For these exercises, refer to the previous blog (‘Holiday of a Lifetime’). Put class into small groups and assign a city to each one. The groups have to make a presentation, using advertising-style language: hyperbolic adjectives, expressions, phrases. Furthermore, they must really ‘sell’ the holiday, so they can practice their intonation and stress skills.
The blurb contains the selling points, while the practicalities has information. The style should change for these two parts – the teacher can demonstrate.
Students are encourages to add their own information and to make use of classroom facilities such as internet, Google images etc to enhance their presentation.
To make it more competitive, the students have to vote on which holiday sounds most impressive.
A sample of different speaking situations to help you practice:
Past simple
Idioms
Picture description
Going to a bank
Coffee shops
Talking about your children
Easter in UK
Simple Past
To kick off, two friends, Kim & Lyn are catching up, asking what they have done recently.
Kim Good evening, how are you ?
Lyn Very well, thank you. Long time no see.
Kim Yes, I’ve been out and about.
Lyn Really ? What did you do ?
Kim Well, I found agreat restaurant in District 1. I went there with Peter and Jenny. We tried food from England.
Lyn Yes, I heard about it. I got an email from Mary. What did you eat ?
Kim We ate roast beef and potatoes, and drank lots of hot, sweet tea.
Lyn Wonderful! Did you try the beer ?
Kim You know beer’s not my cup of tea !
Lyn How about Peter ?
Kim Oh, my goodness, he drank so much. He nearly fell over. What he didn’t drink, Jenny finished off.
Lyn I didn’t know she drank.
Kim She drinks like a fish. I spoke to Mary as well. She went to Thailand and brought back some gifts. The children loved them.
Lyn She is very sweet. I began to write her an email but then Peter phoned me. Would you like some tea ?
Kim Oh, now you are like an Englishperson.
Lyn Certainly !
Idiom: bear with me = wait a little time / a few minutes / a moment
Describe what you see in this photo. Use as many adjectives as you can.
I notice a lack of adjectives and adverbs in my students’ speech; they are able to complete abstract exercises, but I want to hear them incorporate what they’ve learnt into everyday talk, a natural feature. Therefore, the best way is practice … and practice.
Tell me what you see in the above photo. Adjectives can apply to what YOU think of the ladies (beautiful, gorgeous, plain, ugly), their age, origin, size, hair, clothes. However, I want to hear sentences.
Example: The gorgeous young Asian lady with the long black hair, is wearing a cute floral dress
(floral = flower pattern)
Now, verbs … describe their actions
Subject first; do NOT start with ‘She,’ or ‘They.’
Where are they ? What are they doing ? What have they been doing ?
How are they dressed ? How do they look (emotions)
What do you think they are talking about ?
Conversation practice Bank
Two friends are in a coffee shop
Cath This is a great cup of coffee ! Ok, what shall we do next ?
Di I have to run to the bank. I need to deposit some money.
Cath Good idea, I want to use an ATM. I also need to buy some dollars.
Di You can check the exchange rate at my bank. It’s not far, we can walk.
Cath Oh, I love your earrings. They are so cute. Mine are so ordinary !
Di No, yours are sweet. Mine look valuable but they are fake.
Cath Really ? They look amazing. A very unique design.
Di So kind. OK, have you finished your coffee ?
Cath Bear with me … oh, no … it’s started raining cats and dogs !
How many adjectives can you see ?
Speaking practice:
Pam Your daughter is gorgeous. Like an angel. She looks like you.
Uma Yes, but she takes after her father. She is very grumpy when she’s tired or hungry.
Pam My son is usually very good, he sleeps like a log, but now he’s teething.
Uma Ahhh, poor little thing but it will pass. Does he still keep you up at night ?
Pam Well, a little but not too much. I give up reading or watching films.
Uma I get it ! We have a reading group. Sounds good ?
Pam Hmmm … let me think about it and get back to you. OK, I must run … bye.
Speaking practice:
Bea What a day ! It was non-stop. No time to think. I need some coffee
Lyn Here you are. Tell me all about it, from start to finish.
Bea Firstly, I overslept, so I had to jump in the shower and skip breakfast. I was grumpy.
Lyn You ? No, you are always so sweet. Nearly always haha.
Bea Then I nearly got into an accident with some stupid Grabbike man.
