Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

Free Materials For ESL Teachers and Learners

English Newsroom

Learn English through news articles - complete lesson plans, including articles, listening, classroom activities, quiz questions and more!

The King’s Funny Video: A Special Look

Archbishop of Canterbury forgets words during rehearsal for King's Coronation, King Charles finds it amusing.

Try this article at a different level?

 

A man who is a big church leader forgot his words while practicing a special talk for a king’s big party. The king saw this and laughed, he was not mad. This was all on a video that will be on TV soon. The video is about the king and his wife and their big year. The church leader said it was a small mistake.

The king thought it was funny, like when his dog does something silly. The video will show us fun times with the king and his wife. We will see them laugh and make jokes. The video will show us that kings and queens are people too. It will be a special look at their big year.

Original news source: King Charles laughs as Archbishop of Canterbury forgets words in Coronation rehearsal (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

Fast

📖 Vocabulary:

1difficultHard to do or understand
2practicingDoing something again and again to get better at it
3specialNot like other things, very important or nice
4leaderA person who helps guide or lead other people
5mistakeWhen you do something the wrong way, not right
6laughedMaking sounds with your mouth when something is funny
7videoA movie that you can watch on a TV or computer
8partyA fun time where people come together to celebrate
9jokesFunny things people say to make others laugh
10queensWomen who are married to a king

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a word or phrase from the article (e.g. church leader, king’s big party, video, etc.). One person from each group will act out the word or phrase without speaking, while the rest of the group tries to guess what it is.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write some key words from the article on the board (e.g. church leader, king, video, etc.). Have the students take turns saying a word that is associated with the one on the board. For example, if the word on the board is “king,” the student might say “queen” or “crown.”

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write some key words from the article on small pieces of paper and put them in a hat or bowl. Divide the class into two teams. One person from each team will come up and pick a word from the hat/bowl, then draw a picture on the board to represent that word. The rest of their team must try to guess what the word is.

– Synonym Challenge
Instructions: Write some key words from the article on the board (e.g. church leader, king, video, etc.). Have the students work in pairs or small groups. They must come up with as many synonyms as they can for each word on the board. The group with the most synonyms wins.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into two groups. Give each group a topic related to the article (e.g. church leader forgetting his words, the king laughing, etc.). Each group must brainstorm and discuss the pros and cons of their assigned topic. Then, each group will present their findings to the class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What did the man forget while practicing for a special talk?
2. How did the king react when the man forgot his words?
3. What will happen to the video soon?
4. What will the video show us about the king and his wife?
5. How did the king feel about the man’s mistake?
6. What kind of things will we see the king and his wife do in the video?
7. What will the video teach us about kings and queens?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man who is a big church leader forgot his words while practicing a special talk for a (1)______’s big (2)______. The king saw this and laughed, he was not mad. This was all on a (3)______ that will be on TV soon. The video is about the king and his (4)______ and their big year. The church leader said it was a small mistake.

The king (5)______ it was funny, like when his dog does something silly. The video will show us fun (6)______ with the king and his wife. We will see them laugh and (7)______ jokes. The video will show us that kings and queens are (8)______ too. It will be a special look at their big year.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a church leader?
2. How would you feel if you forgot your words while talking in front of a lot of people?
3. Do you think the king was mad when the church leader forgot his words? Why or why not?
4. What is a video?
5. Do you like watching funny videos? Why or why not?
6. How do you think the king felt when he saw the church leader forget his words?
7. What is a king?
8. Do you think kings and queens are like regular people? Why or why not?
9. What is a special look?
10. Have you ever made a small mistake? How did you feel?
11. Do you think it’s important for people to laugh and make jokes? Why or why not?
12. How do you think the king and his wife will feel when they watch the video?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. difficult
2. practicing
3. special
4. leader
5. mistake
6. laughed
7. video
8. party
9. jokes
10. queens

Meanings:
(A) Not like other things, very important or nice
(B) Funny things people say to make others laugh
(C) When you do something the wrong way, not right
(D) Doing something again and again to get better at it
(E) Women who are married to a king
(F) A person who helps guide or lead other people
(G) Hard to do or understand
(H) A fun time where people come together to celebrate
(I) A movie that you can watch on a TV or computer
(J) Making sounds with your mouth when something is funny
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who forgot his words while practicing a special talk?
(a) The king
(b) The king’s wife
(c) The TV host
(d) The church leader

2. What did the king do when he saw the church leader forget his words?
(a) Got mad
(b) Cried
(c) Laughed
(d) Ignored him

