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Date: April 17, 2007
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Audio: 2:05 - 244.5 KB - 16kbps
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1,000 IDEAS FOR ESL CLASSES: Breaking News English.com's e-Book

THE ARTICLE

Prince William quiet on royal romance end

Britain’s media is having a field day reporting on Prince William's split with longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton. The nation’s newspapers and TV stations are desperate for news on "what really happened" and why the two split up. Competition for news is fierce and the paparazzi and journalists are hungry for any kind of scoop or scandal. It seems they are not content with William’s version of events – that he and Kate simply decided their romance was going nowhere and it was time to go their separate ways. British Prime Minister Tony Blair echoed this on a TV show, saying the media reports are “complete nonsense” and that the couple should be given breathing space, out of the media spotlight, to get on with their lives. "They're a young couple. We've had the announcement. Fine. They should be left alone," said Blair.

The media has followed William and Kate ever since they first started dating at university five years ago. Rumours of marriage hit the headlines as soon as they decided to live together. Their decision to split, while staying “good friends”, has now sparked speculation of a different kind. Some newspapers have blamed the British queen, while others report William’s military career is at the centre of things. The latest “exclusive” is that Kate’s mother told her daughter to end the relationship. The Daily Telegraph newspaper even reported that Kate’s mother’s use of English was not sophisticated enough for royalty. In particular, she said "toilet" rather than "lavatory", and "pleased to meet you" instead of "how do you do?" Kate has refused to comment and has turned down $10 million to tell her story.

WARM-UPS

1. PAPARAZZI: Imagine you are a member of the paparazzi. Write down three famous people you have photographed. Walk around the class and talk to the other “paparazzi” about your job and photographs. After you finish, sit with different “paparazzi” and share the stories you heard.

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

fields / splitting up / longtime girlfriends / princes / scandals / romance / media / dating / living together / the military / proper English / lavatories / $10 million

Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently.

3. HIGH-LEVEL LANGUAGE: With your partner(s), talk about the differences in the language of your native tongue. Use these to help you:

  • the language of people with / without money
  • men’s language / women’s language
  • language in the north / south / east / west of the country
  • higher class / lower class language
  • old people’s language / young people’s language
  • royal language / commoner language
  • traditional language / the English influence

4. DATING: What are the biggest problems of dating? Put these in order of the biggest causes of couples to break up:

  • another man / woman
  • the romance was going nowhere
  • sport
  • mothers / fathers
  • arguments
  • culture
  • religion
  • money
  • physical attraction
  • other ___________________

5. QUICK DEBATE: Have this quick debate with your partner(s). Students A think princes should only marry princesses; students B think princes can marry anyone, even commoners. Change partners and topics every two minutes.

6. PRINCE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word “prince”. 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.

Britain’s media is meeting in a field to interview Prince William.

T / F

b.

The media hopes William’s reason for the break up is not true.

T / F

c.

Tony Blair said media reports on the split were pretty much trash.

T / F

d.

Blair said the couple needs oxygen when the paparazzi is around.

T / F

e.

William and Kate had dated since they were at high school.

T / F

f.

Their relationship has turned sour and icy.

T / F

g.

Newspapers are reporting Kate’s mother didn’t like Prince William.

T / F

h.

The media says the royal family didn’t like Kate’s mother’s English.

T / F

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

a.

split

description

b.

desperate

declined

c.

fierce

stories

d.

version

scoop

e.

nonsense

dying for

f.

rumours

triggered

g.

sparked

break-up

h.

exclusive

refined

i.

sophisticated

cut-throat

j.

refused

rubbish

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

a.

Britain’s media is having a field

any kind of scoop or scandal

b.

TV stations are desperate

down $10 million to tell her story

c.

journalists are hungry for

space

d.

not content with

since they first started dating

e.

the couple should be given breathing

day reporting on Prince William

f.

ever

speculation of a different kind

g.

Rumours of marriage hit

William’s version of events

h.

sparked

enough for royalty

i.

not sophisticated

the headlines

j.

turned

for news on "what really happened"

WHILE READING / LISTENING

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

Prince William quiet on royal romance end
 

Britain’s media is having a ________ day reporting on Prince William's split with longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton. The nation’s newspapers and TV stations are ________ for news on "what really happened" and why the two split up. Competition for news is fierce and the paparazzi and journalists are ________ for any kind of scoop or scandal. It seems they are not content with William’s ________ of events – that he and Kate simply decided their romance was going ________ and it was time to go their separate ways. British Prime Minister Tony Blair echoed this on a TV show, saying the media reports are “complete ________” and that the couple should be given breathing ________, out of the media ________, to get on with their lives. "They're a young couple. We've had the announcement. Fine. They should be left alone," said Blair.

