The Tuareg are a large group of Berber people from many different ethnic groups who live in the Sahara region of northern Africa. No one really knows where they first came from …
Conversation practice: New person at work // past-time expressions
Photo description
What is happening here ?
Never start a story with a pronoun (he, she, they, it). Tell what the subject is, or tell what the people are doing.
NOT ‘They are laughing.”
I can see two ladies (add adjectives – their age, their background), what they are wearing, where they are and what do you think they are doing … how do they know each other … are they close friends ?
Warm up game:
Show these pictures. One student sits facing away from the image, and the others have to describe it. See how accurate the student can be.
Work in pairs. One is new to your company and the other has to show him / her the ropes (show the new staff what to do, how the job works, where things are).
Make conversation:
First – small talk (general questions, where did he work before, where does she live)
Next – explain about the subsidised lunch (lunch is not free but is much cheaper than a normal restaurant).
New staff can ask about the food at local coffee bar or restaurant.
Older staff can offer suggestions to eat somewhere or a great local cafe.
New staff can ask about shopping, coffee shops, watching football in cafes.
Bonding – seeing what you have in common.
What (films, books, music) are you into ?
Would you like a coffee / tea / water ?
Pronunciation Quiz
What words are being said ? Teacher, or a student, reads out these pairs of words. Students must decide which is being said.
Cheese or cheers // Ship or sheep // close (the door) or close (near) //
work or walk // heard or hurt // house or ours // open or a pen
Past time expressions
Not for a long time / not recently / oh, I can’t recall it was so long ago
quite recently / fairly recently / about a month or so ago
last week / last month / last year / yesterday / just this morning
the day before yesterday / a fortnight ago / ages ago / I’ve never done that
What could these two friends be saying to each other ?
Put class into two teams (or more depending on size). They have to write and then act out a conversation using FIVE of the above time expressions.
Example: Let’s call them Yen and Haamida
Yen: Have you seen Anthony ?
Haamida:Not for a long time. How about you ?
Yen: Yes, I saw him the day before yesterday.
Haamida: Didn’t he go to Scotland last month ?
Yen: No, that was ages ago. Oh, did you finish your essay ?
Haamida: Yes, just this morning.
Do not use any of the examples !
Now try this situation. The two people are not so amicable (friendly).
To help: what is the relationships between the two ? Boyfriend / girlfriend ? Husband & wife ? Brother & sister ? Neighbours ? Actors rehearsing or actors in a play ?
Word bomb– what do you think of when I say ‘hotel’ ?
Checking in to a hotel
Vocabulary:
reception / lift or elevator / single or double room / king size bed or twins /
first floor / complimentary breakfast / key deposit / luggage storage / safe / mini bar
What would the conversation be ?
Reception: How may I help you / May I ask your name ? / Can I see your reservation code ? / That’s fine. You stay for three nights ? / May I have your passport, please ? / You’re in room 237. That’s on the second floor / Thank you. Sign here, please / Yes, the lift is just over there. / Naturally, as well as a hair dryer, coffee machine and mini bar. / Enjoy your stay.
Guest: Hello, we have a reservation / We booked a room online / My name’s ….. / Certainly, it’s on my phone. / Yes, that’s right. / Absolutely. / Correct. / Just a second; here you are./ Is there a lift ? / The second floor ? / Is there a safe in the room ? / Perfect. Thanks very much
Make a conversation. One student will be the reception, the other(s) a guest or guests.
Write your own conversation
You are in a hotel bar and you meet another guest. Start a polite conversation, but you have to use your English.
Greet each other
Why are you in this city ? (holiday or on business)
Offer to buy a drink (accept or decline – maybe you don’t drink alcohol)
How long are they staying ? What do they think of the hotel ? What can they do in the area around the hotel ?
Small group work
You are two married couples who meet on a tour and are staying at the same hotel OR you are on a business trip and meet some other business people.
Use the following sentences, as well as your own, to make a conversation. try to keep speaking for as long as possible by using small talk techniques (oh, really / that’s interesting / tell me more / what do you do exactly ? / where is that ? / Sounds interesting)
My wife and I are delighted to meet you
Shall we go to the bar or cafe ?
Can offer name first (I’m Simon, what’s your name ?)
Would you fancy a drink … ?
Is there anywhere special to do here ?
Sorry, I have to get my head down, it’s been a long flight (I need to sleep).
My colleague and I were going out to eat.
I fancy a beer or something alcoholic
Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t ask where you are from.
Reasonable (cheaper)
Would you like to join us ?
Peckish (little hungry)
What do you think of these hotel rooms ?
What do you think of the design ?
Would you like to stay in any of these ? Why, or why not ?
This is as much as listening exercise, as an engineering one. How much can you understand ?Which presenter is easier to understand, the young lady or the man from USA ?
Engineering terms
Match the term to the definition:
friction: the product of a body’s mass and its velocity
compression: not of natural origin; prepared or made artificially
momentum: the resistance when a body is moved in contact with another
synthetic: an increase in the density of something
Warm up: Ask students about problems at work. Encourage them to share their own stories.
