The Reading / Listening - Online Weddings - Level 4

New York decided people can get married despite the city being in lockdown. The governor signed an order letting people get married online. All weddings had been stopped. To tie the knot under lockdown, couples must now apply for a marriage license online. Clerks will conduct the ceremony virtually. The new online weddings are legal. A city official said: "The executive order will temporarily suspend a provision of law that requires in-person visits."

Couples can marry via video conferencing. This was previously not legal. The governor joked that: "There is now no excuse when the question comes up for marriage. You can do it by Zoom." Video conferencing platforms allow guests to attend online. Stay-at-home measures have been extended in New York until at least the 15th of May. Social distancing measures could be around for months. This means weddings and other events may continue to be online.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Online Weddings - Level 5 or  Online Weddings - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.huffpost.com/entry/wedding-new-york-zoom-legal_n_5e9d08b4c5b6ea335d5df1d9
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52346437
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/zoom-yorkers-wed-online-200419165225473.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. despite the city being
  2. All weddings had
  3. tie
  4. couples must now apply
  5. Clerks will conduct the ceremony
  6. The new online weddings
  7. executive
  8. law that requires in-
  1. for a marriage license
  2. order
  3. been stopped
  4. the knot
  5. person visits
  6. in lockdown
  7. are legal
  8. virtually

Paragraph 2

  1. Couples can marry via
  2. This was previously not
  3. There is now no
  4. when the question comes
  5. allow guests to attend
  6. Social distancing
  7. weddings and other
  8. continue to
  1. events
  2. online
  3. be online
  4. legal
  5. measures
  6. excuse
  7. video conferencing
  8. up for marriage

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

New York decided people can get married (1) ___________________ being in lockdown. The governor (2) ___________________ letting people get married online. All weddings had been stopped. To (3) __________________ under lockdown, couples must now apply for (4) ___________________ online. Clerks will conduct (5) ___________________. The new online weddings are legal. A city official said: "The executive order will temporarily suspend a provision of (6) ___________________ in-person visits."

Couples can (7) ___________________ conferencing. This was previously not legal. The governor joked that: "There is (8) ___________________ when the question comes (9) ___________________. You can do it by Zoom." Video conferencing platforms allow guests (10) ___________________. Stay-at-home measures have been extended in New York (11) ___________________ the 15th of May. Social distancing measures could be around for months. This means weddings and other events (12) ___________________ be online.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

NewYorkdecidedpeoplecangetmarrieddespitethecitybeinginlockdo
wn.Thegovernorsignedanorderlettingpeoplegetmarriedonline.Allwe
ddingshadbeenstopped.Totietheknotunderlockdown,couplesmustn
owapplyforamarriagelicenseonline.Clerkswillconducttheceremonyv
irtually.Thenewonlineweddingsarelegal.Acityofficialsaid:"Theexecu
tiveorderwilltemporarilysuspendaprovisionoflawthatrequiresin-per
sonvisits."Couplescanmarryviavideoconferencing.Thiswaspreviousl
ynotlegal.Thegovernorjokedthat:"Thereisnownoexcusewhenthequ
estioncomesupformarriage.YoucandoitbyZoom."Videoconferencing
platformsallowgueststoattendonline.Stay-at-homemeasureshav
ebeenextendedinNewYorkuntilatleastthe15thofMay.Socialdistancin
gmeasurescouldbearoundformonths.Thismeansweddingsandother
eventsmaycontinuetobeonline.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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