Bridget_Jones_B1

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UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA - CENTRO LINGUISTICO DI ATENEO 
 
IMPARA LE LINGUE CON I FILM AL CLA 
 
Vedere film in lingua straniera è un modo utile e divertente per 
imparare o perfezionare una lingua straniera. 
La scheda didattica ti propone delle attività da svolgere prima, durante o 
dopo la visione del film. Qui sotto sono specificati la lingua e il livello a cui 
si rivolgono le attività contenute nella scheda. 
 
TITOLO DEL FILM IN LINGUA ORIGINALE: Bridget Jones’s 
Diary 
TITOLO DEL FILM IN ITALIANO: Il Diario di Bridget Jones 
LINGUA: inglese 
LIVELLO: B1 
 
LEGENDA DEI SIMBOLI: 
 
 
= attività che richiede l’uso di carta e penna 
 
= attività con domande a risposta chiusa 
 
= attività con domande a risposta aperta senza 
correzione 
 
= attività che richiede un collegamento ad Internet 
 
= consigli per la visione del film e per le attività didattiche 
 
SCHEDA DIDATTICA SUL FILM: Bridget Jones’s Diary 
ATTIVITÀ PER IL LIVELLO: B1 
 
 
All words given in the glossaries are to be taken within the specific 
context in which they are found. The variety of English spoken in this 
film, and therefore given in the worksheet, is British English. 
 
ATTIVITÀ PRIMA DELLA VISIONE DEL FILM 
 
Esercizio 1a: In the opening scene, Bridget meets Marc Darcy at a party 
on New Year’s Day (the 1st of January) but embarasses herself by talking 
about her exploits from the previous evening. It is at this point that she 
decides to make a New Year’s Resolution. 
 
What is a New Year’s Resolution? Look it up: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year%27s_resolution 
Do you usually make any resolutions? Have you ever been successful at keeping 
them? 
 
Esercizio 1b: At the beginning of the film we hear Bridget writing her New Year’s 
resolutions in her diary. Fill in the gaps in the transcript with the words in the box: 
 
 
 
especially boss decision truth moment boyfriend life 
weeks bottle put control 
 
BRIDGET: 
And that was it. Right there. Right there. That was the (1)_________. I suddenly 
realized that unless something changed soon, I was going to live a (2)_________ 
where my major relationship was with a (3)_________ of wine and I'd finally die fat 
and alone and be found three (4)_________ later, half-eaten by Alsatians*. Or l was 
about to turn into Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction". 
And so I made a major (5)_________. I had to make sure that next year I wouldn't 
end up shit-faced* and listening to sad FM easy-listening* for the over-thirties. 
I decided to take (6)_________ of my life and start a diary to tell the truth about 
Bridget Jones, the whole (7)_________. 
Resolution number one, obviously will lose twenty pounds*. 
Number two, always (8)_________ last night's pants* in the laundry basket*. 
Equally important, will find nice sensible (9)_________ to go out with and not 
continue to form romantic attachments to any of the following: alcoholics, workaholics*, 
commitment-phobics, peeping toms*, megalomaniacs, emotional fuckwits*, or perverts. 
And (10)_________ will not fantasize about a particular person who embodies all these 
things. Unfortunately,he just happens to be my (11)_________, Editor-in-Chief, Daniel 
Cleaver. 
 
 
*Glossary* 
Half-eaten by Alsatians = an Alsation is a type of dog. Here Bridget expresses her fear of 
being alone and so of dying without anybody realising, hypothetically giving dogs the 
time to eat her body before she is found. 
shit-faced = having drunk too much alcohol (vulgar) 
sad FM easy-listening = reference to FM radio stations which constantly play romantic, 
soft music 
twenty pounds = measurement of weight (equals 9.09 kilos) 
pants = underwear (British English) 
laundry basket = a large basket in which you put your dirty clothes until you wash them 
(British English) 
workaholics = someone who spends all of their time working 
peeping toms = A “Peeping Tom” is usually used to refer to a person who enjoys spying 
on other people especially if they are naked or engaging in sexual acts. The name 
“Peeping Tom” comes from the legend of Lady Godiva who is said to have ridden her 
horse naked through the streets of Coventry in protest at her husband’s exhorbitant 
taxations on the people of the town. She ordered everyone to stay indoors and not watch 
as she passed but one man, a tailor named Tom, drilled a hole in his door to watch her 
pass, he was struck blind as a consequence. 
fuckwit = fool/idiot (vulgar) 
 
Esercizio 1c: The following phrasal verbs are from the text above. Use the 
context to decide what each one means: 
 
1) To turn into = a) to become or b) to like? 
 
