Ireland The Emerald Isle

Question Tags






The plan of the seance




Sequence 1 : Reading

Sequence 2: Structure Practice

Sequence 3: Consolidation


Sequence 4: Writing









Sequence 1 Reading :





Read this text carefully

Alex: Did you see yesterdays documentary about the Emerald Isle?
Tom: The Emerald Island?
Alex: I mean Ireland.
Tom: Was the documentary about Northern or Southern Ireland?
Alex: Southern Ireland, or the Republic of Ireland.
Tom: It is also called Eire, isnt it?
Alex: Yes, and you know the capital is Dublin, dont you?


Tom: I know that. And there are 4 million inhabitants in Eire. By the way, they dont
speak English, do they?
Alex: Yes, they do. The Republic of Ireland is bilingual: documents and road
signs are in both Irish and English, and Irish Gaelic is compulsory in
schools.
Tom: I know a lot of Irish people here in the USA. I wonder why there are so
many.
Alex: You have heard of the Great Famine, havent you?
Tom: The Great Famine? When was it?
Alex: Well, from 1846 to 1849 about one million people died of starvation
because the potato crop failed. And about two millions emigrated,
mostly to the USA.
Tom: What about Northern Ireland? It isnt a republic, is it?
Alex: Youre right: it is part of the United Kingdom. But for years there have been
many riots opposing Protestants who are supported by the British Army
and Catholics supported by the I.R.A (Irish Republican Army).
Tom: Perhaps Protestants and Catholics will sign a peace treaty in the future, wont
they?
Alex: Who knows?

Activity 1:
Fill in this table with information about
Southern Ireland.
.
Southern Ireland
inhabitants
capital
languages spoken
.
.
.
.
Activity 2:
Answer these questions.

1. How is Ireland called?

2. What is Eire? What is its capital?

3. What languages are used in the Republic of Ireland?


4. How long did the Great Famine last? List 2 consequences.


5. Is Northern Ireland a republic? Explain.



Activity 3:
What or who do the underlined words in the conversation refer
to?


they dont speak .
so many...
Protestants who are


Activity 4:
Choose the best answer (a, b or c) to explain the underlined
words.
) c , b , a ( .

1. Irish Gaelic is compulsory in schools.

a- forbidden b- allowed c- obligatory

2. One million people died of starvation because the potato crap failed.

a- indigestion b- hunger c- diseases

3. There have been riots opposing Protestants and Catholics.

a- violent demonstrations b- laws c- parties






















Sequence 2:Structure Practice




Activity 1:
A- Look at these examples. Pay attention to the underlined
words:
. . -


1. It is an old castle, isnt it?









2. The Irish put up this
monument in memory
of Charles Steward
Parnell, didnt they?





3. This dolmen was erected many
centuries ago, wasnt it?







4. Most of the lookout towers overlook the sea,
dont they?


























Reminder
- Question-tags are phrases such as isnt it, dont
they, etc which are added to statements.

- Notice that when the statement is affirmative, the
question tag is negative.
- When the statement is negative, the question tag
is affirmative.

- The question tag is formed with an auxiliary (it
depends on the tense of the verb in the statement)
+ not (nt) + the subject.


B- Now do the same:
- .


1- She is exercising, ..?











2- She has got a headache, ..?








3- Fran Dreshler starred in The Nanny,
....?






4- They are collecting shells, ..?







5- The rescuers saved the little girls life,
..?














Activity 2:
Complete this dialogue with the correct question tag each time.
question tag :

Mike: Good afternoon, Mary. Its a nice day, .?

Mary: Yes, it is.

Mike: Have you read this advertisement?

Mary: Yeah. It looks great, ..? I called the firm an hour ago.

Mike: What did they say?

Mary: They seemed interested in my application.

Mike: So, you are going to get the job, ..?

Mary: I wont take the job unless they offer me a good salary.

Mike: Im sure the salary will be interesting, ?

Mary: I hope so!


Activity 3:
A) Look at these examples. Pay attention to the underlined
words.
.

1. The children didnt camp on the beach, did they?
2. These youngsters cant find a job, can they?
3. That mummy was not a real one, was it?
4. She isnt singing, is she?
5. They will not go climbing, will they?




Reminder

When the statement is negative,
the question tag is affirmative.



B- Now do the same.
.


