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Listening activity
Youâll need access to Netflix for this class because Iâll ask you to watch a clip from the documentary television series titled Explained.
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Conversation practice
- What are service animals?
- Why do you think youâre not supposed to touch and talk to service dogs?
- Can cats be service animals?
- Do you think service animals should be allowed in hospitals?
- In your opinion, can any breed of dog be a service animal? What breeds are the best?
- Have you heard of some unusual service animals?
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Service animals are working animals that have been trained to perform tasks that assist disabled people. Service animals may also be referred to as assistance animals, assist animals, or helper animals depending on the country and the animal's function. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_animal
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Warm-up
Before we watch the clip do these exercises. Donât worry if you donât know some of the answers. Youâll learn them as you watch the clip.
Exercise 1 - Grammar
Interesting info!
In the sentence âNot being able to articulate what she needed was overwhelming for herâ. The verb âbe able toâ with âingâ ending functions as a noun and is used as a subject of the sentence.
When you want to use a verb as a subject of your sentence, add âingâ to it.
e.g. â... sugar gave me acneâ (eat) Watch this clip in which Sykkuno changes the verb âeatâ into a subject by adding âingâ to it.
Exercise 2 - Word formation
Letâs watch the clip!
Find a documentary TV series titled Explained on Netflix. Go to Season 3, Episode titled Dogs, explained. Begin watching from the 10:00 mark and continue until 12:24. Watch once with subtitles and once without subtitles.
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Exercise 3 - Questions
Now re-watch the clip and check your answers from exercise 1 and 2. If you didnât know the answers, no worries. Simply do them as you watch.
Exercise 4 - Prepositions
Interesting vocabulary
Take a look at the words and phrases used in this clip.
Vocabulary part 1
- to articulate /ÉËËtÉŞk.jÉ.leÉŞt/ - (verb) to express in words articulate /ÉËËtÉŞk.jÉ.lÉt/ - (adjective) able to express thoughts and feeling easily and clearly e.g. She gave a witty, entertaining, and articulate speech.
Hereâs an example:
- overstimulated - too excited or interested in sth e.g. Children become so overstimulated by heavy schedules of activities that they canât sleep at night.
- autism spectrum - it means that every person with autism experiences this disorder differently
- to battle - to fight but also to try very hard to achieve sth in a difficult situation e.g. He had to battle against prejudice to get a job. Check out this clip in which Zak George, a dog trainer says that heâs battling with leash pulling.
Click here to read the transcript of this video:
- injurious /ÉŞnËdĘĘÉ.ri.És/ - a formal way of saying harmful e.g. Too much alcohol is injurious to your health.
- bang - to hit a part of the body against sth e.g. I banged my head on/against the shelf as I stood up. - Also, to make a sudden very loud noise e.g. He could hear sb banging at the door. e.g. She banged her fist angrily on the table.
In this clip, a detective is solving a murder case. She says âbang, bangâ to imply that the perp shot his gun. Take a look!
- slam - to move against a hard surface with force and usually a loud noise e.g. Close the door carefully, donât slam it. e.g. I had to stop suddenly, and the car behind me slammed into the back of me.
Hereâs an example of a character who tried to slam the doors. They didnât close so he screamed âslam!â
- to get/put/lay your hands on sth - to find sth e.g. I can never lay my hands on a stapler in this office.
In this clip, a lady says that if the teachers had guns, it would be much easier for students to get their hands on them.
Click here to read the transcript of this video:
- kiddo - an informal term for a kid e.g. You want a piece of cake, kiddo?
Letâs put that into practice!
â Do you consider slamming doors rude?
â Do you know someone who always slams doors? Is it annoying?
â In the past, were you an adventurous kiddo?
â Would you agree that nowadays social media cause us to be overstimulated? Does it make you feel overwhelmed?
â Do you think women still battle against sexism to get jobs?
â When you feel overstimulated do you find yourself unable to articulate your feelings? Do you bottle them up or let them out?
â What would you do if someone started banging at your door in the middle of the night?
â Do you think that kids should be exposed to a wide spectrum of opinions when learning about new topics?
â Which products were in short supply due to Covid? Did you have problems getting your hands on them?
Vocabulary part 2
Ready for more?
- put sb away - to move someone into a place where people live and are cared for together, such as a mental hospital or old people's home e.g. In the past, people who suffered from schizophrenia were often put away.
- sign sth away - to give up your rights to something by signing a legal document e.g. Under the treaty, both sides will sign away a third of their nuclear weapons.
- foster care - a situation in which for a period of time a child lives with and is cared for by people who are not the child's parents e.g. The child was sent to foster care after his parents died. (acc. Mirriam-Webster). In this clip, Zak the dog trainer says that his dog - Inertia has gotten used to roughhousing (rough play) with some tough, bigger dogs like his other foster dogs. So whatâs the difference between his foster dogs and Inertia? Inertia is his dog, while other foster dogs stayed at his house while awaiting adoption.
Click here to read the transcript of this video:
- consider - to believe someone or something to be, or think of him, her, or it as something e.g. It is considered bad manners in some cultures to speak with your mouth full of food.
Hereâs another great example. A character says, âI consider you guys my friends.â
- mobility - the ability to move freely or be easily moved e.g. Some neck injuries cause total loss of mobility below the point of injury.
- nudge - to push something or someone gently to attract that personâs attention e.g. He nudged the cat off the sofa so that he could sit down. - to encourage or persuade someone to do something in a way that is gentle rather than forceful e.g. Do you find your parents nudging you in the direction of further study?
In this clip Gandalf says, âI was barely involved. All I did was give your uncle a little nudge out of the door.â He uses the word ânudgeâ as a noun.
Hereâs another clip in which Rachel from Friends gave her friend a nudge.
Click here to read the transcript of this video:
- cue - a signal for someone to do something e.g. They started washing up, so that was our cue to leave the party.
Watch this clip to see how a character used the word âcueâ when she decided to go home.
Click here to read the transcript of this video:
This lady talks about verbal cues and filler words.
Click here to read the transcript of this video:
Check out how this dog trainer used the word âcuesâ when talking about his dogâs behaviour.
Click here to read the transcript of this video:
- instantaneous - happening immediately, without any delay e.g. an instantaneous response/reply/reaction
- back away - to move backwards away from sb or sth e.g. She saw that he had a gun and backed away. - to show that you do not support a plan or idea any longer and do not want to be involved with it e.g. The government has backed away from plans to increase taxes.
Letâs put that into practice!
â Do people who abuse their dogs deserve to be put away for life?
â Can you give me an example of a politician who promised something but later backed away from it?
â Whatâs difficult about fostering dogs?
â If you were passed over for promotion multiple times, would that be your cue to start looking for a different job? What other situations do you consider cues to quit your job?
â How would you define good customer service? Do you consider instantaneous responses essential?
â Do you consider yourself (to be) physically fit, charitable, ambitious, and successful?
â It is quite common for employers to use nudging techniques and gently encourage them to adopt new behaviours. Google, for example, matches their employeesâ donations to charities. Have you noticed some nudging techniques in your workplace? If you find this topic interesting, watch the video Iâve linked below to learn more.
How does Netflix nudge you to watch more?
Definitions and examples - https://dictionary.cambridge.org/
Remember!
If a lot of words in this lesson were completely new to you, donât try to memorise them all. Choose around 5 or 10 that you think you might use in a conversation, and learn those. Come back in a month, re-watch the clip, and choose another 3.
Letâs practise all phrases youâve learnt so far.
Exercise 5
Homework assignment
- Read this article about 7 unusual service animals and write a short essay about which animal you think is the best for the job and why.
- Answer the questions from exercise 3 again in a written form but this time try using as many new phrases from the âinteresting vocabularyâ section.
Answer key
Exercise 1 - Grammar
Exercise 2 - Word formation
Exercise 4 - Prepositions
Exercise 5 - Quotes
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