Greeting and General Things II 1. Small Talk 2. Small Talk - Two Example Dialogs 3. Small Talk - Interactive Practice 4. Movies - Asking Friend 5. Movies - Example Conversation 6. Movies - Interactive Practice 7. Movies Types - Action and Drama 8. Movie Types - Comedy and Horror 9. Movie Types - Other Types 10. Movie Types - Interactive Practice 11. Movie Discussion - General Statements 12. Movie Discussion - Describing a Movie 13. Movie Discussion - Example Dialog 14. Favorite - Whats your Favorite 15. Favorite - Answering Questions 16. Favorite - Interactive Practice 17. Hobby - Questions and Answers 18. Hobby - Various Q&A 19. Hobby - Interactive Practice 20. Exercise - Questions 21. Exercise - Walking Jogging and More 22. Exercise - US Culture 23. Exercise - Interactive Practice 24. Exercise Gym - Lifting Weights 25. Exercise Gym - Questions and Answers 26. Exercise Gym - Other Methods 27. Exercise Gym - Interactive Practice 28. Intro and General Things Review 29. Intro and General Things Review - Interactive Practice Small Talk Many people believe small talk is very boring and not personable. Although that is true, there are many places where small talk is very important. In the western culture, strangers talk to other strangers frequently. On the other hand, small talk is not so common in the eastern culture. Because strangers are friendly to one another in the western culture, small talk is very important to master in regards to learning English. One other place small talk is important is in an interview. That is why this session will be important to learn. The best way to learn small talk is to provide many examples. So this lesson will be taught using an example format. Small talk involves many different topics. We will have several sessions on small talk once we have covered other subjects such as sports, jobs, school, etc. But for now, we will go through the basics of small talk conversation. To initiate small talk, we can use what we have learned from our previous several sessions: One: Hi Bill, how are you doing? Two: Im doing great. How are you doing? One: Im doing well myself. Wasnt that simple? If you studied the material in prior sessions, this should be real easy for you. Now that we have initiated the small talk, its your responsibility to keep the conversation going. In order to do so, you can talk about anything that is not too personal. Lets first ask what the other person has been doing lately. One: What have you been up to lately? Two: Well, I just started to work at the bank so Im pretty busy learning everything. You can elaborate on what you have learned to keep the conversation alive. In this example, you are going to ask more questions about school and work. One: Does that mean you already finished school? I thought you had 1 more semester left. Two: I took summer courses, so I finished one semester early. One: Its great that you got a job. Im really happy for you. Two: Thanks. As you can now tell, the conversation is getting old. You have a choice of ending the conversation, or changing the topic. Lets practice ending the conversation. One: We should get together for lunch sometime. Two: Yeah, that would be great. One: Ill call you sometime. Two: Ok. Ill see you later. One: Alright. See ya. Small Talk - Two Example Dialogs In this conversation, we initiated the conversation and talked about the other person. However, sometimes you will not have anything to talk about. In order to keep the conversation alive, you should think about topics such as the weather. One: Hi Mary. Two: Oh, hi. One: How are you doing? Two: Im doing alright. How about you? One: Not too bad. The weather is great isnt it? Two: Yes. Its absolutely beautiful today. One: I wish it was like this more frequently. Two: Me too. One: So where are you going now? Two: Im going to meet a friend of mine at the department store. One: Going to do a little shopping? Two: Yeah, I have to buy some presents for my parents. One: Whats the occasion? Two: Its their anniversary. One: Thats great. Well, you better get going. You dont want to be late. Two: Ill see you next time. One: Sure. Bye. This example is when you run into someone. This is an easy type of small talk because when you run out of things to say, you can always say bye. There are times when you dont have that option. Lets practice a situation where you cannot leave, such as an interview. I go into depth about interview communication in a different section. For now, I am going to emphasize the small talk portion of an interview. There are times when you will not have an opportunity for small talk, but in other cases, you might have to talk about general things. Them: Hi. My name is Josh. Its a pleasure to meet you. You: Hi Josh. Im glad to be here. Them: Did you have any problems finding this place. You: I didnt have any problems. I found directions on the internet so it was pretty easy to find. However, the traffic was not that great. Them: Traffic is never good around here. You: I agree. It would be great if there was a train or a subway line that went through here. Them: That would be so great. I would definitely take the train if they had it. You: Trains are great because you can read a book or get a little rest instead of having to fight the traffic. Them: Very