Describing- narrating: Books and genres...

Questionnaire:

• What is your favorite story?
• Who is your favorite author?
• Who is your favorite character?
• What is your favorite genre?
  • Action
  • Mystery
  • Suspence
  • Detective
  • Science Fiction
  • Children's books
  • War
  • Non-fiction
  • Travel books
  • Self-help books
  • History
  • Biography
  • Autobiography
  • Gothic
  • Classic Literature
  • Modern Literature
• What is the longest book you have ever read?
  • How long did it take you to read it?
• Have you ever belonged to a book club?
  • What books did you read?
• What is the funniest book you have ever read?
• The saddest?
  • The strangest?
• How many books have you read in your life?
• Is there a time in your life when you read all the time?
• How many hours do you spend reading in a week?
• Have you ever been to a book signing or met an author?
• Do you have any ideas for a story for you to write?
• Do you read books based on recommendations?
• What are some of the books that were recommended to you?
• Were you ever given a bad recommendation?
• Did it change your opinion of the person who recommended the book?
• What books have you recommended for other people?
• How often do you go to the library?
• How many books do you check out at a time?
• How do you choose the books you are going to read?
• How important is the cover of the book.
• Do you watch the movie that came from a book?
• Most people say the book is better than the movie. Is this true for you?
• Did you enjoy reading books in school?
• What was your favorite book growing up?
• Is there a book that you have read more than once?
  • What was the title?
  • How many times did you read it?
• Is there a book you just couldn't finish?
  • What was the title?
• What is your favorite time of day for reading?
• Where is your favorite place to read?
• Do you listen to music while you read?
• Do you often read book before go to bed?
• What factors are important to you when choosing a book to read?
  • Reviews?
  • A Recommendation from a friend?
  • The front cover?
• What was the last book that you read?
• What is your favorite book of all time?
• Have you ever read a book and then watched the movie? Which was better? Why?
• Who is the most famous writer from your country?
  • Have you read any of their books?
  • Do you think that they are overrated?
• What genre of book do you enjoy most?
• Have you ever tried to read a book in English?
• Do you think that it is more valuable to read a book than to watch television?
• Have you ever lent books to your friends and never got them back?

Book Talk Builder 

• Title: ________________________________ 
• Author: ______________________________ 
• Genre: _______________________________ 

• List the main characters, with a sentence describing each one. 
• Describe the setting. 
• Summarize the plot in a sentence or two. 
• What conflict is present in the book? 
• What were the three most exciting or interesting moments of the book? 
• List three reasons why you think others will enjoy this book.

Vocabulary. Definitions

• an action movie: a film with fast moving scenes, often containing violence
• to be engrossed in: to be completely focused on one thing
• bedtime reading: something to read in bed before you go to sleep
• to be a big reader: someone who reads a lot
• to be based on: to use as a modal
• to be heavy-going: difficult to read
• a blockbuster: a film that is a big commercial success
• to catch the latest movie: to see a film that has just come out
• the central character: the main person in a film or book
• a classic: of the highest quality
• to come highly recommended: to be praised by another person
• couldn’t put it down: wasn’t able to stop reading a book
• an e-book: a digital book
• an e-reader: a device for reading e-books
• to flick through: to look quickly through a book
• to get a good/bad review: to receive positive or negative feedback
• to go on general release: when a film can be seen by the general public
• hardback: a book with a rigid cover (see ‘paperback’ below)
• a historical novel: a story set in the past
• a low budget film: a film made with a small amount of money
• on the big screen: at the cinema
• a page turner: a book that you want to keep reading
• paperback: a book with a flexible cover (see ‘hardback’ above)
• plot: the main events in a film or book
• to read something from cover to cover: to read a book from the first page to the last
• sci-fi: science fiction
• to see a film: to see a film at the cinema (see ‘watch a film’ below)
• the setting: where the action takes place
• showings: performances of a film
• soundtrack: the music that accompanies a film
• special effects: the visuals or sounds that are added to a film which are difficult to produce naturally
• to take out (a book from the library): to borrow a book from the library
• to tell the story of: to outline the details of someone’s life or an event
• to watch a film: to watch a film on TV (see ‘to see a film’ above)

Idioms:

bookworm  – a person who loves to read and is devoted to reading
book smart – to be very smart or successful in scholastic way (from knowledge in books), but not very smart or successful in real world interactions
an open book – to have very evident and clear emotions and thoughts
to hit the books – to study hard
to read the fine print – to read carefully; to know all the information that is contained in a large document, such as a contact
to read between the lines – to try to understand something that is not expressed openly or explicitly; a synonym to this phrase is the verb ‘to infer’
 “Read my lips!” – This phrase means ‘listen very carefully.’ It is used to emphasize the importance of what a person is saying. This phrase was famously used by the George H. Bush when he was running for President of the United States in 1988. At that time he said, “Read my lips, no new taxes!”
to read someone the riot act – to give someone a strong scolding or to talk to someone severely; to yell at someone
spell bound – to hold someone’s attention completely; a synonym for this phrase is ‘fascinated’
“that’s one for the books” – This phrase is used to say that something is ‘amazing,’ ‘wonderful’ or ‘impressive.’
“you can’t judge a book by its cover” – This idioms is used to say, ‘you should not judge people by their appearance alone.’ This idiom also is used to remind people that the outside of something is not always the same as the inside.