1. Reading Exercises:

Exercise 1. Read and memorize using a dictionary:

Language, story, song, generation, folk-song, adventures, generous, tender-hearted, revenge, development

Exercise 2. Answer the questions:

1. Who was the greatest writer of the 14th century?

2. What is Chaucer’s masterpiece?

3. What were the most popular ballads?

4. How was Robin Hood portrayed in the ballads?

Exercise 3. Match the left part with the right:

1 Geoffrey Chaucer was the first	a) the development of folk-songs and ballads.
2. The art of printing did not stop	b) because they consisted of dialogues.
3. The ballads of Robin Hood tell us	c) to clear the way for realism.
4. Some ballads could be performed by several people	d) of his adventures in the forest as an outlaw.

Exercise 4. Open the brackets choosing the right words:

Chaucer (began/started) “The Canterbury Tales” in 1387 he (continued/went on) writing it(until/till) (the end of the life/death) . The (plot/contents) is very simple.

THE SPEAKING MODULE

II. Speaking Exercises:

Exercise 1. Define the terms using the suggested words and expressions:

Ballad	Literature	Song	Version
A, narrative, poem, short, stanzas, deeds, love, heroic, tragic, language, vivid	Composition, written, prose, verse, lasting, quality, merit	Composition short words, together, music,	Passage, language, work, translated, another, one

Exercise 2. Ask questions to the given answers:

1. Question: ___________________________________________ ?

Answer: Chaucer’s poetry shows a lively interest in human nature.

2. Question: ___________________________________________ ?

Answer : The ballads passed from generation to generation through the countries.

3. Question: ___________________________________________ ?

Answer: There are fifty or more ballads about Robin Hood.

THE WRITING MODULE

III. Writing exercises:

Exercise 1. Complete the sentences with the suggested words:

Outlaw, owners, land, join, called, family, forest

Robin Hood is a brave _____. He came from a ______of Saxon landowners, whose _____ had been seized by a Norman baron. Robin Hood went to Sherwood________, many Saxon _______him there. They were ____ “the merry men” of Robin Hood.

Exercise 2. Rick out synonyms from the text and explain the differences between them.

Exercise 3. Make up a plan of the text.

Exercise 4. Find derivatives in the text.

Exercise 5. Compose a story on one of the topics:

1. Chaucer’s literary activity

2. The most popular ballad in England

3. English folk-songs to-day