Lyn Oh, some are so nice but others are total idiots !
Bea Exactly. Afterwards, my computer crashed at work and my boss yelled at me
Lyn What a terrible day. Now you need some coffee and a big piece of pie.
Speaking practice:
Nina Have you seen this western tradition ? They give chocolate eggs at Easter.
Eva Are you serious ? I adore chocolate. Who gives them ?
Nina Well, parents give to children, husbands give to wives, boyfriends to girlfriends.
Eva I haven’t seen them. Can you tell me about them ?
Nina Sure, it’s a large piece of chocolate shaped like an egg.
Eva I like the sound of that. A giant chocolate egg, sounds like heaven.
Nina That’s only part of it. Inside the egg, there are more chocolates.
Eva Ok, next year I am going to England. I will eat like a pig. A chocolate pig !
This blog is especially for my internet friend Silk Chatters, as she mentioned this idioms in a note. She has lots of interesting blogs, so have a gander at her page. Here’s a link to one of her blogs:
Following on from yesterday’s blog, I’ve included some more everyday idioms, this time related to work. See how many you’ve come across. To kick off, many of my students are accountants. For that occupation we have:
number-cruncher = a slang term for an accountant
cooking the books = writing false information in accountants – a serious crime
What kind of work is accounting ?
Exciting and adventurous … not really. My students complain that their work is uninteresting, boring and tedious. Idiomatically, we could say:
It’s like watching paint dry
same thing, day in, day out
same old, same old
How do you cope with pressure or cope with stress ?
I will getaway from everything = Do something completely different
I take a breather. I take five (a short break from work)
I like to let off steam by …
Ask each other: what do you do to let off steam ?
Play table tennis
Sing Karaoke
Go Shopping
Watch moviesRead a book … or many booksYoyoka, aged 8, playing drums
Idioms
Keep an eye on (watch something carefully)
under the table = to give money to someone unofficially
kick the bucket = to die (informal) Did you hear ? Old Tom kicked the bucket.
A spanner in the works = a serious problem
In the right ball park (US) = not correct but close
On the right track (UK) not correct but close
Now, practice:
That’s not right but you’re …
I had to pay … to get the paperwork stamped
Can you … on the food while I answer the phone ?
Oh, poor Mr Jones, he … last week
That’s a real problem. It puts a …
Throwing a spanner in the works. The young lady is holding a spanner
Idioms / expressions (money)
money doesn’t grow on trees
time is money
on the money = exactly right
costs an arm and a leg = very expensive.
Don’t stop working ! _________________________________
I can’t stay in a 5 star hotel, it ____________________
Be careful with your clothes, I can’t keep buying new ones _______________________ Yes, she’s always right, always _________________
New idioms / collocations
to get hold of someone = to speak to or meet someone
Hell breaks loose = will be a lot of trouble
to be into something = to like something very much
more or less = not 100% but almost.
I beg to differ = polite way to disagree
In the next blog, we’ll look at how these idioms can be used in everyday conversations
Remember: don’t get caught cooking the books – or you’ll get a massive fine.
Yes, keep on Rockin’ in the Free World … but first, you’ve got to get there.
As spoken, we would say:
“First, ya gotta get there.”
So today’s lesson will be in the form of a game, a challenge or quest, if you will, where the students, assigned to one of two teams have to get from:
To …
What a prize ! The dirty filthy insalubrious streets of Ha Noi to the cozy comforts and warm welcome of east London, and my local, the Birkbeck Tavern.
Said task is achieved by earning points, said points are earned by answering questions, and using a wide range of linguistics features namely: adjectives, adverbs, discourse markers, relative pronouns, low-frequency words, expressions, idioms and, naturally, displaying a wide array of para-linguistic attributes, to wit: intonation, stress, eye-contact, body language, gestures, clear pronunciation, turn-taking and rhythm because, contrary to popular belief, when it comes to speaking English, NOT all God’s children got rhythm.
(Yes, the above sentence contained an example of non-standard English, but the vast majority of people do not speak pure standard English all the time).
Now, we have a massive task to undertake … without further ado … let’s go !
