Associations with Halloween. Materials for lessons

The Halloween holiday has recently become familiar in our country. You can start a story about Halloween in English with what you associate it with and what history it has.

Halloween symbols

You can use the following vocabulary.

Pumpkin - pumpkin.
Symbol – symbol.
Ghosts - ghosts.
Witches - witches.
Vampires - vampires.
Evil spirits - evil spirits.
Festival - holiday.
Holiday - holiday.
Creatures - creatures.
To take place - to pass.
To be dedicated to - to be dedicated.
To be created by – to be created.
Celts - Celts.
Superstitious - superstitious.
To be celebrated - celebrated, celebrated.
To be afraid of - to be afraid.
To wear masks - wear masks.
To recognize - to recognize.

Examples

Let's see what we can say with these words when composing an essay about Halloween in English.

Pumpkin is a symbol of Halloween. – Pumpkin is a symbol of Halloween.

It is dedicated to witches, vampires and ghosts. – It is dedicated to vampires, witches and ghosts.

This is a festival of evil spirits. – This is the holiday of evil spirits.

Halloween was created by Celts. – Halloween was created by the Celts.

Once superstitious people believed that evil spirits met on this day. – Once upon a time, superstitious people thought that evil spirits met on this day.

This holiday is celebrated in many countries in the world. – This holiday is celebrated in many countries around the world.

People were afraid of evil witches, they were wearing masks so the witches wouldn’t be able to recognize them. – People were afraid of evil witches and wore masks so that the witches could not recognize them.

Please note: if we say holiday, festival, the article is used, but with the name of the holiday itself - Halloween, it is not needed.

Trick or Treat game

Traditions

Let's see how people celebrate this day and what they do.

To wear costumes and masks - put on costumes and masks.
To dress as - dress like.
To cry “Trick or Treat” - shout “trick or treat”.
To carve jack-o-lantern - carve a jack-o-lantern.
To visit neighbors - to visit neighbors.
To go from house to house - walk from house to house.
To give candies - give candies.
To accompany children – accompany children.
It is time for run - this is time for fun.
To take pictures - take photographs.

Examples

New English words on the Halloween theme you need to immediately remember using the text, let's make examples.

Usually on this day people wear costumes and masks and play “Trick or Treat”. – Usually on this day people wear costumes and masks and play Trick or Treat.

When children go from house to house they can have carved jack-o-lantern. – When children move from house to house they can have a Jack-o'-lantern.

Children can go to visit their neighbors. – Children can visit their neighbors.

After the children cried “Trick or Treat” they were given candies. – After the children shouted “Trick or treat,” they received candy.

My friend likes to dress as a vampire, I prefer dressing as a fairy. – My friend likes to dress like a vampire, but I prefer a fairy costume.

Children don’t go by themselves, they are often accompanied by adults. – Children do not walk on their own; they are often accompanied by adults.

It is time for fun – a lot of people take pictures with children dressed as witches, vampires or other creatures. – It's a fun time - many people take pictures with children dressed as witches, vampires or other creatures.

Please note: to make a passive voice from an active voice, you need to use the verb to be (in the required form) and the third form of the verb. For example, we celebrate this holiday (we celebrate this holiday) – this holiday is celebrated (this holiday is celebrated).

Halloween holiday

Halloween story

Now let's make a short story about the Celtic holiday with already known expressions.

Halloween is celebrated on the 31st of October. It is an old holiday, which was created by Celts. Once people were very superstitious and believed that on this day all evil spirits meet together. People were afraid to be recognized by these spirits and were wearing masks. Nowadays it is the day of fun. Children are wearing the costumes of witches, vampires, fairies, ghosts and other creatures. They go from house to house and visit their neighbors. They cry “Trick or Treat” and receive candies. As a rule children are accompanied by the adults. The traditional symbol of this festival is Jack-o-lantern or carved pumpkin.

