nouns made from verbs
which word do you know better?
emphasise - emphasis
prefer - preference
conspire - conspiracy
annoy - annoyance
fail - failure
Sunday, May 25, 2025
Verbs connected with facial expression
Discuss
Do you have a good poker face?
Do you sometimes roll your eyes? Why?
Do you do anything with your face that people tease you about?
How long do you normally make eye contact with another person?
Is your face easy for other people to 'read'?
Does your face or head have a best 'side'?
Do you always have your eyes closed in photos?
Do you go red (blush) easily?
What does the expression "warts and all" mean?
his eyes widened
her eyes went round
her eyelids drooped
his eyes narrowed
his eyes lit up
his eyes darted
he squinted
she blinked
her eyes twinkled
his eyes gleamed
her eyes sparkled
his eyes flashed
his eyes glinted
his eyes burned with…
her eyes blazed with…
her eyes sparked with…
her eyes flickered with…
the corners of his eyes crinkled
she rolled her eyes
he looked heavenward
Eyes are so expressive. Why might someone's eyes do these things?
His eyes flash
which not?
with desire
in anger
in despair
look heavenward
which not?
in despair
in anger
in hope
roll your eyes
which not?
with surprise
in boredom
in annoyance
narrow your eyes
which not?
in pain
in anger
in hope
droop your eyes
which not?
in agony
in sadness
in tiredness
his eyes glaze over
in remembrance
in boredom
in anxiety
her eyes dart
which not?
upstairs
around the room
from one child to another
she glanced up to the ceiling
why?
she winked
to let the others know....
wet
flooded
flooded
welled
swam
filled
fighting
cheeks
gleamed
shimmered
shone
glassy
tears ___________ her eyes
his eyes__________ up
her eyes _________ with tears
his eyes __________ with tears
her eyes were ___________
his eyes ___________
tears ___________ in her eyes
tears ___________ in his eyes
her eyes were __________
he was _____________ back tears
tears ran down her ____________
tears f_____d her eyes
his eyes w____d up
her eyes sw___ with tears
his eyes fl_____d with tears
her eyes were w__
his eyes gl______d
tears sh______red in her eyes
tears sh___e in his eyes
her eyes were gl___sy
he was f_______g back tears
tears ran down her ch_____s
1. Do you sometimes cry?
2. Can you remember the last time you cried?
3. Do you cry easily?
4. Do you cry loudly or quietly?
5. Do you cry in movies?
6. Is it acceptable in your country to cry in public?
Looking At Tears Under A Microscope
One day Rose-Lynn Fisher wondered if her tears of grief would look different compared to her tears of joy, so she began to explore them up close under a microscope.
What do you think Rose-Lynn discovered?
Rose-Lynn studied 100 different tears and found that basal tears (the ones that our body produces to lubricate our eyes) are drastically different from the tears that happen when we are chopping onions. The tears that come about from hard laughter aren’t even close to the tears of sorrow. Each tiny tear drop carries a microcosm of human experience. Her project is called The Topography of Tears.
1. Which word means "moisten"?
2. What word could be used in place of "drastically"?
3. What is topography? What is a topographical map as opposed to a geographical one?
Joseph Stromberg of the Smithsonian’s Collage of Arts and Sciences explained that there are three major types of tears: basal (lubricating), reflex (protective), and psychic (rieretggd by emotions). All tears contain organic bncstsuaes including oils, antibodies, and enzymes and are sdeeuspnd in salt water. Different types of tears have istidnct molecules. Emotional tears have protein-based honeorms including the neurotransmitter leucine enkephalin, which is a natural painkiller that is released when we are restsesd. Plus, the tears seen under the microscope are cllizrystaed salt and can lead to different shapes and forms. So even psychic tears with the same chemical mponcoositi can look very different. Fisher said, “There are so many alveriabs—there’s the chemistry, the viscosity, the setting, the ratievoapon rate and the settings of the microscope.”
