Category: English Vocabulary

English Through Stories: Most Embarrassing Story

10/9/2018

Class Objectives

What’s your most embarrassing moment? This is a common question people often ask in games or to have fun. We normally don’t have an answer right away, do we. But after this lesson, you will have thought about your go-to story for this question and be able to control your story in English… and then your own language.

By the end of the class, you will have:

learned and used new vocabulary to explain emotions
practiced expressions to become more fluent
learned ways to create longer sentences
told your embarrassing story

Difficulty:Blue Belt and above

MODEL: Most Embarrassing Moment

At some point in your life, you’ve been asked about your most embarrassing moment. Many times, we don’t have an answer off the top of our heads, so in this lesson, I’m going to ask you to think about your most embarrassing moment, at least the one you’re comfortable sharing, and tell about it.

Mine happened when I was about 23 years old when I was living back in the United States, and like most stupid stories of young men, this story involved a girl.

I remember one Saturday night, a group of friends and I had made plans to go to a night club in a nearby city to celebrate one of our friend’s birthdays. I never really liked going to clubs, but that’s what our friend wanted to do, so that’s what we did.

There was a girl I liked in our group of friends, and let’s call her Stacy. I was always nervous and awkward whenever I talked to Stacy, so I would talk to one of our mutual female friends about how to approach and win over this girl that I had a crush on. You know what that’s like, I’m sure. As I said before, I was quite shy and awkward around girls I liked.

Anyway, we were at the club, and everybody was doing their own thing; drinking, dancing, talking, etc. I was walking around, talking to some friends, and doing whatever it is that you do in night clubs aside from dancing. I wasn’t a big dancer at the time. (I’m still not, but at least I enjoy it a bit more now.) There were just so many people at this club, and it was so hot that I started to feel nauseous and dizzy, so I decided to go outside for a breath of fresh air and a cigarette. (I know the irony of that sentence, but that’s what I did.)

I went outside of the club and Stacy happened to be outside as well. We saw each other, so I had to walk over and start talking. She was on the phone talking to somebody, which was a relief since I was feeling sick, and it gave me time to settle down.

Photo: Italia 2012 by Salva Dugo

When she finished talking on the phone, we started talking. I was a bit nervous because I was still feeling nauseous, so as we were talking, I was trying to focus on my breathing. She was talking about something, and I couldn’t control it anymore. I suddenly felt a little vomit come up into my mouth and I turned to spit it out, and then quickly turned back to finish listening to what she was talking about. Perfect! She didn’t notice anything, and I immediately felt a lot better!

I wanted to show that I was listening -even though I wasn’t-, so I started adding to the conversation without skipping a beat, but she interrupted me and asked, “Did you just throw up?” I said, “No.” Then she started laughing and said, “Then what’s THAT?!”, and pointed at my chest.

Apparently, when I tried to spit, some of it dropped down onto my shirt. How embarrassing! I calmly said, “Yeah, that happens.” But inside, I was dying. Just then, to make matters worse, our group of friends all came out of the club to see what we were doing. One of my friends, Shawn, yelled over, “Jesse, what’s going on?” And Stacy yelled laughing out loud, “Jesse just threw up on his shirt!” They all started laughing. I don’t remember what happened the rest of that night, but this story will be with me forever.

#BreakingMiarma

Ok, it wasn’t horrific, but at the time, it was pretty embarrassing. What about you? What would you say if somebody asked about your most embarrassing moment? Tell me about it at the end of this lesson.

VOCABULARY

Take notes about the following words so you can understand the meaning deeper. Use context, dictionary definitions, synonyms, explanations, example sentences, pictures,or any other creative way to learn the new words and phrases. NOTE: Try NOT to use your language to understand the concept.

