Young Learners, Level 4: Safety First … and the gunpowder plot !

29th October 2020

E up U 1, L4 & U 2, L1

Objectives:

review recent vocabulary

sentence building

develop the use of intonation and stress in natural speech.

Warm Up:

Two teams – on the board, six sports but the letters are tangled. One member of each team has to write the correct spelling.

kis // odosabrnw // cie-etksa // ni-niel akste // aabkrdoset // furs

Next up:

Three boys and three girls holding the six sports flashcards. Three hold the cards the right way up, the others hold their cards upside down.

If the card is the right way up, it means the student is good at the sport.

First I will ask: Is he or she good at (surfing) ? The class will answer, using previously taught vocabulary,

“Yes, he’s / she’s very good at it.”

“No, he’s / she’s not very good at it.”

Partner work:

Ask each other, or in small groups, “What are you good at ?”

Examples:

Safety Last (Harold Lloyd, 1923, USA, 73', BW, silent) | BOZAR Brussels

I’m very good at climbing

67 Best Big Fish images in 2020 | big fish, fish, monster fishing

I’m very good at fishing

I was so happy': 8-year-old Japanese drummer talks viral fame, Robert Plant and the secret to great drumming | CBC Radio

Is she good at playing drums ? Yes, she ….

frank spencer is rollerskating.wmv on Make a GIF

Is he good at in-line skating ? No, he …

Adjective round up:

A chance to encourage students to extend their English skills.

First, opposites

Big _______ // huge ________ // scared ________ // dangerous _______ // happy ______ // cheap ________ // boring ________ // hard-working ____

Next, tell me about the man. What does he look like ? What does he wear ? What is he doing ? Is he scared ? Is he brave ?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEcTjhUN_7U&t=148s

start clip at 03.00

Which brings us to the theme of safety and the book work for the Saturday Class.

E up U 2, L 1

British culture

As a break, a little introduction to the UK and its history and traditions. The beginning of November sees Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night

In 1605, a group of men wanted to kill the King of England, James I. They wanted to blow up the building where the King was going to be, so they hid 36 barrels of gunpowder under the building. However, the King’s soldiers found one of the men, Guy Fawkes, and arrested him. The King was safe ! To celebrate, people made giants fires called bonfires : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnq7aqHLCSM

Start and play up to 0:52 to explain the background, then from 3:25 and have the class copy the children in the video. This helps with pronunciation as well as learning new words, and learning about Britain.

We still do this today. Also, children help to make a Guy Fawkes from old clothes and old bags, and then adults put it on the fire. Finally, there are fireworks, sometimes at home, sometimes in parks so everyone can see.

Many different types of fireworks are used:

Some young children are holding sparklers – they have to wear gloves and be VERY CAREFUL.

Image result for 5th nov fireworks — 5th November fireworks in London

Past simple and past continuous

28th October 2020 E Up 5 U 2, L 2

Warm Up: A kinetic run ‘n’ write exercise. I will say a simple sentence in the present tense; students have to write the past tense. Class can be split into two or three, depending on size, each with a different colour marker.

You act in a play / I ride an elephant / She win a competition / He read a big book / We learn English /

In English, we often talk about what we were doing at some time in the past.

For example:

Drinking Coffee Can Be Good for You, but a New Study Suggests There's a Limit - EcoWatch

Last night I was in a café drinking coffee.

We show past tense by

1 a word or words that show the past e.g. Last night, yesterday, this morning

2 the past tense form of the verb e.g. I am = I was / he is = he was

Then we use a continuous verb to say what someone was doing i.e. verb+ing (playing, reading, working)

Young man playing guitar sitting on bed at home. by BONNINSTUDIO - Guitarist, Home - Stocksy United

Last night he was in his room playing guitar.

Bowdon Preparatory School | Independent School for Girls, Altrincham

Yesterday she was at school writing in her book.

Round1 Moreno Valley - Temp. CLOSED - Updated COVID-19 Hours & Services - 249 Photos & 273 Reviews - Bowling - 22500 Town Cir, Moreno Valley, CA - Phone Number - Yelp

Last week they were at a party singing songs.

How did the children feel ? They felt …

Now we can use past simple and past continuous:

When I came to class, the student was sleeping.

Fostering Curiosity in the Classroom: "What Percentage of Animals are Insects?" |Education & Teacher Conferences

When I called my sister, she was studying insects.

