student chosen will come to the front and write the following grammar on the board.

What are the modal verbs for obligation? What are the modal verbs for permission and prohibition? What are the verbs for legal rights  and entitlements (SP: derechos IT: diritti) ? What are their negative forms?

The student who has talked the least during the lesson should come to the board (SP: pizarra IT: lavagna).

The others will give him/her examples. Your examples will be the rules of the police station and police cells. Use your imagination. If not use the prompts below.

(TEXT VERSION)

Calling a lawyer. (Right)

Filling out a form. (Obligation)

Making a police statement. (Obligation)

Showing proof of identification. (Obligation)

Making a phone call. (Right)

Having a police photo (a mug shot) taken. (Obligation)

Singing rude songs about the policeman’s wife on the top of your voice. (Prohibition)

Leaving money and valuables at the sergeant’s desk. (Obligation)

Taking possessions into the cell. (Prohibition)

Reading a copy of the bible. (Permission)

Ringing the bell to attract the guard’s attention. (Permission)

Ringing the bell all night to annoy the guard. (Prohibition)

Making noise in the cell at night. (Prohibition)

Eating meals in the cell. (Permission, right)

Counting the bricks. (No obligation)

Learning how to be a successful criminal in the University of Crime. (No obligation)

Getting a homemade tattoo of a teardrop on your cheek. (No obligation.)

Having to answer the call of nature in front to all the other prisoners. (No obligation.)

Crying and asking for mummy. (No obligation)

Being allowed to leave whenever you want (Prohibition)

Marking the days you spend there with white chalk on the wall. (No obligation)

(TEXT VERSION)

ZAK WASHINGTON’S SCHOOL OF CRIME.

CRIME / LEGAL VOCABULARY. Part One.

You have a debt to pay to society.

You should take the opportunity to learn some useful criminal skills[1].

When you leave this class you will be ready for a promising career in the criminal underworld.

First, we need to learn the relevant vocabulary, so let’s list the different types of verbs for crimes.

Then, we will add to the list another column for the name of the person who commits this crime.

Finally, write a third column for the noun(s) for each types of crime, if one exists. 

For example:

To murder.   A murderer.    Murder/Homicide.

To steal.   A thief.   Theft.

[1] Skill (noun) an ability, something learnt by practice.

‘I have many skills that will be useful for when I leave school. I am an expert video game player, for example.’

‘That is not a skill. Speaking a language is a skill. Typing is a skill. Drinking tea, smoking and playing computer games all day are not!’

The person in the class with the most freckles (SP: pecas IT: lentiggini) will come to the board.

Don’t be embarrassed (SP: avergonzado IT: imbarazzato).

You’re beautiful! If nobody has freckles, then the person who has spent the most time sunbathing on a sun-bed will come to the board. God, you look terrible! Your skin is like leather, and is Donald Trump orange!

Haven’t you got anything more imaginative to do in your free time?

The rest of the students in the class will discuss the following grammar:

They will then dictate to ‘Freckles/Orange-skin’ who will write the information on the board.  

(TEXT VERSION)

HOMEWORK.

You have decided to join the mafia.

Write a detailed C. V. (Curriculum Vitae) that explains your criminal qualifications, your past criminal work history, and any relevant criminal hobbies that you might have.

You will need to show particular care with past tenses, especially past simple, present perfect and present perfect continuous.

Only the student with the best crime C.V. will get the job.

Good luck.

(TEXT VERSION)

(Next class.) ROLEPLAY.

Student A and B.

You are ‘Big’ Joe Carlioni and Johnny ‘Baby-face’ Colombino, two of the baddest[1] mobsters (mafiosos) in the country.

You are going to interview perspective mafia members.

You will need to find out a full history of their criminal backgrounds, by asking questions with different tenses (past simple, present perfect, present perfect continuous, future and present continuous for plans, etc.)

The other students. You are all going to be interviewed individually (or in pairs if the class is big). Your objective is to join the mafia. Bring your criminal C.V. You must demonstrate that you are a really nasty, cruel criminal. Be prepared to answer questions about your criminal past, what you are capable of, and your plans for the future. 

[1] Baddest not grammatically correct, but common.

The superlative of bad is irregular, and should be the worst.

‘Baddest’ is a slang word, that is popular when used to talk about rough, tough, hard or mean characters, with a lot of attitude.

It probably comes from black American English, and is commonly used to describe boxers, gangsters and hard villains.

When Michael Jackson sang ‘I’m bad, I’m bad....’ he didn’t mean that he behaves badly. He meant that he was hard, tough and streetwise.  

(TEXT VERSION)

PRONUNCIATION EXERCISE.

