Youtube Exercise » English Grammar Homework

Silent Letter Day

Michael McIntyre

2.5M views 1 year ago

Warm-up Questions

What do you think “Silent Letter Day” could be, and why might it be funny?
Can you think of any English words with letters you don’t pronounce (like “hour”)?
If you could remove one silent letter from English spelling, which one would you choose?

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Start With: Word Definition

Order: Alphabetical Random

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Silent Letter Day

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

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1. What is the speaker mainly complaining about in this part?

English spelling includes letters that are not pronounced
English grammar rules are too strict
English has too many different accents
English words are too short to understand

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

happy
hotel
honest
hour

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

It comes from another language so it cannot change
It should be spelled without the silent letter in the middle
It is only used in formal writing
It is impossible to pronounce correctly

Silent Letter Day

Inventing “Silent Letter Day” (01:35 – 03:12)

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1. What day does the speaker suggest for Silent Letter Day?

a Wednesday
a Friday
Halloween
New Year’s Day

2. What kind of food service does the speaker imagine?

a sit-down restaurant meal
buffet style
home delivery only
no food is allowed

3. What does the speaker say will be the symbol of Silent Letter Day?

a gnome
a knife
a clock
a knight

Silent Letter Day

Gift problems and the end-of-day celebration (03:12 – 04:40)

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1. What does the speaker say they cut the wrapping paper with?

a receipt
a knife
scissors
a gnome

2. Why does the speaker say they are taking the gift back to the shop?

Because there is an argument and the speaker says they’re not giving it anymore
Because the other person didn’t want a gift at all
Because it was broken when they bought it
Because the shop asked for it to be returned

3. What drink is mentioned for the celebration at the end of the day?

lemonade
tea
coffee
champagne

Silent Letter Day

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1. What is the main comedic idea of the video?

A history documentary about the origin of English
A lesson on how to spell difficult English words
A made-up holiday where people pronounce silent letters in words
Silent letters should all be removed from English immediately

2. Which best describes the speaker’s attitude toward silent letters?

Confused and frustrated in a humorous way
Serious and academic
Proud and supportive
Uninterested

3. Which topic appears again and again throughout the video?

How spelling and pronunciation don’t match because of silent letters
Why English has many verb tenses
How to learn new vocabulary fast
Why people should avoid slang

Discussion Questions

Discuss the ideas from this video

Silent Letter Day

Do you think English spelling should be changed to match pronunciation more closely? Why or why not?
What silent-letter words in English are the most difficult for you to spell or pronounce? Give examples.
If your language has silent letters or difficult spelling rules, what are they?
Invent your own funny “language holiday.” What would people do, and what would be the symbol?