Looking at the stars images on Favim.com

When I found my friends, they were looking at the stars.

Now … Your turn

When I found my friends, they were …

You Pick Strawberries - Carandale Fruit Farm

Identify Trees With Our Tree ID app - Woodland Trust - Woodland Trust

Finding Tracks in the Snow! — Birches School

To make your English more interesting, we can change the word order:

When I found my friends, they were collecting leaves

They were collecting leaves when I found my friends

NOTICE: no comma in the second sentence

Change the word order:

When I found my friends, they were identifying trees

When I found my friends, they were picking strawberries

When I found my friends, they were finding animal tracks

Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images and are used for educational purposes. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.

IELTS: My hometown

28th October 2020 Mindset 2 Unit 1: Speaking

A new class, new students, so let’s hit the ground running, get the students mixing, talking to each other and up from their seats. I prepared a questionnaire. They have to interview different classmates and learn a little about them

Gather information about your classmates

Question	Name	Response
Why are you studying IELTS ?
Where would you most like to visit and why ? Would you like to live abroad ?
What is the hardest thing about learning English ? How do you solve this ?
How often do you use English ? Do you read, write or speak at school or at work ?
What do you most like about western culture or countries ?
What idioms do you know ?

This lead into the idiom it’s raining cats and dogs which most students had heard (it means raining heavily).

Today’s lesson is based on types of housing and areas; some extra terms:

gritty / industrial

quite / safe / residential

boring / peaceful / suburban

bustling / vibrant / city centre

Which would you apply to these:

underthepier,southwold/alternative arcades

All photos are from the UK

Ask each other about your hometown or your neighbourhood.

What do you like about your neighbourhood ?

What don’t you like ?

Explain why you don’t like something.

Vietnam on video Part 1

23rd October 2020

A compilation of videos about Viet Nam for use in class. Some clips are made by westerners, other by Vietnamese speaking English. The clips can be used for listening practice, learning vocabulary, pronunciation, or just to learn more about the country.

Contents:

Vietnamese beer review

Vietnamese culture:

Vietnamese superstitions

Lights, camera, action !

Vietnamese beer review (Sai Gon Red): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKr6Cj-Xr9g&list=LLfquznE0joCgmA3v1PIQ0CQ&index=8&t=1s

This is an English man, a beer-lover, who uses lots of everyday language, slang and metaphors. Listen out for:

Let’s dive in / coming in at … / head (the white foam on top of beer) / oh, blimey, that’s awful ! /

Vietnamese culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBAi_b__l_c

To what extent do you agree with her comments ?

I agree totally // I agree to an extent // I’m not sure I totally agree // That has not been my experience // She is spot on ! // She is over-simplifying // There’s an element of truth in what she says // She’s talking nonsense !

Vietnamese superstitions:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmtyCvW9nbc

The speaker has a long introduction so you can listen to her American accent and try to imitate her, as well as learning new expressions.

Which superstitions have you heard of ? Do you believe in them ? Have you experienced any ?

What does she say about three people in a picture ?

About sleeping with your feet facing a mirror

About saying someone’s full name at night (04:15)

Wearing what colour brings good luck ? (06:00) How about, “Wearing white in your head ?” (07:24)

How about if you run over a cat ? (08:20)

IELTS: Language bank. Idioms and L-FWs you need to have at your beck and call.

22nd October 2020

A database of idioms that my physical classes covered previously as well as new idioms plus a reminder of some low-frequency words that are guaranteed to impress the examiner. Let’s kick off with some vocabulary building:

computer literacy (noun) computer literate (adjective)

flexible / flexibility / flexi-hours

to adapt / adaptability /

prospects

standard of living

networking

future skills

essential workplace skills

prosaic [cf with ‘run of the mill’]

cf is Latin for ‘compare’ // e.g. is Latin meaning ‘for example’ // i.e. is Latin for ‘that is’.

Now …

18 Relatable Tiger Mom Memes | SayingImages.com

Complete the sentences:

If you learn English you will increase your job ____________

Nowadays, most young people are _____________ _________________ . They are able to use programs such as Word, ___________ & ________

When selecting a university, you may have to be ______________ in case you don’t get into your first choice.

Getting a great, well-paying job is essential if you want a high ________________________ .

One student moved to Boston where the temperature can drop to below freezing. He’s really having ________ to the new culture.

