Category: Class

Why Are We Wasting So Much Food?

C1 – Advanced

It’s all too common in this day and age that food waste statistics are jarring. Food can be wasted in the supply chain that begins on the farm, then goes through the harvest, packing, processing, and retail shops.

There are 1 billion malnourished people around the globe and yet one-third of edible food products are wasted every year.

Watch the video to know more about food waste.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How can food-waste minimization be achieved? What can you do in your daily life to limit food waste?
  2. With food prices so low, how can we convey to consumers the value of food and importance of not wasting it? 
  3. What are the top three things governments can do to encourage food loss and waste reduction in their countries? 

Would (Past Habits)

Would is a slightly more formal way of expressing repeated past habits that we no longer do. These past actions do not take place anymore.

The sentence construction usually starts with a subject followed by would and then the base form of the verb. Consequently, for the negative we use the same formula but we replace would with would not or the shorter form wouldn’t.

Subject + would/wouldn’t + base form of the verb

Examples:

Every weekend, I would go hiking.

When we were young, our parents would take us to the park every Sunday.

My teacher would give me after-school exercises everyday.

On rainy days, we wouldn’t go out.

When I was a child, my father wouldn’t give me the time of the day.

My next-door neighbor wouldn’t bat an eye whenever he heard noises from my apartment.

Would can also be used with always, often, constantly etc. when talking about repeated past actions.

As a teenager, I would always sneak out of our house at night.

I would constantly correct my colleagues and they didn’t like it.

Back in college, I would often go to concerts.

In English, if an action only happened once, we do not use would + base form of the verb. Furthermore, don’t use it to talk about past states.

Examples:

I moved to Madrid in 2010. –(action that happened only once)
I would move to Madrid in 2010. – incorrect

I used to be a writer. –(past state)
I would be a painter. – incorrect

Want vs. Would Like

Both want and would like, as verbs, mean to desire or wish for something.

Want suggests a demand.

Would like is a more polite and formal way of expressing what you want.

Examples:

I want a soda. (could be urgent)
I would like to have a soda. (more polite)

I want to have dinner with you. (could be demanding)
I would like to have dinner with you. (more polite)

I want to speak to you. (could be urgent and demanding)
I would like to speak to you. (more polite)

Want is always followed by a complement to have a complete thought. It could be a noun or pronoun as an object, a to-infinitive form of the verb or an object + verb.

Examples:

Do you want cookies? (noun object)

I don’t want them. (pronoun object)

Do you want to eat them? (to-infinitive)

The host wants him to try the cookies. (object + to-infinitive)

Would like is usually followed by verbs in the the to + infinitive form or an object.

Examples:

I would like to try them. (to try is an infinitive)

I would like to eat it. (to eat is an infinitive)

I would like to have pasta. (to have is an infinitive)

I would like a cup of coffee. (coffee is an object)

I would like a tour. (tour is an object)

I would like an orange juice. (orange juice is an object)

The short form of would like is ‘d like.

Examples:

I’d like a cup of coffee.

I’d like to try them.

I’d like to eat it.

Be mindful of the use of gerund with would like as it may change the meaning of the sentence.

Example:

I would like to dance. (This means right now I want/wish/desire to dance.)

I’d like dancing if I could. ( This means I would like to dance but I don’t know if I have a chance to actually dance or if I have the skills to dance. )

Should Fast Food Sponsor Sport?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

There are millions of sports enthusiasts who are always tuned in to big sporting events in the world such as the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup. For these spectators, it is hard to ignore the large banners of sponsors all throughout the match. Some experts believe that these advertisements are contributing factors that lead to people consuming them.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript on fast food sponsorships in sports.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-211104

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are you a big sports fan? Do you always watch big sporting events? Why or why not?
  2. How important is sponsorship in these events?
  3. How does brand loyalty and unhealthy food and drinks companies sponsorship result to obesity?
  4. Do you agree that these companies should be banned from sponsoring big sporting events?

