Sunday, February 6, 2011

Merlin



For the last couple of years I have become absolutely obsessed with the British television show Merlin. Colin Morgan plays the young Merlin and Bradley James plays the character Prince Arthur. The premise of the story is rather interesting. It takes place prior to the traditional King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The series begins with Merlin. Merlin is a young warlock and he is a fledgling in the magical world. He is living in a time where Prince Arthur's father, King Uther, is reigning over the kingdom of Camelot. This causes quite a problem for the magical beings in residence there being that King Uther has made all magic in the kingdom illegal and those who practice it could face banishment or worse, death. Merlin, however, is truly a brave young man and knows that he must fulfill his destiny which is to help Prince Arthur become King of Camelot despite the threat of facing the consequences of being a wizard.The viewer is transported to a time where dragons, knights, noblemen and peasants become alive.One will become entranced by the storyline as he takes a journey with Merlin, Prince Arthur, Morgana, and Gwen.
Vocabulary: 
fledgling: young person or animal; child
reigning: to rule
kingdom: country ruled by  a king or a queen
residence: home
illegal: against the law
banishment: to get rid of
fulfill: to complete
destiny: fate
transported: to be brought
entranced: to carry away with delight
Activity:
Directions: Read the sentences. Using the vocabulary list above, select the correct words to fill in the blanks.
1) The king and queen ruled over a beautiful __________ in England.
2) A criminal will be going to jail because the crime he committed was ____________.
3) His performance in the play was so wonderful that I became _________ by his acting.
4) The luggage from the airport needed to be _________ from one terminal to the next.
5) One of my dreams that I needed to ___________ was graduating from college.
6) The little bird was a _________.
7) I had a great time at the concert. I became _______ by the beautiful music.
8) The knight felt that he needed to fulfill his ________ by slaying the dragon.
9) The king who was __________ over his kingdom was very kindhearted.
10) The _________ of the people from the kingdom showed that crime does not pay.
Visit the website below to learn more about  Merlin and play some of the games!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/merlin/
Grammar Point: I highlighted the last sentence of the blog to show the use of commas when listing names.
Grammar Activity: Place the commas where they belong in the sentences below.
1. At the store, I bought apples juice bread butter and pasta.
2. Jim Jack Jess and I are going to the mall tomorrow.