My actor friend is busy 24/7, attending parties, setting up meeting, pitching ideas and Tweeting. That guy is constantly ______________ .

Class Game

Split class into two teams. One team selects a word or phrase and the other team has to use it, correctly of course, in a sentence. Bonus points for throwing in any appropriate idioms.

Rickenbacker 330 Left-Handed, Jetglo at Gear4music

I would love this guitar which is a left-handed Rickenbacker, a famous American company with a very distinctive look and sound, yet, to my dismay, it costs ______________________

Idioms from Semester 2

Another string to (your) bow – a new skill or learning experience

bear with me – please wait a very short time (usually spoken as opposed to written)

bit of a sore point – something that makes you sad or angry

down in the dumps – depressed, unhappy, feeling gloomy

hit the ground running – to start something immediately and with all your energy

like a madhouse – a place or area that is crazy, too noisy, too busy etc

run of the mill – ordinary, typical, normal, usual, boring

up in arms – to be very angry about something, to protest strongly

you take your life in your hands – doing something that is extremely dangerous

Idioms from Semester 1

Which you should all know by heart and be able to reel off at the drop of a hat.

it’s raining cats and dogs

it costs an arm and a leg

piece of cake

I’m burning the candle at both ends

once in a blue moon

pass with flying colours

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it! | Chynna Pope: The Beacon Hellion

Extra expressions for Top Cats:

Ring any bells ? // do you remember //

More or less // not exactly but approximately

Get the gist // do you understand the main point ?

Right up your street // this is something you will really like

Rabbit, Rabbiting on // UK slang, especially in London … talking too much

Tongue in cheek // not being serious about something

Keep your hand in // to practise something so you don’t forget how it’s done

Bucket down / raining cats and dogs // raining very heavily

Have a go / give it a bash / give it a shot // to try something

Call it a day // to stop work and go home early

Go ahead // sure, do it

Under one roof // everything in one place

Through thick and thin // together in good times and bad times.

Remember these old chestnuts ?

without further ado // tricks up your sleeve // ace the test

pass with flying colours // do yourself proud //

you are in the driver seat (or you are in the driving seat) //

occur // inevitably // pertinent

This taxi has put me in the driver's seat of my life': Female taxi driver shares inspiring story - it s viral - Hindustan Times — Guess who’s in the driver’s seat ?

Personal and personality adjectives:

patient / firm / authoritative / determined / brave / energetic / level-headed / down-to-earth / strong / fit / healthy / imposing / honest / loyal / civic-minded / caring / hard-working /

Finally, some adverbs you must have in your arsenal:

very / extremely / amazingly / unbelievably / quite / rather / undeniably / remarkably / totally / absolutely /

Phew!. The last time I wrote it was so long… | by Vaibhav Sinha | How I Learnt Piano | Medium — Phew ! Thay Paul is a Tiger Teacher

For those who really want to expand their horizons, an extensive collection of idioms, expressions and collocations can be found on this blog: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/08/25/adult-speaking-class-level-3-ielts-english-expressions/

Past Tense: Various exercises

21st October 2020

An omnibus of past tense exercises

Most common verbs infinite / past / past participle

Exercises

Pronunciation guide

TOP 25 REMEMBERING THE PAST QUOTES (of 78) | A-Z Quotes — because practice makes perfect

15 most common verbs:

infinite \ present // past // past participle (verb 3)

1	to be	was were	been
2	to have	had	had
3	to do	did	done
4	to say	said	said
5	to go	went	gone
6	to get	got	got/gotten
7	to make	made	made
8	to know	knew	known
9	to think	thought	thought
10	to take	took	taken
11	to see	saw	seen
12	to come	came	come
13	to want	wanted	wanted
14	to use	used	used
15	to find	found	found

Regular verbs: just add -‘ed’. However, as you see, in this list only one common verb, ‘want’, is regular.

NOTE: ‘to be’ is different:

I am hungry / You are hungry / She is hungry / We are hungry

Now, practice: In groups of three or four, ask each other questions in order to feel more natural using the past tense. Let’s start simply:

What did you do today ?

Each student takes turns describing their day. Use these photos to help you.

