the Whiteboard: August 2025

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Jealous Guy

I was dreaming of the pastAnd my heart was beating fastI began to lose controlI began to lose control

I didn't mean to hurt youI'm sorry that I made you cryOh no, I didn't want to hurt youI'm just a jealous guy

I was feeling insecure

You might not love me anymore

I was shivering insideI was shivering inside

I didn't mean to hurt youI'm sorry that I made you cryOh no, I didn't want to hurt youI'm just a jealous guy

I was trying to catch your eyesThought that you was trying to hide

I was swallowing my painI was swallowing my pain

I didn't mean to hurt youI'm sorry that I made you cryOh no, I didn't want to hurt youI'm just a jealous guyI'm just a jealous guyI'm just a jealous guy

Jealous guy

A little help from my friends

What would you think if I sang out of _____?
Would you _____ up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ______ and I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not to sing out of _____

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mmm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Ooh, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends

What do I do when my love is away?
(Does it worry you to be _____?)
How does it feel by the end of the _____?
(Are you sad because you're on your own?)

No, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Ooh, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends

Do you ____ anybody?
I need somebody to love
(Could it _____ anybody?)
I want somebody to love

Yes, I'm ______that it happens all the time
(What do you see when you _____ out the light?)
I can't tell you but I know it's _____

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Ooh, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends

Do you need anybody?
I just _____ someone to love
(Could it be anybody?)
I _____ somebody to love

A little / a few

Some / any

a lot / plenty

no / none

Much / many

at all / whatsoever

She's helped me _____ times

I gave her _______ help

I didn't get _____ help from anyone

I helped them ______ but they didn't help me ______

They gave me _______ help ________

I got ______ of help from others

She got ______ help, but I got ______

Saturday, August 23, 2025

__ _____ _____ _____ a sailor, _____ have _____ __ cook
___ real live lover, ____ ___ ___ ___ ______
__ _____ _____ ________ a signpost, could have been a clock
___ _______ ____ a kettle, steady ___ ___ rock
____ ______ ____
_____ and _____
I _______ be, I _______ be
_____ ______?
____ _______ ______ ______
____ ___ _______ _____ ______
_____ ______ ______ _______
____ ___ _______ _____ ______

I could have been your ______, could have been your _____
I could have stayed _______ you, could have ______ ___ _____
I could have been )_____ ______, could have been _____ _____
A whole long lifetime ____ _____ _____ ____ _____
__ _____ ____ yours so true
I would be, I should be ______ ____ _______
I could have been
One of these things first
I could have been
One of these things first

I could have been ___ ________, could have been __ _______
A real live giver, could have been __ _______
I could have been __ ________, could have been __ ______
___ ________ ____ a kettle, _____ ____ ___ _______
I could be _____ here
I would be, I _______ be ____ near
I could have been
One of these things first
I could have been
One of these things first

I could have been a sailor, could have been a cookA real live lover, could have been a bookI could have been a signpost, could have been a clockAs simple as a kettle, steady as a rockI could beHere and nowI would be, I should beBut how?I could have beenOne of these things firstI could have beenOne of these things first

I could have been your pillar, could have been your doorI could have stayed beside you, could have stayed for moreI could have been your statue, could have been your friendA whole long lifetime could have been the endI could be yours so trueI would be, I should be through and throughI could have beenOne of these things firstI could have beenOne of these things first

I could have been a whistle, could have been a fluteA real live giver, could have been a bootI could have been a signpost, could have been a clockAs simple as a kettle, steady as a rockI could be even hereI would be, I should be so nearI could have beenOne of these things firstI could have been

One of these things first

Discuss

These are some of the things the singer says he could have been ‘first’

What do you think he means by each of these things?

What does the thing do? What adjectives does it make you think of?

E.g.

