serious girl talk: all about my friends
DESCRIPTION
an ESL lessonTRANSCRIPT
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 1
all about my friends
best friend
childhood friend
acquaintance
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 2
all about my friends
also known as
Synonyms vary from region to region and
often have a slightly different meaning from
the original word. Below are some words known
to be used in North America when talking
about your friends.
best friend: closest friend, dear friend, good friend, BFF* (best friend forever),
sister, sistah*,partner in crime,
bro*
colleague: work friend, friend from work, co-
worker
school friend: college friend, friend from school
friend: mate, buddy, pal, chum
old friend: lifelong friend, long-term friend
girl friend: female friend
boy friend: male friend
former friend: ex-friend
group of friends: clique, peeps*, posse*, crew*
* These words are slang and not usually used in a formal situation
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 3
all about my friendsdescribing your best friend
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 4
all about my friends
vocabulary & expressions
have (something) in common (verb phrase):
share an interest, quality, or characteristic
enjoy (someone’s) company (verb phrase):
like spending time with or being with someone
mutual friend (noun phrase):
person who is a friend of two people who may or may not know each other
fast friend (noun phrase):
person whom you like instantly and want to be friends with upon meeting for the first time
family friend (noun phrase):
person who has a friendly, often a long-term relationship with an entire family
get on like a house on fire (verb phrase):
enjoy someone’s company very much and have a close friendship
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 5
all about my friends in conversation
see answers on page 18
I’m not too sure. I don’t know her very well.
Isn’t she a __________ friend of yours or
something?
So what do you
think about inviting
Kim to the study
group at your house
tonight?
fam
ily
- e
njo
y yo
ur
com
pa
ny
-
mu
tua
l -
h
ilari
ou
s -
in
co
mm
on
-
sis
tah
-
b
ud
die
s -
h
an
g o
ut
-
pee
ps
-
like
a h
ou
se o
n f
ire
Yeah, I guess. I just don’t think we have
much ______________ . She seems kind
of quiet.
No, I just know her from school and I
think we have a _______ friend on
Facebook . She seems nice.
Just a few ___________ from History
class. It’ll be fun to _______________
and study.
Actually, she’s _____________! You
two will get on __________________
Ok, if you say so, ____________ . Let’s
invite her. Which other _________ are
coming?
Right back at you, girlfriend. See you at
7!
I’m glad you are coming over too – I really
___________________________ .
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 6
all about my friendsgrammar point: gerunds & infinitives
.
* There can be a small change in meaning between the gerund and infinitive. See page 18 for more
information on verbs followed by gerunds and infinitives.
enjoy
adore
dislike
loathe
spend time
go
My BFF and I spend most of our time texting each other.
gerund (-ing form)
like
love
hate
prefer
My friends from school love getting out early on Fridays.* gerund (-ing form)
My friends from school love to get out early on Fridays.* infinitive (to + base form)
gerund (-ing form)
gerund (-ing form) infinitive (to + base form)
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 7
Using “like” and “dislike”,
describe activities that you and
your friends have in common.
example: My friends and I Iike to hang out at
the mall on Saturdays but dislike doing chores
at home!
all about my friendsgrammar practice: gerunds & infinitives
Using “go” and “spend time”,
describe activities that you do
with a) your colleagues b) your
peeps and c) your BFF.
example: My colleagues and I spend time
writing reports.
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 8
all about my friendsin reading
Quotations about friendship
Read the quotations. As in the examples, next to each quotation, write BFF, FAST FRIEND, LONG-TIME FRIEND, or BUDDY according to what kind of friend the quotation is describing. Highlight 5 words that you do not know and find their definitions in a dictionary. Answer questions on page 9. see answers on page 19
“Depth of friendship does not depend on length of acquaintance.”
- Rabindranath Tagore
“It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with
them.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Friends are God’s way of apologizing for our families.” - Wayne W. Dyer
“True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable.” - David Tyson
"Whoever says friendship is easy has obviously never had a true friend!" - Bronwyn Polson
"Men kick friendship around like a football and it doesn't seem to crack.
Women treat it like glass and it falls to pieces." -Anne Lindbergh
"Friendships last when each friend thinks he has a slight superiority over the
other." - Honore Debalazac
"Friendship is love without his wings." - Lord Byron BUDDY
"... no man is useless while he has a friend." - Robert Louis Stevenson
"A true friend stabs you in the front." - Oscar Wilde BFF
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 9
w
What is one great
thing about an old
friend, according to
Emerson?
all about my friendsin reading: questions
see answers on page 19
What is Wayne W. Dyer
suggesting about families?
v
Who writes that
true friendship is
difficult?
x
Tagore believes
that a friendship
must be old to be
important. True or
false?
y
According to
Lindbergh, how are
male friendships and
female friendships
different?
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 10
Number the “qualities of a good friend” from 1-5 (1= most important). Explain your #1 and #2 choices. example: I think a sense of humour is the most important quality in a friend because if you can laugh, no problem is too big.
