Aberson Toni - Compelling Conversations: Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics - An engaging ESL textbook for Advanced ESL students

COMPELLING CONVERSATIONS: QUESTIONS & QUOTATIONS ON TIMELESS TOPICS An Engaging ESL Textbook for Advanced Students Written, Compiled, and Edited by Eric H. Roth and Toni Aberson E-book Edition Published by Chimayo Press Copyright 2008 by Eric H. Roth and Toni Aberson ISBN: 978-0-9826-1785-4 (ebook) ISBN: 978-1-4196-5828-0 (CreateSpace) ISBN: 978-0-9826-1780-9 (Lightning Source) Library of Congress Reg. # TX 6-377-924 Cover photo from iStock.com/Cosmonaut Creative Media LLC To order a print copy, share comments, ask questions, or contribute quotations, please visit http://www.compellingconversations.com . All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
DEDICATED TO Dani Herbert Joseph Roth (1937-1997) A global citizen, he could talk with almost anyone, in six different languages, and share a laugh.

This book attempts to capture some of his generous spirit, wit, and curiosity. Own only what you can always carry with you: know languages, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag. Alexander Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008), Russian writer and historian TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. GETTING STARTED 2. GOING BEYOND HELLO 3.

BEING HOME 4. DESCRIBING FAMILY TIES 5 EATING AND DRINKING 6. MAKING AND BREAKING HABITS 7. BEING YOURSELF 8. STAYING HEALTHY 9. PARENTING 10.

MAKING AND KEEPING FRIENDS 11. LOVING DOGS AND OTHER PETS 12. CATS, AND MORE CATS 13. PET PEEVES SECTION THREE: MODERN TIMES INTRODUCTION Colors fade, temples crumble, empires fall, but wise words endure. Edward Thorndike (1874-1949), American psychologist The art of conversation, once considered the sign of a civilized individual, seems less common today. Yet I treasure the moments of sharing experiences, collecting news, and exchanging ideas.

I make a point of knowing my neighbors, allowing casual greetings to become long conversations, and making time to explore in depth the feelings and perceptions of friends and relatives. These natural conversations provide information, encouragement, laughs, and pleasure. Many people say they are too busy to have long talks. Other people prefer to watch television, play computer games, or listen to the radio rather than talk to relatives and friends. Sometimes people feel too shy to speak to the people next to them. Many Americans have forgotten how to hold good, deep conversations, or even a friendly chat on the phone.

I suspect this lack of real communication lessens their daily joy. Of course, people learning English as a second, third, or fourth language face even more barriers to a satisfying conversation in English. First, English remains a confusing, difficult, and strange language. Its easy to feel uncomfortable when speaking in this new tongue. What questions do I ask? How can I keep a conversation going? What vocabulary words are needed? How do I show agreement, or disagreement, in a lively, yet polite way? How can I share my experiences in a clear manner? How can I have better, more engaging conversations in English? Compelling Conversations : Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics addresses these issues for both native and non-native speakers. (Good mistakes, by the way, are natural mistakes that help us learn so we can make different and better good mistakes next time.) Each of the 45 chapters that follow includes 30 or more questions, 10 or more targeted vocabulary words, a few proverbs, and 10 or more quotations. (Good mistakes, by the way, are natural mistakes that help us learn so we can make different and better good mistakes next time.) Each of the 45 chapters that follow includes 30 or more questions, 10 or more targeted vocabulary words, a few proverbs, and 10 or more quotations.

Although designed for advanced students, intermediate ESL students will find plenty of material to use and can benefit from exposure to the new words, phrases, and questions. Each chapter focuses on a promising conversation topic. The questions allow the reader to practice exchanging experiences and ideas in a natural style. You can add questions, skip questions, and move on to related topics. Each chapter begins with easier questions and moves on to questions that are more abstract. Both native and non-native speakers will find the questions allow one to share experiences, exchange insights, and reflect on life.

A note on terms: ESL : short for English as a Second Language, remains the most common term in the United States and Canada - especially in adult education and private programs. EFL : English as a Foreign Language ESP : English for Special Purposes ELT : English Language Training ELL : English Language Learners TEFL : Teaching English as a Foreign Language TESOL : the largest professional organization stands for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. We use ESL for both simplicity and convenience since we live in the United States and that term remains the most common. The questions are conversation starters, and not scripts to follow. The goal remains to create a real dialogue, increase your understanding of your conversation partners, and gently push you toward using a richer vocabulary in your English conversations. Many of these conversation worksheets were originally developed for an Advanced Conversation class at Santa Monica Community College that met four hours a week, 15 weeks a semester.

The original college course textbook offered little more than vocabulary lists, cost too much, and avoided any topic that might cause any controversy. Several lessons talked about the weather, colors, etc. So I dropped the book, and created conversation worksheets with 30 related questions on practical topics for adult students. I didnt come in with a set point of view; I wanted to find out what people had experienced and their reflections on their lives, current events, and the bigger questions about our changing world. Why should we just talk about the weather and become bored when we could explore our lives, times, passions, and challenges? Many students would contribute proverbs during our discussions since proverbs, sayings, and idioms can be useful in daily life. Often similar ideas, like the sky is always blue somewhere, can be found across cultures.

Proverbs can point out some universal aspects of the human experience in 21st century America, 19th century England, 17th century Paris, 4th century China, or 1st century Rome. Proverbs may often contradict each other, yet the trick is to use the right proverb at the right time in the right situation. Sometimes its good to know, and even hold, two opposite ideas. Where you stand, depends on where you sit. Therefore, each chapter includes a proverb section. This collection of proverbs and quotations also includes many insights from religious leaders and philosophers that go back even more than 2,000 years, such as Buddha, Confucius, Aristotle, and the Biblical prophets.

These quotations remind us that some conversations have spanned centuries and cultures. The selected quotations present a wide range of ideas, beliefs, and perspectives. Some quotations might make you laugh, some might make you sigh, and a few might even annoy you. Share your genuine feelings and reasons. Join the conversation. Free speech remains a rare and precious right.

Including classic quotations also helps preserve the insights and comments of well-known and significant cultural figures. This habit helps us escape the too-common delusion that the world began when we were born and provides a larger perspective. Sometimes knowing the speaker and historical era invites another way of looking at our modern lives. Your English may not be perfect yet, but daily practice does lead to significant progress. Compelling Conversations gives you the tools and phrases to talk more and listen better to friends and strangers in English. Finally, I hope you enjoy creating many Compelling Conversations ! Eric H.