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50 Conversation Classes

British English edition

From ESLgames.com

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Conversation topics
1Age 27Money
2Annoyances 28Movies
3Animals 29Music
4Art 30Poli cs
5Birthdays 31Schooldays
6Books 32Shopping
7Business 33Sleep
8Cars 34Sport
9Clothes 35Technology
10Controversialopinions 36Television
11Currentaairs 37Time
12Ea ngout 38Townsandci es
13Theenvironment 39Travel
14Fame 40Theunexplained
15Food 41Theweather
16Thefuture 42Xmas
17Gengtoknoweachother
18Halloween Grammarthemedcards
19Health 43Futurewithw
ill
20Holidays 44Pastsimple:childhood
21Home 45Pastsimple:recentevents
22Humour 46Presentcon nuous
23Theinternet 47Presentperfect:haveyouever
24Jobs 48Presentperfect:lifehistory
25Law 49Presentsimple
26Loveandmarriage 50Secondcondi onal

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Index of grammar bits

1secondcondi onal
2adjec vesendingwithingande d
3a sa sc omparisons
4pastpassive
5s oands uch
6o verandu nderprexes
7rstcondi onal
8t hethe...comparisons
9compara vesandsuperla ves
10passivewithmodalverbs
11reportedspeech
12thirdcondi onal
13n otenough,toomuch,toomany
14presentperfect
15p referto,ratherhave
16modalverbsforprobability
17presentsimpleandpresentcon nuous
18a nybody,somebody,nobody
19u sedto
20a ll,everybody,everyday,everything
21( on)myown,bymyself
22rstcondi onal
23d espite,eventhough
24presentperfectcon nuous,presentperfect,simplepast
25a slongas,providedthat,unless
26rela vepronouns
27pasttensemodalverbs
28modalverbsforobliga on
29adjec vesandadverbs
30rstcondi onal,futurewithw ill
31thepastwithw asalwaysandw
ould
32futurewithpresentcon nuousandg oingto
33pastcon nuous
34presentperfectwiths inceandf or
35pastwithpastsimple,presentperfectandu sedto
36phrasalverbst urnon,turnoff,puton,calloff
37t oo,so,notenough
38causa ve
39s hould,better,oughtto
40h avegotto
41w ishp astandpresentforms

42phrasalverbst idyup,hangup,leaveout,wrapup,getup

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Introduction

Thebasisofagoodconversa onclassisgivinglearnersareasonandanopportunitytospeak
andscaoldingthatspeakingwithlexisandgramma calstructureasitisneeded.Themost
frui ulconversa onsarisespontaneouslyandthereisanarttolisteningwellandaskingthe
rightques onstoinordertouncoverthenuggetsofuniversalinterestwhichprovoke
s mula ngclassroomdiscussion.However,somedayswecomeupemptyhanded,maybeour
learnersare redorreluctanttopubliclyspeakup.Hereitisalsotheteachersroletogive
learnersagentlepushintoareaswhichhopefullywillcreateintellectualarousalandthus
opportuni esfortheteachertosupportthisoutputwithappropriateinput.

About the materials


Theac vi esinthisbookareintendedtofacilitateandsupportrichands mula ng
conversa onandaren otdesignedtoproducestandardisedlessons.Eachunitcontainsmany
possiblebranchingopointswhichcanbeeitherpursuedinmoredepthoracceptedatface
value.

How to use the material


Giveacopyoftheac vitypagetoeachlearnerandhavethemreadthequoteandgivetheir
reac ontoit.Thenputthemintopairsorsmallgroupstotryandunscramblethem ixedup
vocabularyitems.Aerabout10minutes,gothroughtheanswerstogether.

Nexthavelearnerslookattheidiomsandcollocationssec on.Feelfreetogootrackas
ques onsarisefromthepresentedlanguage.Maybetheyhavesimilaridiomsintheirown
language,maybetheyndtheconstruc onunusualorfunny.Makeitclearthatitsnot
mandatorythatlearnersareabletoreproduceeachoftheseidioms,butthatunderstanding
andinferringmeaningisthemaingoaloftheac vity.Iflearnershaveques onsaboutgrammar
youcanaddressthemindepthorstressthatthemainfocusofthissec onisunderstandingand
moveon.

