Listening exercise

Listen to the song and fill in the gaps.

These mist covered Are a home now for me But my home is the And always will be Some day you'll to Your valleys and your farms And you'll no longer To be brothers in arms Through these fields of Baptisms of fire I've witnessed your As the battles raged higher And though they did me so bad In the fear and alarm You did not me My brothers in arms There's so many different worlds So many different And we have just one world But we live in different Now the sun's gone to hell And the moon's riding Let me bid you farewell Every man has to But it's written in the starlight And every line on your We're fools to make war On our brothers in arms

Vocabulary definitions burn (v)[+ to infinitive] to want to do something very much witness (v) to see something happen, especially an accident or crime rage (v) to happen in a strong or violent way alarm (n) fear or worry that something unpleasant or dangerous might happen desert (v) /dz(r)t/ to leave someone in a situation where they have no help or support
palm(n) the inside part of your hand

Vocabulary exercise
Riots have been in the city centre for several days. Scientists have said there is no cause for . She was to know when he was arriving. The little girl looked at the coins in her The woodcutter Hansel and Gretel in the middle of a forest. Two people the accident in which an old man was injured.

Comprehension questions
1. Where is the man at the beginning of the song? . 2. Why is he there? .. 3. Where is his home? . 4. Who is he talking to? . 5. What did his comrades do when he was hurt? . 6. Why is he bidding them farewell (saying goodbye)? .
created by AretiGavalaki-Greece

Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits Listening exercise These mist covered mountains Are a home now for me But my home is the lowlands And always will be Some day you'll return to Your valleys and your farms And you'll no longer burn To be brothers in arms Through these fields of destruction Baptisms of fire I've witnessed your suffering As the battles raged higher And though they did hurt me so bad In the fear and alarm You did not desert me My brothers in arms There's so many different worlds So many different suns And we have just one world But we live in different ones Now the sun's gone to hell And the moon's riding high Let me bid you farewell Every man has to die But it's written in the starlight And every line on your palm We're fools to make war On our brothers in arms From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dire_Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band, active between 1977 and 1995. The band was formed by Mark Knopfler (vocals and lead guitar), his younger brother David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and vocals), and Pick Withers (drums and percussion), and managed by Ed Bicknell. Although the band was formed in an era when punk rock was at the forefront, Dire Straits played a more conventional style, albeit with a stripped-down sound that appealed to audiences also weary of the overproduced stadium rock of the 1970s. In their early days, Mark and David requested that pub owners turn down their sound so that patrons could converse while the band played, an indication of their unassuming demeanor. Despite this oddly self-effacing approach to rock and roll, Dire Straits soon became hugely successful, with their first album going multi-platinum globally.

Pre-listening activity Before handing out the worksheets, I put Vocabulary Set A on the board and I tell my students that the words all come from a song we are going to listen to - I dont tell them which song it is. I ask them to speculate about the content and atmosphere of the song. My students invariably suggest its a bucolic song about a man who returns home and they describe the atmosphere as being peaceful, relaxed, and romantic. Then I put Vocabulary Set B on the board and I tell my students these words also come from the same song. Finally, I ask them if they have changed their mind about the content of the song which of course they have. My students are always surprised when they realize its actually a classic anti-war song. Vocabulary Set A mountains home return valleys farms fields world sun moon starlight Vocabulary exercise Riots have been raging in the city centre for several days. Scientists have said there is no cause for alarm. She was burning to know when he was arriving. The little girl looked at the coins in her palm. The woodcutter deserted Hansel and Gretel in the middle of a forest. Two people witnessed the accident in which an old man was injured. Comprehension questions 1. He is on the mist covered mountains. 2. He is a soldier fighting in a war. 3. His home is in the lowlands. 4. He is talking to his fellow soldiers. 5. They helped him, they didnt desert him. 6. Because he is dying, probably because of his wounds. Vocabulary Set B destruction suffering battles hurt fear alarm hell die arms

Throughout Dire Straits' career Mark Knopfler was the songwriter and also the driving force behind the group. The band's best-known songs include "Sultans of Swing", "Romeo and Juliet", "Tunnel of Love", "Telegraph Road", "Private Investigations", "Money for Nothing", "Walk of Life", "So Far Away", "Brothers in Arms" and "Calling Elvis".
created by AretiGavalaki-Greece

Listening exercise
Listen to the song and fill in the gaps.

These mist covered Are a home now for me But my home is the And always will be Some day you'll to Your valleys and your farms And you'll no longer To be brothers in arms Through these fields of Baptisms of fire I've witnessed your As the battles raged higher And though they did me so bad In the fear and alarm You did not me My brothers in arms There's so many different worlds So many different And we have just one world But we live in different Now the sun's gone to hell And the moon's riding Let me bid you farewell Every man has to But it's written in the starlight And every line on your We're fools to make war On our brothers in arms

Vocabulary definitions burn (v)[+ to infinitive] to want to do something very much witness (v) to see something happen, especially an accident or crime rage (v) to happen in a strong or violent way alarm (n) fear or worry that something unpleasant or dangerous might happen desert (v) /dz(r)t/ to leave someone in a situation where they have no help or support
palm(n) the inside part of your hand

Vocabulary exercise
Riots have been in the city centre for several days. Scientists have said there is no cause for . She was to know when he was arriving. The little girl looked at the coins in her The woodcutter Hansel and Gretel in the middle of a forest. Two people the accident in which an old man was injured.

Comprehension questions
1. Where is the man at the beginning of the song? . 2. Why is he there? .. 3. Where is his home? . 4. Who is he talking to? . 5. What did his comrades do when he was hurt? . 6. Why is he bidding them farewell (saying goodbye)? .
created by AretiGavalaki-Greece