Aethelflaed and the Missing Trophy (Book for English Learners)

by Jonathan Olliffe

  10. ...is studying to enter a field of medicine?

  Whose.....?

  11 ….work is not appreciated in the same way by everybody?

  12. …reputation is not an accurate reflection of his personality?

  13. ...parents were born abroad?

 

  All the answers to the activities and exercises, go to: profesornativogratis.com/9585-2/

  Understanding Language (1)

  1) In the first paragraph ('In Davingstock nothing ever happened, so people were always excited when it did.'), with what word could you replace 'it'?

  a) something

  b) nothing

  c) anything

  d) everythingAnswers: profesornativogratis.com/9585-2/

  2) There is a difference between 'rob' and 'steal'. Look at these examples at the start of chapter 2:

  “......Bob phoned PC Blake to tell her he'd been robbed.”

  “Stolen? The trophy's been stolen?”

  Which would you use in the sentence below?

  You ______ something (money, a wallet, jewels....) .

  You _______ the victim (a bank, a person, a jeweller's...)

  3) On activity 17 (question 8), I have used the word 'regard'. Then in the story you can read the word 'face':

  “(Vases) are regarded as decorative ornaments.”

  “(Aethelflaed) turned to face Scroogey.”

  What's the difference between these words and others like 'look', 'watch' and 'see'?

  Regard =

  Face =

  4) You have seen an example of an inversion early in the story (footnote 7): “No sooner had she stepped out of the front door when she bumped into her next-door neighbour.”

  Inversions are a stylistic device used for formal writing. You don’t often hear it in spoken English (except a politician reading a speech, for example). Basically, after certain expressions (let’s call them ‘negative’ or ‘limiting’ expressions) the structure of the sentences resembles a question. Technically speaking, the verb/auxiliar and subject are ‘inverted’):

  SPOKEN: I’m not often as surprised as today.

  WRITTEN: Rarely am I as surprised as today.

  Another example?

  SPOKEN: We didn’t only* learn a lot, but we had a great time too! (*or ‘just’ = more common in spoken English)

  WRITTEN: Not only did the attendants learn a lot, but they also enjoyed the event greatly.

  Here’s the list of the most common inversion expressions:

  Rarely do we understand the pain of the economic immigrant.

  Never (before) had they seen such beauty.

  No longer will the Government tolerate dissent or sedition.

  No sooner had he arrived when he was offered a glass of wine.

  Only when we arrived did we realise the extent of the damage.

  In no way am I prepared to carry out this task.

  Not only does he paint, but he also plays the piano wonderfully!

  Seldom can I describe my feelings to strangers.

  Never again would he see his parents.

  Look for another example in the following article: 'Saxon Kings and Queens: Aethelflaed.' Can you find it?

  5) In the story there are examples of 'sort out', 'find out' and 'work out'. All three phrasal verbs are very common. What is the difference between them?

  (between footnotes 67 & 68) Sort out =

  “In any case, I can't be bothered anymore. PC Blake will sort it out.”

  (between footnotes 67 & 68) Find out =

  “I'm going to find out what happened.”

  (between footnotes 74 & 75) Work out =

  “The answer - I've worked it out!”

  6) Find the word 'bitter' (p.13) and 'sour' (p.29). Which of these foods are bitter, and which are sour?

  Coffee, beer...

  Lemon, lime...Answers: profesornativogratis.com/9585-2/

  Understanding Language 2: In Depth

  Might vs. Could

  There is often some confusion between 'could' and 'might', because there are many situations where you can use either, but they are not the same. Let's look at the present first:

  Footnotes 83-84: “Gary might be around somewhere....”

  You can replace 'might' with 'could' in this sentence, and the meaning doesn't change.

  32-33: “We could be four or five goals down...”

  Here you cannot change 'could' with 'might'. Why not? Because 'might' always expresses possibility. It means 'perhaps...' and we know that they are not losing by or four or five goals. 'Could' refers to ability – it was possible, but it didn't happen.