true. Well, let me begin by telling you about our company... This is a good example of small talk. It shows that you are easy to speak with, and most importantly, you found a small connection even though it was about a small topic such as the traffic problem. In this type of situation, dont feel that you have to constantly talk. If it is not relevant to the topic, it might be better not to say anything. But if you can add on to the topic, its a good thing. The person who is giving the interview has the control, and that person will direct the small talk to the interview when the time is right. In my example above, I made a small transition from the traffic and started the interview process. If you are interested about interview, please go to the Interview Section. You may now move on to the practice session. Small Talk - Interactive Practice 1 A: Hey Paul. What are you doing here? B: Hows it going? Im meeting up with a friend here. A: How have you been man? B: Not too bad. Im still in school and having a little fun. A: How are you enjoying Mr. Lees history class? B: Its so boring. A: Tell me about it. If it wasnt a requirement, I wouldnt have taken it. B: How about you? What have you been up to? A: I finished school last spring. Im searching for a job now, but Im slacking off. B: I heard the job market is not that hot right now. A: I could always take a low end job, but Im not that desperate yet. B: Well, good luck to you. A: Thanks. It was good seeing you again. B: Yeah. Ill catch you later. A: Have a good night. 2 A: Youre John right? B: Yes. Oh, youre in my English class right? A: Yeah. Im Martha. B: Well its good to finally meet you. A: How are you enjoying the class? B: Im not sure. Some days it seems ok, but other days I am totally bored in class. A: I know what you mean. Do you know what is wrong with the weather these days? I havent seen the sun in 2 weeks. B: The weather has been pretty terrible recently. A: Im really hoping the weather gets better. B: Do you have something coming up? A: To tell you the truth, its just depressing seeing so much rain. B: I dont blame you. It has been pretty gloomy for some time now. A: This is my stop. Ill see you later. B: Ill see you in class. Bye. Movies - Asking Friend In this section we will work on the planning aspect of watching a movie. In other Movie sections, we will cover discussing a movie, types of movies, etc. Since this is the first Movie section, let me take a quick minute to explain how to find out movie times and how to pay for tickets in America. Its very similar and simple. First, you need to find out what time a show is playing. In most cases, this is done by checking the internet. Usually, you type in the zip code and all the theatres in that area will display all the movies and movie times for that week. After you have chosen the movie to see, you need to buy the ticket. There are some places you can buy on-line, but it isnt that popular yet. You can go to the theatre before the movie starts and buy it at the theatre. The only thing you need to know how to say is the movie name and the movie time. Here is a quick example. Lets say you are watching the Titanic at 3:00. You walk up to the counter and say, Titanic. Three oclock. Wasnt that easy? Finally, big block buster movies usually sell out of tickets very quickly. So if you want to see it on opening day, it is wise to go to the theatre right when it opens and buy the tickets in advance. Before you watch a movie, you need to plan ahead with friends. Either you are asking a friend to watch a movie, or you are answering. In either case, we will cover it here. The following questions and statements are used when asking a friend to watch a movie. Hey John, do you want to (wanna) go see a movie tonight? Im going to watch Terminator 2. Do you wanna join? Lets go see The Matrix tomorrow. What time should we meet at the theatre? Lets watch a movie after dinner. The Titanic is coming out this Friday. Lets go see it. If there are not enough details, a response can be in a question form. Here are a couple of examples. Who is all going? Who are you watching it with? Where are you watching it? What time are you watching the movie? Normal answers: That sounds great. I always wanted to see that. Lets go. Lets meet at the theatre at four oclock. Sure. Do you wanna eat lunch together before the movie? Ive already seen that movie. What else is playing? I cant. I have to work that night. That movie sounds scary. I dont like horror movies. I really dont like the actors. Im going to pass. Movies - Example Conversation Lets look at a couple of example conversations before going to the practice section. Person A: Hey John, Im going to see The Matrix with Peter and Brad. Do you wanna come? Person B: When are you guys going? Person A: Were going to see the eight Oclock showing. Person B: That would be great. Where are you guys meeting? Person A: Were meeting at the theatre at seven thirty. Person B: Great. Ill meet you guys there. Person A: Hey Jill. Person B: Whats up Mike? Person A: I was wondering if you have any plans for tomorrow night. Person B: Umm... I dont think I have anything special for tomorrow. Why? Person A: Do you want to see The Titanic with me? Person B: I wanted to see that. Yeah. Lets go. Person A: What time is