Halloween is celebrated on October 31st. This is an old holiday that was created by the Celts. Once upon a time, people were very superstitious and believed that all evil spirits met on this day. People were afraid that these spirits might recognize them and wore masks. Today it is a holiday of fun. Children dress up as witches, vampires, fairies, ghosts and other creatures. They go from house to house or visit their neighbors. They shout "Trick or Treat" and get candy. As a rule, children are accompanied by adults. The traditional symbol of this holiday is a Jack-o'-lantern or a carved pumpkin.

will help you get an idea of an unusual, fun and slightly scary, but still attractive holiday for children and adults.

Since the holiday has recently become increasingly popular in our country, it will be useful for schoolchildren and their parents to read topic on English Halloween to celebrate it in accordance with all traditions.

English topic Halloween will tell you about the main attributes of this celebration, and after reading it, you will be able to freely discuss with friends,
how are you going to celebrate or have already celebrated this event.

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Halloween

One of the popular national festivals of English-speaking countries is Halloween, which takes place on October 31 on Allhallows’s Eve.

The main symbol of the festival is a pumpkin with a candle inside it and a scary face cut out. It is considered that such pumpkin doesn`t let demons inside the house. There is an informal hymn of this festival: Bobby Pickett`s song called “Monster Mash”.

People come to parties wearing their Halloween costumes; usually they are monsters and terrible creatures from books or films. Children go treat-or-tricking from house to house, that means they try to get sweeties. If they don`t, they play unpleasant tricks on people who gave them no candy.

Fortune telling is also widely spread on Halloween. At night children and teenagers tell each other horror stories and different legends. The most popular legend is about Bloody Mary, who is said to appear in a mirror after her name is called three times.

Another important tradition is the organization of attractions, which scare their visitors. One can see a lot of horror films and cartoons on this holiday.

The holiday attracts us because we can show everyone our wildest ideas and live in the world of fantasy for a little while.

Nowadays Halloween is becoming more and popular in Russia.

-----translation-----

Halloween

One of the most popular national celebrations in English-speaking countries is Halloween, which takes place on October 31, the day before All Saints' Day.

The main symbol of the festival is a pumpkin with a candle inside and a scary face carved on it. It is believed that such a pumpkin does not allow demons into the house. There is an unofficial anthem for the holiday: a Bobby Pickett song called "The Monster Dance."

People go to parties in Halloween costumes, usually dressing up as monsters or scary creatures from books or movies. Children go from house to house shouting “trick or treat”, which means they are begging for sweets. If they don't get it, they do nasty things to those who didn't give them candy.

Fortune telling is also common on Halloween. At night, students and teenagers tell each other horror stories and various legends. The most popular legend is Bloody Mary, who is believed to appear in a mirror after her name is said three times.

Another important tradition is the organization of attractions that frighten visitors. On this day there are a lot of cartoons and horror films on TV.

Recently, Halloween has become increasingly popular in Russia.

Halloween- a holiday that came to us from Western culture; we owe this phenomenon to the United States of America. In our country there is a dual attitude towards this foreign celebration: some people think that their own holidays are enough, but for others the idea of dressing up as a frightening monster and showing off for glory seems very tempting. However, everyone agrees on one thing: Halloween is a great time to have fun, marvel at the eccentricity and boldness of some costumes, and make money. It's no secret that now Halloween is a successful commercial project, and few people remember the origins of the holiday.

Read more about the history of Halloween in our article "".

I would like to focus attention not on the holiday itself Halloween, and on its linguistic aspect - phrases and idioms that can somehow be attributed to the topic. First, pay attention to the most common horror words.

Halloween in English: words and expressions

Halloween phrases
Word	Translation	Picture
All Hallows Eve	Hallowe'en (second name for Halloween)
Bat	Bat
Bogeyman	Boogeyman (fictional character who scares naughty children)
Broom/broomstick	Broom
	Candle
Casket/coffin	Coffin
	Boiler
Cemetery	Cemetery
Corpse	Dead body
Ghost	Ghost
	Grim Reaper (grim Reaper)
Jack O'Lantern	Jack-o'-lantern (pumpkin with light)
	Scarecrow
	Skeleton
Skull	Scull
Witch	Witch

Now let's explore a list of 10 terribly interesting idioms in English language, they feature witches, skeletons and other supernatural creatures! Let me remind you briefly that idioms are established phrases, the meaning of which cannot be understood through literal translation. These expressions have a figurative meaning.

