Are there any famous stories of friendship in your culture? (Eg. David and Jonathan) Describe one of your closest friends. Do you have any childhood friendships that are still strong today? Tell us about them. Do you have any long distance friends? How do you keep in touch with your long-distance friends? How often do you see your long-distance friends? Do you think it is a good idea to borrow money from a friend? Why or why not? Do you make friends easily? Has a friend ever let you down? Have you made any friends over the Internet? How often do you write to them? Have you ever met them in person? How are your friendships different now than they were when you were a child? How do you maintain a good friendship? How do you make new friends? How many people do you consider your "best friends?" Is it common to have friendships across generations? What are the advantages and disadvantages of these types of friendships. Do you have any friends from a different generation than you? There is a saying "To have a good friend, you need to be a good friend." How can you be a good friend? What do you usually do with your friends? What factors may result in the breakdown of a good friendship? What is a best friend? What is the longest friendship that you have had? What makes friends different from family? What qualities do you think are important in a friend? What is a friend? What things should friends never do? Why do you like your best friend? What are some things you like about your best friend? Where is a good place to meet new friends? Where is a good place to meet a new boyfriend/girlfriend? Do you think it is possible to have a best friend of the opposite sex without becoming a girlfriend or boyfriend? Do you think it would be possible for you still be friends with an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend? There is a proverb that says, "A friend in need is a friend indeed." Do you agree? Do you believe that there is an end to any true friendships? Do you believe your parents should be your friends? What do you do if you receive a friend's call but you forgot his/her name? Friendship is the most important relationship. Do you agree? Why? Why not? What do you like best about your best friend(s)? What are some ways your best friend has influenced your life in a positive way? What are some ways your best friend has influenced your life in a positive way? How close do you get to your friends? Why do you need a friend? What do you do when you have a misunderstanding with your friend? Do you trust all of your friends? Why? What is the best time for making new friends? What was your best friendship? Are you still friends with him or her? What life lessons did you learn from this relationship? What qualities do you appreciate in your friends? What makes someone special or best friend? Why are friendships important for you? Do you still maintain friendships from the past? How long have you known your best friend? Where did you meet and what did you have in common? What are some good opportunities to meet new people? How can you get to better know a person? What is the relationship between love and friendship? Who is the most interesting person you have ever met? Do you think famous people are happier than ordinary people? Why? What type of people do you get along with best? What quality do you admire most in people and which one do you find the most objectionable? What behavior of others hurts you most? When you have upset someone by your actions, what do you try to do? What do you consider to be your good and bad qualities? What qualities help you to have good relationships with others? What traits or actions make an interpersonal conflict worse? Are relationships among people better or worse than a few years ago? Why? Give some examples. Do you think that dysfunctional family life contributes to worsening relationships in society? Is getting along with others a natural ability from birth or does it have to be learnt? How important is forgiveness in human relationships?
Tuesday, 30 November 1999 | 78 hits | Print | PDF | Email
What does the future hold? What will the future be like? Who invented the very first computer? What is AI? What is the definition of a 'robot'? What is robotics? Where did the word 'robot' come from? Can robots tie shoes? Will robots replace humans? Will robots take our jobs? How will the development of robots that think change your future? Imagine the job you wish to hold when you get older - could a robot be programmed to do that job as well as you? A film like The Matrix has explored the idea that we might be living in virtual reality. But what evidence is there for or against this hypothesis? And what are its implications? Do you know ISAAC ASIMOV? What did he do? Can you think of movies that have robots in them? Did you enjoy this movie? Do you think we create a new problem with each invention? Think of examples. Is there anything that does not yet exist that you would like to see invented? What is it? Where do you plan on going to college? What type of job would you like to do in the future? How do you get that type of job? Will you make much money in that job? Do you want to get married? Do you know who you are marrying? What high school are you going to go to? How can we preserve the future for the next generation? How will computers change in the future? How will cellphones change in the future? How will transportation develop in future times? How old will people live to be in the future? What kind of developments might happen in health care in the future? Could there be another world war in the future? How can we prevent a world war from happening? Where do you plan on going in the future? Can fortune-tellers predict the future? Is it possible to know the future?
