Ten Conversation Lessons
with Stories, Vocabulary Practice, Questions and Activities
Suggestions for Using the Lessons
The Story
Depending
on the main objective(s) of the course, the teacher may choose to read the
story aloud asking the students not to look at it or ask the students to read
the story to themselves silently and as quickly as possible.
The
teacher may ask the students to answer the vocabulary questions as soon as they
are through with the story. Students should use the text in order to guess the
meaning of each vocabulary item.
The
questions posed under this section are meant to stimulate spontaneous speech
and class discussion. The teacher may ask several students to answer the same
question for different possible opinions.
Here
the teacher may ask students to pair up and tell each other the story in their
own words and he himself may act as a co-communicator or a counselor. He can
also ask one student to tell the whole class the story in his/her own words.
Then the teacher may act as a model and pronounce the words under this section
and ask the students to repeat the words several times. Finally, the teacher
may use each word in a full sentence and ask the students to repeat for
possible contextual effects.
A
variety of statements such as proverbs and quotes can be found under this
section. The statements are deliberately chosen to be provocative to spark off
spontaneous debate and discussion. Thus, the teacher may choose each of these
statements as a topic for class discussion.
Lesson 1 - A Soldier's Lie
The Story
Once
a soldier asked his commanding officer for a day's leave to attend his sister's
wedding. The officer asked him to
wait outside the door for a few minutes while he considered the request. The officer then called
the soldier back in and said, "You are a liar. I've just phoned your sister
and she told me she's already married." "Well, sir, you're
an even bigger liar," the soldier replied, "because I don't even have
a sister."
Mark
the best choice.
- 'Leave' here means ......
a. going out from a place
b. one part of a tree
c. permission to be absent
from work
d. asking a person for some
money
2. To 'attend' here means
to ...
a. take care of
b. pay for
c. be present at
d. look at
1. Why did the soldier tell
the officer a lie?
2. Why did the officer tell
the soldier a lie?
3. Can you remember telling
such lies?
1. Now you tell your
friend(s) the story in your own words:
2. Pronounce the following
words several times:
1. Command
2. Officer
3. Attend
4. Soldier
5. Already
One
foot cannot stand on two boats.
Lesson 2 - In Pajamas
The Story
Staying
at a hotel in Yarmauth, I couldn't sleep because the television in the
residents' lounge was so loud. As I could see from the top of the stairs, the
lounge was in total darkness, so I crept downstairs in my pajamas. I went to
the TV and after some fumbling with the knobs I managed to switch it off. As I turned to leave, I
suddenly became aware of a semi-circle of people sitting in the dark who, up
until that moment, had been enjoying a television program.
Mark
the best choice.
- 'Lounge' is ..........
a. kind of taxi in the
airport etc.
b. small room for workers
c. public sitting room in a
hotel
d. special case for
television
2. To 'creep' means to
.........
a. run quickly
b. jump off
c. shout out
d. move quietly
3. To '.......' means to
move the hands awkwardly to do something or to find something.
a. fumble
b. manage
c. switch
d. reside
4. A 'knob' is a.....
a. hotel room
b. small TV
c. round handle
d. special table
1. What is the main funny
point in the story?
2. Why did the man go
downstairs in pajamas?
3. What do you think will
happen next?
1. Now you tell your
friend(s) the story in your own words.
2. Pronounce the following
words several times:
1. Lounge
2. Resident
3. Knob
4. Fumble
5. Aware
6. Semi-circle
Opportunity
knocks once, and the neighbors the rest of the time.
Lesson 3 - Beggar Replacement
The Story
The
doorbell rang, and the housewife answered it. She found two beggars outside.
"So, you're begging in twos now?!" she exclaimed. " No, only for
today," one of them replied. "I'm showing my replacement the ropes
before going on holiday."
Mark
the best choice.
- A 'beggar' is a person who.......
a. sells food and clothes
b. has no money
c. asks for money
d. does the housework
2. To 'exclaim' means
to..........
a. say something kindly
b. say suddenly and loudly
c. walk quickly
d. look angrily
3. A ..... is a person that
you put in place of yourself or another.
a. beggar
b. rope
c. housewife
d. replacement
4. 'Ropes' here means
.......
a. the rules and customs in
a place or activity
b. pieces of strong thick
cord
c. people you probably meet
in a special place
d. houses which are
expensive
1. This joke is telling us
something about beggars' life. What is it?
2. Do you know a joke or a
true story about beggars?
1. Now you tell your friend(s)
the story in your own words.
