Breaking News English

WARM-UPS

1. WEDDINGS: Walk around the class and talk to other students about weddings. Change partners often. After you finish, sit with your partner(s) and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

gossip / being busy / celebrity interviews / wedding ceremonies / romance / beautiful / pop stars / music videos / tattoos / secrets / diamond ring / newlyweds / cameras

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. POPPING THE QUESTION: What’s the best way to pop the question (ask someone to marry you / propose to someone)? Complete this table with your ideas about the things in the left column. Talk with your partners about your answers. Change partners and share your findings. Who has the most romantic ideas? Who is the biggest romantic?

Things	Your idea
place of proposal
rings
flowers
music
food / drink
special thing _________

4. MY LOVE FOR YOU: What would you do to show your love for your husband / wife? Rate these things from 1 to 10  (1 = I would never in a million years do this; 10 = I would definitely, willingly, gladly, happily… do this as a sign of my pure love). Talk about your ratings. Change partners and share your scores and findings.

_____  tattoo your back with his/her name _____  give him/her all your money _____  promise to live together forever _____  give up your career for him/her

_____  live with his/her parents _____  describe your love for him/her on TV _____  change your religion to his/hers _____  let him/her have the TV remote

5. HEADLINE PREDICTION: With your partner(s), use the words in the “Chat” activity above to predict what the news article will be about. Once you have your story, change partners and share them. Who was closest to the real story?

6. GOSSIP: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘gossip’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	Mariah Carey surprised Hollywood gossip writers by getting married.	T / F
b.	Mariah and her husband dated for six months before getting married.	T / F
c.	The couple didn’t like each other the first time they met.	T / F
d.	Mariah’s husband proposed five days before their wedding.	T / F
e.	Mariah’s husband is 27 years old.	T / F
f.	Mariah has a tattoo of her married name on her back.	T / F
g.	Mariah explained to ‘People’ magazine why her wedding was a secret.	T / F
h.	The couple decided they would not wear wedding rings.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

1.	tied the knot	a.	gossip
2	whirlwind	b.	proposed
3.	bliss	c.	younger
4.	inseparable	d.	paparazzi
5.	popped the question	e.	got married
6.	junior	f.	happiness
7.	revealed	g.	close
8.	speculation	h.	told
9.	spotted	i.	quick
10.	cameras	j.	seen

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

1.	The couple secretly tied	a.	this was in the cards for me
2	they both fell	b.	done on their backs
3.	I never felt a love like	c.	beautiful on the inside
4.	10 times as	d.	to enjoy life as newlyweds
5.	he only popped the	e.	her junior
6.	eleven years	f.	the knot in a ceremony in the Bahamas
7.	her marriage	g.	marriage grew at the weekend
8.	they got tattoos	h.	question five days before the wedding
9.	Speculation about the	i.	in love at first sight
10.	The couple now wants	j.	was not a last minute thing

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.

The Hollywood gossip writers have been busy for __________, writing about whether or not Mariah Carey is married. Now the news is __________. The Canadian singer, 38, __________ in an interview with ‘People’ magazine that she has married American actor and rapper Nick Cannon. The couple secretly __________ the knot in a ceremony in the Bahamas. This followed a __________ six-week romance after they both fell in love at first sight. Carey told ‘People’ magazine how happy she felt: “We really do feel we are soul mates. I never felt a love like this was in the __________ for me,” she said. Cannon also spoke of his marital __________, saying: “Since we've been together, we've been inseparable." Cannon said: "She is beautiful on the outside and 10 times as beautiful on the inside." He confessed that he only __________ the question five days before the wedding.		bliss confirmed whirlwind days popped tied cards out
The pop superstar met Cannon, eleven years her __________, in March, while filming the video for her new single. However, she made it __________ that her marriage was not a last minute thing. She said that they got tattoos done on their backs as a __________ of their love weeks before the wedding. Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey recently __________ that Carey had shown her the tattoo, which said “Mrs Cannon”. Carey did not say why she kept the news of the wedding a secret for a __________ week. Speculation about the marriage grew at the weekend when the couple was spotted __________ at a New York film festival. It was the movie premiere of her new film ‘Tennessee’ - Carey was wearing a __________ diamond on her ring finger. The couple now wants to enjoy life as newlyweds away from the __________.		whole  sign cameras together junior revealed huge clear

LISTENING:  Listen and fill in the spaces.

