2012-1

ENGLISH CONVERSATION CLASS 2012-1 NSU

CONVERSATION TEMPLATES USING TARGETED GRAMMAR AND EXPANSION WORDS. (INCLUDING THE MAD LIB STYLE EDITION)

These conversations are geared to the World English Intro text | a2bitnickel

Every Semester I try to help my students focus on expanding their communication skills. Though grammar is important, it is not always good communication. I outline at the beginning, my key ideas, and teach these to them every week. Conversation styles develop from relationships. As most of the students do not have secure relationships with a foreigner, their conversation needs to be related to a first meet time frame. Each of these chapters reflects a conversation on one topic from the textbook. A problem most Korean students have is continuing a conversation. That is why each of these conversations is one (1) page long. Each conversation uses expansion words, as given in the book, and designated with an underline and a list at the end of the chapter. This allows the teacher to review the words used and their usage. An expansion of this idea is to expand this conversation into a story. The basics are there, the story line and grammar to be used. All you need is to add an introduction and a conclusion. By expanding the ideas with more emotions and descriptions your students will end up with a story twenty pages long. Another idea is to make a mad lib from the conversation, by cutting out some of the adjective/ expansion words, verbs, places, etc. Make a list of them and have the students fill in the blanks with their ideas. This will make the conversations more fun in class. If you have a big class you can alternate the persons, designating them by number or person. A mad lib for each chapter is included in this edition. You can make your own or use this as a template for your class. Having used mad libs in my class, it was even suggested, by a student, that students do one per week. The mad lib chapter key is listed, with the standard version of the conversations following. Therefore you will find the regular conversations at the end of the mad lib version. The expansion word key has been kept to help the students understand how to use them.

Mad Lib Chapter Key Chapter 1 Name ____________ City name ____________ Body part ____________ Place ____________ Size ____________ Plural noun __________ Noun ____________ Relative ____________ Number ____________ Relative ____________ Place ____________ Job ____________ Place ____________ Age ____________ Number ____________ Size ____________ Direction ____________ Room of house ________ Appliance ___________ Verb ____________ Chapter 2 Job ____________ Country ____________ Profession ___________ Continent ___________ Direction ____________ Verb+ing ____________ Temperature _________ Adjective ____________ Adjective ____________ Verb+ing ____________
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Verb+ing ____________ Drink ____________ Country ____________

Conversation 3

Number ____________ Size ____________ Kitchen appliance ______ Size ____________ Furniture material ______ Drink ____________

Conversation 4 Persons name ________ Object ____________ Pronoun ____________ Verb ____________ Noun ____________ Plural machine name ___ Famous movie star _____ Number ____________ Number ____________ Adjective ____________ Verb+ing ____________ Size ____________ Place ____________ Conversation 5 Place ____________ University class name __ Place ____________ Time ____________ Weekday ____________ Meal ____________ Action ____________ Verb ____________ Person ____________ Name of place _________ Number ____________
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Conversation 6 Place ____________ Relative ____________ Adjective ____________ Object ____________ Body part ____________ Number ____________ Adjective ____________ Company name _______ Verb ____________ Adjective ____________ Action ____________ Direction ____________ Company name ________ Conversation 7 Place name __________ Verb+ing ____________ Word ending in thing___ Verb ____________ Noun ____________ Sport ____________ Sport ____________ Persons name ________ Exclamation _________ Country name _________ Verb/ past tense _______

Number ____________ Verb +ing ____________ Instrument __________ Action ____________ Friends name _________ Same friends name ____ Speed ____________ Verb ____________

Conversation 9 Number ____________ Verb ____________ Number ____________ Event ____________ Place ____________ Food ____________ Vegetable ____________ Sauce ____________

Conversation 8 Article of clothing ______ Adjective ____________ Expensive store _______ Color ____________ Adjective ____________ Noun ____________ Pronoun ____________ Adjective ____________ Personal pronoun ______ Adjective ____________ Plural noun __________ Verb ____________ Color ____________ Time ____________

Adjective ____________ Adjective ____________ Color ____________ Action ____________ Food item ___________ Adjective ____________ Kind of nut ___________ Relative ____________ Number ____________ Meat ____________ Vegetable plural ______

Noun ____________ Verb+ing ____________

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Conversation 10 Temperature _________ Kind of bug __________ Part of the body ______ Color ____________ Disease ____________ Food ____________ Medicine ____________ Another medicine _____ Kind of bird _________ Disease symptom _____

Part of the body _______ Professional _________ Family member _______ Verb+ing ____________ Time of day ___________ Drink name ___________ Part of the body _______ Medicine name _______ Family member ________ Verb +ing ____________

