Love, Chaos, and the Myth of the Tortured Artist
Grammar: Advanced passive constructions (is said to, is believed to have, it is claimed that)
A Level 5 English lesson exploring relationships.
What's in this lesson
A Level 5 (advanced) ESL lesson on relationships, practising advanced passive constructions (is said to, is believed to have, it is claimed that). The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary, a grammar reference with practice and discussion questions.
From the reading: Love, Chaos, and the Myth of the Tortured Artist
In 1992, Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love appeared on the cover of Sear magazine — she in a torn wedding dress, he in a stained shirt — and the image was widely understood as a provocation. They were, it is now said, the most photographed couple of their generation, and also the most misread. Their relationship is still believed to have been one of rock's great love stories and one of its greatest disasters simultaneously, which is precisely why it has never stopped generating argument.
Vocabulary
- amplified
- deeply ambivalent
- power imbalance
- self-destructive
Grammar
- is said to / is
- He is said to have been difficult to work with. — impersonal report, distanced from speaker
- is reported / is
- The deal is reported to have collapsed in 2019. — attribution without naming a source
Discussion questions
- Can a relationship ever be both deeply loving and genuinely destructive?
- Is self-destructive behaviour ever romantic?
- Which artists from your country are considered cultural icons — and why?
Love, Chaos, and the Myth of the Tortured Artist
Grammar: Advanced passive constructions (is said to, is believed to have, it is claimed that)
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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