Question on intructions and questions for a listening exercise

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learning54

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Hi teachers,
Could you correct the instructions that I made out of the following text?

Hiroshi raised his glass. Happy birthday, Ikuko, he said. How does it feel to be twenty-three?
She smiled. I can’t believe it. I still feel sixteen.
As they came to the end of their meal, they fell silent and looked at one another. There was a candle burning on the table and Ikuko could see its light in Hiroshi’s eyes. After a moment Hiroshi put his hand in the pocket of his jacket, and brought out a little box.
Ikuko, he said, and then stopped. Ikuko, you know how I feel about you. I’ve never met anyone else like you. I’d like you to have this. I’d like us to stay together always.
He handed the box across the table to Ikuko. She opened it, her hands shaking. Inside there was a ring. It was a simple ring, perfectly chosen for her by someone who loved her. But part of her was thinking, This isn’t happening to me. It was as if she was watching someone in a movie.

1.
Write down what Hiroshi said when he raised his glass.
2. Write down what she said after she smiled.
3. Write down what happened as they came to the end of their meal.
4. Write down what there was burning on the table and what could Ikuko see.
5. Write down what Hiroshi did after a moment.
6. Write down what Hiroshi said after he said ‘Ikuko’ for the first time.
7. Write down what Hiroshi did with the box.
8. She opened it, her hands shaking. (with this one I just don't know what to ask. Maybe out of it won't come out a natural one.)
9. Write down what was inside the box.
10. Write down what kind of ring it was. (In the understanding that the answer to this one is 'It was a simple ring, perfectly chosen for her by someone who loved her.)
11. Write down what she was thinking. (I'm not sure about this one)

One more thing, if all the instructions start with 'write down', shouldn't I omit this part and give directions at the very beginning saying, 'Listen carefully and then follow the instructions'. Just asking.

Thanks in advance
 
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emsr2d2

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Hi teachers,
Could you correct the instructions that I made out of the following text?

Hiroshi raised his glass. Happy birthday, Ikuko, he said. How does it feel to be twenty-three?
She smiled. I can’t believe it. I still feel sixteen.
As they came to the end of their meal, they fell silent and looked at one another. There was a candle burning on the table and Ikuko could see its light in Hiroshi’s eyes. After a moment Hiroshi put his hand in the pocket of his jacket, and brought out a little box.
Ikuko, he said, and then stopped. Ikuko, you know how I feel about you. I’ve never met anyone else like you. I’d like you to have this. I’d like us to stay together always.
He handed the box across the table to Ikuko. She opened it, her hands shaking. Inside there was a ring. It was a simple ring, perfectly chosen for her by someone who loved her. But part of her was thinking, This isn’t happening to me. It was as if she was watching someone in a movie.

1.
Write down what Hiroshi said when he raised his glass.
2. Write down what Ikuko said after she smiled.
3. Write down what happened as they came to the end of their meal.
4. Write down what [STRIKE]there[/STRIKE] was burning on the table and what [STRIKE]could[/STRIKE] Ikuko could see.
5. Write down what Hiroshi did [STRIKE]after[/STRIKE] a moment later. (I realise this isn't what it says in the text but "after a moment" doesn't sound natural in the instruction. It also gives the students the challenge of realising that "after a moment" and "a moment later" mean the same thing.)
6. Write down what Hiroshi said after he said ‘Ikuko’ for the first time.
7. Write down what Hiroshi did with the box.
8. She opened it, her hands shaking. (with this one I just don't know what to ask. Maybe out of it won't come out a natural one.) How did she open the box? (The answer can be "She opened the box with shaking hands" or "She opened the box, her hands shaking.")
9. Write down what was inside the box.
10. Write down what kind of ring it was. (In the understanding that the answer to this one is 'It was a simple ring, perfectly chosen for her by someone who loved her.)
11. Write down what she was thinking. (I'm not sure about this one)

One more thing, if all the instructions start with 'write down', shouldn't I omit this part and give directions at the very beginning saying, 'Listen carefully and then follow the instructions'. Just asking.

