Watch the video through to get the gist of what the conversation is about.
Watch the video again. This time pay attention to the following features of spoken English the three people use in the conversation.
- Conversation fillers: Erm; Well; you know
- Agreeing: Yeah, I know; Yeah, exactly; Yes, or course; No, it’s true; Yeah, absolutely
- Repetition: For example
- Paraphrasing what you have just said: I mean
- Emphasising: honestly; really; absolutely; just; even
- Vague language: or something
- Use of like as a connector
Now it's over to you. Get together with a friend or relative, and give your opinion about the topic 'do you think celebrities are obsessed with beauty?', 'do you agree with the lengths some of them go to to look young and beautiful?'. Do not forget to use some of the features of spoken English we have seen in the Madrid Teacher video.
Erm, the other day I was reading this magazine. It’s one of the, those celebrity magazines…
Oh an intellectual …
Yeah, I know…relaxing after work.
I only read those in the dentist… when I go to the dentist, honestly.
Well, I’m not going to mention about that one, but… But I saw a picture of a celebrity and she, you know, it’s like that Sunday when you get up late, you don’t shower, you go to take the dog out…
With your tracksuit on!
Yeah, exactly. And somebody snaps a picture of her, put it in this magazine saying, 'look here she is with all the acne and look at how awful she looks' and in reality she looked fine. But I felt so sorry for all those celebrities that have to walk around all the time and put makeup on before they go anywhere and… I don’t know.
Well, it’s not only celebrities who are doing it. You get a lot of people who are just like concerned, so concerned about the way they look. I, you know, when I go to pick up my child from school, some of the people who go to pick up their children they look like they’ve really dressed up for that occasion. It’s just some people take their personal physical appearance really seriously, don’t they?
Well, you know, in some way I think it is important…
Yes, or course.
… but again, for example, you have to draw the line, for example, have you ever seen, for example, some men that have their eyebrows look better than mine. I mean, not that mine look perfect or anything…
Yours look fine!
…but so like if they’re so… if they’re plucked with such precision, you wonder, for example, should people look that perfect… always?
Also… yeah, it’s like when stars have face-lifts it always looks really strange, doesn’t it? It makes their face look really unnatural, doesn’t it? They’re like almost “I’d rather look like that than natural.” And they probably know they don’t look natural but for them it’s more important for them to look the way they want to look rather than, …
Something normal.
Yeah… looking natural and normal.
No, it’s true. Lately as I’ve been watching TV or movies I notice it. And it really, it bothers me. She’s had her lips done or she’s had her eyes done. It’s quite clear.
Sometimes those lip jobs look absolutely ridiculous. They just look… you just think…
Like the Joker! Ha-ha!…
It’s like why did you…why did you bother doing that? You just look ten times worst than you did before. You’ve wasted your money and you just look ridiculous.
But in some way if you’re a movie star or something, you still need to do certain things…
Well, that’s what I was saying…
… in order to receive your money and for people to want to see you in the movie theatres. Maybe, maybe you look strange day to day but for the movie perfect.
It’s perfect. Well, that’s what I was saying with this magazine I felt really bad for this girl. You know, to always have that pressure on you put on by society or the producers or directors I don’t even know. Each to their own, I guess.
Yeah, absolutely.
Everyone is beautiful.
Yes, and we all look perfect just as we are.