Thegrammarbitisdeliberatelylocatedattheboomofthepagesoitcanbeeasilyomied
fromphotocopiesifyouthinkitsunsuitablefortheclass.Thissec onisnotdesignedtolead
intofullgrammarinstruc onbutisintendedtoexposethestudenttoagramma calstructure
thatmightbeusefulintheconversa onalpartofthelesson.Thissec onalsoservestoreassure
learnersthatexplicitgrammarlearningisbeingrepresented

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Itisofcoursepossibletosegueintoalonger,mores tructuredgrammarexplana onatthis(or


anyother)pointifitfeelsappropriate.Onewaytoworkwiththegrammarbitistohave
learnerscopythegramma calstructurebutchangethecontexteitherthroughpungan
examplesentenceontheboardandhavingtheclasssuggesttransforma ons,oraskinglearners
tocreatetheirowngramma callysimilarsentenceseitherindividuallyorinpairs.

Thelastpartoftheclassisthefreeconversa onstage.Givegroupsoflearnersadeckof
shuedques oncardsplacedfacedownonthetableinfrontofthem.Youmaychooseto
preteachanyvocabularyyouthinkmightbeunfamiliaratthispoint,oralterna velyletthe
groupsaempttouncovermeaningforthemselves(oraskforyourhelp).

Learnerstakeitinturnstoturnoverthetopcardandasktheirques ontotheothergroup
members.Theques onsshouldbeaskedtoeachmemberinturninordertogiveeveryonea
chancetospeakbutspontaneousgroupdiscussionshouldntbediscouraged.Beonhandto
takenotesandhelpoutwhereneeded.Finally,whentheconversa onsaredyingout,oraera
specied melimit,gooveranythinginteres ngyouheardduringtheac vityandaskgroups
whatotherinforma ontheyfoundoutduringtheirconversa ons.Furtherdiscussionmaywell
springupagainduringthisnalstage.

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1Age

Mygrandmotherstartedwalkingfivemilesadaywhenshewassixty.She's
ninetysevennow,andwedon'tknowwherethehecksheis.
E llenDeGeneres

Mixed up vocabulary
coddhihol(n)the mewhenyouwereyoung
tenrgeae(n)someoneagedbetween13and19
piennerso(n)someonewhohasnishedtheirworkinglife
mldeidad ge(adj)tobeneitheryoungnorold
mutaer(adj)tobehavelikeanadult,notlikeachild
rtreteienm(n)the meaeryourworkinglifehasended
tlddore(n)averyyoungchild

Idioms and collocations


Benwantstobeanarchaeologistwhenheg
rows__________.
Hesg
ettingona__________buthess llgotagreatvoice.
Youlookg
oodforyour__________,whatsthesecret?
The1930swerethe__________ageofJazz.
Disneylandwasfantas c,wehadthe_ _________ofourlivesthere.

upbitagetimegolden

Grammar bit
IfIcouldre retomorrow,Iwould.Iwouldspendmy metravellingaroundtheworld
andlearningaboutdierentcultures.

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1 Age

Inyourcountryhowoldmust
Whatsthebestagetobe? youbetosmoke,drink,drive
andgetmarried?


Howoldwereyouwhenyou Whatadvicewouldyougiveto
lefthome? someonehalfyourage?

Whatdoyouthinkisthebest Whatdoyouthinkisthebest
agetohavechildren? ageforapoliticalleader?

Whatstheretirementagein Haveyoueverliedaboutyour
yourcountry? age?

Doyouthinkalargeage
Wouldyouliketoliveuntilyou
differenceisunimportantina
were1000?
relationship?

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2 Annoyances

Peoplewhothinktheyknoweverythingareagreatannoyancetothoseofuswhodo.
IsaacAsimov

Mixed up vocabulary
iierra(v)toannoysomeone
ptse(n)someoneorsomethingwhichisannoying
incnnnoeve (adj)somethingunhelpfulorproblema c
fresatdrut(adj)howyoufeelwhenyouhavetroubledoingsomething
fiuorsu(adj)veryangry
bdad
o om(n)thefeelingyouhavewhenyouarenothappy
clamw o nd(v)whatyoumightsaytosomeonewhoisfeelingangryorannoyed

Idioms and collocations


Thenewtraclightsareap
aininthe_ _________.
Mysupervisorisd
rivingme_ _________today.
Thisweathermang
etsonmy_ _________,hesalwayssojolly.
Mybossh
itthe_ _________w
henshefoundoutaboutthemissingmoney.
itreally_ _________mewhenyoueatwithyourmouthopen.

crazybugsnecknervesroof

Grammar bit
Imsof rustratedbymyEnglishhomework,Englishgrammarisveryf rustra ng,andthe
lessonwassob oring,Iveneverbeensob
oredinallmylife.