Tuesday, 30 November 1999 | 125 hits | Print | PDF | Email
What kind of gardening do you like? How much time do you spend in the garden? Do you think gardening is good for your health? What are the names of some famous gardens in your city? What are some vegetables which you grow in your garden? Do you think trees need pruning every year? What are the names of some famous gardens in your country? What are names of common flowers in your country? Does your house have a garden? Is there a flower store near your house? What are some things that need to be done in the garden in the spring? What are the some names of gardening tools? Would you prefer to have a flower garden or a vegetable garden? Why?
Tuesday, 30 November 1999 | 77 hits | Print | PDF | Email
Do you see yourself as a typical man/woman? Why or why not? In your country Are the responsibilities of a mother the same as the responsibilities of a father to their families? What are the responsibilities of a father to his family? What are the responsibilities of a mother to her family? Are fathers capable of carrying out the duties of a mother and vice versa? Are there different expectations for sons and daughters? What habits are deemed as appropriate for men but inappropriate for women? What behaviors are deemed as appropriate for men but inappropriate for women? What jobs are deemed as appropriate for men but inappropriate for women? Are more doctors female or male in your country? Are more nurses female or male in your country? Are more professional musicians female or male in your country? Are more teachers female or male in your country? Are more truck drivers female or male in your country? Are men and women equal in ability and intelligence? What things can either men or women do that the other cannot do and why? What type of clothing do men wear? What type of clothing do women wear? Can men wear women's clothing or can women wear men's clothing? Why or why not? Can men wear pink clothes? Is it OK for men to cry? Is it OK for women to cry? What do people think of men or women crying? What would people think of a man who backs down from a fight? What would people think of two women involved in a fist fight? Is it OK for men to appear sad? Is it OK for women to appear angry? Is it OK for men to appear weak? Is it common for women and men to take part in sporting activities? Do they take part in the same type of sporting activities? In you home, who does the cooking, cleaning and household chores? Is it possible for women to join the army in your country? Is it compulsory for men and women to join the army in your country? Do women swear a lot? Are there more male or female managers and executives? Why do you think this is? What jobs do men do and women not do in your country? Who is regarded as the head of the family? Should boys and girls be brought up differently? Should boys and girls be treated differently on the part of the parents? What would happen if your parents changed their place for one day? How would the world look like without men? How would the world look like without women? When a woman and a man are together, who does most of the talking? What makes you think so? Can a man and a woman be only friends? Do men/men friendships differ from women/men or women/women friendships? How?
Tuesday, 30 November 1999 | 161 hits | Print | PDF | Email
What is a generation gap? Have you ever felt a generation gap with your friends? How do you over come the generation gap? When do you feel the generation gap the most? Is it possible to overcome a generation gap? At what point in life does the generation gap seem to be the largest? Do you think you can be a better parent than your own parents in future?
Tuesday, 30 November 1999 | 133 hits | Print | PDF | Email
What are some gestures you know? What are some good gestures in your country? What are some insulting gestures in your country? Can you think of some gestures that have different meanings in different countries? Has your teacher ever used a hand and/or facial gesture that was o.k. in the teacher's country but an insult in your country? If so, did you tell the teacher so it would not happen again? What are some bad gestures that you have seen in Western films but you don't know the meaning of? What are some gestures that you used when you were a child that you don't use anymore? What are some gestures that you didn't learn until you were a teenager or a young adult? What are some gestures you know that relate to the sporting world?