2) To end up = a) to be in a particular state because of doing something or b) to 
be forced to leave a place because of something you have done? 
 
3) To go out with someone = a) to fantasize about someone or b) to have a 
romantic relationship with someone? 
Esercizio 2: Complete the crossword with the words in the box below. Use the 
definitions to help you place the words. Three of the words will not be used. Do not 
leave spaces in between two words in the crossword. Use a dictionary to help you if 
you need to (e.g. www.wordreference.com) 
 
gherkin gravy mince pie dumpling toothpick doily carpet lawn reindeer 
jumper loo fishnet tights turkey blouse bonfire night string sideburns 
knickers granny 
 
 1) 2) 
 
 3) 
4) 5) 6) 
 7) 
 
8) 9) 10) 
 
 11) 
 12) 
 
 13) 
 
 14) 
 
 15) 
 
1 across: toilet 
1 down: an area of grass that is cut short 
2 down: a sauce made from the juices of cooked meat 
3 down: a shirt for women 
4 down: the 5th of November when British people light fires and let off fireworks to remember a 
failed plot to destroy the houses of parliament 
5 across: thin rope, used for tying things together 
6 down: a thin pointed piece of wood used for removing bits of food from between your teeth 
7 across: a round piece of cloth with a pattern of holes that you put on the table as decoration 
underneath vases etc 
8 across: women’s clothing that is worn under a skirt or dress and tightly covers the legs and feet, 
with a pattern of small holes in 
9 down: hair that grows down a man’s cheeks 
10 down: a warm piece of clothing that you pull over your head and that covers your upper body 
and arms 
11 down: an animal with antlers growing from its head, usually associated with Christmas time 
12 across: a small sweet pie, eaten at Christmas time 
13 across: a piece of underwear for a woman’s lower body 
14 across: a small cucumber preserved in vinegar and eaten cold 
15 across: a thick, soft cover for the floor 
 
 
ATTIVITÀ DURANTE LA VISIONE DEL FILM 
 
 
Watch the film in English, with English subtitles. Read all the while 
watching questions before you start watching. 
In the answers section you will find the transcripts of the parts of the 
film which answer the questions, take the time to read them carefully. 
 
Esercizio 1: Watch the film and decide whether the following statements are True 
or False. 
 
 
1) Bridget usually likes the men her mother fixes her up with*. 
2) Mark is a lawyer. 
3) Mark expresses an interest in spending more time with Bridget. 
4) Mr Fitzherbert asks Bridget to introduce him during the launch party. 
5) Mark and Natasha are romantically involved with each other. 
6) During her speech at the launch party, Bridget embarrasses everybody by saying 
negative things about the authors present. 
7) Bridget and Mark first met when she was a child. 
8) Daniel and Mark used to be very goodfriends at university. 
9) Daniel tells Bridget that Mark stole his fiancée. 
10) Bridget’s mother leaves her father because he cheated on* her. 
11) Uncle Geoffrey’s party is going to be a fancy dress party*. 
12) Daniel leaves early during their weekend away because he doesn’t want to meet 
Bridget’s family. 
13) Bridget is the only person who didn’t receive the message about the change of 
theme for the party. 
14) Daniel and Lara have only just met. 
15) Bridget tells her new boss the truth about why she left her previous job. 
16) The Aghani-Heaney case is about a woman trying to divorce her husband. 
17) Bridget rejects Daniel because she is in love with Mark. 
18) One of the reasons Bridget’s mother leaves Julian is because he is bad-
tempered*. 
19) Mark’s wife left him because he had a relationship with someone else. 
20) Mark’s father proposes a toast to celebrate Mark’s engagement. 
21) Mark reads in Bridget’s diary that she was attracted to him from the start. 
 
