Hibiscus Teach · Vids
Morning and bedtime: Elf and Despicable Me
Practise describing routines and making simple requests.
Created by Denis M., British English teacher.
Watch each clip, then try its activities.
The films and cartoons use natural English. Focus on the task and the pictures; you do not need to understand every word. Use English captions when the source provides them. Definitions, examples and model answers are original teaching material; vocabulary may describe a scene without being spoken in it.
Useful language
For your usual routine, use I + verb: I eat breakfast at eight. For another person, add -s: He eats breakfast. Say at + time. Use Can you + verb, please? for a request.
Say it now: Speak for 30 seconds. Say two things you do in the morning and two before bed.
Example answer
I eat breakfast at seven. I drink water. At night, I brush my teeth and read.
Solo: change one detail. Tutor: ask one simple question about the answer.
Elf: breakfast with Buddy
Buddy has prepared food for the family. Listen for breakfast, lunch and Dad.
Selected extract: 0:00 to 1:08. Press play after loading. Source: Movieclips.
Watch and check: 3 questions
Choose one answer for each question, then read the feedback. Replay the extract if you need to.
Answer key and explanations
- B. Breakfast and lunch Buddy says he has made breakfast and also lunch.
- A. Forty minutes He says he had a great forty minutes of sleep. This is a joke, not a recommended routine.
- C. Coffee Buddy comments on the coffee.
1–2 minGrammar in a minuteA2 · A question about the previous night
“did you sleep”
Clip 1, quotation excerpt
A past-simple question uses did + person + base verb. Did marks the past, so sleep does not change to slept inside the question.
Speaking: use the language
Speak for 30 to 45 seconds. Use the words above. A short, clear answer is enough.
Describe your own breakfast. Include a food, a drink and a time.
Model answer
I have breakfast at eight. I eat toast and I drink tea.
Your answer can be different.
Solo: describe another person’s breakfast using he or she. Tutor: Is your weekend breakfast different?
Despicable Me: time for bed
Gru wants the girls to go to bed. They ask for one more thing.
Selected extract: 0:00 to 0:26. Press play after loading. Source: Movieclips.
Watch and check: 3 questions
Choose one answer for each question, then read the feedback. Replay the extract if you need to.
Answer key and explanations
- A. Brush their teeth He tells them it is bedtime and tells them to brush their teeth.
- B. Gru The girls say they are not tired, and Gru says he is.
- C. A bedtime story They ask him to read a bedtime story.
1–2 minGrammar in a minuteA2 · A request for somebody else to do something
“will you read us a bedtime”
Clip 2, quotation excerpt
Will you …? can make a request. Could you …? is another polite request form. It asks the listener to act, rather than asking permission for the speaker.
Speaking: use the language
Speak for 30 to 45 seconds. Use the words above. A short, clear answer is enough.
Make a polite request before bed. Then describe your normal evening.
Model answer
Can you read me a story, please? I usually brush my teeth and go to bed at ten.
Your answer can be different.
Solo: answer the request in a kind way. Tutor: What helps you relax before bed?
Listen, repeat and use
Listen once, then repeat. Replace a word or name to make each sentence true for you.
I have breakfast at eight.
Describe your morning routine.
I brush my teeth before bed.
Describe an evening habit.
I’m tired.
Say you need rest.
Can you read me a story, please?
Make a polite request.
Check what you can use
Mastery quiz: 6 questions
Choose one answer for each question, then read the feedback. Replay the extract if you need to.
Answer key and explanations
- C. has Use has with he, she or it.
- A. at Use at before a clock time.
- B. breakfast Breakfast is the morning meal.
- C. Can you read me a story, please? Use Can you + base verb + please.
- A. I’m tired. Tired describes feeling that you need rest.
- B. brush With I in the present simple, use brush.
Final speaking challenge
Return to one speaking task. Say your answer again without reading the model. Use two useful phrases from this lesson.
Solo: record 30 to 45 seconds, then listen for the phrases you used. Tutor: ask one follow-up question and help the learner say the answer again.
1–2 minGrammar masteryB1 · Reporting a past question
“did you sleep”
Clip 1, quotation excerpt
In a later account with normal backshift, a past simple question can become past perfect. Use statement order after whether/if.