PPL (4 s - 5 e)
DREAMS &
NIGHTMARES
“Sometimes the scariest thing isn't the nightmare. It's waking up and wondering whether you're still in it.”
A dark, mysterious lesson inspired by the atmosphere of Pretty Little Liars.
🖤 The Nightmare Within a Nightmare
1. Warm-up: Choose your side
Choose a position, then explain your reasoning. You must give at least one example or argument.
🔮 Dreams predict the future.
Coincidence, intuition or something more?
🧠 Dreams reveal our fears.
Do we dream about what we try to ignore?
📱 Social media makes us anxious.
Can what we watch affect our sleep?
🌙 Sleep is a waste of time.
Would you sacrifice sleep to achieve more?
2. The story: A dream with no escape
It was 3:17 a.m. when Hanna woke with a start. Her heart was pounding, her breathing was shallow, and the room seemed unnaturally quiet. For a few seconds, she couldn't remember where she was. Then the details of the nightmare came rushing back: a dark corridor, a door that wouldn't open, and the unmistakable feeling that someone was watching her.
She sat up, trying to convince herself that it had only been a dream. But the fear lingered. She needed to find her mother.
Hanna crept downstairs and entered the living room. There, on the bench by the window, her mother was asleep beneath a thick blanket. The sight was strangely comforting. Hanna approached her and whispered, “Mom, I had a nightmare.”
Her mother stirred. Slowly, she opened her eyes and pulled the blanket away from her shoulders.
She had no hair on her head.
For a split second, neither of them moved. Then they both screamed. Hanna stumbled backwards, while her mother stared at her own reflection in the dark window as if she couldn't recognise herself.
And then Hanna woke up.
She was in her bedroom. Her heart was still racing, and her hands were trembling. She looked at the clock: 3:17 a.m. Again. Had she actually woken up, or was this another layer of the same nightmare?
She switched on the light, touched her own face and listened to the ordinary sounds of the house. Everything looked real, but the memory of the second nightmare was disturbingly vivid.
Hanna grabbed her phone and called her mother.
“Hanna? What's wrong?” her mother answered, sounding sleepy but perfectly normal.
“Can you come upstairs? Please?”
A few minutes later, her mother appeared in the doorway. Her hair was exactly as it had always been. Hanna stared at her, almost expecting it to disappear. Her mother sat beside her and took her hand.
“It was a nightmare,” she said gently. “You're awake now.”
Hanna wanted to believe her. But as her mother stood up to leave, Hanna noticed something on the pillow beside her: a single long strand of hair.
She looked up. Her mother was already at the door.
“Mom?” Hanna whispered.
The door closed.
And Hanna was no longer sure she wanted to fall asleep again.
Fictional classroom story. The ending is deliberately ambiguous: it could be a symbol of fear, a coincidence, or one final twist in the nightmare.
3. Reading comprehension: Look closer
1. Why does Hanna go downstairs?
2. What makes the first scene with her mother frightening?
3. Why is the second awakening unsettling?
4. What does the strand of hair do to the ending?
4. C1 close-reading challenge
Discuss these questions in full sentences. Support each interpretation with details from the text.
5. Useful language for interpretation
🌙 The Language of Dreams
1. Essential vocabulary
Read the word, practise saying it aloud, and then create a sentence connected to Hanna's story or your own ideas. IPA is provided as a pronunciation guide.
I had a vivid nightmare about being trapped in a lift.
She has a recurring dream about getting lost in a city.
During a lucid dream, you realise that you are dreaming.
A night terror is different from an ordinary nightmare and may involve intense fear and confusion.
Stress can contribute to insomnia and make it difficult to concentrate.
Sleep deprivation can affect your mood, memory and attention.
Some people experience sleep paralysis while falling asleep or waking up.
Some people believe that dreams reflect thoughts in the subconscious.
She had a strange premonition that something would go wrong.
The strange dream could be foreshadowing a future event in the story.
I remember every detail of that vivid dream.
When she woke up suddenly, she felt disoriented.
A hallucination is a perception that occurs without an external stimulus of the relevant kind.
Anxiety can make it harder to relax before going to sleep.
It is difficult to interpret a dream with complete certainty.
The writer uses small details to make readers anticipate danger.
2. More precise ways to describe a dream
She woke with a start after hearing a strange noise.
He was haunted by the same nightmare for weeks.
The story blurs the line between reality and imagination.
It felt as though someone was standing behind her.
She had a sinking feeling that something was wrong.
After the nightmare, she was wide awake for hours.
3. Collocations: Sound more advanced
бачити яскравий сон
I had a vivid dream about my old school.
тлумачити сон
People interpret the same dream in different ways.
переживати повторювані кошмари
The character experiences recurring nightmares.
мати труднощі із засинанням
I struggle to fall asleep when I'm worried.
порушувати сон
Late-night notifications can disturb your sleep.
зробити передбачення
The character makes a prediction that later comes true.
здійснитися
Her prediction seemed to come true.
ґрунтуватися на страху
His suspicion may be rooted in fear rather than evidence.
