Witness

Lead-in

  • How often do you watch the news?
  • How much of the news is good or bad news nowadays?
  • What crime story do you remember that left the biggest impression on you?

Presentation

Pre

  • Read the extract and make 3 predictions about what you think happened and what will happen in the text.

She saw him. She saw him get killed. She saw the life drain out of his eyes. She heard his screams of pain. She heard the footsteps of the murderer as they ran away. She felt a tingly sensation course through her. She felt a tight knot form in her chest. She witnessed it all. But no one believed her. Not a soul.

Source

Top Down

  • Read the rest of the text and check your prediction. How accurate were you?

But she knew it had happened. Her eyes couldn’t have betrayed her. She wasn’t dreaming nor was she hallucinating. The rasping of the man’s final breaths and the crimson blood were all too vivid for it to be a figment of her imagination. She was there. She was watching. She was witnessing.

She had approached the body, hands trembling. The man lay in a pool of his own blood beneath her feet, his body peppered with bullet wounds. His glassy eyes were rolled back, showing only the bloodshot sclera of his eyes. 

Her fingers were numb as she had dialed the number of the police. Her breath was shaky, and her voice was uncertain. She told the officer on the phone what had happened.

“May I ask what your name is?” The officer had questioned.

She responded softly. A moment went by. Her eyes widened as the officer started to laugh.

“Nice try. Don’t joke that much. We all know murders are implausible.” The officer had drawled before ending the call.

The phone fell out of her hand and landed with a thud on the ground. What was the officer talking about? She clutched her heart with both of her hands and fell to her knees. What is going on? Her head was spinning. The ground around her started to spin as well. The lifeless body was still in front of her, her clothes and hands now soaked with blood.

No. Something was wrong. Something was missing. Why did the officer hang up so abruptly? Why was the officer so ignorant? She stood up and started to walk away from the body. She needed help. She needed to ask someone else. As she turned around she saw a young man walking by. Her feet dragged her towards him.

“Please help! Please help me!” Her cries were loud, and she collapsed onto her knees. The man immediately turned his head.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, his eyebrows cocked in annoyance.

“Please! There has been a murder. Someone has been killed! I saw it all!” She begged, her voice desperate and cracking.

The man’s eyes lingered over her for a moment. He scoffed. “This isn’t funny. Joking about death is despicable.” He shook his head as he walked away.

“…Please!” She called out weakly, grasping for the man’s hand. But it was out of reach, and her hand fell to her side.

Source

Bottom Up

  • Read the text again and decide if the following sentences are True or False.

Example: She wasn’t dreaming, but she was hallucinating. > False

  1. The man had been shot multiple times.
  2. She was not surprised by the police’s reaction when she told them what happened.
  3. The police officer ended the call because he thought it was a prank.
  4. The young man came to her rescue when he saw her.
  5. The young man did not take her seriously.
  1. The man had been shot multiple times. True
  2. She was not surprised by the police’s reaction when she told them what happened. False
  3. The police officer ended the call because he thought it was a prank. True
  4. The young man came to her rescue when he saw her. False
  5. The young man did not take her seriously. True

Post

  • Why do you think nobody took her seriously?
  • What do you think will happen next in the story?
  • Are there any parallels you can make between the story and real life?
  • How inclined are you to click on the source and read the rest?

Target Language

See and Hear Someone or Something

Subject + See/Hear + Object + Infinitive

If you witnessed the whole situation

  • I heard the boys laugh out loud at that joke.
  • I was in the room and I saw the bird fly through the window.
  • She heard the jar fall.

Subject + See/Hear + Object + Gerund

If you witnessed only part of the situation

  • I heard them fighting over something stupid so I left the room.
  • Leon saw Nemesis coming and ran away.
  • I saw David Jaffe creating his new game but I was asked to leave.

Controlled Practice

  • Look at some expressions with hear and see and match them with their meaning. There is one example.

  1. See how the land lies

  2. Hear, hear

  3. See if I care

  4. Could hear a pin drop

(   ) Be able to hear even the smallest noise because of the quiet.

(   ) Used to indicate that you don’t care about something.

(   ) It represents a listener’s agreement with the point being made by a speaker.

(1) To find out about or come to understand a particular situation, especially before making a decision.

  1. See how the land lies

  2. Hear, hear

  3. See if I care

  4. Could hear a pin drop

(4) Be able to hear even the smallest noise because of the quiet.

(3) Used to indicate that you don’t care about something.

(2) It represents a listener’s agreement with the point being made by a speaker.

