VIII. Write down the opposite

1) Ann is a sincere, open-hearted woman, easy-going at that. 2) Jack is a very clever man, all brains to his boots. 3) She is a very mild, gentle, considerate creature, benevolent, always merry and cheerful. 4) He is honest and generous. 5) Lord Sannox was a humble, inconspicuous man, modest and weak-willed. 6) He is a man of high principles, very self-determined. 7) She is greedy and perverse. 8) He is very proud and dignified. 9) The woman is a nuisance, tactless and fussy. 10) He seemed to be handy and skillful, a very energetic fellow.

IX. Describe some two literary personages who are antipodes.

Suggestions:

Amelia Sedlev and Rebecca Sharp.

Mrs. Copperfield and Mr. and Miss Murdstone.

Onegin and Lensky.

X. Give a detailed description of the appearance and character of some personage from a well-known book or film. Don't mention the name. Let your fellow-students guess who you mean.

XI. Bring the photo of a friend or an acquaintance of yours. Ask one of your fellow-students to describe the character of the person judging by his (or her) appearance, and give his reasons. Then say whether the description was correct or wrong.

XII. Make up dialogues about a portrait created by a famous Russian or foreign painter.

Suggested situations:

Your friend and you are standing before a portrait by Gainsborough or Rembrandt or Serov and discussing the character of the person represented in the picture.

You come to the Hermitage and see a portrait that impresses you so much that you address the man who just happens to be standing near you.

The situations may be different but the aim is to discuss the appearance and character of the person shown in the picture.

XIII. Give answers to the so-called "Century-old Questionnaire".

The questionnaire, containing 18 questions was compiled a century ago and was widely known in Western Europe. Many prominent people amused themselves filling it in. The questionnaire might turn out helpful to you too. It might make you think and look back on your life, try to see the prospects for the future and to define your attitude to vitally important questions.

Your replies are not supposed to be given as brief formulas but they should contain a detailed explanation of what you have in mind.

Here are the questions.

1) Your favourite virtue (in man, in woman). 2) Your chief characteristic. 3) Your idea of happiness. 4) Your idea of misery. 5) The vice you excuse most. 6) The vice you detest most. 7) Your aversion. 8) Favourite poet. 9) Favourite occupation. 10) Favourite prose writer. 11) Favourite hero. 12) Favourite heroine. 13) Favourite flower. 14) Favourite colour. 15) Favourite name. 16) Favourite dish. 17) Favourite maxim. 18) Favourite motto.

Games.

1. The teacher first writes the names of lots of literary personages on separate bits of paper. A student comes out and chooses a bit at random. He does not read what is written there but shows it to the group. Now all the students but he know who he is. So each student in turn mentions one feature of the personage’s character. For example, in the bit of paper they saw: Ostap Bender. Now one by one they say: You are very resourceful, Your morals are rather elastic and so on. The victim’s object is to guess who he is. If he can’t do it when all his friends have spoken, he has the right to make another attempt and ask 10 general questions about himself. If he still can’t guess he loses the game. Another student comes out.

2. Two students go outside and decide what characters they will be (for example, Martin Eden and Ruth, Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester, etc). When they return they hold a conversation always talking in character, but not mentioning their names. When the names are guessed two others go out.

3. One student mentions the name of a personage from a well-known film. The man sitting next to him says something about this personage, the next – adds another sentence to the first trying to build up a story and to characterize the person completely. Anyone who fails to keep the ball rolling is banished from the game. The game stops when only one participant if left or when the group decides that the topic is exhausted.

4. Two students go out and are invited to return one by one after the group has decided what characters they are to represent.

E. g. One is to be Shakespeare and the other – Enrico Caruso (both historical personages and characters from fiction may be taken). Each one is informed as to what character his interlocutor is. They start a conversation asking questions and making remarks alluding to each other’s personality and way of life. As the conversation unravels each character guesses who he is. In case of difficulty the group may help by suggestive remarks or questions.

5. Gossiping (or opinions).

One student goes outside. The leader writes down the players’ opinions about the victim’s character. When the students returns the leader informs him about his friends’ opinions of his character. He does it this way: “I heard a girl say that you were a lazy-bones, another girl said that you had once pulled her leg”, etc. The victim must react to every sentence expressing his agreement, surprise, indignation, satisfaction.

(For example. You don’t mean it. Who could have said such a thing! Rubbish! I am nothing of that kind, etc.)

At the end the leader asks: “Who said that you were a lazy-bones?” If the victim guesses he has won, if not he pays a forfeit. Later you can invent ransoms for forfeits.