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2 Annoyances

Whatannoysyouaboutthe
Whichcelebritiesannoyyou?
Englishlanguage?


Doanyofyourfriendsor
Whatannoysyouaboutthe
coworkershaveannoying
townwhereyoulive?
habits?

Doyouthinkyouhaveany Whenyouregettingannoyed
annoyinghabits? doyoubottleituporletitout?

Doyouevergetannoyedwith
Whatreallymakesyoumad?
yourself?

Doyouevergetannoyedwith Whatannoyingthingsdo
inanimateobjects? youngoroldpeopledo?

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3 Animals

Thegreatnessofanationanditsmoralprogresscanbejudgedbythewayitsanimals
aretreated.
M
ahatmaGandhi

Mixed up vocabulary
vte(n)adoctorwholooksaeranimals
cllaor(n)dogsoenwearoneofthesearoundtheirnecks
hteneibra(v)someanimalshavealongsleepinthewinter
prru(v)catsdothiswhentheyrehappy
mlmama(n)a nimalsthatfeedmilktotheiryoung(e.g.humans,cows,cats)
reetlip(n)a nimalsthathavecoldbloodandlayeggs(e.g.snakes,lizards,turtles)
bkar(v/n)thenoiseadogmakes

Idioms and collocations


Shecreptouta
squietasa_ _________,b
utthebabywokeupandstartedcrying.
Johnistheb
lack_ _________ofthefamily.Hesalwaysinsomekindoftrouble.
Thisisatoughbusiness.Itsad
ogeat_ _________w
orld.
Imsohungry,Icoulde ata_ _________.
Wholetthe_ ________outofthebaga ndtoldAnnabouthersurprisebirthdayparty?

sheephorsemousedogcat

Grammar bit
Ostrichescanrunalmostasfastaslionsandtheirkickisa spowerfulasakangaroos.
Howevertheirbrainsareonlya sbigasawalnut.

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3 Animals

Doyoulikegoingtozoos? Doyouhaveanypets?

Haveyoueverbeenbittenor
Areyouafraidofanyanimals?
stungbyananimal?

Haveyoueverthoughtabout Whatanimalsliveinthewildin
becomingvegetarian? yourcountry?

Areyouacatpersonoradog
Wouldyouliketogohunting?
person?

Whatanimalshaveyouseenin Doyouthinkitsoktowear
thewild? fur?

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4 Art

Footballisanart,likedancingisanartbutonlywhenit'swelldonedoesitbecomean
art.
ArseneWenger

Mixed up vocabulary
pinta(n)colourfulliquidwhichisusedtomakepictureswith
daniwgr(n)apicturemadewithapencil
gayller(n)aplaceyougotoseeart
poitrart(n)apain ngordrawingofaperson(usuallyonlytheirheadandshoulders)
mapierstece(n)agreatpieceofart,thear stsbestwork
csvana(n)thematerialapain ngispaintedon
teicnhque(n)aspecialmethodwhichanar stmayuse

Idioms and collocations


A_ _________isworthathousandwords.
Maybehesnice,dontjudgea_ _________byitscover.
Illgivehimonemorechancebutwehavetod
rawa_ _________somewhere.
Itsmybirthdaysoweregoingouttopaintthe_ _________red.
Thebossdidntlikeit,soImafraiditsbacktothedrawing_ _________.

boardpicturetownbookline

Grammar bit
TheMonaLisaw aspaintedbyLeonardodaVinciinthe16thcentury.Itw
asstolenfrom
theLouvrein1911,anditwasanothertwoyearsbeforethepain ngw asrecoveredby
police.

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4 Art

Whatpicturesdoyouhaveon Haveyouseenanyfamous
yourwalls? worksofart?

Doyouhaveanyartistic
Whosyourfavouriteartist?
talents?

Howoftendoyouvisit
Whatkindofartdoyoulike?
museumsorartgalleries?