(1) To find out about or come to understand a particular situation, especially before making a decision.

Freer Practice

  • Read the sentences and label them “whole situation”, “part of the situation” or “expression”.

Example: She saw someone leave the bar at 9 pm with a gun in hand. > whole situation

  1. I heard you talking to John yesterday.
  2. She can wear anything she wants. See if I care.
  3. Bill saw Mary run away from the crime scene in a hurry.
  4. Before proceeding, I want to see how the land lies.
  5. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.
  1. I heard you talking to John yesterday. Part of the situation
  2. She can wear anything she wants. See if I care. Expression
  3. Bill saw Mary run away from the crime scene in a hurry. Whole situation
  4. Before proceeding, I want to see how the land lies. Expression
  5. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Expression

Production

  • Talk about something you have witnessed using heard, saw or/and the following expressions:

    • See how the land lies
    • Hear, hear
    • See if I care
    • Could hear a pin drop

Example: This one time, I saw …

Homework

Choose the best option for each sentence.

Example: See if I care / cares> See if I care.

  1. The dog saw / see the burglar walk away and did nothing.
  2. They heard / hearing someone breaking in.
  3. The engineer saw a worker talking on / in the phone.
  4. I saw that lawyer turn up / down a client.
  5. Let’s see how the land lie / lies and then we decide.
  1. The dog saw the burglar walk away and did nothing.
  2. They heard someone breaking in.
  3. The engineer saw a worker talking on the phone.
  4. I saw that lawyer turn down a client.
  5. Let’s see how the land lies and then we decide.

Complete the sentences using the following words.

WALKING – CARE – PLAY – DROP – GETTING – SAW

Example: See if I ____. > See if I care.

  1. It was so silent that I could hear a pin ____.
  2. James saw his enemy ____ closer and ran away.
  3. I heard the alligator ____ through the forest for a moment.
  4. I ____ her brushing her hair this morning.
  5. I watched him ____ the whole game!
  1. It was so silent that I could hear a pin drop.
  2. James saw his enemy getting closer and ran away.
  3. I heard the alligator walking through the forest for a moment.
  4. I saw her brushing her hair this morning.
  5. I watched him play the whole game!

Complete the sentences with the verb in parenthesis using its correct form.

Example: I ____ Beyoncé sing. (hear) > I heard Beyoncé singing. 

  1. I ____ Gean break your mug. (see)
  2. Heitor saw her ____ the house and went away so she wouldn’t ask him for help. (clean)
  3. Bruna ____ someone ringing the doorbell. (hear)
  4. As soon as Vera saw Regilene ____ the room, she left. (enter)
  5. The waiter saw the woman ____ and asked if she wanted a drink. (cry)
  1. I saw Gean break your mug.
  2. Heitor saw her cleaning the house and went away so she wouldn’t ask him for help. 
  3. Bruna heard someone ringing the doorbell. 
  4. As soon as Vera saw Regilene enter the room, she left. 
  5. A woman entered the restaurant and the waiter saw she was crying and asked if she wanted a drink.

Find and correct the mistakes.

Example: She hears him walking. > She heard him walking.

  1. I see the doctor prescribe a muscle relaxant to Sophia.
  2. Jake hearded them saying they knew what the meeting was about. 
  3. Mayara heard the window closing yestterday.
  4. The teacher saw the estudents go bananas.
  5. Everyone heard you gave your speech last week.
  1. I saw the doctor prescribe a muscle relaxant to Sophia.
  2. Jake heard them saying they knew what the meeting was about. 
  3. Mayara heard the window closing yesterday.
  4. The teacher saw the students go bananas.
  5. Everyone heard you give your speech last week.

Complete the sentences. 

Example: She ____ a noise. > She heard a noise.

  1. Sheldon Cooper ____ a scream through the wall.
  2. Bruce Wayne ____ a tall person standing in front of Tony Montana’s house.
  3. Peter Parker ____ a kid being kidnapped.
  4. Quentin Tarantino ____ his own movie being broadcast.
  5. Michel Foucault ____ an old friend wandering down the street.
  1. Sheldon Cooper heard a scream through the wall.
  2. Bruce Wayne saw a tall person standing in front of Tony Montana’s house.
  3. Peter Parker saw a kid being kidnapped.
  4. Quentin Tarantino saw his own movie being broadcast.
  5. Michel Foucault saw an old friend wandering down the street.

Writing

Write a short text about interesting things you heard or saw using the Target Language.

Example: When I was younger, I saw a famous singer handing out flyers down the street…