At least– Use this to talk about the minimum for whatever
A Night Club/ A Club – A place with loud music where people go to drink and dance.
A girl I like – When you like a girl or a boy, it normally means a romantic kind
To win over (somebody) – (Phrasal Verb) To cause somebody to like you. To win their heart.
To have a crush (on)– To like somebody
Aside from – Besides/ Other than
A big dancer/ drawer/ dancer/ fan of ____. – A big + ____er = somebody who is very interested in that thing.
To settle down (my stomach) – (Phrasal Verb) To relax; To make calm
Vomit (n)(v) / To throw up(Phrasal Verb) – You do this when you’re sick
To spit (out)–To project saliva out of your mouth
To yell– To talk loudly at somebody

VOCABULARY ACTIVITY:Write a few sentences using the vocabulary words above. Write at least 5 sentences.

FLUENCY BUILDERS and EXPRESSIONS

These expressions will help you sound more fluent. Brainstorm and see how you can use these in your presentation.

off the top of your head – to know something without thinking about it
Let’s call him/her/it _____- Use this when you are trying to protect the identity or details, or you can’t remember this particular detail of a story. You call this person or thing by a different name in the story.
Everybody was doing their own thing– when everybody is doing something different
… happened to be… – Use this when you’re showing two actions are a coincidence
Without skipping a beat- Use this when somebody continues something smoothly and with no long pauses. There is a smooth transition in conversation.
Just then…– Use this to show something happened IMMEDIATELY after something else
To make matters worse…– Use this to build anticipation. When a bad situation gets worse.

GRAMMAR

Building longer sentences is something everybody would like to be able to do when learning another language. I’ll show you some tricks and tips to make compound and complex sentences.

Let’s look at some grammar from the text.

She was talking to somebodyon the phone, which was a reliefsince I was feeling sick, and it gave me time to settle down.

How to build longer sentences.

Base sentence: S + V + O She was talking to somebody | on the phone.
It was a relief.
I was feeling sick.
It gave me time to settle down.

Relative clauses: To condense two small sentences into one complex sentence who, which, that, where, whom, when
She was talking to somebody on the phone, whichwas a relief.

Connectors: To combine two smaller sentences into one compound sentence To get + action + past participle
I was happy about it since I was feeling a bit nauseous.
I was feeling a bit nauseous, and it gave me time to settle down.

Assignment: Combine these simple sentences together to create more complex sentences. NOTE: You may change the order of the simple sentences.
(Example: Rachel is so excited. She just got accepted into university. She had always wanted to attend this university.
Option 1: Rachel is so excited because she just got accepted into the university she had always wanted to attend.
Option 2: Rachel just got accepted into the university she had always wanted to attend, so she is so excited.)

I’m tired. We were up all night. Our baby was crying.
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Tracy’s friends asked her to go. She went. She didn’t really want to.
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I was on the subway. I didn’t realize it. I was going the wrong way.
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PREPARE

Brainstorm and write down ideas for your story of your most embarrassing story. Remember what happened in the story and tell it in the appropriate order. Use the techniques above to build longer sentences.

YOUR TASK: When You Were Embarrassed

Now it’s your turn to tell your embarrassing story. Include the techniques, vocabulary, and expressions above to make your story sound more natural.

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Ordering Food in a Restaurant Like a Native Speaker

3/9/2018

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Class Objectives

If you visit, study, or live in a foreign country, you will probably go to a restaurant. Many students want to know how to order food in a sit-down restaurant. You will see a typical model conversation between a server and a customer, and then you will practice creating your own conversation.

Photo by Salva Dugo

By the end of the class, you will have:

learned and used new vocabulary of food and descriptors.
practiced expressions to become more fluent when ordering food
been able to better understand food servers in an English-speaking country
created ordering food conversations

Difficulty:Blue Belt and above

MODEL: Ordering Food

Server:Hi, welcome to _____, I’m Mike and I’ll be serving you tonight. Can I get you a drink to start (out with)?
Customer:Yes, could I have a ______, please?/ What do you have on tap?/I’d like a white wine please.
Server: I’ll be right out with your drinks.
Customer: Can I get you some appetizers while you’re deciding?
Server: Yes, these nachos look amazing. Can I order that, please?
Customer: Sure, that’ll be right out.
Server: (After coming back out) Have you decided?
Customer: Yes, I’d like the _____, please.
Server: (For steaks or hamburgers) How would you like that done?
Customer: Medium rare, please.
Server: Of course. What would you like on the side?
Customer: (If you don’t know) What do you have?
Server: Well, you can choose from mashed potatoes, french fries, mixed vegetables, or rice.
Customer: Mixed vegetable sounds great!
Server: Will there be anything else?
Customer: No, that’s all for now. Thank you. (hand the menu back)
(Server brings food)
Customer: Everything looks |amazing!| Excuse me, do you have any hot sauce?
                                               |incredible|
                                               |fantastic|
                                               |great|
Server: Sure, I’ll go get you some. Anything else?
Customer: No, that’s all. Thank you.
(Cultural help: Server comes to check throughoutthe meal.)
Server: How is everything?
Customer: Everything is great! Can I have some more tea, please?
Server: Of course. I’ll bring that right out.
(After eating)
Server: Can I get you guys anything for dessert?
Customer: What do you have?
Server: I’ll bring you the dessert menu.
(Brings the menu)
Customer: I’ll have the chocolate brownie.
Server: Excellent. I’ll bring that right out.
(After eating dessert.)
Server: Will there be anything else?
Customer: No, |we’ll have the check, please.|
                        |can you bring the check whenever you’re ready?|
(Cultural help:Check your bill. If it says “GRATUITY”, that means tip. Usually for tables more than 6 or 8 people, the restaurant adds this.
A standard tip is usually 20%of your bill total. – If your bill is $100, a good tip is $20.
You can add more tipif the service was exceptional, or lessif it was bad service.)

VOCABULARY

Take notes about the following words so you can understand the meaning. Use context, dictionary definitions, synonyms, explanations, example sentences, pictures,or any other creative way to learn the new words and phrases. NOTE: Please do NOT use your language to understand the concept.

Positive Adjectives
(Extreme adjectives to use when you like something a lot)

Great
Fantastic
Amazing
Incredible
Wonderful

How would you like your steak cooked?
(From least to most cooked)

Rare – very red in the middle
Medium rare –pink in the middle
Medium – a little pink in the middle
Medium well – cooked through, but not completely brown all the way through
Well done – completely brown through the steak or burger
Throughout – during the entire thing (meal, class, year, etc.)

Condiments/ Spices

Extra Challenge: Look these words up in Google Imageif you don’t know what they are.
Write them down if you don’t know the meaning.
Hot sauce –
Steak sauce –
Ketchup –
Mustard –
Mayonnaise –

Salt –
Pepper –
Oregano –
Cinnamon –

Download the Worksheet in PDF or .doc

FLUECNY BUILDERS and EXPRESSIONS

These expressions will help you sound more fluent. Brainstorm and see how you can use these in your presentation.

to start out with – a very common thing for servers to say
I’d like… |
I’ll have… |
I’ll be right out (with)…
These _____ look _____.
On the side –
That’s all for now |
That’s it for now |

YOUR TASK: Create Your Order

Now it’s your turn to write your ordering food conversation. I’d like you to find a menu online by typing “*your favorite restaurant* menu” into Google. Choose your meal and write a conversation between a waiter/waitress and a customer(s).

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The Path (Being Descriptive)

26/8/2018

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Class Objectives

We are going to make a story in this lesson. I will give you the outline of the story, and you will fill in the details. You are going to work on being descriptiveby using plenty of adjectivesand descriptive terms.Don’t cheat! I want you to describe your path as if I can picture what you’re thinking about.

By the end of the class, you will have:

learned and used new vocabulary to
be descriptive
exercised creativity
improved your use of adjectives
told a story of your path

Difficulty:Blue Belt and above

PRE-TEACH: Learn This Vocabulary

Learn these words before we create the story because I will present them in your outline. If you need adjectives when you tell your story, look them up in the dictionary or in Word Reference. Write your new words or expressions in the space below.

