Go to the main conversation page
Chapter 6 – Winter Break Plans
Situation: Mike is discussing plans for Winter break with his friend Brendan while they are driving home from their basketball game.
Brendan: Hey Mike, throw your stuff in the back and ride up front with me.
Mike: OK, Brendan. Thank you for giving me a ride home. I did not want to call my parents because they were at Mimi’s Café for my aunt’s birthday.
Brendan: Mimi’s Café? That place has the best burgers in town! The atmosphere is also nice. Good food and a good setting, what more could you ask for? We should eat there after our next basketball game.
Mike: Yes, that sounds like a good plan. When is our next game by the way?
Brendan: I think it is after Winter break, which is a long way off. Do you have any plans set up for the upcoming vacation?
Mike: Well, besides going to basketball practices with you, I will most likely be working.
Brendan: Oh, working? Did you get a new job or are you still working at Starbucks?
Mike: Well, Starbucks was a good first job for me and I loved the people I worked with. However, my work schedule was neither convenient nor easy. My manager would schedule me only during the times when it was most busy, which is in the morning when there is a constant coffee rush. It was definitely very difficult and a conflict to my class schedule.
Brendan: Well, what are you doing now at your new job?
Mike: Well, I am an Administrative Assistant for a company called Multi-Max. I have done a little training, but I do not know what the full job entails. From what I have seen, it is mostly inputting data into the computer and following up on customers’ orders.
Brendan: Oh, that sounds pretty easy. When did you start this new job?
Mike: I have been with Multi-Max since November 1st. Well what about you? Do you have any plans for break?
Brendan: Not really. I think I am just going to hang out at home and read some books. I am planning a snowboarding trip though. You should come if you are not too busy working at your new job.
Mike: Oh, that sounds like fun! Who is going and where are you guys going to go snowboarding?
Brendan: As of right now, my roommates, Jay and Kristian, are planning to go. And, there are Josh, Alexis, and Ann. We are planning to go to Big Bear. I hear that there are pretty good conditions for skiing and snowboarding this season up there.
Mike: Yes, that is what I heard as well. The whole trip sounds like fun. Where are you guys staying at? Did you rent out a cabin?
Brendan: No, we did not. My cousin actually owns a cabin up there, and he said it is OK for us to stay at his place for the weekend when I spoke with him last Friday. The cabin is not far away from the ski slopes and the eateries, so it should be a convenient place.
Mike: Would it be OK with your cousin if I come along as well? I am not sure whether I can go; however, since I am talking to you, I might as well ask now just in case my schedule permits.
Brendan: I am sure that will be fine. He did not tell me there is a limit on the number of people I could bring, so you are more than welcome to join us.
Mike: Awesome! I am so excited! Well, I will check my schedule, and I will give you an update tomorrow. Hey, that is my house on the corner. Thanks again for the ride, Brendan!
Brendan: You are welcome Mike. Have a good night and I will talk to you later about the trip.
Questions/Answers Practice
Pair the students and have them practice the following questions and answers. Ask them to come up with similar questions and answers.
Q: Can you give me a ride home?
A: Sure, get in.
Q: Can you give me a ride to work?
A: Certainly, I can.
Q: What are you going to do during Winter break?
A: I will head home to spend time with my parents.
| Q: Where is home? | A: Long Beach, California. |
| Q: Are you going fishing in Long Beach? | A: I probably will once in a while. |
| Q: What else can you do in Long Beach? | A: I can go to the Aquarium of the Pacific. |
| Q: Aquarium of the Pacific? | A: Yes, Aquarium of the Pacific where you can see more than 12,500 ocean creatures in 50 exhibits. |
| Q: Wow, it must be quite an attraction in Long Beach. | A: Yes, it sure is. |
| Q: Can I stay with your parents when I am in Long Beach, California. | A: I can not answer your question without talking to my parents. |
| Q: Will they say no? | A: Probably not since you are my friend. |
3) Comprehension test
- Why did Mike ask Brendan for a ride?
- What kind of foods does Mimi’s Café offer?
- What will Mike and Brendan do after the next basketball game?
- What will Mike do during Winter break?
- Where is Mike currently working?
- What is Mike’s position at the new company?
- Why did Mike change job?
- What will Brendan do during Winter break?
- Who will go to Big Bear?
- Where will Brendan and his friends stay in Big Bear?
k)Why is it convenient to stay at the cabin?
l) Why is it OK for Mike to stay at the cabin?
4) Discussion
- Do schools have Winter break in your country? Describe your school year.
- What will you do during school break?
- Where do you want to go for vacation?
GRAMMAR REVIEW VERBS
Verbs are words that describe the action or state of being in a sentence.
My parents were at Mimi’s Café.
My work schedule was neither convenient nor easy.
I will talk to you later about the trip.
Characteristic of verbs
- Verbs have three basic forms from which the different tenses are formed.
- Base form: this is the original form of the verb. For example: want, look, play.
- Present participle form: this form is created by adding –ing to the base form. For example: wanting, looking, playing. Present participles can be used with different helping verbs to express certain tenses. Exceptions:
- For verbs that end with –e, drop –e and add –ing. For example: hope, hoping; love, loving.
- For one-syllable verbs containing one vowel and ending with a consonant, add another consonant before adding –ing. For example: stop, stopping; drop, dropping.
- For verbs that end with –ie, change –ie to –y and add –ing. For example: die, dying; lie, lying.
- Past participle form: this form is generally created by adding –ed to the base form. For example: wanted, looked, played. Past participles are used with different helping verbs to express certain tenses. Exceptions:
- For verbs that end with –e, only add –d. For example: hope, hoped; love, loved.
- For one-syllable verbs containing one vowel and ending with a consonant, add another consonant before adding –ed. For example: stop, stopped; drop, dropped.
- Some verbs are called auxiliary verbs or helping verbs. These verbs usually accompany action verbs to show the tense or time of action. They include: be, have, do, may, might, can, could, shall, will.
I have done a little training.
I am planning a snowboarding trip.
- Verbs can be classified as transitive or intransitive. A transitive verb needs an object to complete its meaning while an intransitive verb does not.
Transitive Intransitive
I open the windows. The rooster crows.
John asked his friend to close the door. Lisa walks to school every day.
Questions/Answers Practice
Pair the students and have them practice the following questions and answers. Ask them to come up with similar questions and answers.
Q: What is a verb?
A: It is a word that describes the action or state of being in a sentence.
| Q: What did you do yesterday? | A: I jogged in the park yesterday. |
| Q: How is Karen doing lately? | A: She is sick lately. |
| Q: Did you clean your room? | A: I have cleaned my room. |
| Q: Did Karen look beautiful in her new dress? | A: She looked very lovely in that new dress. |
| Q: How can you form the present participle of verbs? | A: Generally, by adding –ing to the base form. |
| Q: Like talking from talk? | A: Yes. |
| Q: What is she doing over there? | A: She is teaching our kids how to paint. |
Q: What was John doing when it rained yesterday?
A: He was sleeping when it rained yesterday.
Q: How can you form the past participle of verbs?
A: Generally, by adding –ed to the base form.
Q: Like talked from talk?
A: Or yelled from yell.
Q: Who yelled at you yesterday?
A: Tim yelled at me yesterday when he was mad.
Q: Who cooked dinner last night?
A: My sister cooked dinner last night.