Extra practice:

buy / drink / surf the internet / help parents / cook / do homework

Present tense ——– Past tense

act —— acted

go —- went

learn —— learned OR learnt

play — played

read —– read (pronounced ‘red)

ride —— rode

sleep —– slept

watch —- watched (pronounced ‘watch -t‘)

win —- won

What is the past tense ?

I act in a film. Last week I ______ in a film.

I go to London. Last year I _______________ to London.

I ride an elephant. Last month I ___________ an elephant.

I learn English.

Last Saturday, we ___________ English with Mr Paul.

Piano playing monkey | Playing piano, See monkeys, Gershwin

The monkey plays piano.

Last night, the monkey _________ piano.

ally gong asian girl cute mug reading book inspiration milan kundera ignorance - Ally Gong

She reads a book. Last Sunday she _____ a book.

He sleeps all day. Yesterday he _______ all day.

Sleep may trigger rhythmic power washing in the brain | Science News

I watch the amazing Spiderman.

Last week I ______ the amazing Spiderman.

Sam Raimi's original Spider-Man is a great New York movie

Put these verbs into the past tense, then complete the sentences:

want ———

take ———

decide ———

see ——–

buy ——–

think ——–

learn ——–

I —— to stay in bed this morning

She —– great photos with her new iPhoneX

We have —— to go to Thailand for Tet

Last night I —- a great film !

He —- food for Christmas from Harrods.

Tuesday ! I —— today was Wednesday

We —– about past simple in our lesson.

Pronunciation guide

In English, verb can be regular or irregular.

Regular verbs add -ed or -d in the past tense.

EXAMPLE:

I walk to work // I WALKED to work

I play guitar // I PLAYED guitar

She smiles on TV / She SMILED on TV

They dance in T-ara // They DANCED in T-ara

Want to learn T-ara's Roly Poly dance? Shinsadong talks about how he created it on Strong Heart! | T ara eunjung, Pop t, Retro fashion

-ed past tense verbs pronunciation

Words have 3 end sounds:

‘t’

‘d

‘id’

If the word ends with:

ch / f / k / p / s / sh / thi – The sound is ‘t’ look = ‘lookt’

t /or / d/ – The sound is ‘id’ visit – ‘visitid’

Other sounds are ‘d’ bang = ‘bangd’

What is the correct pronunciation for these regular verbs ?

Look = Looked // laugh = laughed // end =

beg = / visit = / kiss =

brush = / breath = / love =

Read these sentences:

He cleared up the mess / He rolled up the newspaper / I have visited India

No Homework ! That sounded good / Teacher shouted, ‘No way !’

We all worked hard today / Tom talked so much /

The students played many games and laughed.

Top 10 Places to visit in India for First Time Traveler — They have visited India

8-year-old girl stuns playing 'complicated' Led Zeppelin song on drums - National | Globalnews.ca — She has banged the drum !

Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.

Past Tense: Beginners’ exercises

17th October 2020

Young Learners, Level 5 E Up 5, Unit 1

The younglings have just started learning the past tense, so here’s a brief review lesson:

London Tourist Travel Woman With UK Flag Umbrella, Telephone.. Stock Photo, Picture And Royalty Free Image. Image 108085390.

Present tense ——– Past tense

act —— acted

go —- went

learn —— learned OR learnt

play — played

read —– read (pronounced ‘red)

ride —— rode

sleep —– slept

watch —- watched (pronounced ‘watch -t‘)

win —- won

What is the past tense ?

I act in a film. Last week I ______ in a film.

I go to London. Last year I _______________ to London.

I ride an elephant. Last month I ___________ an elephant.

I learn English. Last Saturday, we ___________ English with Mr Paul.

The monkey plays piano. Last night, the monkey _________ piano.

She reads a book. Last Sunday she _____ a book.

He sleeps all day. Yesterday he _______ all day.

I watch the amazing Spiderman. Last week I ______ the amazing Spiderman.

England win the football game.

In 1966, England _______ the World Cup.

1966 FIFA World Cup England ™ - FIFA.com

New Vocabulary

plastic // brilliant // amazing // huge // freezing // expensive // however // busker

shy // wide-awake // sleepy // confident // relaxed // nervous

City centre tribute planned for Leeds busker who died in hospital - here's how to pay your respects - Leeds Live

This man is a __________

Humanitarian superpower' Sweden struggles to house refugees as harsh Nordic winter looms | The World from PRX

They are very cold, they are ____________

How did they feel ?

