Brighter Generation Week 9 1

Virtual Education Program

2023 Edition

Week 9
Talent
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Chapter 9

Talent
I. Lesson

Engage: Ethiopian Airlines CEO Speech

● Students give their CEO application speech highlighting two main issues they are
campaigning (3 minutes per student).
● After all of the speeches, we will vote by a show of hands. There will be an actual
“election” after the presentations, and the winner will become the mock CEO!

Grammar:
● Prepositions
● Articles
● Infinitives
● Talking about abilities

A preposition is a word or group of words used before a noun or pronoun or noun

phrase to show direction, time, place, location, spatial relationships, or to introduce an
object. Some examples of prepositions are words like "in," "at," "on," "of," and "to."

Some Types of Prepositions

Prepositions of Time

To refer to one point in time, use the prepositions "in," "at," and "on."

● He reads in the evening.

● I go to work at 8:00.

Prepositions of Place
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To refer to a place, use the prepositions "in" (the point itself), "at" (the general vicinity),
"on" (the surface), and "inside" (something contained).

● They will meet in the lunchroom.

● She was waiting at the corner.

Prepositions of Location

To refer to a location, use the prepositions "in" (an area or volume), "at" (a point), and
"on" (a surface).

● They live in the country. (an area)

● She will find him at the library. (a point)

Explore: Articles

Articles are words that define a noun as specific or unspecific. Consider the following
examples:

● After the long day, the cup of tea tasted particularly good.

By using the article the, we’ve shown that it was one specific day that was long and one
specific cup of tea that tasted good.

● After a long day, a cup of tea tastes particularly good.

By using the article a, we’ve created a general statement, implying that any cup of tea
would taste good after any long day.

The Definite Article

The definite article is the word the. It limits the meaning of a noun to one particular
thing.

For example, your friend might ask, “Are you going to the party this weekend?”

The definite article tells you that your friend is referring to a specific party that both of
you know about. The definite article can be used with singular, plural, or uncountable
nouns. Below are some examples of the definite article the used in context:
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● Please give me the hammer.

● Can you see the moon?

The Indefinite Article

The indefinite article takes two forms.

It’s the word a when it precedes a word that begins with a consonant.

It’s the word “an” when it precedes a word that begins with a vowel (a, e, i , o, u).

The indefinite article indicates that a noun refers to a general idea rather than a
particular thing.

For example, you might ask your friend, “Should I bring a dessert to the party?” Your
friend will understand that you are not asking about a specific type of dessert.

“I am going to bring a cake,” your friend tells you. Again, the indefinite article indicates
that she is not talking about a specific cake.

The indefinite article only appears with singular nouns. Consider the following example
of indefinite articles used in context:

● Please hand me a book; any book will do.

Infinitive

An infinitive is a "to + verb" construct.

When “to” is attached to a verb in this manner, it’s no longer working as a preposition.
Rather, it becomes part of the verb. Examples include, “to walk,” “to read,” or “to eat.”

Infinitives can act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.

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● As a noun, they might act as the subject of the sentence.

For example, “To travel is the only thing on her mind.”

● As an adjective, they’ll modify a noun.

For example, “Sam always brings a book to read.”

● As an adverb, they’ll modify verbs, other adjectives, or other adverbs. For

example, “Nathan braved the windstorm to search for her lost dog.”

Talking about Abilities

We use “can” and “be able to” when we express our power or skill to do something.

● I can’t swim.
● I’m unable to swim.
● I’m not able to swim.

In the present:

We use the present tense to express the ability we can do now.

● I can cook for a hundred people.

● I can’t ride the bike for 10 hours

In the past

We use the past tense to express the ability we can do in the past.

● I couldn’t win the prize last year.

● I could run very fast when I was 25 years old.

In the future

We can use the future tense to express the ability we can do in the future.

● I will be able to visit you if I go there on holiday.

● He can answer any questions if you don’t understand the lesson.
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Class Activity 2
Write two example sentences using preposition, the definite article, indefinite article,
ability phrases (3 minutes to prepare, 7 minutes to present)

1. Preposition (in, at, on, of, to):

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2. Indefinite article (the):

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3. Indefinite article (a, an):

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4. Infinitive (to + verb):
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5. Ability (can, be able to):
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Talent vs Skill

BASIS FOR
TALENT SKILL
COMPARISON

Meaning Talent is an inherent ability of a Skill is the expertise to do a

person to do something. particular task efficiently.

