Mr. Bean is a famous character of British comedy. He uses his wit to find creative and adventurous solutions to daily problems. Through the expertise of the actor who plays him, Rowan Atkinson, Mr. Bean can make people all over the world laugh without needing translation!
Today we’ll watch one of his most famous stunts and practice our use of prepositions. This was a topic brought up recently by one of our students in Nagakute! Prepositions are small but very important parts of language. Some of them, such as “in” and “on” sound similar and have similar uses, but they have nuances that can change the meaning of the phrase! We’ll also study some useful words about roads and traffic.
8 Useful words and expressions
- Awkward
Difficult.
Trying to drive a car with a mop and some rope is very awkward.
- Stunt
An action of great skill and great courage.
Rowan Atkinson’s car stunt is among the most famous in British television.
- To strap
To tie something securely using rope or other flexible material.
Mr. Bean strapped his armchair to the roof of his car.
- To steer
To control the movement of a vehicle by using a wheel.
Mr. Bean steered his car by pulling on strings.
- Roadblock
A barrier on the road, usually because of construction.
Mr. Bean had to take a detour because there was a roadblock.
- Detour
A route different from the usual.
I usually drive down Toshokandori, but because of construction, I had to take a detour.
- Steep
Something that rises or falls sharply, almost perpendicular.
The Eshima Bridge in Tottori is a very steep bridge.
- To be stuck
To be unable to move or change position.
My neighbor parked his car in front of my garage, so I was stuck.
Fill in the blanks
Fill in the blanks with AT, IN, INTO, ON, AROUND, DOWN or UNDER.
Extra Reading
Read more about prepositions in this blog post!