Conversation 1 ~ Family and Friends

John and Sally are in the same school. They meet for the first time, and discover they live close to each other. They are in the hallway talking John: Hello! My name is John. Sally: Oh, hi! I didnt see you there. My name is _____ (name). I am new here. Are you new here? John: No! I am a senior. My family has lived here for several years. Where did you move from? Sally: My family moved here from _________ (city name) . My father got a new job. Do you see that boy with the really curly _______ (body part)? John: Do you mean the tall guy next to the __________ (place)? Sally: No! The _______ (size) guy next to the teacher! Can you see him? John: Yes! I see him. Is he your brother? He doesnt look like you at all. You have such long straight blonde hair. His is wavy and black. Do you dye your hair? Sally: No. It is very natural. Perhaps there was a blonde in my family somewhere. Do you have any _______ (plural noun) of your family? John: A few. I dont keep many in my ________ (noun). Would you like to have lunch? We can look at them easier. John and Sally find a table in the lunch room. Sally: Wow! You have a nice family. How old is your ________ (relative)? He looks so young. John: He is ______ (number) years old. I think his children were good so he still has dark brown hair. My mother was a beauty queen in high school. How many brothers and sisters do you have? Sally: You saw my one ______( relative). I have one sister who is older than me. She has a job in _____ (place). She is short, and works as a _________ (job). She is still single, and loves it. We need to go back to class. Would you like to meet sometime after school? John: Sure! Lets make a plan. John and Sally go to class before they can make a plan. Expansion words ~~ long /straight /blonde / wavy / black / old / young / dark brown /short / single /curly

Conversation 2 ~ Jobs
John and Sally are in the Mall having some snacks in the food court talking John: Sally! Have you thought about your future job yet? University is here and I have to make some hard choices. Sally: Well! Im not sure. I thought about becoming a/an ________ (job). My uncle works in _________ (country). I think if Im an engineer I could travel the world. Doesnt that sound like fun? John: Sounds like a great job to have. I have thought of being a ______ (profession) in Santiago. Do you know anyone who has been to _________ (continent)? Sally: No! I dont know of anyone. Why Santiago? Isnt that in the U.S.? John: No! It is in Chile, on the ______ (direction) side of South America. Its a long country. What do you think its like, living in another country? Sally: I think it would be more fun. Of course some countries are more dangerous, so you cant party too much. In some countries even ________ (verb + ing) is not allowed, but it is hot all year round if you get a tropical country like Cairo, the capital of Egypt. Wouldnt you like to live where its _______ (temperature) all year? John: I would love to have warm weather year round. Im sure Chile has warm weather. It also has cool weather. Perhaps there are even puffins or _______ (adjective) birds. It is close to cold Antarctica so maybe were going to see penguins. Doesnt that sound interesting? Sally: It does! Were going to go pharaoh hunting. Im going to try and discover a new room with lots of ______ (adjective) treasure. That is if I can get there, and have a job. Do you have a job already? John: Not yet! I think ________ (verb + ing) will change by the time Im ready to go. How do you think your job will change, by the time you are finished University? Sally: I think there will be lots of technology which can see underground, without even ________ (verb + ing). It makes exploration less fun, but also less work. What about a work visa? Have you ever thought about that, as an option? John: I have thought about that. Many people in Chile are grape farmers. Chilean ______ (drink) is popular now. I may try and get a job as a picker. What would you do if you got a working visa? Sally: I dont know? I would probably do caving in Russia, or ______ (country). If youre going to go in one direction, you should try ideas in the same area. Expand your mind. Expansion words ~~ puffins /Cairo /Egypt / Chile / Santiago / the US / engineer / Russia/ grape / hot/ cold
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Conversation 3 ~ Houses and Apartments

There are some new houses in John and Sallys City. As they walk past they have a conversation. John: Look at those new houses. When do you think they will get really creative? There are so many that look the same. Sally: Youre right? The fronts are all the same. Did you know that there is a law which makes them look almost the same? John: No! I didnt know! Why would they do that? It takes away from the enjoyment of looking at the _______ (place), like in the _____ (age) days. Do they have to have the same floor plan as well? Sally: No. Just the exterior needs to be the same. The size of the kitchen, or how many bathrooms, can change. There are often _______ (number) bathrooms. John: Our house is quite _______ (size) compared to these. How many bedrooms do you think there are, in these monsters. Sally: I think most will have three ______ (direction) and two down. The basement is usually the social part of the house. Or, it is the place for teenagers. Does your house have rooms in the _______ (room of house)? John: No, unfortunately we dont have a basement. We live in an older apartment. It is comfortable though. I have a king size bed, and there is always food in the super sized refrigerator. What kind of ______ (appliance) do you have? Sally: Our house is not big so we bought a flat screen TV to _____ (verb) on the wall. I think its about _______ (number) inches, and we can connect our computer to it. There are so many small techie things out today. How ______ (size) is your kitchen, John? John: Our kitchen is quite big. The _____ (number) bedroom is very large, but the other ones are like closets. The kitchen/living room is spacious. We have a full sized convection wall oven. What kind of _____ (kitchen appliance) do you have in your house? Sally: Why do you have a convection oven, not a standard one? We have a smaller standard one, because our kitchen is _____ (size). Our living room is separate but we bought a new coffee table and ________ (furniture material) sofa last year. John: We bought a convection oven because it is cooler than the other ones, which is nice for the hot days. I wonder what the owners will put in their new houses. Well the coffee shop is here. What would you like to have with your ______(drink)? John and Sally have a chat and then go to different appointments. Expansion words ~~ kitchen / bathrooms / bedrooms / king size bed / refrigerator / flat screen TV / closets / convection wall oven / living room / coffee table / sofa
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Conversation 4 ~ Possessions
John and Sally are walking along the street going home. They pass a variety of shops with interesting items. They are chatting when________ (persons name) sees something interesting. John: Hey! Look at those new _______(object). They have been advertised as having some special GPS stuff. My cell phone looks like an antique compared to those. How old is your cell phone? Sally: Mine!? _______ (pronoun) is not that old, but its not a smart phone. Its just a basic phone. I would like to get one of those Tabs. Which one would you like if you could choose? John: If I could choose, I would ______ (verb) a touch style ______ (noun). I have a touch screen computer. They are nice, but it takes some time to get used to it. Should we go in and (verb) what other new __________(plural machine name) they have? Sally: Sure! I like new technology. Look at these! What are they? They look like a ______(famous movie star) thing you put on your phone, or something. John: Oh, those are MP3 players. What about these e-dictionaries? Now you can learn (language) without (verb +ing) too hard. I think it has _____ (number) languages. How much do you think those are? Sally: I think they are in the $_______(number) range. Am I right? John: Here! That is true, but online you can find them for much cheaper. What about this camcorder. Its a new one from Samsung. It has some ________(adjective) functions, like a Bluetooth direct movie export. What are you _______(verb +ing) at? Sally: I am looking at this Sony CD player. I didnt know they made them anymore. I think they are like the DVD players. Soon they will be obsolete. What do you think will replace them? John: I think flash sticks, or SSD HDs will replace most everything. Look at that SSD HD Drive. It has a lot of memory, and _______(size) as a credit card. Have you seen those before? Sally: Wow! I hadnt seen that. I think you are right. Is your computer one of those _______(extreme size) ones? John: No! Its a little bit of a monster. I should get a new one. Well, we should keep going or we will never get _______ (place). John and Sally continue on their way home window shopping in the way. Expansion words ~~ cell phone / touch screen / MP3 players / e-dictionaries / flat screen TV / CD player / DVD players/ flash sticks/ SSD HD Drive
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Conversation 5 ~ Daily Activities