 
*Glossary* 
To fix someone up with someone else = To introduce two people to each other hoping 
that they might begin a romantic relationship 
To cheat on someone = to have a relationship with someone whilst in a steady 
relationship with someone else 
Fancy dress party = a party where people wear clothes to make them look like 
somebody/something else 
Bad-tempered = becomes angry or annoyed easily 
 
ATTIVITÀ DOPO LA VISIONE DEL FILM 
 
Esercizio 1: Bridget describes her friends as her urban family, which gives an idea of 
how important they are to her. What does she tell us about each of them though? 
Match the person to Bridget’s description: 
 
Jude (dark hair) 
 
_______ 
_______ 
_______ 
 
Shazzer (blonde hair) 
 
_______ 
_______ 
 
 
Tom 
 
_______ 
_______ 
_______ 
a) Best friend 
 
b) Journalist 
 
c) Eighties pop icon 
 
d) Head of investment at Brightlings Bank 
 
e) Total poof* 
 
f) Spends most of time trapped in the 
lady's toilet, crying over fuckwit* boyfriend 
 
g) Wrote one hit record then retired 
because found that one record was quite 
enough to get him laid* for the whole of 
the Nineties 
 
h) Likes to say "fuck" a lot 
 
*Glossary* 
Poof = homosexual (vulgar) 
Fuckwit = fool/idiot (vulgar) 
To get laid = to have a sexual relationship with someone (vulgar) 
 
Esercizio 2a: In scene 7 Bridget’s friends give her some advice on how to attract 
Daniel during the launch party. They use the imperative form to tell her what she 
should do. Match the sentence halves together, then watch the scene again to check 
your answers. 
 
1) Look… a) Daniel 
2) Ignore… b) people with thoughtful details 
3) Suck up*… c) gorgeous 
4) Circulate… d) to famous authors 
5) Introduce… e) oozing* intelligence 
 
*Glossary* 
To suck up = to be very nice to someone in order to make yourself look good 
To ooze = to show a quality you have in a very obvious way 
Esercizio 2b: Now look at these how-to tips and complete them with the 
appropriate verb from the list. Remember to put the verb into the imperative form. 
The first two are given as examples for you. Some of the imperatives will be in the 
negative form. 
 
to despair to follow to invest to ignore (not) to spray (not) to stare 
to accentuate to make (not) to forget to apply (not) to be 
to let to straighten to choose to walk to be 
 
Are you having trouble seducing the man of your dreams? (0) Don’t despair! It’s not as 
difficult as you may think, (0) follow these tips and success will surely be yours! 
 
Create the Right Environment 
Seduction works best in a sensual atmosphere. (1) ___________ a place where there 
aren’t too many distractions like loud music, too many people or bad ambience. The most 
tried and tested environment for seduction is a cosy candle-lit dinner for two with soft 
music. (2) ____________ to decorate with some fresh flowers to create that special 
atmosphere. 
 
Confidence Counts 
Men like women who are confident about themselves. So, (3) ____________ your 
shoulders, lift your head up and (4)___________ with a confident swagger. (5) 
___________ careful not to overdo it otherwise you will look arrogant instead of 
confident. 
 
Eye Contact 
Your eyes are the windows to your soul. Hold his glance and (6)___________ sure you 
"speak" with your eyes. Maintain a steady gaze but (7)____________ as that can make you 
look a little manic. 
 
Play Hard to Get 
(8) __________ too obvious in showing your interest in a man. (9) ___________ him 
every now and then, but not too much otherwise he’ll start to think you dislike him! 
 
Looks that Kill 
Find a sensuous dress to wear, (10) __________ your hair gently caress your shoulders, 
put on some dangerously high stilettos and (11) ___________ some make up. (12) 
_____________ your most attractive features like your eyes, lips or neck. If you look in 
the mirror and find yourself gorgeous, then you are half way there! 
 