Tuesday, 30 November 1999 | 126 hits | Print | PDF | Email
Do you have any pets? What was the last book you read? Do you like to cook? What's your favorite food? Are you good at cooking/swimming/etc? Are you married or single? Do you have brothers and sisters? Are they older or younger than you? Do you like baseball? Do you live alone? Do you live in a house or an apartment? Have you ever lived in another country? Have you ever met a famous person? How do you spend your free time? How long have you been studying English? How old are you? How tall are you? Tell me about a favorite event of your adulthood. Tell me about a favorite event of your childhood. What are your hobbies? What two things could you not do when you were.....? What countries have you visited? What country are you from? What do you do on Sundays? What do you do? What's your job? What do you like to do in your free time? What hobbies do you have? What is the nearest bus stop or train station to your house? What is your motto? What is your religion? (Perhaps not a good question in some situations.) What kind of food do you like? What kind of people do you like? What kind of people do you not like? What languages do you speak? What two things could you not do when you were a child, but you can do now? What's something you do well? What's your address? What's your father like? What's your mother like? What's your name? What's your phone number? What's your telephone number? When did you start to study English? Where are you from? Where do you live? Where do you live? How long have you lived there? Where were you born? Which sports do you like? Who do you live with? Who do you respect the most? Who has had the most influence in your life? Why did you decide to take this course? Why do you want to learn English? Would you like to be famous? What do you think you will be doing five years from now? Where do you think you'll be living five years from now? What is your goal in life? Are you a 'morning' or 'night' person? When do you feel best? In the morning, afternoon, or evening? How many cities have you lived in? What jobs have you done? Which do you prefer, sunrises or sunsets? What could you do as a child that you can't do now? Who is your next door neighbor in your home country? What is he or she like? Did you get along with each other? What is the best memory of our country that you will take back home with you? What is the worst memory of our country? How many times did you move as a child? Are you a task oriented person or a people oriented person? What is the profile of the wife/husband you would meet? What kind of woman/man would you like to marry?
Tuesday, 30 November 1999 | 234 hits | Print | PDF | Email
About how many different color foods did you eat for dinner last night? Do you think about color when you are preparing a meal? Are there any foods that you wouldn't eat as a child that you eat now? Are you a good cook? Are you a vegetarian? Are you concerned about your daily calorie intake when choosing something to eat? At what times do you usually eat your meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)? Can you cook well? Did you drink coffee this morning? Did you eat lunch today? Do you always eat dinner with your family? Do you always eat vegetables? Do you cook? If yes, what food do you cook the most often? Do you drink milk every day? Do you drink tea every day? Do you eat beef? Do you eat bread every day? Do you eat breakfast every day? Do you eat fruit every day? Do you eat lunch at school every day? How much does lunch usually cost at school? Do you eat rice every day? Do you ever skip breakfast? If so, how often and why? Do you have a favorite bar or cafe? If so, where is it? Why do you like it? Do you have coffee for breakfast? Do you know someone who struggles with an eating disorder? Do you like British food? Do you like Chinese food? Why or why not? Do you like deep-fried food? Do you like food from other countries? If yes, which do you like the most? Do you like Japanese food? What kind of Japanese food do you like? Do you like peas and carrots? How about spinach? Do you like to cook? Why or why not? Do you like to eat a lot of food every day? Do you like to eat American foods? Do you like to eat at fast food restaurants? Do you like to eat cakes? Do you like to eat junk food? Do you like to eat some desserts after dinner? Do you like to eat? Why or why not? Do you like to have breakfast each morning? Why or why not? Do you like to try new food and drinks? Do you often eat out? Do you prefer fish or meat? Do you prefer to eat at a restaurant or at home? Do you prefer your own country's food or other kinds of food? Do you read the nutritional information on the foods you buy? Do you take vitamin pills? Do you think a vegetarian diet is better than a diet that includes meat? Do you think fast food, soda and sweets should be sold in school cafeterias? Do you usually want to eat dessert after dinner? Have you ever been a diet? If so, how long did you stayed on it? Have you ever eaten dog meat? Have you ever eaten Mozambican food? ...French food? ...Chinese food? ...Italian food? How long do you take to eat lunch? How many calories do most people need every day? How many meals do you usually eat every day? How much do you eat when you are sad or happy? How much does it cost to eat dinner at a hotel in your country? How much rice do you eat? How often do you eat at a fast-food restaurant? How often do you eat bread? How often do you eat fresh fruit? How often do you eat in a restaurant? (How often do you eat out?) Where do you usually go? Who do you usually go with? About how much do you spend? Do you ever go to an Indian restaurant? How often do you eat steak? How often do you go drinking? What's your favorite drink? How often do you go shopping for food? If you are living abroad, what is the food that you miss most from home? Is there any food that you really dislike to eat? What are some foods that are considered unhealthy? What are some foods that you know are healthy for your body? What country's food do you like the most? What did you eat for lunch yesterday? What