She felt _________ however he felt ________

10 Signs A Shy Girl Likes You - See if she likes you too!

He felt ________________ however she felt ______________

Is Your Child Getting Enough Sleep? Here's How to Tell – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic

IELTS: 8 1/2 … Chasing 8 1/2

12th October 2020

Let’s hit the ground running … my recent tests highlighted key areas on which all students, without exception, need to work, namely:

fluency

complex sentences

pronunciation including intonation and stress

Not forgetting, to constantly increase and expand their vocabulary. A reminder of some recent language:

gritty / industrial

quite / safe / residential

boring / peaceful / suburban

bustling / vibrant / city centre

apparently – something you believe to be true

conversely – the opposite, on the other hand, however

actually – saying something that is surprising or is the truth

New idioms

bear with me – please wait a very short time

bit of a sore point – something that makes you sad or angry

hit the ground running – to start something immediately and with all your energy.

like a madhouse – a place or area that is crazy, too noisy, too busy etc

run of the mill – ordinary, typical, normal, usual, boring

you take your life in your hands – doing something that is extremely dangerous

Top Five Tips for Crossing the Street in Vietnam

Exercise 1: Using the new vocabulary. Fill in the blanks:

I live near some factories in a ___________ , ________________ area.

The traffic is my neighbourhood is a nightmare, I __________________ every time I go out or try to cross the road.

I was rather disappointed in the latest Bond film it was merely a ____________________ spy movie.

This is a library ? With all this noise ! It’s _______________________ here.

Let me check my files, __________________ a moment.

Don’t ask him about his test score, it’s a bit of a ____________ . He only got 65% although he was expecting to ace the test.

China is the biggest country in the world, oh, no, sorry ________________ it’s Russia.

The lockdown has affected many urban areas. What used to be a _________________ , ____________ city centre is now a ghost town.

Exercise 2: what is a ghost town ? Can you understand these lyrics ? The Specials with ‘Ghost Town’:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ2oXzrnti4

Ghost Town

The Specials

This town (town) is coming like a ghost town
All the clubs have been closed down
This place (town) is coming like a ghost town
Bands won’t play no more
Too much fighting on the dance floor

Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town?
We danced and sang, and the music played in a de boomtown

This town (town) is coming like a ghost town
Why must the youth fight against themselves?
Government leaving the youth on the shelf
This place (town) is coming like a ghost town
No job to be found in this country
Can’t go on no more
The people getting angry

This town is coming like a ghost town
This town is coming like a ghost town
This town is coming like a ghost town
This town is coming like a ghost town

Songwriters: Jerry Dammers

Exercise 3: What do you know about The Specials. Here’s some facts. Arrange them in the form of an IELTS-standard paragraph.

The Specials were formed in Coventry, in the British Midlands.

Formed in 1977. They had two main singers, Terry Hall and Neville Staple.

Their music is a mix of punk and reggae.

They had a number 1 song in 1980.

‘Ghost Town’ was also a number 1. It was released in 1981. This song is about the recession in the UK. Many people had no work, no money and no hope.

The Specials broke up (disbanded) in 1984 but later reformed. They still perform together.

Next blog will focus on pronunciation. To my classroom students, be prepared for a lot more speaking and practising so, yes ! You DO have to say it again … and again …

Bruce Lee quote: Practice makes perfect. After a long time of practicing, our...

Attaining 8 1/2 … a piece of cake.

8 1/2 – Brisbane International Film Festival

Young Learners, Level 2: Review

10th October 2020

Everybody Up 2 Lesson Review

Young Learners English |Cambridge Young Learners|( PTE) Pearsons Young Learners Hong Kong

A review of the new vocabulary and sentence building skills the students should know:

and – as well as but – however

Adjectives:

big / huge small / little / tiny

brave / scary / smart / clever hungry / thirsty

cold / freezing hot // strong / fast / slow

bored / excited / sick / tired / sleepy

yummy / delicious // noisy / quiet

An elephant is very big, strong as well as very smart

English teaching children games – Thay Paul's Notes — Mr Paul and his elephant friend

Exercises

A mouse is very ______ as well as ______

Pizza is ______ as well as ____________

A runner is very f— __________ very s—–

A doctor is ______ _____

Verbs

cook / dance / draw / drink / eat / fly / go / hear / hop / jump / look / play / run / see / sit / sleep / smell / stand / swim / talk / taste / touch / walk / work / write /

verb verb + ing

I drink // I am drinking

You drink // You are drinking

He drinks // He is drinking

She drinks // She is drinking

They drink // They are drinking

What are they doing ?

