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It wouldn't do

 
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"But, She said, I suppose it wouldn't do For everyone to be the same now, Would it."

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Do the Preparation task first. Then go to Text and read the poem or story (you can also listen to the audio while you read). Next go to Task and do the activity.

Text

It wouldn't do

by John Kay

But,
She said,
I suppose it wouldn't do
For everyone to be the same now,
Would it.

No,
I said,
There'd be less
Interesting people around,
Wouldn't there.

Fewer interesting people,
She said,
But I suppose it wouldn't do
For everyone to speak the same now,
Would it.

Task

Decide if the statements are true or false.

Exercise

Notes

Introduction: 

This clever and amusing poem was written by John Kay, who was the winner of the White Adder International EFL Poetry Competition. He teaches English and trains teachers in Bournemouth, England.

Discussion

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Comments

I think that this poem it's

Anitadichiara's picture
Submitted by Anitadichiara on 22 April, 2012 - 01:10. Argentina

I think that this poem it's very nice, and so deeply. I like it

yea, actually, i cant

dieufunny's picture
Submitted by dieufunny on 4 March, 2012 - 15:12. Vietnam

yea, actually, i cant understand the meaning of this poem. I cant get the message the author send. Could anyone help me, pls?

I liked this amusing poem a

Leilush's picture
Submitted by Leilush on 20 September, 2011 - 16:21. Russia

I liked this amusing poem a lot. Plus it's great to hear someone's reading it in a  way it needs to be read! Thank you!

nice!!

Cristinahr's picture
Submitted by Cristinahr on 9 April, 2011 - 22:59. Spain

nice!!

It wouldn't work?

oscarcit12's picture
Submitted by oscarcit12 on 9 April, 2011 - 12:03. Paraguay

Hello British Council,
Could you please, give me any other way to say "it wouldn't do"  as I'm not quite sure to understand it?
By the way, the last two lines of the text aren't recorded.
Thanks a lot for your kind reply,
Oscar

Hello Oscar, Thanks for

AdamJK's picture
Submitted by AdamJK on 9 April, 2011 - 21:46. Poland

Hello Oscar,
Thanks for telling me about the problem with the audio. I will fix it as soon as possible.
'It wouldn't do' means something a bit similar to 'it would be a bad situation'. Does that help?
Best wishes,
Adam
The LearnEnglish Team
 

affirmative

oscarcit12's picture
Submitted by oscarcit12 on 10 April, 2011 - 02:35. Paraguay

Hello Adam,
Does "It would do" mean something a bit similar to 'it would be a good situation' or that kind of sentence is only used as a negative one? I must say that this is my first time with "It wouldn't do".
May I say: It would do for everyone to know all the English grammar rules in order to understand this language?
Hoping to hear from you,
Oscar

Hello Oscar, That's an

AdamJK's picture
Submitted by AdamJK on 10 April, 2011 - 12:44. Poland

Hello Oscar,
That's an excellent question!
No, people don't usually use 'it would do' in the same way. I should say as well that 'it wouldn't do' is not a common expression and you probably shouldn't use it until you are familiar with how it's used.
Best wishes,
Adam
The LearnEnglish Team

nice

Ubaid Ullah's picture
Submitted by Ubaid Ullah on 9 March, 2011 - 06:37. Pakistan

nice

i   wish to  have  more

hamza18300's picture
Submitted by hamza18300 on 10 January, 2011 - 17:16. Algeria

i   wish to  have  more