Which of these qualities does your best friend have? Which of these qualities do you have?
all about my friendsin speaking: partner practice
In the frame, draw a picture of your closest childhood friend. Describe what activities you miss doing with him or her.
example: I miss hanging out in her room and just talking, listening to music, and laughing so hard!
Which of the quotations on page 8 makes you think of your childhood friend? Explain.
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 11
all about my friendsin speaking: partner practice
Have you seen any of these
movies? If so, which ones?
Which one is your favorite?
Think of your group of friends. Which of these movies would best describe
your crew?
Describe the types of friendships in some of
these movies. Use vocabulary from page 1.
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 12
all about my friendsin speaking: all about you
Friendships are not always easy and sometimes making new friends can also be difficult.
Speak for 2 minutes about a friendship that you work hard at keeping and
what qualities you have that make you a good friend.
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 13
all about my friendspronunciation: sentence stress
see page 20 for more information on sentence stress
When speaking in English, it is important to place
stress on the correct words in a sentence to create natural speech. To “stress” a word means to say the word a little louder, more strongly, or more clearly. The stressed words in a neutral-stressed sentence are content words: MAIN VERBS (except for “be”
verb), NOUNS, ADJECTIVES, ADVERBS, and NEGATIVE AUXILARY VERBS
example: My BEST FRIEND is a PATIENT PERSON. adjective noun adjective noun
I DON’T like FRIENDS that CANCEL PLANS
with me.
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 14
all about my friends in writing: sentences
Order the words below to create a complete sentence. Use all the words. Capitalize and punctuate when necessary. example: childhood ⦁ friend ⦁ in ⦁ I ⦁ my ⦁ haven’t ⦁ seen ⦁ years ⦁ many
I haven’t seen my childhood friend in many years.
I ⦁ have ⦁ in common ⦁ sister’s ⦁ friends ⦁ my ⦁ don’t ⦁ much ⦁ with
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Facebook ⦁ some ⦁ strangers ⦁ my ⦁ friends ⦁ are ⦁ of ⦁ total
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
you ⦁ do ⦁ men ⦁ can ⦁ friends ⦁ and ⦁ think ⦁ women ⦁ be
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
she ⦁ acquaintances ⦁ has ⦁ but ⦁ friends ⦁ few ⦁ many
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
company ⦁ they ⦁ enjoy ⦁ seem ⦁ each other’s ⦁ to ⦁ really
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
see answers on page 21
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 15
all about my friendsin writing: paragraph
Write a paragraph about a frenemy you have had, someone who seemed like a friend but did things that were mean or hurtful. Is this person still in your life? Have you ever behaved like a frenemy? Explain. see page 21 for model paragraph
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 16
all about my friendsquiz: part 1
A. Write a word that has the same meaning (a synonym) for each word
or phrase below: example: ex-friend = former friend /5
best friend = _______________
colleague = _______________
old friend = _______________
friend = _______________
group of friends = _______________
B. Match each word or phrase to its meaning: /5
__ mutual friend person who is a friend of two people who may or may not know each other
__ clique person who acts like both a friend and an enemy
__ fast friend share an interest, quality, or
characteristic
__ have something in common person who you like instantly and want to be friends with upon meeting for the first time
__ frenemy group of friends
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 17
all about my friendsquiz: part 2
C. Complete the sentences below with a gerund (-ing form) or infinitive (to +
base form). /6
example: My frenemy spends her time planning ways to steal my boyfriend. PLAN
My pals and I go _____________ downtown every Saturday. SHOP
It surprises me how many of my Facebook friends enjoy ___________ READ
my status updates and ______________ at my photos. LOOK
My mom adores _____________ our good family friend, Jon, over. HAVE
Some people prefer ________________ alone and ____________
SPEND TIME HAVE
only one or two friends.
D. Answer True (T) or False (F) /4
You can trust a frenemy. _____
An “old friend” and a “childhood friend” are the same thing. _____
You wouldn’t tell your secrets to an acquaintance. _____
It’s not good to get on like a house on fire. _____
see answers on page 21
Score: /20
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 18
Verbs followed by gerund (–ing form) or infinitive (to + base form) with NO change in meaning:
all about my friendsanswer key: answers & notes for pages 5 and 6
answers for
page 5 in conversation
family mutual in common hilarious like a house on fire sistah* peeps buddies hang out enjoy your company * any synonym for this word on page 2 is acceptable here
notes for
page 6 grammar point: gerunds & infinitives Verb + Gerund (-ing form) or Infinitive (to + base form): from page 6: “like” verbs followed by gerund (–ing form) or infinitive (to + base form):
Verbs and expressions followed by gerund (–ing form):
Verbs followed by infinitive (to + base form):
admit adore appreciate avoid celebrate commence consider contemplate delay
deny detest dislike dread endure enjoy face fancy finish
go imagine involve keep lie loathe mention mind miss
postpone practice report resent resist risk sit stand suggest
can’t stand can’t bear can’t help spend time spend money no good no use worth not worth
afford agree aim appear arrange ask attempt beg care
choose consent dare decide demand deserve expect fail fight
happen help hesitate hope intend learn long manage mean
neglect offer plan prepare pretend promise prove refuse seem
swear tend threaten volunteer vow wait want wish
start begin continue
like love -ing hate prefer
like love to + base form hate prefer
Meaning: almost the same as infinitive form but with emphasis on the enjoyment (or lack of) of an action or a focus on the action itself. Action has been realized.
