Love and Marriage: The best bits !

28th December 2020

A single lesson version of three previous blogs that can be found here:

Lesson 1: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/01/11/adult-speaking-class-theme-traffic/

Lesson 2: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/01/12/adult-speaking-class-theme-love-marriage-part-2/

Lesson 3: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/01/13/adult-speaking-class-theme-love-and-marriage-part-3/

Single and lovin’ it … really ?

FREE SPEAKING Ask your partner or team members:

What’s the best thing about being in a relationship?

What’s the best thing about being single?

What headings would you put these under ?

Life is more fun than being alone. Problems are easier to solve.

We have total, 100% freedom ! Do what we want, when we want.

We have less responsibility.

No lonliness

If you meet someone you like, you can ask them out on a date.

There’s a time to play and a time to settle down and raise a family.

No in-laws !

How do couples meet ?

How did you meet your: wife / husband / boyfriend / girlfriend / partner ? Or was it a blind date ?

Activity: Arrange a blind date for these three men. Which lady is the best choice … and why ?

How do you think the dates will be ? Will they keep meeting, maybe get married … or never see each other again ?

PETER. Age 46. Lawyer. Likes cooking, travelling, wine, driving, tennis. Divorced, 2 children. Looking for a quiet lady with no children, to look after the house and him.

JAMES. Age 26. IT worker. Likes music, dancing, going to clubs, beach holidays. Single. Looks for young lady who is loud and fun, likes to party.

DAVID. Age 22. Model. Likes fashion, clothes, cocktail bars, smoking cigars. Looking for a women who is a model so we can look great together. Must be very beautiful and wear expensive clothes.

And now … the ladies:

JANE. Age 22. Likes fashion, clubbing, kittens, holidays in the sun. Looks for a man with a steady job and ‘down-to-earth’. Non-smoker only.

LISA. 28. Banker. Likes quiet restaurants, badminton, travelling. Looks for a mature man with good income for long term relationship. No boys, please !

EMILY. 20. Likes dancing, fashion, going out with my friends. Movies. Wants a young, cute boy-friend so we can go to parties together. No boring old men, please !

And … if all goes well, there could be wedding bells

FREE SPEAKING: What is a traditional wedding in your country ?

In the UK and many western countries, the bridegroom waits in the church next to the Best Man, who has the rings. The church music starts and the Bride walks down the aisle next to her father, who will ‘give her away.’ Behind the Bride are her Bridesmaids. The Vicar will start the service. At the end, the Bride and Groom kiss.

Vocabulary booster

Match words with meaning

Honeymoon // a secret relationship

Romantic // promise to do something/ be loyal to someone.

Divorce // when people decide they will get married

Affair // after you legally separate

Engaged // a holiday after getting married

The dress … Which one do you prefer ?

Listening Practice:

5 Weird Things Vietnamese People Do

weird = unusual / strange

Listening practise: Vietnamese culture (0.23 – end) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBAi_b__l_c

Do you agree with the video ? To what extent ?

BONUS: can you spot any English mistakes ?

Vocabulary to show agreement or disagreement:

I agree totally / I agree to an extent / I disagree / I disagree strongly /

She couldn’t be more wrong if she tried !

She makes a good point /

She is spot on / She is way off

In my experience … /

No, that is certainly not my experience

Adult Speaking Class, Level 2: How was your weekend ?

21st December 2020

Lan Kwai Fong: Hong Kong's party district | CNN Travel

My story: I flew, by private jet, to Hong Kong, and had the time of my life, so many parties, so many interesting people, non-stop fun !

Boring Night In. Don't judge me. I usually work very… | by Róisín McLiam | Medium

The reality, the truth: I went to work in the morning, then was so exhausted, I just sat and watched YouTube videos.

Warm – up: Students ask each other about each other’s weekend. Students must tell two stories, one true, one false. Students have to guess which is true.

Naturally, saying I have a private jet is not very believable so the story has to be feasible.

Examples:

HD wallpaper: food, eating, pizza, dark hair, Asian, women, model | Wallpaper Flare

On Saturday, after working in the morning, I met my friend Ms My. I had promised her that I would take her to try western food. Therefore, I invited her to eat pizza. It was her first time and she really liked it but wasn’t sure how to eat it – knife and fork or use hands !

