Easy English?
Сценарий внеклассного мероприятия для учащихся старших классов
Compère1:
On every hand, in every land It's thoroughly agreed -The English language to explain Is very hard indeed. (Harry Hemsley) Today English words will talk, they will disclose to you their mysteries, you will discover secrets hidden in familiar things.
1. "Roman-Saxon-Danish-Norman-English" hybrid (Daniel Defoe)
Compère2: The Celts were natives of the British Isles long before the English. The Celts had their language, which is still spoken by the people living in the part of Britain known as Wales. And though many changes happened on the British Isles, some Celtic words are still used in the English language.
Compère1: In the 1st century Romans came to Britain, they had ruled the country for 400 years. As the Romans spoke Latin many Latin words came into the English language.
Compère2: The 5th century was the time of the birth of the English language. The Germanic tribes of Angles, Saxons and Jutes invaded the island. Some of the native Britons were killed, many others fled into the hilly parts of the country. The invaders spread all over the fertile lands and gradually became one nation - English. "The English language arrived in Britain on the point of the sword!" The people of that time in history are called Anglo-Saxons, their language is Old English or Anglo-Saxon as well.
Compère1: In the 7th century, after Christianity had been introduced, monasteries with schools and libraries were set up. As a result the English language was considerably enriched by Latin words.
Compère2: In the 8th century a large number of Scandinavian words came into English from the Vikings. The Vikings continued their wars with the English until the time the Anglo-Saxon king Alfred the Great made a treaty with them and gave them a part of the country. The Vikings settled there, married English wives and began a peaceful life.
Compère1: In the 11th century William the Conqueror from Normandy won a great battle at Hastings and brought into Britain not only the dynasty but their French language as well. It is clear now what Daniel Defoe meant when he called English a hybrid.
2. Phoenician + Greek + Latin= European alphabet.
Compère1: English alphabet is the first thing you begin with when you start learning English.
We get the word alphabet from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet -alpha and beta. It is interesting to know how letters were invented and what they meant. All writing comes from drawing. People began with pictures first. Later a picture turned into a linguistic symbol, then a syllable and finally - a sound.
It is no accident that the letter "A" became the first letter of all. 3,000 years ago in ancient Phoenician it was called aleph and meant "ox". It looked like a V representing the horns of an ox. Later it was turned upside down.
Compère2: B - beth - a house. "B" looked like a two-chambered house, with one room for the men and the other for the women.
H - a picture of a fence
D - a door
0 - a human eye
1 - a human finger
Q - a monkey with its tail hanging down
Практическое задание для выполнения в группах.
Guess the riddles.
1. What word is it of only three syllables which combines in it twenty-six letters? (Alphabet)
2. What is that which occurs twice in a moment, once in a minute and not once in a thousand years? (The letter M)
3. We are little airy creatures
Each has different forms and features
One of us in glass is set
Another you will find in jet
A third, less bright, is set in tin
A fourth a shining box within
And all the others, if you pursue,
They will never fly from you. (Vowels)
4. Which letter can see? (I)
5. Which letter do you drink every morning? (T).
6. Which letter is a pronoun? (U)
7. Which letter asks a question? ( Y)
3. Origin of words.
Compère1: You will be surprised to learn that the word "school" originates from the Greek word "schole" which meant "pleasure" - leisure to be educated!
Compère2: To find out the story of the word "book" we'll have to go to the woods where ancient Germanic tribes made cuts on the 'boc' tree as a kind of writing. Later, wooden tablets were made from this tree. Years passed and people began to write on paper, but the word remains.
Compère1: The pen we write with now, in its Latin form penna, meant "a feather" and pencil - a little tail and this refers to the time when writing was done with a tiny brush.
4. Good at making compounds.
Compère2: The early Englishmen
were good at making compounds by combining two roots. The mystery of
the origin of familiar words is revealed by historical investigation.
hlaf (bread) + dige (to make bread) = hlafdige
The modern word lady refers to a woman from the upper classes.
wif (female) + man (human being) = wifman (a female human being)
It changed into wimman and then to the present form woman.
Compère1: The ancient Scandinavians called the hole in the wall vindauga = vind (wind) + auga (eye). The Vikings were real poets. For who but a poet would have thought of calling that hole in the wall an eye of the wind?