John and Sally meet in the _______ (place). They are looking at their schedules for activities during the week. . John: My schedule is so busy. I have to work and then go to winter classes. I didnt do very well in _________ ( University class name) last semester. What is your schedule like? Sally: Mine is a little relaxed. I dont have to get up too early. It looks like I need to get up at 7:00 in the morning. John: If I could choose, I would prefer to have done better in _____ (place). Now I start work at ________ (time) in the morning. Sally: That must be tough. On weekends I finish work at 9:00 in the evening. I only work on _______(weekday). I have a couple of private classes to go to, and they have a lot of homework. I have to keep my grades up. Do you have _____ (meal)? You work so early. John: Not usually! I take a quick _______ (action), and then take the bus to work. It isnt far, but still too early. How about having dinner sometime? Sally: When do you get home for dinner? I am usually free after 5:00 in the afternoon. John: It depends. Sometimes I have to work longer, if it is busy. I will try to _____ (verb) you. When is the best time to call? Sally: Most of the time it is best at lunch time. I dont have a nap, and I am finished taking my shower. When do you have _____ (meal)? John: I always have lunch at 12:30. On weekends I will be busy. Could you _____ (verb) me during the week? Sally: Sure! I could just text _____ (person). That is often easier. How often do you go out for dinner? John: I dont go out much. I am usually tired, or have to study. English homework is hard. The teacher makes us write conversations every week. We also have other homework, which is more important. How often do you go to the _______ (Name of Place) School? Sally: I go _____ (number) times a week. I have three hours of classes. I have to go to an appointment. Text or call me when you have time for dinner. Sally continues on her way, while John makes a plan for dinner. Expansion words ~~ get up / start work / take a quick shower / take the bus / have a nap / have lunch
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Conversation 6 ~ Getting There

John and Sally are looking for a special ________ (place) that their friend has recommended. It is a bit hard to find. They have a simple map, which their ______ (relative) had given them. As they look John: Sally! Now we are on Rodeo Street. Should we take a bus, or the subway to the Tartines shop? Sally: I think we should take the bus. We can see where we want to go easier. On the map there is a park. Lets find the ________ (adjective) park first. Do you know which bus goes there? John: No! Lets ask someone. Should we ask someone on the street, or in the store? Sally: Over there! There is a bus ______ (object). Do you see it? John: Do you mean the map on the bus stop window? Sally: Yes! Turn your _______ (body part) a little to the right. Now do you see it? John: Yes! It looks like bus ______ (number) is the one we should take. John and Sally get on bus 3011. They get off at the park they see on the map. Sally: I think this is the park. You have to go straight for two blocks if you read the ________ (adjective) map. Does it look like the right way? John: I think so. Brian said to not to get confused when we cross the street. Cross the street! Where do we cross the street? Sally: Well across from the ________ (company name) office. Can you _____(verb) the TBroad shop? John: There is/are (number) on every corner. I am really confused. There is a _____(adjective) NH Bank on the map. I think we should _______ (action) to the next NH Bank and find the Tbroad shop. Can you see it on the map? Sally: I see it. It is on the corner. Do you see it? Turn ______ (direction) there! John: Ok! I see it. I think _______ (company name) is between the movie theatre and the museum. Finally John and Sally get to Tartines for a tart and conversation. Expansion words ~~ bus / park / TBroad shop / Bank / on the corner / between / movie theatre / museum /
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Conversation 7 ~ Free Time