good for you? Person B: How about seven thirty. Person A: Sure. Ill meet you at the theatre at seven. Movies Types - Action and Drama In the next three movie sections, we are going to learn about different movie types. Afterwards, we will cover having discussions about movies that you recently saw. But for now, lets work on movie types. There are many different types of movies. You probably know them all in your language, but lets learn what they are in English. Also, we will learn how to say a couple of sentences related to a movie type. If you disagree with a sentence, feel free to change some words around so they fit what you want to say. Although there are many categories, we will learn the most basic 10 types of movies. Action Drama Comedy Romantic comedy Horror Science fiction Suspense (Thriller) Western Commentary / Non-Fiction Action: Movies with lots of fighting, shooting, exploding, etc. What kind of movie do you like? I like action movies because they are fast paced. Action movies are my favorite. I like all the action movies with a lot of guns. I like fight scenes that are choreographed. Drama: Everyone knows drama. Like Titanic and Schindlers List What type of movies do you like? I like all sorts of drama. I like movies that play with my emotion. Drama movies are great because they are the most realistic. The sad drama movies that make me cry. Movie Types - Comedy and Horror Comedy: Funny movies with many jokes or actors acting in a funny way. I love all types of comedy because I love to laugh. Comedy is my favorite because it is very entertaining to me. I like comedy that makes fun of political things. Comedy is so hilarious that I always enjoy watching them. Romantic Comedy: Funny movies with a strong romantic theme. Opposite to action because usually guys like action and the ladies like Romantic comedies. Many people view romantic comedy movies as chick-flicks. Chick = girl Flick = movie Chick-Flick = a girly type of movie; a movie a girl will like; take your girlfriend to type of movie... or something like that. Romantic comedy is funny movies that involve a lot of romance. I love all the story lines of romantic comedy movies. Horror: Scary movies that will give you nightmares for 3 months. When I was a little kid, I couldnt sleep because of horror movies. Horror movies are not scary anymore. I have yet to see a movie that really scares me. I hate horror movies because I cannot sleep. I always have nightmares after watching horror movies so I try to avoid them. Movie Types - Other Types Science Fiction: Futuristic movies like star wars, star trek, theme of time travel, superhuman powers, etc. Many science fiction movies are about the future. The success of a science fiction movie is usually dependent on how much they spend on special effects. After watching a science fiction movie such as star wars, I always wish I lived in the future. Gene Rodenberry and George Lucas are two great people in the Science Fiction world. Suspense (Thriller): A movie that intentionally keeps you in a heightened state. I am always on the edge of my seat when I watch suspenseful movies. I cant stand to watch suspenseful movies because my stomach always gets upset. The suspense just kills me. Its so exciting to watch a suspense movie. Western: Old time cowboy movies Western movies are not so popular anymore. Client Eastwood was a popular western actor. Western movies show a little bit about the United States during the early years. After watching The Last Samurai, I always hoped an Asian country will make a movie called The Last Cowboy. Commentary / Non-Fiction: Educational and true. Commentaries and non-fiction films are usually educational. Non-profit organizations usually create commentaries supported by the government. Popular non-fiction films are about chimpanzees and gorillas Sometimes non-fiction films are sad because of the hidden truth that is revealed. Movie Types - Interactive Practice 1 A: What type of movies do you like? B: I like comedies. How about you? A: I like action. B: Action is fun too. 2 A: What type of movies do you like? B: I like all sorts of movies, primarily drama and science fiction. A: Thats an interesting combination. How about western movies? B: Western and horror are the two types of movies I dont care for. A: Why dont you like horror? Theyre entertaining. B: Some are entertaining, but I find most of them stupid and childish. For example, I dont understand why a person always goes into the house alone when something is suspicious. A: Ha ha. I know what you mean. But its just a movie. They need for the characters to do that. 3 A: Hey, you wanna see a movie tomorrow? B: Sounds like a good plan. What do you want to see? A: How about Legally Blonde. B: Ah, my girlfriend wanted to see that movie. I have to take her later so I dont want to watch it ahead of time. How about The Cube? A: Isnt that a scary movie? B: How scary can it be? Come on, itll be fun. A: Ok. Ill give it a try. B: Thats the spirit. Ill see you tomorrow after class. A: Ok. See you tomorrow. Movie Discussion - General Statements In this movie section, we are going to have discussions about movies that we already saw. This is useful because whenever we come out of a movie theatre, we always ask our friends what we thought about