Halloween, celebrated each year on October 31, is a mix of ancient Celtic practices, Catholic and Roman religious rituals and European folk traditions that blended together over time to create the holiday we know today. Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity and life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. Halloween has long been thought of as a day when the dead can return to the earth, and ancient Celts would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off these roaming ghosts. The Celtic holiday of Samhain, the Catholic Hallowmas period of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day and the Roman festival of Feralia all influenced the modern holiday of Halloween. In the 19th century, Halloween began to lose its religious connotation, becoming a more secular community-based children's holiday. Although the superstitions and beliefs surrounding Halloween may have evolved over the years, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people can still look forward to parades, costumes and sweet treats to usher in the winter season.

Answer the questions:1. When is Halloween celebrated?_______________________________________2. What religions and traditions were blended together to create Halloween?_______________________________________3. What has Halloween long been thought?_______________________________________4. Why did ancient Celts light bonfires and wear costumes in Halloween?_______________________________________5. What festivals and holidays influenced modern Halloween?_______________________________________6. When did Halloween begin to lose its religious connotation?_______________________________________7. How do people celebrate Halloween in your country?______________________________________________________________________________

text taken from: http://www.history.com/topics/halloween

We can create an adjective from a verb. The verb to roam means “to move without a purpose or plan”. A roaming ghost is a ghost that moves without a purpose or a plan.

Rewrite the sentences as in the model:Model:The news surprised us.The news was surprising.1. Ted’s behavior shocks me._______________________________________________________2. Your question confuses us._______________________________________________________3. Her beauty amazes him._______________________________________________________4. The situation embarrasses her._______________________________________________________5. The teacher’s answer discourages the students._______________________________________________________6. The storm scares the kids. _______________________________________________________7. All this noise bothers me._______________________________________________________8. Mr. Johnson’s long speech tires us._______________________________________________________9. Your long story bores me._______________________________________________________

Match the words and definitions:

( ) a full or completely adequate amount or supply( ) a large fire built outdoors, as for signaling or in celebration of an event.( ) a principle, proposition, idea, etc., accepted as true( ) a small tasty bit of food( ) an idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a word or thing:( ) despite the fact that; even though ( ) irrational belief usually founded on ignorance or fear( ) mixture( ) smallness of number; fewness( ) that moves about without purpose or plan( ) to be on both sides of; extend over or across( ) to combine( ) to develop or achieve gradually( ) to exist around( ) to precede and introduce; inaugurate( ) to turn aside or repel( ) who lived in times long past.

1. although (conj.)2. ancient (adj.)3. belief (n.)4. blend (v.)5. bonfire (n.)6. connotation (n.)7. evolve (v.)8, mix (n.)9. paucity (n.)10. plenty (n.)11. roaming (adj.)12. straddling (v.)13. superstition (n.)14. surround (v.)15. treat (n.)16. usher (v.)17. ward off (p.v.)