Whoarethemostfamous Whatdoyouthinkofmodern
artistsfromyourcountry? art?

Describeaninteresting Doyouownanyoriginalpieces
photographyouveseen? ofart?

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5 Birthdays

Youcan'thelpgettingolder,butyoudon'thavetogetold.
GeorgeBurns

Mixed up vocabulary
perstens(n)whatyouhopetoreceivelotsofonyourbirthday
ckea(n)peopleoeneatapieceofthisontheirbirthday
cdnlaes(n)theresoneforeveryyearandyouhavetoblowthemoutandmakeawish
giv u
ceohr(n)itslikemoney,butyoucanonlyspenditinonepar cularshop
prtay(n)yourbirthdayisagoodexcusetohaveoneofthese
susrripe(n/adj)somethingunexpectedandnice
bloanol(n)thereareoensomeoftheseatachildsbirthdayparty

Idioms and collocations


IntheUKyouc omeof_ _________o
nyour18thbirthday.
Mar nwasthe_ _________oftheparty,hedidntstopdancingallnight.
Ihopeyouh
avea_ _________a tyourpartytonight.
ComeonMick!Itsaparty,letyour_ _________downa ndhaveadrinkandadance.
Thetestwasreallyeasy,itwasap
ieceof_ _________.

haircakeageballlife

Grammar bit
Thepartywass ogreat,wehads uchafun me.Tomwass odrunkthathefellasleepon
thesofa.Igots uchalotofpresents,andlaterthepolicecamebecausethemusicwass o
loud.

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5 Birthdays

Haveyoueverbeeninvitedto Doyoushareyourbirthday
asurprisebirthdayparty? withanyonefamous?

Whatsyourstarsign?Does
Howmanypeoplesbirthdays
yourpersonalitymatchyour
doyouknowoffbyheart?
starsign?

Whatdidyoudoforyourlast Howwouldyouspendyour
birthday? perfectbirthday?

Haveyouevercelebratedyour Doyouknowwhattimeofday
birthdayinanothercountry? youwereborn?

Doyouknowanyonewhohas
Howdopeoplecelebrate
theirbirthdayonornearabig
birthdaysinyourcountry?
celebrationday?

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6 Books

Weshouldn'tteachgreatbooks;weshouldteachaloveofreading.
B.F.Skinner

Mixed up vocabulary
ctntnseo(n)usuallyfoundatthefrontofabook,ittellsyouwhatisinthebook
ctrphea(n)booksareoendividedintothese
potl(n)whathappensinabook,thestory
pakcberpa(n/adj)abookwithasocover,notahardback
ixden(n)usuallyatthebackofthebook,thislistsindetailwhatisinthebook
smki(v)toreadsomethingquicklyinordertogetageneralideaofthecontent
nnofn io c(adj)abookaboutareallifesubject,notaworkoffantasy

Idioms and collocations


Ihelpedhermovehouseattheweekend,soIminhergood_ _________.
Theteamcompletelylostthe_ _________aertheyletinthesecondgoal.
MovingtoNewYorkwasthestartofa
new_ _________inmylife.
Icouldntbelieveiteither,butsome mes_ _________isstrangerthanfiction.
Readingbetweenthe_ _________,Idontthinkhesenthusias cabouttheidea.

chapterbooksplotlinestruth

Grammar bit
Ithinkthisbookisveryu
nderrated.Iwaso
verwhelmedbythisstoryabout
underprivilegedchildrengrowingupduringtheindustrialrevolu on.

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6 Books

Whatwasthelastbookyou Ifyoudontlikeabook,doyou
read? stilltrytofinishit?

Whatkindofbooksdoyoulike
Whoisyourfavouriteauthor?
toread?

Haveyoueverreadabookthat
DoyouhaveaneReader?
hadabigeffectonyourlife?

Doyousometimesrereadyour Canyoujudgeabookbyits
favouritebooks? cover?

Haveyoureadabookthatyou Howdoyoudecidewhatbooks
thoughtwasoverrated? toread?