Q: Is The Topography of Tears and art project or a science project?
Complete the sentence...
His eyes closed and he....
She squeezed her eyes shut to...
He shut his eyes so that...
His lashes fluttered as he...
She batted her lashes and said...
his brows knitted
her forehead creased
his forehead furrowed
her forehead puckered
a line appeared between her brows
his brows drew together
her brows snapped together
his eyebrows rose
she raised a brow
he lifted an eyebrow
his eyebrows waggled
she gave him a once-over
he sized her up
her eyes bored into him
she took in the sight of
he glared
she peered
he gazed
she glanced
he stared
she scrutinized
he studied
she gaped
he observed
she surveyed
he gawked
he leered
his pupils (were) dilated
her pupils were huge
his pupils flared
her nose crinkled
his nose wrinkled
she sneered
his nostrils flared
she stuck her nose in the air
he sniffed
she sniffled
Say cheese
she smiled
he smirked
she grinned
he simpered
she beamed
her mouth curved into a smile
the corners of his mouth turned up
the corner of her mouth quirked up
a corner of his mouth lifted
his mouth twitched
he gave a half-smile
she gave a lopsided grin
his mouth twisted
he plastered a smile on his face
she forced a smile
he faked a smile
her smile faded
his smile slipped
he pursed his lips
she pouted
his mouth snapped shut
her mouth set in a hard line
he pressed his lips together
she bit her lip
he drew his lower lip between his teeth
she nibbled on her bottom lip
he chewed on his bottom lip
his jaw set
her jaw clenched
his jaw tightened
his jaw dropped
a muscle in her jaw twitched
he ground his jaw
he snarled/his lips drew back in a snarl
her mouth fell open
his jaw dropped
her jaw went slack
he gritted his teeth
she gnashed her teeth
her lower lip trembled
his lower lip quivered
Do you do anything funny with your mouth that people tease you about?
Think about
when you get angry
when you're concentrating
when you're distracted
Mouth Morphing Actress
What do these expressions mean? Is there are similar expression in your first language?
he smirked
she grinned
he simpered
she beamed
her mouth curved into a smile
the corners of his mouth turned up
the corner of her mouth quirked up
a corner of his mouth lifted
his mouth twitched
he gave a half-smile
she gave a lopsided grin
his mouth twisted
he plastered a smile on his face
she forced a smile
he faked a smile
her smile faded
his smile slipped
he pursed his lips
she pouted
his mouth snapped shut
her mouth set in a hard line
he pressed his lips together
she bit her lip
he drew his lower lip between his teeth
she nibbled on her bottom lip
he chewed on his bottom lip
his jaw set
her jaw clenched
his jaw tightened
his jaw dropped
a muscle in her jaw twitched
he ground his jaw
he snarled/his lips drew back in a snarl
her mouth fell open
his jaw dropped
her jaw went slack
he gritted his teeth
she gnashed her teeth
her lower lip trembled
his lower lip quivered
Do you do anything funny with your mouth that people tease you about?
Think about
when you get angry
when you're concentrating
when you're distracted
Mouth Morphing Actress
What do these expressions mean? Is there are similar expression in your first language?
motor mouth
big mouth
keep your mouth shut
tight lipped
zip it
give someone lip
pay lip service
blabber mouth
to mouth off
put a sock in it
Do you easily blush?
she paled
he blanched
she went white
the colour drained out of his face
his face reddened
her cheeks turned pink
his face flushed
she blushed
he turned red
she turned scarlet
he turned crimson
a flush crept up her face
he blanched
she went white
the colour drained out of his face
his face reddened
her cheeks turned pink
his face flushed
she blushed
he turned red
she turned scarlet
he turned crimson
a flush crept up her face
WHOLE FACE
Do you have a good poker face, or can people read you like a book?