As simple as a kettle

As steady as a rock

Kettle – it’s “simple”, it keeps you warm

Rock – It’s steady, it stays in one place

Sailor

Signpost

Clock

Kettle

Rock

Pillar

Door

Statue

Whistle

Flute

boot

Quiz for similes

Similes versus metaphors

The art of metaphors

Sentence racing (time expressions and clauses of concession) Despite versus Although

Reason and result

Divide into three or four teams

When the time expression appears on the screen race to the board to write a sentence using the right tense for that time expression

Tense focus:

Present simple simple inf

Present continuous be + -ing

Present Perfect have + pp

Past simple past inf

Basic future forms simple inf, will + inf, going to + inf, be + -ing

until I die

yet

already

two months ago

all the time

currently

never / before

in a week

right now

lately

once a week

at the moment

soon

tomorrow afternoon

so far

after I leave New Zealand

When I heard

When I get back home

not until

for my 7th birthday

after a while

all my life

for the time being

Divide into three or four teams

When the conjunction appears on the screen race to the board to write a sentence using it.

Remember

Contrast and concession

Practice clauses of concession and contrast

even though

No matter

Much as

despite

even if

whereas

but also

despite the fact that

How to Train Your Monkey Mind

Discuss the diagram

Listen to the Buddhist monk and how easy it is to tame his "monkey mind" and how you can all add this in to your day to day life:

What is mediation?

How do you do it?

Watch:

How to Train Your Monkey Mind

Ted Talk on meditation:

10 mindful minutes

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

I Can't Taste!

What does this image suggest?

What are some of your favourite tastes?

Think about

Sweet

Sour

Salty

Rich

Creamy

Chewy

Crunchy

Tasty

Satisfying

Subtle

Spicy

Refreshing

Have you had a really good meal recently? Describe it.

What would it be like to have no sense of taste? How would affect your life? Which foods/drinks might still hold some attraction for you? Why?

Alcohol

Cheese

Carrots

Muesli

Nuts

Chili peppers

Yogurt

Chocolate

Pancakes

Tomato soup

Steamed dumplings

Ice cream

Lemon

Bread

Eggs

Listen to the very beginning of the show

Try to draw the dishes being described….

Now listen from 17:30 to the end:

The ____ thing I knew

At _____ point did you realise

It just tasted ____

I ____ excuses

When did you ____ conformation

We'll just have to ____

Q: What could Marlena smell?

It _____ a bit frivolous

My career _____ to a halt

Q: What did she have jettison?

it ______ my mind up

Q: What did Marlena learn about food?

I _____ a dab of chili oil

I know it ______ bizarre

According to Professor Barry Smith…

1. What should do if you have a disrupted sense of taste?

2. How is smell training similar to learning to appreciate classical music?

3. Why is your sense of smell so important?

4. Why does spicy food not damage your taste buds?

Words we use to describe the taste, aroma, sensation, texture, appearance and even sounds of food and drink:

Tangy _______

Delicate ________
acrid ________
moist _______
crackling ________

Crumbly ________
bubbly ________

Doughy ________

Fizzy ________
bland ________
frothy ________
gooey _______

aftertaste of ________
foretaste of ________
gleaming _________
steaming _________
piping-hot ________
spongy ________
slimy __________
juicy ________

lemony _________

gingery _______

crunchy ________

metallic _________

nutty_________

refreshing ________
crispy ________

greasy ________
salty ________

sticky ________
more-ish ________

Listen from 17:30 to the end:

I Can't Taste!

Practise some of these here

Try using these words to describe the following sweet treats to alien from another galaxy who has never tried them.

think about texture, sweetness, flavours, smell, temperature, consistency, density, sensations while you are eating or drinking it, contrasting sensations or tastes, how it feels in your belly...

A Snickers bar
Cheese cake

Apple pie and hokey-pokey ice-cream
Cocacola
Ginger beer
Hot chocolate

1. Do you drink wine? What are your preferences?

2. How can you tell good from bad?

3. What is a "dry" wine like?

4. What is a "robust" wine like?

5. What about light-bodied?

6. Full-bodied? Earthy? Velvety? Balanced? Oaky?

7. Is wine important in your culture?

8. Do you know any wine snobs?

9. How much money are you prepared to pay for a bottle of wine?

10. What does bad wine taste like and do to you?

Pre-learn vocab

Watch:

Adam Ruins Wine

True or false?

