Speaking. 6.8 Read the dialogue and say which person you like best

6.8 Read the dialogue and say which person you like best. Why?

A: How do you like your co-workers?

B: One of my co-workers is an exceptional person. She always has a nice word for and about everyone. She is often the last person to leave the office and when she is at work she works at a steady and constant place; but is always pleasant, nevertheless. She is a very unassuming and tries hard not to inconvenience her co-workers.

A: But are they all so nice?

B: Not really! There’s a former sea captain who works with us. He’s a complete waste of time. Even when he’s sober we just keep talking past each other. It’s like he’s still on the bridge of a ship and I’m down in the engine room and the communication tube is broken. We just don’t hear each other.

A: Sounds interesting. Any other characters?

B: The boss is an interesting old guy. Very European, very conservative and formal. He always sounds gruff and looks forbidding; but he’s really a very soft-hearted guy and very fair when evaluating his employees. But he does have his pet peeves.

A: Yes? What are they?

B: He really hates two things: he hates tardiness. He doesn’t make us work very hard, but he does want us there on time. The other thing he hates is seeing the women in the office wearing slacks. He says “viva la diferenc”.

Work in pairs. Write down the names of three people you know. Exchange papers and find out about each person.

Example:

A: Who’s Sarah?

B: She’s my best friend.

A: What does she look like?

B: She’s tall and slim, with long black hair and green eyes.

A: What is she like?

B: She’s funny, friendly and talkative.

6.10 What type of person are you (your friend)? Write a short paragraph about you (your friend) (40-60 words).

Example: I’m very sensible. I don’t do childish, silly things. In short, I’m not a silly billy. My friend Pete is a chatterbox because he can’t stop talking. Our lecturers are often angry about him. But I like that we are different.

Modifications:

a scatterbrain – forgetful, disorganized

a lazybones – doesn’t like to be active

a nosey parker – curious, likes to know other people’s business

a killjoy – boring, doesn’t like to have fun

a high flier – ambitious, achieves success easily

a workaholic – very hardworking, loves to work

a troublemaker – causes problems between people

Topics for discussion.

1. What are the traits of an ideal wife/husband? Do you think it’s good to live with an ideal?

2. What makes a student popular/unpopular with others?

3. What do you think is more important: beauty or character?

4. Speak about your pet’s character.