did you eat the last time you ate at a restaurant? What did you have for breakfast this morning? What did you have for supper last night? What do you eat for breakfast every day? What do you eat when you feel sad? What do you like to drink? What do you like to eat for your dinner? What do you think of Thai food? Chinese food? English food? What do you usually eat for lunch? What do you usually like to drink when you go out? What food can you cook the best? What food do you hate? Why do you hate it? What foods do you hate? What foods do you love? What foods have you tasted which you will never forget for the rest of your life? What fruit do you eat the most often? What have you eaten so far today? What is a typical meal from your country? What is one of your favorite foods? What is the cheapest place to eat that you know? About how much is a meal? Where is it? How often do you go there? What is the food you like about your country. What is the last meal you cooked for someone else? What is the most expensive meal you have ever eaten? What is the most expensive restaurant that you have ever been to? What did you eat there? When did you go? Who did you go with? What is the most unusual thing you've ever eaten. Did it taste good or bad? What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten? What is your favorite food? Please describe your favorite food. What is your favorite Chinese food? ... French food? etc. What is your favorite dessert? What is your favorite fast food restaurant? What is your opinion of Chinese food? American food? British food? What kind of beverages do you usually drink? What kind of desserts do you like to eat? What kind of food do like to eat when you are angry? What kind of food do you eat between meals? What kind of food do you like the most? What kind of food do you like to eat? What kind of food do you like? What kind of food does your mother make? What kind of food that you think is the least healthy? What kind of food that you think is the most healthy? What kind of food you usually eat? What kind of fruit do you like the best? What kind of restaurants you like? What kind of vegetables do you like? What kinds of food do you usually eat for lunch? What Korean food do you like? Chinese, French, Italian, etc. What restaurant in this city do you recommend? Why is it a good place? About how much does a meal cost? What special foods do you eat on holidays? (Christmas, New Year's Day, etc.) What time do you usually eat breakfast? How about lunch and supper? What vegetable do you like best? What's the best restaurant you've ever been to? What's the best restaurant you've ever been to? Why did you like it? What's the strangest food you've ever eaten? What's your favorite dessert? What's your favorite drink in the summer? What's your favorite fish? What's your favorite food? What's your favorite fruit? What's your favorite junk food? What's your favorite kind of ethnic food? What's your favorite kind of food? What's your favorite kind of meat? What's your favorite restaurant? Why do you like it? What's your favorite snack? When was the last time you ate at a restaurant? When was the last time you ate dinner with your mother? Where do you usually eat dinner? (...lunch, ...breakfast) Which country's food do you like the most? Which do you eat more often, rice or bread? Which fast food restaurants do like? Which fast food restaurants do you eat at the most often? Who do you usually eat dinner with? Why are diets usually short? Why can't people stop eating? Why do you think obesity is becoming such a problem in the United States and throughout the world? What do Chinese people eat for lunch? (Substitute the nationality of your students.) Do you know the nutritional value of the things you eat every day? Do you believe that "we are what we eat?" How many meals a day do you think should be eaten? Do you usually eat at home orÊeat at a restaurant? If you were on death row, what would you request for your last meal? Do you pray before each meal? Have you ever eaten something that made you ill? How many calories are in one hamburger? If you don't know, can you make a guess? Is it more or less than an ice-cream cone? Have you ever had pot-luck? Have you ever tasted African food? Does your family have any special recipes that are passed down from generation to generation? What would you bring to a pot-luck lunch? Do you like brunch? How much should you tip the server in a restaurant? What type of restaurants would you not tip in? Have you ever found something disgusting in your food? Have you ever sent food back in a restaurant? Have you ever left a restaurant without paying ("dined and dashed")? Do you like trying new foods? What new foods have you tried this month? What is the strangest food you have ever tried? Do you have any food allergies? Which food from this country do you like the least? What do you think about super-sizing? Should fast food restaurants serve healthier food? Are food portions too big for our health? What food would you like to see in a restaurant in this country? Do you think it is good to count calories when you are eating? Which food is overpriced? What differences do you notice in the preparation of American/British/Australian and Chinese/Japanese/Korean foods? Do the utensils we use to eat affect the kind or way we prepare the foods we eat? Do you think that food defines a culture? If so, how? Do you notice any differences in the way food is served at the table when you travel? Do you enjoy eating intestines? (Substitute in other foods that students are not likely to enjoy.) How does the etiquette of eating together in your country differ from other countries? Are there any foods that bring back special memories for you? What are they? Pizza Do you like pizza? What is your favorite pizza topping? How often do you eat pizza at a restaurant? How often do you order pizza to your home? Are there pizzerias near your home that deliver pizzas? What do you like to drink with your pizza? Do you know how to make a pizza? Do you know who invented the pizza? Why is pizza popular? Have you ever called for pizza delivery?