1. Wine experts cannot mistake red wine and white wine - even if the white wine is dyed red.

2. The study of wine experts was carried out bv a university.

3. All wine tastes pretty much the same.

Pronunciation focus - word stress

Which stress pattern is more likely?

WINE list / wine LIST

HOW am i supPOSED to CHOOSE? / how AM i SUPposed TO choose

DEfer / deFER

FIT to drink / FIT to DRINK

a BOTtle of KETCHup / a BOTle of ketchUP

SUPerNATural POWers / superNATural powers

PREGnant / pregNANT

i BEG to DIFfer / I beg to difFER

Listen and check

Continue listening and just NOTICE how these phrases are stressed:

INcredibly REfined / inCREDibly reFINED

UNsuSPECTing / unSUSpecting

CHEAP TAble wine / cheap table WINE

i SHALL be REturning / i shall be reTURNing

pretty much WHAT you'd exPECT / PRETy MUCH what YOU'D expect

ALL wine is TERrible / all WINE is TERrible

TOTally subJECTive / totALly SUBjective

peaNUTbutter and SARDines / PEAnutbutter and sarDINES

it DOESn't MATter / IT doesn't MATter

OBjective TRUTH / obJECTive TRUTH

acCESSible / ACcesible

TASTy FERmented GRAPES / TASTy ferMENTed GRAPES

Some people find this activity very helpful in attuning their ear and for reinforcing their active vocabulary. Listen over again and try to hear these stress patterns:

WINE list

HOW am i supPOSED to CHOOSE?

ARE you SURE?

deFER

SO-called

FIT to DRINK

CHEAP SWILL

a BOTtle of KETCHup

SUPerNATural POWers of WINE disCERNment

NINEteen THIRTy-FOUR

PREGnant

CAN"T tell the DIFference EITHer

i BEG to DIFfer

inCREDibly reFINED

OTHerwise

UNsuSPECTing

JUICy and roBUST

vaNILla and OAK

the SAME WINE

NONE of the parTIcipants could TELL

exPENSive GRAND CRU

CHEAP TAble wine

i shall be reTURNing

pretty much WHAT you'd exPECT

Even NOticed

YOU'VE conVINCED me

ALL wine is TERrible

TOTally subJECTive

PEAnutbutter and sarDINES

it DOESn't MATter

obJECTive TRUTH

HIGH CLASS ITem

acCESSible

TASTy ferMENTed GRAPES

Stress and syllable timed languages

1. In a syllable-timed language, the length of a syllable changes / doesn't change if it is stressed.

2. Syllable-timed languages generally have / do not have reduced vowels.

3. If you add more syllables to an utterance in a syllable-timed language is will / won't take longer to say it.

4. In a stress-timed language, the time between stressed syllables is different / about the same.

5. In stress-timed languages, syllables take / do not take the same amount of time.

6. Stress-timed languages use / don't use a lot of vowel reduction.

7. "elisions" are sounds we lose / add when we say syllables faster.

8. "weak forms" are long / short vowels that become longer / shorter when we say syllables faster.

9. In English, words can / can't sound different separately to how they sound in a sentence.

10. "Boys play games" and "The boys will be playing games" will / won't take the same amount of time to say.

11. A statement that looks longer in English, will / might not / won't take any longer to say than one that looks shorter.

practice

Say these in the same amount of time:

da da da

dooby dooby dooby

dipety dipety dipety

da dooby da

dipety dooby da

dooby dipety dooby

da dipety dooby

dipety da da

dipety dooby da

dooby dipety dipety

dipety da dooby

Now try these

Three blind mice

Twenty scary tigers

Hundreds of dangerous elephants

Thirty thousand terrifying piranha fish

Three blind elephants

Twenty dangerous mice

Thirty thousand scary mice

Hundreds of blind tigers

Three dangerous piranha fish

Twenty terrifying tigers

Three dangerous mice

Twenty blind piranha fish