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7 Business

Therearenosecretstosuccess.Itistheresultofpreparation,hardwork,andlearning
fromfailure.
ColinPowell

Mixed up vocabulary
mernakigt(n)makingpeopleawareofacompanyanditsproductsorservices
mareagn(n)apersonwhoisinchargeofateam,projectordepartment
airvtdese(v)youneedtodothisifyouwantpeopletoknowaboutaproduct
pfotri(n)themoneyyouhavemadeaerdeduc ngyourcosts
lsso(n)ifyoudidntmakeenoughmoney,youprobablymadea________
bakere n ev(v)youdothisifyoudontmakemoneyorlosemoney
minegte(n)agettogetherwithcolleaguestodiscussbusinessmaers

Idioms and collocations


Imonholidaynextweek,butpleasekeepmeinthe_ _________w
hileImaway.
Joshuawaslateforthemee ngagain,sohecantakethe_ _________.
Imgoingtohavetoworkallweekendinordertom
eetthe_ _________.
Ifwereleaseitthisquarter,Imcertainwecancornerthe__________insmartwallets.
ThatwasTomonthephone,weveg
otthegreen_ _________tostarttheOmega
project.

deadlinelightmarketloopminutes

Grammar bit
Ifwelowerthepriceby$3,Ithinkw ecanincreasesalestwofold.
Yes.Ifwesellitfor$9.99,w
elldenitelyincreasesales,butw
ewontmakeasmuch
prot.

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7 Business

Whatsthebiggestcompanyin Haveyoueverworkedfora
yourcountry? reallybigcompany?


Arethereanycompaniesyou
Doyouhaveabusinesscard?
wouldliketoworkfor?

Arethereanystateowned Wouldyouliketostartyour
businessesinyourcountry? owncompany?

Whatkindsofbusinesses
Arethereanycompaniesyou
mighthavetroublesurvivingin
dontlikebutyouhavetouse?
thefuture?

Arethereanycompaniesyou Domanypeopleownstocks
wouldntworkfor? andsharesinyourcountry?

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8 Cars

Haveyouevernoticedthatanybodydrivingslowerthanyouisanidiot,andanyone
goingfasterthanyouisamaniac?
GeorgeCarlin

Mixed up vocabulary
taircjm a(n)alotofcarsontheroad,allgoingnowhere
berka(n/v)youusethistoslowthecardown
reserve(n/v)usethisgeartogobackwards
wincsedren(n)itsmadeofglassandthedriverlooksthroughit
srepat r ye(n)youshouldkeeponeoftheseinthebootincaseyougetaat
raods n
igs(n)thesetellyouwhereyouregoingandhowfastyoucandrive
egeinn(n)thebiggerthisis,thefasterthecar

Idioms and collocations


Thisnewloginprocedureisdrivingmeroundthe_ _________.
Ok,its metoc hange_ _________andprac sesomeofthisnewgrammar.
Aereighthoursoftalks,nego a onsseemtohavecometoad
ead_ _________.
Sandra,youreinthed
riving_ _________onthisproject.
Fastenyour_ _________,thingsareabouttogetinteres ng.

seatbeltendbendseatgear

Grammar bit
Thebiggertheengine,t hefasterthecar;t helateryouare,t hemoreredtraclightsyou
hit;t hefasteryoudrive,t hemorepetrolyouwilluse.

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8 Cars

Doyouprefertodriveortobe Whichclassiccarwouldyou
apassenger? liketoown?

Doyouprefersportscarsor Whatsthebestcaryouve
luxurycars? everdrivenorhadaridein?

Whatsthemostimportant
Whatdoothercardriversdo
factorwhenchoosinganew
thatmakesyouangry?
car?

Howdoyouthinkcarswill
developinthenexttwenty Whatwasyourfirstcar?
years?

Doyouthinktherearetoo
Didyoupassyourdrivingtest
manycarsontheroad?Whats
thefirsttime?
thesolution?

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9 Clothes

Expensiveclothesareawasteofmoney.
MerylStreep

Mixed up vocabulary
su (n)smartbusinessclothes,usuallywornbymen
udnrreawe(n)clotheswhicharentusuallyvisible
weodbrar(n)atypeofcupboardwhereyouhangyourclothes
thtgi(adj)theoppositeofloose,maybeyoushouldgetabiggersize
bygag(adj)anotherwordforlooseclothing
palin(adj)notstriped,notpaerned,notbright,justasinglecolour
hleseontheboomofyourshoe,theycanmakeyouseemtaller

Idioms and collocations


Ohno,notanothermee ng!ThenewHeadofSalesb
oresthe_ _________offme.
Wow;lookatyou!Youred
ressedto_ _________t onight.
Basically,heg
otthe_ _________fromhislastjobbecausehewastoolazy.
Thatwasbelowthe_ _________,d
onttalkaboutmyfamilylikethat.
Comeon,theress ll250todo,letsrollupour_ _________andgetonwithit.

killbeltsleevesbootpants

Grammar bit
Wellthisjacketlooksn icerthanthelastone,butthelastonewasc heaperandab
eer
t.
IthinkIprefertherstone,itsthet rendiestandthem
ostcomfortable.