Which feature of your face are you most proud of?
he screwed up his face
she scrunched up her face
he grimaced
she winced
she gave him a dirty look
he frowned
she scowled
he glowered
her whole face lit up
she brightened
his face went blank
her face contorted
his face twisted
her expression closed up
his expression dulled
her expression hardened
she went poker-faced
a vein popped out in his neck
awe transformed his face
fear crossed her face
sadness clouded his features
terror overtook his face
recognition dawned on her face
Reflection
Try to recall some vocabulary we've used in this lesson
Eyes
Mouth
Nose
Face
Idioms
what do you sometimes fight back?
what can you fake?
what can pop out of your neck when you're frustrated?
what can cloud your face?
what can harden when you're angry?
what can tremble when you're scared or upset?
what can you force when you're not happy?
what can sparkle?
What are lubricating tears called?
what can you put a sock in?
what can you roll?
what can you flutter?
what can drain out of your face?
what can drop when you're shocked?
what can you wrinkle?
what can you zip?
what can dilate?
what can flare - maybe when you're annoyed?
what can turn crimson?
what can you pay when you don't want to do anything?
he grimaced
she winced
she gave him a dirty look
he frowned
she scowled
he glowered
her whole face lit up
she brightened
his face went blank
her face contorted
his face twisted
her expression closed up
his expression dulled
her expression hardened
she went poker-faced
a vein popped out in his neck
awe transformed his face
fear crossed her face
sadness clouded his features
terror overtook his face
recognition dawned on her face
Reflection
Try to recall some vocabulary we've used in this lesson
Eyes
Mouth
Nose
Face
Idioms
what do you sometimes fight back?
what can you fake?
what can pop out of your neck when you're frustrated?
what can cloud your face?
what can harden when you're angry?
what can tremble when you're scared or upset?
what can you force when you're not happy?
what can sparkle?
What are lubricating tears called?
what can you put a sock in?
what can you roll?
what can you flutter?
what can drain out of your face?
what can drop when you're shocked?
what can you wrinkle?
what can you zip?
what can dilate?
what can flare - maybe when you're annoyed?
what can turn crimson?
what can you pay when you don't want to do anything?
your jaw x 2
the colour
your eyelashes
your eyes x 2
basal
a smile x 2
your bottom lip
sadness
your veins
tears
lip service
your face
your nostrils
your pupils
your mouth x 2
your nose
Monday, May 19, 2025
Dutch scientists close to 'breakthrough' method of growing crops in deserts
language
Are these things the same or different?
crop / plant
potential / possible
a game changer / a breakthrough
factor / cause
a method / a technique
dutch / netherland
greenhouse / glasshouse
soil / dirt
rain water / rain
export / trade
12 collocations
Watch:
Dutch scientists close to 'breakthrough' method of growing crops in deserts
1. What ____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _______?
grow they plants do in the ?
2. Which _____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______?
of country exporter tomatoes ? is the largest
3. Why _____ _____ _____ ____ ____ _____ ______?
is project as regarded exciting the ?
4. What _____ ______ _____ _____ _____ _____ ____?
two crisis the global factors are worsening food ?
5. What _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ ?
do about believe deserts scientists ?
6. Which
food potential crop changer in the world would be a game crisis ?
7. How
countries can the methods new wealthier help ?
1. What do they grow the plants in?
2. Which country is the largest exporter of tomatoes?
3. Why is the project regarded as exciting?
4. What two factors are worsening the global food crisis?
5. What do scientist believe about deserts?
6. Which potential crop would be a game changer in the world food crisis?
7. How can the new methods help wealthier countries?
Your kids should not be the most important
Discuss
1. Do you sometimes lack energy?
2. Would you like to have a bit more personal status than you have? Do you feel people respect you enough?
3. Are you a clumsy person? Do you often fumble with things?
4. What is the opposite of "emancipate"?
5. all + be + it = albeit (what could this word mean??)
6. What exercises do you do to strengthen your back muscles?
7. Which colours appeal to you most when it comes to clothing?
status
advantage
fumble
manufacture
appeals
thrive
albeit
emancipated
objective
Unbeknownst
strengthened
entitled
I recently asked a married couple who have three kids, none
of whom are yet teens, “Who are the most important people in your family?”