Tuesday, 30 November 1999 | 253 hits | Print | PDF | Email
Are there any parts of the city where you live which you are afraid to visit after dark? Where? Why? Are there certain weather conditions that scare people? What are they? Why do people become scared? Are you afraid of flying? (Are you afraid to fly in an airplane?) Are you afraid of ghosts? Are you afraid of giving a speech in public? (Does it scare you to speak in public?) Are you afraid of going to the dentist? Are you afraid of heights? Are you afraid of scary movies? Are you afraid of the dark? Are you afraid to die? Why? Are you afraid of getting old? Why? Are there any numbers that people are afraid of in your culture? Do you fear certain insects/animals? Why? Do you know anyone with a phobia? Do you like horror movies? Do you think young children should be allowed to watch horror movies? How do you react when you see something frightening? Is there any person you are afraid of? Were you afraid of the dark as a child? Were you afraid on your first day of school here in the United States? How do you feel now? What animal do you think is the most scary? (What animal scares you the most?) What are some things which many people are afraid of? Why are they afraid of them? What is the scariest movie you have ever seen? What is your biggest fear in life? Are you afraid that it might come true? What kinds of things make you nervous? What was the most frightening experience you've had? When you were a child, what things were you afraid of? Do you ever have nightmares (bad dreams)? What are they about? How often do you have nightmares? Have you ever seen any TV shows where people face their fears for money? e.g. Fear Factor etc.? Would you ever face one of your fears for money? Do you find this kind of show interesting to watch? What is your biggest fear? Have you overcome any of your fears? Are you afraid of being ill? What disease are you most afraid of? Why?
Tuesday, 30 November 1999 | 130 hits | Print | PDF | Email
What is your favorite animal? What is your favorite city in the United States? What is your favorite color? What is your favorite country? And why? What is your favorite day of the week? Why? What is your favorite drink in the summer? What is your favorite food? What is your favorite kind of food? What is your favorite holiday? Why? What is your favorite kind of book? What is your favorite kind of ethnic food? What is your favorite kind of movie? What is your favorite kind of music? What is your favorite magazine? What is your favorite memory of childhood? What is your favorite movie? What is your favorite radio station? What is your favorite season? Why? What is your favorite sport? What is your favorite time of day? What is your favorite TV program? What is your favorite Web site? What is your favorite vegetable? Why fruit, meat, salad dressing, etc.) What's your favorite smell? What's your favorite word in English? Why do you like it? Who is your favorite actor? Who is your favorite actress? Who is your favorite athlete? Who is your favorite baseball player? Who is your favorite soccer player? Who is your favorite character from literature? Who is your favorite musician? Who is your favorite singer? Who is your favorite super-hero? Explain why. What is your best friend's name? Who was your favorite teacher? Why? ....in high school? ...in junior high school? ...in elementary school? What was your favorite subject in school? ....in high school? ...in junior high school? ...in elementary school? Who was your favorite singer when you were younger? How about now? In place of singer: actor, actress, baseball player, athlete, ... Note: Many of the above questions can be changed from "What is" to "What was."
Tuesday, 30 November 1999 | 160 hits | Print | PDF | Email