First up, a revision and practice. In the last lesson, the class learnt (a-hem!) four new words: ubiquitous, significant, consequently and, it was on my blog, extrapolate. The teams, and let’s name them after famous English explorers, Drake and Cook:
Sir Francis Drake
Captain James Cook
… the teams have to use all four words in sentences. One point for each correct sentence. However; incentive, three points for using two in a grammatically-correct sentence, five for using three words and TEN points for using all words words in one sentence. That should get them some air miles and off the runway.
Next up, the teams challenge each other. They offer points to the other side if they can use these words or expressions correctly:
however / with that in mind / quantum leap / in order to / cats and dogs / kick the bucket / therefore / dribs and drabs
It works like this. Team Drake will say, “We offer 5 points for Team Cook to use the word ‘however’ in a sentence.” If the task is accomplished, Cook gain the 5 points. If the team is unable to use the word, then Drake win the points. The skill is in guessing which words or expressions will be hard to use, and offering high points accordingly.
Moving on, creative writing. My class can use relative pronouns IN THEORY, but not so much in practice. One may even say, NOT AT ALL in practice. Thus, I will give information about our two friends from last week. The teams have to compose a short piece combining all the information, but in the form of complex sentences with relative pronouns and discourse markers.
Example:
Johnny Rotten, Real name John Lydon. Born 1956. Was in the Sex Pistols from 1975 – 1978. Formed band PIL. Changed name back to Lydon. Married Nora Forster in 1979. He was going to be on the Pan Am flight that crashed in Lockerbie, Scotland. He wrote a book, published in 2008.
John Lydon, who performed under the name Johnny Rotten while he was in the Sex Pistols from 1975 – 1978, is married to Nora Forster, and has been married since 1979. After leaving the Sex Pistols, he formed a new band, PIL, and wrote a book which was published in 2008. He escaped death by missing his flight on the Pan Am flight that exploded over Lockerbie in Scotland.
Our young lady is
Sakuri. 21. Born in Tokyo. Studies History at university. Works as waitress. Wants to be a film star. Has two sisters. One sister elder, one younger. Her father is a piano salesman. Mother designs clothes. Sakuri likes reading, films, anime, shopping, going out with friends. Uses Apple iPhone X. Always on Instagram, FB, and Yalo. Is learning English.
Haruto. 23. Born in Okasuka. Left school at 16. Plays keyboards in a band. Likes Beethoven, Jazz and Elton John. Works different jobs. Was TA in a school but was sacked after four hours. Has no siblings. Father left home when Haruto was 4. Mother works 6 days a week in a factory. Uses Samsung Galaxy. Hates social media sites. Listens to music all day.
Points awarded for creativity and relative pronouns and complex sentences.
And now for something completely different: London.
Quick-fire round: I want a list of three. Start a sentence and give THREE examples
In London, you can eat British food …
In London there is public transport …
London has many famous buildings …
There are many famous football clubs in London …
Plan a day for my friends Tina and Michael:
I have two friends arriving in Sai Gon. They want a typical, authentic experience. Plan a day for them. It must include:
Breakfast
A museum
Somewhere for a snack
An interesting building or location
Lunch
Souvenir shopping
Something to do in the evening
Give tips and advice.
How do they travel around ? What are the pros and cons ?
What are their options and estimate the prices.
Try to use as much new vocabulary as possible, words and expressions.
Finally, pronunciation. I will show Drake and Cook a clip from ‘Twin Peaks’. The teams, all members, have to imitate or copy the voice, gestures and intonation. Points out of 50 for this task.
The quote is, “Wait a minute, wait a minute. You know, this is, excuse me, a damn fine cup of coffee.”
And that, as they say, is a wrap. The remainder of the lesson can be devoted to book work, possibly, had-outs, unlikely, or general chit-chat, undoubtedly. Who says English can’t be fun … probably my students !
Tonight’s subject is relationships, and the book work seems well-balanced, with vocabulary, listening and speaking exercises. However, this is quite a strong group and appear motivated. With that in mind, I push them to learn more, in order to prepare them for their next class, which will be the quantum leap into IELTS.
However = discourse marker, better than just saying ‘but.’
With that in mind = expression meaning ‘because of that.’
in order to = to help for the future – I am learning Vietnamese in order to speak to my students.
quantum leap = massive (very, very large) jump forward or progression
Bearing in mind that Vietnamese operate on ‘elastic time’ (a polite way of saying the students turn up in dribs and drabs, ie, ten, twenty or thirty minutes late), so I can’t start any serious teaching until the whole class is present. Therefore, I use some warm up activities.
