Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
Carrie Fisher was a role model for many people. She was an incredible actress, a witty person, and an advocate. Her iconic acting role was as Princess Leia in the 1970s classic, Star Wars. She inspired many women and girls to be strong, just like Princess Leia. And many people still love to dress up as Princess Leia and wear buns in their hair.
In addition to being a wonderful actor, Carrie Fisher also spoke about her own mental illness. She was bipolar, but instead of hiding it, she talked to people about it. She helped many people who also have mental illnesses to feel more comfortable and to talk to their friends and family. On December 27, 2016, Carrie Fisher passed away. Many people miss her greatly.
Gary is a big fan of Carrie Fisher. Listen as he tells Dominique about her in today’s English lesson.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
Gary: Did you see the news?
Dominique: Yeah, about the weather?
Gary: No, about Carrie Fisher passing away.
Dominique: Isn’t that that lady from Star Wars?
Gary: Yeah, Princess Leia.
Dominique: … with the hair… the buns!
Gary: Yeah! The princess who defined amazing female roles in cinema… She was so incredibly strong, and off camera, she was so witty and just had this absolutely hilarious approach to life.
Dominique: Was she? All I know is her iconic hairstyle… and the movie Star Wars.
Gary: Of course! Yeah, I mean, she was… obviously because of Star Wars… she was a role model. People loved her and loved what Princess Leia represented.
Dominique: Wow, I guess I should probably look into her.
Gary: One thing also that was really interesting about her is she was super candid about a topic that very few people actually want to discuss… mental illness.
Dominique: Did she have one?
Gary: Yeah, she actually had trouble with drugs as well because of it.
Dominique: It’s kind of sad.
Gary: It’s really, really sad. We’ve lost a screenwriter. We’ve lost someone who created great, amazing essays and was just an amazing advocate.
Dominique: Oh, man! I miss her, and I didn’t even really know her.
Gary: She was incredible!
Grammar Point
Go Super to learn "Relative Pronouns" from this lesson
Quizzes
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Discussion
Gary asks Dominique if she heard about Carrie Fisher’s death. Dominique doesn’t know much about Carrie Fisher. She only knows that she was Princess Leia in Star Wars, and of course, she remembers Princess Leia’s hairstyle. Gary was a big fan of Carrie Fisher. He loved her acting and her ideas about living a good life.
Gary tells Dominique that, not only was Carrie Fisher an amazing and strong female actor, but also she was an advocate. She shared her fight with mental illness and spoke about it honestly with many people. Gary is very sad to say goodbye to Carrie Fisher. Dominique didn’t know much about her, but now she is also sad about her death.
What did you love most about Carrie Fisher? Do you ever wear buns in your hair?