Learn English With The Series House of Cards - A Video Lesson With Season 5

Do you like the series House of Cards? There is a House of Cards craze going on, everybody is talking about it and you can use it to improve your English. 

The English spoken in the series is not the easiest one, so I don't recommend it if you are a beginner or a  lower-intermediate student.

If you are an upper-intermediate or advanced student and you are into politics, you should definitely be watching it and learning from it.

To get things started, let me ask you something: 
Do you know what House of Cards means?
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, it means:
a complicated organization or plan that is very weak and can easily be destroyed or easily go wrong
Example:
Their partners began to suspect that the company was a financial house of cards

The origin of this expression comes from the idea of a house built with cards. As we know, it is not stable and can fall apart very easily just like the image below.

Below, you can see a picture of Frank Underwood and his wife, Claire Underwood. The main characters of the series.

Now, let's get started with the activity!

A) Watch the trailer of Season 5 and answer the questions below.

1. What does Frank compare the American people to?

2.What years does Frank mention? Why does he do so?

B) Watch the trailer again and complete the sentences below.

1. The American ____________ don’t know _______ best for them. I ________. I know exactly ________ they need. They are like ________ _________.
2. We have to ________ their sticky fingers and wipe their filthy ___________.
3. Teach ________ right from ___________.
4. _______ them what to ________ and how to ___________ and what to want.
5. They even need _______ writing their _________ dreams, crafting their ____________ fears

I hope you have enjoyed this lesson. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below or write us an email - contato@elearningforall.org.

Answers:

A)

1. He compares them to little children.

2. 2016, 2020, 2024, 2028, 2032, 2036. Because those are the years he wants the Underwoods to be in the presidency of the country.

B) 

1.people / what's/ do / what / little children

2.hold/ mouths

3.them/ wrong

4.Tell / think / feel 

5.help/ wildest / worst