A24 – Books and Reading
Vlastnosti
| predmet | Anglický jazyk |
| typ | maturitná téma |
| okruh | anglický jazyk |
| číslo | 24 |
| stav | vypracované |
Talk about reading and its importance, the kinds of books and literary genres, your favourite book and author, and libraries and e-books.
1. Osnova témy
- Why people read and what reading gives us.
- Fiction and non-fiction, and the kinds of book in each.
- The three main literary genres — poetry, prose and drama.
- Bookshops and libraries, and how borrowing works.
- Famous English-speaking writers.
- Your favourite book and why you like it.
- Printed books versus e-books and audiobooks.
- The crisis in reading — why people read less.
2. Kľúčová slovná zásoba
- general: to read, reader, reading, literature, publisher (vydavateľ), to publish, edition, volume, paperback (brožovaná), hardback (viazaná), cover, chapter, page, print
- non-fiction: textbook, dictionary, encyclopaedia, biography, autobiography, memoirs, travel book, cookery book, guidebook, manual, atlas
- fiction — prose: novel (román), short story (poviedka), fairy tale (rozprávka), fable (bájka), legend, science fiction, fantasy, thriller, detective story, crime novel, spy novel, historical novel, romance, western
- poetry: poem, poet, verse (verš), rhyme (rým), stanza (strofa), epic poetry, lyric poetry, ballad, ode, sonnet
- drama: play, tragedy, comedy, tragicomedy, playwright / dramatist (dramatik), act, scene, stage
- analysing a book: author, narrator (rozprávač), protagonist / main character, minor character, plot (dej), setting (prostredie), conflict, message (posolstvo), theme, climax, ending; to be set in, to take place, to be based on
- describing: gripping (strhujúci), moving (dojímavý), thought-provoking, well-written, hard to put down, boring, predictable, overrated
- people: writer, novelist, poet, dramatist, satirist, critic, translator, pseudonym (pseudonym), bestselling author
- in a library: to borrow (požičať si), to lend (požičať niekomu), lending period, to extend (predĺžiť), overdue (po termíne), lending card (čitateľský preukaz), study room, shelf, catalogue, silence is requested
- in a bookshop: original, translation, simplified version, bestseller, second-hand book
- reasons for reading: to enrich our vocabulary, to develop our imagination, to learn about other cultures, to escape from the real world, to relax, to gain knowledge
- the crisis in reading: high prices of books, lack of time, competition from films and the internet, e-books, screen fatigue
3. Užitočné frázy a väzby
- Reading is one of the oldest and cheapest ways of spending free time.
- Books are a source of both information and entertainment.
- We usually divide literature into fiction and non-fiction.
- We can buy books in a bookshop or borrow them from a library.
- My favourite genre is definitely… because…
- The book I would like to talk about is… by…
- It is set in… and it tells the story of…
- What I liked most about it was the way the author…
- I could not put it down.
- Personally, I still prefer a printed book to an e-book.
- To sum up, a book really is a friend that never lets you down.
4. Modelová odpoveď
Reading is one of the oldest and, if you use a library, one of the cheapest ways of spending free time. Books are a source of information and entertainment at the same time; you can read them at home, on the bus, on the train or while waiting at the doctor's. Reading is fun when it is a hobby, though it can be rather less fun when you have to read something for school and there is a test the next day.
Literature is usually divided into two big categories. Non-fiction is written mainly to inform. It includes textbooks, which teach us a particular subject, dictionaries, which explain the meanings of words, encyclopaedias full of facts, biographies about the lives of famous people, autobiographies and memoirs, travel books, art books and cookery books. Fiction, on the other hand, is imaginative writing, and it comes in three main genres: poetry, prose and drama. Poetry includes epic and lyric poems, ballads and sonnets; prose includes novels, short stories and fairy tales; and drama includes tragedies and comedies written to be performed on stage.
Prose in particular has many popular sub-genres: science fiction, fantasy, thrillers, detective and crime stories, spy novels, historical novels, romances and westerns. When we analyse a book, we usually talk about the author, the narrator, the main characters, the plot, the setting, the conflict and the message.
We can buy books in a bookshop, where you can find originals, translations, simplified versions for language learners and, of course, bestsellers. Or we can borrow them from a library, which is free. In a library you need a lending card, you can keep a book for a certain lending period, you can usually extend it, and if you return it late you pay a small fine. Libraries also have study rooms where you can work in silence.
