Examples of pre-listening activities

Trapped into living with the ex!

1. Look at the world bubble below. What is the film about, do you think?

2. Look at the words/phrases below which are taken from the video clip. What do they mean and using the words write a sentence or two with your partner saying what you think the film could be about.

couple / split / housing market / deposit
awkward / down by 20-30% / rent out
loss / living arrangements

3. The title of this film is “Trapped into living with the ex”. What could the film be about?

4. The film is about a couple who bought a house together and then split up. They still live in the same house.

A. Why would they be still living together?

B. What problems could this situation bring?

C. What would you do in the same situation?

D. What vocabulary here is specifically to do with a) housing and b) relationships?

5. Click here to explore the text that accompanies the film.

6. These sentences come from the video;

The housing market is forcing them to live together under the same roof.

“This is my room and I’m very lucky I got the biggest room”.

It’s a two-bedroom Victorian villa in South East London that they planned to live in for years to come.

A ₤70,000 loss on the house is too much for Gemma and Ben to take.

Watch the video and then say what order the sentences come in.

7. These characters, settings and situations all appear in the film. How do the link together do you think?

"Living apart under the same roof"
a modern tragedy
by
Lehmann Brothers (and others)

Cast.

Gemma (Ben's ex)
Ben (Gemma's ex)
Ben's mother (Moneybags)
Housing Market (the villain)

Settings.

A two bedroom victorian villa
South East London
Big bedroom
Little bedroom

Situations.

A couple
A deposit
A purchase
A split
A loss
A solution
A hope for the future

Watch the film. Were you right?