Sunday, October 30, 2011
Saturday, October 22, 2011
ESL Discussion Questions about Death
Death
What is it?
Whose death has affected you the most?
Have you ever been to a funeral?
Have you seen a person alive one day, only to hear that he died soon after?
Is there an honorable way to die?
What is a dishonorable way to die?
Are you afraid to die?
How do you want to die?
The most famous death in history?
What happens when we die? Is there anything for us after death?
We must live like we are about to die?
Idioms and expressions about death:
I had a brush with death
matter of life and death
sick to death
at death's door
frighten to death
nothing is certain by death and taxes
the kiss of death
will be the death of me
Friday, October 21, 2011
ESL Discussion Questions about Beginnings
Beginnings
What does it mean to begin?
What is the opposite of begin?
What have you begun lately?
Did you begin anything today?
Are there things you want to begin, but never do?
What do you want to begin?
Is every day a new beginning?
What is more satisfying? A good beginning or a good ending?
Is a perfect beginning a good thing?
Is there something you wish you could begin again?
Is it easy to overcome a bad beginning?
What is a good way to begin a story or a movie?
What is the best way to begin a class?
What is the best way to begin the day?
What is the worst way to begin the day?
What is the best way to begin a meal?
What is the best way to begin a game?
Are you always beginning but never finishing things?
What have you finished recently?
Expressions
To begin on the wrong foot.
Begin to see the light.
Charity begins at home.
Life begins at forty.
Jumping Off Point.
He is a good beginner, but a bad finisher.
He who would climb the ladder must begin at the bottom.
To begin with, I have no money.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
100 most used English Nouns
Actually, it is 99.
Area
authority
body
book
business
car
case
centre
change
child
city
community
company
council
country
court
day
development
door
effect
end
eye
face
fact
family
figure
form
friend
government
group
hand
head
home
hour
house
idea
information
interest
job
law
level
life
line
man
market
member
million
minister
money
month
mother
mister
name
need
night
number
office
other
part
party
people
percent
period
person
place
point
police
policy
power
problem
question
rate
reason
report
result
right
road
room
school
service
side
society
state
study
system
term
thing
time
use
view
war
water
way
week
woman
word
work
world
year
The top ten nouns are:
time
person
year
way
day
thing
man
world
life
hand
Top 100 English Verbs
- accept
- allow
- am
- are
- ask
- be
- begin
- believe
- borrow
- break
- bring
- buy
- can
- cancel
- change
- clean
- close
- comb
- complain
- cough
- count
- cut
- dance
- do
- draw
- drink
- drive
- eat
- explain
- fall
- fill
- find
- finish
- fit
- fix
- fly
- forget
- give
- go
- has
- have
- hear
- hurt
- is
- know
- learn
- leave
- listen
- live
- look
- lose
- make
- need
- open
- organise
- pay
- play
- put
- rain
- read
- reply
- run
- say
- see
- sell
- send
- shut
- sign
- sing
- sit
- sleep
- smoke
- speak
- spell
- spend
- stand
- start
- study
- succeed
- swim
- take
- talk
- teach
- tell
- think
- translate
- travel
- try
- turn off
- turn on
- type
- understand
- use
- wait
- wake up
- want
- watch
- work
- worry
- write
Friday, October 14, 2011
ESL Discussion Questions: The World in 2050
The world in 2050
Are you interested in the future?
What do you think the world would be like in 2050?
How will we watch television or movies?
How will we travel? Will everyone have his own plane?
Will we still be using oil and petrol and coal for energy?
What kind of clothes will we wear?
How many hours will we work in a day?
Will Robots do our work?
Will there still be books and newspapers?
Who will be the most powerful country in the world?
How long will we expect to live?
How far will we have traveled in space?
How many people will live in the world?
Will people be religious?
What will 2050 people think of 2011 people?
Will 2050 be a dark age or a golden age?
Will you be alive in 2050?
What will your children be doing in 2050?
What will Wuxi be like in 2050?
Will man live on the Moon? Will man have traveled to Mars?
Will China have won a World Cup by 2050?
What predictions do you think you can make for 2050?
Do you think things will always get better? That is, do you believe in progress?
Do you think things will get worse?
Will people be happier in 2050? less happy? The same?
Will people be richer? More free?
ESL Discussion Questions about Weapons
Weapons
What are they?
any instrument or device for use in attack or defense in combat, fighting, or war as a sword, rifle, or cannon.
Anything used against an opponent, adversary or victim: the deadly weapon of satire
Zoology. Any part of organ serving for attack or defense as claws, horns, teeth, or stings.