4. Vocabulary quiz: What fits best?
1. A dream that you experience repeatedly is a...
2. A feeling that something may happen before it does is a...
3. Which phrase means “to wake up suddenly because of a shock”?
4. Which collocation is correct?
5. Someone who is confused about where they are after waking up feels...
5. Make it personal: Vocabulary in context
Complete these sentences aloud. Use the vocabulary above, and explain your answer.
🔍 The Investigation
1. The anonymous message
The anonymous message is fictional and used as a mystery-writing device for discussion.
2. Detective board: Fact, interpretation or assumption?
Choose the best category for each statement.
1. Hanna saw her mother without hair in the dream.
2. The dream proves that something bad will happen to her mother.
3. The strand of hair may have an ordinary explanation.
4. The repeated time makes the reader question whether Hanna is awake.
Some statements can be discussed in more than one way. The quiz asks for the most suitable category in this exercise.
3. Mini-dialogue: The morning after
Hanna:
I've had the strangest experience. I woke up twice, and in the dream my mother had lost all her hair.
Friend:
That sounds terrifying. Are you sure you were fully awake the second time?
Hanna:
That's the problem. It felt completely real. I could see the room and hear my mother speaking.
Friend:
Our minds can create incredibly vivid experiences. It doesn't necessarily mean the dream predicts anything.
Hanna:
But what about the strand of hair on my pillow?
Friend:
It could be a coincidence. Before jumping to conclusions, I'd look for an ordinary explanation.
Hanna:
Maybe. But I still have a sinking feeling that something isn't right.
4. Grammar for speculation and deduction
At C1, you need to express degrees of certainty, rather than simply saying “I think”.
Strong possibility
A strong deduction about the past.
Possible explanation
One possible explanation.
Negative deduction
You believe something was impossible.
Regret / alternative past
Criticism or a better action in the past.
Complete the deductions
1. Hanna was extremely tired. She _____ have fallen asleep immediately.
2. The strand of hair has several possible explanations. It _____ have come from a brush or a pillow.
3. We have no evidence that the dream predicted the future. It _____ have been a coincidence.
4. Hanna now regrets ignoring her fear. She _____ have called her mother sooner if she had wanted reassurance.
5. Reading between the lines
Interpretation A: Anxiety
The dream reflects Hanna's fear of losing control. Her mother's changed appearance represents the fear that a familiar person could suddenly become unfamiliar.
Interpretation B: Foreshadowing
The strand of hair suggests that the nightmare may have left a clue in the real world. The story uses ambiguity to make the reader anticipate another event.
Interpretation C: Unreliable perception
Hanna's fear may affect how she understands ordinary events. The story never gives the reader complete certainty about what happened.
6. The evidence test
Rate each piece of evidence from 1 (very weak) to 5 (very strong) for the claim: “Hanna's dream predicts a real event.”
🎙️ Speaking Lab: The Truth Is Out There
1. The deep-talk questions
🧠 Identity & the mind
1. Do our dreams reveal who we really are, or are they random mental experiences?
2. Can someone know themselves completely? Why or why not?
3. Are we more honest with ourselves in our dreams than when we're awake?
4. How much of our personality is shaped by fears we rarely discuss?
🔮 Predictions & intuition
5. Have you ever had a strong feeling about something that later happened? How might you explain it?
6. Is intuition a useful skill, or can it lead us to make unfair judgements?
7. Why are people attracted to horoscopes, fortune-telling and dream interpretation?
8. If a dream predicted something unpleasant, would you change your behaviour?
📱 Modern life & sleep
9. Does social media make it harder for teenagers to switch off mentally?
10. Should schools teach teenagers about sleep and mental wellbeing?
11. Why do people sometimes glorify being busy and sleeping very little?
12. Should frightening films have age recommendations, or should viewers decide for themselves?
🖤 Secrets & relationships
13. Is keeping a secret always wrong?
14. Is it better to know an uncomfortable truth or to remain happy without knowing it?
15. Can fear make us suspicious of people who have done nothing wrong?
16. When does protecting someone become controlling their choices?
2. The dilemma room
Dilemma 1: The dream that comes true
You dream that your best friend will betray you. The next day, she hides something from you. Do you confront her, ignore the dream or wait for more evidence?
Wait: dreams aren't proof, and an innocent secret may have another explanation.
Discuss: What would count as reliable evidence?
Dilemma 2: The anonymous account
An anonymous account sends you a message claiming to know a secret about your family. It includes one detail that is true. Would you investigate, block the account or tell someone you trust?
Dilemma 3: The perfect prediction
A friend claims that every one of her dreams comes true. She wants you to make an important life decision based on her latest dream. What would you say?
3. Random question generator
Ready to investigate your own mind?
4. The 60-second challenge
Topic: “Dreams are a reflection of our waking lives.”
Speak for one minute. Include:
- Your position and main argument
- One personal, fictional or hypothetical example
- At least three target vocabulary items
- A counterargument beginning with “Having said that...”
The timer runs while you speak. Don't stop to correct every mistake — focus on communicating your argument.
5. Create a psychological thriller
6. C1 speaking checklist
Tick the skills you used during this lesson.
7. Exit ticket: One last secret
Finish these sentences aloud: