Conversation Questions

Environment & Pollution

2
3
4
5
6
7

A Part of Conversation Questions for the ESL Classroom.

Are there litter laws where you live? If so, what is the penalty for
littering?
Do you think cars should be banned from city centers?
Do you think people should recycle newspapers? Why or why
not?
Do you think there are lessons to learn from nature?
How has the world changed since you were a child? (technology,
values, environment, health)
How often is garbage collected in your neighborhood?
If humans are really intelligent and not simply manipulated by
their genes like any other animal, why can't they do anything about
overpopulation?
What are some things that can be recycled?
What are some things that your community is doing to help the?
What are some things which you recycle?
What are some types of pollution?
What are some ways that you can reduce pollution in this
country?
What can you do to help prevent pollution?
What can you do to make this world a better place?
What do you think of people who smoke cigarettes indoors?
Which is more important, increasing people's standard of living,
or protecting the environment?

Think of a situation in your area involving this issue.

Which side would you choose?

Who do you think is more responsible for pollution, individual
people or the government? Explain.
What is the most important issue facing the environment today?
Do you know about any anti-pollution programs in your
community?

What about programs in your native country?

Do you usually drink bottled water? Why or Why not?
If you could choose one alternative energy source to develop
which one would you choose? Why?
Are companies more or less environmentally responsible now than
they were in the past? Why do you think that is?

8 Do you think recycling is an important community service?

Do you recycle?
9 Who should pay for the costs associated with renewable energy?
10 Should we make the development of renewable energy sources an
economic priority?
11 What are some ways energy is wasted?
12 What types of energy are popular in your native country?
13 What is the main problem with renewable energy sources?
14 What can large cities do to improve their air quality?
15 How can we protect the environment and at the same time
improve people's standard of living?
16 Do you think overpopulation is an important environmental issue?
Why or why not?
17 Should an environmental levy be imposed on SUVs not used in the
farming community?

How would this help the environment?

18 Should gas for motorists be more expensive?

What would be the advantages and disadvantages of this?

19 Do think global warming is real?

Do you think this is an effect of pollution?

20 Are worried about global warming?
21 If you live on an island or on the coast does this increase the
danger from global warming? Why?
22 What's happening to forests in the world?
23 What happens when we remove forests?
24 What can we do to protect forests?
25 Why should we recycle?
26 Does your local government make it easy or hard for citizens to
recycle?
27 Are there people in your country who make their living from
picking-up other people's garbage?
28 How is pollution effecting the environment of the United States
today?

How about your own country?

29 Does your country have a smoking ban law in place?
30 What are the benefits/ disadvantages of a smoking ban?
31 How do individual decisions about number of children affect overall
population numbers?
32 What is global warming?
33 Do you think nuclear power safe? Who should be allowed it and
why? Who should police it?
34 In what ways can we save more water? Please tell your
experiences.

35 What should we do to increase the awareness about

environmental pollution?
36 Do you have any ideas on how to minimize the use of plastic bags
and Styrofoam boxes?
37 Does your local government make it easy or hard for citizens to
recycle?

Conversation Questions
Advertising
A Part of Conversation Questions for the ESL Classroom.

What is the most shocking advertisement you have seen?

What is the funniest advertisement you have seen? Describe it.

What makes an ad memorable?

What are the different types of advertising? (Eg. TV)

What types of companies choose each type?

Do you buy products because of advertising?

Do you find advertising persuasive?

Why do you buy one product over another?

Should advertisers be allowed to advertise to children?

Should alcohol or tobacco companies be allowed to advertise?

Why or why not?

What do you think of celebrity endorsements?

Which celebrities advertise which products?

Do favorite or annoying celebrities make you want or not want to

buy a product?

Should there be advertisement-free zones?

Is there truth in advertising?

What kind of advertisements attract your attention?

Why is it necessary to advertise?

Do you think advertising should be allowed to interrupt TV or

radio programs? What are the alternatives?

What is the best way to advertise to children? Adults? Seniors?

etc..

Do you think advertising is too expensive?

What are some effective adverts you have seen lately (on TV,
newspaper, etc)?

What are some ineffective adverts you have seen lately?

Can you remember an advertising campaign that caught your

attention?

What are the different methods of advertising?

What is the most popular way of advertising?

Do you think that the Internet and cable/satellite TV have

become more important than national TV for advertising products?

What do you think is the best way of discovering the tastes and
interests of teenage consumers?

Can TV advertising be a force for good?

How easy do you think it is to influence children with advertising?

Do you agree with anti-consumerism organizations that the child

will have watched 350,000 commercials by the time she graduates
from high school?