The Hollywood gossip writers ______________________ days, writing about whether or not Mariah Carey is married. Now the news is out. The Canadian singer, 38, confirmed ______________________ ‘People’ magazine that she has married American actor and rapper Nick Cannon. The couple ______________________ in a ceremony in the Bahamas. This followed ______________________ romance after they both fell ______________________. Carey told ‘People’ magazine how happy she felt: “We really do feel we are soul mates. I never felt a love like this ______________________,” she said. Cannon also spoke of his marital bliss, saying: “Since we've been together, ______________________." Cannon said: "She is beautiful on the outside and 10 ______________________ the inside." He confessed that he only ______________________ five days before the wedding.

The pop superstar met Cannon, ______________________, in March, while filming the video for her new single. However, she ______________________ marriage was not a last minute thing. She said that they got tattoos done on their backs ______________________ love weeks before the wedding. Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey recently revealed that Carey ______________________ tattoo, which said “Mrs Cannon”. Carey did not say why she kept the news of the wedding a ______________________. Speculation about the marriage grew at the weekend when the couple was spotted together at a New York film festival. It was the movie premiere of her new film ‘Tennessee’ - Carey was wearing a huge diamond on her ring finger. The couple now wants to ______________________ away from the cameras.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘pop’ and ‘question’.

pop

question

• Share your findings with your partners.
• Make questions using the words you found.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

• Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

busy out knot whirlwind bliss popped

junior clear sign whole spotted cameras

STUDENT WEDDING SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about weddings in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

• Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

WEDDING DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘wedding’?
c)	What do you know about Mariah Carey?
d)	Would you like to get married in secret?
e)	Where would you like to tie the knot?
f)	What do you think of whirlwind romances?
g)	Have you ever fallen in love at first sight?
h)	Have you ever met anyone you thought was your soul mate?
i)	Is it better to be beautiful on the inside or outside?
j)	What’s the best way of ‘popping the question’? What is the question?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	Would you date or marry someone who was eleven years your junior?
c)	What do you think of Mariah getting a tattoo of her married name on her back?
d)	What would you do as a sign of your love for your partner?
e)	Do you think it’s sad that celebrities cannot go on dates without being followed by cameras and paparazzi?
f)	Do you think a huge diamond ring is important?
g)	Do you think celebrity marriages have more problems than normal marriages?
h)	Was the last wedding you went to a good one?
i)	What questions would you like to ask the newlyweds about their whirlwind romance and their marriage?
j)	Did you like this discussion?

LANGUAGE

The Hollywood gossip writers have been busy for (1) ____, writing about whether or (2) ____ Mariah Carey is married. Now the news is out. The Canadian singer, 38, confirmed in an interview with ‘People’ magazine that she has married American actor and rapper Nick Cannon. The couple secretly tied the (3) ____ in a ceremony in the Bahamas. This followed a whirlwind six-week romance after they both (4) ____ in love at first sight. Carey told ‘People’ magazine how happy she felt: “We really do feel we are soul mates. I never felt a (5) ____ like this was in the cards for me,” she said. Cannon also spoke of his marital bliss, saying: “Since we've been together, we've been inseparable." Cannon said: "She is beautiful on the outside and 10 times (6) ____ beautiful on the inside." He confessed that he only popped the question five days before the wedding.

