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C1 · Première and Terminale généralesVersion dys

Session 1. "Old bat?" Two profiles, one Queen

The Crown, Season 3, Episode 1, "Olding": the opening scene.

Key question: How can one face change, and what does a portrait reveal about the passing of time?
55 minutes: Recap 5 min · Point du professeur 10 min · Document 8 min · Vocabulary 7 min · Grammar 12 min · Figures and idioms 6 min · Task 7 min
Key words for today
Recap · marked /3

What we already know

Quick quiz (one point each)

  1. Who played the Queen in seasons 3 and 4?
  2. How long did Elizabeth II reign?
  3. Correct the mistake: In this picture, the Queen wears a crown and is looking at us. (two answers possible)
Answers
  1. Olivia Colman.
  2. 70 years (1952 to 2022).
  3. In this picture, the Queen is wearing a crown and (is) looking at us. In a description of a picture, the present continuous is usual; the present simple is possible for a commentary.

1Le point du professeur10 min

Pour le professeur

Pour comparer les deux profils du timbre, les élèves vont avoir besoin de décrire ce qu'on voit (présent progressif), d'énoncer des vérités générales (présent simple), d'employer des verbes d'état qui refusent la forme progressive, de déduire au présent (must, might, can't) et de nuancer avec des adverbes de degré et de fréquence. Écrire au tableau la phrase de la reine, la faire analyser, puis construire la fiche ci-dessous avec la classe.

Starting point

"Age is rarely kind to anyone. Nothing one can do about it. One just has to get on with it."

Present simple vs present continuous

Stative verbs (usually no continuous form)

seem, resemble, look like, belong, know, recognise, own, prefer: The new profile resembles the old one (not is resembling). Change of meaning: She looks older (state) / She is looking at the stamp (action).

Deduction in the present

Adverbs of frequency and degree: position

Help: the continuous form = be + verb-ing. Stative verbs (seem, know, belong) stay simple.

2The document8 min

Official video: The Crown Season 3 | Teaser Trailer | Netflix (Still Watching Netflix, Netflix's official channel, YouTube)
This official teaser (32 seconds) is the opening scene of Season 3, Episode 1, "Olding" (released 17 November 2019): the Queen, now played by Olivia Colman, is shown her new profile for postage stamps next to the old one, which shows Claire Foy.
Adeane: Everyone at the Post Office is delighted with the new profile, ma'am, which they feel to be an elegant reflection of Her Majesty's transition from young woman to...
The Queen: Old bat?
Adeane: ...mother of four and settled sovereign.The Crown, S3E1 "Olding", written by Peter Morgan, Netflix, 2019. Short quotation for study.
The Queen: A great many changes. But there we are. Age is rarely kind to anyone. Nothing one can do about it. One just has to get on with it.Same scene.
Did you know? The scene is a clever piece of casting: instead of hiding the change of actress, the series makes the audience compare two faces, exactly as the Queen compares two stamps. The real Queen sat for many stamp portraits; the famous profile used on British stamps from 1967 was sculpted by Arnold Machin.

Understanding the document

  1. Why does the scene take place at the start of Season 3?
  2. What does the private secretary try to say, and how does the Queen interrupt him?
  3. Which words show that she accepts ageing without self-pity?
  4. What does the pronoun "one" tell us about her social position?
  5. Find two examples of understatement or irony.
Answers
  1. Because a new actress, Olivia Colman, takes over from Claire Foy: the scene presents the older Queen to the audience.
  2. He tries to describe her transition from young woman to mature sovereign; she interrupts with the self-mocking "Old bat?".
  3. "But there we are", "Nothing one can do about it", "One just has to get on with it".
  4. It is a formal, impersonal pronoun associated with the upper classes and royalty; it also turns a personal feeling into a general rule.
  5. "Old bat?" (self-irony); "Age is rarely kind" (understatement: age is often cruel).

3Building your vocabulary

WordMeaningExample
a profilea side view of a faceHer profile appears on every stamp.
a likenessthe degree of resemblance in a portraitIt is a striking likeness.
a sittera person who poses for an artistThe sitter grew tired after an hour.
flattering / unflatteringmaking someone look better / worse than in realityAn unflattering angle.
a wrinkle, a line, a creasemarks of age on the skinFine lines around the eyes.
poise, composurecalm, dignified self-controlShe kept her composure.
settledestablished, no longer changinga settled sovereign
self-deprecatingmaking modest jokes about oneselfa self-deprecating remark
to age, ageingto grow olderThe face has aged gracefully.
a sovereign, a monarcha king or queenthe longest-reigning British sovereign

Exercise 1. Find the word

Give the word from the table.

  1. A person who poses for a painter.
  2. Making someone look better than in reality.
  3. Calm, dignified self-control (two words).
  4. A side view of a face.
  5. Making modest jokes about oneself.
  6. Established and no longer changing.
Answers
  1. a sitter
  2. flattering
  3. poise, composure
  4. a profile
  5. self-deprecating
  6. settled

Exercise 2. Collocations

Complete with one word: striking, keep, gracefully, sit, official.

  1. a ______ likeness
  2. to ______ one's composure
  3. to age ______
  4. to ______ for a portrait
  5. an ______ portrait
Answers
  1. striking
  2. keep
  3. gracefully
  4. sit
  5. official

4Grammar in practice

From recognition to open production.

RecognitionExercise 3. State or action?

Say whether the verb describes a state (S) or an action (A).