Do you think the government has he right to ban advertising for

junk food and soda during children's TV programs. What do you
think about this? Why do you think they made this decision?

Do political parties in (country) use TV advertising? If so, should

they?

When out walking or shopping in the city, do you accept

advertising fliers or free samples that are offered to you?

What forms of advertising are there?

What would make an advertisement more interesting?

Can you buy something and get something for free in your
country?

Do people use coupons where you live?

What is the most advertised product in your country?

What is the best form of advertising?

What gets you interested in an advertisement?

Describe an advertisement that you have seen or heard on the

TV or radio. What was it about? How long did the commercial last?
Did it make you want to buy the product?

What is the funniest commercial that you have seen? Describe it.

What differences can you notice between commercials from 10

or 15 years ago and commercials today?

Do you think ads influence the choices you make when you buy
clothes?

Do you often buy a particular brand when you buy clothes?

Why do you buy this brand?

Does it give status to wear particular brands like Nike or

Lacoste?

Do you sometimes want very expensive things which you or your

parents can't afford?

Do you think ads influence the choices you make when you or
your parents buy food?

What brand is the ketchup you or your parents buy?

Is it always the same brand? Why do you prefer this brand?

What brand is the toothpaste you or your parents buy?

Can you name three different ways of advertising? (For example,

different media)

Do you think there are too many ads in television? Why/why not?

Do you know why some channels have ads and others not? If
you do know explain.

Do you think there are too many ads in magazines? Why/why

not?

Do you think there are too many ads in newspapers? Why/why

not?

Think of an ad you think is good or funny and tell about it.

What kinds of ads do you like and why? What makes a good ad?

Do you think children or young people are easier to influence

through ads compared to adults?

Do you think it's ok to show ads aimed at children on television?

Why/ why not?

When you watch TV, how much attention do you pay to the
advertisements?

Which advertisements do you like most and which least? Why?

How would you advertise something you wanted to sell?

What are the harmful and the beneficial effects of advertising?

Do you think that ads create a desire for more and more material
possessions?

Do you think that commercials on TV are annoying because they

interrupt programs or do you think that many ads are more
amusing that the programs on TV?

Do you think advertising is too expensive? What are the different

methods of advertising?

http://podbay.fm/show/188247710/e/1174142916?autostart=1

Introduction
Hi, Lori here welcoming you to another episode of Real English Conversations from
Better at English dot com. In todays episode, Michael and I exchange some
opinions about television, particularly with respect to commercials and advertising.
In this conversation we discover some differences between British and American
English vocabulary, and use some everyday phrasal verbs. As always, youll find
the full transcript and vocabulary list on the website, www.betteratenglish.com.
Before listening to the conversation, you might want to pause and think about the
following questions:
1. Are you influenced by TV advertising?
2. If so, then how are you influenced?
3. Do TV commercials attempt to appeal to peoples logic or to their emotions?
4. Is watching TV is a constructive activity, or is it more a waste of time?
OK, without further ado, here is the conversation.

Conversation Transcript
Lori: TV is so evil.

Michael: [laughs]
L: I mean, dontdont even get me started on TV what a time waster and a
time sucker it is, andand all of the horribleall of the horrible messages that
youre bombarded with if you are, you know, just one of these people who comes
home in the evening, turns on the TV and just has the TV on kind of in the
background until you go to bed at night. Some people even fall asleep in their
bedrooms with the TV on.
M: Yeah, well I dont knowI think people would perhaps use this for different
reasons. If you just want some background noise, maybe they just regard it the
same way they would do putting on a piece of music
L: Yeah
M: in the background, just to have some ambiance
L: Yeah.
M: as theyre going about their evening, but I do know what you mean. I think
that a lot of programs are a complete waste of time.
L: Well see, thats the thing. I dont think people should be limited to watching things
that are educational. I mean, theres nothing wrong with watching something thats
just entertaining. [It's just] that theres so muchummjust really negative stuff out
there.
M: Yes. IBut I think thatsthats the commercial side of it, and unless you have
something like in England for example the BBC they dont have advertisements.
L: [laughs]
M: They they get their
L: Ads!
M: revenue from
L: Do you really say that, advertisements? You dont say?
M: Yes! Thats right, well we would say adverts but, or advertisements, yeah.