Do you have any weapons? Why? Why not?
Explain: Are you armed?
Do you think weapons are interesting?
Can anything be a weapon? Can words be a weapon? Can looks be a weapon?
Elicit examples of weapons from the students. Ask the students if they have had any experiences with these weapons.
Are there a lot of weapons in China?
Do you have the right to carry a weapon?
Is it a good idea to stop people from having guns?
Is you body a weapon? Are parts of your body weapons?
What was the earliest weapon?
If everyone has a weapon, we are more polite to each other. Agree? Disagree? Why?
Guns don't kill people. People kill people? Agree? Disagree? Why?
Ideas are mightier than guns. Agree? Disagree?
What is the most dangerous weapon in the world?
Have you ever used a weapon?
Have you ever fired a gun? What was it like?
Have you ever hit anyone with a weapon? When? Why? Who? How?
Is it okay for children to play with toy weapons? Why? Why not?
Are there times when you should carry a weapon?
Can words be weapons?
Do you think that one day, there will be no weapons in the world?
Weapon Expressions
Under the gun
beat the gun
going great guns
jump the gun
pull a gun (on someone)
stick to one's gun
a smoking gun
son of a gun
hold a gun to someone's head
with guns blazing
He is armed to the teeth
small arms fire
Thursday, October 13, 2011
ESL Discussion Questions about Admiration
Admiration
Use the words admire, admiration, admiringly, and to admire in sentences.
Is admiration love?
Is admiration respect?
Is admiration envy?
Is admiration only love? Is admiration only respect?
Can you admire a person and not love them?
Can you admire and envy a person? Can you admire a person and by jealous?
Can you admire bad people?
Can we admire all successful people? Are some successful people scoundrels?
Can you admire an ability someone has?
Can you admire a quality a person has?
If you admire a girl's beauty does that mean you want to have a
romance with them?
Can a married man admire the beauty of a woman who is not his wife?
Can a married woman admire the handsomeness of a man who is not her husband?
What things do you think we can admire people for?
Can you admire your children?
Who do you admire in your life?
Who is a famous person you admire?
If we don't admire people, we __________ them. (*despise, pity, feel
contempt for*)
Are there people you don't admire why?
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Discussion questions about heroes
What are they? Who are they?
What do heroes do?
Can anyone be a hero? Do you have to go to school or train to be a hero?
Who is your hero? Why?
Are heroes extraordinary or ordinary?
Do heroes do spectacular things or mundane things?
Can common people be heroes?
Can these people be heroes: teachers, bankers, businessman, farmers?
What occupations do we commonly think of as being heroic?
Do you think that we make heroes of the wrong people?
Who are your movie heroes?
Do you have a favorite super-hero?
Who are some famous Chinese heroes? Why are they thought of heroes?
Who are some famous heroes of the world?
Is one man's or country's hero the villain of another man or country? Can you think of some examples of these kind of people?
Are these people heroes: George Bush, Barack Obama, David Beckham, Jay Chou, Lady Gaga, Mother Teresa, Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Napoleon, Bruce Lee.
Do you want to be a hero? Why? Why not?
How can a person become a hero?
To whom are you a hero? Why?
Friday, October 7, 2011
ESL Discussion Question about Gifts
Gifts
What are they?
What other names do we have for them?
What was the best gift you ever received?
What do you wish you were given as a gift?
Is it better to give gifts or receive them?
What is the best gift you ever gave to someone?
Have you ever received gifts you didn't like?
What was the worst gift you ever received?
What do you do when you received an inappropriate gift? Can you get angry at the gift-giver?
Is it okay to pass on your gift to someone else?
Is giving gifts an easy thing to do? How can we go wrong when we give gifts?
Is gift-giving an art or science?
Do you sometimes wish people didn't give you gifts?
Can gifts be traps? That is, can gifts put you in a situation where you are obliged to do something?
In what situations do we give gifts?
At what times of the year do we give gifts?
When do you like to give gifts?
Do the Chinese love to give gifts?
What gifts would you like to get from a foreigner?
Is bribery a form of gift-giving?
Have you ever received a gift from an anonymous person? Have you ever given a gift anonymously? Why give anonymous gifts?
Do you like to surprise people with gifts?
Have you ever given a gift to a stranger?
Santa Claus is a famous gift-giver in the West? Are there famous or legendary Chinese gift-givers?
What gifts are given to: teachers, beautiful woman, old people, mothers, fathers, children, graduates, newly-weds, new parents, and foreigners?
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