On Sunday, I was too lazy to cook and, because my dog needed a walk, I went to a local restaurant and tried some Vietnamese sea food. The prawns were delicious, but the soup was just OK, nothing special. My dog liked everything and was over the Moon (very happy).

Which one is true ? Did I eat pizza with a beautiful young lady OR did I take my dog to eat seafood ?

Vocabulary

How was your weekend ?

Did you do anything special last weekend ?

What did you get up to over the weekend ?

Thanks for asking, I …

Well, I had a great time. First I …

Oh, nothing special, I just …

Today’s lesson is about people exaggerating about their weekends, in order to seem more interesting. So, a talking activity:

What would you do ?

Your young niece plays piano. It is terrible !

3,127 Kid Playing Piano Photos - Free & Royalty-Free Stock Photos from Dreamstime

Do you …

a) Say that was really good, well done

b) Say hmmm, that is very hard to play, you just need to practice.

c) Say troi oi (omg, oi vey !) that was awful – stop, stop, STOP !

Why did you say that ?

Your partner makes dinner for you. It is terrible ! (partner can mean husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend).

Woman Surprised, Man Cooked Dinner for Woman at Home by vla9 | VideoHive

a) Say, “That was delicious, darling,” and eat it all.

b) Say, “It looks wonderful, but I’ve already eaten. I’ll have it later,” then throw it out.

c) Say, “This tastes like dog food ! Never, ever cook again. Order me pizza !”

Your friend or girlfriend comes to your house to visit and meet your parents. Your parents are traditional and old-fashioned.

streetfashiontrends | Kawaii fashion, Harajuku fashion, Japanese street fashion

a) Say that your house is being decorated, so you have to meet in town.

b) Say that you want to meet her parents and will visit her instead.

c) Say, “No way ! My parents will scream ! Put some normal clothes on and wear a hat.”

New vocabulary

Do you know these words?

survey // impress // in fact // psychologist // paperwork // illusion

actually, really // something that looks real but is false //

to show someone that you are very good at something // a report about what people think // writing forms or reports //

// a person who studies how people behave and why.

Most Beautiful South Indian Actresses In Sarees || Tollywood Actress - YouTube

You made those saris yourself ? I’m so ________________

Free Photo | Young african couple doing paperwork together, sitting at kitchen table with lots of papers

We spent our weekend doing ________________

San Antonio Activist's Petition Asks the Tobin Center to Cancel Jordan Peterson Lecture | The Daily

Dr Jordan Peterson is a world-famous ____________

File:A community health worker conducting a survey in the Korail slum, Bangladesh (8630810827).jpg - Wikimedia Commons

This health worker is conducting a _____________ to get information.

Magician Dynamo adds an extra Birmingham date to his first live tour - Birmingham Live

The magician Dynamo, who is from the UK, is walking on the River Thames … but it is just an _________________.

Young Learners, Level 5: Review Units 1 – 4

17th December 2020

Proud Mary! - Steamboat Natchez, New Orleans Traveller Reviews - Tripadvisor — Proud Mary steamboat on the Mississippi – we have a student whose English name is Mary 🙂

A recap of unit covered thus far:

Part One: Give six students a flashcard from U3, L1 (e.g. buy balloons, order pizza). Model a question, then have a student act as teacher:

What will Tom do ? He’ll order pizzas

Empower B1+ Unit 5B - First Conditional Flashcards | Quizlet

Six new students. They close their eyes and are given flashcards. Students open their eyes, at the same time, and have to say what they’ll do e.g.

I’ll bring fruit juice

Part Two: Mime the actions from U3, L2

10 Mime artist ideas | mime artist, artist, mime makeup

Student teacher will ask, “Will she set up the music ?” Class will shout out, “Yes, she will,” or, “No, she won’t.” Give three students a flashcard. Ask, “Who will pour the juice ?” Class shout out the answer.

