English through Music

Harry Styles: As It Was

Recognising that things have changed

B1–B2Approximately 31 minutesAdults

Created by Denis M., British English teacher.

01 Watch 02 Useful English 03 Quick quiz 04 Speaking

Your goal: Identify a contrast between past and present and describe what has changed or stayed the same.

Loneliness, separation and a reference to pills. Do not infer a medical diagnosis from the lyrics.

01 · 7 minutes

Watch

Watch the complete video once without pausing. Focus on the overall meaning and mood; you do not need to catch every word.

Listen for the repeated contrast between an earlier situation and the present.

If the player cannot load or reports an error, open the video on YouTube.

Open on YouTube

Harry Styles – As It Was (Official Video)

Choose one word for your first reaction. There is no correct answer.

02 · 5 minutes

Useful English

Four useful items connected with the song. Definitions and examples are original; not every item is claimed to appear in the recording.

British English vocabulary audio

Open the full MP3

Choose an item to hear its word, meaning and example.

hold back

phrasal verb

To prevent someone or something from moving forward or developing.

Fear of making mistakes can hold learners back.

distant

adjective

Not emotionally close or involved.

He seemed distant during our conversation.

Distant can describe emotional distance as well as physical distance.

adjust

verb

To change your behaviour or expectations to fit a new situation.

We needed time to adjust to the new routine.

familiar

adjective

Known or recognised because you have experienced it before.

The familiar voice helped me feel at home.

03 · 9 minutes

Quick quiz

Choose one answer for each question. Questions 1–2 focus on the song; questions 3–6 practise useful vocabulary.

Open the six-question quiz

1. What idea does the repeated refrain emphasise?

Nothing has changed at all.The speaker has forgotten that the past existed.The present is different from the past.

2. Which everyday image contributes to the sense of disconnection?

A public announcement celebrating a reunion.A cheerful conversation with a large group of neighbours.A phone call that is not being answered.

3. Fear is holding a learner back. What effect is it having?

It is limiting the learner’s progress.It is automatically improving every skill.It is making the learner physically taller.

4. A friend seems distant during a call. What might you mean?

They seem less emotionally involved than usual.They speak with perfect technical accuracy.They must be in a different country.

5. You adjust to working from home. What do you do?

You prove that your routines can never change.You adapt your routines to the situation.You forget where your home is.

6. A tune sounds familiar. What does that suggest?

You dislike all music.You think you have heard it before.You are certain nobody has ever heard it.

1–2 minGrammar in a minuteA2–B1 · Still and not…any more

Explain precisely what continues and what has stopped.

I still enjoy the town, but I do not live there any more.

Original practice model, not a song lyric

Still marks continuation. Not…any more marks a situation that was true before but is no longer true. Do not use still to mean that the situation has ended.

You lived near your school before, but you have moved. Which sentence fits?I do not live near my school any more.I have never lived near my school.I still live near my school.

Grammar support

A2–B1Still and Not…Any More: What Has Changed?

04 · 10 minutes

Speaking

Give your opinion and explain it. Different reactions are welcome. You may use invented examples instead of personal experiences.

Open the three speaking questions

1. Can an upbeat song communicate sadness or disconnection?

Use this song’s rhythm, voice or message as evidence.

Although the music sounds…, the message…

2. Describe a place or routine that has changed.

Say one thing that is still true and one thing that is not true any more.

There is still…, but there is not…any more.

3. When does accepting change become easier than trying to restore the past?

Give an example and consider something worth preserving.

It may be better to adjust when…

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