First of all, watch the video through so that you get the gist of what the teachers are talking about.
Now watch the video more carefully, paying attention to the following:
- Showing agreement: Me too; Absolutely; That’s true; Yeah, absolutely; So do I.
- Use of actually to introduce a piece of surprising information
- Showing surprise: Really?; Wow; Yeah?; Oh my goodness; Oh, come on; No kidding!
- Use of an echo question to show surprise: Make a living?
- Fillers to gain thinking time: Well, you know
- Use of hedging to introduce your opinion and don't sound so dogmatic: I suppose; I think
- Use of really to emphasize the verb
- Use of vague language: it’s kind of; or something like this
- Involving the listeners in the conversation: have you ever used eBay or any of these?; And how about work?
- Use of I mean to paraphrase what you have just said and make yourself clear
- Use of pretty to emphasize the adjective
Now it's over to you. If possible, get together with a friend or relative and talk about classifieds. How often do you read them? In what newspapers can you typically find them? Have you ever bought or sold anything through a classified? Do you really find bargains in the classifieds? In your conversation, don't forget to use some of the features of spoken English we have revised today.
I bought the most beautiful, beautiful antique mirror the other day.
I love mirrors.
Me too.
Where did you find it?
Actually I bought it, I found an ad, a classified ad in the newspaper. And I called, and I went to see it at the, at the home of the, the person who was selling it and, and I bought it.
Really, classifieds?
Yeah. People forget about the classifieds but you can find amazing things there for excellent prices.
I often skip over that section, but. . .
Really?
. . . every once in a while when I take the time to read or, maybe if I’m a little bored and spent with my newspaper, there are some interesting little ads in the classifieds.
Absolutely. I can spend all, all of a rainy Sunday going through the classified ads looking for . . .
Do you, do you buy much else through the classified ads?
Well, because of my budget, you know, I could go crazy, but I don’t . . .
Wow, it’s like a marketplace.
Well, I suppose it is a marketplace. I think it really could be. I think there’re really people who make a living buying and reselling things through antique shops.
Make a living?
Buying from the classified ads and then putting the price up and selling it to an antique shop.
Wow! That’s interesting, making a living through classifieds.
Well, it’s kind of like eBay, you know? You could sell second-hand things through, have you ever used eBay or any of these? Or Segunda Mano? Here, Segunda Mano is a, a local classified ad.
That’s true, internet classifieds. I have used those, in fact I found my, the apartment I was living in before this one through Segunda Mano.
Yeah?
Yeah. It was alright, I mean it was, I had a constant view of the Palace right from my terrace. I was pretty satisfied.
No kidding.
Oh yeah. It’s good.
Wow. Yeah. It’s still the only place to find an apartment, I think.
Yeah, walking around, and looking at signs or something just. . .
Time-consuming.
It’s folly. And how about work? Have you looked for work through. . .
No, but I have friends who have, who have, put themselves in classified ads, advertising services. And as far as I know it seems to have worked. I think they’re, they’re doing alright.
Of course if you need some kind of service, maybe like English teaching or something like this, the place to look is in the classifieds, right?
Yeah, absolutely. My favorite, favorite part of the classified section is that little bit they dedicate to missed chances and missed encounters. You know, when somebody falls in love with somebody else on a train or in a busy shopping center, and then they put an ad saying, “I saw you the other day, you were wearing a red coat.”
Oh my goodness!
Oh, come on. . .
And people really, people really. . .
That’s so romantic!
It is romantic!
That’s for, that’s for real?
Yeah, you find sometimes four or five ads like that.
Wow. Somebody should elaborate that into a film or a short story. That sounds lovely.
I think that’s, that must be a secret code or something.
For clandestine rendezvous.
Clandestine operations, or something.
Perhaps.
I don’t want to be cynical about it, I think it’s very romantic.
So do I.
How romantic!
