Nature's Secret Alliances
Grammar: Advanced passive constructions (is said to be, is believed to have, is reported to be; imperson
A Level 5 English lesson exploring science.
What's in this lesson
A Level 5 (advanced) ESL lesson on science, practising advanced passive constructions (is said to be, is believed to have, is reported to be; imperson. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary, a grammar reference with practice and discussion questions.
From the reading: Nature's Secret Alliances
When Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, the phrase that would come to define his legacy was not even his own. It was Herbert Spencer, a philosopher deeply shaped by the industrial capitalism of the age, who coined the expression 'survival of the fittest' — and it is widely believed to have distorted public understanding of evolution ever since. Science writer Rowan Hooper, in his book Togetherness, argues that Darwin's theory was not wrong, but that it has long been read through the wrong lens. What the natural world is actually built on, Hooper contends, is not competition but cooperation.
Vocabulary
- compounded by
- considered correct
- deeply shaped
- met with
Grammar
- is said / believed to
- The theory is believed to have changed modern biology. — distanced claim, present relevance
- is reported / thought
- Coral reefs are reported to have declined by half. — attributed to external source
Discussion questions
- Is nature more competitive or more cooperative?
- Can a scientific idea be shaped by the politics of its time?
- What is the most surprising partnership you know of in nature?
Nature's Secret Alliances
Grammar: Advanced passive constructions (is said to be, is believed to have, is reported to be; imperson
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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