the movie. Sometimes, its a simple answer such as, It was alright. But sometimes, a good discussion can arise from a great movie. Lets get started... Every time I finish watching a movie, I either ask someone, or someone asks me, What did you think about the movie? For the most part, the answer is a simple one line sentence: It was alright. It could have been better. It was pretty good. I liked it. It was entertaining. It was so stupid I almost fell asleep. Lame Boring Too unrealistic I can go on for a long time describing movies. I have listed a few so you get an idea how to answer simple movie questions. Besides simple one line answers, there are a few reasons we need to say other things. It is because either we didnt understand something, want to describe a scene we liked, want to describe a scene that was stupid, or simply go on and on about how great the movie was. Movie Discussion - Describing a Movie Didnt understand: Do you remember the scene when Mary walked into the dining room? Why was she carrying a knife? She didnt use it and the cameras focused on it. I cant understand why she betrayed him. The whole movie concentrated on her trust and loyalty. It just doesnt make sense. Good Scene: I love the scene when Russell Crowe showed his face to the emperor after the first gladiator fight. What did you think about the last fight scene between Neo and Agent Smith in the rain? The courtroom scene between Jodie Foster and Richard Gere was absolutely amazing. Great Movie: That was such a cool movie. It was the best movie Ive seen in a long time. Anytime I see a great movie I tend to look at my watch often. Thats because I dont want the movie to end. The movie was great. I liked everything about it. Im definitely going to buy the DVD. Situational questions: What would you have done? Would you have taken the million dollars and give up your wife for a night? Would you choose money and fame, or family and stability? Some movies are known to be based on a true story. These types of movies are very interesting because they actually happened. The only reason they are not considered to be a non-fiction movie is because the director or writer will add some scenes that didnt happen, or change some facts around so the movie is more appealing to the masses. A conversation can start from movies such as Schindlers List. When coming out of a theatre, I heard a couple talk briefly about this. What did you think about the movie? I thought it was great. It was very powerful. How much of it do you think was true? I learned about Germany and World War II in one of my classes, and this movie showed everything I learned from class. Wow. Its amazing that these things have happened in our history. Movie Discussion - Example Dialog As of this writing, the latest movie I saw was The Last Samurai. After the movie, I had a meal with a couple of people. We had a good discussion due to this movie. It is difficult to specifically teach what you will need to know about movie conversations because every movie will require different words and sentences. The only thing I can do here is to give ideas and couple of examples about movie conversations. So this is not really going to be a practice section, but a chance to hear a real conversation from a movie. You can click on each individual sentence, or you can click on the link provided below to hear a real life conversation. Listen to the conversation A: Did you like the movie? B: It was better than I thought. C: I liked it. A: The movie didnt have many cheesy or stupid scenes. B: Yeah. Im glad that they didnt have any love scenes. Sometimes a love scene destroys a good movie. C: I thought the scene where the girl was washing her hair and Tom Cruise came to say good bye was stupid. Why did they have that there? It didnt make sense. B: I agree. They didnt need that scene. A: I dont see the harm in that scene. They didnt do anything or show anything. Whats the big deal? C: When you are talking about good movies versus great movies, each and every scene counts. A: Thats true. B: But besides those one or two scenes, the movie was great. A: I liked everything about it. I really liked the samurai that was beating up Cruise in the beginning of the movie. The guy second in command. He was cool too. B: Every movie has a guy like him. They try to make him awesome even though they dont say much. C: I dont understand why Tom Cruise went back to that village. If he was the only survivor, wouldnt that make everyone suspicious about where his loyalty lies? A: It was clear in the movie that he loved the place and the samurais. Clearly everyone knows that he isnt a traitor. I would have done the same thing in his position. B: I think so too. C: But isnt it suspicious that he is the only survivor. A: Well, all the samurais were looking for a death in battle. Cruise wasnt. C: But only the boss received the satisfaction of being killed with the sword. Nobody else did. A: True. B: What are we going to order? C: I am going to have a chicken burger because of the Mad Cow disease. A: Me too. B: Im just having a soup and salad. Favorite - Whats your Favorite The word favorite is used a lot in spoken English. It is very common to talk about your favorite things with your friends or acquaintances. Topics can range from