Will Smith talks about transferring a negative experience positively

In this activity we are going to look VERY closely at one small extract from this interview.

Challenge 1- Articles 

-/a/the

Choose the correct one before listening:

I grew up with -/a/the violence in ___ home so I developed -/a/the really acute emotional sense, you know, out of -/a/the defence - you know I just needed to make sure that ___ father was okay, I needed to make sure that -/a/the things were going well, and I just became really hypersensitive to -/a/the emotional movement in a room as -/a/the defence mechanism. And then as I grew and as I started to develop that* heightened sense that started out as -/a/the defence, as I settled down and came into -/a/the deeper understanding of ___ power and ___ desires in the world, it was easier to connect to -/a/the people in -/a/the loving way - it transferred easily from -/a/the defence mechanism to -/an/the ability to love and care for -/a/the people.

1. The same word is used in all the gaps - what is the word?

2. Why does Will use the word "that" instead "a" or "the" as an article here?

More practice with articles here

Listen to 5.30-6.30 to check.

Will Smith

Challenge 2 - listen for these words and number them in the order they are spoken:

acute

heightened

started out

defence

make sure

make sure

hypersensitive

defence mechanism

defence mechanism

develop

1. violence

developed

in a loving way

transferred

ability

deeper understanding

in the world

connect to  

Challenge 3 - without referring to the list of words above, try to remember the words Will used:

I grew up with ________ in my home so I ________  a really _____ emotional sense, you know, out of ______ - you know I just needed to ______ that my father was okay, I needed to ______ that things were going well, and I just became really_______ to emotional movement in a room as a _______. And then as I grew and as I started to ______ that _______ sense that ______ as a defence, as I settled down and came into a ______ of my power and my desires ______, it was easier to ______ people ______ - it _____ easily from a ______ to an _____ to love and care for people.

Check

I grew up with violence in my home so I developed a really acute emotional sense, you know, out of defence - you know I just needed to make sure that my father was okay, I needed to make sure that things were going well, and I just became really hypersensitive to emotional movement in a room as a defence mechanism. And then as I grew and as I started to develop that heightened sense that started out as a defence, as I settled down and came into a deeper understanding of my power and my desires in the world, it was easier to connect to people in a loving way - it transferred easily from a defence mechanism to an ability to love and care for people.

Challenge 4 - try to report what Will said about himself in the third person, using these list of words (they are in the order he said them) and the helpful prompts...

Will grew up with    Violence          so he              developed            acute              out of

Defence              He just needed                   make sure               and to

make sure                   And he just became         hypersensitive                 to the....   

as a                   defence mechanism            And then as he...             and as he...

develop                that                     heightened                 that                started out

as a...                   as he settled...                       and came                  deeper understanding

of his...                in the world                  It was easier to                connect to  

in a loving way                    It                     transferred                        easily

defence mechanism                        to an                          ability to...