Halloween in English: idioms

No chance in hell- not a single chance.
You have no chance in hell of getting promotion at work. “You have no chance of getting a promotion at work.”
Skeleton in the support– a skeleton in the closet, a shameful family secret. There are interesting versions of the origin of the phrase. According to one of them, one family had a closet in which a skeleton was kept. History says that in Japan at the beginning of the 20th century there were many centenarians who were over 90 and even 100 years old. The state paid substantial pensions to such elderly people. Thus, the notorious family was financially dependent on the pension of the long-lived grandfather, so much so that after his death the relatives decided not to talk about his death and continued to receive cash payments from the state. They decided to hide the corpse in the closet. After a couple of years, the truth came out, and with it came an expression.
Every family has its own skeleton in cupboard. – Every family has its own secret.
Skeleton staff– the minimum number of people required for the office (institution) to operate as usual.
The hospitals have usually skeleton staff at Christmas – Hospitals usually have a minimal number of staff working during the Christmas holidays.
To scare the pants off someone- to scare you very much, so much so that your panties got scared!
When I watched the film “Silent Hills” for the first time, it scared the pants off me. – The movie “Silent Hill” scared the hell out of me the first time I watched it.
To make the blood run cold- make your blood run cold, scare you very much.
The unexpected screams made his blood run cold. “The unexpected scream made his blood freeze in his veins.
A witch-hunt– witch hunts, persecution of dissidents. The phrase appeared in the Middle Ages, when the Inquisition announced a hunt for witches and sorcerers. Women and men who were accused of witchcraft were burned at the stake. Now the phrase is used in the case of an investigation into the allegedly illegal activities of a certain group of people who have a different point of view on the situation, whose position differs from the position of the majority.
Famous TV star said that she fell a victim of a media witch-hunt. – A famous television star said that she was a victim of the media and a witch hunt.
Devil-may-care attitude– a caring attitude.
His devil-may-care attitude will do him no good. “His devil-may-care attitude will not bring him anything good.”
To be full of the devil- cause damage, cause trouble.
These kids are full of the devil! They are always up to something. “These kids are causing trouble.” They are always up to something.
To be as white as a ghost– to be as pale as a ghost, due to fear, shock or illness.
Oh my god! What's happened to you? You are as white as a ghost. - God, what happened to you? You're as pale as a ghost.
To scare the hell out of somebody- to scare someone very much.
Don't do that again! You scared the hell out of me! “Don’t do that again, you scared me half to death!”

Even though it's a holiday Halloween- a controversial day in our calendar, it helped enrich your lexicon for 20+ new phrases and expressions. Happy Halloween! Don't forget to take the short test!

Dedicated to all lovers of creepy and scary...

October 31st... Halloween... 13 Terribly Interesting Expressions and Idioms for All Hallows' Eve.

Halloween idioms and phrases…

The Witching Hour

The witching hour- [ˈwɪtʃɪŋ ˌaʊə(r)] - 12 o'clock at night, a magical time when miracles happen. According to various beliefs, it is at this time that witches appear ( witches), ghosts ( ghosts) and another devilry. In modern English the expression the witching hour used as "midnight". By the way, use the witching hour It can also be used to designate any time of the day when something bad or bad is happening or may happen.

I never leave the house at the witching hour on Halloween. I'm very superstitious. — I never leave the house at midnight on Halloween. I'm very superstitious.

Send shivers down / up someone’s spine

Send shivers down / up someone’s spine- an idiom that helps express a feeling of fear or eerie excitement. It can be translated into Russian as “to make you shiver” or “goosebumps down your spine.”

