MAC 2 | Lesson 1 | Listening

Look at the photo.

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What do you know about this place?

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-its character

-its landmarks

-its people

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Get a pen and paper! What are two things that you know about Paris? Write two sentences describing the city.

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Read the sample answer and compare it to yours. How are they similar or different?​

Paris is known as a very romantic city. Full of lively cafés and cosy restaurants. The architecture is elegant and grand. The locals are sometimes wary of tourists but most are affable. It's fantastic to spend a lazy afternoon walking through museums where officious guards protect the paintings.

Look at the words in italics - how are they giving more meaning to the sentences?

Multiple Choice

Listen to the audio by a travel writer.

Which descriptive words do you hear him say?

Choose from the list below:

• affable

  lively

  romantic

  grand

  lazy

• disastrous

  interesting

  freezing

  unfriendly

  dodgy

• cautious

  problematic

  careful

  tumultuous

  scary

Listening

​1. Descriptive words make your writing and speaking come to life! Especially when describing a vacation or travel experience.

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2. The descriptive words used in the audio are:

-romantic -cosy -affable

-officious -wary -lazy

-elegant -grand -lively

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3. Did you get all of them? Do you know the meaning of all the words? Get a dictionary or use Google to search the meanings.

Multiple Select

DESCRIPTIVE WORDS:

Do you use descriptive words when you speak or write?

How can using descriptive words make your writing and speaking more interesting?

CHOOSE ALL THE CORRECT OPTIONS

• Adjectives give the reader more specific information about an object's color, size, shape, material, and more.

• Adjectives help express the tone, feelings, and emotions of words by accentuating the point.

• Adjectives give flavor to the writing or listening, making it much more interesting.

• Adjectives are useful as a way to develop language complexity. Adjectives are essential for describing and differentiating.

Multiple Select

Let's try to categorize the descriptive words that you heard in the audio.

WHICH GROUP OF WORDS CAN BE USED TO DESCRIBE

PEOPLE, PLACES, AND TIME?

• 1. romantic

  2. officious

  3. elegant

  4. affable

  5. wary

  6. lively

• 1. romantic

  2. cosy

  3. elegant

  4. grand

  5. lively

• 1. romantic

  2. lazy

  3 lively

Multiple Select

Let's try to categorize the descriptive words that you heard in the audio.

WHICH GROUP OF WORDS CAN BE USED TO DESCRIBE

PLACES?

• 1. romantic

  2. officious

  3. lazy

  4. elegant

  5. affable

  6. wary

  7. lively

• 1. romantic

  2. cosy

  3. elegant

  4. grand

  5. lively

• 1. romantic

  2. lazy

  3 lively

Multiple Choice

Let's try to categorize the descriptive words that you heard in the audio.

WHICH OF GROUP OF WORDS CAN BE USED TO DESCRIBE TIME?

• 1. romantic

  2. officious

  3. lazy

  4. elegant

  5. affable

  6. wary

  7. lively

• 1. romantic

  2. cosy

  3. elegant

  4. grand

  5. lively

• 1. romantic

  2. lazy

  3 lively

Multiple Choice

LISTEN TO THE TRAVEL WRITER AGAIN.

WHAT WORDS DO THE ADJECTIVES MODIFY?

WRITE YOUR ANSWERS ON A PIECE OF PAPER AND THEN CHOOSE THE CORRECT OPTION BELOW.

E.g.: romantic evening

cosy | romantic | officious | lazy | elegant | affable | wary | grand | lively

• romantic evening

  elegant lady

  affable curator

  wary nurse

  grand cafe

  lively restaurant

  cosy kitchen

  lazy afternoon

  lively party

• romantic evening

  elegant decor

  affable traveler

  wary curator

  grand restaurant

  lively person

  cosy atmosphere

  lazy day

  lively event

• romantic evening

  elegant park

  affable traveler

  wary local

  grand architecture

  lively cafe

  cosy restaurant

  lazy, hot afternoon

• romantic lighting

  elegant interior

  affable clerk

  wary salesperson

  grand architecture

  lively restaurant

  cosy living room

  lazy worker

  lively conversation

Answers:

​-romantic evening

​-cozy restaurant

-officious museum curator

-lazy, hot afternoon

-elegant park

-wary local

-affable fellow traveler

-grand architecture

-lively cafes​

THINK!​​

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How does each of these adjectives give a deeper meaning to the word that it modifies?

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How can this help you to understand a speaker more easily and confidently?

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​Answer: Adjectives allow you to have a deeper understanding of the context and tone of a listening or reading passage. This is incredibly useful in understanding more complex contexts.

Multiple Select

Were you able to get most of the collocations right?

MARK ALL ACTIONS THAT MAY HELP A LANGUAGE LEARNER REMEMBER THEM.

• I will use a notebook to write new vocabulary.

• I will record new words on my phone as a voice memo.

• I will use Quizlet to record new vocabulary.

All of those ideas are fine but they are missing one component.

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REVIEW!!

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YOU MUST ALWAYS REVIEW NEW VOCABULARY AND TRY TO INCORPORATE IT DURING CONVERSATIONS.​

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Open Ended

PRACTICE!

Use at least 1 of the adjective collocations you've just seen to describe a place you have visited or an experience you've had.

Invent one if you'd like! Have fun with the writing.

After writing, check the next slide and compare your text to the sample answer.

Sample answer:

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Last summer I went to Rio for a few weeks. It was a lazy vacation because of the hot weather. I had tons of fun at the lively bars at night. I was wary of some people trying to take advantage of me being a tourist but overall it was a romantic experience.

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