EC A2 Unit 9-Being Polite
Bad Manners-what are the most impolite? Choose 3 and talk about the reasons
1. Talking With Your Mouth Full
2. Public Displays of Affection
3. Taking Food Off Someone Else's Plate
4. Dropping Trash on the Ground
5. Laughing at Other People's Misfortunes
6. Drinking Too Much
7. Elbows on the Table
8. Not Tipping Enough for Service
Verbs
accept decline appreciate
offend apologize permit
Polite Expressions
Excuse me / Pardon me / Sorry to bother you… May I / Could you please…..
I’m afraid… I was wondering if… By any chance…
Do you mind-Do you mind if I smoke?
How to be more polite
impolite polite
Can you open the door?
Do you have a business card?
That’s a bad idea.
What time is it?
You’re wrong.
Leave me alone
Who are you?
What do you do?
1. You are at a party and you see a man whose zipper is down.
2. You need to find a Christmas gift for a friend, but you don’t know what to get.
3. You are in a taxi and the driver keeps talking to you, but you don’t want to talk.
4. You are on the train and the woman next to you is talking on the phone loudly.
5. When you’re queuing to buy movie tickets, someone cuts in line.
Discussion
1. Do you think people are more polite or less polite now than in the past?
2. Would you be polite to old people who are rude? Why or why not?
3. Why some people are polite and some are rude?
4. Do you say "hi" to people even if they are strangers? Why? Why not?
5. What are some examples of bad manners that you HATE?
6. Do you think it is good to hug or kiss another person in greeting?
7. Can manners affect your success in life? How?
8. When someone is rude in a public place, do you say something or try to ignore the
person?
Listening
Honey. Are you listening? - ESL Lab
http://www.esl-lab.com/listeningskills/listeningrd1.htm
1. What is the problem at the woman's workplace?
A. The business is going to fire workers.
B. The company is going to cut salaries.
C. The president is going to close stores.
2. The woman ______________ to help her husband learn the art of listening.
A. found a few Web sites
B. picked up a book
C. watched a TV program
3. The first skill of listening that the woman points out is to ________.
A. watch a person's body language
B. not cut in on a conversation
C. make meaningful comments
4. The second point is to ________________.
A. put aside distractions
B. bring up similar concerns
C. smile and nod politely
5. According to the final point, some people who are experiencing issues in their lives don't
want others to _______ their problems.
A. debate
B. solve
C. share
6. What is the husband going to do with his wife to improve his listening skills?
A. They are going to attend marital counseling.
B. They are going to go on a trip in a couple of days.
C. They are going to discuss the information in the book.
Wife: Hi. Hi Sweetie. I'm home. Um, I'm home!
Husband: Oh, hi honey. Welcome home. How was you day? [Well . . .] That's good.
Wife: It was terrible. The company is going to lay off about 50 people, and I might be one of
them.
Husband: Oh, that's nice.
Wife: That's nice? You're not even listening.
Husband: What?
Wife: So, what did I tell you?
Husband: Um, you said that the company . . . something about 60 employees, um . . . and
you might be one of them . . . or something like that.
Wife: No, that's not what I said. [ Oh? ] The problem is you never listen. Never! So look. I
bought you this book. Here. Read it.
Husband: What? Now what? Big Egos, Little Ears: Getting Your Husband Out of the Clouds.
What's this? What? And you paid $35 dollars for it?
Wife: No. YOU did. I used YOUR credit card.
Husband: Oh, whatever. Um, so, what great secrets does the book contain that I don't know
already?
Wife: Okay. First of all . . . .
Husband: Okay. I know, I know. I know what you're going to say.
Wife: No, you DON'T know. The first thing is not to interrupt and think you know what I'm
going to say. Hold your tongue for once and give me a chance to share my feelings before
you come up with some witty response.
Husband: Okay. I got it . . . I think.
Wife: I hope. Number two. Show me that you're listening. Stop checking Facebook while I'm
talking to you, turn off the TV, look me in the eyes. Anything to show me that you're paying
attention.
Husband: Right. Uh, so what's for dinner?
Wife: Tsk . . . see!
Husband: [Laughing] I'm sorry. I'm just joking.
Wife: It's not funny. It's not funny!! So QUIT LAUGHING!! And don't tell me what to do to fix
my problems either. Most of the time, I don't need solutions. I just need you to listen to my
feelings.
Husband: Okay. I guess I haven't listened enough, [No. You don't listen very much. ] and I
haven't shown much empathy [No.] And, well, how about if I read a couple of chapters and
then we talk about it? Is that okay?
Wife: Yeah. That would be nice. Thank you.
• lay off (verb): fire, let someone go from a company
• contain (verb): include, have
• interrupt (verb): break or stop the action of something
• hold your tongue (verb): be quiet, a polite way to tell someone to shut up
• witty (adjective): funny, clever, intelligent
• tsk (interjection): a feeling of impatience or disapproval
• empathy (verb): the ability to understand a person's feelings
