Eric H. Roth - Compelling American Conversations: Questions & Quotations for Intermediate American English Language Learners

COPYRIGHT Compelling American Conversations Questions & Quotations for Intermediate American English Language Learners Copyright 2012 by Eric H. Roth and Toni Aberson ISBN: 978-0-9847985-0-6 (ebook) ISBN: 978-14681583-6-6 (CreateSpace) ISBN: 978-0-9826178-9-2 (Chimayo Press) Library of Congress: 2012930056 Cover photo from iStock.comTo order a print copy, share comments, ask questions, or contribute quotations, please visithttp://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) An American by choice, he found safety, liberty, and prosperity in the United States. He created compelling conversations, in six different languages, and left vivid memories. This book attempts to capture some of his curiosity, generosity, and philosophy. Eric Hoffer (19021983), American writer and longshoreman You are never strong enough that you dont need help. Csar Chvez (19271993), American civil rights leader Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. Dr. Dr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), American civil rights leader We hold the power, and bear the responsibility. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth. President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), 16th President of the United States TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This book, like many other books, comes from a series of conversations with friends, teachers, students, and relatives. We live and learn from the people close to us. Compelling American Conversations, our third conversation textbook for English language learners, builds on expanded social media and lessons learned over the last five years.

This intermediate ESL book contains many suggested activities from readers of our first book: Compelling Conversations: Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics. Adding those insights from English teachers and English students has made Compelling American Conversations a clearer, smarter, and stronger book. This book also features some revised, updated chapters as we focused on intermediate American English language learners. We cant list all the many people who have shared their ideas. We can gratefully acknowledge, however, the few generous friends who have provided practical assistance. Some educators read and offered detailed edits. Some shared effective lessons.

Its a pleasure to share the honor roll of dedicated educators listed here for their exceptional contributions. Thank you, thank you, and thank you again. Special Thanks to: Laurie Selik | Marc Yablonka | Leah Montano Hank Rosenfeld | Betty Malmgren | Lorraine Ruston Shiggy Ichinomiya | Carolin Atchison | Ahn Nguyen Luis Coloma | Planaria Price | Hall Houston Sharon Myers | James Polk | James Hutzell Sandra Price | Gae Chilla | Eva Owen Jim Valentine | Zigmund Vays | Stacey Aaronson Naturally, any mistakes that might remain are solely our fault. Sincerely, Eric Roth, Toni Aberson, and Hal Bogotch * Written five years ago before the age of Facebook, iPhone, and Twitter the thick, advanced ESL conversation textbook includes 45 chapters on a diverse range of topics and some very advanced chapters. English teachers and tutors across the world in over 50 countries have used it to help students develop and improve their speaking skills. INTRODUCTION Dear English language learner: Speaking English clearly and being able to have good conversations in English can open many new doors for you in the United States.

Maybe you want to make new American friends. Maybe you want to talk about movies, music, and fashion with native English speakers. Maybe you want to feel more confident in school. Or maybe you want a better job and to talk with co-workers more. Maybe you plan to succeed in an American college and need to participate more in class discussions. Perhaps you plan to become an American citizen and create your own American dream.

This intermediate American English textbook will help you feel more comfortable in English. It will also help you become more fluent in English and become who you want to be in the United States. These activities will help you to: Ask clear, simple questions Listen to each other and respond to questions Become more comfortable speaking English Use common conversation starters Learn how to continue conversations on many current and timeless topics Discover and use new vocabulary words Memorize some American sayings and some old proverbs Discuss ideas by studying classical and modern quotations Express your opinions and support your statements Find and share Internet resources about living in the United States Speak English with greater confidence Enjoy learning about your classmates and yourself Practice makes perfect, goes an old proverb. So we encourage you to practice speaking English with a conversation partner for the exercises in every chapter. You will talk about your present life in English. You will talk about yesterday and today in English.

You will share your hopes and explore future plans in English. You will also read about many topics and hear many voices from many places. You will learn modern American expressions as well as older sayings from around the world. Sometimes you will have short talks and sometimes long conversations. As a result, question by question, you will build compelling American conversations. Lets begin! Eric Roth, Toni Aberson, and Hal Bogotch Co-authors, Compelling American Conversations OPENING MOVES A conversation can be made easy.

Just ask a question and then listen. Robert Bly (1926), American poet and author How do you begin conversations in English? You look around, see a person, smile, and make eye contact. You speak a few words in English. You begin to talk in Americas most important language. You listen. You learn. You learn.

You make your opening moves in becoming a modern American and world citizen. Meeting Each Other What is your name? Where do you usually speak English? Why? Why do you want to improve your English? When speaking to people, we help and encourage each other. We smile and look each other in the eye to show we are friendly. (This is called keeping eye contact.) Frowning or looking away when others are speaking can be discouraging to them. So lets carefully listen to each other and show our respect. Encouraging Each Other The words we choose can show that we want others to feel more comfortable while speaking to us.

With a conversation partner, take turns saying each of the following statements below. Keep eye contact with others as you speak. This practice will make it easier to use these encouraging statements in your conversations.

• Thats interesting.
• Then what happened?
• Youre right!
• Please explain.
• Go on, please.
• I hadnt thought of that!
• Good Point!
• Cool!

Keep the conversations going. Respond to each other. Be an active listener. English is a difficult and sometimes confusing language. Learning English can often be difficult because some words are pronounced differently from how they are spelled. So both writing and speaking take practice.