John and Sally have some free time coming. John has a few holidays and Sallys classes are soon to finish. Enjoying their new __________(place name) they are talking about John: Sally! Now we are going to have some time on our _______ (body part). What are you planning to do? Sally: Hmmmm I havent thought about it too much. I thought about __________(verb + ing) a cooking class. What are you thinking of doing? I thought you might travel or _____(word ending in thing). John: Travel takes money. I think I am going to ____ (verb) a few movies. Have you seen the new Tom Cruise movie? Sally: No. I have only seen the _____ (noun). What about _____ (sport)? You like sports. John: I thought of that. Maybe in between movies I will try it out. There is a lot of snow now. I cant _____ (sport) very well. I am going to rent a teacher for a day. Why dont you try it? Sally: I am not a good sports person. I used to swim in the morning. Why dont you ask ________(persons name) and Susan? They like skiing and movies. John: _______ (exclamation)! Do you know what they are doing now? Sally: I think Susan said they were going to ______(country name) for a weeks vacation. She wanted to do some drawing. I dont know about Tom. When was the last time you ______(verb past tense) from him? John: I think it was about ______ (number) weeks ago. He said he was ______ (verb + ing) tennis with a Club. I havent heard from him since then. Maybe he went to a Tournament. Maybe he is playing the guitar at home. He does like to play ______(instrument) when he relaxes. How about ice skating? It is not as hard as skiing. Sally: I have tried skating. I can even stop and _______ (action), but nothing fancy. There is also ______ (friends name). What do you think ______ (same friends name) is doing nowadays? John: Tony said he was reading a (noun), before I came to meet you. He likes to read those big novels. Maybe that is why he has such a big vocabulary. I cant read very fast, so I dont like reading. Are you a _____ (speed) reader? Sally: I dont read fast, so I read a chapter at a time. I get a headache. John! Time flies when we chat. I have to go home and make my schedule. I will _____ (verb) you later. John: Ok! John and Sally leave for different appointments. Expansion words ~~ cooking / watch a few movies / ski/ swim / drawing / ice skating/ reading
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Conversation 8 ~ Clothes
John and Sally meet to shop for clothes. With vacation coming they want to look fashionable. John: I need some new _______ (article of clothing). I bought a new School _____(adjective) jacket last semester. Are you expanding your wardrobe this vacation Sally? Sally: Hmmmm I thought Id buy some new shoes. I like the ones in the window at ________(expensive store). They are a bit expensive. Can we go there to see if there is a sale? John: Why not! I think we have time to go there. How far is it from here? Sally: Oh! Look at that ______ (color) blouse. I love that color. Its a purple. Dont you like that color? John: ______(adjective) Purple is not my favorite color. I prefer a deep green. Should we go in to see if there are more colors? Sally: Ok! Lets ask. Sally and John go into the store to check for more styles and colors. Clerk: Can I help you find anything? Sally: I saw the purple T-shirt in the ______(noun). Could you see if you have _____ (pronoun) size? Clerk: We have a limited size range, in that style. Can I have your size? Sally: I am a small. It is usually easy to find my size. John! Look at that _______(adjective) hat! It would look good on _________(personal pronoun). I really like that style. Have you ever worn a/ an _______ (adjective) hat? John: I dont usually wear ______ (plural noun). I like the looks, but usually dont wear them. I always forget them somewhere. Are you going to ______ (verb) the T-shirt on? Sally: No! I hate trying it on in the store. It makes me feel self-conscious. If I buy _____ (color) shoes or something, it is not the same. Its just clothes that I dislike trying on. I can always bring them back. Whats the time? John: It is just past ______ (time). Could we still go to Macys? I should get a ______ (noun) and tie for work. John and Sally leave for Macys to continue their __________ (verb +ing). Expansion words ~~ jacket / blouse / love / purple / T-shirt / hat / shoes / shirt / tie