Like all good moms and dads of this brave new millennium,
they answered, “Our kids!”
“Why?” I then asked. “What is it about your kids that gives
them that status?” And like all good moms and dads of this brave new
millennium, they couldn’t answer the question other than to ______ with ______ to emotion.
So, I answered the question for them: “There is no
reasonable thing that gives your children that _____.”
I went on to point out that many if not most of the problems
they’re having with their kids — typical stuff, these days — are the result of
treating their children as if they, their marriage, and their family exist
because of the kids when it is, in fact, the other way around. Their kids exist
because of them and their marriage and ____ because they have created a
stable family.
Furthermore, without them, their kids wouldn’t eat well,
have the nice clothing they wear, live in the nice home in which they live,
enjoy the great vacations they enjoy, and so on. Instead of lives that are
relatively carefree (despite the drama to the contrary that they occasionally ______), their children would be living lives full of worry and want.
This issue is really the heart of the matter. People my age
know it’s the heart of the matter because when we were kids it was clear to us
that our parents were the most important people in our families. And that,
right there, is why we respected our parents and that, right there, is why we
looked up to adults in general. Yes, Virginia, once upon a time in the United
States of America, children were second-class citizens, to their ______.
It was also clear to us — I speak, of course, in general
terms, _____ accurate — that our parents’ marriages were more important to
them than their relationships with us. Therefore, we did not sleep in their
beds or interrupt their conversations. The family meal, at home, was regarded
as more important than after-school activities. Mom and Dad talked more — a lot
more — with one another than they talked with you. For ____ of pedestals, we ______ earlier and much more successfully than have children since.
The most important person in an army is the general. The
most important person in a corporation is the CEO. The most important person in
a classroom is the teacher. And the most important person in a family are the
parents.
The most important thing about children is the need to
prepare them properly for responsible citizenship. The primary ______ should
not be raising a straight-A student who excels at three sports, earns a spot on
the Olympic swim team, goes to an A-list university and becomes a prominent
brain surgeon. The primary objective is to raise a child such that community
and culture are _____.
“Our child is the most important person in our family” is
the first step toward raising a child who feels _____.
You don’t want that. ______ to your child, he doesn’t
need that.
Do you agree with the writer?
If Meat Eaters Acted Like Vegans
Ha ha. Watch:
If Meat Eaters Acted like Vegans
Task:
Discuss how you could argue the reverse of the following arguments for veganism.
A. Eating meat is evil and cruel.
B. It is insensitive to non-meat-eating people to eat meat in from of them.
C. There are now plant-based virtual meats, so eating meat is unnecessary.
D. Meat eating causes ill health and diseases.
Discuss how you could argue the reverse of the following arguments for veganism.
A. Eating meat is evil and cruel.
B. It is insensitive to non-meat-eating people to eat meat in from of them.
C. There are now plant-based virtual meats, so eating meat is unnecessary.
D. Meat eating causes ill health and diseases.
E. People who eat meat can be quiet aggressive. Vegetarians are calmer and more emotionally intelligent.
F. You can be healthy and thrive without meat.
G. A meatless diet is more spiritually evolved.
H. Many animals are raised in crowded factory farms.
I. A meatless diet is the best way to save the planet.
F. You can be healthy and thrive without meat.
G. A meatless diet is more spiritually evolved.
H. Many animals are raised in crowded factory farms.
I. A meatless diet is the best way to save the planet.
J. Farming livestock is a huge contributor to climate and environmental breakdown.
Rank these arguments from strongest to weakest.
1.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
.
Language focus:
Language focus:
Grossing me o___
I’ve completely ____ my appetite!
A meat-based vegetable s___________
Be h_______ and thrive
The most spiritually e__________d diet
I don’t a___________ you eating that
Inhuman l________ conditions
Stuck in the soil a_________ their will
Unsustainable farming p__________
E__________ charged nutritional opinions
The most illogical, c______________g person I’ve ever met
You can't t______ straight.
