I'm doing one-on-one conversations with 28-35 year olds, half an hour each, to improve their English. Need help because sometimes there's nothing to talk about!
2006-06-25 15:40:43 · 12 answers · asked by nippy 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Teaching
ok, so they are learning to speak english...this leads me to believe that they are not originally from this country.
i would ask them about home, and if they are from here; i would still do the same. people seem to enjoy talking about their "roots" where they were born and raised. i would ask about their families and traditions, best childhood memories, what interests/goals they have now or in the future...or more simple questions like, fave. food, movie, do they have children, etc.
2006-06-25 15:59:32 · answer #1 · answered by julsmiles79 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Find something that they are interested in and talk about that. If the person is wearing a t-shirt for a sports team, then you can probably get a good one going about that. Nice handbag...where did you get it? I shop there, too, have you ever been to Canal Street in New York? etc...
If there are no visual clues, simply ask the person what they do for a living. Ask how they like there work what they do, because this involves a lot of adjectives and clarifying words, such as "good, bad, great, fun, exciting, etc..." and you can help to build vocab by providing an alternative descriptor for their job.
If work ain't exciting, talk about where they live or where they are from. Ask them to describe what it was like where they were from, how they got here, and the biggest difference between here and there. In each case, you can be sure to get some good descriptors for common objects (everyone has houses, trees, buildings, etc., that they can compare using adjectives).
It never hurts to discuss the weather, either.
2006-06-25 22:50:57 · answer #2 · answered by Sean T 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my mom tutors a young lady to help her with her english and many of her lessons revolve around things like cultural differences in food and cooking. The times to eat and foods that are eaten are enough to expand cultural knowledge on both sides. (My mom trying to understand how beans and diced tomatoes qualify as breakfast-the young lady trying to understand the difference between hot and cold cereal) Also my mom spends lots of time trying to explain common figures of speech to the young lady. Some things just don't translate well and the conversation spent trying to reach a common understanding requires a lot of talking. My mom is from the south, so there's an added bonus of regional words,phrases,and a bit of an accent for the young lady as well. Those are a few ideas for conversations.
2006-06-27 04:54:57 · answer #3 · answered by Getsbetterwithtime 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nothing to talk about? Why? You must be avoiding religion and politics. I don't have much experience with what you're doing, but try the following:
The environment
Their kids
What they read in the newspaper today (a newspaper subscription would be a great investment for someone learning Engish - they might not get it all but you'd be surprised on how hard they might work on the comics)
Maybe scrabble? I hate scrabble - playing in teams might help
OK, I'm outta ideas. But I might come up with more for you. I'm a chem teacher also
2006-06-25 22:48:01 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is your mission to find out what's the best topic. You can start asking about what kind of movie, sport, how that person spend the free time,etc.
2006-06-25 22:45:06 · answer #5 · answered by flowermieses@verizon.net 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
read the local paper for the major headlines before you go. current events is always a popular subject in which everyone has an opinion. you'll be lucky if you can get a word in.
2006-06-25 23:07:09 · answer #6 · answered by charles r 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
People like to talk about themselves. Most 28-35 year olds are married, have kids, etc. Ask them about their families.
Ask them to dream... Like "What is one thing you would like to do before you retire?" "What is your dream vacation?" "What celebrity would you like to meet?"
Ask them about life in their native country... the culture, family life, jobs, politics, etc.
Good luck!
2006-06-25 22:46:22 · answer #7 · answered by Annette R 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ask them what they like to do. Everyone will talk about themselves if given the opportunity.
2006-06-25 22:47:13 · answer #8 · answered by James A 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Talk about immagration it seems like that is on everyones "gotta get my two cents in" list. Good luck.
2006-06-25 22:43:03 · answer #9 · answered by angellike67114 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sports - hobbies - family/friends - pets/animals.
sometimes with my high school students I give them a topic.
had a girl who was difficult to talk to - i brought up environmental issues (burning of rain forest, acid rain, greenhouse effect) and she wouldn't stop talking. who knew?
2006-06-25 22:44:02 · answer #10 · answered by wildmick21 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