The tale of the three brothers

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Lengua I: Gramática – Cátedra: T7A – 3132 Prof. Titular: Francisco Zabala Prof. Adjunto: Marcelo Videtta

The Tale of the Three Brothers Watch the film scene. Don’t read the text at this stage. Jot down any ideas, words or expressions that you can’t quite understand. Then, check your predictions with the script. Intensive language work: a) Look up the underlined words in a monolingual English dictionary. Think of possible translations, too. b) Do the activities in the boxes on the right.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

The Tale of the Three Brothers There were once three brothers, who were travelling along a lonely winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river too treacherous to pass. But being learned in the magical arts, the three brothers simply waved their wands and made a bridge. Before they could cross, however, they found their path blocked by a hooded figure. It was Death, and he felt cheated – cheated because travellers would normally drown in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers on their magic, and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him.

1. What’s the meaning of Potter? What information can be derived from a surname? E.g. Potter, Kent, Williamson 2. Describe the morphology of the word in yellow. 3. What’s the meaning of the word in blue? Explain “Holy Father, hallowed by thy name”. How’s this word related to Halloween? 4. Compare: tale – story – history.

1. Provide an alternative phrase to begin a story like this. 2. Discuss: some wind vs to wind. To wind/twist/wrap somebody round your little finger. To unwind. To wind/roll up/down a (car) window. To wind/end up doing sth. To wind sb up. 3. Compare twilight – dusk – dawn – daybreak – sunrise – sunset – from dawn till dusk 4. Explain and provide examples of this structure. 5. Classify this word. How does its pronunciation change? Why? When? 6. Is the underlined material a dangling participle? Why? 7. What is odd about this choice of modal? 8. Discuss: road – path – way – drive – close – crescent – circus – dead end – cul de sac – street – highway – lane – trail – etc. 9. Compare this with Spanish. 10. Explain the use of this modal. 11. Discuss: cunning – sly – wily – crafty Cf. uncanny 12.Explain the collocation in italics.

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Lengua I: Gramática – Cátedra: T7A – 3132 Prof. Titular: Francisco Zabala Prof. Adjunto: Marcelo Videtta

The oldest asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence, so Death fashioned him one from an elder tree that stood nearby. The second brother decided he wanted to humiliate Death even further and asked for the power to recall loved ones from the grave. So Death plucked a stone from the river and offered it to him. Finally, Death turned to the third brother. A humble man, he asked for something that would allow him to go forth from that place without being followed by death. And so it was that death reluctantly handed over his own cloak of invisibility.

The first brother travelled to a distant village where, with the elder wand in hand, he killed a wizard with whom he had once quarrelled. Drunk with the power that the elder wand had given him, he bragged of his invincibility. But that night another wizard stole the wand and slit the brother’s throat for good measure. And so, Death took the first brother for his own.

The second brother journeyed to his home, where he took the stone and turned it thrice in hand. To his delight, the girl he’d once hoped to marry before her untimely death appeared before him. Yet soon she turned sad and cold, for she did not belong in the mortal world. Driven mad with hopeless longing the second brother killed himself so as to join her. And so Death took the second brother.

As for the third brother, Death searched for many years but was never able to find him. Only when he attained a great age did the youngest brother shed the cloak of invisibility and gave it to his son. He then greeted Death as an old friend and went with him gladly, departing this life as equals.

1. Discuss: older vs elder – the elderly – the elder (of the two) – her elder – Pitt the elder – to be 10 years your senior/junior 2. Discuss: in existence – extant – extinct 3. Define 4.Contrast: near – nearby 5. Contrast further – farther 6. Define: pluck, to pluck up courage 7. Discuss: forth – fore – back and forth – forward – forwards – backward – backwards – sideward – toward – towards – headlong – headfirst 8. Define 9.Define and discuss: cloak, cloakroom, loo, toilet, lavatory, bathroom, restroom, gents, ladies, WC, public convenience, ladies’ room, men’s room, women’s room. 1. Discuss: in hand, in your hand, by hand, take sb by the hand. To knock sth on the head. To kiss sb on the cheek. Tongue-in-cheek. To hit sb on the head. To hit on sb. In your face. 2. Discuss: who vs whom 3. Compare: to discuss, to quarrel, to argue, to have an argument, to have a row, to quarrel with sb about/over sth, to pick up a quarrel/fight with sb 4. Compare: drunken – drunk – drunkard – alcoholic – shit-faced – be pissed (UK – Cf. US) 5. Discuss: to boast about sth / to brag (to sb) about sth – boastful – proud 6. Compare: rob – steal 7. Define

1. Discuss: journey, travel, commute, voyage, trip, excursion, ride 2. Compare: once, twice, thrice, one time, etc. 3. Compare: before, after, after that, afterwards, in the end, at the end, in the way, on the way. 4. Compare: before, in front of, opposite, between, among, next to, beside. 5. Describe its morphology 6. Explain syntax 7. Is this dangling? Why? 8. Explain syntax and its stressing.

1. Explain the underlined structure. 2. Define: shed – shed light – shed sth on/over sth – shed tears – shed blood – bloodshed – garden shed.