Before beginning this exercise discuss as a group the meaning of the following vocabulary:

Leap / sheep / bin /rubbish / bitch / split up /

niece / knees / piece / lice / flesh /

batter / stuff /ankle /chat up

PAIRWORK ACTIVITY

Get into pairs.

Read one of the following sentences to your partner.

You can say either (1) or (2) in any order.

Your partner will listen to your pronunciation, and decide which sentence you are saying and will give the most appropriate answer: (a) or (b).

When they have answered you must read the other too, in order to check that you are able to pronounce both the words correctly.

Your partner will then answer again.

They should give you a different answer, if your pronunciation is good.

If it is bad, they will repeat the same answer as before. When you finish practice with the teacher.

In these examples the difference is between the long sound /i:/ and /I/.

1. What a giant LEAP for a man!

2. What a giant LIP for a man!

a. There’s Mick Jagger, the big-mouthed Rolling Stones singer.

b. A small step for an astronaut. 

3. I’m going to Britain on a SHIP. How long will it take?

4. I’m going to Britain on a SHEEP. How long will it take?

a. About seven hours. You should bring your sailor suit.

b. About seven months. You shouldn’t be so cruel to animals.

5. Where’s his BIN?

6. Where’s he BEEN?

a. He’s been everywhere; he’s always travelling and exploring.

b. It’s outside with the rest of the rubbish.

7. I love JEAN.

8. I love GIN.

a. Would you like tonic and ice, or straight?

b. When are you going to marry her?

9. Linda Sands is such a horrible BEACH.

10. Linda Sands is such a horrible BITCH.

a. She always speaks so badly about people behind their backs.

b. It’s always crowded, windy, and wet.

11. I don’t want to LEAVE now.

12. I don’t want to LIVE now.

a. It’s too cold outside. Let’s stay in.

b. Since we split up I’ve been so depressed.

Sometimes the only difference in English pronunciation is the last sound. In the following examples the last sound is either /s/ or /z/.

13. I saw your NIECE yesterday.

14. I saw your KNEES yesterday.

a. You were looking at my legs were you? I’ll tell your wife!

b. I saw her too. Isn’t she a lovely well-behaved child?

15. Look at your EYES.

16. Look at your ICE.

a. Can I have some? My drink is getting warm.

b. You are so beautiful! I could look at you all day.

17. Everyone wants PEAS.

18. Everyone wants PEACE.

a. Make love not war!

b. We haven’t got any left. They can have beans or carrots.

19. Do you want to come to my PLAYS?

20. Do you want to come to my PLACE?

a. They are putting them on in two important theatres.

b. We can play some romantic music and talk about philosophy.

21. I hate his disgusting LICE.

22. I hate his disgusting LIES.

a. There is a special shampoo gets rid of them.

b. He never tells the truth.

23. IT EATS flesh.

24. EAT ITS flesh.

a. I don’t want to. I’m a vegetarian.

b. ...and lives in the jungles of Tanzania.

Here’s some more examples where the sound of the vowel is important.

25. That’s not much BUTTER.

26. That’s not much BETTER.

27. That’s not much BATTER.

a. Is there any margarine left?

b. Is that the yellow stuff used to cook fish?

c. In fact, it’s much worse. Do it again.

28. What a magnificent ANKLE you have!

29. What a magnificent UNCLE you have!

a. The best I’ve seen in all my years in chiropody.

b. He’s such a lovely, generous man!

Sometimes a word has all the same sounds but a different number of syllables. The following examples have one or two syllables.

30. PLEASE!

31. POLICE!

a. Will you stop shouting and calm down?

b. Emergency services? I’d like to report a crime.

Here’s another pair of sounds that cause problems.

32. He’s trying to CHAT UP that blond student girl.

33. He’s trying to SHUT UP that blond student girl.

a. He’s wasting his time. She’s happily married.

b. She’s been talking incessantly all morning.

34. Look FISH’N’CHIPS!

35. Look FISHING SHIPS!

a. They are leaving the port now. Ship ahoy!

b. Ummm...I’m hungry. Are you?

36. I was WATCHING the tele last night.

37. I was WASHING the tele last night.

a. Was it really that dirty?

b. Was there anything good on?

38. SHEEP ARE for wool.

39. CHEAPER for wool.

a. Where else can you find prices like this!

b. What wonderful animals they are!

40. My friend is JOKING.

41. My friend is CHOKING.

a. Has he got something stuck in his throat?

b. Yes, he’s a comedian, isn’t he?

Be careful also of words that  have the stress in different places.

42. What’s your favourite DESSERT?

43. What’s your favourite DESERT?

a. Raspberry ripple ice cream.

b. The Sahara

Here is the second video in the series English Pronunciation with ZakWashington video.

We explain the most important concept if you want to speak British English like a native speaker.

You will also learn the phonemes and the symbols of the International Phonetics Alphabet (IPA).