What is it? It is something you have It is something you develop.

naturally.

Possessed by Few people only Anyone can possess it

through learning.

Guidance Coaching Training

Instructor share two examples of talent/special skill - one of their own talents, and a
talent of one of their family member’s

Have students speak about one of their talents/special skills and how they acquired
such a talent/skill

Examples of different kinds of talents that can be displayed:

○ Poetry
○ Singing
○ Acting (Drama)
○ Playing instrument
○ Comedy
○ Art
○ Writing (book)
○ Public speaking (Famous speeches)
○ Playing sports
Students name famous examples of each talent and explain why it is famous and what
they admire about the talent
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Class Activity

● Instructor share two examples - one of their own talents (or special skill), and a
talent of one of their friend or family member’s

● Have students speak about one of their talents (special skill) and how they
acquired such a talent/skill

Vocabulary to use in class activity

1. Display - To show. (Let me display my talents!)

2. Portray - To act like. (He portrayed a bank robber in that film.)
3. Perform - To act. (I love to perform!)
4. Having the jitters - Being nervous. (I really had jitters before the concert!)
5. Tense - Nervous/strained. (He was very tense before his interview.)
6. Gifted - Talented. (She is a gifted poet.)
7. Amazed - Surprised/shocked. (I was amazed at the news.)
8. Awed - Amazed/in disbelief. (We were awed over the senator’s words.)
9. Gaze - To stare at. (Stop gazing out the window!)
10. Observation - Something you see or notice. (We made a fabulous observation.)

Evaluate

What talent would you like to have in the future? See if you can use one or more of
today’s vocabulary words in describing your potential future talents.

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One thing that is not clear…

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II. Quiz
Prepositions and Articles
1. Where can you usually see __ moon, in the morning, or at night?

A. a
B. an
C. the

2. I saw __ very bright star in the sky a couple of nights ago.

A. a
B. an
C. the

3. I have a new car. ___ car is red.

A. A
B. The

4. For breakfast, I usually have __ egg, toast, and some coffee.

A. an
B. a
C. the

5. What is __ first month of the year?

A. a
B. the

6. We live __ London.

A. at
B. by the
C. on
D. in

7. We are going __ vacation next week.

A. on
B. to
C. beside a
D. from
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8. Come __ the living room so we can watch a movie.

A. beside
B. from
C. at
D. to

9. A new railroad is __ construction.

A. on
B. in
C. under
D. over

10. The sail on the sailboat is moving __ the wind.

A. beneath
B. on top of
C. against
D. over

11. The cake __ Grandma's birthday was baked yesterday.

A. for
B. across
C. beside

12. Which of the following is a preposition?

A. good
B. between
C. tell
D. catch

13. I dream ___ dogs all the time.

A. under
B. because
C. around
D. about

14. There is a bridge __ the river.

A. before
B. across
C. until
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D. among

15. Make your own sentence using a preposition.

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Infinitives
1. I arranged ____ the Kenyan businessmen for my country.
A. meeting
B. to meeting
C. to meet
D. to be met

2. I decided ____ to the park myself as the others didn't want to come with me.
A. to go
B. going
C. being gone
D. to going

3. She showed me how ____ the washing machine.

A. using
B. to using
C. use
D. to use

4. I love ___ a cup of tea in the afternoon.

A. to drink
B. drink
C. to drinking

5. Do you like ___ Italian food?

A. to eat
B. eating
C. to eating
D. both 1 and 2

6. I like ___, but unfortunately, I'm not very good at it.

A. to cook
B. to cooks
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C. to cooking

7. Genet wants ___ her friend this weekend.

A. to visit
B. visit
C. visiting
8. My sister likes ____ in the morning?
A. exercising
B. exercise
C. to exercise
9. He hasn't decided yet whether ____ the English course or the Arabic course.
A. to choosing
B. choose
C. to being chosen
D. to choose
10. Which sweet would you like ____?
A. have
B. having
C. to have
D. to having

New Vocabulary
1. talented - gifted in something (Marvin is a talented speaker.)
2. skilled - to have many abilities (Karly is a skilled chef.)
3. expertise - having professional ability (Our company possesses both expertise
and kindness.)
4. proficient - being skilled or able to do things (She is a proficient bassist.)
5. charismatic - having good/persuasive energy (He was a very charismatic
politician!)
6. inventive - creative and smart (She is really an inventive worker.)
7. knack - a talent or ability (I have a knack for word searches.)
8. endowment - an inheritance or gift (My neighbor’s endowment was warmly
welcomed by him.)
9. flair - ability to do something, often with style (She performed her dance with
both flair and grace.)
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III. Homework

Homework 1

Select a talent that you have, and prepare to present it. Display your talent in the next
lesson.