favorite movies, favorite TV shows, favorite food, favorite cars, etc. Since there are so many favorite things in the world, you should pay close attention to this lesson. Asking questions is the most common way to use the word favorite: Who is your favorite singer? Who is your favorite person? Who is your favorite athlete? Who was your favorite ex-girlfriend? Who was your favorite elementary teacher? Are you following me? Its very easy. Just change the word at the end and you can make dozens of sentences. What is your favorite show? What is your favorite movie? What is your favorite dessert? What is your favorite program? What is your favorite class? What is your favorite game? What was the title of your favorite song? What was the name of your favorite sit-com? We used who and what in our sentences. Its possible to use where, how, and when, but the most common is what and who. Ill provide a couple of sentences for the other words. Where is your favorite vacation spot? When is your favorite time of day? How is your favorite noodles cooked? Its not common, because even though it is grammatically incorrect, you can ask the same question with what What is your favorite vacation spot? What is your favorite time of day? Nobody is really going to notice and its not a big deal. After this lesson is over, I suggest practicing with what and who, but dont bother with the others. Its not as important. Favorite - Answering Questions To answer these types of questions, it is very easy. All you have to do is change your to my, repeat the last portion of the question and add your answer. Well practice a couple of times. What is your favorite show? My favorite show is Smurfs. What is your favorite movie? My favorite movie is Matrix. What is your favorite dessert? My favorite dessert is cheesecake. Who is your favorite singer? My favorite singer is Josh Groban. Who is your favorite athlete? My favorite athlete is Tiger Woods. Who was your favorite elementary teacher? My favorite elementary teacher was Mrs. Smouse. Different ways to ask about favorite things You dont necessarily have to use the word favorite. Favorite basically means what you like the most. So, you can ask favorite questions without the word favorite. What do you like to eat the most? My favorite food is ice cream. What is a childhood memory that stands out? My favorite childhood memory is a time I went fishing with my dad. Which professor do you like the most? My favorite professor is Professor Kim. Likewise, you can answer questions without using the word favorite. What is your favorite baseball team? I like Seattle Mariners the most. What is your favorite type of food? I love Italian food... especially pasta. They are so good. Who is your favorite music group? I really enjoy listening to Depeche Mode. Favorite - Interactive Practice. 1 A: What are you doing tomorrow? B: Im going to stay home and watch the video. A: What are you going to watch? B: I rented Last of the Mohican. Have you seen it? A: That was one of my favorite movies. You will not be disappointed. 2 A: Whats your favorite food? B: I like Chinese food the most. A: Have you been to the Chinese restaurant on 44th street. B: No I havent. Is it any good? A: Its my favorite Chinese restaurant. I believe you will like it. B: That sounds great. Lets go. 3 A: Hey Jack. How were your classes this semester? B: They were not too bad. I really dig/liked my poli-science class. A: Would you consider it your favorite class? B: I dont know if I would call it my favorite, but it ranks up there. A: What class was your favorite then? B: I took a business communication class last year and it was terrific. A: I never took that yet. If that was your favorite, I think I will check it out. Hobby - Questions and Answers Hobbies are a hot topic anytime. Similar to favorite things, hobbies are favorite things that you do. This is a small section so lets get started. Questions you can ask: What are your hobbies? What do you do in your spare time? What do you like to do? What do you like to do for fun? If you had extra time, what would you do with it? There is not much else you can say. Remember that we can create many different sentences, but we want to use what is most common in spoken English. So we need to stay with the most common words. Answering questions: My hobbies consist of golfing, reading novels, and watching movies. I like to play computer games in my free time. If Im not working, then Im busy chatting with people on the Internet. During my spare time, I like to cook. I like to read magazines. In the summer I play golf, and in the winter, I go skiing. I love every type of sports. Making statements: I need to find a hobby. I have nothing to do all day. Maybe you wouldnt be so lonely if you had a hobby. Hobbies are great because it allows you to do what you enjoy. Although I have many hobbies, I wish I had more time to do more. I love to go snowboarding. Its exhilarating. I would go skiing more often, but it takes such a long time to go up to the mountains. I wish golfing wasnt so expensive. I would golf almost everyday if I could afford it. Hobby - Various Q&A If you had all the money in the world, what would you do? I would probably find some hobbies and join an organization that works for a good cause. You just stay