 

 

 

nonsense
desperate
version
spotlight
field
nowhere
space
hungry

The media has followed William and Kate ever ________ they first started dating at university five years ago. Rumours of marriage ________ the headlines as soon as they decided to live together. Their decision to split, while staying “good friends”, has now sparked ________ of a different kind. Some newspapers have ________ the British queen, while others report William’s military career is at the centre of ________. The latest “exclusive” is that Kate’s mother told her daughter to end the relationship. The Daily Telegraph newspaper even reported that Kate’s mother’s ________ of English was not sophisticated enough for royalty. In particular, she said "toilet" rather than "________ ", and "pleased to meet you" instead of "how do you do?" Kate has refused to comment and has ________ down $10 million to tell her story.

 

 

use
blamed
hit
turned
since
lavatory
speculation
things

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Prince William quiet on royal romance end

Britain’s media ______________________ reporting on Prince William's split with longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton. The nation’s newspapers and TV stations are desperate for ______________________ happened" and why the two split up. Competition for news is fierce and the paparazzi and journalists are hungry ______________________ scandal. It seems they are not content with William’s version of events – that he and Kate simply decided their romance was going nowhere and it was time to go their separate ways. British Prime Minister Tony Blair __________________ TV show, saying the media reports are “complete nonsense” and that the couple should be given breathing space, out of the media spotlight, to get on with their lives. "They're a young couple. We've had the announcement. Fine. They __________________," said Blair.

The media has followed William and Kate __________________ started dating at university five years ago. Rumours of marriage hit the headlines __________________ to live together. Their decision to split, while staying “good friends”, has now __________________ a different kind. Some newspapers have blamed the British queen, while others report William’s military career is __________________. The latest “exclusive” is that Kate’s mother told her daughter to end the relationship. The Daily Telegraph newspaper even reported that Kate’s __________________ English was not sophisticated enough for royalty. In particular, she said "toilet" rather than "lavatory", and "__________________ " instead of "how do you do?" Kate has refused to comment __________________ $10 million to tell her story.


 
 

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

  • 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. STUDENT “ROMANCE” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about dating and romance.

  • Ask other classmates your questions and note down their answers.
  • Go back to your original partner / group and compare your findings.
  • Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

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

  • day
  • really
  • hungry
  • ways
  • space
  • left
  • dating
  • sparked
  • centre
  • end
  • use
  • turned

DISCUSSION

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

  1. What did you think when you read the headline?
  2. Do you like reading about the British royal family?
  3. What do you think of Prince William’s split with his girlfriend?
  4. Would you like to date a royal?
  5. What do you know about Prince William?
  6. Why do you think the media is so hungry for news on Britain’s royals?
  7. Do you think there is a scandal behind the break-up?
  8. What do you think of the photos of William kissing other women in a nightclub three weeks before he broke up with Kate?
  9. Do you usually split up with your partners, or do your partners usually split up with you?
  10. Do you think this news is serious enough for Tony Blair to talk about it?

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

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

  1. Did you like reading this article?
  2. Do you think it’s OK to live with your boyfriend / girlfriend while studying at university?
  3. Would you like to see Prince William get married?
  4. Is it possible to be “just good friends” with old lovers?
  5. Would you respect William for choosing his military career before romance?
  6. Do you think princes are romantic?
  7. What worries would you have if your daughter was dating a British prince?
  8. Do you prefer the word “toilet”, “lavatory” or “rest room”?
  9. Do you think Kate should take the $10 million and sell her story?
  10. Did you like this discussion?

AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.

  1. What was the most interesting thing you heard?
  2. Was there a question you didn’t like?
  3. Was there something you totally disagreed with?
  4. What did you like talking about?
  5. Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

ROYAL BREAK-UP:

With your partner(s), speculate on how each of these people might have caused the break-up of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Give the reason given to the public (a lie) and the “exclusive” real reason.

The people

The reasons given to the public

The real, hidden reasons

The British Queen

 

 

Prince William

 

 

Kate Middleton’s mother

 

 

Kate’s old boyfriend

 

 

Tony Blair

 

 

After you finish, change partners and tell each other what you decided. Who has the best stories?

LANGUAGE

CORRECT WORD: Put the correct words from a–d below in the article.

Prince William quiet on royal romance end

Britain’s media is having a field (1) ____ reporting on Prince William's split with longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton. The nation’s newspapers and TV stations are desperate for news (2) ____ "what really happened" and why the two split up. Competition for news is (3) ____ and the paparazzi and journalists are hungry for any kind of scoop or scandal. It seems they are not (4) ____ with William’s version of events – that he and Kate simply decided their romance was going nowhere and it was time to go their separate ways. British Prime Minister Tony Blair (5) ____ this on a TV show, saying the media reports are “complete nonsense” and that the couple should be given breathing (6) ____, out of the media spotlight, to get on with their lives. "They're a young couple. We've had the announcement. Fine. They should be left alone," said Blair.

