SIMPLE PAST PRACTICE
“Ironic” is a catchy pop-rock song, which was written by Canadian-American singer (also guitarist, record producer and actress) Alanis Morissette (born 1974) and record producer Glen Ballard, it was released in 1996.
Although the song is titled “Ironic” according to the critiques these situations were not truly ironic, rather unironic.
What do you think?
Instructions
1. Play the video and listen to the song.
2. Fill the gaps with the past simple forms of the following verbs. You can pause the song, rewind it or listen to it as many times as necessary.
| win | turn | wait | pack | die |
| be | kiss | think | crash | not take |
An old man turned ninety-eight
He won the lottery and died the next day
It’s a black fly in your Chardonnay
It’s a death row pardon two minutes too late
And isn’t it ironic… don’t you think
Chorus:
It’s like rain on your wedding day
It’s a free ride when you’ve already paid
It’s the good advice that you just didn’t take
Who would’ve thought… it figures
Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly
He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids goodbye
He waited his whole damn life to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought
“Well isn’t this nice…”
And isn’t it ironic… don’t you think
Chorus
It’s like rain on your wedding day
It’s a free ride when you’ve already paid
It’s the good advice that you just didn’t take
Who would’ve thought… it figures
Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything’s okay and everything’s going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out
When you think everything’s gone wrong and everything blows up
In your face.
3. Listen to the following part of the song again and put the lines of the verse in the right order by dragging.
- A traffic jam when you’re already late
- A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break
- It’s like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife
- It’s meeting the man of my dreams
- And then meeting his beautiful wife
- And isn’t it ironic…don’t you think
- A little too ironic…and, yeah, I really do think…
Chorus
It’s like rain on your wedding day
It’s a free ride when you’ve already paid
It’s the good advice that you just didn’t take
Who would’ve thought… it figures
Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out
Helping you out
4. Vocabulary: Idioms/Expressions
Choose the right definition of the idiom/expression. Check the song for the right one.
1. a death row pardon
a. wrongful execution when an innocent person is put to death by capital punishment
b. unsuccessful attempt to execute death penalty i.e. the inmate survives the execution
2. it figures
a. it will sort itself out, it will be solved
b. you are unhappy about something but you are not surprised; you were guessing it would happen
3. Mr. Play It Safe
a. who is afraid of risks and newness
b. nick name for life insurance agents
4. free ride
a. a benefit obtained without the usual cost or effort
b. taxi (or other means of transport) for free
5. a funny way
a. a strange, odd way
b. a cheerful, sometimes ridcolous method
6. sneaking up on you
a. approaching you stealthily, unnoticed
b. choking or killing you
7. helping you out
a. helping you unintentionally or coincidently
b. helping you do something, helping someone with a problem
8. everything blows up in your face
a. your plans do not happen as you expected or get ruined
b. life gives you a slap in the face
5. Check your work, read the lyrics and sing along if you like.
6. Grammar
Question tags are usually used in spoken English but not in formal written English.
They are kind of mini-questions asking the other person to make a comment and so keep the conversation open.
Making a tag is very mechanical. To make a tag, use the first auxiliary (segédige). If there is no auxiliary, use do, does or did.
With a positive sentence, make a negative tag:
It’s ironic, isn’t it?
It has rained, hasn’t it?
You can sing, can’t you?
It must be it, mustn’t it?
We know them, don’t we?
You said it, didn’t you?
They will come, won’t they?
With a negative sentence, make a positive tag:
It isn’t very ironic, is it?
It hasn’t arrived, has it?
You can’t cook, can you?
She doesn’t know me, does she?
They didn’t come, did they?
We won’t go, will we?
NB.
There isn’t anybody here, is there?
Let’s go together, shall we?
Close the door, will you?
Don’t close the door, will you?
I’m pretty, arent I?
7. Match the sentences with the tags.
| There are a lot of spoons, | aren’t there? |
| It has arrived, | hasn’t it? |
| It isn’t your favourite, | is it? |
| Don’t tell her, | will you? |
| I’m late, | aren’t I? |
| You’ve got a car, | haven’t you? |
| Let’s sing the song, | shall we? |
| We should leave now, | shouldn’t we? |
| You had never seen her before, | had you? |
| You didn’t have any idea, | did you? |