English Conversations 2

 Are you a "somewhere", an "anywhere" or don't you think this is a valuable distinction?  Do people have a choice in what they are? Which question do you think is the most interesting in each pair? Check your understanding of the phrases in bold. Then ask and answer your questions in pairs. 1 a. Do you feel like settling down yet, or are you about to embark on a new adventure?    b. Do you think you'll stay put in one place or will you feel stuck if you do?  2 a. Are you someone who plans ahead or do you tend to stumble into things ?     b. What advice would you give someone who finds themselves at a crossroads in their life?  3 a. Do you sometimes feel the need to get away from your current situation?    b What would be a backward step for you now?  4 a What plans do you have? if they fall through , do you have a plan B?    b is life an uphill struggle at the moment? What would ease things for you?  5 a. Are you someone that needs to stand out fro

Have you ever heard of graphology? What do you think about it?   This is what the American Psychology Association (APA) website supports: graphology n. the study of the physical characteristics of handwriting, particularly as a means of inferring the writer’s psychological state or personality characteristics. Graphology is based on the premise that writing is a form of expressive behavior, although there is little empirical evidence for its validity. Also called handwriting analysis. —graphological adj. —graphologist n. Let's play a game.  1. Sign off in a piece of paper 2. Watch the video 3. Discuss with your partner. Do you agree or disagree with the results? How about discovering a little more about this art? Read  this article  and share describing the different handwriting features Now take a fun quiz t o explore what graphology would say about your handwriting.  Discourse markers add to one's fluency and working on using them can add significantly to the positive i

 Do you usually talk about problems with the people that are upsetting you? What can happen if you don't? Watch the video with social scientist, author, and famous speaker, Simon Sinek. What does he suggest? COMMUNICATION SKILLS If you are trying to encourage someone to change their behaviour, try this: 1. accept your part of the responsibility. eg. I know I didn't listen/ I shouted. ...and I'm sorry 2. describe the problem from your point of view as an observation, not an emotion. e.g. I notice that... 3. Avoid exaggeration and generalization. eg. You never... 4. explain why the issue is important to you. eg. It means that I can't... 5. describe your feelings without acting them out. eg. I feel upset when... 6. request a change. eg.  Would you be willing to... What's the problem with these statements? You never ever do the dishes! Just turn the music down, ok? I know you like playing video games but the noise is too much. USEFUL LANGUAGE I hope you don't min

Have you ever shared a flat with a housemate? What did you like/dislike about it? If you had to rank these habits, how annoying would you say they are and why? q. insist on thoroughly cleaning the flat twice a week. b. Leaves a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. c. Listens to very loud music until late. Often invites friends round and has parties. Spends most of the time in their room and rarely talks to you. Watch this video of nightmare roommates and fill in the sentences 1. He's just ...... messy. 2. For example, he asks he_________ his roommate to buy him things. 3. The bathroom is ____ a mess. 4. I wish he________smoke in the house. 5. _____ she had people over once a week but it's three or more times. 6. If only he __________ the rent on time. 7. I _______ you didn't litter the bin with your hair. PRACTICE so , such wishes ON YOU 1. Write 5 things about other people that annoy you. 2. Share using so/such 3. Make a wish AT HOME 4. How could you politely encourage your f

 Have you ever had to share space with an animal?  What is happening in the video? Why do you think the people tolerate the animals and why do the animals tolerate the people? What animals do you share space with in your home, neighborhood, or country? Share any funny or interesting stories about when you shared space with an animal or other people. Causative verbs Modern English has a number of verbs that act as causatives. Most of these verbs require an object plus an infinitive. For example: However, two of the more important causative verbs,  make  and  have , do not take an infinitive. Instead these two verbs require a base-form verb (base-form verbs are sometimes called bare infinitives ). For example: The fact that  make  and  have  take a base-form verb instead of the more common infinitives means that nonnative speakers often mistakenly use these two causative verbs with infinitives. For example: EXERCISE Select the correct form by underlining either the infinitive or the base