L: Even for the ones that are on the TV? You dont call them commercials?
M: No, no! We wouldntI mean, I knowwe know what commercials are, but no,
we would say the adverts.
L: Really?
M: Im going to make a cup of tea whilst the adverts are on, thats what we would
say.
L: Oh thats funny because asI cant speak for all Americans, but for an American
we would definitely call those things you see on TV commercials.
M: Right, right thats thats what I hear Americans calling them but we
L: Yeah.
M: we call them adverts.
L: OK, interesting
M: But thats, umm, with the BBC they dont get their money from adv-advertising,
they get it from the TV license, which you have to pay just for owning a TV every
year, and thats what you know, they keep it free from adverts.
L: OK.
M: So you dont have to put up with that, which is really quite nice because all the
satellite channels and the independent TV channels in England are ummfull of
adverts, all the time, and you really get that impression that people are trying to sell
things to you all the time and its, errall the things showing you that you have to
be young and beautiful and all this kind of
L: Yeah.
M: And If you buy our products. you will be like these people in these perfect
people
L: Yeah, the myth of transformation.
M: Yes, exactly, exactly.

L: Yeah its like, lets create things that make you feel bad about yourself and then
show you the things you need to buy to
M: Thats it!
L: improve yourself so you will feel better.
M: Thats it, and I think thats thats mean, thats thats not nice.
L: Its horrible!
M: So, but I thats thats what I see when I see the adverts, I I see through
it so
L: Yeah.
M: But I I dont watch much TV either, so umm
L: Uh huh. No, its horrible horrible time waster.

Final words
Thanks for listening, and thanks to those of you who have donated since last time. I
cant tell you enough how much Michael and I appreciate your support. Remember,
your continued donations make Better at English possible. Bye for now!

Vocabulary list
Dont even get me started
If someone says, Dont get me started (on X) it means that they have strong
feelings and a lot to say about the current topic. The idea is that if they start talking
about it, you wont be able to get them to stop. You can say it about other people,
for example Dont get him started on butterfly collectinghell bore you for hours!
going about
In this context, to go about something means to continue an activity for a period of
time. If you are going about your evening, you are engaging in your typical evening
activities.
revenue
Income (money) that a business, organization or government receives regularly. TV
licenses generate revenue (money) for the government.

to put up with
To put up with (something or somebody) means to tolerate it, even though you dont
like it.
mean (adj)
Mean in this context means unkind (or even cruel). In Br.E, the adjective mean can
also mean being selfish and ungenerous (particularly about money).
see through it
In this context, to see through something/somebody means to understand the truth
about a person or situation that is intended to deceive or manipulate you.

Conversation Questions
Films in Your own Language
A Part of Conversation Questions for the ESL Classroom.

Do you have a film industry in your country?

o
What is your general impression of it?
If you do not have a film industry in your country, where are
most of the movies that you watch made?
Do any other countries make films in your language? If so,
name them.
Which country is the main producer of movies in your
language?
Are you aware of the location of any major film festivals for
films in your language?
Is there an independent film industry producing movies in
your language? If you know about it, please describe it.
What are the names of some of the most famous directors
of movies in your language?
o
What films have they made?
Who are some of the most famous male actors in movies
in your language?
o
Can you name at least three?
o
Do you like them?
o
What are they famous for?
o
What kinds of people like them?

Does anyone not care for them?

Who are some of the most famous female actors, or
actresses, in films in your language?
o
Can you name at least three?
o
Do you like them?
o
What are they famous for?
o
What kinds of people like them? Does anyone dislike
them?
Please name some of the best films made in your
language. Describe their plots and tell why you liked them.
Has the film industry that makes films in your language
produced films that became popular around the world? If so, name
some.
Are animated films being originally produced in your
language?
o
Do you like them?
o
Describe some of them.
o
Have they become popular outside your country or
culture?
Are romantic films produced in your language?
o
How do they differ from romantic movies made in
Hollywood?
Describe some comedy films made in your language.
o
How are they different from Hollywood comedies?
Are horror films produced in your language?
o
How do they differ from scary movies made in Hollywood?
What about action films?
o
Are they different in some ways from Hollywood films?
Do films made in your language have the same kinds of
special effects as Hollywood films?
Are there good documentaries made in your language? If
so, describe some topics they deal with.
What positive effects do foreign films have on the people
and culture of your country?
What possible negative effects do foreign films have on the
people and culture of your country?
o
For example, do you feel that what is shown in foreign
films conflicts with or distorts the values of your own culture?
o
For example, do people in your country get the wrong kind
of information from foreign films?
In an ideal world, what would you like to see the future be
of the film industry in your language?
o

What kinds of films would you like your children to watch

when they are young?
o
When they are teenagers?
o
When they become adults?

Are movies originally produced in your language the most

popular films in your country, or are films with subtitles or dubbing
from studios in other countries, for example, from Hollywood in the
United States, more popular in your country than those made in
your language?

Douglas Beall