The English-speaking world has given us an extraordinary number of great writers. William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth and is probably the most famous dramatist in history. Charles Dickens described the poverty of Victorian England, Jane Austen wrote about society and marriage, and Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes. From America there is Mark Twain, who wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck, both Nobel Prize winners, and Edgar Allan Poe, the father of the detective story. Among modern authors, J. R. R. Tolkien and J. K. Rowling have probably done more than anybody to get young people reading again.
As for my own attitude, I do read, though probably less than I should. What I enjoy most is science fiction and books about technology, and I read a lot of technical material online in English. My favourite book is one I read a few years ago and have gone back to since; what I liked about it was that the story kept surprising me and that the characters felt like real people rather than types.
Finally there is the question of the printed book versus the e-book. An e-reader is light, you can carry hundreds of books on it, and the books are cheaper. Audiobooks let you „read" while travelling or cooking. But personally I still prefer a printed book — you can see how far you have got, you can lend it to a friend, and it does not run out of battery. People often say that reading is in crisis because books are expensive, nobody has time, and films and the internet are easier. There is something in that, but I think a good book still has no real competition.
5. Otázky na diskusiu
- Why do people read books?
- What is the difference between fiction and non-fiction?
- Which literary genre do you like best, and why?
- Do you prefer buying books or borrowing them from a library?
- Which book has made the strongest impression on you?
- Who is your favourite writer?
- Which English-speaking authors do you know?
- Do you prefer the book or the film version of a story?
- What do you think about e-books and audiobooks?
- Do you agree that people read less than they used to? Why?
6. Zhrnutie na ústnu odpoveď
- Prečo čítame: information + entertainment; vocabulary, imagination, other cultures, escape, relaxation.
- Non-fiction: textbooks, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, biographies, travel and cookery books.
- Fiction — tri žánre: poetry (epic, lyric, ballad, sonnet) · prose (novel, short story, fairy tale) · drama (tragedy, comedy).
- Podžánre prózy: sci-fi, fantasy, thriller, detective, historical, romance, western.
- Rozbor knihy: author, narrator, protagonist, plot, setting, conflict, message.
- Kníhkupectvo × knižnica: originals, translations, bestsellers vs. lending card, lending period, fine.
- Autori: Shakespeare, Dickens, Austen, Conan Doyle · Twain, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Poe · Tolkien, Rowling.
- Kniha × e-kniha: light and cheap vs. no battery, lendable, you can see your progress.
Nepomýľ si to borrow (požičať si od niekoho) a to lend (požičať niekomu) — „Can I borrow your book?" × „Could you lend me your book?". A na otázku o obľúbenej knihe si priprav tri vety dopredu: názov a autor, o čom to je, prečo sa ti páčila. Nemusí to byť nič náročné — úprimná odpoveď o knihe, ktorú si naozaj čítal, je vždy lepšia než naučený zoznam klasikov.
Súvisiace poznámky
- A25 – Role Models and Idols — literárni hrdinovia ako vzory
- A19 – Hobbies and Leisure — čítanie ako záľuba
- A02 – Culture and the Arts — literatúra ako súčasť kultúry
- Mark Twain — americký spisovateľ z materiálov k tejto téme
- Anglické ekvivalenty — názvy diel a termíny po anglicky
Kontrolné otázky
Why do people read books?
For entertainment, to learn something new, to relax and to escape into another world.
What is the difference between fiction and non-fiction?
Fiction is invented (novels, stories, poetry). Non-fiction is based on facts (biographies, textbooks, popular science).
Which literary genre do you like best, and why?
Science fiction, because it shows how technology could change our future.
Do you prefer buying books or borrowing them from a library?
Borrowing is cheaper and better for the environment, but I buy books I want to keep.
Which book has made the strongest impression on you?
Name a book, give its author, say briefly what it is about and why it impressed you.
Who is your favourite writer?
Name a writer, mention their best-known works and say what you like about their style.
Which English-speaking authors do you know?
Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, George Orwell, J. R. R. Tolkien and J. K. Rowling.
Do you prefer the book or the film version of a story?
Usually the book, because it gives more details and uses your imagination; but a good film is a great experience too.
What do you think about e-books and audiobooks?
They are practical – you can carry hundreds of books or listen while travelling – but I still like a printed book.
Do you agree that people read less than they used to? Why?
Partly – people spend more time on phones and watching videos, but they read a lot of short texts online.