Unit 1 : From detective stories to thrillers

Unit 1 Let's Step In 3e
From detective stories to thrillers
INTRODUCTION
Describe and situate the different elements of this montage.
Vocabulary : CSI (Crime Scene Investigator) – GLOVE (gant) – GUN (pistolet) –
CLASSICAL PAINTING – SILHOUETTE – MAGNIFYING GLASS (loupe)
At the top on the left we can see a casino
in Las Vegas. On the right there are 2
people from the show "CSI". This show
takes place in Las Vegas. We can see the
famous character Gil Grissom working
with another CSI : they are wearing plastic
gloves and studying a gun.
At the bottom, we can see the silhouette
of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes:
he's wearing a cap, smoking a pipe and
holding a magnifying glass. In the
background, there is a classical painting
representing London in the 19th century.
These pictures represent 2 different
methods of investigation at 2 different
times.
SHOW = série télévisée
"CSI'' = "Les experts" (also : "CSI:Miami" and "CSI:NY" – "Les experts : Manhattan")
FAMOUS = célèbre
STUDY = étudier
SMOKE = fumer
HOLD = tenir
CENTURY = siècle
TIME (ici) = époque

STARTER : Solve a murder mystery !
The cook The daughter The gardener The maid The wife
ALIBIS [æləbaɪz] ɪz]
The victim = the rich father / husband
Date of the crime = Sunday morning
CHARACTERS COOK DAUGHTER GARDENER MAID WIFE
ACTIONS cooking getting the
mail
planting
seeds
cleaning the
windows
reading a
book
The DAUGHTER is lying because THERE IS NO MAIL ON SUNDAY MORNINGS.

Unit 1 Let's Step In 3e
STEP 1
: Je rédige une biographie
A. What do you know about Agatha Christie ?
Look at the following documents and make sentences to say
what you know or what you can guess about Agatha Christie.
Use the word bank.
WORD BANK : TYPEWRITER (machine à écrire) NICKNAME (surnom)
NOVEL (roman) FAMOUS CHARACTERS (personnages célèbres) ADAPTED
HEADLINE (manchette de journal) MAYBE = PERHAPS I SUPPOSE... I GUESS...
Agatha Christie was a writer : her nickname was the Queen of Crime. She
created 2 famous characters : Hercule Poirot is a Belgian detective and Miss
Marple is an old lady.
2 of her novels were adapted for the cinema : Murder On The Orient Express
in 1974 and Death On The Nile in 1978. Agatha Christie died in 1976.
B. Facts about Agatha Christie ?
Summary from the information collected in the workbook p. 14
Agatha Christie was born on 15th September 1890 in Torquay. She studied at home
with her mother, then she studied piano and singing in Paris.
In 1914 she married Archibald Christie. She had one daughter in 1919. In 1928 she
divorced and she married again in 1930. Her husband was an archaelogist.
She wrote her first detective novel in 1920 : its title was ''The Mysterious Affair at
Styles''. In all she wrote more than 60 detective novels and more than 12 plays.
Agatha Christie died in 1976 of natural causes.

A. Are you a good observer ?
STEP 1
: Je décris une scène dont j'ai été le témoin
Comparer ce qui se passe maintenant avec ce qui se passait à un moment donné
Utiliser le Présent Be-ING et le Prétérit Be-ING.
In the picture , the man was holding a hat
...WHEREAS...
in the workbook, he is smoking a pipe.
In the picture, the dog was sitting whereas in the workbook it is standing.
In the picture, the children were playing marbles whereas in the workbook they
are playing with a ball.
In the picture, the man on the bike had a moustache whereas in the workbook
he doesn't have one.
Le Présent et le Prétérit Be-ING ne sont utilisés que pour évoquer des actions ou des
activités. Dans la dernière phrase, ''avoir une moustache" n'est pas une activité, mais plutôt une
caractéristique physique. Dans ce cas ce sont les temps simples qui s'imposent : Présent et
Prétérit Simples.
WHEREAS = alors que, tandis que (mot de liaison)

B. What kind of detective is Hercule Poirot ?
Read an extract from The Mysterious Affair at Styles, by Agatha Christie.
1. Be logical and find the meaning of these expressions:
-HATLESS = sans son chapeau (HAT + suffixe privatif –LESS)
-GESTICULATING < GESTICULATE = gesticuler (verbe de racine latine)
-GESTURE OF DESPAIR = geste de désespoir
-CARD HOUSES = châteaux de cartes
2. Find 4 synonyms for ''RUN'' in the text:
RUSH (l. 2) DASH (l. 4) HURRY (l. 5) TEAR (l. 5)
3. Who says what ? Match the sentences with the right character:
"And, before I could answer...into the street." Hercule Poirot
"For the love of Heaven, direct me to a garage." Captain Hasting
"There he goes, round the corner!" Mary Cavendish

STEP 2
: Je parle des habitudes passées
1 GET READY !
How did investigators solve crimes in 1900 ?
BULLETS FINGERPRINTS BLOOD SAMPLES
In 1835 Goddard MADE the first bullet comparison.
In 1880 Faulds IDENTIFIED a culprit with his FINGERPRINTS for the first time.
In 1910 Locard CREATED the first Crime Lab in Lyon.
In 1937 Specht first DETECTED blood traces by SPRAYING Luminol.
In 1986 Jeffreys first EXTRACTED DNA from blood SAMPLES.
Poser une question sur les techniques d'investigation en 1900;
Répondre par une réponse courte et donner une explication en précisant la
date à laquelle cette technique a été créée.
1. Did investigators identify a culprit with his fingerprints in 1900 ?
2. Yes, they did because Faulds identified a culprit with his fingerprints for
the first time in 1880.
1. Did investigators create crime labs in 1900 ?
2. No, they didn't because Locard created the first Crime Lab in 1910.
1. Did investigators extract DNA in 1900 ?
2. No, they didn't because Jeffreys first extracted DNA in 1986.