2. Pronounce the following
words several times:
1. Beggar
2. Exclaim
3. Reply
4. Replacement
5. Ropes
A
man is known by the company he keeps.
Lesson 4 - Wedding Gifts
The Story
Jack
and his bride were opening their wedding gifts. After unwrapping each package,
Lisa would exclaim enthusiastically, "We really need these towels" or
"We'll enjoy eating off these pretty plates." Then she opened one
very large box. It contained a vacuum cleaner. "Jack," Lisa
said, "look what you've got."
Mark
the best choice
- To 'unwrap' means to .....
a. fasten
b. break
c. open
d. write
2. 'Package' means .......
a. plate
b. parcel
c. room
d. book
3. 'Enthusiastic' means
......
a. quite angry
b. indifferent
c. with great interest
d. showing disliking
4. Another word for 'vacuum
cleaner' is ..........
a. electric fan
b. cleaning machine
c. Hoover
d. electric machine
1. What is funny about this
story?
2. Who do you think should
use the vacuum cleaner? Why?
1. Now you tell your
friend(s) the story in your own words.
2. Pronounce the following
words several times:
1. Unwrap
2. Package
3. Enthusiastically
4. Towel
5. Vacuum
Cut
your coat according to your cloth.
Lesson 5 - Wedding Gown
The Story
When
my sister got married, she wore my mother's wedding dress. The day she tried it on, the gown
fitted her exactly and mother started to cry. "You're not losing a daughter," I
reminded her, putting my arm around her, "you're gaining a son." "Oh, forget about
that!" she said with a sob, "I used to fit into that dress."
1. Mark the best choice.
2. A 'gown' is a ........
a. building where people
marry
b. dress worn at a special
time
c. person who is married
d. meal served at wedding
3. To 'fit' means to
..........
a. find something out
b. live happily
c. see something sad
d. be the right size
4. A ... is a noisy and
irregular breath from crying.
a. gown
b. gain
c. sob
d. fit
1. What is funny about this
story?
2. Who do you think is
telling the story?
1. Now you tell your
friend(s) the story in your own words.
2. Pronounce the following
words several times:
1. Gown
2. Marry
3. Gain
4. Wore
One
rotten egg spoils twenty fresh ones.
Lesson 6 - Rational Dispute
The Story
A
young housewife told me: "My husband and I never argue, no matter how
angry we may be. Instead we sit down and rationally discuss both sides of the
dispute. Then I make a list of all the crockery I intend to smash."
Mark
the best choice.
- 'Rationally' means .......
a. silently
b. angrily
c. not foolishly
d. very quickly
2. 'Dispute' means.....
a. fight
b. wife
c. list
d. talk
3. 'Crockery' means .......
a. paper money
b. ice-cream
c. cups, plates, etc.
d. washing machine
4. To 'smash' means to ....
a. write something down
b. clean something in hot
water
c. drop something and break
it
d. put something back
1. What do you think of the
couple?
2. Why should the lady
smash crockery?
3. Do you know a better way
to settle a dispute?
1. Now you tell your
friend(s) the story in your own words.
2. Pronounce the following
words several times:
1. Rationally
2. Dispute
3. Crockery
4. Intend
5. Smash
Empty
vessels make the most noise.
Lesson 7 - The Best Accountant
The Story
An
accountant answered an advertisement for a job with a large firm. At the end of
the interview the chairman said, "One last question-- what is three times
seven?" The accountant thought for a minute and replied,
"Twenty-two". Outside he took his
calculator and realized that he should have said twenty-one. He concluded that
he had lost the job. A fortnight later, however, he was offered the post. After a few weeks, he
asked the chairman why he had been when he had given the wrong answer. "You were the
closest," the chairman replied.
Mark
the best choice.
- An 'accountant' is a ......
a. person who wants a job
b. machine which adds,
deletes, etc.
c. person who keeps money
records
d. company manager
2. 'Firm' here means ....
a. strong person
b. business company
c. shop manager
d. important decision
3. A 'chairman' is a person
who .....
a. sells or buys chairs
b. controls a meeting
c. answers phone calls
d. says the latest news
4. A fortnight is ......
a. one month
b. one year
c. twenty days
d. two weeks
5. 'Appoint' here means to
......
a. interview someone
b. choose a person for a
job
c. call a person to come
d. let a person visit a
place
1. What did the chairman
mean by the last sentence?
2. How true can such a
story be?
3. Why do you think should
an accountant make such a mistake?
1. Now you tell your
friend(s) the story in your own words.