Part Three: Vocabulary check – on writing boards,

What is a better word for yummy,

For clever,

The coffee costs £2, I only have £1.50 so I don’t have _______

I want to ______ up to buy a new video game.

We can _____ money by working.

We can _____ the floor or ____ the car

Part Four: Last week’s writing highlighted some glaring errors. here’s a chance to fix some schoolboy errors.

Let’s use Green Lantern

The Mystery of the 1970s GREEN LANTERN Custom Comic! | Paul Kupperberg

I really like Green Lantern. He wears a mask and has a magic ring. He travels very fast but the Flash is faster.

NOTES: Capital letter for a name, when you write about your self (I) and the first letter of a new sentence.

Verbs: add -s for 3rd person = I wear, you wear, he/she/it/name wears

I really like NOT I very like

NOW … Your Turn

Marvel's Black Widow: The Official Movie Special Book (Black Widow Official Movie Special): Titan Comics: 9781787733527: Amazon.com: Books

Correct the writing:

i very likes black widow. she am very intelgunt and she wear a bracelet. also she fight good. she can karate and judo

Marvel's Black Widow: Every Actor and Character in the Film - IGN

Answer:

I really like Black Widow. She is very intelligent and she wears a bracelet. Also she fights well. She can do karate and judo.

For work on the Amazon Rain Forest, click on this link:

https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/10/19/young-learners-level-5-amazon-rain-forest-quiz-and-comparisons/

Captain Viet Nam ! Superheroes by Super Kids

13th December 2020

Following on from the use of Superheroes to review superlatives I gave my class (students aged nine or ten) a project: either write about their favourite hero or create their own.

Enough from me, here’s what some of the students came up with … firstly, from Cherry:

CafiNo to bring me damn good coffee … and hot !

A Superhero that brings me coffee – I love it ! Moving on, here’s a job opportunity for The Flash – express pizza-delivery, thank to Messi:

Heroes can be men, women, boys, girls … or animals. Three young ladies, Phuong Nhi, Jessica and Ms Linh chose to create a Supercat:

How about this Supermum from Mary:

The Flash is also the favourite of Marinette:

Now, a magnum opus from ‘King’ Lear:

Sarah who has dreams to be Foxgirl (but her identity must be a secret).

Young Ken is a fan of Spiderman:

Ngoc Minh (whose English name is ‘Iron Spider’) is, unsurprisingly, also into Spiderman:

Finally, Quoc Minh:

Young learners, level 6: Travel Journal Project

10th December 2020

Everybody Up 6, Unit 2 project

Make Your Own Travel Diary : 8 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables

Class will be arranged in four small groups and they will be assigned a city. The students have an hour to collect information, produce a short journal (with maps, photos, illustrations etc) and present to the class.

The destinations are:

London, Barcelona, Seoul & Rio de Janeiro

I shall provide some photo printouts for their covers.

The journal must include:

When to go // an itinerary // a famous museum or building // how the students got there

Virtual itineraries – a digital day out in London - Lonely Planet

London: best time to go is in Spring // British Museum is free -Open daily 10.00 am – 5.00 pm // Take the Tube (subway) to Holborn // Hamleys Toy Shop – Open 11.00 – 5.00 // Take the 25 bus and walk down Regent Street.

6 Of The Top Places To Take Kids In London | London Planner Magazine

Barcelona: Best time is May – June // Gaudi Church (Sagrada Familia) Open 9.00 – 7.00 pm // Take Metro Line 2 (subway) // Have a picnic in Gaudi park (Parc Güell) – Open 9.30 – 7.00 pm) -get there by taxi // At night walk along the famous street Las Ramblas and walk around the old town centre

A guide to La Rambla, Barcelona | Insight Guides Blog

Seoul: Best time is summer // Seoul Tower – take bus number 2 – Open 10.00 – 11.00 pm // Traditional village – take a taxi. // Walk around, visit small museums and try traditional food // At night, walk along city creek and try Korean street food.