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Conversation 9 ~ Eat Well

John and Sally are planning a party. Since holidays are coming they want to start with a celebration. They have invited several friends to come over. John: Sally! How many people did you invite to our party? Sally: Hmmmm I think I had ______ (number) people confirm they were coming. Most were too busy. How many did you _____ (verb)? John: I invited about _______(number), but I had the same response. Do you remember when we used to have big _______(event) to start vacation? Sally: Yes! It wasnt so long ago either. We should go to the ________(place) to buy some things. We need to buy some potato chips, dip, drinks etc. What flavors do you like? John: I like ______ (food) and ________(vegetable) chips and _______(sauce). I think we need to have some healthy food. Most Koreans need _______(adjective) rice, so we should buy some of those ready to eat rice things. How about _____(adjective) cheese or fruit? Sally: I think a few ______(color) apples would be great. We can put them in salad as well. Should we buy a few slices of cheese or just a block? John: I think slices are good. For meat we should _______(action) a lot of hamburgers and some buns. Sally: We should get some lite foods. Perhaps a little ______(food item). Do you like yoghurt? John: I do. I usually eat some yogurt for breakfast. Add a few sliced strawberries and it is very good. Even ______(adjective) oranges can be good in yogurt. What do you have for breakfast? Sally: I usually have a couple of slices of bread with ______(kind of nut) butter and honey. John: That doesnt sound like much. I thought the standard was bacon and eggs. Do you ever eat the standard American breakfast? Sally: I dont usually. My ______(relative) does. He likes his ____(number) eggs and 3 bacon strips for breakfast. Its not very healthy in our culture of limited exercise. For a guy I thought you would have bacon and eggs. What is your standard breakfast? John: I like ______(meat) and eggs but not every day. I like a few different cheeses on a fresh croissant. I eat homemade yogurt with fresh fruit. On Sunday I like to eat a sweet roll. I like to snack on ______ (vegetable plural). Sally: Sounds healthy! We should get moving here. Otherwise the party wont go ahead. John and Sally continue their shopping for the party. Expansion words ~~ potato / rice / cheese / fruit / oranges / bread / butter / butter/ eggs/ carrots
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Conversation 10 ~ Health
John and Sally meet, but one of them is not feeling well. John: Hello Sally! The weather has turned a bit chilly. My mom has a _______(temperature) now. How do you feel? Sally: I feel ok. Changes in the weather always bring some kind of ______(kind of bug). The warm and cold daily cycle makes the body confused. I do have a small earache though. I think I got it from my _______(part of the body). How are you feeling? You look a bit _______ (color). John: I am getting a ______ (disease) I think. Maybe I need to eat more _____ (food). What is a good remedy for these cold/flu bugs? Sally: _________ (medicine) or _______(another medicine) are common. Tradition would say that you should eat _______(kind of bird) soup and drink tea. What do you do when you have a fever? John: Well, if I get a ______ (disease symptom) I often get toothaches. The heat makes my _____ (part of the body) hurt, so I drink a lot. I should go to the_______ (professional) more often, or take cold medicine. You sound like you are getting a cold. Are you? Sally: Just a little one. My ______(family member) said I should see a doctor, but I think I will go to bed earlier. Do you have a headache? You look like your head is _____(verb +ing). John: I had one this _______(time of day). It was serious, but then I had some coffee. It seems That ______ (drink name) can fix headaches. My friends drink a lot of coffee. How is your throat? Sally: My throat is a bit sore. I think it is from my nose. Infections in your nose become infections in your throat and _____(part of the body). I should buy some _____ (medicine name) or something to dry up my nose. Did you have all your childhood diseases? My ______(family member) just got the measles. John: Yes! I even had the mumps. I heard (disease name) for adults is dangerous, so having it young is a good thing. Measles is contagious before you get it. Just like chicken pox. Do you think you get chicken pox from ______ (verb +ing) too much KFC chicken? Sally: I dont think so. Chicken pox is a disease that you get usually as a child. I dont know how you get it, but its not from eating too much chicken. You get those itchy bumps on your skin. Is your skin itchy? John: It is a little, but not with large red spots. Can you look? John and Sally go home to get better. Expansion words ~~ earache / should eat chicken / fever / toothaches / take cold medicine / go to bed / measles/ mumps/ chicken pox / itchy bumps
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The following are the standard conversations. They include the grammar and vocabulary found in each chapter.
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Conversation 1 ~ Family and Friends

John and Sally are in the same school. They meet for the first time, and discover they live close to each other. They are in the hallway talking John: Hello! My name is John. Sally: Oh, hi! I didnt see you there. My name is Sally. I am new here. Are you new here? John: No! I am a senior. My family has lived here for several years. Where did you move from? Sally: My family moved here from New Orleans. My father got a new job. Do you see that boy with the really curly hair? John: Do you mean the tall guy next to the water fountain? Sally: No! The short guy next to the teacher! Can you see him? John: Yes! I see him. Is he your brother? He doesnt look like you at all. You have such long straight blonde hair. His is wavy and black. Do you dye your hair? Sally: No. It is very natural. Perhaps there was a blonde in my family somewhere. Do you have any pictures of your family? John: A few. I dont keep many in my wallet. Would you like to have lunch? We can look at them easier. John and Sally find a table in the lunch room. Sally: Wow! You have a nice family. How old is your grandfather? He looks so young. John: He is 75 years old. I think his children were good so he still has dark brown hair. My mother was a beauty queen in high school. How many brothers and sisters do you have? Sally: You saw my one brother. I have one sister who is older than me. She has a job in New Orleans. She is short, and works as a lawyers assistant. She is still single, and loves it. We need to go back to class. Would you like to meet sometime after school? John: Sure! Lets make a plan. John and Sally go to class before they can make a plan. Expansion words ~~ long /straight /blonde / wavy / black / old / young / dark brown /short / single /curly