  Now it's your turn. Look at these modals in the past:

  12-13: “She could have hooked right at this point”

  Can you change 'could' for 'might'?

  53-54: “He could have been waiting...”

  Can you change 'could' for 'might'?

  58-59: “Bob might not have had the trophy when he left the pub.”

  Can you change 'might' for 'could'?

 

  Should have vs. Must have

  We all know the difference between 'should' and 'must' in the present tense – the first is advice or opinion, the second an order. In the past, though, there is a difference.

  74-75: “You shouldn't have left it all to the last minute.”

  This is a piece of advice when it is too late.

  79-80: “He must have been too ashamed .....”

  This is not the same. When you use 'must have...' you are making a supposition. Aethelflaed doesn't know, but she is sure because of the evidence.

  53-54: “It can't have been Ayaan.”

  This is the same as 'must have..' but in negative. Aethelflaed is saying she is sure it wasn't Ayaan, but she is supposing.

  Now it's your turn. In the context of the story, which word would you use in these sentences?

  “Ayaan ________ have pushed Bob because he was with Natalia.”

  'Should', 'must' or 'can't'?

  “Bob _______ have told people that he had fallen in, and not pushed.”

  'Should', 'must' or 'can't'?

  “Rodney _________ have known that Gary had the trophy. He was as nervous as Gary when he walked into the pub.”

  'Should', 'must' or 'can't'?Answers: profesornativogratis.com/9585-2/

  Passive

  There is a tendency to believe that passive is used mostly in formal English, and that it is not so common in everyday conversation. This is not correct. Look at this example from the story:

  59-60: “(The trophy) was stolen. I was pushed in.”

  These are passive sentences. It is not logical to use a normal active question here, such as 'Ayaan stole the trophy.' or 'Rodney pushed me in.' simply because this might not be true.

  In other languages there are different techniques for this. In French, for example, the impersonal 'on' is used: 'On a volé...'. In Spanish it is more common to see an impersonal 'ellos' or 'se': 'Robaron' or 'Se robó'.

 

  Now it's your turn. Which sentence would be more logical? Answer Active (A), Passive (P) or Both (B).

  1a) Davingstock Town FC won the final.

  1b) The final was won by Davingstock Town FC.

  2a) People think that somebody stole the trophy.

  2b) It is thought that the trophy was stolen.

  3a) People think that Rodney stole the trophy.

  3b) It is thought that the trophy was stolen by Rodney.

  4a) Samantha took the boat out onto the creek.

  4b) The boat was taken out onto the creek by Samantha.

  5a) Gary had taken the trophy from his dad's boat.

  5b) The trophy was taken from Gary's dad's boat.

  6a) People offered the girls a drink.

  6b) The girls were offered a drink.

  6c) A drink was offered to the girls.

  7a) Bob took a photo with Gary.

 
; 7b) A photo was taken of Bob and Gary. Answers: profesornativogratis.com/9585-2/

  Now let's look at another aspect of the passive:

  Footnotes 19-20: “In one match the rival team had a perfectly decent goal disallowed by the referee.…. the rival team got two players sent off.”

  This type of passive is normally used when a third person does the action in benefit (or detriment) of the subject. In this case the referee sent off a rival player in favour of Davingstock FC. In other cases you pay somebody to do something.

  You use: get/have + object + participle. Typical examples are:

  'I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow.' (The hairdresser)

  'Sarah's had her car mended.' (The mechanic)

  Now it's your turn. Of the seven passive questions above, only one is suitable for this type of structure. Which one is it, and how would you structure the sentence?

  Past Perfect

  Generally speaking, it is not hard to understand the Past Perfect, but non-native speakers do not tend to use this as much as they should. Let's look at the story. When Ayaan tells Aethelflaed and Athelstan about helping Bob out of the creek he says:

  (footnotes 55-56) “He had had a pint too many.”

  Imagine if he had said: 'He had a pint too many.” It could cause some confusion. Did they go back to the pub after falling in the river? The use of the Past Perfect is to eliminate that doubt – we are talking about before.

