Get to Do Something

Level: High Beginning and Up
Pair with the Song: “This Town” (Niall Horan, 2016)
Recommended Video: the official lyric video

The song repeats the phrase “the words I never got to say” twice—a perfect example of using got to meaning had the opportunity to. The interactive activity below gives students practice using get to + a verb in the simple form in conversations about visiting places that have famous landmarks they hope to get to see. All the tasks in the activity lead up to Task #4, in which students offer information about their home countries and famous landmarks there. On the day I field-tested this activity, all of my students were from Mexico, but from different parts of Mexico, and they were eager to describe famous landmarks in their particular region–a museum, pyramids, etc.–and to use those places and landmarks in the dialog. This activity is highly recommended. Permission is granted to reproduce the worksheet for classroom use.

get-to-worksheet.docx          get-to-worksheet.pdf         get-to-worksheet (webpage)  

Preview:

GET TO DO SOMETHING

A.  Read the conversation under the photo.

Person 1: I’m going to Egypt.
Person 2: Will you get to see the Pyramids at Giza?
Person 1: I hope so.

When get to is followed by a verb in the simple form, it means “have the opportunity to.”

B.  Match the places and the famous landmarks. Write the letter of your answer on the line.

PLACE LANDMARK
1. Egypt __e__ a. the Great Wall
2. Paris _____ b. the Taj Mahal
3. China _____ c. the Statue of Liberty
4. New York City _____ d. the Eiffel Tower
5. India _____ e. the Pyramids at Giza

C.  Using the information in the chart above, have conversations with a partner. Follow this pattern:

Person 1: I’m going to ____________________. (a place in Column A)
Person 2: Will you get to see ____________________? (a landmark in Column B)
Person 1: I hope so.

D.  Write the name of a city or region in your country and the name of a famous landmark there. Your teacher will write your and your classmates’ information on the board.

City or region: ________________________________________

Famous landmark: ________________________________________

E.  Have more conversations with a partner using the information on the board. Your conversations should begin this way:

Person 1: I’m going to ____________________. (city or region)
Person 2: Will you get to see ____________________? (famous landmark)
Person 1: I hope so.

Copyright © 2017 Sandra Heyer. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.
Photo: Copyright © Dan Breckwoldt | Dreamstime. Used with permission.