Smell Good 
You should make sure you smell good. (13) ___________ in a nice perfume that is not too 
strong. (14) ___________ the perfume directly on yourself but in front of you, then 
immediately walk through the mist. This makes sure it is not concentrated on some places 
and you smell good overall. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SOLUZIONI 
PRIMA DELLA VISIONE DEL FILM 
Esercizio 1b: 1) moment 2) life 3) bottle 4) weeks 5) decision 6) control 7) truth 
8) put 9) boyfriend 10) especially 11) boss 
Esercizio 1c: 1) a 2) a 3) b 
 
Esercizio 2: 1 across) loo 1 down) lawn 2 down) gravy 3 down) blouse 
4 down) bonfire night 5 across) string 6 down) toothpick 7 across) doily 
8 across) fishnet tights 9 down) sideburns 10 down) jumper 
11 down) reindeer 12 across) mince pie 13 across) knickers 14 across) gherkin 
15 across) carpet 
 
DURANTE LA VISIONE DEL FILM 
Esercizio 1: 
1) False. Bridget: Every year, she tries to fix me up with so me bushy-haired, middle-
aged bore. [bushy = very thick, a bore = a very boring person] 
2) True. Bridget’s mum: You remember Mark […] he's a barrist er 
3) False. Mark: Mother, I do not need a blind date. Particula rly not with some 
verbally incontinent spinster who smokes like a chi mney, drinks like a fish and 
dresses like her mother. [spinster = an insulting word for a woman who is no t 
married and is past the age when women usually get married] 
4) True. Mr Fitzherbert: At the "Kafka's Motorbike" thing I thought it might be fun 
if you introduce me before I introduce him. Add a l ovely sense of occasion. 
5) False. ( At the launch party ) Bridget: What are you doing here? 
Mark: I've been asking myself the same question. I came with a colleague. 
[…]Mark: Ah, Natasha. This is Bridget Jones. Bridge t, this is Natasha. Natasha is a 
top attorney and specializes in family law. 
[…]Perpetua (to Natasha, secretly): By the by,that man is gorgeous. 
Natasha: Ah,yes, Mark. Just give me time. Give me t ime. 
6) False. Bridget: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the launc h of "Kafka's Motorbike 
- The Greatest Book of Our Time." Obviously except for your books, Mr. Rushdie 
which are also very good. And Lord Archer yours are n'tbad, either. Anyway, what I 
mean is, welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you f or coming to the launch of one 
of the top thirty books of our time. Anyway, at lea st. 
7) True. Daniel: Now, look, how do you know Arsey Darcy? 
Bridget: Apparently, I used to run round naked in h is paddling pool. [Arsey = from 
Arse, vulgar, meaning annoying and idiotic. Paddlin g pool = a small swimming pool 
kept in the garden for children to play in] 
8) True. Daniel: I was best man at his wedding. Knew him fro m Cambridge. He was a 
mate. [best man = the male friend who helps a bridegroom at his wedding.Cambridge = refers to Cambridge University. A mate = a friend] 
9) True. Daniel: many years later, I made the somewhat catas trophic mistake of 
introducing him to my fiancée. And, I couldn't say, in all honesty, I've ever quite 
forgiven him. 
10) False. (In the Shopping Centre) Bridget’s mother: Darling, if I came in with my 
knickers on my head he wouldn't notice. I spent thi rty-five years cleaning his 
house, washing his clothes, bringing up his childre n.[…] To be honest, darling, 
having children isn't all it's cracked up to be. Gi ven my chance again, I'm not 
sure I'd have any. And now it's the winter of my li fe, and I haven't actually got 
anything of my own, I've got no power, no real care er, no sex life. I've got no 
life at all. [Not all it’s cracked up to be = it is not as good as people say it 
is] 
11) True. Bridget: Hurrah. Am no longer tragic spinster but proper gir lfriend of 
bonafide sexgod so committed that he's taking me on a full-blown mini-break holiday 
weekend.[…] He's also protecting me at Uncle Geoffr ey's hideous Tarts and Vicars 
fancy dress party. [bonafide = genuine. Full-blown = in its most compl ete and 
developed form. Hideous = terrible. Tarts and Vicar s fancy dress party = a party 
where the women dress as prostitutes (tarts) and th e men as clergy (vicars)] 
12) False. Daniel: I’ve got to go back to town. A meeting's co me up. 