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9 Clothes

Wheredoyouliketoshopfor Doyouhaveafavouriteitem
clothes? ofclothing?

Haveyoueverbought
Wheredidyougettheclothes
somethingquiteexpensivebut
yourewearingnow?
onlywornitonceortwice?

Doyouliketowearbrightand
Whatkindofclothessuityou?
colourfulclothes?

Canyoujudgesomeonebythe Isthereadresscodeatyour
clothesthattheywear? workplace?

Doyoueverbuyclothes Whatissomethingthatyou
online? wouldneverwear?

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10 Controversial opinions

Ifanindividualwantstobealeaderandisn'tcontroversial,thatmeansheneverstood
foranything.
RichardNixon

Mixed up vocabulary
anmetrgu(n)anemo onaldiscussion
bna(v/n)toforbidsomethingormakeitillegal
comipsrmoe(n/v)tocometoanagreementwhereneithersidewinsorloses
iuess(n)thesubjectwhichisbeingdiscussed
abilosh(v)toociallygetridofsomethingsuchasataxoralaw
pinoto f v iwe(n)apersonsperspec veoropinion
dabtee(v/n)adiscussionwheredierentopinionsareexpressed

Idioms and collocations


Youreonmy_ _________,arentyou?Youthinkthelogoshouldbebiggertoo.
IspoketoIanandwevea
greedto_ _________ontheover meissue.
Ihadaheated_ _________withmyboss,andItoldhimIwasgoingtoquit.
Iamverydierenttomysister.Wedonts eeeyeto_ _________onanything.
Ims ittingonthe_ _________onthisone,Icanseebothpointsofview.

eyesidefencedifferdiscussion

Grammar bit
Ithinksodrugss houldbelegalisedandasaresult,alotofprisonersc ouldbereleased
fromjail.
No,Idontagree.An druglawsm ustbemadestricter,ortherewillbetotalchaos.

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10 Controversial opinions

Cigarettesshouldbebanned Cannabisshouldbelegalised

Nobodyshouldbeallowedto
Theinternetshouldbe
earnmorethan$1,000,000a
regulatedtoprotectchildren
year

Englishgrammarisnot
NationalServiceshouldbe
importantaslongaspeople
introduced/abolished
understandyou

Childrenshouldlearnabout
Keepinganimalsinzoosiscruel
sexatschool

Piratingmoviesandmusicisnt Oldorsickpeopleshouldhave
abigdeal therighttotaketheirownlives

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11 Current affairs

Peopleeverywhereconfusewhattheyreadinnewspaperswithnews.
A
.J.Liebling

Mixed up vocabulary
maedi(n)television,radio,andthepressareallexamplesofthis
diatsesr(n)aterribleevent
entcoiel(n)whenpeoplevoteforsomethinge.g.anewpoli calleader
desotmtnioran(n)peoplemarchinginthestreettoshowtheirfeelingsaboutanissue
awdars o wh(n)aneventwhereprizesaregiven,forexampletheOscars
tialrvi(adj)theoppositeofimportant
curtoc e as(n)aprocesswhichdecidesifapersonisinnocentorguiltyofacrime

Idioms and collocations


Smithh
itthe_ _________lastyearwhenhebecametheyoungestatheletetowinagold
medal.
Miguela
ddedfueltothe_ _________byaccusinghisformerbossoftakingbribes.
Therecessionhashitushard,wereallinthesame_ _________infacingthese
cutbacks.
Onlyo
nceinablue_ _________dothesetwoteamsmeetinacompe on.
IsBitcoina
f lashinthe_ _________o
rthefutureofmoney?

boatheadlinesmoonpanboat

Grammar bit
Clarks aidthath
eexpectedtoseetheeconomyimproveandh opedtohavesomegood
newstoannouncesoon.Hep romisedthath ewoulddoallthath
ecouldtoimprovethe
jobsitua on.