Rio de Janeiro: best time is February, for the Festival // Walk there from your hotel // Visit the Christ statue – take a taxi but go early morning. // Go to the beach at Ipanema – take the Metro Rio (Subway) // Try amazing Brazilian food like crazy beef or foot bug ! //

Some Brazilian food for you know when you visit us. - 9GAG

Rio de Janeiro Carnival 2021 Dates - Feb 12 thru Feb 20, 2021 — Festival in Rio !

NOW … have fun

Young Learners, Level 5: Superlatives and superheroes

9th December 2020

Everybody Up, Unit 4, Lesson 3

Comparative Superhero Game - English ESL Worksheets for distance learning and physical classrooms

Warm up game: forming questions

Put class into small groups. Each group, from a keyword, has to form a question asking a superlative.

For example, keyword ‘old‘: Who is the oldest ? Keywords: strong // fast // young // tall //

Amazing Spider-Man on Twitter: "Is anyone thinking logically anymore ? If The #Venom Spin-Off Universe was going to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Than Why Title that separate Universe "

Who is the strongest ? Who is the fastest ? Who is the youngest ? Who is the tallest ?

Next up as fast as Flash, with writing boards, students have to write the comparison.

For example: easy = easier

cheap // comfortable // interesting

NOW – what about the opposites ? What is the opposite of ‘easy’ and then the comparative form ?

Repeat with cheap // comfortable // interesting

You want to sit and read a comic book … but which chair ?

Chairs You Wouldn't Want to Sit On – BE OPEN BLOG

Make a sentence with:

comfortable / more comfortable / most comfortable

How about uncomfortable ?

Think wooden chairs are uncomfortable? These 5 seats prove otherwise | The Peak Singapore - Your Guide to The Finer Things in Life

Uncomfortable Chair Images, Stock Photos & Vectors | Shutterstock

How about cheap ? How about expensive ? Tell me about the comic books, Superman, The Joker and Yona.

Superman #5 PR 0.5 1940 — 21, 862 800 VND

Akatsuki no Yona Vol.33 Yona of the Dawn /Japanese Manga Book Comic Japan NEW — 226 050 VND

THE JOKER 7 LUTHOR - HIGH GRADE! LOW PRICE! — 959 300 VND

Think about a NEW superhero … maybe a Captain Vietnam ?

Think about what powers your hero has and we can work on this next week

Young Learners, Level 6: London Screen Test

5th December 2020

To kick off – Know your country

This class is grouped into South Korea, Spain and Brazil. Ask about capital city, language and what their country is famous for or produces.

What country is this and what is happening ?

Moving on …

Name some responsibilities your parents have to do.

Name as many privileges that you have.

Sentence building:

If I do my homework, I can play video games

Students have to make sentences with, a conditional with a responsibility followed by a privilege (based on the lesson flash cards).

Responsibilities include ‘go to bed early,’ ‘scrub the sink,’ while privileges include, ‘have a party,’ and ‘sing karaoke.’

Hold up two flashcard, one responsibilities, the other privileges. Students must make sentences. Use as part of a team game.

And Finally – Screen Test

What are you responsibilities on the London Tube ?

What do you have to do ? What should you not do ?

Example: You should not stand on the left side of the escalators.

Extra conversation:

How do you travel in your country ?

What are your responsibilities ?

Subject Index: Guide and links

4th May 2020

A database of subject and where to find them on this blog. Many of the categories are really for my own reference, but general readers may be interested in general topics such as Grammar, Writing, Listening, IELTS etc.

Thank you to everyone who has visited my site; it’s really appreciated.

My Writing and Films. Music, Art and Literature

Access: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/12/04/subject-index-writing-and-film/

Main Index: Themes & subjects

Access: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/12/04/subject-index-themes-features-and-topics-2/

Beginners’ English: Exercises & Grammar

Access: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/12/04/subject-index-beginners-english-2/

Business English

Access: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/12/04/subject-index-business-english-2/

Dialogues used in ESL Classes

Access: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/12/04/subject-index-dialogues-and-conversation-used-in-esl-classes/

Famous Quotes

Access: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/12/04/subject-index-famous-quotes/

Film, TV, Theatre & Music

Access: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/12/04/subject-index-film-tv-theatre-music/

ESL Games & Student Surveys

Access: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/12/04/subject-index-esl-games-student-surveys/