Egyptian students preparing for their lesson
Warm Up: Call My Bluff.
This is a vocabulary-building exercise. I introduce a new word, then give three possible definitions. Students have to deduce, or just guess, the correct meaning.
1. Ubiquitous
– adj means something that is very common, everywhere
– noun equipment used in scuba diving
-name used towards close friends or family
2. Significant
– noun a small built-in safe in a hotel
– adj something very special, different or important
– verb to paint Chinese or Japanese characters with great care
3. Consequently
– adverb discourse marker meaning because of that, this happened
– noun a person who cheats other people to get more money
– verb a type of pass in football that leads to a goal being scored.
4. Extrapolate
– noun a chair used by a dentist, that can be lowered or raised
– verb to get only important information from a lot of text
– adj something made from different materials or many different colours
Then students have to write four sentences using the new words, as well as trying to repeat them throughout the lesson.
I’m not going to give you the answers – look up the definitions yourself, it will help you to learn.
Warm Up: What is the name, to you, of …
What is the name of your mother’s husband ?
What is the name of your mother’s sister ?
What is the name, to you, of your mother’s brother’s son.
What is the name of your father’s mother ?
What is the name of your father’s mother’s father
Next stage is sentence building:
I am from London. It is an expensive city.
To combine these pieces of information, we use the relative pronoun ‘which‘:
I am from London which is an expensive city.
We replace the pronoun ‘it’ with a relative pronoun ‘which’ and create a longer sentence. This skill is important / vital / imperative to attain a good IELTS score.
Try these:
Kimmy is from Tokyo. It is very crowded.
Tony is from New York. It is a vibrant city.
Scott wants to visit the War Museum. It is in District 1.
Lisa teaches in Beijing. It is the capital of the PROC (People’s Republic of China).
Moving on … My friend
Peter on the left, with famous drummer Kenny Jones
When we link information about a person, the pronoun, ‘he’ or ‘she’ is replaced by the relative pronoun ‘who.’
On the left is my friend Peter. I met him in 2010. I met him in London.
On the left is my friend Peter, who I met in London ten years ago.
On the left is my friend Peter, who I met in 2010 in London.
Try linking these: Remember to replace ‘he’ and use ‘who’ but you have to change the sentence.
Peter is Irish. He was born in Dublin // Peter, who is Irish, was born in Dublin
Peter loves music. He can play saxophone, keyboards, guitar and bass.
Peter is 40 years old. He is bald, and wears glasses.
Peter plays bass. He has a video on YouTube.
Peter is with the drummer Kenny Jones.He played in The Small Faces in the 1960s.
Be careful with the last one. The pronoun ‘he’ is about Kenny Jones.
Be careful with the next two. We only need ONE relative pronoun:
The drummer Kenny Jones.He played in The Small Faces in the 1960s. He is withPeter.
The Manager Mr Smith. He is from Australia. He is going to travel to Mexico.
The manager, Mr Smith who is from Australia, is going to travel to Mexico.
Students, working in pairs or small groups, must come up with a storline for these couples.
Describe these two people. What are they wearing ? What are their personalities ? What do you think they do ?How do they meet ?
Be creative and feel free to use dialogue.
How do they know each other ?
What will happen when they meet ?
Will they get on ?
Will they have a terrible time ?
How about these
How do these two know each other ?
Try to invent an interesting, fascinating story line. Maybe they haven’t met since there were born ?
Now, let’s get creative:
Write a short story using dialogue and adjectives.
MOTIVATION: why do the characters do what they do ?
PLOT: what happens … and why ?
CHARACTERS: make sure each one is an individual and speaks differently.
Ideas:
Where do they meet ?
How do they meet ?
How do they know each other ?
What do they think of each other and how do they express it ?
EXAMPLE:
Boram, a young Korean lady, is at home getting ready to go out. She has put on her favourite white and pink dress and, with her lucky pink bow in her luscious chestnut hair, looks absolutely stunning.
Today she is going to meet her cousin who is coming to Seoul for the first time. Boram needs to practice violin, because she plays in the university orchestra and they have an important concert coming up, however, she is concerned about her cousin getting lost in the big bewildering city. That is typical of Boram, always putting other people first. She is a very sweet and thoughtful caring lady.
