Avril Lavigne: Sk8er Boi (Skater Boy)

Avril Lavigne was born in Ontario (Canada). She began her career in 2002 with the album "Let Go", where the song "Sk8er Boi" appeared. Avril reached Nº2 on the Billboard 200 with only 17 years old.

Now, watch the clip, listen to the song and answer to the questions about it; then, listen to the song once more and complete the lyrics. Please, pay attention to Avril's non-verbal language, rhyme, and the bottom glossary, as they may help you to fill in the blank spaces. Leave your comments. Enjoy!!!

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CLIP

1. Describe Avril's physical appearance in the clip (two lines).
2.  Where are Avril and her band playing?
3. What kind of place is it?
4. Do they have problems at the end of the clip? How do we know?
5. What do you think is going to happen next? Make up an alternative ending for the clip in no more than three lines.

"Sk8er Boi" Lyrics

He was a boy

She was a girl

Can I make it anymore 1._____________?

He was a punk.

She did 2.____________.

What more can I say?

He 3.___________ her.

She'd never tell.

Secretly she wanted him as 4.__________.

And all of her friends

Stuck up their 5.__________.

And they had a problem with his 6.___________ clothes.

He was a skater boy, she said see ya later boy.

He wasn't good 7.____________ for her.

She had a 8.___________ face but her head was up in space.

She needed to come back down to 9.__________.

Five years from now, she sits at home 10._____________ the baby, she's all alone.

She turns on TV and 11.___________ who she sees?

Skater boy rockin' up MTV.

She calls up her friends.

They 12.___________ know

And they've all got 13.__________ to see his show.

She tags along, stands in the 14.__________.

Looks up at the man that she turned down.

He was a skater boy, she said see ya later boy.

He wasn't good 15.___________ for her.

Now he's a superstar

Slammin' on his 16.________

Does your pretty face see what he's 17.___________?

He was a skater boy, she said see ya later boy.
He wasn't good 18.__________ for her.
Now he's a superstar
Slammin' on his 19._________
Does your pretty face see what he's 20.___________?

Sorry girl but you missed out.

Well tough luck that boy's 21.__________ now.

We are more than just good friends.

This is how the story 22.__________.

Too bad that you couldn't see...

See the man that boy 23.__________ be.

There is more than meets the eye,

I see the 24._________ that is inside.

He's just a boy, and I'm just a girl.

Can I make it anymore 25.____________?

We are in love.

Haven't you 26._________ how we rock each other's world?

I met the skater boy I said see ya later boy.

I'll be backstage after the 27.___________.

I'll be at the studio singing the song he wrote about a girl he 28.__________ to know

I met the skater boy I said see ya later boy.

I'll be backstage after the 29.___________.

I'll be at the studio singing the song we wrote about a girl he 30.__________ to know

GLOSSARY

tag along: accompany somebody without invitation.

slam on: put into action suddenly or forcefully.

ya: you

tough luck: bad luck.

meet the eye: see at first sight.

miss out: fail to include.

turn down: reject an offer or proposal or someone making one.

Charles Dickens's 199th anniversary

English people in the 19th century loved novels. Some educated people, especially women, had lots of time to read. There were private libraries, public and lots of  bookshops. Long novels came out in cheap episodes, once a month. They were very popular.

The most popular novelist was Charles Dickens. If he were alive, he would be 199 years old today, February 7th. This post just intends to be a small tribute to the greatest novelist in the history of English literature.
His books were funny and exciting, but with a serious message. He described the hard lives of poor people. The rich read his books and began to understand the terrible social problems which existed at that time.

In Oliver Twist we meet a little boy in an orphanage. He is hungry and asks for more food. He gets into serious trouble and that is when his adventures begin.

One of his most famous stories is A Christmas Carol. In it we see the mean employer, Scrooge. Even at Christmas he gives nothing extra to his poor employees. One of them, Bob Cratchitt, has a son who can´t walk, and they have a very hard life. But this is a happy story. In the novel Scrooge meets some ghosts who make him change his ideas. He becomes loving and generous, and gives wonderful Christmas presents to everyone. Today, his name is part of the English language: we often call a mean person a "scrooge".

 Source: The World of English  by Mark Farrell with Regina Ceriani and Franca Rossi. Longman 1995

Now, say whether the following sentences are TRUE or FALSE. Give evidence from the text:

1. Life was easy for most English people in the 19th century.

2. Scrooge had always been a generous man.

3. Everybody in England used to read Dickens´s novels.

4. Bob Cratchitt and his family used to have difficulties.

Find words in the text that mean:

1. Low in price

2. Chapters

3. Difficult

4. Starving

5. Spirits

6. Gifts 

The Black Donnellys - Episode 2 Questions

QUESTIONS

 1. What did Tommy mean when he told Kevin that they both were going "shopping"?

2. What methods did Dokey Farrell use to interrogate people?

3. What had Jimmy done with the corpse of Louie Downtown? 

4. What plan did Kevin Donnelly have to make the corpse disappear? Did the plan work?

5. What did Tommy have to do to the corpse in the end? Did Kevin help him? 

6. What did Kevin want to do with the ransom money? What did finally Tommy do with it?

7. What did Jenny Reilly see at the cellar of Jimmy's bar? What did she do then?

8. Why was Tommy surprised when he entered Nicky Cottero's bar?

9. What did Nicky Cottero tell Tommy?

10. What happened between Jenny and Tommy that night? 

The Black Donnellys - Pilot Episode Questions

QUESTIONS

1. How many are the Donnelly brothers? Can you name them?

2. What had happened to Jimmy when he was a child? How did it affect him later?

3. How did Joey "Ice Cream" get his nickname?

4. Did the Donnellys have a father? What had happened to him?

5. What things was Tommy good at? What kind of relationship did he maintain with Jenny Reilly?

6. What had Jimmy, Kevin and Séan stolen? What happened then?

7. Why did Jimmy and Kevin kidnap Sal Minetta's nephew?

8. What happened to Séan Donnelly then? Who did it?

9. Did Huey Farrell solve the problem the Donnellys had with Sal Minetta?

10. What things did Tommy do to save Jimmy from death? Who helped him?

Are you interested in watching the whole episode again? You can do it here:

PART 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpE4uJAHnNo

PART 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0rgUc8eeo4

PART 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHrGe1pfkPo

PART 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2rbiuKG2aQ

PART 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ1PArAfX1M