Computers
The network is down (LAN or WAN)
My computer has crashed
The wifi is slow
I forgot my password
The printer is jammed / the ink has run out
I can’t access the file
Staff
We get on well together
We’re on the same wavelength (think the same thing)
He doesn’t pull his weight (doesn’t do his share of work)
My boss is a slave-driver (ironic / irony)
You’re not the boss of me !
He gets on my nerves ! (He annoys me)
General conditions
We need a pay-rise ! (we need more money for this job)
The air-con is too high / too low
It’s a great atmosphere here (it’s a nice place to work, people are friendly).
It’s not the friendliest place in the world ! (it’s not a happy or friendly office).
The commute is too long (time travelling to/from work).
Create a scenario:
What could the problems be ? Work in pairs or small groups. What would you do in these situations ? How would you feel ?
It is 11.55 am, just five minutes before lunch. You missed breakfast and are very hungry but then your supervisor comes to YOU and demands that you write some emails and check some files.
It is 16.00, you are tired and want to go home. You have to send some emails to Germany but … what could go wrong ?
The air con is on 18 degrees. You are very cold and only have a thin shirt.
You need to print out a file but the printer has jammed.
You try to send an important file to a college’s computer but the wifi is slow … and then your computer crashed.
You have some angry costumers … very angry !
An incident at work
Your colleague, John Harris, had an accident in the workplace.
Watch the first clip (0.00 – 0.40)
You have to report to your manager.
What was the task ?
What happened exactly ?
Were all safety procedures followed ?
What should have happened ?
Vocabulary
Idioms and expressions:
Very busy:
I’m snowed under / I’m up to my eyes in work / I’m working flat out /
Very quiet, not much work:
We are having some down time / It’s a quiet period / The place is deserted /
Time phrases– think of sentences using:
recently / nowadays / once in a while / in the long term / a few years ago
Talk about your work-day using a time phrase and an idiom.
Talk about some problems at work. How did you solve them ?
Have you ever had an angry costumer ? How did you deal with them or handle the situation ?
As drunk as a ….. // As dead as a ….. // As brave as a ……
As free as a ….. // As gentle as a …… // As quiet as a ……
If you need some help with the ‘drunk as a ……’ question.
Conversation Practice
Make sentences with these words or expressions:
In a class, write out the words on paper and distribute to the students, either individually or in groups. Give them a time limit and award points for each word used, plus bonuses for interesting or creative sentences.
spectacular / visually stunning / you get what you pay for / mouth-watering / a waste of money / significantly / according to / how can I put it ? / Somewhat / incredibly / as good as gold / as drunk as a skunk /
Reported Speech
Also known as ‘indirect speech’, reported speech is used to tell what someone has said.
Example:
Three Japanese students, Keiko, Rina & Mei are looking at their new university. Keiko, in the black cardigan says:
Keiko: Now I feel as wise as an owl.
However, with all the street noise, Mei didn’t hear so she asks Rina (who wears a pink and white striped top).
Mei: The building is stunning, but what did Keiko say ?
Rina: She said that she felt as wise as an owl.
Rina uses the past tense to tell Mei what Keiko said – she said she felt as wise as an owl.
Look at these:
Susan: “Mary works in an office.” This is Susan speaking directly.
→Susan said (that) Mary worked in an office. This is someone telling what Susan said.
Notice how the verb changes from present to past tense (‘works’ to ‘worked’).
Susan: “I work in an office.”
→Susan said (that) she worked in an office.
Notice how the pronoun changes from first to third person (‘I’ to ‘she’).
Exercises:
Rewrite the sentences using reported speech
1 ‘Ellie can use my phone,’ said my brother.
1 My brother said that Ellie could use his phone.
2 Benjamin: “I often have a big hamburger.”
2 Benjamin said (that) he often has a big hamburger.
(Pronoun changes from ‘I’ to ‘he’). Here Benjamin is talking about an event that happens frequently, so we keep the present tense ‘have’ but change it to the third-person form ‘has’.
Benjamin frequently eats big hamburgers. Because this is a repeated action, we always use present tense, even in reported speech.
3 ‘I don’t want to sit next to Sam,’ said Jenny.
4 Hannah: “They live in Boston.” Again, this is a present tense situation.
5 Tyler: “Ian doesn’t invite girls to his parties.”
6 Linda: “Did Max fly to London two weeks ago?”
7 Robert: “Dennis often downloads the latest tunes.”
Free speaking exercise
There is a work party and the managers want to know which food to serve.
The options are:
vegetarian / Korean / sea-food / western fast-food / traditional German cuisine
Korean foodBurgers, french fries, fried chickenTraditional German food … and beer.
Discuss which food to choose. Run through the pros and cons of each one. Also think about entertainment. Use recently acquired vocabulary:
Expressions:
I adore / I really enjoy / I’m into
I don’t mind … I quite like …. I can take it or leave it
I’m not keen on …. It’s not my cup of tea (idiom, means I don’t like it)
I can’t stand (noun or pronoun) ……. (seafood) / I can’t stand it !