For instance, if you can play the guitar, bring your guitar with you. If your talent is
drawing, bring a piece of your art. If your talent is running or playing sports, we of course
will not be asking for a demonstration! But we want you to present a talent you can
demonstrate.

When presenting next class, students introduce their talent/special skill, and explains
the important information related to what, when, where, why, how before performing or
demonstrating their talent

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Sentence stems to use for next class activity

● I’d like to display my ability to…

● Today, I would like to perform before you, and I believe that…

When giving feedback:

● You may feel tense before displaying your talents, but…

● We were so amazed that…
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Homework 2
● Write on your final thoughts as you read the last ⅔ of The Alchemist book and
answer the following questions in your final book review:
○ What is the final lesson of the book?
○ Would you give alternate/different ending to the story?
● Write a ½ a page minimum to 1 page maximum

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Homework 3
● Students write a letter to their instructors and Brighter Generation Program using
the formal letter etiquette learned
○
○ ½ page about what they have learned in the program
○ ½ page message to their instructor
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IV. Handouts

Preposition

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between two things. In the example
below, the prepositions show the relationships between a plane and a cloud.

“The plane flew above the cloud, behind the cloud, around the cloud, below the cloud,
beneath the cloud, beside the cloud, beyond the cloud, into the cloud, near the cloud,
outside the cloud, over the cloud, past the cloud, through the cloud, toward the cloud,
under the cloud, and finally dove underneath the cloud.”

Below is a list of most common prepositions:

about beside inside to

above besides like toward

across between near under

after beyond of underneath

against by off until

along despite on up

among down out with

around during outside within

at except over without

before for past

behind from since

below in through

beneath into throughout

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Some prepositions consist of more than one word. Here is a list of the most common
multi word prepositions:

along with in place of

because of in spite of

Due to instead of

except for on account of

in addition to out of

in case of up to

in front of with the exception of

Handout 3
Articles—a, an, the

The articles a, an, and the help your readers understand whether you’re using
a noun in an indefinite (general) or definite (specific) way.

Is the noun general? If the noun is general, use “a” or “an.”

● A and an are indefinite articles and are used to indicate a single

item.
○ Take a pencil. (Take one pencil.)
○ I won a thousand birr. (I won one thousand birr.)

● Do not use a or an with a plural noun.

○ Incorrect: “They talked about a good restaurants.”
○ Correct, Unspecific reference: “They talked about a good restaurant to
visit.”
○ Correct, Specific reference: “The talked about the good Italian restaurant
on Main Street.”

● Use a as an unspecific reference before a consonant.

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○ He likes to read a book. (She likes to read any book, not a specific one.)
○ That was a funny story. (That was one of many funny stories.)

● Use a when the word following it starts with a consonant sound.

○ a book, a hospital, a leg, a one-inch pipe, a youth

● Use an as an unspecific reference before a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u).

● an apple, an opera, an eagle, an idea, an SOS (the s here is an es sound) ∙ Words

that begin with u or h can have either a vowel or a consonant sound. Make the
choice based on the sound of the first word after the article, even if that word is
not the noun.

○ a union, a uniform (use a when the u sounds like the y in you)

○ an unbelievable event, an umbrella, a unique umbrella
○ an honor, an hour, an honest person
○ a hotel, a history book, a historian
○ an historian, an historic event (NOTE: words like historic can take either a
or an)

Is the noun specific? If the noun is specific, use “the.”

Use the as a specific reference to a common noun or something that is one of a

kind.

● Give me the book on the table. (identifies a specific book)

● The sun rose at seven o'clock. (identifies something that is one of a kind)
● Use a or an to introduce a noun the first time it is mentioned, and then
the is used afterwards whenever the noun is mentioned.
● I bought a sandwich for lunch. I shared the sandwich with my friend.
Most proper nouns do not use an article. However, some do.

A proper noun names unique person, place, or thing (Bahir Dar, Unity Park, South
Africa)
● Correct: “I went to Bahir Dar.”
● Incorrect: “I went to the Bahir Dar.”