French Diet Secrets for Health and Happiness

B2 – Upper Intermediate

People are fascinated by the French diet as it allows them to be healthy and thin without dieting or exercising and just merely using the French principle. How does a population that loves steak, cheese, bread, and desserts avoid going to the gym but manage to stay healthy and live long?

Click the picture below and read the tips the French can give us about living longer, healthier, and happier lives. Be able to answer the questions that follow.

https://empoweredsustenance.com/french-diet-healthy/
https://empoweredsustenance.com/french-diet-healthy/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of the French diet?
  2. How important is diet to you? Explain.
  3. Based on the article, which tips have you ever tried before? Did they work? Share your experiences.
  4. Which of the tips did you find fascinating or strange and why?
  5. How do you keep yourself fit and healthy?

How I Use Sonar to Navigate the World

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Echolocation is a skill we usually associate with animals such as bats and whales, but some blind humans also use the echoes of their own sounds to detect obstacles and their outlines.

Find out more about how echolocation is learned and how the brain adapts to vision loss.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Talk about Daniel Kish’s upbringing compared to more conventional parenting styles for blind/disabled children.
  2. If you had to lose one of your senses, which would you choose and why?
  3. Rank your senses in order of importance. Elaborate.
  4. What do you think are the advantages of being blind?

The Power of a Mother’s Love

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Unconditional love of a mother is vital to one’s well-being. It has a long-lasting and profound impact to a person’s overall development.

She is the anchor of not only her children’s life but her whole family. Her love is the fuel that gives us power to do impossible things. On her love depends the emotional foundation of her children. The reason why nobody should belittle the power of mother’s love.

Read the article about the power of a mother’s love.

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/the-power-of-a-mothers-love/

Discussion Questions:

  1. Describe your mother. What are her best qualities?
  2. Share your most unforgettable moment with your mother.
  3. Do you consider your mom as your bestfriend? Why or why not?
  4. How can a good mother-child relationship be fostered?

Dealing with Teen Depression

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Teenage years can be arduous especially during the break and peak of Covid-19 when kids and teens need to be stuck in their houses. This occurrence has lessened the vibrance of their social lives which is one of the reasons of their happiness and growth.

Though it may be temporary feelings for them, it is a very serious and debilitating mood disorder that can definitely affect their way of thinking.

Learning more about this will give us an all-around idea for us to understand what teenagers are going through.

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/teenagers-guide-to-depression.htm

Discussion Questions:

  1. How was your teenage life? What are the best and worst moments that you remember when you were a teenager?
  2. How can you help someone who is going through teenage depression?
  3. What important piece of advice will you give the teenagers of this generation?

How to Stop Overthinking Everything

B2 – Upper Intermediate

They say overthinking is a special form of fear. It becomes worse when emotion and imagination are being added into it. It is worrying about almost all things and thinking everything might go wrong. It kills happiness and destroys peace of mind.

In view of this, let us check some of the ways on how to control or stop being an overthinker.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2016/02/12/6-ways-to-stop-overthinking-everything/?sh=f6b7e65663cd

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion about the article?
  2. Share your point of view for each point mentioned in the article.
  3. What are the ways that you are applying in your life?
  4. State the disadvantages of overthinking. What might be some advantages of overthinking things?
  5. Do you consider yourself an overthinker? Why or why not?

Good Relationships Are All in the Family

B2 – Upper Intermediate

According to Ivan Doig, childhood is the one story that stands by itself and in every soul.

Childhood is one of the most important factors of a human being’s physical and mental development. It has a really great impact to a person’s future in every single way. In this stage, we establish the eagerness and certainty of dealing with our analytical world.

Good or bad, it has a huge influence in our everyday lives as an adult. It extends from our avocation to dealing with crucial events and dilemmas that we encounter throughout our lives.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/good-relationships-are-all-in-the-family/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your reaction about the article?
  2. Do you agree with the result of Harvard University research about this? Why or why not?
  3. Describe your childhood. State the most unforgettable experience you had when you were a child.
  4. How has your childhood impacted your life now?
  5. In your opinion, what is the best way to have an idyllic childhood?