Unit 1: Shakespeare Speaks
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Session 7
Maggoty dogs and crabs walking backwards teach us about the phrase though this be madness, yet there is method in't from William Shakespeare's Hamlet - and we bring you lots more useful expressions for talking about strange behaviour!
ድምር ነጥቢ ናይዚ ክፍለ-ስራሓት 7
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Activity 2
There's method in my madness - meaning and use
To do
Do people think you're mad - when you know that you're being sensible?! To help you explain your actions we'll look at the meaning and use of there's method in my madness. Watch this extract of the animation to remind you what the narrator said, and then do the quiz to check you understood.
ነቲ ቪድዮ ብምዕዛብ ነቲ ስራሕ ዕመምዎ
Narrator
The modern version of the phrase Though this be madness, yet there is method in't is simply: there's method in his madness – or her madness, or my madness – and it means: there's a sensible reason for something that seems crazy. Take snooker champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, talking about how his father introduced him to snooker. He said:
Clip 1
My dad's method in his madness was to try every sport and then observe what I liked. I played football, tennis, golf, cricket – but I loved my snooker.
Now have a go at this quiz. Look at the transcript if you need extra help.
Crazy? sensible? or both?
3 Questions
Answer these questions about the phrase 'there's method in my madness'
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Activity
Answer these questions about the phrase 'there's method in my madness'
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The narrator says: "there's a sensible reason for something that seems crazy."Question 1 of 3
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Activity
Answer these questions about the phrase 'there's method in my madness'
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Is 'madness' strange or sensible?!Question 2 of 3
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Activity
Answer these questions about the phrase 'there's method in my madness'
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Say the sentences out loud - what sounds correct?Question 3 of 3
Excellent!Great job!ሕማቕ ዕድል!ዘመዝገብኩምዎ ነጥቢ ...:
How did you do?
2-3 correct - you can now do crazy things and tell people that you are being sensible!
0-1 correct - oh dear! Have a look at the vocabulary box and try again.
Language note
- We can also say: 'There's method to my madness'. This is more common in American English. 'There's method in my madness' is more common in British English.
Next
Friends acting a bit crazy? Go to the next page for some useful phrases to say when you think they're a bit mad!
Session Vocabulary
For more great Shakespeare content visit our partner,The OU
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Though this be madness, yet there is method in't
Meaning
The modern version of the phrase is: there's method in his madness – or her madness, or my madness – and it means: there's a sensible reason for something that seems crazy.Example sentence
My mum's desk is covered in papers. There's method in her madness, though. She knows where everything is!Notes
We can also say there's method to his madness.Mad means crazy, silly or stupid in British English.
In American English, mad means angry or upset.____________________
Extra vocabulary
rehearsal
a practice of a play for later public performancetragedy
a terrible situation, often involving suffering or deathrevenge
harm that you do to someone because they have harmed youInformal ways to say that someone's idea or behaviour is really strange or outrageous:
- You're out of your mind!
- You're absolutely bonkers!
- You're off your rocker!
- You're nuts!
- You're losing it!
- You're losing the plot!
- You're losing your marbles!
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Shakespeare Speaks is a co-production between:
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