Tag Archives: speaking

Picture Description: Jobs

Kindly sent by Ana Suárez Meana from the Intermediate Level.


Well, I have decided to talk about one of the most important topics in our lives, as I consider it is work because it is what drives the way we live every day.
To do this, I have decided to select these two contrasting pictures.
In the first picture, we can see an old man. He looks like a coal miner, although it is difficult to tell because I can´t see much of the background and I can´t really make it out. On the other hand, in the second picture, to our surprise, we can see the image of a woman priest. I think she might be
wearing a costume because it isn´t very common to see a woman priest.
In my opinion, the picture of the man is the image of one of the least common jobs today. In fact, more and more mines are closing down .I think that it is one of the most difficult jobs because they are people who daily risk their lives and whose earnings are low.
In contrast is the image of the woman, whose job I consider more relaxing and less complicated than that of the coal miner, but it is not less important for many religious people in our society and until now, done only by men because many jobs do not welcome women .
Today, there are different types of jobs that a few years ago would be difficult to imagine, because nowadays, more people study than in the past, men and women go out to work, and this often causes that families in their jobs are affected by the serious crisis we are living in our country.

Role Play: At the Lost Luggage Counter

Has an airline ever lost a piece of your luggage?
I guess it is not very uncommon for airlines to lose baggage , given that every time this conversation comes up everybody has something to say on this matter, either because they have lost it or they know a friend or a relative who has . The reason might be because it is said that 1 in 100 people lose baggage so I can assure you that on this issue there is no shortage of tales , describing the different stages one goes through when you realize you have no clothes to wear for your long-awaited school trip or the documents for the meeting are inside the missing suitcase.

Wanna smile? Read these two amusing stories I found on the Internet

♥At the airline check in at London Heathrow, Guy has three bags. He puts them down and says to the young lady, ‘I’d like you to send this one to Los Angeles, that one to Hong Kong and the last one to Durban.’ Her face shows signs of confusion before her training takes over and she says, ‘I’m afraid we can’t do that, sir.’
‘Why not?’ demands Guy, ‘you did the last time I flew with you.’ I have the picture! 🙂

♥Describing your Suitcase.I was flying into Boston last week and when I went to find my luggage, it seemed to be missing. So I went to the airlines customer service center to find out how to locate it. So the clerk asks me “Sir, can you describe your suitcase?” So I tell her, “it’s a hot pink suitcase shaped like a star”. She looks up and asks “Okay, and is there anything distinctive about your bag?”:)

Now , let’s learn how to claim your baggage if you unfortunately lose it .



Two more role-plays

I don’t know. I think I need  a holiday. I drag myself through the week and then Saturday and Sunday I just feel so sleepy I cannot bring myself to do the little things that not so long ago brought me a great deal of pleasure. I must be getting old though I am trying to convince myself that it is just another case of  spring depression. And why not embrace it? Why should I be expected to be up and cheerful all the time? why not sit quietly , enjoying my mood ? It is just another part of me and there is beauty to be found in all parts of me , for sure 🙂

Meanwhile, while I would be happy to stay at home nursing my current mood , my students still deserve to get the best of me.  Here it is, more role plays to practise for the certificación oral test. Don’t forget to check my Role Play Section.

BOOKING A ROOM IN A HOTEL

AT THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF LANGUAGES

Tips to Describe Pictures: Music

OMG! Where does time go? It seems only like yesterday when with butterflies in my stomach I greeted my new students. It was early October and, at that time, the course seemed long enough to last a lifetime, and just now I ‘ve realized that spring is technically here,  in fact, it ‘s been here for several days though I don’t feel exactly in on spring-mode and… it doesn’t help that it’s been raining on and off for the last few days. 🙁

Anyway, the Certificación exam is fast approaching and we need to practise a lot, especially speaking.

In the second part of the oral exam you will be asked to describe pictures ( a max. of three) and, in this part, you will be on your own. The examiner won’t ask you any questions.

REMEMBER

♥the pictures are just an excuse to talk about the topic

♥describe what you can see, comparing and contrasting the pictures. We don’t want you to describe in detail, just give a general description.

♥Use a wide variety of vocabulary and structures. Join your ideas using connectors.

Talk about the topic explaining your point of view.

Normally the pictures show different sides of the same issue. Say which one you would choose and why.

You have three minutes to shine 🙂

LET’S PRACTISE WITH THESE PHOTOS.  (click here to see the original)

Some ideas to help you talk:

How important is music in your life?
How much time do you spend listening to music each day or week?
Do you think music is getting better or worse?
Do you ever go out to listen to music live? When was the last time you went to a concert/gig? Gig /ɡɪɡ/ is a slang word than means live performance

Now, let’s try this one. Original here



How important is music in your life?
How much time do you spend listening to music each day or week?
Do you think music is getting better or worse?
Have you ever illegally downloaded music? Do you think it is okay or not okay to download music illegally?
With the increasing rise of downloading from the internet, what do you think the future of the music industry is?
Do you think music is getting better or worse?