You Can Thank Shakespeare For These Expressions

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Materials Daily News

Intermediate

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

playwright

Noun

ˈpleɪˌraɪt

a person who writes plays for the theater, television or radio

Samuel Beckett is one of the world's most famous playwrights.

invent

Verb

ɪnˈvɛnt

to create or design something for the first time

Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in 1879.

The telephone was invented in the 19th century.

This company invented a car that drives by itself.

Scientists are inventing new computer technology every day.

play

Noun

pleɪ

a piece of writing performed by actors in a theatre, or on television or radio

I love Shakespeare's plays.

What did you think of the play?

The play was a historical drama.

He is acting in a play.

chase

Noun

tʃeɪs

the act of following someone or something in order to catch them or it

The criminals were caught by the police after a high-speed car chase.

effort

Noun

ˈɛfərt

an attempt to do something, particularly something difficult

I make an effort to keep fit.

She's making an effort to study hard.

Exercise 2

Article

AI Generated Audio––:–– / ––:––

You Can Thank Shakespeare For These Expressions

William Shakespeare, the famous English playwright, has been dead for over 400 years, but here are some expressions he invented or made popular that are still in use today.

Good riddance

“Riddance" is an old word for when something goes away. So a "good riddance" is when someone or something you don't like goes away. "Good riddance" was first used in Shakespeare's 1606 play Troilus and Cressida. Today, the word "riddance" is almost always used as part of that expression.

For example, if you found out your noisy neighbors were moving away, you might say - "Good riddance! Now we can have some quiet."

Wild goose chase

Shakespeare didn't invent "wild goose chase," which was first used in horse-racing to describe when the losing horses would follow the winning horse in a "V" shape, much like flying geese. However, Shakespeare was the first to use the expression to mean "an effort that will fail," in one of his most famous plays, Romeo and Juliet.

So if your friend was trying to get rich by playing the lottery, you might say, "you should stop wasting money on that wild goose chase."

In stitches

If someone is "in stitches," it means they are laughing a lot, or so much that it hurts. It refers to a "stitch" – a pain in the side caused by too much exercise. Shakespeare first used it in Twelfth Night, a play written in 1601. However, it didn't become a popular expression until the 1930s.

Today, if someone makes you laugh a lot, you could say "Fred is so funny, he had me in stitches!"

Exercise 3

Discussion

Prior to reading this article, had you heard any of these expressions?

Have you read any of Shakespeare's plays or poems? If so, did you enjoy them? If not, would you like to?

Have you ever been to a horse race? If so, please share your experience. If not, do you think you'd find it exciting?

When was the last time someone had you in stitches? Please share your story.

Who's the funniest person you know? Please describe this person.

Exercise 4

Further Discussion

Have you ever been to see a play? If so, please share your experience. If not, would you like to?

Do you think you'd make a good actor? Why? Why not?

What was the last book you read? Was it any good?

Who are the most well-known authors from your country? Have you read their work?

What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. – William Shakespeare. What do you make of this statement?

Source

This lesson is based on an article by H.J. Meech.