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Conversation 2 ~ Jobs
John and Sally are in the Mall having some snacks in the food court talking John: Sally! Have you thought about your future job yet? University is here and I have to make some hard choices. Sally: Well! Im not sure. I thought about becoming an engineer. My uncle works in Egypt. I think if Im an Engineer I could travel the world. Doesnt that sound like fun? John: Sounds like a great job to have. I have thought of being a teacher in Santiago. Do you know anyone who has been to South America? Sally: No! I dont know of anyone. Why Santiago? Isnt that in the U.S.? John: No! It is in Chile, on the west side of South America. Its a long country. What do you think its like, living in another country? Sally: I think it would be more fun. Of course some countries are more dangerous, so you cant party too much. In some countries even drinking is not allowed, but it is hot all year round if you get a tropical country like Cairo, the capital of Egypt. Wouldnt you like to live where its warm all year? John: I would love to have warm weather year round. Im sure Chile has warm weather. It also has cool weather. Perhaps there are even puffins or strange birds. It is close to cold Antarctica so maybe were going to see penguins. Doesnt that sound interesting? Sally: It does! Were going to go pharaoh hunting. Im going to try and discover a new room with lots of treasure. That is if I can get there, and have a job. Do you have a job already? John: Not yet! I think teaching will change by the time Im ready to go. How do you think your job will change, by the time you are finished University? Sally: I think there will be lots of technology which can see underground, without even digging. It makes exploration less fun, but also less work. What about a work visa? Have you ever thought about that, as an option? John: I have thought about that. May people in Chile are grape farmers. Chilean wine is popular now. I may try and get a job as a picker. What would you do if you got a working visa? Sally: I dont know? I would probably do caving in Russia, or Mexico. If youre going to go in one direction, you should try ideas in the same area. Expand your mind.

Expansion words ~~ puffins /Cairo /Egypt / Chile / Santiago / the US / engineer / Russia/ grape / hot/ cold
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Conversation 3 ~ Houses and Apartments

There are some new houses in John and Sallys City. As they walk past they have a conversation. John: Look at those new houses. When do you think they will get really creative? There are so many that look the same. Sally: Youre right? The fronts are all the same. Did you know that there is a law which makes them look almost the same? John: No! I didnt know! Why would they do that? It takes away from the enjoyment of looking at the community, like in the old days. Do they have to have the same floor plan as well? Sally: No. Just the exterior needs to be the same. The size of the kitchen, or how many bathrooms can change. There are often two or three bathrooms. John: Our house is quite small compared to these. How many bedrooms do you think there are, in these monsters. Sally: I think most will have three up and two down. The basement is usually the social part of the house. Or, it is the place for teenagers. Does your house have rooms in the basement? John: No, unfortunately we dont have a basement. We live in an older apartment. It is comfortable though. I have a king size bed, and there is always food in the super sized refrigerator. What kind of TV do you have? Sally: Our house is not big so we bought a flat screen TV to hang on the wall. I think its about 42 inches, and we can connect our computer to it. There are so many small techie things out today. How big is your kitchen, John? John: Our kitchen is quite big. The one bedroom is very large, but the other ones are like closets. The kitchen/living room is spacious. We have a full sized convection wall oven. What kind of oven do you have in your house? Sally: Why do you have a convection oven, not a standard one? We have a smaller standard one, because our kitchen is small. Our living room is separate but we bought a new coffee table and leather sofa last year. John: We bought a convection oven because it is cooler than the other ones, which is nice for the hot days. I wonder what the owners will put in their new houses. Well the coffee shop is here. What would you like to have with your coffee? John and Sally have a chat and then go to different appointments. Expansion words ~~ kitchen / bathrooms / bedrooms / king size bed / refrigerator / flat screen TV / closets / convection wall oven / living room / coffee table / sofa
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Conversation 4 ~ Possessions
John and Sally are walking along the street going home. They pass a variety of shops with interesting items. They are chatting when John sees something interesting. John: Hey! Look at those new phones. They have been advertised as having some special GPS stuff. My cell phone looks like an antique compared to those. How old is your cell phone? Sally: Mine!? Mine is not that old but its not a smart phone. Its just a basic phone. I would like to get one of those Tabs. Which one would you like if you could choose? John: If I could choose, I would buy a touch style phone. I have a touch screen computer. They are nice, but it takes some time to get used to it. Should we go in and see what other new inventions they have? Sally: Sure! I like new technology. Look at these! What are they? They look like a Mickey Mouse thing you put on your phone, or something. John: Oh, those are MP3 players. What about these e-dictionaries? Now you can learn Hangul without working too hard. I think it has 32 languages. How much do you think those are? Sally: I think they are in the $500 range. Am I right? John: Here! That is true, but online you can find them for much cheaper. What about this camcorder. Its a new one from Samsung. It has some interesting functions, like a Bluetooth direct movie export. What are you looking at? Sally: I am looking at this Sony CD player. I didnt know they made them anymore. I think they are like the DVD players. Soon they will be obsolete. What do you think will replace them? John: I think flash sticks, or SSD HDs will replace most everything. Look at that SSD HD Drive. It has a lot of memory, and thin as a credit card. Have you seen those before? Sally: Wow! I hadnt seen that. I think you are right. Is your computer one of those super thin ones? John: No! Its a little bit of a monster. I should get a new one. Well, we should keep going or we will never get home. John and Sally continue on their way home window shopping in the way. Expansion words ~~ cell phone / touch screen / MP3 players / e-dictionaries / flat screen TV / CD player / DVD players/ flash sticks/ SSD HD Drive

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Conversation 5 ~ Daily Activities