2. Pronounce the following
words several times:
1. Accountant
2. Advertisement
3. Interview
4. Chairman
5. Calculator
6. Fortnight
7. Appoint
8. Close
A
narrow mind has a broad tongue
Lesson 8 - Delicious Pie
The Story
We
were two Australian student nurses training at an English hospital. During
visiting hours, we would take a break in the ward kitchen and often a kindly
visitor would slip us a cake or some chocolate. One night a woman
brought a pork pie to the kitchen and asked me, "Would you 'eat this up,
love?" My friend and I ate
every crumb and were delighted--until the woman returned and asked, "Is my
'usband's pie 'ot yet, dear?"
Mark
the best choice.
- 'Ward' here means .......
a. a kind of cooker
b. head nurse
c. a part in a hospital
d. temperature
2. To 'Slip' here means to
......
a. divide sth
b. give secretly
c. move slowly
d. d get worse
3. 'Pork' means meat from
......
a. cow
b. sheep
c. hen
d. pig
4. 'Crumb' means a ......
a. kind of fresh fruit
b. very big piece of pie
c. very small bit of bread,
cake, etc.
d. person who works in a
hospital
5. 'Delighted' means
.......
a. very angry
b. quite tired
c. pretty dark
d. very pleased
1. The woman in the story
cannot pronounce a sound. What is it? What can be the reason?
2. What do you think will
happen next?
1. Now you tell your
friend(s) the story in your own words.
2. Pronounce the following
words several times:
1. ward
2. crumb
3. delighted
4. until
5. slip
He
who never fails never grows rich
Lesson 9 - My Modern Car
The Story
After
lunch my friend and I paid the bill and made our way to my car. I took out my
remote-control gadget and pressed the button which automatically unlocks the
doors. Not having noticed what
I did, my friend looked puzzled and asked, "What was that clicking
sound?" "It was just the
doors unlocking," I answered. He looked at me with
astonishment and said, "The car recognizes you?!"
Mark
the best choice.
- 'Bill' here means a ........
a. part of a bird's mouth
b. printed notice on a wall
or fence
c. list of things bought
and their price
d. piece of paper money
2. A 'gadget' is a ........
a. kind of car
b. small machine
c. long key
d. piece of cloth
3. 'Puzzled' means ......
a. very happy
b. in an angry manner
c. unable to understand
d. not suitable
4. To 'click' means to
.....
a. try to understand
something
b. make a short, sharp
sound
c. drop something heavy
d. walk toward something
5. 'Astonishment' means
......
a. happiness
b. friendly smile
c. grate surprise
d. indifference
1. What is funny about this
story?
2. How do like this kind of
technology?
1. Now you tell your
friend(s) the story in your own words.
2. Pronounce the following
words several times:
1. Remote-control
2. Gadget
3. Automatically
4. Puzzled
5. Click
6. Astonishment
7. Recognize
Happiness
is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.
Lesson 10 - Poor Cat!
The Story
As
a student I ate my meals at a seaside boarding-house. The landlady was a good
cook and, as her husband was a fisherman, we always ate fish for dinner.
Eventually I got tired of it, and took to slipping it under the sofa, where the
family cat would find and devour it. This worked very
successfully until one day the landlady tiptoed up behind me and said,
"Young man it's high time I told you that our cat was run over by a lorry
three weeks ago."
Mark
the best choice.
- A 'boarding-house' is a ...........
a. building which is near the
sea
b. kind of very expensive
hotel
c. house giving room(s) and
food
d. kind of school with a
pool
2. A 'landlady' is a woman
who ........
a. is old and weak
b. keeps a boarding-house
c. has a lot of money
d. only looks after her
family
3. 'Eventually' means .....
a. naturally
b. in the end
c. meanwhile
d. happily
4. To 'take to' here means
to....
a. carry something to
somewhere
b. ask someone to do
something
c. begin to do something as
a habit
d. go away to some place to
hide
5. To 'devour' here means
to .....
a. look at something
angrily
b. play with something
c. throw something away
d. eat something hungrily
6. To 'tiptoe' means to
......
a. walk quietly on the toes
b. say something softly
c. hit something by foot
d. run towards something
7. To 'run over' means
to.....
a. hit something while
running
b. drive over something
c. take something away
d. steal something from a
place
1. What point is funny in
the story?
2. What would you do if you
were the student?
3. What can probably be
found under the sofa now?
1. Now you tell your
friend(s) the story in your own words.
2. Pronounce the following
words several times:
1. Eventually
2. Devour
3. Sofa
4. Tiptoe
5. Lorry
The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open
one.
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