– SUGGESTIONS –
‘THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY’ AND MODAL VERBS
Aims: to give students further practice on the use of modal verbs to express different linguistic functions – e.g. reproach
Level: Intermediate/Upper-intermediate/Advanced
Organisation: Pair work
Preparation: Handouts containing 10 sentences selected from the fragment in the textbook.
Time: 10 minutes
Procedure: Students are asked to comment on Isabel Archer’s actions expressing the reproaches they would address her. One student reads a sentence, the other expresses his reproach.
Variant 1: One student plays Isabel Archer and tells her story. The other student politely scolds her, expressing his opinion by using ‘should/shouldn’t have VB3’.
e.g.
1. Isabel left America to go to Europe.
‘I left America to go to Europe.’
She shouldn’t have left for Europe./ You shouldn’t have left for Europe.
2. Isabel didn’t know much about Osmond’s true nature, yet she married him.
‘I didn’t know much about Osmond’s true nature, yet I married him.
She should have got more information on Osmond’s true nature and she shouldn’t have married him.
You should have got more information on Osmond’s true nature and you shouldn’t have married him.
She shouldn’t have accepted to marry Osmond.
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