Path – a walking road (typically in the woods or a field)
Stick – a long or short piece of wood that has fallen or been cut off a tree
Fallen tree – a tree that has fallen down
Fork in the road – when you can go either right or left
Wall – the sides of a building or a barrier
up ahead – a short distance in front of you
come across – (phrasal verb) to encounter or to find something by chance
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THE STORY

I’m going to give you the outline to your story, and I want you to fill in the details. Be as descriptive as possible. Remember, this is to build your use of adjectives.

You’re walking down a path. Describe the path. (What does it look like? What do you see? What do you hear? How do you feel?)
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You come across a stick in the path. Describe the stick, and what do you do with it?
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You come to a fallen tree in the path. Describe the tree, and what do you do when you get to it?
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Up ahead, you see a fork in the path. Describe what you see in both directions. Which way do you go? Why?
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Up ahead, you see a bear. Describe the bear. What is the bear doing? How do you feel? What do you do?
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Up ahead, you come to a wall. Describe the wall. (Its color, its height, what it’s made of, etc.)
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There is a sound behind the wall. Describe the sound.
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THE MEANING

Each mark in the story represents something different in the way you see your life. Let me share with you what each of the steps in your story means.

The path represents your life and how you see your life. Did you see many colors, life, or did you see a dark and scary path?
The stick represents small problems in your life. How do you handle those?
The fallen tree represents big problems in your life. How do you handle those?
The fork in the road represents your political or social bend. How did each side look? Which way did you go?
The bear represents the opposite sex. What did it do? What did you do?
The wall represents how you see death. What did the wall look like?
The sound behind the wall represents how you view the afterlife. What did you hear?

#BreakingMiarma

YOUR TASK: Your Reflection

How did you feel about this psychological test? In this section, I’d like you to write your reflection of this test. Include what you agreed with and disagreed with based on your results and what you generally think of with these tests.

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English Through Stories: Most Embarrassing Story

MODEL: Most Embarrassing Moment

VOCABULARY

FLUENCY BUILDERS and EXPRESSIONS

GRAMMAR

PREPARE

YOUR TASK: When You Were Embarrassed

Ordering Food in a Restaurant Like a Native Speaker

MODEL: Ordering Food

VOCABULARY

Positive Adjectives
(Extreme adjectives to use when you like something a lot)

How would you like your steak cooked?
(From least to most cooked)

Condiments/ Spices

FLUECNY BUILDERS and EXPRESSIONS

YOUR TASK: Create Your Order

The Path (Being Descriptive)

Class Objectives

PRE-TEACH: Learn This Vocabulary

THE STORY

THE MEANING

YOUR TASK: Your Reflection

Blue Belt Lessons

Become a Pro MEMBER
(Have access to ALL of our BASIC FLUENCY COURSES.)

Archives

Categories

Teaching is
MORE THAN
about just improving
ENGLISH

English Through Stories: Most Embarrassing Story

MODEL: Most Embarrassing Moment

VOCABULARY

FLUENCY BUILDERS and EXPRESSIONS

GRAMMAR

PREPARE

YOUR TASK: When You Were Embarrassed

Ordering Food in a Restaurant Like a Native Speaker

MODEL: Ordering Food

VOCABULARY

Positive Adjectives(Extreme adjectives to use when you like something a lot)

How would you like your steak cooked? (From least to most cooked)

Condiments/ Spices

FLUECNY BUILDERS and EXPRESSIONS

YOUR TASK: Create Your Order

The Path (Being Descriptive)

​Class Objectives

PRE-TEACH: Learn This Vocabulary

THE STORY

THE MEANING

YOUR TASK: Your Reflection

Blue Belt Lessons

Become a Pro MEMBER(Have access to ALL of our BASIC FLUENCY COURSES.)

Archives

Categories

Teaching is MORE THAN about just improvingENGLISH

Positive Adjectives
(Extreme adjectives to use when you like something a lot)

How would you like your steak cooked?
(From least to most cooked)

Class Objectives

Become a Pro MEMBER
(Have access to ALL of our BASIC FLUENCY COURSES.)

Teaching is
MORE THAN
about just improving
ENGLISH