They are ________

An African Minute: Africans in the Diaspora (AiD) - OkayAfrica

They are ________

Mighty Kicks Soccer Franchise Helps Kids Learn — prREACH Viral Social VIDEO Press Release Service

He ________________________________

A little cute girl studying and drawing Stock Video | Knot9

She ______________________

He dances in the rain He is dancing in the rain

Romanticando - Gene Kelly Singing In The Rain | Facebook

She looks at a book in school She ____________________

Stock Photos of S.Korean Children - Girl Reading Book 4 - Wallcoo.net

She walks very fast

Russians finish 1-2 in women's race walk - YouTube

He plays guitar so loud

12 Things You Never Knew About Jimi Hendrix | Features | Clash Magazine

He jumps over a chair

Bill Gates jumps over a chair in a 1994 CBS TV interview with Connie Chung - Business Insider

She cooks delicious pizza

Happy Young Woman Cooking Pizza at Home. Oven stock photo © Vasily Pindyurin (chesterf) (#4333461) | Stockfresh

What can you do ? What can’t you do ?

I can play guitar however I can’t play violin

She can play drums however she can’t play piano

8-Year-Old Japanese Girl Stuns Robert Plant By Nailing Led Zeppelin Drum Part | HuffPost

He can speak Japanese however he can’t speak _____

A bird can ______ however a bird can’t _______

A fish can _______ however a fish can’t ______

IELTS, Adult Speaking Class, Level 3. Warm up conversation starters

9th October 2020

Sometimes students arrive at class after a long day, bereft of energy and motivation. In such situations, it’s best to hit the ground running, get them talking and ready for a lesson. This needs to be done before they pull out their mobiles and start concentrating on their cyberlife … after which time, they are lost to reality.

adults-casual-cellphone-1413653 - Study Finds

Therefore, before they can hit that ‘Post’ button, pair them up and make them ask each other various questions, demanding that the answers be as complex as possible, incorporating big words (‘Low-Frequency Words’), discourse markers and relative pronouns, along with appropriate expressions.

Example: Where would you most like to visit ?

Bad answer: Nowhere. Bad answer: New York.

Better answer:

Introduce your answer THEN state the location THEN explain why.

Ah, that’s an interesting question because I really need a holiday. However travelling now is not a good idea because of the COVID 19 which is an extremely serious pandemic. So, I have to think about after, when it is safe to go on holiday.

I have always wanted to visit Singapore, because it looks so clean and modern and, not forgetting, so many shopping malls. I love shopping, it is my passion. I would buy so many things such as clothes, makeup and presents for my family.

IELTS students should be able to add a number of idiomatic language to really spice up their presentation. I would expect to hear:

cost(s) an arm and a leg / prices (can be \ are) sky high / mouth-watering / world famous / ubiquitous / pristine / that’s a bit of a sore point (because we CAN’T travel) / such a wide array / shop till (I \ you) drop / overwhelming / spoilt for choice / retail therapy

Cheap Shopping Place in Singapore - Buy Souvenirs in the Bugis Street Area — Remember … there are some affordable shopping areas in Singapore although they tend to be away from the city centre but well worth a visit.

NOW … your turn

Questionnaire / Discussion

What kind of music do you like ? (do you play or listen ?)

Can you name any plays by Shakespeare ? (if not what writer do you like ?)

What time do you usually get up ? (weekdays and weekends)

How do you relax ? (do you have time or do you study, have family, work overtime ?)

Can you play a musical instrument ? (would you like to ? Why ?)

What skill(s) would you like to acquire ? (be creative here – what stops you learning ?)

What is the best thing about Sai Gon ? (or YOUR city)

However, this is not a one-way street. The person asking is expected to make small talk, to elicit – to encourage – the speaker to open up and expand on their answers.

Use small talk phrases such as:

Really ? That’s interesting // Tell me more // Why do you say that ? // Oh, me too // What do (did) you like best // Where is that (exactly) ? // I’ve heard about that // I haven’t heard about that, can you explain // Why do you say that ? // Oh, I get it // I’m not sure I follow.

And if your partner is stonewalling you (not talking), here’s a great idiom: