Red faces

Today we will

  • talk about embarrassing experience
  • learn to use the past continuous

Look at the pictures and describe what's happening.

Teacher talk www.teacher-taik.com

Doug 20 April

In October last year, I was working at a school in Cambridge and it was only my second month in the job. At the end of the month the head teacher organized a party for all the new teachers. It was a good chance to get to know my new colleagues and I was really looking forward to it. As the party was on 31st October, I thought it was a Hallowe'en party. So, the day before the party, I went to a costume hire shop and got a witch's costume. When I arrived at the head's house, he opened the door and looked at me as if I was completely mad. All the other teachers were wearing normal clothes!

Tamsin 26 April

It was the end of term in June and the students were doing their exams. I was in charge that day and, as usual before the start of the exam. I told the students all the rules: no talking, no mobile phones and so on. I was walking up and down between the rows of desks when suddenly my own phone rang. That was bad enough, but the phone had a really silly ring tone. It took me ages to find the phone in my bag and my face went bright red. One of the students was laughing so much that she fell out of her chair.

Kelly 3 May

Worst moment? It was one day last May. When I woke up in the morning, I wasn't feeling very well. But it was a beautiful day and I decided to go to school. In the first class I gave the students an exercise to do and sat down at my desk. It was hot and the sun was coming through the window and I fell asleep. I probably slept for only two or three minutes. Then I heard a noise and I woke up. All the children were laughing and the headmaster was standing at the door of the class! Fortunately, he was very sympathetic later in the morning when I explained that I was feeling ill.

Read the messages again and answer the questions

  1. Why did Doug's head teacher organize a party?
  2. Why was Doug looking forward to the party?
  3. Why did he wear witch's clothes?
  4. Why was Tamsin in an examination room?
  5. What was special about Tamsin's phone?
  6. Why didn't she turn off her phone immediately?
  7. Why did Kelly decide to go to work when she wasn't well?
  8. Why did Kelly wake up?

Past continuous

The past continuous = the past tense of the verb be + the –ing form of a verb:

  • I was
  • working
  • You were
  • playing
  • He / She / It was
  • living
  • We were
  • talking
  • You were
  • doing
  • They were
  • driving

We use the past continuous to talk about the past:

  • for something which happened before and after another action:
  • The children were doing their homework when I got home.
  • for something that happened before and after a specific time:
  • It was eight o'clock. I was writing a letter.
  • to show that something continued for some time:
  • My head was aching.
  • or something that happened again and again:
  • I was practising every day, three times a day.
  • with verbs which show change or growth:
  • The children were growing up quickly.

Complete the text. Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple or the past continuous.

A few days ago, I (1) ____________ (wait) for the bus with my younger brother. We (2) ____________ (go) home after an afternoon at the shops. A very large woman with a big shopping bag (3) ____________ (stand) in front of us. After a few minutes, the bus (4) ____________ (arrive). The woman (5) ____________ (get) on the bus when she (6)____________ (turn) round. 'Can you help me with my bag?' she (7) ____________ (ask) us. 'Yes, of course,' (8)____________ (say) my brother. `Are you going to have a baby?'

Look at the pictures and answer the questions.

    1. Picture A
    2. Who was standing at the door?
    3. Who was he looking at?
    4. What was he wearing?
    5. What were the students doing?
    1. Picture B
    2. Where was the teacher standing?
    3. What was she holding?
    4. Where was the boy with bond hair sitting?
    5. How many students were taking the exam?
    1. Picture C
    2. What was the man at the door wearing?
    3. What were the other people in the room wearing?
    4. What was the man with the red tie holding?
    5. What was the woman doing?

Ask and answer questions about what you were doing at the times below.

  • fifteen minutes ago
  • one hour ago
  • at six o'clock this morning
  • at eleven o'clock last night
  • at three o'clock last Saturday
  • at this time last week

What were you doing fifteen minutes ago?

I was having a cup of coffee.

Complete the text. Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple or the past continuous.

A few years ago, a student (1) ____________ (work) for a telephone pizza company in the evenings after college. One day, she took a pizza to the richest man in town. The man (2)____________ (pay) the money, took the pizza and (3)____________ (go) into his house. He (4)____________ (open) the pizza box when the doorbell (5) ____________ (ring) again. He went to the door and saw that the student was still there. Clearly, she (6) (wait) ____________ for something. 'What do you want? A tip?' the man (7) ____________ (ask). 'No, sir,' replied the student. 'When I (8) ____________ (put) the pizza on my bike, I spoke to the boy who brought your pizza yesterday. He said you didn't give tips.' That's not true,' the man (9) ____________ (reply). 'In fact, I'm very generous. Here, take five dollars.' That's very kind of you, sir,' said the student. 'I needed the money to buy a book for my course at college.' What are you studying?' asked the man. `Psychology, sir.'

Read the information about Trinity College in Dublin.

Trinity College, Dublin, became the first Irish university when it opened in 1594. All the students studied the same subjects - Latin, Greek, mathematics, science and philosophy. In 1834, the university allowed students to study specialized subjects. Eight years later, the university opened a department of engineering. In 1925, the first students entered the university's business school. At the beginning, Trinity College was only for Protestants. The first Catholic students arrived two hundred years later. Many famous writers studied at Trinity. Jonathan Swift (who wrote Gulliver's Travels) and Bram Stoker (who wrote Dracula) both went there. The first women did not enter Trinity College until 1904. Mary Robinson, who became the first woman Irish president in 1990, studied law at Trinity in the 1960s.

Write six questions about the text in the past simple. Begin your questions with: Where / When / What did ...?

When did Trinity College open?

SPEAKING

Describe an embarrassing experience that happened to you or someone you know.

Now I can

  • Can you talk about embarrassing experience?
  • Can you use the past continuous?