Graham Greene e-lesson

Graham Greene

Writer Graham Greene was born one hundred years ago. For over sixty years he wrote
novels, screenplays, poems, articles, plays, short stories and even travel books. His novels
are written in a contemporary realistic style, often featuring characters troubled by self-doubt
and living in seedy or rootless circumstances. The doubts are often of a religious nature,
perhaps echoing Graham Greene's own Roman Catholic beliefs. This week we celebrate the
life of this man, one of the twentieth century’s most distinguished writers.

Level: Upper intermediate and upwards

How to use the lesson:

1. Divide the class into Group A and Group B. Give one copy of Worksheet A to each
student in Group A and one copy of Worksheet B to each student in Group B.
2. Tell your students they have the same text, but there is some information missing from
each worksheet in Exercise 1. Explain that they are going to ask a member of the other group
some questions to help them complete the text, but first they need to prepare the questions.
3. Ask the students to work together to prepare and write down the questions they need to
ask to complete the text.
4. When all the students have prepared their questions, ask a student from Group A to work
with a student from Group B. They should take it in turns to ask and answer the questions
they have prepared and write the answer in the space in their text.
5. When both students have finished asking and answering, allow them to compare
worksheets.
6. Check answers in open class.
7. Ask students to work in pairs to complete Exercise 2. Check answers in open class.
8. Ask students to work in pairs to complete Exercise 3. Check answers in open class.

Answers:

Ex 1 Suggested questions:
1. When was he born?
2. Where was he born?
3. Why was he teased at school?
4. What did he attempt (on a number of occasions)?
5. Who did his parents send him to see?
6. Who did his therapist introduce him to?
7. Where did he go (when he was 18)?
8. What did he study (at Balliol College)?
9. What did he (also) become?

10. Where did he go to work (after graduation)?
11. Who did he meet (in Nottingham)?
12. Who did he marry (in 1927)?

Ex 2 a) a b) the c) - d) the e) the f) the/- g) - h) the/a i) the j) the
k) - l) the m) the n) a o) the p) the q) the r) a s) the
Ex 3 1) to 2) for 3) for 4) in 5) on 6) with 7) in 8) in 9) to 10) of
11) of 12) in 13) in 14) in