The way he looked at me sent shivers down my spine. “His gaze made me shiver. “The way he looked sent shivers down my spine.

The new episode of “The Walking Dead” sent shivers down my spine. After I watched it, I had nightmares all night. — The new episode of The Walking Dead sent chills down my spine. After I watched it, I had nightmares all night.

Give someone the creeps

Give someone the creeps- fear of giving someone goosebumps; to make one shudder, to instill fear; make one shiver.

These old castles give me the creeps. “These old castles make me afraid.”

The thought of going to the graveyard at night gives me the creeps. “The thought of going to a cemetery at night makes me shudder.”

Make someone's hair stand on end

Make someone's hair stand on end- an idiom meaning “to shock someone; frighten so much that your hair will stand on end with fear.” Often used in a joking tone when all the “bad things” are over.

His scary story made my hair stand on end. - From him scary story my hair stood on end.

A skeleton in the closet / A skeleton in the cupboard

A skeleton in the closet(or British English) a skeleton in the cupboard) - literally “skeleton in the closet”, but in fact - a secret hidden from outsiders. Something not very pleasant, and maybe even shocking, that happened sometime in the past. This is a secret that must remain a secret. Often we are talking about some family secrets or the secrets of an individual, which are not customary to talk about and which can damage the reputation.

I believe that we all have some skeletons in the closet. — I think we all have some secrets/secrets.

A skeleton in the closet- this is not necessarily some kind of “terrible” secret, it can be something that you are ashamed of, and you don’t want them to know about it. You can also find the following expression:

Keep your skeletons in your closet! -Keep your secrets to yourself!(that is, I don’t want to know about your past)

The origin of this idiom is not entirely clear. According to one version, the appearance of this expression is associated with medicine. Until 1832, doctors in Britain were not allowed to work with dead bodies until the Anatomy Act, which allowed the autopsy and examination of bodies for medical purposes. Before the adoption of this act, it was possible to work only with the bodies of executed criminals. Although executions were not uncommon at the time, it was not enough to provide all anatomy schools and hospitals with bodies on which surgeons and medical students could practice. Bodies for anatomical research began to be obtained illegally. Only then they had to be hidden. Hence, perhaps skeleton in the closet. You can also find an explanation that those doctors who managed to legally obtain a body for dissection then preserved the skeleton and kept it hidden from prying eyes. Where can you hide a skeleton in the house? Probably in the closet)) In any case, these are just versions...

Freak out

Freak out(or simply freak) - means “to react to something in such a way that you lose your temper.” We are talking about some kind of emotional reaction in the form of fear, rage, surprise, excitement, panic, etc. In Russian freak out can be translated as "to panic, to be frightened, to be in shock, to lose control, to be furious", it will depend on the context. The verb is used in colloquial speech.

He freaked out when he saw the police. — He got scared when he saw the police.

He really freaks me out. - He scares me (“enrages”, excites, surprises, etc., depending on the context).

Jinx

Quite a creepy word jinx- something that brings misfortune, a curse, an evil spell.

There seems to be a jinx on that house. “There seems to be some kind of curse on this house.”

Jinx is also a person or thing that brings misfortune.

This house is a jinx on us. - This house brings us misfortune.

Jinx someone/something can also be used as a verb to mean "to bring misfortune" or "to jinx":

Don't say anything! You can jinx it. - Do not say anything! You can jinx it.

This job has jinxed him. — This work brought him misfortune.

Be scared stiff or Be scared to death

Be scared stiff or be scared to death- to be very frightened or to be scared to death.

She was scared stiff when she saw a big snake near her foot. “She was speechless with fear when she saw a large snake near her leg.

She is scared to death of spiders and snakes. “She’s deathly afraid of spiders and snakes.”

Drop-dead gorgeous

You won’t scare anyone with this unusual adjective, but it will be an excellent compliment. Drop-dead gorgeous[ˈɡɔː.dʒəs] - unusually attractive, devilishly handsome, stunningly beautiful. Used in colloquial speech.

