Activity to work on Superstitions and the 1st conditional

1. Top 10 Superstitions
 Before you watch the video
Superstitions
Good luck or Bad Luck?
1. Do these actions bring good or bad luck? Write G (good) or B (bad)
1. walking on a crack in the pavement _______
2. putting a horseshoe above your door _______
3. finding a four-leaf clover _______
4. walking under a ladder _______
5. putting new shoes on a table _______
6. seeing three butterflies together _______
7. pulling out a lose eyelash _______
8. opening an umbrella indoors _______

2. 2. Match the actions on the left with what they mean on the right
1. your ears are burning a) and have good health in the winter
2. a bee enters your home b) a visitor is coming
3. you dream about a lizard c) you are going on a journey
4. your right foot itches d) you have a secret enemy
5. you catch a falling leaf on the first
day of autumn
e) you never see them again
6. you say goodbye to a friend on a
bridge
f) someone is talking about you

3. Answers are at the bottom of the page

4.  While watching
Go to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaa0HJf8n18
3. Number the superstitions and join each one to its origin/reason:
Breaking a mirror a. By passing under you are breaking
the Holy Trinity
10. Champagne showers b. You’re letting trapped souls out to
play.
Cursed numbers c. Keeps your soul from trying to
escape
Going under a ladder d. Requests for spirits’ protection
Stepping on a pavement
fissure
e. Stepping on one, releases evil spirits
into this world.
Lucky charms f. Western tradition associates them
with witches, demons and death
Opening an umbrella
indoors
g. You can distract the devil.

5. Passing by a black cat h. You disrespect the sun gods
Saying ‘God bless you’
after sneezing
i. Greeks, Romans and Egyptians
started this tradition.
Spilling salt j. They keep bad luck away
Post-listening:
Now make sentences expressing the superstitions and what comes out
from them.
Example:
10. If you break a bottle of champagne on a ship’s first journey, it will have a good trip.

6. Answers
1.
2.
1 – B • 2 – G • 3 – G • 4 – B • 5 – B • 6 – G • 7 – G • 8 – B
1 – f 2 – b 3 – d 4 – c 5 – a 6 –e