An exception is the proper nouns with “of” as part of the name:

● the University of Virginia
● the Democratic Republic of the Congo
● the President of Kenya
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Plural proper nouns use the:

● the Ethiopian Coffee
● the Appalachian Mountains

A proper noun that names a group (a collective noun) also use the:
● the United Arab Emirates
● the Society of Friends

Some geographical features use the:

● the Sahara Desert
● the Atlantic Ocean
● the Pyramids
● the Amazon

Handout 4

Infinitive
An infinitive phrase starts with an infinitive and includes other modifiers or objects. Like
infinitives themselves, infinitive phrases can act in three different capacities:

● Nouns
● Adjectives
● Adverbs

Infinitives as Nouns

As a noun, an infinitive phrase will either appear as the subject of the sentence or the
direct object.

Subjects of a sentence are always nouns or pronouns. Here’s an example:

● To dance beneath the stars with her is Jared’s only goal.

But, what about direct objects? Direct objects are always nouns, too. They receive the
action of the verb. Here’s an example:

● Collum likes to meditate after a stressful day.

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Infinitives as Adjectives

As an adjective, an infinitive phrase will modify a noun in the sentence. To envision that,
let's break it down with an easy example:

● The best book to help you understand fairy tales is titled Once Upon a Time.
(modifying the noun “book”)

In this example, the subject, or the thing being discussed, is a book. We learn more
about the book, or it gets modified, by the phrase “to help you understand fairy tales.”
Now, we know it’s not just a book. It’s a book that details fairy tales. Then, the sentence
completes itself with the linking verb “is” and the subject complement, or the added
information about the subject, “titled Once Upon a Time.”

Infinitives as an Adverb

Finally, we have our friend, the adverb. The most popular definition of an adverb is a
word that modifies a verb. But, they can also provide further information about
adjectives and other adverbs. Let’s take a look:

● Mary walked to breathe in some fresh air.

Here, “to breathe in some fresh air” is modifying the verb “walked.” It’s giving us more
information about why she took this action.

Here are two more examples:

● Daniel intended to write a novel during his sabbatical. (modifying the verb
“intended”)
● Sophia is planting a vegetable garden to eat organic foods right from her own
backyard. (modifying the verb “planting”)

Handout 5

THE INFINITIVE PHRASE

The infinitive phrase begins with the word to. The phrase consists of to, the infinitive
(always a verb), its complements, and its modifiers.
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Ex. Tim wants to be a lawyer. (The infinitive phrase is the object of wants.)

To win at chess requires much concentration. (The infinitive phrase is the subject.)

Mary was glad to be invited to the party. (The infinitive phrase modifies the adjective
glad.)

Identifying Infinitive Phrases. Underline the infinitive phrase in each of the following
sentences.

Example: Alazar intends to work hard.

1. To be objective in my decision is hard.

2. Does Yoseph have enough change to make a phone call?

3. Always try to proofread your paper before you turn it in.

4. Fatima is able to swim six lengths of the pool.

5. Would you like to warn me if anyone comes?

6. I was happy to give you a ride home.

7. To move to a larger house would be unwise for us now.

8. Daniel was frightened to be alone in the old house.

9. Mahelet is trying to practice the piano an hour a day.

10. To be a doctor is Helen's ambition.

11. Did you have time to feed the kitten?

12. Mr. Getachew and Mrs. Helen plan to go to Gondar this summer.

13. The mayor decided to call a press conference.

14. Dawit always tries to do his best.

15. Sarah tried to paint the ceiling of her room.

16. The lecturer was asked to speak for half an hour.

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17. Our plan is to go to Bahir Dar in October.

18. To play tennis every day is Fatima’s ambition for the summer.

Answer Key

1. To be objective in my decision is hard.

2. Does Yoseph have enough change to make a phone call?

3. Always try to proofread your paper before you turn it in.

4. Fatima is able to swim six lengths of the pool.

5. Would you like to warn me if anyone comes?

6. I was happy to give you a ride home.

7. To move to a larger house would be unwise for us now.

8. The boy was frightened to be alone in the old house.

9. Mahelet is trying to practice the piano an hour a day.

10. To be a doctor is Helen's ambition.

11. Did you have time to feed the kitten?

12. Mr. Getachew and Mrs. Helen plan to go to Gondar this summer.

13. The mayor decided to call a press conference.

14. Dawit always tries to do his best.

15. Sarah tried to paint the ceiling of her room.

16. The lecturer was asked to speak for half an hour.

17. Our plan is to go to Bahir Dar in October.

18. To play tennis every day is Fatima's ambition for the summer.