  Let's use a different example:

  1. When Aethelflaed arrived home, Athelstan was feeding Squeaky.

  No problem! When Aethelflaed opened the door, one of the first things she saw was her brother opening the tin of cat food.

  2. When Aethelflaed arrived home, Athelstan had feed Squeaky.

  3. When Aethelflaed arrived home, Athelstan fed Squeaky.

  This is more complicated. What's the difference? In situation number 2 we can guess that Athelstan had already fed the cat ten minutes before his sister arrived, but number 3?

  Number 3 means that Squeaky began to eat five minutes after Aethelflaed arrived. If you use the present simple the listener supposes that you are talking about an order of events: You get up, you have breakfast, you go to work....

  Your turn. Which of these sentences would you change to Past Perfect?

  1.At the beginning of the story, Aethelflaed planned to meet up with her friends.

  2. Aethelflaed knew Natalia and Samantha since nursery.

  3.When Bob scored, there was a moment of silence as the fans registered what they saw.

  4.When Aethelflaed woke up, it felt as if she fell asleep five minutes before.

  5.As Aethelflaed was having breakfast, her brother told her what happened.

 

  As and Like

  When Davingstock Town FC won the final, Bill the butcher emotionally declared that they had played 'like the best Italian teams'. Would it be grammatically incorrect to say 'as the best Italian teams'?

  It would be correct, but the meaning would change. When the Italians won the 2006 World Cup Final, they won as one of the best Italian sides.

  'Like' means 'similar to'. I work like a donkey.

  'As' is the role you play. I work as a teacher. That is my job. Sometimes it's like working in a zoo, but I'm a teacher.

  Put 'as' or 'like' in the examples taken from the story:

  (19-20) “_____ Athelstan had breathlessly explained to his father....”

  (35-36) “This is ______ boys against men!”

  (39-40) “She felt ______ she had fallen asleep five minutes before.”

  (52-53) “and then he comes out again ______ nothing's happened.”

  (Activity 16) “There is a luxurious room which can be used _____ a study..”

  (Activity 17) “Vases are regarded ______ ornaments.”

 

  In many cases, 'as if..' or 'like..' are interchangeable. Which two of the sentences above could both be used?

  All the answers to the activities and exercises, go to: profesornativogratis.com/9585-2/

  Vocabulary Builder 1: Synonyms

  Find synonyms (or near-synonyms) in the story for these words.

  Example: (Between Activities 14 & 15) Look = STARE

  1.(Between activities 4 -5) Smile =

  2.(Act. 4 – 5) Laugh =

  3.(Act. 16 – 17) Jump =

  4.(Act. 7 – 8) Throw =

  5.(Act. 15 – 16) Complain =

  6.(Act. 16 – 17) Ask (as a favour) =

  (Act. 6 -7) Ask (as a favour) =

  7. (Act. 6 -7) Answer =

  (Act. 6 -7) Answer =

  8. (Act. 9 – 10) Walk =

  (Act. 10 – 11) Walk =

  (Act. 9 – 10) Walk (Move) =

  9. (Act. 6 -7) Shout =

  (Act. 6 -7) Shout =

  (Act. 7 -8) Shout =

  (Act. 10 - 11) Shout =

  (Act. 14 -15) Shout =

  10. (Act. 1 – 2) Say/Tell =

  (Act. 4 – 5) Say/Tell =

  (Act. 10 – 11)Say/Tell =

  (Act. 11 – 12) Say/Tell =

  (Act. 14 – 15) Say/Tell =

 

  Vocabulary Builder 2: Definitions

  Read these definitions and find the words in the story:

  Example: (Between activities. 1 – 2)

  When there isn't much space to move = CRAMPED

  (Act. 3 – 4) So beautiful it leaves you breathless.

  (Act. 4 – 5) A nicer way of saying 'fat'.

  (Act. 6 – 7) Hold something firmly.

  (Act. 7 – 8) A person without a good physical coordination.

  (Activity 9) When you support your weight against something.

  (Act. 9 – 10) A colloquial expression - extremely tired.

  (9 – 10) The flat surface in the kitchen next to the sink, hob...

