Making Conversation

My Courses Practical English – Intermediate Making Conversation

In this lesson we’re looking at making conversations sound more interesting in English.

We’re also going to study a short biography, and see if you can extract information from it.

Have fun with the lesson, and don’t forget to try the quizzes.

– James.

Making conversations sound more interesting

Listen to two versions of the same conversation between a father and his daughter:

In the first conversation, the daughter responds with simply yes or no. Because of this, the conversation seems stale and boring. In the second version however, the daughter responds with a short answer:

Yes, I have…

And extra information:

… I don’t want any more, thanks.

Adding extra information to an answer makes conversations flow easier, and makes them more interesting.

Match the extra information to the questions and short answers.

Complete the answers with the correct missing words.

Study a short biography

In the quiz below you’re going to be asked questions about this text. Read through the text now and look up any vocabulary that you’re not sure about.

Actor and Philanthropist, Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio was born on November 11, 1974 in Los Angeles, California. His mother is from Germany, and his father is from Italy.

He has been an actor for 35 years, and he has starred in over 30 films. In 2016 he won his first Academy Award for the film The Revenant.

He is also interested in the environment. In 1998 he established the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation which educates people about climate change. He visits poor areas of Africa every year and donates to charities there. In his lifetime, he has raised over $50 million for charities.

He isn’t married, and has no children.