3. What will be on TV soon?
(a) The king’s party
(b) The video
(c) The church leader’s talk
(d) The king’s dog

4. What will the video show us about the king and his wife?
(a) Sad times
(b) Serious times
(c) Fun times
(d) Boring times

5. What did the king think about the church leader’s mistake?
(a) It was serious
(b) It was funny
(c) It was sad
(d) It was scary

6. What will the video show us about kings and queens?
(a) They are people too
(b) They are different from us
(c) They are very serious
(d) They are not funny

7. What kind of year did the king and his wife have?
(a) A big year
(b) A small year
(c) A sad year
(d) A boring year

8. What did the church leader say about his mistake?
(a) It was a big mistake
(b) It was a funny mistake
(c) It was a serious mistake
(d) It was a small mistake

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The whole thing was recorded on a video that will be on TV soon.
2. The video is about the king and his wife and their important year.
3. A man who is insignificant in the church remembered his words when practicing for a special talk.
4. The church leader said it was a huge mistake.
5. The king thought it was serious, like when his dog does something dangerous.
6. The man was practicing for a big party with a king.
7. The king saw the man remember his words and got angry instead of laughing.
8. The video will show us the king and his wife having fun and making jokes, to show that kings and queens are just like regular people.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.




Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What happened to the man while he was practicing his talk?
2. How did the king feel when he saw the man forget his words?
3. What will the video be about?
4. What will the video show us about kings and queens?
5. Who else will be in the video besides the king and his wife?

Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did the man forget while practicing for a special talk?
The man forgot his words while practicing for a special talk.

2. How did the king react when the man forgot his words?
The king laughed when the man forgot his words.

3. What will happen to the video soon?
The video will be on TV soon.

4. What will the video show us about the king and his wife?
The video will show us fun times with the king and his wife.

5. How did the king feel about the man’s mistake?
The king thought it was funny, like when his dog does something silly.

6. What kind of things will we see the king and his wife do in the video?
We will see them laugh and make jokes in the video.

7. What will the video teach us about kings and queens?
The video will teach us that kings and queens are people too.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) king
(2) party
(3) video
(4) wife
(5) thought
(6) times
(7) make
(8) people
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. difficult
Answer: (G) Hard to do or understand

2. practicing
Answer: (D) Doing something again and again to get better at it

3. special
Answer: (A) Not like other things, very important or nice

4. leader
Answer: (F) A person who helps guide or lead other people

5. mistake
Answer: (C) When you do something the wrong way, not right

6. laughed
Answer: (J) Making sounds with your mouth when something is funny

7. video
Answer: (I) A movie that you can watch on a TV or computer

8. party
Answer: (H) A fun time where people come together to celebrate

9. jokes
Answer: (B) Funny things people say to make others laugh

10. queens
Answer: (E) Women who are married to a king
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who forgot his words while practicing a special talk?
Answer: (d) The church leader

2. What did the king do when he saw the church leader forget his words?
Answer: (c) Laughed

3. What will be on TV soon?
Answer: (b) The video

4. What will the video show us about the king and his wife?
Answer: (c) Fun times

5. What did the king think about the church leader’s mistake?
Answer: (b) It was funny

6. What will the video show us about kings and queens?
Answer: (a) They are people too

7. What kind of year did the king and his wife have?
Answer: (a) A big year

8. What did the church leader say about his mistake?
Answer: (d) It was a small mistake
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The whole thing was recorded on a video that will be on TV soon. (Answer: True)
2. The video is about the king and his wife and their important year. (Answer: True)
3. A man who is insignificant in the church remembered his words when practicing for a special talk. (Answer: False)
4. The church leader said it was a huge mistake. (Answer: False)
5. The king thought it was serious, like when his dog does something dangerous. (Answer: False)
6. The man was practicing for a big party with a king. (Answer: True)
7. The king saw the man remember his words and got angry instead of laughing. (Answer: False)
8. The video will show us the king and his wife having fun and making jokes, to show that kings and queens are just like regular people. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧

How about these other Level 1 articles?

🎉 Coming Soon ⏳

🧑‍💻 1 to 1 Online English Classes 👩🏻‍💻

Practice English through Zoom with me, Paul, or one of the teachers I have chosen for you. Suitable for all ages and levels.

Choose the teacher and time you want. 🧑🏻‍🏫👩‍🏫⌚️

You can learn:
– English writing skills (essays, emails, etc.) 
– English conversation practice 
– English pronunciation practice
– Textbook classes
Anything you want

Introductory prices:
60 minute class with native speaker (e.g. Paul): US$34.99 US$24.99
60 minute class with non-native speaker (e.g. Philippines, Indonesia): US$9.99 US$7.99

Interested? Please fill in the form and I will contact you soon!

Feedback