home most of the week. Dont you ever get bored? A lot of my hobbies are things I do by myself such as oil painting, sculpting, and drawing. So actually, I have a lot to do with not enough time. Im so bored. I have nothing to do. Maybe you should start thinking about some hobbies. Is studying considered a hobby? Studying is usually associated with school and work, so its not usually considered a hobby. But if its not for these purposes, then I guess it can be a hobby. Thats just my opinion though. What do you do in your spare time? I do a lot of writing, so I write every chance I get. Like many topics in English, a conversation will go towards the content of the conversation. So lets review with longer dialogs in practice. Hobby - Interactive Practice 1 A: Hey Bob. What are you doing? B: Im at home painting. A: I didnt know you paint. What type of painting is it? B: I enjoy oil painting. I learned it in one of my extra classes in college. A: That sounds so interesting. I wish I learned a hobby. B: Hobbies are never too late to learn. They offer a variety of classes at the local community college. You should look into it. A: I think I will. Thanks for the info. 2 A: Hey Joanne. What are you up to? B: Im just watching some television. A: Im so bored. I dont know what Im going to do today and it is only ten in the morning. B: Me too. Do you think we are boring people? A: I dont think we are boring. Its just that we dont have any hobbies. B: Thats right. What do you think we should do as a hobby? A: That all depends on what you like to do. For example, I like to doodle on the notepad, so Im thinking about doing some real drawings. B: I like to play the piano for fun. A: Yeah. That can be a good hobby. B: Hobbies are great. Im going to make a list of all the things I like to do. A: Thats a great idea. Im going to do the same. Exercise - Questions There are various types of exercise. Some people might think walking is exercise, and some other people will think weight lifting is exercise. In the next couple of lessons, we will take a closer look at various types of exercise. Exercising can be done in many different ways. Here is a small list to get us started: Walking Jogging Running Sports Aerobics Rowing (boat) Commuting to work Etc. Here are some questions. Do you exercise at all? Do you work out? What type of exercising do you do? Where is a good place to exercise? Why dont you exercise? Where do you usually jog? How long do you take a walk for? How often do you jog? Where do you do aerobics? How long do you usually run for everyday? Exercise - Walking Jogging and More Walking: Every morning right when I get up, I like to take a thirty minute walk. I like to take walks with my dog. Golf is a healthy sport because of all the walking it requires. I heard from some doctors that walking is the healthiest form of exercise. Theres a trail by my house that is a perfect 20 minute walk. We usually go to a nearby lake and walk around it. Jogging: Every night, I go to an elementary school across from my house and jog a few laps around the playground. I go jogging in the morning when the air is still fresh. Some people find jogging stressful, but I find it as a way to relieve some of my stress. It feels so good after jogging for half an hour. I usually jog on a treadmill because its convenient. Sports: We will have another more comprehensive lesson on sports in a different lesson. I usually play a lot of basketball I get enough exercise from soccer. I like to play sports because it is a good form of exercise and allows me to have fun all at the same time. Although bowling is a sport, I dont consider it a form of exercise. I play volleyball a couple hours a day. I practice baseball with my school team everyday. Im in my high schools track and field team. Im a long distance runner. I dont play soccer because it requires too much running. Running constantly is a hard thing to do. Others: Aerobics is an excellent form of exercise. I use a video at home to do my aerobic sessions. I like to do aerobics because it targets specific areas. I get my exercise from rowing. Im on the junior varsity crew team. I ride my bicycle to work every day. I take the stairs because it gives me a little bit of a work out. I go to the local park and ride my rollerblades. Exercise - US Culture Having lived in the United States and Korea, I realized one big thing immediately. In Korea, I have to do a lot of walking. When I went to school or to work, I had to leave my house, walk to the bus stop or the subway which takes about 10-15 minutes, get off at my destination, and walk the rest of the way, which is another 15 minutes. Total time walking is about 25 minutes. This translates to 50 minutes a day round trip, and about 3-4 kilometers everyday. I didnt even know it, but I was exercising. In America, everyone has a car. While going to work here, I literally walk about 7 minutes a day. Thats a total distance of 300 meters. The reason is because I only have to walk to my car. I drive to work, and then I walk from the parking lot to my office. So, I realized I was gaining weight without having changed anything except the walking I wasnt doing. I suppose that is why in America there is a big hype about exercising and losing weight. If you dont want to, you