Meaning: almost the same as gerund form but often used in a comparison or statement of preference. Action is conceptual or hypothetical.
Verbs followed by gerund (–ing form) or infinitive (to + base form) with complete change in meaning:
come go on dread mean forget remember regret stop try
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 19
all about my friendsanswer key: answers for page 8 & 9
answers for
page 8 in reading
These are suggested answers. The purpose of the activity is to think about types of friendships.
answers for
page 9 in reading: questions
He is suggesting that families are not perfect, can be difficult to be with, and, perhaps are not much fun. Bronwyn Polson One great thing about an old friend is that you can be “stupid” (silly, relaxed, unguarded)with him/her. False Lindbergh suggests that men can do anything in a friendship and it won’t be damaged, yet women try to be careful in a friendship and it is easily damaged.
“Depth of friendship does not depend on length of acquaintance.”
- Rabindranath Tagore
“It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Friends are God’s way of apologizing for our families.” - Wayne W. Dyer
“True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable.” - David Tyson
"Whoever says friendship is easy has obviously never had a true friend!"
- Bronwyn Polson
"Men kick friendship around like a football and it doesn't seem to crack. Women treat it like glass
and it falls to pieces"
-Anne Lindbergh
"Friendships last when each friend thinks he has a slight superiority over the other."
- Honore Debalazac
"Friendship is love without his wings" - Lord Byron BUDDY
"... no man is useless while he has a friend."
- Robert Louis Stevenson
"A true friend stabs you in the front." - Oscar Wilde BFF
BUDDY
BUDDY
BUDDY
BFF
LONG-TIME FRIEND
BUDDY
LONG-TIME FRIEND
FAST FRIEND
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 20
all about my friendsanswer key: notes for pages 13
notes for
page 13 pronunciation: sentence stress
Basic rules for neutral-stress sentences: content words are stressed structure words are unstressed
* when “be” is used as a main verb, it is usually unstressed.
Correcting information through word stress: "Your sister is at the mall, isn’t she? "No, SHE isn't, but MY MOM is.
Changing meaning through word stress:
They SEEM to REALLY ENJOY each other’s COMPANY (neutral stress)
THEY seem to really enjoy each other’s company Meaning: Two other people do not each other’s company They SEEM to really enjoy each other’s company Meaning: It looks like they like each other but maybe they don’t They seem to REALLY enjoy each other’s company Meaning: They are having a lot of fun They seem to really ENJOY each other’s company Meaning: It’s a bit surprising that they like each other (possible correction of a statement as well) They seem to really enjoy EACH OTHER’S company Meaning: They like each other but not anyone else. They seem to really enjoy each other’s COMPANY Meaning: They like to spend time together but maybe don’t work well together or don’t enjoy other activities together. (stressing this word would be a bit unusual)
Content Words Example
main verbs* SELL, GIVE, EMPLOY etc…
nouns CAR, MUSIC, MARY etc…
adjectives RED, BIG, INTERESTING etc…
adverbs QUICKLY, LOUDLY, NEVER etc…
negative auxiliaries DON'T, AREN'T, CAN'T etc…
Structure Words Example
pronouns HE, SHE, THEY etc…
prepositions ON, AT, INTO etc…
articles A, AN, THE
conjunctions AND, BUT, BECAUSE etc…
auxiliary verbs DO, BE, HAVE, CAN, etc…
from serious girl talk by Fiona Bramble © Functionall Books 2011 Page 21
all about my friendsanswer key: answers pages 14 - 17
answers for
page 14 in writing: sentences
I don’t have much in common with my sister’s friends.
Some of my Facebook friends are total strangers. Do you think men and women can be friends? OR Do you think women and men can be friends?
She has many acquaintances but few friends. OR She has few friends but many acquaintances.
They seem to really enjoy each other’s company. OR They really seem to enjoy each other’s company.
answers for
page 15 in writing: paragraph
Write a paragraph about a frenemy you have had, someone who seemed like a friend but did things
that were mean or hurtful. Is this person still in your life? Have you ever behaved like a frenemy?
Explain. MODEL PARAGRAPH:
I have one frenemy. She is actually the girlfriend of an old friend. She acts very
sweet to me and is always inviting me to do things but she also talks about me
behind my back to our mutual friends. My “real” friends tell me the mean things
she says about me. I can’t believe how two-faced she is. When a group of us are
hanging out together, I try to stay away from her. I have to be nice to her when
her boyfriend is around though. When I was younger, I sometimes gossiped about
other girls behind their backs. Now I know how they must have felt and I feel very
bad about it.
answers for
page 16 quiz: parts 1 A & B. A: for possible matching synonyms for page 16 part 1 A., see page 2
B: a e d c b
answers for
page 17 quiz: part 2 C.& D. C: shopping reading/looking having spending time/having OR to spend time/to
have D: False False True False