Youtube Exercise » English Grammar Homework

Silent Letter Day

Michael McIntyre

2.5M views 2 years ago

Warm-up Questions

When you see the title “Silent Letter Day,” what do you think the video will be about?
Can you think of any English words with silent letters (for example, a silent H, K, or B)?
Do silent letters help or hurt communication in your opinion? Why?

Up Next

Behind-the-Scenes of the CHANEL 25 Handbag Campaign CHANEL
Earth Day for Kids | Learn how to celebrate the earth! Learn Bright
Interchange 2 (14. The body language of business) Innovation Development
English for Business and Tourism 10 – The Trade Fair Animated English
Visiting the Doctor | Beginner English for ESL Adults & Teens (A1) | Review English MD

Start With: Word Definition

Order: Alphabetical Random

…

Silent Letter Day

Why do we have silent letters? (00:00 – 01:35)

Transcript will load here…

1. What is the speaker’s main complaint about English spelling at the beginning?

English includes letters in words that are silent for no clear reason.
English uses too many words from French.
English has too many long words.

2. Which word does the speaker use as an example of a silent H?

home
hour
honest

3. What does the speaker say about the word “subtle”?

It should be spelled without the silent B.
It is only used in formal writing.
It is pronounced with a clear B sound.

Silent Letter Day

Planning “Silent Letter Day” (01:35 – 03:10)

Transcript will load here…

1. What special event does the speaker suggest?

A holiday where people only speak quietly
A spelling test competition for adults
A day when silent letters “come out to play”

2. What day of the week does the speaker joke it would be on?

a fryday
a wedness day
a mondy

3. What does the speaker say will be the symbol of the celebration?

A silent K
A giant dictionary
The Gnome

Silent Letter Day

Gifts, arguments, and the end of the day (03:10 – 04:40)

Transcript will load here…

1. Why does the speaker say they are taking the gnome back to the shop?

Because the other person “never listen(s)”
Because they kept the receipt and changed their mind
Because it was broken in the cupboard

2. What drink does the speaker mention for celebrating at the end of the day?

champag
tea
coffee

3. At the end, what time expression does the speaker joke about?

at midnight exactly
at sunrise
at half past the how

Silent Letter Day

Transcript will load here…

1. What is the main type of humor used in the video?

A serious history lesson about spelling reforms
Joking by pronouncing normally silent letters and exaggerating the problem
A dramatic story about losing a gift

2. Which idea best describes “Silent Letter Day” in the video?

A day when everyone removes silent letters from writing forever
A day when people stop using the letter W
A day when people pronounce silent letters while speaking

3. How does the speaker feel about silent letters overall?

They do not care about spelling at all.
They think they make English easier to learn.
They find them confusing and unnecessary.

Discussion Questions

Discuss the ideas from this video

Silent Letter Day

Which silent-letter word in the video is the funniest to you? Why?
If you could change the spelling of one English word to make it more logical, which word would you change and how?
Do you think English spelling should be reformed (changed officially), or is it better to keep it as it is? Give reasons.
Imagine your own “language holiday” (like Silent Letter Day). What would people do and what rules would they follow?