Bread - a turning point in world history
Lead in:
1. Look at the diagram - what does it show?
2. What is plant domestication?
3. Have you ever gone collecting wild food? (Mushroom gathering, fishing, hunting etc).
Listening challenge:
A scientist is speaking about plant domestication. Which of the four statements below sums up her main idea?
A) Humans are the only species that domesticates other species.
B) Humans have created an imbalance in nature.
C) Most of the edible plants we think of as 'natural' are not in fact natural at all.
B) Humans have created an imbalance in nature.
C) Most of the edible plants we think of as 'natural' are not in fact natural at all.
D) Adult plants are poisonous but we can eat their babies.
Plants and human selection
Answer these and listen again to check.
19:00 - 21:20
1. All/most/some agriculture is unnatural.
2. For the last 200/800/2000/8000 years we have eaten unnatural plants.
3. In the real world plants want / don't want you to eat their babies.
3. All/most/some natural plants are bad for you.
4. By ______, the closer a plant is to its natural state, the ___likely it is to be toxic.
5. The process of deliberately planting selected plants (domestication) began about / exactly 8000 years ago.
6. Natural selection / human selection involved putting / taking many things into / out of plants.
How often do you eat bread?
Have you ever made bread? What kind? What is the process?
Look at these adjectives used to describe it... how do you pronounce them?
white black brown dry stale fresh unleavened sourdough hard hot baked dark fried coarse french warm grainy crusty sweet plain flat thin moldy heavy sacramental wholesome artisan multigrain homemade wholemeal whole-wheat sacred fresh-baked sourdough spongy
What's a "baker's dozen"?
Göbekli Tepe
2:29 - 4:30
Answer these and listen again to check.
19:00 - 21:20
1. All/most/some agriculture is unnatural.
2. For the last 200/800/2000/8000 years we have eaten unnatural plants.
3. In the real world plants want / don't want you to eat their babies.
3. All/most/some natural plants are bad for you.
4. By ______, the closer a plant is to its natural state, the ___likely it is to be toxic.
5. The process of deliberately planting selected plants (domestication) began about / exactly 8000 years ago.
6. Natural selection / human selection involved putting / taking many things into / out of plants.
How often do you eat bread?
Have you ever made bread? What kind? What is the process?
Look at these adjectives used to describe it... how do you pronounce them?
white black brown dry stale fresh unleavened sourdough hard hot baked dark fried coarse french warm grainy crusty sweet plain flat thin moldy heavy sacramental wholesome artisan multigrain homemade wholemeal whole-wheat sacred fresh-baked sourdough spongy
What's a "baker's dozen"?
Here are some useful 'bread' idioms: what do they mean?
a breadwinner
to know which side your bread is buttered
the best thing since sliced bread
to live on bread and water
a bread and butter job
to break bread with someone*
He is toast!
it landed butter side up
*What is the connection between bread and the word "company"?
Varieties of bread are endless:
naan, tortilla, roti, bagels, ciabatta, rye, pumpernickel, pita, focaccia, brioche, baguette, ficelle
Which are your favourites?
Write down a memory associated with bread.
E.g. When I was a kid my dad used to cut the bread so that one side of the slice was thicker. He called this a "doorstop".
E.g. When I was a kid my dad used to cut the bread so that one side of the slice was thicker. He called this a "doorstop".
