Talking point: work

This week's talking point revolves around work. Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below, so that you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand and ideas flow more easily.

What do you do?  Where do you work?
Do you have a part-time or full-time job? Have you ever had a split-shift job?
What are the best things about your job?  And the worst things?
What did you dream of doing as a child? Is your job a dream job? Why (not)?
Are you ambitious? If so, in what way(s)?
Have you ever worked overtime? Do you ever work at home? Are you ever on call?
Do you have any social life with your colleagues?
Did you use to have a summer job? What was your first job?
Talk about a serious problem you’ve had at work. 10 Talk about a job interview you have had.
Did your family influence your choice of job?
What jobs are usually done by men/women (stereotypes)?
How is your work-life balance?
How has technology changed your job?
How has the economic recession affected you/family?
Would you be willing to emigrate to work?

You can also use the Speakout video below as a springboard for the topic.



You can read the transcript for the video here.

Speakout Advanced: Horizons

Today's the day. After sixty-two weeks publishing a weekly video podcast from the textbook Speakout, from Pearson Longman, we have come to the end of the series with the last episode, Horizons, where passers-by discuss their plans for the future by answering the questions below:

How do you feel about where you are in your life at the moment?
Are you the kind of person who makes plans, or do you ‘go with the flow’?
Do you have any long-term goals in your life?



Now it's over to you. Answer the questions about yourself, and try and use some of the expressions and vocabulary you heard on the video.

You can read the transcript here.

Speakout Advanced: Inspiration

This is the last but one episode of our Speakout series, the video podcasts from Pearson Longman. Today's topic is inspiration, which deals with the role of creativity and art in our lives.

Passers-by are asked the questions below:

Do you do anything creative in your life?
Is there anything or anyone that really inspires you?
In what ways do the arts influence your life?



Now it's over to you. Answer the questions above about yourself. Try and use some of the expressions you heard on the video.

You can read the transcript here.

Speakout Advanced: Time

There are very few episodes of our Speakout series left. As a matter of fact, this video podcast about time is the last one but two.

This week passers-by are asked the following questions:

In what ways do you feel different today than you did ten years ago?
What’s the best time of life do you think?
In what ways has ageing affected your life?



Now it's over to you. Go over the questions above and answer them about yourself. Try and use some of the expressions you heard in the video.

You can read the transcript here.

Speakout Advanced: Freedom

In this week's video podcast from Speakout, Pearson Longman, passers-by discuss the topic of freedom by answering the questions below.

What do you do to switch off at the end of the day?
What kinds of things in your life make you feel free?
In what period of your life have you felt the most free?
Do you think young people have more freedom now than in the past?



Now it's over to you. Answer the same questions about yourself. Try and use some of the expressions you heard on the video.

You can read the transcript here.

Speakout Advanced: Music and fashion

This week the Speakout video podcast revolves around the topic of trends in music and fashion. Passers-by answer the following questions about the topic:

Are you interested in music and fashion?
Tell me about a music trend or style that you love or hate.
Tell me about a fashion trend that you love or hate.




Now it's over to you. Answer the questions above about yourself. Try to use some of the expressions and vocabulary you heard on the video.

You can read the transcript here.

Speakout Advanced: Secrets

In this week's episode of our Speakout series, Pearson-Longman, we touch on the topic of secrets. These are the three questions passers-by answer:

Are you good at keeping secrets?
Is it ever a good thing to keep a secret from someone?
Do you have a secret talent that your friends or family don’t know about?

Listen to the different speakers and try to note down their answers.



Now it's over to you. Answer the questions above about yourself. Try to use some of the expressions and vocabulary you heard on the video.

You can read the transcript here.

Speakout Advanced: Justice

In a new episode of our Speakout video podcasts, from Pearson Longman, we touch on the topic of justice today.

Passers-by answer the questions below:

Have you ever had reason to contact the police?
Have you ever broken the law?
What legal or social issues concern you the most?
If you could introduce a law in your country or community what would it be?



Now it's over to you. Answer the same questions about yourself. Try to use some of the expressions you heard on the video podcast.

You can read the transcript here.

Speakout Advanced: Places

We are posting a new installment of the Speakout advanced video podcasts, from Pearson Longman. This week's video deals with the topic of places in a general.

Watch the video podcast and note down the answers the different speakers give to the questions below.

Do you have any holidays or trips planned?
Do you have a favourite place to go on holiday?
Do you have a regular haunt that you like to visit?



Now it's over to you. Answer the questions above about yourself. Try to use some of the expressions and vocabulary you could hear on the video.

You can read the transcript here.