dont have to walk anywhere or exercise at all. In Korea, walking is part of the daily routine. So although you dont need to know this lesson as much as other lessons, it will still help when talking to foreigners about this subject. Lets continue with the lesson by doing the practice. In the next exercise lesson, we will learn about speaking English in relation to working out in the gym Exercise - Interactive Practice 1 A: Hey Michael. Where are you going? B: Nowhere special. I was just taking a walk. A: What for? B: To get a little exercise. Im so out of shape. A: Hey, I play basketball with a bunch of friends twice a week. Its great exercise and its fun too. Why dont you come out and play with us? B: That sounds great. Give me a call next time you guys play. 2 A: All I do all day is work and watch TV. I really should start thinking about my health. B: I never thought about that, but youre right. What do you think we should do? A: For starters, we should start doing more outdoor activities. That way well get some exercise. B: I was thinking about taking tennis lessons. I always have an hour to spare in the afternoon. What do you think about that? A: Thats not a bad idea. How much is it? B: I heard it is only about one hundred twenty dollars a month for 8 lessons. A: Playing tennis twice a week will be a good start. Count me in. Exercise Gym - Lifting Weights Popular types of exercising are conducted in the gym or health club. When I refer to a gym, I am implying a health club. Two common types of exercising in the gym are working out / lifting weights, or using machines such as treadmills, bicycle machines, step machines, etc. Its common for guys to get together and talk about lifting weights. Likewise, girls get together and discuss the best methods to lose weight. In this lesson, we are going to lay the ground work on talking about exercising in the gym. Lifting weights Professional weight lifters are called body builders. But since the number of body builders are not significant, we are going to concentrate more on regular weight lifting. I dont lift weights, but when I see a friend who is noticeably bigger due to lifting weights, these are the types of things I say. Have you been lifting? You do not need to say lifting weights. When you say lifting, its understood that you are talking about weights. You got big man. How long have you been lifting? Other terminologies for lifting weights are: Pumping Iron Pressing Iron Pressing Weights Working Out Weight Training Hitting the Gym Exercise Gym - Questions and Answers Here are some questions you can ask. Where do you work out? What club do you work out at? When do you usually work out? How often do you work out? How many hours do you work out in a day? To ask how they work out or what their routine is, you can ask: When you bench, how many reps and sets do you do? Reps are repetition. In weight lifting terminology, this means how many times they lift in one set. Do you do low reps with heavy weights, or many reps with light weight. How many sets do you do when you work out your arms? If you are the person being asked these questions, here are ways you can answer: I work out at 24 Hour Fitness I work out at Ballys I work out at Samsung Health Club I started lifting weights about 2 years ago. I have been lifting weights for about 2 years now. I just started 9 months ago. I usually work out 2 hours a day 4 times a week. I work out every day for an hour. I go to the gym 3 times a week. I go in every other day. I can bench press 220 pounds. I squat 400 pounds. I curl 90 pounds. Im trying to gain bulk so Im doing low reps with heavy weights. Im trying to get ripped, so Im doing a lot of repetitions. Ripped means to get lines to show up in the muscles. Its called ripped because when you rip a piece of paper, you see a line in the paper where the tear is. So a person is ripped when you can see lines on his body due to muscles. Exercise Gym - Other Methods Other ways to work out in a health club Many people lift weights in the health club, but many people also go to lose weight using machines such as the treadmill and bicycle machines. Here are some things you can say in a conversation if you fall into this category. When I go to the health club, I usually spend 30 minutes on the treadmill, 20 minutes on the bicycle, and finally 10 minutes on the step master. There is no place to run in the city, so I have to do my running on the treadmill. It always rains around here so I like to exercise in the gym. I usually use the treadmill, but I try to work on the nautilus machines at least twice a week. My wife exercises four times a week. My husband cant last 10 minutes on the step machine. Exercise Gym - Interactive Practice 1 A: What do you do besides work and watching TV? B: When I have some time, I like to exercise. A: Do you go jogging or do you go to a health club? B: I joined Samsung Health Club a couple of months ago. A: How do you exercise? B: I usually spend 30 minutes on the bicycle for the cardio, and then I lift weight for about 45 minutes. A: How often do you go? B: I want to go four times a week, but Im too lazy. Last week, I only went to work out once. 2 A: Hey Jimmy. Lets go workout later today. B: Sure. What time do you want to go? A: How about at 3:30. B: That