ONLINE ENGLISH - English as an International Language of Understanding
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Please note OnlineEnglish archive at: 
http://194.44.190.35/win/online/rosetti.htm 

Lesson 8
by Paolo Rossetti

Topic  : Song
Grammar: Spelling
Level  : Beginner

Audio  : http://members.tripod.com/~DJPuff/candle.ra (no exercises)
************************
Vocabulary

Elton John
Candle In The Wind 97

Goodbye England's rose;
may you ever grow in our hearts.

You were the grace that placed itself
where lives were torn apart.

You called out to our country,
and you whispered to those in pain.

Now you belong to heaven,
and the stars spell out your name.

And it seems to me you lived your life
like a candle in the wind:
never fading with the sunset
when the rain set in.

And your footsteps will always fall here,
along England's greenest hills;
your candle's burned out long before
your legend ever will.

Loveliness we've lost;
these empty days without your smile.

This torch we'll always carry
for our nation's golden child.

And even though we try,
the truth brings us to tears;
all our words cannot express
the joy you brought us through the years.

Goodbye England's rose,
from a country lost without your soul,
who'll miss the wings of your compassion
more than you'll ever know.

********************

EXERCISE 8.1 - Vocabulary

Please match the words on the left with the meanings on the right.

1. a candle             a. speak very softly
2. wind                 b. to be owned; to have an owner
3. grace                c. something used to make light with fire,
                           made of wax or paraffin; used on birthday
                           cakes
4. to tear apart        d. hurting, feeling hurt
5. to whisper           e. moving air
6. to be in pain        f. a famous story
7. to belong            g. happiness
8. to fade              h. a blessing; elegant beauty
9. a legend             i. a fire to show the way, a flashlight
10. a torch             j. break something into two parts
11. truth               k. feeling sorry for someone; wanting to help
12. joy                 l. slowly go away forever
13. compassion          m. something real; a fact

***********************
EXERCISE 8.2 - Grammar

A common poetic style in English is to have final words of sentences 
rhyme - that means they have the same ending sound:

And even though we try,
the truth brings us to --TEARS--;
all our words cannot express
the joy you brought us through the --YEARS--.

So, 'tears' and 'years' have the same ending sounds.

Since Spelling in English is not always regular or even logical ;-) 
sometimes the rhymes can help us see how the same sounds can be spelled 
in different ways:

BY      BYE     BUY     BI-     

Please fill in the blanks with a rhyming word:
main, smile, through, sky, care

1. I like your style,
   because you make me .......

2. Remembering you;
   for helping me ......

3. Take me up high,
   where all is ......

4. Please always be fair,
   and take good ......

5. We are the same,
   that point is ...... 

************************************

EXERCISE 8.3 - Reading Comprehension

Please read the text and choose the correct answers.

1.  What is the purpose of this text?
        (to sing about grace; to inform people of Lady Diana's death;
         to remember Lady Diana's life)

2.  Who composed and sang it?
        (Elton John; the Beatles; Candle in the wind)

3.  Which country is mentioned in the song?
        (the Netherlands; Great Britain; Tibet)

4.  According to the song, why will Lady Diana be missed?
        (because she was joyful; because she cared for the needy;
         because she was like a rose)

**********************
Answers        Go to  ---->  Online English Content
Back