Madrid Teacher: What Did You Think of The Haunting in Connecticut?

In our weekly Madrid Teacher series two teachers talk about the film The Haunting in Connecticut, which as usual gives us an opportunity to learn about some features of spoken English.

First, watch the video through to get familiar with everything that is being said in the video.

Now watch the video more carefully, paying attention to the following:

• Use of so as a conversation filler.
• Use of you know as a conversation filler.
• Use of actually to introduce some surprising information.
• Asking questions to show that we are interested in the conversation: What did he see?; And they stole a scene from The Shining?
• Showing surprise: Really? Wow!

Now it's over to you. If possible get together with a friend or relative with the same level of English and think about a film that disappointed you. Tell your friends or relative what the film is, what it is about and why you found it disappointing. Try and use some of the features of spoken English we have revised today.

It’s about this kid who has cancer. Right. So, the kid has cancer. The mom wants him to be closer to the hospital. So, they rent a house in Connecticut. And it’s haunted. You know, and then kid starts seeing things. So, he thinks it’s the meds, the medication in other words. And, so he doesn’t know if it is real or not real. So, one day he’s in the hospital, he tells a reverend that is also, you know, being treated for cancer that he is seeing things. And then the reverend says, this is the only good line in the whole movie, I actually thought the movie was going to develop from here, but it didn’t happen that way, Reverend tells him we walk a fine line between the dead and the living. So, we see things that other people can’t see. And, yeah, basically that is the only good thing about the movie. Oh, yeah, and then they stole a line from The Shining.
So, what did he see?
What?
What did he see?
He saw dead people. Because…
Like in Sixth Sense.
Like the Sixth Sense. And supposedly there was a lot of people dead in that house, and they were buried there. And there was, you know, a few dumb people in the back going oh! but there is nothing scary about it, nothing. And then they burnt the house down to liberate the spirits. And, The end.
And they stole a scene from The Shining?
The Shining. Yes, the kid towards the end. Wow! I am surprised that they are not mad and trying to sue them for that. They totally bit off a scene from the Shining.
Really?
Yes, they did. It was just one of those things that you are like oh! And they allow that to happen in Hollywood?
Wow!
Because, Matt, it’s the kid who has the cancer, finds, figures out where all the bodies are in the house. So, in order to liberate them he needs to burn them. So, he takes an ax, just like in the Shining, and just starts chopping away on the wall, you know, axing away, I guess, and then all the bodies crumble down and then he burns them.