sounds good. Today we work on Legs and forearm. A: Hey. I just played basketball earlier, so my legs are a little sore. Lets work out on arms and stomach today. B: Im on a weekly schedule. Youre messing everything up. A: Cmon. Were only switching two days. You can do legs on Friday. B: Aright. Ill meet you at the gym at 3:30 then. 3 A: Damn Scott. You got big. B: Yeah, Ive been working out a lot. A: How long have you been lifting weights? B: For a year and a half. A: Yeah. Last time I saw you, it was like 2 years ago. B: Has it been that long? A: How often do you go to the gym? B: I usually go every other day for about 3 hours. A: Thats a lot. B: Yeah, I used to work out for an hour a day 4 times a week, and I saw no results. This is what you have to do to get noticeable results. A: I dont think I have the discipline for that. B: Just think of it as a hobby. Then its actually fun. Intro and General Things Review This review section is going to incorporate every lesson we had so far. We are not learning anything new here, but the sentences and topics will be selected randomly from previous lessons. If you feel you have done poorly after the first grouping of questions, please stop and go through the lessons you failed to answer. The only way you will completely master English is through persistence, hard work, and repetition. You are judging yourself, so be honest. The rule of thumb is that if you cannot answer a question relatively quickly, you need more practice. General Things Review - Interactive Practice 1 A: How are you doing? B: Im doing great. A: What movies have you seen lately? B: I saw Forrest Gump the other day. A: What type of movie is that? B: The movie type is drama. A: I cant believe you are watching movies. The weather is great. You should be outside. B: I hate the hot weather. Id rather stay indoors with the air conditioner. A: What else do you like to do besides watching movies? B: I like to play computer games, read books, go shopping, and play pool. A: Out of those what is your favorite? B: My favorite is to play computer games. A: What is your favorite computer game? B: My favorite is Diablo. It used to be Star Craft, but it is getting a little old. A: If you like to play so much, when do you ever exercise? B: Although I hate to exercise, I go jogging at least twice a week. A: Thats pretty good. By the way, what are you doing next Saturday? B: I am going to go to the bookstore. A: I am having a party Saturday night at my house. If you have time, you should come. B: That sounds like fun. A: Great. Ill see you on Saturday. B: Ok. See you later. 2 A: Hello? B: Hi Steve. This is Mike. What are you doing? A: Oh, hi. I was just watching TV. B: Theres nothing to watch right now. A: I know. I was watching a re-run. I have nothing to do and I was bored. B: Me too. Lets get together and do something. A: Id like to, but I have to meet my parents in an hour for dinner. How about tomorrow? B: Yeah. Lets plan something tomorrow. A: Did you hear the weather forecast for tomorrow? B: I think it is going to be the same as today. Clear and sunny. A: Thats great. We can do something outdoors then. B: Are there any special events going on tomorrow? A: Yeah. I think theres a live outdoor concert by the river tomorrow. B: Oh yeah. I heard about that too. Lets go check it out. A: Do you know what time it starts? B: It starts at one PM. A: Lets meet for lunch at eleven thirty and afterwards, we can head over there. B: Perfect. Ill see you in front of the apartment at eleven thirty. 3 A: Steve. Is that you? B: Yeah. Whats going on? A: Not much. What a surprise to see you here. B: Yeah. Its been a couple of months since I saw you. A: What have you been up to? B: I just started working out. A: Really? Where do you work out at? B: I joined the Samsung Health Club last month. A: What do you mostly do during your workout? B: I concentrate mostly on my legs, chest, arms and stomach. A: I should start exercising more. B: Its hard work while exercising, but it is a great feeling when I get done. A: I have a running machine at home. I used to use it, but I already got sick of it. B: Exercising at home is hard. The environment is not suited for exercising. A: If I want to exercise, I will need to join a gym. B: I have a couple of guest passes. You want to check out my health club. A: Thats a good idea. Lets go over the weekend. B: Great. Ill call you Saturday morning. A: Aright. Ill talk to you later. B: Ok. Bye. 4 A: The weather is terrible. B: Yeah. Its been raining a lot these days. A: I have been watching a lot of videos at home because of the constant rain. B: Have you heard when its supposed to get better? A: I saw the weather report, and its going to rain for the next eight days. B: That sucks so much. What are we going to do? A: Im getting pretty bored. We should do something despite the rain. B: Im with you. What do you have in mind? A: I havent been to the Mall in a long time. Lets go there. B: That sounds good. They have a movie theatre there, so if we get bored, we can watch a movie. A: Great. Ill stop by your place now. B: Ok. Dont forget to bring your umbrella. The rain can start up again anytime.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 08:51:18 +0000
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