Humanising Language Teaching
Year 3; Issue 1; January 2001
Before Napoleon
Type of class: monolingual or multi-lingual providing you have more than one
person per mother tongue
Teacher: does not need to know the students' mother tongue
Level: upper intermediate to advanced
Purpose: to persuade learners to come to grips with US and UK measures both
practically and metaphorically.
Tell the group they are to work in same mother tongue pairs. When you dictate a sentence Person A writes it down in English while person B writes it down in their common mother tongue. Tell them you will allow time for consultation within the pairs about translation difficulties.
Dictate the sentences below.
Go through the sentences with the whole class focusing on the problems in the English sentences.
Non-Metrical sentences
1. The peace talks inched towards their climax
2. They were travelling at 50 miles an hour
3. I really can't fathom his motivation
4. Give her an inch and she'll take a mile
5. Call the doctor! She's got l02.
6. He's down to 8 stone and still losing weight.
7. This website is miles better than ours
8. D'you realise it's l0 degrees below?
9. I've still got acres of reading to do.
10. He just managed to lift the piano, using every ounce of strength he possessed.
11. You need to put 30 in those types.
12. Earth calling John….. you were miles away!
13. She looked at him with her calm , fathomless eyes.
14. I went to see him in hospital. Seems miles better.
15. Anyone with an ounce of intelligence would see that's rubbish.
16. She takes size 7 shoes.
