22.1 Setting a scene Presentation

You will hear two extracts from a novel in which the writer sets a scene.

extract 1 What were the following doing ? the tourists the Englishmen the children the girl What was there in the bay ? What was it doing? a) What did Jason do? b) What do you think he did next ?

extract 2 What were the following doing ? the paint the children the donkey Who was there outside a cafe ? What were they doing? Exactly what is said about the houses? the dusty road ? the statue? a) What did Jacqueline do? b) What do you think she did next ?

22.2 Temporary activities

AND PERMANENT FEATURES Practice

Notice the different forms of the verb run in these sentences:

It was a lovely place: a small stream ran past the end of the back garden. She looked out of the window - a small boy was running towards the house.

Fill the gaps in the sentences below with the correct form of one of the verbs given. Use each verb twice.

cross lie stand face f low

1. An elderly woman who .......the road was knocked down by a motorcyclist.

2. The village .............................at the foot of the mountain.

3. The river which ...............through the town was polluted.

4. We stopped to ask a policeman who .................on the corner.

5. We stopped to admire the view from the bridge which ..............the river.

6. A large oak tree ..................in the garden, casting its shade over the house.

7. Although it was rather cold, a few people ..........on the beach, sunbathing.

8. The hotel could only offer me a small dark room that............. north.

9. Because of the heavy rain, the river ..................much faster than normal.

10. He couldn’t see me because he ...............the other way.

22.3 Scenes from the past Practice

Imagine that you saw these scenes recently, and that you’re telling a friend what you saw.

What could you say about the position of each of the people ?

Example The old woman was standing by a fire.

Now describe each scene more fully, as in the examples.

Examples There was an old woman, dressed in a traditional long skirt and a woollen shawl, standing by a fire.

There was a man leaning on a stick, watching the traffic go by.

The sun was going down behind the hills.

Work in groups. Now imagine you saw one of the scenes below while you were on holiday recently. Tell the others what you saw.