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11 Current affairs

Doyouthinkitsimportantto
Inyouropinion,whicharethe
stayuptodatewithcurrent
bestandworstnewspapers?
affairs?

Whatsthebiggeststoryinthe
Howdoyougetyournews?
newsatthemoment?

Doyouthinktherewillstillbe Whatannoysyouaboutnews
newspapersinfiveyears? reportinginyourcountry?

Haveyoueverbeenina Whatwouldyouliketosee
newspaper? moreofinthenews?


Whatwouldyouliketosee Whatheadlinedoyouhopeto
lessofinthenews? seeoneday?

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12 Eating out

Whenyougotoarestaurant,thelessyouknowaboutwhathappensinthekitchen,the
moreyouenjoyyourmeal.
JereyWright

Mixed up vocabulary
chkec(n)intheUSyouaskforthisattheendofameal,inBritaintheysayb
ill
mniac e ruos(n)thispartofthemealfollowsthestarter
revoretaisn(n)youneedtomakeoneofthesebeforevisi ngapopularrestaurant
wleld
n eo(adj)onewayoforderingyoursteak
vatargeeni(n/adj)someonewhodoesnteatmeat
cruelty(n)collec venameforknives,forks,spoons,etc.
nipnak(n)somethingyouwipeyourmouthwithduringoraerameal

Idioms and collocations


Putyourmoneyaway.Itsyourbirthday,sodinnerism
y_ _________.
Icanteatallthisfood,pleasecanyouputitina_ _________bagforme?
Ishouldnthaveorderedthelargepor on,m
ye yeswereb
iggerthanmy_ _________.
Icanteatasinglethingmore,Imc ompletely_ _________.
Ihaveas weet_ _________,Icantresistdessert.

treatbellytoothdoggiestuffed

Grammar bit
IfIdknownthepor onsweresosmall,Iw ouldvehadabiggerlunch.
Yes,andifyoudreadtherestaurantreviewy ouwouldveknownthatthepor ons
herearentverybig.

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12 Eating out

Howoftendoyouget
Howoftendoyoueatout?
takeawayfood?

Whatsyourfavourite
Howmuchdoyouusuallytip?
restaurant?

Haveyoueverworkedina Doyoupreferhomecooked
restaurant? foodorrestaurantfood?

Doyouusuallyhaveastarter
Whatsyourfavouritedish? andadessertwhenyougotoa
restaurant?

Whenyoueatinarestaurant
Haveyouevereateninavery
doyoutrysomethingnewor
expensiverestaurant?
somethingyouknowyoulike?

ESLgames.com

13 The environment

Anationthatdestroysitssoilsdestroysitself.Forestsarethelungsofourland,purifying
theairandgivingfreshstrengthtoourpeople.
F ranklinD.Roosevelt

Mixed up vocabulary
ranif t esor(n)adenseareaoftrees,usuallyinplaceswithatropicalclimate
botctyo(v/n)avoidbuyingaproductorgoodsfromapar cularcompany
cosyuntdire(n)nottownsandci es
weldli(n)animalsandvegeta onintheirnaturalenvironment
plnaet(n)EarthisoneoftheseandsoareMars,SaturnandJupiter
ptlleou(v)tomaketheenvironmentuncleanandpoisonous
siclk(n)alayerofoiloa ngonthesurfaceofwater

Idioms and collocations


Ivebeenworkingonthisforsolong,Ic antseethe_ _________forthetreesanymore.
Itwasntme!Itsn
otinmy_ _________totakepeoplesthingswithoutasking.
Studiessay5%ofunder14saresmokers,somefearthatthisisjustt het ipofthe
_________.
Thepoolcosthim$100,000tobuild,butforthemillionairebusinessmanthatsa
____________intheocean.
Thatstypicalofthepress,alwaystryingtom
akeamountainoutofa_ _________.

wooddropicebergmolehillnature

Grammar bit
Inmyopinionmostpeoplearentdoinge noughtoreducetheamountofenergythey
use.Theyalsouset oomuchwaterandbuyt oomanythingsthattheydontreallyneed.

