How it all started.
Come out – to tell people you are gay
Are all literature teachers gay? Why?
Is it possible to tell if a person is gay?
If you were gay would you come out?
A midwestern teacher questions his sexuality after a former student makes a comment about him at the Academy Awards.
- Questions
- Script
- Vocabulary
- Discussion
- Pronunciation
Answer the questions from the clip
- What role did the actor play?
- Who did he dedicate his victory?
Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
BO YS: Doofus! Doofus! Doofus! Doofus! Doofus! Doofus! Doofus!
That's our boy. Look at him.
Oh, my God!
Thank you. Thank you. Uh... Wow. Nice, man. Nice. I'd like to thank a great director... an incredible cast... my agent and my new agent... but I'm just an actor playing someone. This really belongs to all the gay soldiers and sailors... and other guys and women who defend this country... to keep us free, but can't date.
[Applause]
So maybe I should thank someone else. Someone who's really been there. Someone who taught me a lot about poetry and Shakespeare... and just, like, you know, staying awake, man. Someone who's just an overall great guy and teacher. To Howard Brackett from Greenleaf, Indiana.
Oh, my God!
Oh, wow.
I can't believe it.
And he's gay. I've been thinking a lot about this night... and I've decided to dedicate this whole night... to a great gay teacher. Mr. Brackett, we won!
- Is it ok to announce someone gay on national TV?
- What do you think is the teacher's reaction to the announcement?
Say these phrases without interruptions and pauses.
- Look at him
- to keep us free but can't date
- and just
- a lot about
Getting a grip!
Masculinity– a set of attributes and behaviors associated with men
Get a grip – keep or recover self-control.
Why are there not many male literature teachers?
What jobs are dominated by men and women?
Do you have any gay friends?
In this scene, Brackett is determined to undo whatever it is that makes everyone think he is gay, and puts on a self-help tape to guide him to being a “manly man.”
- Questions
- Script
- Vocabulary
- Discussion
- Pronunciation
- Grammar
Answer the questions from the clip
- What does Howard hate doing?
- What's the most important thing about masculine behavior?
- What should Howard avoid at all costs?
ANNOUNCER: Welcome to our series on exploring your masculinity. This is audiotape number one "Getting a Grip." Are you dressed in suitably masculine attire?
HOWARD: Very.
ANNOUNCER: Are you in control?
HOWARD: Yes.
ANNOUNCER: Are you ready to take charge?
HOWARD: Yes
ANNOUNCER: Are you a man?
HOWARD: Yes!
ANNOUNCER: Stand up. Stand straight and tall. Excuse me, are we a little teapot? Untuck your shirt. Just one side.
HOWARD: Ohh.
ANNOUNCER: You hate this, don't you?
HOWARD: Look at it!
ANNOUNCER: You want to be neat. You want to be tidy. Adjust yourself. Not there. The package, sissy man. The family jewels. Grab 'em.
HOWARD: Mmm.
ANNOUNCER: You're in a barroom.
HOWARD: OK.
ANNOUNCER: Repeat after me. "Yo."
HOWARD: Yo!
ANNOUNCER: "Hot damn."
HOWARD: Hot damn!
ANNOUNCER: "What a fabulous window treatment."
HOWARD: What a fabulous...
ANNOUNCER: That was a trick.
HOWARD: Oh! Damn!
ANNOUNCER: We've come to the most critical area of masculine behavior.
HOWARD: What?
ANNOUNCER: Dancing.
HOWARD: Dancing.
ANNOUNCER: Truly manly men do not dance.
HOWARD: Oh, come on!
ANNOUNCER: Under any circumstances. This will be your ultimate test. At all costs avoid rhythm, grace, and pleasure. Whatever you do, do not dance.
HOWARD: I won't!
ANNOUNCER: Can you hear it?
HOWARD: Yes.
ANNOUNCER: Can you hear the demon? "Dance," the demon whispers. Everyone else is dancing. They're getting down. They're getting funky now. They're having fun! Not you!
HOWARD: No.
ANNOUNCER: Catch the fever. Feel the heat of the disco beat. It's calling to you. Do not listen! Men do not dance. They work, they drink, they have bad backs. They do not dance. Hold still. Hold tight. Whatever you do, do not dance!
1. Who is a manly man in your opinion? Why?
2. Can a gay person be a manly man?
3. What things do real men do and never do?
Say these phrases without interruptions and pauses.
- Tell her
- Tell him
- Grab them
- Look at it!
- Cup of coffee, please
- Black coffee, please
- What to do?
- Went to the office
Question tags (you hate this, don't you?)
A question tag is a very short clause at the end of a statement that changes the statement into a question.
Normally we use a negative question tag after a positive sentence and a positive question tag after a negative sentence
- ‘It’s a nice day, isn’t it?’ ‘Yes, beautiful.’
- ‘Paul doesn’t look well today, does he?’ ‘No, he looks very tired.’
- ‘Lisa’s very funny. She’s got a great sense of humor, hasn’t she?’ ‘Yes, she has.’
The meaning of a question tag depends on how you say it. If your voice goes down, you are not really asking a question. You expect the listener to agree with you. But if the voice goes up, it is a real question.
You can use a negative sentence + positive tag to ask for things or information or to ask somebody to do something. The voice goes up at the end of the tag:
- You couldn’t do me a favor, could you?’ ‘It depends what it is.’
- ‘You don’t know where Karen is, do you?’ ‘Sorry, I have no idea.’
Remember
After Let’s - the question tag is shall we:
- Let’s go for a walk, shall we? (the voice goes up)
After Don’t, the question tag is will you:
- Don’t be late, will you? (the voice goes down)
After I’m, the negative question tag is aren’t I? (= am I not?):
- ‘I’m right, aren’t I?’ ‘Yes, you are.’
So is he gay or a cute guy?
- Questions
- Script
- Vocabulary
- Discussion
- Pronunciation
Answer the questions from the clip
- How did Peter's friends and relatives react when he came out?
- What question does Peter ask Howard to show him he's not quite straight?
- What interrupts their conversation and what does Howard say?
- Howard, I'm gay.
- You're what?
- I'm gay. I came out.
- To whom?
- Who? To everyone.
- My folks, my boss, my dog. One day, I just snapped. I got tired of switching pronouns... and lowering my voice... and I couldn't take lying to the people that I love. Does that sound familiar?
- [Lowers voice] No.
- So I just said, "Mom, Dad, Sparky, I'm gay."
- What happened?
- My mom cried for exactly seconds. My boss said, "Who cares?" And my dad said, "But you're so tall." Everyone surprised me once I let them... once I trusted them. Sometimes the worst thing you think can happen... turns out to be the best thing.
- For you.
- For anyone.
- But I'm not gay!
- What was Streisand's eighth album?
- "Color me, Barbra."
- Stud.
- Everyone knows that!
- Everyone where? The Little Gay Bar on the Prairie? Know what you need?
- I need a wedding! I...
- Ahh.
- You... you... You kissed me.
- You noticed.
- This is not Los Angeles.
- People don't kiss here?
- Not at an intersection!
[Horn honks]
- Oh, stop. Oh, hello, sweetheart!
- Mom! Dad! Hi.
- Look, it's the cake.
Yeah, well...
- FRANK: Everything OK there?
- HOWARD: Fine. This is my Peter... friend Peter. We ran into each other at the intersexual... homosection... intersection. I gotta go.
1. Do you think Howard is gay?
2. What is the attitude of people to gays in your country?
Say these phrases without interruptions and pauses.
- I got tired
- I couldn't take it
- for you
- I gotta go