Spicy / bland / hard to eat / unhealthy / fatty
not used to it / doesn’t appeal
you can’t please everyone / each to their own / fussy eater
This is the normal procedure (way / method) to hail a taxi in NYC. However, this would not be acceptable in Bangkok.
Hailing a taxi in Bangkok
Notice how the hand points down. In Thailand, people beckon (call) a dog with their hands up, so a taxi driver would think this was very impolite and rude. The driver would be offended; the hand signal would cause offence.
Cultural differences are one way of inadvertently causing offence. However, some people can say, write or do things that upset other people:
The 45th President is famous for his somewhat un-presidential tweets. He is referring here to the North Korean Leader, Kim Jong-il:
However, in the interests of fairness, North Korean leaders have made comments that could be offensive to the USA. The former leader, Kim Jong-un:
And sometimes, within the same country, people can disagree with each. This is all part of a free society. The problem arises when people stop arguing the facts or beliefs, but start to attack people for their looks, religion, ethnic background, sexual orientation. Some times, people can go too far in what they say:
This is the singer, and animal-rights supporter, Morrissey. He is talking about the treatment of animals in China, which he feels is intolerable. He can object. However, in this quote, he insults the entire country as seeming to be “a subspecies,” that is, not quite human. He makes his point, but do people understand his message, or get offended by his words ?
doubt – when you are not sure about something but don’t think it will happen (will England win the World Cup again ? I doubt it !)
swoop – to grab something quickly – a bird swoops down and grabs the bread.
Expression – to give someone the benefit of the doubt
Expression– in one swoop – something happening very quickly
Expression – to cut ties – to stop having contact with someone.
Practice:
I think Mr Smith took my iPhone but I didn’t see him. Therefore, I have to give him _____________
His comments were ________ to women.
John was talking to Jenny but Peter _____ in and took her away.
I had to __________________ with my colleague after he posted some racist tweets online.
Japanese students are famous for being so _____________ to their teachers. On the other hand, in Viet Nam, some students talk during class which is very ____________________ .
In Asia, it is the custom to show ________________ to old people.
Conversation practice
Time to use these new English words, speaking to each other.
Ask each other questions. Ask for more details (probe) Give full reasons.
Make people explain their answers.
Use opinion expressions.
Which of these would cause offence ?
A supervisor calls you an idiot – but you know it’s a joke.
A supervisor calls you an idiot – but is serious.
Your neighbour has a loud party but doesn’t invite you.
You are riding your bike and a taxi honks for no reason.
A foreigner says that your local food is terrible.
A Chinese says that one day Viet Nam will be part of China again.
A restaurant manager shouts at you to leave as soon as you finish your food.
You buy your girlfriend a present … and she says it’s too cheap !
Listening practice: A non-native speaker talks about a crime.
Reading exercise: Sherlock Holmes
Vocabulary: exercises
Warm up game: Eyewitness
Crime and detection.Being an eyewitness.
Crime and Punishment
This is a famous book by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Give students five to ten minutes to research information about him, then present it to the class. This practises extracting relevant information. Reading verbatim from Wiki or other sites is forbidden !
Warm up game:
Eyewitness: Show students a slide or picture of three people for two minutes. Tell them that today some computers were stolen from the office and these people were seen. Ask them to describe the people they just saw. Prompt for as much detail as possible. This will test the students’ ability to use adjectives and learn new vocabulary from each other:
Do you like detective shows ? Which are your favourites ?
The above shows are from USA, UK & South Korea. Detective shows are popular all over the world. Even famous film directors can write detective novels:
I was walking with a friend along Main Street, around 4 in the morning. The street was ………….quiet, just some tourists and a little traffic.
I was wearing a small bag, strung across my shoulder. A security guard was behind me, talking to a person in a car. …….., a motorbike came towards me on the pavement. He stopped, …………..my strap, then drove away.
Naturally, I shouted but it was too late; he was gone. My friend was worried but I told her it was OK, nobody was hurt. The ………of the bag were really worthless: pens, some medicine, a book, but also my designer glasses.
The security guard was comical in his incompetence. He shook his head, mouth open wide, and said, “It all ………. so quickly, there was nothing I could do.”
I should, …….. , have reported it to the police, that was the ……….. but people told me the thief would never be found. What I learnt from this unfortunate experience was to be very careful and never walk around with valuables.
The greatest of all fictional detectives, Sherlock Holmes, along with his loyal companion Dr. Watson, made his first appearance in Arthur (later Sir Arthur) Conan Doyle’s novel A Study in Scarlet (1887) and continued into the 20th century in such collections of stories as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894) and the longer Hound of the Baskervilles (1902).
Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes
New Vocabulary Practice:
What is the ……… for reporting a crime. (noun)
Most of what we learnt on the first day was ………… (adj)
His wife ……….. (verb) him of eating the cake but the real ….. (noun) was the dog !
Jet Mart had two cases of Tiger beer boosted (stolen). In Mr Wall’s house, there were two cases of Tiger beer but, his lawyer defended, this is not proof, merely ……….. …………….
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