Compère2: The inhabitants of the British Isles have always had a special affection for mermaids, because they believe that mermaids bring good luck. For example, a famous London theatre, called the "Mermaid Theatre", has been miraculously successful since it opened in 1959. "Meremaids be here" - this inscription you can see on ancient maps of seas around Britain. It is an old spelling of the word mermaid. Anglo-Saxon elements mere, "sea" and maid, "a young girl".
5. People who made words. Compère1: In the 18th century there was a man with a very bad reputation
and a passion for playing cards. Once he spent 24 hours at a gambling table, he even refused to break for his meals. He ordered slices of bread, put a layer of beef between them and ate it without stopping the game. And it was the only good thing he did in his life - John Montagu, Earl of Sandwich, brought the word sandwich into the world.
Compère2: Hooligan came from the late 1800s thanks to an Irishman Patric Hooligan who wouldn't give a wink of sleep to his neighbours drinking and making noise. He would normally end the night with a fight. Now we use the word hooliganism for rowdy behaviour.
Практическое задание для выполнения в группах.
Puzzle words. Write out the sentences, changing the numbers and letters in bold type to words. Spell the words correctly.
1. "XQQQ me," I said, "but could you please tell me the correct time?"
2. Debbie has hazel III; mine R blue.
3. Jane strides over the hurdles with the greatest of EEE.
4. It is not YYY to have a meal immediately before swimming practice.
5. Peat, when dug into soil, slowly DKKK to form humus.
6. The Customs and XIII officers searched the yacht for contraband goods.
7. Ifyou wish to UUU my microscope, I will show U how to prepare a slide.
8. Daphne OOO Diane a chocolate wafer, she is 2 hungry 2 repay the debt 2day.
9. Tom is a competent soccer player, but he XLLL at cricket.
10. I did not 4C the difficulties of painting outdoors without an EEEL.
11. DDDL trains provide a reliable service between the major towns in the area.
KEY: Musicians
Once there lived Curly Sheep. And
12. "Now, you sons of the seven CCC," cried the captain, "who will help me CCC the galleon?"
KEY: 1. excuse, 2. eyes, are, 3. ease, 4. wise, before, 5. decays, 6. excise, 7. use, you, 8. owes, too, to, today, 9. excels, 10. foresee, easel, 11. diesel, 12. seas, seize.
Read the text and circle the incorrect words.
Musicians
Once there lived Curly Ship. And won day her master decided to cook her four dinner. Curly Ship didn't want to die and at knight she ran away. Curly Ship made up her mind too go to London two become a musician.
Walking a long the road Curly Ship mat a crying hare. His name was Hair-Shot-Tale. Curly Ship asked: "Wood you like two go to London with me too become a musician?" He gladly agreed.
The whether was nice. The son was shining brightly in the blew sky. "I fill as young, free and happy, as I never felt before," - sad Curly Ship, laughing loudly.
Read Forks, sitting in the bushes near the road hurt those words and they made him come out on the road. Red Fox looked awful. When the too animals saw the fox, they were frightened so March that they turned pail and stared ate him inn silence. But the poor fox told his said story and they invited him to go to London with them.
Soon the tree friends rich it London and wore very lucky. So, eat was the beginning of a Jazz Band witch became quiet famous among the animals in the would.
one day her master decided to cook her for dinner. Curly Sheep didn't want to die and at night she ran away. Curly Sheep made up her mind to go to London to become a musician.
Walking along the road Curly Sheep met a crying hare. His name was Hare-Short-Tail. Curly Sheep asked: "Would you like to go to London with me to become a musician?" He gladly agreed.
The weather was nice. The sun was shining brightly in the blue sky. "I feel as young, free and happy, as I never felt before," - said Curly Sheep, laughing loudly.
Red Fox, sitting in the bushes near the road heard those words and they made him come out on the road. Red Fox looked awful. When the two animals saw the fox, they were frightened so much that they turned pale and stared at him in silence. But the poor fox told his sad story and they invited him to go to London with them.
Soon the three friends reached London and were very lucky. So it was the beginning of a Jazz Band which became quite famous among the animals in the world.
Compère1: European officials have often pointed out that English spelling is unnecessarily difficult. What is clearly needed is a phased programme of changes.
In the first year the committee would suggest using 's' instead of the soft 'c'.
Sertaintly, sivil servants in all sities would resieve this news with joy. Then
the hard 'c' could be replace
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