Bridget: On a Sunday? 
Daniel: No. The meeting's first thing tomorrow. I'v e got to work on some figures. 
[to come up = to happen unexpectedly] 
13) False. (At the party) Bridget: Where are all the other tarts and vicars? 
Una: Oh, dear. Didn't Geoffrey call you? 
[…] Bridget: Didn't tell you, either. 
Bridget’s dad: No. I didn't spend as much as Bernar d,thank God. 
[…]Bridget: Hmm. Looks like Auntie Shirley didn't g et the message, either. 
14) False. (In the office the next day) Daniel: Well,we've become very close. 
Bridget: You've only just met her. She flew in yest erday. 
Daniel: Uh... 
Bridget: Oh. Silly Bridget. You haven't only just m et her. 
Daniel: No. No. I got to know her pretty well when we were in the New York office 
together. 
15) True. Interviewer: So, why do you want to work in televis ion? 
Bridget: I've got to leave my current job because I 've shagged my boss. 
Interviewer: Fair enough. Start on Monday. [to shag someone = vulgar, to have sex 
with someone] 
16) False. Boss: You do know the Aghani-Heaney case? 
Bridget: Yes, of course. Big case, featuring someon e called Aghanihini. 
Boss: Or two people called Kafir Aghani and Eleanor Heaney. 
Bridget: That's the one. 
Boss: She's a British aid worker. He's a Kurdish fr eedom fighter. The government 
want to extradite him home where he'll certainly be executed. She's married to him 
and they’ve fought for five years to keep him here. Today is the decision. 
Bridget: Oh,that's exciting. 
17) False. (After the fight outside) Daniel: Let's go back upstairs. Come on. We 
belong together, Jones. Me, you. Poor little skirt. 
Bridget: Right. 
Daniel: If I can't make it with you, I can't make i t with anyone. 
Bridget: Um, that's not a good enough offer for me. I'm not willing to gamble my 
whole life on someone who's, well, not quite sure. It's like you said. I'm still 
looking for something more extraordinary than that. [to make it = to be successful, 
get good results] 
18) True. Bridget’s mum: The thing is, well, close up, he was almost purple. You 
were such a lovely normal color. He had a filthy te mper. [to have a temper = to be 
bad-tempered. Filthy = very bad] 
19) False. Bridget’s mum: Poor Mark. It's always a bad time of year for him. You 
know, his Japanese wife left him on Christmas Day. Cruel race. 
Bridget: Yes,but l'm not quite sure he didn't deser ve it, actually. 
Bridget’s mum: She ran off with his best friend fro m Cambridge. Total scoundrel, 
apparently. Best man at his wedding. Christmas Eve, Mark comes home early from work 
finds the pair of them in a most unorthodox positio n, stark naked, at it like 
rabbits. [scoundrel = very bad person. Stark naked = completely naked. At it = 
vulgar, having sex] 
20) True. Mark’s dad : I'm thrilled to announce he has just been invited t o be a 
senior partner in the firm of Abbott and Abbott in New York. He also, incidentally 
takes with him his brilliant partner in law, Natash a. And, well, I don't think 
they'll mind, since we're amongst friends, if I say that someday this remarkably 
clever girl is going to be something-else-in-law as well. 
Natasha: I begged him not to say anything. 
Mark’s dad: So I ask you now to charge your glasses once again to Mark and his 
Natasha. [thrilled = very pleased. Something-else.in.law = a reference to the fact 
that Natasha will become his daughter-in-law when s he marries his son. Charge your 
glasses = fill up your glasses] 
21) False. (In Bridget’s diary): Mum was really scraping the barrel with Mark Darcy. He acts like he’s 
got a giant gherkin thrust up his backside… Mark Darcy is rude, he’s unpleasant, he’s dull. No wonder his 
clever wife left him. [to scrape the barrel = to use something which is n ot very good 
because it is your last option, you do not have any thing better. Gherkin = a 
pickled cucumber. Thrust = pushed firmly. Backside = bottom. Dull = boring. No 
wonder = it is not a surprise] 
 
 
DOPO LA VISIONE DEL FILM 
 
Esercizio 1: 
Jude = a, d, f, Shazzer = b, h, Tom = c, e, g 
Esercizio 2a: 
1) c 2) a 3) d 4) e 5) b 
Esercizio 2b: 
1) Choose 2) Don’t forget 3) straighten 4) walk 5) Be 6) make 7) don’t stare 
8) Don’t be 9) Ignore 10) let 11) apply 12) Accentuate 13) Invest 
14) Don’t spray