04 Tasks 1

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Questions about the text:

  • How often would the writer have nightmares?
  • How would the writer feel upon waking from a nightmare?
  • Would the writer remember their dreams?
  • What did the writer do when they woke up?
  • Briefly describe the nightmare of the 10-year-old writer.
  • What decision did the writer make when they were 10?

Questions about you:

  • Did you used to have a lot of nightmares when you were a child?
  • Can you tell me about one?
  • Do you still have nightmares? – When was the last time?
  • What do you think causes them?
  • Do you think we are able to control our dreams? Why/why not?

Your turn:

  • Your teacher will play the role of a parent worried for their child who has nightly nightmares. Try to give some advice for what they can do to make these nightmares stop or put their child more at ease when going to sleep. E.g. leaving a night-light on.

03 Text 1

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Nightmares

When I was young I would always have nightmares. No matter if I hadn’t seen anything scary that day or had any worrying thoughts, I would still manage to have them. Sometimes waking screaming and kicking, feeling very disorientated. Other times I would wake in the still darkness wishing someone would come save me from what I’d just seen. On some occasions, afterwards I would remember the nightmares vividly but I always preferred it when I would forget them, of course.

After a while of being glued to my mattress I would find the nerve to leave my room. But instead of knocking on my mum’s bedroom door I would walk up and down on a creaky floorboard, outside her room waiting for her to come save me. These nightmares were so frequent I no longer liked knocking on her door in the middle of the night as she would get annoyed with me.

The last nightmare I had sent shivers down my spine. It was set in a school, I was in a classroom with other children and a teacher who didn’t know what to do. Raging storm going on outside, lights flickering on and off and down the corridor I could see a madman with a bloody face and a terrifying knife coming our way. I was ten years old when I had this dream. I was ten years old when I decided I didn’t want to have nightmares anymore. I consciously decided I didn’t like them and that they would stop.

Apart from a slightly disagreeable dream every now and then, this has been my last nightmare to date.

02 Vocabulary

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  • nightmare – a frightening or unpleasant dream
  • (to) disorientate – make (someone) feel confused / cause (someone) to lose their sense of direction
  • vivid – producing powerful feelings or strong, clear images in the mind
  • the nerve – one’s steadiness and courage in a demanding situation
  • the shivers – a spell or an attack of trembling, typically as a result of fear or horror
  • baffling – impossible to understand; perplexing
  • compelling – evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way
  • mystifying – make obscure or mysterious
  • downright – to an extreme degree; thoroughly
  • deprivation – the lack or denial of something considered to be a necessity
  • cognition – the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses
  • paranoia – unjustified suspicion and mistrust of other people
  • (to) shake something off – successfully deal with or recover from
  • uplifting – morally or spiritually elevating; inspiring happiness or hope
  • logic – the quality of being justifiable by reason

01 Grammar

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Verb Patterns after Wish and Hope

The verb hope is used when something is very possible.

The verb wish is used about impossible events or desires or those which are not likely to happen. Wish can also be used in place of want as a more formal option.

(To) Hope:

When talking about hopes for the past you will use the past simple:

  • I hope they enjoyed the party last night.
  • He hopes his friend didn’t get lost on the way home.

When talking about hopes for the present you use the present simple or present continuous:

  • I hope you enjoy your holiday. (they are about to leave for their holiday)
  • They hope we are having a good time in Paris. (they are currently in Paris)
  • He hopes you’re all right.

When talking about hopes for the future you use the present simple (the future simple is possible but is less common):

  • I hope they visit soon.
  • He hopes she has a good time in Canada next week.

When talking about past hopes in narratives or reported speech you use would+infinitive:

  • I hoped I would do well in my exam
  • He hoped he would see her again

When talking about past hopes where the hope is now impossible/didn’t come to pass, you use would/could+infinitive:

  • I had hoped he could visit us before leaving. (he didn’t visit)
  • She had hoped they would like the food. (they didn’t like the food)

N.B when the subject stays the same to+infinitive can be used after ‘had hoped’. eg He had hoped to see the Eiffel Tower whilst in Paris. (= he had hoped he would see the Eiffel Tower…)

(To) Wish:

When talking about wishes for the past you use the past perfect:

  • He wishes he had studied harder for his exams.
  • They wish she had attended the wedding.

When talking about wishes for the present, you use the past simple (the verb ‘be’ is always seen in the subjunctive for sentences with ‘wish’. So, for all subjects it will be ‘were’):

  • He wishes he had a better car.
  • She wishes she lived in the Caribbean.
  • I wish I were 10 years younger.

When talking about wishes for the future you use would+infinitive:

  • He wishes his parents would stop smoking.
  • I wish she would do the washing up every now and then.

When talking about past wishes you use would/could+infinitive:

  • He wished they would stop talking.
  • We wished we could go to Disneyland.
  • I wished I could fly when I was little.

N.B ‘wish to’ can be used to replace ‘want to’ to give a more formal tone:

  • She doesn’t wish to see him anymore = She doesn’t want to see him anymore
  • I don’t wish to interrupt (your conversation), but there’s a telephone call for you = I don’t want to interrupt…

06 Tasks 2

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Questions about the text :

  • Is the text predominately for, against or neutral on the subject of nuclear weapons? Justify your answer.
  • Explain the history of nuclear weapons.
  • What happened in Hiroshima?
  • Tell me what you know about the Cold War from the information in the text and your own knowledge.
  • What would happen if a nuclear war started?
  • Does the author think we are likely to see a nuclear war in our lifetime?

Questions about you :

  • What do you already know about nuclear weapons?
  • What is your stance when it comes to nuclear weapons?
  • Do nuclear weapons exist in Spain? Should they?
  • In a world where it’s possible to have nuclear weapons is it possible to then limit who can have them?
  • Do you think a nuclear war will unfold in the future?
  • Are you worried about a possible nuclear war? What do you think the result would be for the planet?
  • The media – should they have the right to say whatever they want and report everything about celebrities etc

Your turn :

  • Debate : You will have to play the role of being either for or against nuclear weapons. Be ready to be challenged by your teacher who will hold the opposite stance. Be as argumentative and persuasive as you can.