John and Sally meet in the shopping mall. They are looking at their schedules for activities during the week. . John: My schedule is so busy. I have to work and then go to winter classes. I didnt do very well in English last semester. What is your schedule like? Sally: Mine is a little relaxed. I dont have to get up too early. It looks like I need to get up at 7:00 in the morning. John: If I could choose, I would prefer to have done better in class. Now I start work at 7:00 in the morning. Sally: That must be tough. On weekends I finish work at 9:00 in the evening. I only work on weekends. I have a couple of private classes to go to, and they have a lot of homework. I have to keep my grades up. Do you have breakfast? You work so early. John: Not usually! I take a quick shower, and then take the bus to work. It isnt far, but still too early. How about having dinner sometime? Sally: When do you get home for dinner? I am usually free after 5:00 in the afternoon. John: It depends. Sometimes I have to work longer, if it is busy. I will try to call you. When is the best time to call? Sally: Most of the time it is best at lunch time. I dont have a nap, and I am finished taking my shower. When do you have lunch? John: I always have lunch at 12:30. On weekends I will be busy. Could you call me during the week? Sally: Sure! I could just text you. That is often easier. How often do you go out for dinner? John: I dont go out much. I am usually tired, or have to study. English homework is hard. The teacher makes us write conversations every week. We also have other homework, which is more important. How often do you go to the Private School? Sally: I go three times a week. I have three hours of classes. I have to go to an appointment. Text or call me when you have time for dinner. Sally continues on her way, while John makes a plan for dinner.

Expansion words ~~ get up / start work / take a quick shower / take the bus / have a nap / have lunch
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Conversation 6 ~ Getting There

John and Sally are looking for a special restaurant that their friend has recommended. It is a bit hard to find. They have a simple map, which their friend had given them. As they look John: Sally! Now we are on Rodeo Street. Should we take a bus, or the subway to the Tartines shop? Sally: I think we should take the bus. We can see where we want to go easier. On the map there is a park. Lets find the park first. Do you know which bus goes there? John: No! Lets ask someone. Should we ask someone on the street, or in the store? Sally: Over there! There is a bus map. Do you see it? John: Do you mean the map on the bus stop window? Sally: Yes! Turn your head a little to the right. Now do you see it? John: Yes! It looks like bus 3011 is the one we should take. John and Sally get on bus 3011. They get off at the park they see on the map. Sally: I think this is the park. You have to go straight for two blocks if you read the map. Does it look like the right way? John: I think so. Brian said to not to get confused when we cross the street. Cross the street! Where do we cross the street? Sally: Well across from the TBroad office. Can you see the TBroad shop? John: There is one on every corner. I am really confused. There is an NH Bank on the map. I think we should walk to the next NH Bank and find the Tbroad shop. Can you see it on the map? Sally: I see it. It is on the corner. Do you see it? Turn right there! John: Ok! I see it. I think Tartines is between the movie theatre and the museum. Finally John and Sally get to Tartines for a tart and conversation. Expansion words ~~ bus / park / TBroad shop / Bank / on the corner / between / movie theatre / museum /

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Conversation 7 ~ Free Time

John and Sally have some free time coming. John has a few holidays and Sallys classes are soon to finish. Enjoying their new coffee shop they are talking about.. John: Sally! Now we are going to have some time on our hands. What are you planning to do? Sally: Hmmmm I havent thought about it too much. I thought about taking a cooking class. What are you thinking of doing? I thought you might travel or something. John: Travel takes money. I think I am going to watch a few movies. Have you seen the new Tom Cruise movie? Sally: No. I have only seen the advertisement. What about skiing? You like sports. John: I thought of that. Maybe in between movies I will try it out. There is a lot of snow now. I cant ski very well. I am going to rent a teacher for a day. Why dont you try it? Sally: I am not a good sports person. I used to swim in the morning. Why dont you ask Tom and Susan? They like skiing and movies. John: Good idea! Do you know what they are doing now? Sally: I think Susan said they were going to Vietnam for a weeks vacation. She wanted to do some drawing. I dont know about Tom. When was the last time you heard from him? John: I think it was about three weeks ago. He said he was playing tennis with a Club. I havent heard from him since then. Maybe he went to a Tournament. Maybe he is playing the guitar at home. He does like to play guitar when he relaxes. How about ice skating? It is not as hard as skiing. Sally: I have tried skating. I can even stop and turn, but nothing fancy. There is also Tony. What do you think Tony is doing nowadays? John: Tony said he was reading a book, before I came to meet you. He likes to read those big novels. Maybe that is why he has such a big vocabulary. I cant read very fast, so I dont like reading. Are you a fast reader? Sally: I dont read fast, so I read a chapter at a time. I get a headache. John! Time flies when we chat. I have to go home and make my schedule. I will call you later. John: Ok! John and Sally leave for different appointments. Expansion words ~~ cooking / watch a few movies / ski/ swim / drawing / ice skating/ reading
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Conversation 8 ~ Clothes
John and Sally meet to shop for clothes. With vacation coming they want to look fashionable. John: I need some new jeans. I bought a new School jacket last semester. Are you expanding your wardrobe this vacation Sally? Sally: Hmmmm I thought Id buy some new shoes. I like the ones in the window at Macys. They are a bit expensive. Can we go there to see if there is a sale? John: Why not! I think we have time to go there. How far is it from here? Sally: Oh! Look at that blouse. I love that color. Its a purple. Dont you like that color? John: Purple is not my favorite color. I prefer a deep green. Should we go in to see if there are more colors? Sally: Ok! Lets ask. Sally and John go into the store to check for more styles and colors. Clerk: Can I help you find anything? Sally: I saw the purple T-shirt in the window. Could you see if you have my size? Clerk: We have a limited size range, in that style. Can I have your size? Sally: I am a small. It is usually easy to find my size. John! Look at that hat! It would look good on you. I really like that style. Have you ever worn a hat? John: I dont usually wear hats. I like the looks, but usually dont wear them. I always forget them somewhere. Are you going to try the T-shirt on? Sally: No! I hate trying it on in the store. It makes me feel self-conscious. If I buy shoes or something, it is not the same. Its just clothes that I dislike trying on. I can always bring them back. Whats the time? John: It is just past 3:00! Could we still go to Macys? I should get a shirt and tie for work. John and Sally leave for Macys to continue their shopping. Expansion words ~~ jacket / blouse / love / purple / T-shirt / hat / shoes / shirt / tie

