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Unit 1: Shakespeare Speaks
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Session 16

Ssshhhh… it's a secret! It's William Shakespeare's birthday and there's a surprise in store for him. Plus, we're bringing you the phrase mum's the word and keep mum as well as lots more useful phrases for talking about secrets!

ክፍለ-ስራሓት ናይዚ ምዕራፍ

ድምር ነጥቢ ናይዚ ክፍለ-ስራሓት 16

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    Activity 1
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    Activity 2
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    Activity 3

Activity 3

Are you a blabbermouth?

Can you keep a secret?

We asked you - what expression can we use to describe a person who blabs? The answer is ablabbermouth.

So now it's time to find out if you are a blabbermouth.  

Do the activity

To do

Try this fun quiz to find out how good you are at keeping secrets! 

There are no correct answers - but be honest! The more ✔s you receive the better you are at keeping secrets - and the more ✖ s you receive, the more of a blabbermouth you are!

The score you are given at the end will reveal how good you are at keeping secrets.

To blab or not to blab...

4 Questions

Answer the questions to find out how good you are at keeping secrets.

There are no correct answers, but your score will tell you how good you are at keeping secrets!

ኣገናዕ፡ ፈተናኹም ዛዚምኩም
Excellent!Great job!ሕማቕ ዕድል!ዘመዝገብኩምዎ ነጥቢ ...:
x / y

How did you do?
0-2 points. Oh dear – you are a right blabbermouth! No secret is safe with you.
3-4 points. You know how to keep mum. You friends must tell you secrets all the time because they know that you won’t blab.

Over to you

We asked you: So are you able to keep mum? Write and tell us your quiz score and tell us - do you find it difficult to keep a secret? Why / why not?

Here's what you said:

Ia, Georgia       

    It  is  clear  that   opinions   differ : some people  prefer  to  talk  everything  they  know ,others  are less   talkative and  there  are also silent people ….Which  one  do  I  belong ? I   used  to  give  them  all  the  information  openly. One  day  my  lectrice  said  to  me : ‘’ Ia , imagine !  The  topic  which  makes  you  think  what  will  happen  next ,so  that  you  ask  as  many  questions  as  possible .It  is  more interesting, is  not  it?”…From  then  on ,I  realized  how  important  is  to keep something  in secret- mum’s  the  word , you  know.

    Am  I  used  to  giving  no  words  but  mum ?  look  !   when  your  enemies  know  about your strength and   weakness , what  or  who  is  your power of strength ,it  must  be very  easy  for  them  to  send you packing.. so  what  you  need  is  to  keep  your  mouth  shut  and  use  all  your  powers  in  the right place  at  the  right  time! In  this  case  your  secret  turns  into  the  tower  of  strength. So  it  is worth it.

    Another  case is  when you want  to surprise your friends or family .The  more secrets , the  merrier situations. No one is  going to be a blabbermouth, really. To  be  honest , the  more  topics  I  write , the more  secret   phrases  I  face. So  that  they  are part  of  me and  take  place  in  the  real  life situations .I  have  already  noticed  that  I can  express  my  feelings  much  better  and  I  feel   like I am  attending  this  most   important   celebration – 400th anniversary ! Thank   you  for  being  there  for me.

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Vincenzo, Italy

I believe I’m able to keep mum... My score was 4! I know some people who are authentic blabbermouths. A friend of mine enjoys giving the game away. If you want to publicise some news, tell her to keep it under wraps… She’ll spill the beans in a short time! According to me, it’s not difficult to keep a secret. You just have to follow a very simple rule: mum’s the word!

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Jean Marie 

When it could be harmful for somebody I give no words but mum. If there is opportunity to have fun about something I must confess that I am a blabbermouth. For the time being I haven't done any damage in giving the game away but be careful! it could be very easy to let the cat out of the bag particularly about a woman cheating with her age or someone who desperately try to masquerade his real appearance, but , in this case they often let it slip themselves.

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Andrea, Hungary

My score 4! So i can mum's the word.

I have a realy nice friend she is lovely but she is a bubblemouth.

If i want tell a secret just a few people i tell her keep her mouth shut and I'm sure she let the cat out of the bag soon  

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Tomoki 

My quiz score is three points. However I am not sure that I do the same thing when similar situaions to quizes happen.

I find it difficult to keep a secret because it sometimes seems to be immoral to do it. Besides, I cannot sure that it is good not  to breath a word for everyone unless I blab. 

End of session

That’s all for now. But don't worry - we'll be back again soon. In the meantime there are plenty more episodes for you to enjoy. Learn how to use phrases like, The green-eyed monster,As dead as a doornail, What's done is done and many more.

Return to these pages to find out more about William Shakespeare's life and work - and to learn a useful new English expression. Don't forget to go to our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram pages for more fun with English!

Session Vocabulary

  • For more great Shakespeare content visit our partner,The OU

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    Give no words but mum

    Meaning
    The phrase give no words but mum is usually simplified to just keep mum. It means: don't tell anyone - it's a secret.  

    Example sentence
    Mark Hamill to keep mum amid Star Wars Skywalker speculation

    Note
    Another version of the phrase is mum's the word.

    Example sentence
    Don't tell anyone you saw me here. Mum's the word!

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    Extra vocabulary

    your secret’s safe with me
    I won't tell anyone your secret

    keep it under wraps
    keep it secret

    don't tell a soul
    don't tell anyone

    I won’t breathe a word
    I won't tell anyone your secret

    my lips are sealed
    I won't tell anyone your secret

    keep your mouth shut
    keep a secret

    blab
    reveal a secret

    let the cat out of the bag
    reveal a secret (usually by accident)

    let it slip
    reveal a secret (usually by accident)

    spill the beans
    reveal a secret

    give the game away
    reveal a secret

    a blabbermouth
    someone who reveals secrets

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    About Shakespeare Speaks

    Shakespeare Speaks is a co-production between:

    BBC Learning English

    The Open University

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