I don't get what you mean. You can't write "Listen carefully and then follow the instructions" and then simply omit "Write down" from each instruction. You could however put:

Listen carefully and then follow the instructions.
Write down...
1. ... what Hiroshi said when he raised his glass
2. ... what Ikuko said after she smiled.


Thanks in advance. (You always miss out this final full stop!)

See above. I've marked comments in red on the ones I don't think are perfectly OK already.
 

learning54

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Hi,
Thank YOU so much for all your help and corrections. I really mean it.

8. She opened it, her hands shaking. (with this one I just don't know what to ask. Maybe outof it won't come out a natural one.)How did sheopen the box? (The answer can be "She opened the box with shakinghands" or "She opened the box, her hands shaking.")

Shouldn’t the instructions for this one be, ‘Write down how Ikuko opened the box’?

One more thing, if all the instructionsstart with 'write down', shouldn't I omit this part and give directions at thevery beginning saying, 'Listen carefully and then follow the instructions'.Just asking.

I don't get what you mean. You can't write"Listen carefully and then follow the instructions" and then simplyomit "Write down" from each instruction. You could however put:

Listen carefully and then follow the instructions.
Write down...
1. ... what Hiroshi said when he raised his glass
2. ... what Ikuko said after she smiled.


I’ve asked this because someone told me that 'write down' seems unnecessary. That the students are smart enough to understand what to do when I present them a question followed by blank lines. Though I didn’t agree very much on that.

Thanks in advance. (Youalways miss out this final full stop!) It won’t happen again. Though I have never put it before.

Learning
 

emsr2d2

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Hi,
Thank YOU so much for all your help and corrections. I really mean it. You're welcome.

8. She opened it, her hands shaking. (with this one I just don't know what to ask. Maybe outof it won't come out a natural one.) How did she open the box? (The answer can be "She opened the box with shaking hands" or "She opened the box, her hands shaking.")


Shouldn’t the instructions for this one be, ‘Write down how Ikuko opened the box’?
You're right. Sorry, I forgot you weren't asking direct questions. "Write down how Ikuko opened the box".

One more thing, if all the instructions start with 'write down', shouldn't I omit this part and give directions at the very beginning saying, 'Listen carefully and then follow the instructions'. Just asking.

I don't get what you mean. You can't write"Listen carefully and then follow the instructions" and then simply omit "Write down" from each instruction. You could however put:

Listen carefully and then follow the instructions.
Write down...
1. ... what Hiroshi said when he raised his glass
2. ... what Ikuko said after she smiled.


I’ve asked this because someone told me that 'write down' seems unnecessary. That the students are smart enough to understand what to do when I present them a question followed by blank lines. Though I didn’t agree very much on that.
Well, if you were presenting them with a question, I would agree that you wouldn't need to put "Write down". However, you've made it clear that you don't want to ask direct questions, you want to give individual instructions. In that case, I don't see how you could tell them what to do without either using your version where "Write down" appears in every line, or mine, where it's given as a two-word phrase which leads on to a long list. I can't see a third option.

Thanks in advance. (You always miss out this final full stop!) It won’t happen again. Though I have never put it before. I know you haven't. That's why I said it! ;-)

Learning

emsr2d2
 

learning54

Senior Member
Joined
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English Teacher
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Spanish
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Current Location
Spain
I’ve asked this because someone told me that 'write down' seems unnecessary. That the students are smart enough to understand what to do when I present them a question followed by blank lines. Though I didn’t agree very much on that.
Well, if you were presenting them with a question, I would agree that you wouldn't need to put "Write down". However, you've made it clear that you don't want to ask direct questions, you want to give individual instructions. In that case, I don't see how you could tell them what to do without either using your version where "Write down" appears in every line, or mine, where it's given as a two-word phrase which leads on to a long list. I can't see a third option. Me neither.

Learning
 
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