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Conversation 9 ~ Eat Well

John and Sally are planning a party. Since holidays are coming they want to start with a celebration. They have invited several friends to come over. John: Sally! How many people did you invite to our party? Sally: Hmmmm I think I had 5 people confirm they were coming. Most were too busy. How many did you invite? John: I invited about 20, but I had the same response. Do you remember when we used to have big parties to start vacation? Sally: Yes! It wasnt so long ago either. We should go to the store to buy some things. We need to buy some potato chips, dip, drinks etc. What flavors do you like? John: I like sour cream and onion chips and dip. I think we need to have some healthy food. Most Koreans need rice, so we should buy some of those ready to eat rice things. How about cheese or fruit? Sally: I think a few apples would be great. We can put them in salad as well. Should we buy a few slices of cheese or just a block? John: I think slices are good. For meat we should buy a lot of hamburgers and some buns. Sally: We should get some lite foods. Perhaps a little tofu. Do you like yoghurt? John: I do. I usually eat some yogurt for breakfast. Add a few sliced strawberries and it is very good. Even oranges can be good in yogurt. What do you have for breakfast? Sally: I usually have a couple of slices of bread with peanut butter and honey. John: That doesnt sound like much. I thought the standard was bacon and eggs. Do you ever eat the standard American breakfast? Sally: I dont usually. My dad does. He likes his 2 eggs and 3 bacon strips for breakfast. Its not very healthy in our culture of limited exercise. For a guy I thought you would have bacon and eggs. What is your standard breakfast? John: I like bacon and eggs but not every day. I like a few different cheeses on a fresh croissant. I eat homemade yogurt with fresh fruit. On Sunday I like to eat a sweet roll. I like to snack on carrots. Sally: Sounds healthy! We should get moving here. Otherwise the party wont go ahead. John and Sally continue their shopping for the party. Expansion words ~~ potato / rice / cheese / fruit / oranges / bread / butter / butter/ eggs/ carrots
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Conversation 10 ~ Health
John and Sally meet, but one of them is not feeling well. John: Hello Sally! The weather has turned a bit chilly. My mom has a cold now. How do you feel? Sally: I feel ok. Changes in the weather always brings some kind of bug. The warm and cold daily cycle makes the body confused. I do have a small earache though. I think I got it from my nose. How are you feeling? You look a bit white. John: I am getting a cold I think. Maybe I need to eat more yoghurt. What is a good remedy for these cold/flu bugs? Sally: Aspirin or Tylenol are common. Tradition would say that you should eat chicken soup and drink tea. What do you do when you have a fever? John: Well, if I get a fever I often get toothaches. The heat makes my teeth hurt, so I drink a lot. I should go to the doctor more often, or take cold medicine. You sound like you are getting a cold. Are you? Sally: Just a little one. My mother said I should see a doctor, but I think I will go to bed earlier. Do you have a headache? You look like your head is hurting. John: I had one this morning. It was serious, but then I had some coffee. It seems that coffee can fix headaches. My friends drink a lot of coffee. How is your throat? Sally: My throat is a bit sore. I think it is from my nose. Infections in your nose become infections in your throat and ears. I should buy some nasal mist or something to dry up my nose. Did you have all your childhood diseases? My younger brother just got the measles. John: Yes! I even had the mumps. I heard mumps for adults is dangerous, so having it young is a good thing. Measles is contagious before you get it. Just like chicken pox. Do you think you get chicken pox from eating too much KFC chicken? Sally: I dont think so. Chicken pox is a disease that you get usually as a child. I dont know how you get it, but its not from eating too much chicken. You get those itchy bumps on your skin. Is your skin itchy? John: It is a little, but not with large red spots. Can you look? John and Sally go home to get better. Expansion words ~~ earache / should eat chicken / fever / toothaches / take cold medicine / go to bed / measles/ mumps/ chicken pox / itchy bumps

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I hope you have enjoyed the conversations, and the mad libs.

Pass them on. Use them again. Change them to your style.

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