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Men In Black 3

Learn the Past Progressive Tense

Date: Jul 16 2012

Themes: Alternative

Grammar: Past Progressive Tense

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Intro

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regard
into

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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The aliens in Men In Black come in different shapes and colors, but they are always weird looking. They have those big, glassy eyes. Creepy.

Yet, in the new Men In Black 3, nothing is stranger to Will Smith’s character, Agent J, than his young partner who is played by Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin. For this film, Agent J travels back in time to 1969 and works with Agent K as a young man.

Find out what Jason and Amy think about this movie, the 1960s, and the younger versions of their parents who lived in that time.

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Jason

Amy

Jason: The new Men in Black movie is in the ‘60s.

Amy: That’s interesting.

Jason: Yeah. Will Smith travels back in time and works with a younger version of Agent K, his partner. And it kind of got me wondering what people I know who are, you know, right now in their 50s or 60s, were like in the 1960s.

Amy: What’s funny is like, not everyone’s mom or dad was a big hippy in the ’.60s, like you would think.

Jason: Exactly. My parents weren’t into the music at all.

Amy: I know, I don’t think mine weren’t either, really.

Jason: I mean, they had to be into the fashion. I feel like you couldn’t escape that.

Amy: Right.

Jason: So, that’d be fun, just to hang out with them and see what their haircuts were like. Photos can tell you something, but photos that are that old are often black and white.

Amy: So does Agent K have a real ‘60s look in the movie?

Jason: Yeah, very much so.

Amy: That’s pretty funny. Are you interested in the ‘60s as a time period?

Jason: Yeah. Always have been. I mean, when I was in middle school in the ‘90s, the ‘60s were coming back, like people were wearing bell bottoms and stuff. And so ever since, you know, I was 12 years old, I’ve been interested in the ‘60s and regarded it as this amazing, magical, cool time.

Amy: Uh-huh. Well, I’ll see it just for the fashion.

Grammar Point

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Discussion

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Jason tells Amy about the new movie Men in Black 3. Unlike the previous Men in Black films, this one takes place in the 1960s. Agent J goes back in time and works with a younger version of his partner, Agent K.

Jason is fascinated by the 1960s. He loves the clothes and the music of that era. He thinks it would be fun to go back in time and see what his parents were like back then. Neither Jason’s parents nor Amy’s parents were hippies during the ‘60s.

Do you think the 1960s were an interesting time? What do you think your parents were like in the ‘60s?

Comments

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MAHSA1995

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

it was a cool movie,i have just seen it

Vina Novalina

Indonesia

Era 60’s…I really have no idea about it, I wasn’t born at that time and it is not a cup of my tea but nowadays old fashion are booming again especially in fashion, for instance vintage and 80’s fashion , not bad at all, i like some of it.

Yeah sometimes i have imagination that will be fun if i have time machine and go back in time, to change all my bad things so everything “maybe” will be better for now and no regret , as Agen J said “You know what the most destructive force in the universe is? REGRET”

EVA_1021

China

Like Will Smith soooooooo much_~!!

j17

Poland

I sometimes think the ‘60s were one of the best period in history to live in, at least in the developed countries, but this is based on what people say or what one can see in some movies about that period.

The reality was probably not that fun, though. For example they didn’t have the Internet and personal computers so couldn’t communicate with people around the world like we do, but also the medicine was much less developed than it is now, so you could die of an illness that is treatable nowadays. So I’m not sure if I would decide to live in the ‘60s if I could go back in time but there was no way back.

sofree

China

Maybe, but not in China.

ErinDong

United States

wow! I love secret agent movies because they are surprising and mysterious. you don’t know at first who the secret agents really are because they don’t identify themselves. or else, what is the point of the word “secret” if the secret agents identify themselves!? I am an ABC so i don’t think my parents were hippies or anything related to a hippie. if they were, they would’ve told me by now.

kimmilinlein

Mexico

I’ve never like that movie,

rita desmond

Rwanda

tutorheather

United States

Parion – I really like your comment! :) They had/have the right idea!

tutorheather

United States

Zambuka, thanks for your comment. Hippie is historically the most common and widely used spelling and you don’t run into the “hip” issue related to anatomy. Formal articles about the movement and its people, as well as reading passages one might run into on a standardized test, for example, will always use hippie instead of hippy. I approach spelling and usage from that perspective, knowing what will most benefit my students and English learners.

Heather

Dalip Kumar

India

I have not seen that movie,but I heard lot of about this film.I am bit curious to see it. Whenever I get a Chance I will not miss it.

sanaa2000

Egypt

I dont know if its interesting time or not,but when my mom told me about her & my fathers childhood I didnt stop laughing at all.They were very naughty & had alot of fun.She told me that the pple were very respectable & had manners on that time & I think so too.I think when we advance on the time ,the worst comes.

zamalek

Egypt

I love will smith

merllan

Bulgaria

Nice movie! I like it . I think the 1960s were an interesting time. The fashion in “60s was very interesting, too.

Lover1

Saudi Arabia

Nice movie … i like it

saowaros

Thailand

Will Smith <3 I love him

Skyworld

Russian Federation

I would like to go back to that period for a wile, just to go to Voodstock festival and hang around with hippies :)

PhilologistAUL

Azerbaijan

Hey, all.

Don’t like this movie so much actually, but yeah, I wonder how do my parents looked in their 20-25th:) I’m sure of their not being hippies though:)

In addition to Heather’s info. I’d like to say that hippies were (and maybe are) the supporters of common property and they usually lived as a, how to say, pack and had everything shared. They believed in no religion, most of them were atheists and deists.