[In the first sentence I named the lady – Boram. Therefore, we can use a pronoun – she – because we know the subject]
This listening is quite hard, but the website allows you to pause and replay, as well as seeing the text.
New vocabulary: attractions – famous sights, places to visit
guide – a person to show you around a building or area.
fantastic – adjective meaning very good
I’m sure that .. – to be certain or to be 100% . I’m sure that it will rain today.
not my cup of tea – idiom meaning I don’t like it / it’s not my interest
What would you like to see in London ?
What do you think of … ?
New vocabulary
exciting / interesting / stressful / expensive / scary / historic / crowded / exclusive / unmissable / world-famous / intimidating / not my cup of tea (not what I like) /
From the top = to start at the beginning.
As you can see
Tourists at The British MuseumOxford Street for shoppingDocklands, a new financial district with expensive housing Street food in LondonA walking tour, with a guide, around old London
Look at the four photos. What do you know about the four places ?
What do you need to think about ?
They are all capital cities … will that make them cheap or expensive ?
Do they speak English there ? What is the temperature in winter and summer ? How would you find information ? What do you like to do on holiday ?
Extra activity – describe the photos in as much detail as you can. Use adjectives and make your voice sound excited (or unhappy).
Buenos Aires, capital of ArgentinaNairobi, capital of KenyaMoscow, capital of RussiaCopenhagen, capital of Denmark
Work in pairs – write or talk about these points:
Before I go – what do you need to do ?
While I’m in ________________, I’m going to _____________
Are there any places you don’t want to visit ? Why not ?
Pros and cons (good andbad points)
Buenos Aires:
Very colourful city with interesting buildings. Cheaper than some western cities.
In South America – could be a long flight (my class is in Vietnam). Language is Latin – American Spanish.
Nairobi:
National parks and museums. Some great food and can be cheap. English spoken.
Not very safe at night. Insects and bugs plus bad hygiene in some places.
Moscow:
Amazing culture and architecture. Generally safe for tourists. Lots to see and do.
Can be very expensive. Can be bitterly cold in winter. Most people have just basic or no English.
Copenhagen:
Friendly people, small city can be explored on foot. Great beer and healthy, fresh food. High quality standards. English widely spoken, like a second language. Safe.
Is notoriously expensive. Can be very cold and wet in winter. Very long flight (from Viet Nam).
Ask each other what they like best, where they would probably go, where they probably won’t go !
Advanced levels:
To practise complex sentences, make your own answers
The four cities are all interesting in their own way, but if I had to choose just one, I think I would probably select Nairobi in Kenya.
Firstly, I have never been to Africa and it look so different to Europe and Asia. Seeing those beautiful giraffes just walking past the window must be an amazing, unforgettable experience.
Secondly, I know that English is widely spoken in Kenya, so there should be no language barrier even though I expect a lot of culture shock.
However, I expect the heat will be a serious issue, so I must pack a lot of powerful sun cream, sunglasses and a hat. Additionally, i don’t really know much about the city, so I will have to read up.
In conclusion, I feel all cities offer something amazing but my choice would be Nairobi. I’m sure I will have an incredible time in Kenya.
The Beach Boys exemplified the American dream of fun, fun, fun !
You are going to the USA. How will you prepare ?
Before you go
What do you need to do ? Use the following words to build long sentences with linking words (also, as well as) and adverbs (extremely, absolutely, quite):
Meeting the locals is part of the travel experience
[A ‘gap – year’ is when young people travel before, or during, their university studies. It creates a gap – a space – between school and university or between the three or four years of study.]
Make a short presentation – what do you think of the items ?
Which do you consider to be:
essential / useful / unnecessary / a waste of space ! / totally useless
You are allowed to choose five items – which would you choose and why ?
GRAMMAR
‘Have to’ and ‘must’
When packing, which items do you HAVE TO bring ? Which items MUST you bring ?
Remember: have to = requirement // must = personal choice
EXAMPLE: to travel, I have to bring my passport and I must buy some shampoo.
Travelling to USA
Make a list. Be sure to include paperwork, important personal items and non-essential personal items.
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Thay Paul's Notes 