Wow! You are drop-dead gorgeous! -You're damn beautiful!

Bloodcurdling scream

But this phrase makes me feel uncomfortable, I wouldn’t like to hear a bloodcurdling scream[ˈblʌdˌkɜː.dl̩.ɪŋ] - a monstrous, heartbreaking screech. Bloodcurdling- causing horror, chilling blood.

Suddenly I heard a bloodcurdling scream. “Suddenly I heard a blood-curdling scream.

Shake like a leaf

Shake like a leaf- the Russian equivalent of this expression is “to tremble like a leaf.” That is, to tremble / shake from cold, fear or strong excitement.

What happened? You are shaking like a leaf. - What's happened? You are shaking like a leaf.

Like a bat out of hell

Another interesting idiom that is used in colloquial speech. Like a bat out of hell— means “very quickly.”

When we heard a bloodcurdling scream, we ran out from the house like a bat out of hell. — When we heard a monstrous scream, we ran out of the house very quickly (we rushed out of the house as fast as we could).

Speak of the devil or Talk of the devil

Speak of the devil- a colloquial expression similar to the Russian “Easy in sight.” Used to refer to someone who suddenly appears at the very moment they are being spoken about.

In fact, all these expressions are used quite often in everyday life. Therefore, I hope that some of them will be remembered by you, and you will use them in speech. Happy Halloween!

Hello dear readers. We continue to improve the English language. Today's lesson is dedicated to the topic: Halloween for kids.

To make the lesson as interesting as possible for a young student, I suggest turning the training into a small performance. Show your imagination and create a costume for the holiday together with your child. Prepare a piece of fabric, scissors, cardboard and small decorations in advance. Ask your child: « What costume will you wear on Halloween? Why?"(What costume would you like to wear for Halloween? Why?) After listening to the answer, provide the young talent with everything he needs, and let the kid sew (make) his own outfit. Believe me, it is so entertaining that everyone will enjoy the task. The easiest way to dress up for Halloween is to do makeup for yourself and your child. After a little preparation, feel free to start the lesson.

Facts for kids about Halloween

In a few words, explain to your child what Halloween is and why it is customary to celebrate this holiday in special outfits. You can start the story like this: “Why are we dressed so unusually today? Yes, you're absolutely right, today is Halloween ( Do you know why we put such strange costumes on? Yes, you are right – Today is very funny holiday – Halloween). It is celebrated in England, Europe, the USA and some other countries on the night of October 31 to November 1. ( It is celebrated in England, Europe, in The US and some other countries on the night of October31 ). A long time ago, people believed that it was on the night of October 31 to November 1 that otherworldly forces descended to Earth. In order to somehow resist evil spirits, people came up with their own ghost outfits. This is how they demonstrated that the body was already occupied and no one could move into it.”

Then it is appropriate to ask the child: “Can you guess why the spirits weren’t angry that all the bodies were busy? That's right, people specially left treats for them: sweets, cookies. This is how the people tried to appease the ghosts. And near the houses there were always pumpkins with a fire burning inside them. It was an integral attribute of the holiday and the only source of light. As a rule, the houses were dark, because people were afraid to attract the attention of evil spirits.”

Halloween games and entertainment for children

After a short story, invite your child to say hello to Halloween.

Let's say hello to Halloween. Let's now say hello to Halloween.

Hello witches hello ghosts , Hello witchers and ghosts,

Hello pumpkins on the posts. Hello pumpkins on pillars

Hello goblins and black cats, Hello, goblins and black cats

Hello skeletons hello bats! Hello skeletons and bats!

Hello owls and hello moon! Hello owls and moon!

Halloween is coming soon!

Halloween is just around the corner (approaching)!

Children who cannot read yet can simply watch interesting cartoons (below), but offer older geniuses not only to watch, but also to translate what they hear. If the child cannot understand the cartoon by ear, after watching it, sit down together and try to translate the story you heard:

Halloween night

Boy: I see a ghost!