Video: Bread - A Turning Point in Human History
Ceres - Roman Goddess of grain
1. Why are cereal crops (wheat etc) so important in the history of human civilisation?
2. Are you comfortable eating genetically modified wheats?
Pre-learn vocab
Stone Age
to sustain (a population)
nutrition
precariously
a strain of (wheat)
ridge
a mutation
a solid band
in the wild
trait
stork
harvest
This BBC documentary explores the beginnings of our modern cereal diet, back in the Stone Age in an area in the south of modern day Turkey:
Göbekli Tepe
2:29 - 4:30
Listen for main ideas
1. What kind of place was Göbekli Tepe? Why is it so important in human history?
2. Why was it so hard for ancient people in this area to collect wheat?
3. What crucial event in human history can be traced back here?
4. How exactly did people in this area figure out how to domesticate wheat?
Listen for detail
1. How far is the temple site from the Karaca Dağ mountains?
2. What is special about Einkorn wheat?
3. What is precariously attached to the wild plant?
4. collecting it _________ a huge problem
5. just the _______ of touches and look what happens
6. ________ it's hard to believe anyone would bother
7. That mutation has been __________ to here
8. What exactly is the difference between the wild strain of wheat and the genetically modified one?
9. What are some of the virtues of bread mentioned?
1. How far is the temple site from the Karaca Dağ mountains?
2. What is special about Einkorn wheat?
3. What is precariously attached to the wild plant?
4. collecting it _________ a huge problem
5. just the _______ of touches and look what happens
6. ________ it's hard to believe anyone would bother
7. That mutation has been __________ to here
8. What exactly is the difference between the wild strain of wheat and the genetically modified one?
9. What are some of the virtues of bread mentioned?
10. a f____________ly c__________d f____m of energy
it could be c______ , d_______d u__ and s_____d
What kind of bread is it?
Listening 2
The History of Bread with Dan Saladino
8:05 - 11:00
1.What images does the french baguette conjure up?
2. Why is the size of a baguette a symptom of modern life?
3. How big were loaves of bread in paris in the 19th century?
4. When was Ciabatta first baked?
5. Why could Ciabatta bread not have been made in earlier times?
6. Why is now the golden age of bread?
Injera (Ethiopian bread)
11:23 - 16:30
1. Why did everyone use to assume that bread was invented about 10,000 years ago?
2. What was discovered in a cave in Mozambique?
3. Why does it make sense that we ate wild grain before we began to cultivate it?
4. How does Injera taste?
5. How was first Injera probably cooked?
6. What did Nathan forget to do when cooking the Injera?
7. Why are grain foods so important in the story of civilisation?
8. What two micro-organisms are present in sourdoughs? What happens when they interact?
To try Injera, and the stews that go with it, go to Gojo Restaurant, New Lynn, Auckland
What are these words?
a trng nt
gntc mk p
tty btty
abndnt
hydrtn
dgh
to ascrb a prvnnce
nbknwnst
nn-stck ckwr
imprvs
lctc cd
What kind of bread is it?
Listening 2
The History of Bread with Dan Saladino
8:05 - 11:00
1.What images does the french baguette conjure up?
2. Why is the size of a baguette a symptom of modern life?
3. How big were loaves of bread in paris in the 19th century?
4. When was Ciabatta first baked?
5. Why could Ciabatta bread not have been made in earlier times?
6. Why is now the golden age of bread?
Injera (Ethiopian bread)
11:23 - 16:30
1. Why did everyone use to assume that bread was invented about 10,000 years ago?
2. What was discovered in a cave in Mozambique?
3. Why does it make sense that we ate wild grain before we began to cultivate it?
4. How does Injera taste?
5. How was first Injera probably cooked?
6. What did Nathan forget to do when cooking the Injera?
7. Why are grain foods so important in the story of civilisation?
8. What two micro-organisms are present in sourdoughs? What happens when they interact?
To try Injera, and the stews that go with it, go to Gojo Restaurant, New Lynn, Auckland
What are these words?
a trng nt
gntc mk p
tty btty
abndnt
hydrtn
dgh
to ascrb a prvnnce
nbknwnst
nn-stck ckwr
imprvs
lctc cd
Reflection
What was the most surprising or interesting fact you learned in this lesson?
What was the most surprising or interesting fact you learned in this lesson?
Which listening did you find the hardest?
Write down six words you learned in this lesson.
Write down six words you learned in this lesson.
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