1. The policeman wasnt joking with the
youth, ?







2. People dont live in these houses,
?





3. This market isnt in Europe,
?







4. They didnt give a concert in the
afternoon, ?






5. The photo hasnt been taken in Australia,
?
















Activity 4:
Complete this dialogue with a question tag each time.
question tag :

Policeman: Where were you last night between 3.30pm and 10.30pm?
Bill: I was at home, of course.
Policeman: You werent alone, ?
Bill: My mother was there. She is very old.
Policeman: She cant hear, ?
Bill: She cant. She is deaf.
Policeman: She didnt notice anything particular, ?
Bill: I dont know; she didnt say anything.
Policeman: And you didnt hear anything, ?
Bill: I didnt. Why all these questions?
Policeman: Your neighbour was shot dead last night.
Activity 5:
Read this short dialogue. Pay attention to the underlined words
Sean ONeill is American of Irish descent. He has travelled to
Ireland recently.
.
He is now in Ireland and has met Jamie OHara. They have discovered they have
a lot in common.

Sean: I am of Irish descent.

Jamie: So am I. Ive never been to Ireland before.

Sean: Neither have I. I visited all the places in Dublin. Its such a beautiful city.
But I didnt attend a hurling match.

Jamie: Neither did I. And Ill regret it. However, Ive seen some interesting
prehistoric sites.

Sean: So have I. When will you fly back home?

Jamie Next Wednesday. Ill fly with Aer Lingus.

Sean: So will I. It has been nice to meet you, Jamie. See you next Wednesday
at the airport.

Jamie: Bye Sean.


Sequence 3 : Consolidation


Activity 1:
Use a question tag at the end of each sentence.
: question tag .


1- Bill is on holiday, . ?

2- You have got a camera, .... ?

3- She cant type, .. ?

4- This is not very funny, .. ?

5- Betty doesnt like carrots, . ?

6- They missed the train, .. ?

7- He was very angry, .. ?

8- You wont be late, ... ?

9- Lets go out for a walk, ... ?

10- Open the window, .. ?









Activity 2:
Choose the right verb to complete each sentence. Use the
correct form and tense, according to the question tag.
.




1- The capital of Eire . Belfast, is it?

2- Oscar Wilde . the Nobel Prize, did he?

3- Northern Ireland . to the United Kingdom, doesnt it?

4- The Irish . cricket, do they?

5- Southern Ireland . Independent in 1921, didnt it?

6- Hurling . football, is it?









Reminder

-After lets . the question tag is shall we?


-After the imperative ( Do / Dont ) the tag is
will you?


eg: Lets have a swim, shall we?
Dont cheat, will you?
win - practise - is - become - is - belong



Improve your vocabulary

compulsory (adj) : that must be done; required.


optional (adj) : which may be chosen or not as one whishes;
not compulsory.

hunger (noun) : need, desire, for food.


hungry (adj) : feeling, showing signs of hunger.


fail (verb) : 1- not to succeed; be unsuccessful.
2- become weak (of health, eyesight, etc)
3- omit; neglect; not remember.

be right be wrong.

peace (noun) :
1-state of freedom from war.
2-rest; quiet; calm (of the countryside, )

war (noun)
1- state created by the use of armed forces between countries
2- any kind of struggle or conflict.

treaty (noun): agreement made and signed between nations.


to starve (regular verb): to suffer or die from hunger.
starvation (noun): suffering ordeath caused by lack of food.













Sequence 4 :Writing




Activity 1:
Fill in each gap with the correct word from the box.
.



St Patricks Day, the Irish national holiday is (a). by the Irish throughout the
world (b). March 17
th
. That day, people wear a green ribbon or a
(c). leaf. And since (d). are a lot of Irish in America that day, the
Irish Prime Minister (e). to Washington and offers the President of the USA
an Irish-made (f). Bowl full of shamrocks.

Activity 2:
Complete this dialogue with the question tags.
: question tags .

Susan Smith: Come in, have a seat. Its Paula Brown.

Paula Brown: Yes, how do you do?

Susan Smith: Im Susan Smith, and I have your application from here. I just want to check
the information.

Paula Brown: Yes, of course.

Susan Smith: Youre applying for a secretarial position, ?

Paula Brown: Yes, I am.

Susan Smith: Youre not from Connecticut,?

Paula Brown: No, Im from Massachussetts.

Susan Smith: You didnt go to a secretarial school,.....?

Paula Brown: No, I didnt.

Susan Smith: But you learnt to type in high school, ?

shamrock - there - on - crystal - celebrated - goes.


Paula Brown: Thats right.

Susan Smith: You can take shorthand,?

Paula Brown: Yes, I studied it in high school..

Susan Smith: I see, but you cant speak any foreign languages,?

Paula Brown: No, I cant

Susan Smith: Thank you Paula. Ill call you later.

Activity 3:
Find information about a foreign country and write a paragraph to
describe it.
.

..