3 façons de parler de la première fois que qqch a lieu :
- Expression : FOR THE FIRST TIME = pour la première fois (en fin de phrase)
- Adjectif : THE FIRST ... = le premier ... / la première ... (avant un nom)
- Adverbe : FIRST = en premier (avant un verbe)
2 STEP FORWARD !
A I used to be a forensic scientist.
Pour parler d'une habitude du passé, révolue aujourd'hui, on emploie l'expression
USED TO + base verbale. Cette expression fonctionne comme un verbe au prétérit :
Forme négative : SUBJECT + DIDN'T USE TO + base verbale
Forme interrogative : DID + SUBJECT + USE TO + base verbale
Pour parler de ce qu'on ne fait plus, on emploie :
Forme négative + ANY MORE en fin de phrase
ou
Sujet + NO LONGER + verbe (forme affirmative)
B Write an article in a newspaper.
Réunir des infos pour écrire un résumé
WB : Ex. B p. 23
Donner son année et son lieu de naissance;
Parler de ses hobbies à l'école;
Dire qu'il ne vit plus à Bristol, et qu'il a déménagé* à Londres dans les années 60;
Dire quel était son métier, expliquer en quoi consistait ce métier;
Indiquer en quelle année il a changé de métier*;
Préciser ce qu'il fait à présent;
Dire qu'il ne s'occupe* plus de scènes de crimes aujourd'hui.
VOCAB.: MOVE = déménager, CHANGE JOBS = changer de métier, DEAL WITH = s'occuper de.
Gary Jenkins was born in 1955 in Bristol. At school, he used to play cards
and detectives with friends. He no longer lives in Bristol : he moved to London
in the 60s. He used to be a forensic scientist : he used to collect samples and
detect blood traces. He changed jobs in 1989. Now he is a lecturer in forensic
science at the university. Today, he doesn't deal with crime scenes any more.
USED TO : exprime une habitude du passé
NO LONGER / NOT... ANY MORE : ne ... plus
base verbale et marques du temps

C An unusual way to investigate.
Read an article about Frances Glessner Lee and answer the questions.
NUTSHELL = NUT + SHELL = + = "coquille de noix" in French.
2. Quote her motto and translate it :
"Convict the guilty, clear the innocent and find the truth in a nutshell !''
Confondre le coupable, disculper l'innocent et trouver la vérité dans une coquille de noix.
What's a motto in French ? DEVISE
3. What's the nature of her work ?
It consists of 19 miniature crime scenes. She called them "the Nutshell Studies of
Unexplained Death", which is in French : les Etudes de Coquilles de Noix de la Mort
Inexpliquée.
4. Find a synonym for ''CAUSE OF DEATH'' in the text (§ 2): MANNER OF DEATH
5. Quote a sentence from the text where the verb USE means ''UTILISER'':
"... she used her fortune to help establish Harvard's Department of Legal Medicine."
6. Quote another sentence where the verb USE expresses a habit from the past:
"...students used to train to examine all the clues..."
"They used to look at each crime scenario..."
WB 1 p. 23 : Now answer questions a to h in your workbook.

Make it yours !
WB p. 24
The following expressions are taken from the sequence : number them in the right
order.
4-YEAR DEGREE 7-YEAR SERVICE CRIME LABS EXPERT WITNESSES
HIGHLY TRAINED IDENT OFFICERS IDENT SECTION JOB OPTIONS
1
Now sum up what you have understood :
SUBMIT REPORTS
A CSI is a police officer working at crime scenes ; he collects evidence and takes
photos.
A forensic scientist is a civilian : he analyses evidence in a laboratory and often
testifies in court.
None of them interview suspects.
! NONE OF THEM est suivi du pluriel, car on considère un groupe de
personnes.

Unit 1 Let's Step In 3e
STEP 3
: Je relève des informations et prolonge un récit
1 GET READY !
Imagine a story from a sound sequence.
The wind was blowing and the rain
was falling. A dog was barking.
Suddenly a man entered a house
when the door creaked.
BARK (aboyer) – BLOW (souffler)
ENTER – CREAK (grincer)
! context, situation ≠ event, action
Then the man was going up to the
first floor while the bells were ringing.
He opened the door to the library and
he found a safe.
GO UP (monter) – RING (sonner)
OPEN – LIBRARY
FIND – SAFE (coffre-fort)
When the man forced the safe, he
stole the money, but a woman saw
him. She shouted but he ran away
and escaped.
FORCE (fracturer) – STEAL
SHOUT – RUN AWAY – ESCAPE