ESLgames.com

13 The environment

Howworriedareyouabout
Whatdoyourecycle?
globalwarming?

Howdoyoutrytosave Haveenvironmentalconcerns
energy? changedthewayyoutravel?

Howdoenvironmental
Areyouworriedthatwemight
concernsinfluencewhatyou
runoutofoilsometimesoon?
buy?

Whatwillfuturegenerations
Doyouthinknewtechnologies
thinkabouthowweare
mightsolvesomeoftodays
treatingtheenvironment
environmentalproblems?
today?

Whatdoyouthinkabout Haveyounoticedchangesin
nuclearpower? theclimateinyourlifetime?

ESLgames.com

14 Fame

"Inthefutureeverybodywillbeworldfamousforfifteenminutes."
A
ndyWarhol

Mixed up vocabulary
clbteriye(n)afamousperson
rdec r epat(n)thisisrolledoutforVIPstowalkon
gopsis(n/v)totalkaboutthepersonallifeofotherpeople
tabdoli(n/adj)anewspaperwhichhasalotoftrivialstoriesaboutfamouspeople
stra(n/v)awordwhichisusedtodescribeveryfamousmusiciansandactors
guoraolusm(adj)tobearac ve,oeninanexpensiveway
pimerree(n/v)therstshowingofanewmovie

Idioms and collocations


IlikeJack,heseemssod
ownto_ _________forabigmoviestar.
Myc laimto_ _________isthatIoncemetMadonnaataparty.
Ihatespeakinginpublic,Igetterrible_ _________fright.
ManchesterUnitedsstarplayerwasinthe_ _________aerscoringthreegoals.
AmyTexasmadef ront_ _________newslastyearwhenshewonaGrammyforbest
song.

famestagespotlightearthpage

Grammar bit
Ivenevermetanyonereallyfamous.ThemostfamouspersonIvespokentoismy
cousinJoewhoplaysguitarinarockband.TheywereonTVonce.IveneverbeenonTV,
haveyou?

ESLgames.com

14 Fame

Whoisthemostfamous Whoisthemostfamous
personyouvemetorseen? personintheworld?

Whoisthemostfamous Whatwouldyouliketobe
personfromyourcountry? famousfor?

Whatarethedownsidesof Whatarethebenefitsofbeing
beingfamous? famous?

Ifyoucouldhavedinnerora Whichfamouspeopleliving
drinkwithanylivingperson, todaymightstillbe
whowouldyouchoose? rememberedin100years?

Ifyouwererichandfamous, Whichfamouspersonwould
howwouldyouspendyour youbehappynevertosee
time? again?

ESLgames.com

15 Food

It'seasyforAmericanstoforgetthatthefoodtheyeatdoesn'tmagicallyappearona
supermarketshelf.
C hristopherDodd

Mixed up vocabulary
nosuitr u(adj)awaytodescribehealthyfood
duoslicei(adj)verytasty
froavlu(n/v)vanilla,chocolateandstrawberryarealldierent__________sofice
cream
bnadl(adj)foodwhichtastesboringisthis
repcie(n)aformulaformakingapar cularmeal
truxtee(n)howfoodfeelsinyourmouthwhenyoueatit
pnitroo(n)theamountoffoodyouareserved

Idioms and collocations


Growingupishard,lifeisntalwaysa
bowlof_ _________.
Hewalkedin,a
scoolasa_ _________,a ndtoldthebosshewantedapayrise.
Weregoingtotryusinga_ _________andsticka pproachwiththedevelopment
team.
Imnotafanoffreejazz,itsn
otmycupof_ _________a tall.
Toputitina_ _________,y ourered!

cherriesnutshellcucumbercarrottea

Grammar bit
Ip
referIndianfoodt oEnglishfood.Idr atherhaveagoodspicycurryt hanboringold
meatandpotatoes.

ESLgames.com

15 Food

Doyoucarewherethefood
Areyouafussyeater?
youeatcomesfrom?

Whatnationaldishesfrom Whatdoyouthinkof
yourcountrywouldyou geneticallymodified(GM)
recommend? food?

Howhasyourtasteinfood Whatareyourguilty
changedovertime? pleasures?

Whatwasthelastmealyou
Whatsyourperfectbreakfast?
cooked?

Isanyoneinyourfamily
Howhealthyisyourdiet?
vegetarian?

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