  (Act. 10 -11) Speak to yourself so it's difficult for others to hear.

  (Act. 10 – 11) When you see people and say hello.

  (Act. 12 – 13) Another way of saying depressed.

  (Act. 12 -13) An area which is half-land, half-water.

  (Act. 17 -18) When somebody has lots of lines on their face.

  (Act. 17 -18) A type of textile used for trousers, often brown.

  (Act. 17 -18) When somebody gets dressed very carelessly.

  (Act. 17 -18) People who work in a big city but live outside it.

  (Act. 18 -19) Take something very abruptly, with force.

 

  Vocabulary Builder 3: Expressions and Phrasal Verbs

  Alfred m______ a p______ of not keeping up-to-date.

  Aethelflaed had planned to m_____ u_______ with Samantha.

  Aethelflaed wasn't b__________ about leaving early.

  In a small town, oddballs s_______ o_______ from the rest.

  People wanted to s________ c_______ of Gary.

  Aethelflaed likes to h______ o______ with Sam and Natalia.

  Samantha and Dean g_____ o_____ really well.

  Aethelflaed didn't use to be k_____ o______ football.

  She tried to c_______ the fans u_______ at half-time.

  The fans told Bill the Butcher to calm down: 'S_____ o_____!'

  At first, she thought the trophy would just t_______ u______ .

  Although she didn't hear everything, she g______ the g_____ .

  H____ c____ Bob told everyone that he had been pushed?

  Aethelflaed decided to p_______ a________ to visit Samantha's.

  By Monday, she had w______ed o_______ what had happened.

  Scroogey t_______ Aethelflaed o______ because she hadn't called.

  When Scroogey left, Aethelflaed gave a s______ of r______ .

  When Bob saw Gary he c______ him on the b______.

  If it's time to leave, and you've still got a
full glass, you should d___ u___

 

  The Saxon Kings and Queens: Alfred, Aethelflaed and Athelstan.

  Reading the story, the names of Aethelflaed and Athelstan would have stood out. I am quite sure that you have not heard of them before. They are not at all common – practically non-existent- in modern Britain.

  Alfred is a librarian, and a keen amateur historian. After being told that he was expecting a daughter, what better name could there be, than the daughter of the Saxon king, Alfred the Great; Aethelflaed, 'Lady of the Mercians'?

  And, a few years later, it was logical to call her brother Athelstan, after the first king of England. Here is a short article about the story of these three monarchs – Alfred, Aethelflaed and Athelstan - who between them fought off the Vikings and formed the nation that would be England.

  The Romans had invaded and conquered England in 43AD and were present for almost 400 years. They left behind a network of roads, towns, a new religion, and some degree of literacy. This legacy never truly disappeared, although with their departure the country faced a period once known as the 'Dark Ages'.

  With the departure of the Romans, the native tribes of England ('Britons') were invaded by others from Scotland. It is thought that the Britons asked Germanic tribes for help – the Anglo-Saxons – and these later stayed and formed kingdoms in the south-east of England. The kingdom of Kent was one of these.

  It was in Canterbury (Kent) that St. Augustine arrived to convert the kingdoms of England to Christianity, and it was there that the first Christian Anglo-Saxon king was baptised in 601 – Athelbert of Kent. This was the background to the creation of England under Athelstan, but first we must look at two of his predecessors, Alfred and Aethelflaed.

  Statue of Alfred the Great

  Alfred the Great

  Every English schoolchild knows the story of how King Alfred burnt the cakes.

  Alfred the Great was the youngest of five brothers, all of who died during a period of unending war with Viking invaders. In this way he became King of Wessex, a kingdom which covered the south of England.

  Danish Vikings attacked Alfred's castle in January 878, and killed almost everybody inside. Alfred was able to escape to the marshes in the county of Somerset. According to the legend a peasant woman, unaware of his identity, took him in. It was here that she told him to watch over the cakes while they were being baked, but Alfred was too worried about the situation of his kingdom to concentrate. When the woman returned and saw her cakes burnt black, she told him off!