The media has followed William and Kate ever (7) ____ they first started dating at university five years ago. Rumours of marriage (8) ____ the headlines as soon as they decided to live together. Their decision to split, while staying “good friends”, has now sparked speculation of a different kind. Some newspapers have blamed the British queen, while others report William’s military career is at the centre of (9) ____. The latest “exclusive” is that Kate’s mother told her daughter to end the relationship. The Daily Telegraph newspaper (10) ____ reported that Kate’s mother’s use of English was not sophisticated enough for royalty. In particular, she said "toilet" rather than "lavatory", and "pleased to meet you" instead of "how do you (11) ____?" Kate has refused to comment and has turned (12) ____ $10 million to tell her story.

1.

(a)

week

(b)

month

(c)

year

(d)

day

2.

(a)

with

(b)

at

(c)

on

(d)

in

3.

(a)

fierce

(b)

fiercely

(c)

fiend

(d)

fire

4.

(a)

content

(b)

index

(c)

contents

(d)

happiness

5.

(a)

echoing

(b)

echoed

(c)

vetoed

(d)

voted

6.

(a)

trace

(b)

space

(c)

pace

(d)

face

7.

(a)

while

(b)

after

(c)

for

(d)

since

8.

(a)

hit

(b)

hitting

(c)

hits

(d)

hit and miss

9.

(a)

anything

(b)

things

(c)

stuff

(d)

goods

10.

(a)

so

(b)

odd

(c)

ever

(d)

even

11.

(a)

speak

(b)

know

(c)

do

(d)

go

12.

(a)

in

(b)

up

(c)

forward

(d)

down

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 more information about Prince William. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. PRINCES POSTER: Make a poster about different princes or young royals around the world. How are they different? Show your poster to your class in the next lesson. Vote on the best one(s).

4. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about the break up of William and Kate. In particular, write about the possible reasons for the split. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Which article was best and why?

5. LETTER: Write a letter to Prince William. Ask him/her three questions about why he split up with his girlfriend. Give him three pieces of advice about his future romances. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. T

c. T

d. F

e. F

f. F

g. F

h. T

SYNONYM MATCH:

a.

split

break-up

b.

desperate

dying for

c.

fierce

cut-throat

d.

version

description

e.

nonsense

rubbish

f.

rumours

stories

g.

sparked

triggered

h.

exclusive

scoop

i.

sophisticated

refined

j.

refused

declined

PHRASE MATCH:

a.

Britain’s media is having a field

day reporting on Prince William

b.

TV stations are desperate

for news on "what really happened"

c.

journalists are hungry for

any kind of scoop or scandal

d.

not content with

William’s version of events

e.

the couple should be given breathing

space

f.

ever

since they first started dating

g.

Rumours of marriage hit

the headlines

h.

sparked

speculation of a different kind

i.

not sophisticated

enough for royalty

j.

turned

down $10 million to tell her story

GAP FILL:

Prince William quiet on royal romance end

Britain’s media is having a field day reporting on Prince William's split with longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton. The nation’s newspapers and TV stations are desperate for news on "what really happened" and why the two split up. Competition for news is fierce and the paparazzi and journalists are hungry for any kind of scoop or scandal. It seems they are not content with William’s version of events – that he and Kate simply decided their romance was going nowhere and it was time to go their separate ways. British Prime Minister Tony Blair echoed this on a TV show, saying the media reports are “complete nonsense” and that the couple should be given breathing space, out of the media spotlight, to get on with their lives. "They're a young couple. We've had the announcement. Fine. They should be left alone," said Blair.

The media has followed William and Kate ever since they first started dating at university five years ago. Rumours of marriage hit the headlines as soon as they decided to live together. Their decision to split, while staying “good friends”, has now sparked speculation of a different kind. Some newspapers have blamed the British queen, while others report William’s military career is at the centre of things. The latest “exclusive” is that Kate’s mother told her daughter to end the relationship. The Daily Telegraph newspaper even reported that Kate’s mother’s use of English was not sophisticated enough for royalty. In particular, she said "toilet" rather than "lavatory", and "pleased to meet you" instead of "how do you do?" Kate has refused to comment and has turned down $10 million to tell her story.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - d

2 - c

3 - a

4 -a

5 - b

6 -b

7 - d

8 -a

9 -b

10 - d

11 -c

12 - d

 

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