The pop superstar met Cannon, eleven years (7) ____ junior, in March, while filming the video for her new single. However, she made it clear that her marriage was not a last minute (8) ____. She said that they got tattoos done on their backs as a sign of their love weeks before the wedding. Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey recently revealed that Carey had shown her the tattoo, which said “Mrs Cannon”. Carey did not say why she kept the news (9) ____ the wedding a secret for a whole week. Speculation about the marriage grew (10) ____ the weekend when the couple was spotted together at a New York film festival. It was the movie premiere of her new film ‘Tennessee’ - Carey was (11) ____ a huge diamond on her ring finger. The couple now wants to enjoy life (12) ____ newlyweds away from the cameras.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	daily	(b)	days	(c)	daytime	(d)	day
2.	(a)	note	(b)	no	(c)	not	(d)	knot
3.	(a)	knot	(b)	rope	(c)	shoelace	(d)	tie
4.	(a)	fallen	(b)	falls	(c)	fall	(d)	fell
5.	(a)	loving	(b)	lovely	(c)	love	(d)	loveliness
6.	(a)	as	(b)	for	(c)	by	(d)	most
7.	(a)	hers	(b)	she	(c)	his	(d)	her
8.	(a)	timing	(b)	thing	(c)	stuff	(d)	think
9.	(a)	by	(b)	from	(c)	for	(d)	of
10.	(a)	for	(b)	of	(c)	at	(d)	in
11.	(a)	carrying	(b)	wearing	(c)	having	(d)	putting
12.	(a)	as	(b)	for	(c)	by	(d)	the

WRITING: 

Write about weddings  for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.

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HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out about Mariah and Nicks’ romance and wedding. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. CELEBRITY WEDDINGS: Make a poster about celebrities in your country who got married. Was the wedding gorgeous? Did they have problems? Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. WHIRLWIND ROMANCE: Write a magazine article about the most romantic whirlwind romance ever. Include imaginary interviews with the couple involved. Include questions about popping the question and tying the knot.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. LETTER: Write a letter to Mariah Carey. Give her three pieces of advice on what she should do to stay happy. Ask her three questions about her whirlwind romance and her secret wedding. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

6. DIARY / JOURNAL: You just married a celebrity. Who? Write your diary entry for one day in your life as a newlywed. Include your thoughts on how you felt when (s)he popped the question. Read your entry to your classmates in the next lesson.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. F

c. F

d. T

e. T

f. T

g. F

h. F

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	tied the knot	a.	got married
2	whirlwind	b.	quick
3.	bliss	c.	happiness
4.	inseparable	d.	close
5.	popped the question	e.	proposed
6.	junior	f.	younger
7.	revealed	g.	told
8.	speculation	h.	gossip
9.	spotted	i.	seen
10.	cameras	j.	paparazzi

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	The couple secretly tied	a.	the knot in a ceremony in the Bahamas
2	they both fell	b.	in love at first sight
3.	I never felt a love like	c.	this was in the cards for me
4.	10 times as	d.	beautiful on the inside
5.	he only popped the	e.	question five days before the wedding
6.	eleven years	f.	her junior
7.	her marriage	g.	was not a last minute thing
8.	they got tattoos	h.	done on their backs
9.	Speculation about the	i.	marriage grew at the weekend
10.	The couple now wants	j.	to enjoy life as newlyweds

GAP FILL:

Mariah Carey confesses to secret wedding

The Hollywood gossip writers have been busy for days, writing about whether or not Mariah Carey is married. Now the news is out. The Canadian singer, 38, confirmed in an interview with ‘People’ magazine that she has married American actor and rapper Nick Cannon. The couple secretly tied the knot in a ceremony in the Bahamas. This followed a whirlwind six-week romance after they both fell in love at first sight. Carey told ‘People’ magazine how happy she felt: “We really do feel we are soul mates. I never felt a love like this was in the cards for me,” she said. Cannon also spoke of his marital bliss, saying: “Since we've been together, we've been inseparable." Cannon said: "She is beautiful on the outside and 10 times as beautiful on the inside." He confessed that he only popped the question five days before the wedding.

The pop superstar met Cannon, eleven years her junior, in March, while filming the video for her new single. However, she made it clear that her marriage was not a last minute thing. She said that they got tattoos done on their backs as a sign of their love weeks before the wedding. Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey recently revealed that Carey had shown her the tattoo, which said “Mrs Cannon”. Carey did not say why she kept the news of the wedding a secret for a whole week. Speculation about the marriage grew at the weekend when the couple was spotted together at a New York film festival. It was the movie premiere of her new film ‘Tennessee’ - Carey was wearing a huge diamond on her ring finger. The couple now wants to enjoy life as newlyweds away from the cameras.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - b

2 - c

3 - a

4 - d

5 - c

6 - a

7 - d

8 - b

9 - d

10 - c

11 - b

12 - a

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