Speakout Advanced: Advice

In this week's video podcast from Speakout, the Pearson Longman textbook, passers-by answer some questions about advice:

Are you the kind of person who asks other people for advice?
What’s the best or worst advice you’ve ever been given?
What would be your best advice for living a happy life?

Watch the video and note down what each person says.



Now it's over to you. Answer the questions above about yourself. Try and use some of the vocabulary and expressions the people in the video used.

You can read the transcript here.

Speakout Advanced: Family history (origins)

During the next ten weeks will be posting on Tuesday the video podcasts corresponding to Speakout Advanced, Pearson Longman.

I know that the difficulty of the videos far exceeds the range of the intermediate level students this blog is aimed at. However, the quality of the Speakout video podcasts, together with the possibility of students coming face to face with native speakers talking about everyday topics are two very powerful reasons not to turn a blind eye on this extraordinary material.

The topic of this week's video podcast is family history. Passers-by answer the following questions:

Do you spend much time with your family?
Do you think you have inherited any family characteristics?
Do you know much about your family history?
Does your family history play a part in your sense of who you are?



Now it's over to you. Answer the questions above about yourself.

You can read the transcript here.

Speakout starter: Plans (jobs)

This is the last episode of the Speakout video podcasts for beginners, from Pearson Longman. The topic of today's video is jobs, and passers-by answer questions related to their professional life.

What did you want to be when you were a child?
Do you like what you do?
What’s your perfect job?



Now it's over to you. Go over the questions above and answer them for yourself. Try and use some of the expressions you heard on the video.

You can read the transcript here.

Speakout starter: Shopping

In another installment of our Speakout series, the video podcasts of the textbook from Pearson Longman, passers-by answer questions about their shopping habits:

Do you like shopping?
What’s the last thing you bought?
What’s your favourite type of shop?
Do you ever make shopping mistakes?



You can read the transcript here.

Speakout starter: Places (Holidays)

In a new installment of our Speakout series, based on the video podcasts of the textbook from Pearson Longman, this week we are dealing with the topic of holidays.

Passers-by are asked the following questions:

Where did you go on holiday last year?
How long was your holiday?
What did you do on holiday?
Did you have a good time?



Now it's over to you. Answer the questions above about yourself. Try and use some of the expressions the people in the video used.

You can read the transcript here.

Speakout starter: When's your birthday?

In a new video podcast from Speakout, Pearson Longman, suitable for beginners and elementary students (Básico 1 and Básico 2), passers-by answer these questions:

When's your birthday?
What do you usually do on your birthday?
Where were you on your last birthday?



Now it's over to you. Answer the questions above about yourself. Try to use some of the expressions you heard on the video.

You can read the transcript here.

Speakout starter: Journeys

Journeys is the title of this week's video podcast from Speakout, Pearson Longman. It is a nice follow-up to yesterday's post on What is bicycle travel?

Watch the video and note down the answers to these questions:

How do you get to work?
How long does it take?
Do you like the journey?
How much does it cost?



Beginners and elementary students can find it difficult to understand and use the question How long does it take? For a more detailed explanation of this question, read this entry from our Real English series.

Now it's over to you. Answer the questions above about yourself. Try and use some of the expressions the people interviewed used.

You can read the transcript here.

Speakout starter: Routines

In a new episode of our Speakout series for beginners, Pearson Longman, passers-by answer the two questions below about their weekend routine:

What time do you get up at the weekend?
What do you usually do at the weekend?

Watch the video clip and note down the answers pedestrians give. Then answer the questions about yourself. Try to use some of the expressions you heard on the video.



You can read the transcript here.

Speakout starter: Life (free time with friends)

In a new episode of the Speakout video podcast series, Pearson Longman, a group of passers-by answer questions on free-time activities.

What do you like to do with your friends?
What do you like to do on your own?
Do you go to concerts, plays or films in London?



Now you can answer the same questions about yourself.

You can read the transcript for the video here.

Speakout starter: Things

In another episode of our Speakout series, from Pearson Longman, people in the street are asked these two questions:

What’s in your bag?
What are your favourite clothes?

The video is an excellent opportunity for Básico 1 and Básico 2 students (elementary) to get familiar with the name of everyday objects and clothes.

After you have watched the video several times, try to answer the two questions above about yourself.



You can read the transcript here.

Speakout starter: People

In today's video in our Speakout series, Pearson Longman, a group of passers-by answer some personal information about themselves.

Who’s in your family?
How old are they? And what are their jobs?
Who are you with today?

Watch the video and try to understand as much as possible.



You can read the transcript for the video here.