English Grammar Exercises & Examples

Access: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/12/04/subject-index-grammar-lessons-videos-and-exercises-2/

IELTS: Exercises & Lesson Plans

Access: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/12/04/subject-index-ielts-themes-language-exercises-2/

English Listening skills & exercises

Access: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/12/04/subject-index-listening-exercises-2/

People and Photos used in ESL Classes

Access: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/12/04/subject-index-people-photographs-used-in-esl-classes/

English Sentence Building

Access: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/12/04/subject-index-english-sentence-building/

English Speaking: Exercises & Grammar

Access: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/12/04/subject-index-english-speaking/

Video Clips used in ESL Classes

Access: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/12/04/subject-index-video-clips-used-in-esl-classes/

Vocabulary: Vocabulary Building & Exercises

Access: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/12/04/subject-index-english-vocabulary-vocabulary-building-exercises/

Writing, Reading & Review Classes

Access: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/12/04/subject-index-writing-reading-review-classes/

Young Learners, Level 6: Round, Round, Get Around

19th November 2020

Everybody Up 6, Unit 1, Lesson 4

A Beautiful South Korean Girl Wearing A Traditional Red And Black Dress Hanbok In A Royal

flamenco | music and dance | Flamenco dancers, Flamenco dancing, Flamenco

Ronaldinho endorses far-right Brazilian presidential candidate

Can you guess the three countries ?

Divide the class into three teams, named after Brazil, South Korea and Spain. On the board write three columns or project an image like this:

Numbers One Two Three 1 2 3 Stock Photo, Picture And Royalty Free Image. Image 8101098.

Ask questions and one player from each team has to run to the board and slap the correct number

Example: The capital of the UK is: 1 Manchester 2 Cardiff 3 London

What language do people speak in Brazil 1) Portuguese 2) Spanish 3) French

The Great Wall is in 1) Japan 2) Germany 3) China

How do you say ‘Hello’ in Spanish ? 1) Xin chao 2) Hola ! 3) Annyeonghaseyo

You can walk under 1) the street 2) the fountain 3) the train tracks

Walk around 1) the fountain 2) the stairs 3) the river

Which country doesn’t have camels (not in zoos) 1) China 2) Egypt 3) Japan

Now, run and write

Where can you:

see fish, sharks and sea creatures ? buy clothes and shoes and books and toys ? ride a rollercoaster ? borrow books ?

Now, sentence building

Show students two flashcards from previous lessons. They have to combine to form a long sentence, using the past tense.

EXAMPLE:

First I walked over the bridge then took the train to the museum

First I walk__ ______ the river then _____ the ferry to the aquarium

First we walk__ _____ the train tracks then _______ the subway to the department store.

He walk__ ______ the fountain then ______ a car to the library

She (run) ________ the stairs then __________ a taxi to the zoo

Now, guess the country: This music is from ?

Start clip around 0:40

If the class is active and outgoing, they may want to try some Flamenco dancing, in which case, Ole !

Young Learners, Level 2: I would go out tonight, but I haven’t got a stitch to wear

11th November 2020

A step up in the musical education of my younglings. After teaching them to say … to scream, “I feel good,” a la James Brown (because I cannot stand the pre-programmed, “I’m fine,”) we’re moving on to one of my favourite bands: The Smiths. This song has a reference to clothing albeit in rather high-level English. However, the motivated students, with repetition, can absorb so much and really boost their vocabulary. So, without further ado … The Smiths with ‘This Charming Man’ : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJRP3LRcUFg

The lines in question start at 0:45 – 0:51

“I would go out tonight but I haven’t got a stitch to wear.”

This means that the singer doesn’t has any nice clothes to go out or has no money to buy new clothes

Play the song and the younglings have to shout out every time they hear the lyrics.

Bonus questions:

What is the singer wearing ? What is he doing ?

What instruments are the band playing ?

Clothes: a previous blog covered clothing vocabulary. Select what is appropriate for this level, e.g. for material just choose cotton, silk and plastic : https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/03/19/adult-speaking-class-level-2-describing-clothes/

What are they wearing ?