  1. She looks tired.
  2. She is looking at the stamp.
  3. The profile resembles the old one.
  4. The secretary is choosing his words carefully.
  5. She knows the truth.
  6. I am thinking about the scene.
Answers
  1. S
  2. A
  3. S
  4. A
  5. S
  6. A (thinking = reflecting)

Controlled practiceExercise 4. Simple or continuous?

Put the verb in the correct form.

  1. In this scene the Queen (hold) ______ two stamps.
  2. Age rarely (be) ______ kind to anyone.
  3. The new profile (seem) ______ older.
  4. Look! She (smile) ______ for the first time.
  5. The Post Office (print) ______ millions of stamps every year.
  6. This image (belong) ______ to the Royal Collection.
Answers
  1. is holding
  2. is
  3. seems
  4. is smiling
  5. prints
  6. belongs

TransformationExercise 5. Deduce

Rewrite with must, might or can't.

  1. I'm sure she is annoyed.
  2. Perhaps she is joking.
  3. It's impossible that he believes it.
  4. I'm almost certain the Postmaster is lying.
  5. Maybe the secretary feels embarrassed.
  6. I'm sure she isn't happy with the new profile.
Answers
  1. She must be annoyed.
  2. She might (may, could) be joking.
  3. He can't believe it.
  4. The Postmaster must be lying.
  5. The secretary might feel embarrassed.
  6. She can't be happy with the new profile.

TransformationExercise 6. Place the adverb

Put the adverb in the correct place.

  1. Age is kind to anyone. (rarely)
  2. The two images are identical. (almost)
  3. She complains. (seldom)
  4. The new profile looks older. (slightly)
  5. The change is visible. (barely)
Answers
  1. Age is rarely kind to anyone.
  2. The two images are almost identical.
  3. She seldom complains.
  4. The new profile looks slightly older.
  5. The change is barely visible.

AccuracyAccuracy check. Find the mistake

Each sentence contains one mistake. Find it and correct it.

  1. She is resembling her mother in the new profile.
  2. In this scene, the Queen compares two stamps right now.
  3. She must to be disappointed.
  4. She can't being happy with the new profile.
  5. Age rarely is kind to anyone.
  6. I am knowing this portrait very well.
Answers
  1. She resembles her mother in the new profile. (state verb: no continuous form)
  2. In this scene, the Queen is comparing two stamps right now.
  3. She must be disappointed.
  4. She can't be happy with the new profile.
  5. Age is rarely kind to anyone. (the adverb follows the verb be)
  6. I know this portrait very well.

Open productionExercise 7. Two faces of you

Write 8 to 10 lines comparing a photo of yourself as a child with you today. Use the present simple, the present continuous, two stative verbs, one deduction (must / might / can't) and three adverbs of degree or frequency.

Help: start with "In this photo I am..." then "Today I...".

5Figures of speech

Exercise 8. Name the figure

Understatement, euphemism, irony or unfinished sentence?

  1. "He passed away" (for "he died").
  2. "It's a bit chilly" said at minus twenty.
  3. "Oh, wonderful, it's raining again."
  4. "If only you knew what..."
  5. "Mother of four and settled sovereign."
Answers
  1. euphemism
  2. understatement
  3. irony
  4. unfinished sentence (aposiopesis)
  5. euphemism

6Idioms

to get on with it
to continue doing something without complaining or wasting time.
Common British phrase, here used as the Queen's motto of duty.
"Nothing one can do about it. One just has to get on with it."
to look one's age
to look as old as one really is.
Usually negative: She doesn't look her age is a compliment.
At seventy, she still didn't look her age.
to keep calm and carry on
to stay calm and continue despite difficulty.
From a 1939 British government poster, rediscovered in 2000 and widely copied.
Her attitude was pure "keep calm and carry on".
there we are / there you go
an expression of resigned acceptance.
Spoken British English.
"A great many changes. But there we are."

Exercise 9. Use the idiom

Complete with an idiom from the list.

  1. I failed my driving test, but ______: I'll try again next month.
  2. Stop complaining and ______!
  3. My grandmother is eighty but she really doesn't ______.
  4. During the storm, the crew decided to ______.
Answers
  1. there we are
  2. get on with it
  3. look her age
  4. keep calm and carry on

7Expression task7 min

Guess who. In pairs, choose a portrait (a stamp, a coin, a painting, a photo of a famous person). Describe it for one minute without naming the person: what the sitter is wearing and doing, the expression, what the sitter must or might feel. The class guesses.

Required: present continuous for the picture, present simple for general facts, one stative verb, one deduction, two adverbs of degree.

Exit ticket · formative check
  1. Correct: The new stamp is resembling the old one.
  2. Translate: Elle doit être déçue.
  3. Place the adverb: She is late. (never)
Answers
  1. The new stamp resembles the old one.
  2. She must be disappointed.
  3. She is never late.

C1+Going further (towards C2)

British understatement as a national style. Read the two lines again and write a 150-word analysis: how does understatement allow a public figure to show feeling while keeping control? Compare with a French way of expressing regret.

Nuance with stative verbs: I'm loving it, She's being difficult, We're seeing a lot of changes: explain why the continuous is possible here (temporary behaviour, emphasis, change of meaning).

HWHomework

Learn the vocabulary table. Write 10 lines: "Two faces of one person" (a celebrity, a relative or yourself, now and twenty years ago). Use at least four adverbs of degree and two deductions.