VHS Shop
WORKSHEET
Vocabulary
Flickering
Shining with an unsteady or wavering light or image.Fuzziness
A lack of clarity or sharpness; the state of being blurry.Outdated
No longer useful or fashionable; replaced by something newer.Streaming
Playing video or audio directly from the internet without downloading.Platform
A digital service or software used for communication or content delivery.Transformed
Changed completely in form, function, or appearance.Tangible
Something real that can be touched or physically experienced.VHS
A type of videotape format popular in the 1980s and 1990s for watching films at home.Mainstream
Widely accepted by or popular with the general public.Meaningful
Full of importance, value, or personal significance.
Grammar Points
Used to + Base Verb
Used to describe past habits or situations that are no longer true (e.g., “Many people used to spend Friday nights watching VHS videos”).Present Perfect Tense
Used for actions that happened at an unspecified time and have relevance now (e.g., “Interest in VHS has been slowly growing again”).Past Simple Tense
Used for completed actions in the past (e.g., “VHS was hugely popular during the 1980s”).Modal Verbs (may, can, might, must)
Used to express possibility, necessity, or ability (e.g., “VHS may never return to the mainstream”).Relative Clauses
Used to give more information about a noun using “who,” “which,” or “that” (e.g., “People who are coming in want to know what it was like”).Gerunds as Subjects or Objects
Verbs ending in -ing used as nouns (e.g., “Streaming platforms transformed how we watch films”).
Activities
Activity 1
Then and Now – Writing Comparison Paragraph
Instructions
Write a short paragraph (100–120 words) comparing how people used to watch movies in the past and how they watch them now. Use the following guidelines:
Include at least one ‘used to’ phrase.
Include past simple and present perfect verbs.
Use at least 3 vocabulary words from the list.
Activity 2
Silent Video – Create Your Own Narration
Instructions
Watch a short 30-second to 1-minute clip from the video with the sound turned off. Work in pairs or groups and prepare your own spoken narration for that section.
Steps:
Watch the video segment twice without sound.
Write a brief narration (3–5 sentences).
Practice saying it clearly and confidently.
Present your narration to the class or record it.
Optional challenge:
Include at least 2 vocabulary words and 1 grammar structure from the lesson.
Activity 3
Fill in the Blanks
Instructions
Complete the sentences using the correct word from below. One word will not be used.
flickering | outdated | streaming | VHS | tangible
Watching a movie on ________ feels very different from streaming something online.
Many people feel that old technology like VHS is ________, but others still enjoy it.
The screen had some ________, but the tape still worked fine after it warmed up.
With ________ services, there’s no need to own physical discs or tapes anymore.
Questions
What are some of the visual or sound features people mention when talking about watching VHS tapes?
How did streaming platforms change the way people watch films?
Do you think physical media like VHS, CDs, or books can ever become popular again? Why or why not?
TRANSCRIPT
VHS Shop
NARRATOR:
Many people used to spend Friday nights watching VHS videos on their TV.
UPSOUND:
“But look it, it's flickering. But is that part of the experience?”
“People often say this about vhs, that there's the, the, the fuzziness, the flickering, but basically that tape, it's not been played for a while, but if we let it warm up, it'll be absolutely fine.”
NARRATOR:
Today, many younger people have never used a VHS player or even seen one in action. VHS was hugely popular during the 1980s. People would rent films and watch them at home. But over time, DVDs took over, and VHS quickly became outdated. Eventually, streaming platforms transformed how we watch films altogether with no physical tapes or discs required. Yet despite that, interest in VHS has been slowly growing again.
In Liverpool, Andy runs a video shop. He started small, but now owns over 50,000 VHS tapes. More and more people are coming to rent them, and not just older generations.
SOUNDBITE - Andy Johnson:
“Oh, you know, it's a real mix. We get a lot of older customers, but I've been really, really pleasantly surprised by the amount of young people who are coming in and, you know, they want to know, what was it like? What was life like at a video shop?”
NARRATOR:
Andy also runs a VHS film festival, where people watch films on tape, together, just like in the past.
SOUNDBITE - vox pop 1:
“The physical feeling of actually putting a tape in the machine is lovely. Or a CD in a CD player, you know, you can't really get that from streaming.”
SOUNDBITE - vox pop 2:
“I think people do kind of want, like a tangible thing and say, like, I own this.”
SOUNDBITE - vox pop 3:
“It makes you think about what you want to watch. It makes you want to think about what you want to listen to in a way that digital mediums don't.”
NARRATOR:
VHS may never return to the mainstream but for some, it remains a meaningful and lasting way to enjoy films.