Real English - Popular UK Slang

You are going to 

• look at and practise some very common British slang expressions.
• try and guess the meanings of words from visual context
• do some matching and gap fill exercises

 
Teacher's note
I have seen many students come to the UK thinking they had a good level of English, FCE for example, but still struggle at doing basic things like talking to bus drivers or shop assistants. It's sometimes quite important to teach students "real" English instead of that boring, artificial and antiseptic textbook stuff.

Here is an example. How often do your students come into class with the odd and imperative sounding "Hello! How are you?" instead of the more natural sounding and (in the UK) now ubiquitous "Hiya! Y'alright?"
How many of us actually teach them to use "Hiya!", "Alright?" or "Cheers!" or "See ya!"?
Yet, informally, this is how most people in the UK actually speak to each other.

So, anyway, here are some informal expressions you won't find in many coursebooks or in any exams  but you will definitely hear when you come to the UK.

Warning. Be careful when you use some of these expressions. They are informal and a few may not be suitable for use in class, to your teacher or boss.







1) Discuss
1. How many of these very common expressions do you know?

2. Look at the presentation.

• How many of the words do you know? 
• Can you guess the meanings from the photos?

UK Slang Expressions from David Mainwood

Adapted from 17 British Slang Terms Americans Should Start Using Immediately







2) Practise
1. Try these matching exercises. 
Match the meaning on the right with the slang word on the left. One is done for you.

2. Now try this gap fill

Download printable worksheet (with answers) here






3) Write
Write some short dialogues using as many of the expressions as you can






More
1. One Direction explain some British vocabulary and slang.
How many of the expressions above do they talk about? 

2. English and American slang is different.
Hugh Laurie in The Ellen DeGeneres Show playing a game of American slang VS English slang.
How many of the expressions above do they talk about?

Slang links

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mackenziekruvant/british-slang-americans-should-start-using

http://www.effingpot.com/slang.shtml

http://thoughtcatalog.com/nico-lang/2013/09/71-simple-british-slang-phrases-everyone-should-start-using/

http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/

http://www.slang.org.uk/




Of course there is a lot of UK slang and new expressions come into the language all the time. How many of these do you know?
Maybe we'll look at these next time.
Cheers!
See ya!

More 
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What are the most common words in English? Advanced, Reading, Upper Intermediate

How much have the British changed?

You are going to

• watch a video and read about recent changes in British social attitudes on marriage, relationships, religion and welfare
• practise numbers, percentages, fractions, the language of graphs and statistics
• listen to people giving opinions

1) Discuss

• What are the British like? 
• Are we conservative and traditional or liberal and tolerant?
• Do you think the UK has changed in the last 30 or 50 years?
• Has your country changed in the last 30 or 50 years?
• What changes do you think have happened in the UK in the last 30 or 50 years?

2) Discuss
Look at the opinions in the exercise below.
How many do you agree with?

3) Watch
Changes in British social attitudes since 1983

Watch the video.

1) Put the opinions in the exercise above in the order you hear them.
2) What other information does the video tell you about British views on marriage, religion, welfare and relationships?

source http://www.bsa-30.natcen.ac.uk/





3) Watch again and answer these questions.

4) Discuss
What language do we use to describe graphs, data and statistics?
Look at the words in the questions above. In 60 seconds how many more words or expressions can you think of?
In pairs write a list.
eg  a sharp rise, drop, double, per cent ...







5) Read  
A) How many of these words do you understand?

B) Look carefully at the diagram and do the exercise below.

Changing Attitudes - The 1980s and 2012

6) Read
A) Read the text below and answer these questions. 
Compared with 50 Years ago;

1. Is class still important in British life?
2. Are the British more or less interested in politics?
3. Are the British of today more or less optimistic?
4. Do people think the Queen is still important?

Poll shows our views on class, politics, unions and royalty have all moved on since 1963

Britons are more interested in politics than 50 years ago, but less convinced that the government pays much attention to their views. The survey also found that while trade union power has become less of a concern, the influence of big business persists as an issue for 61% of people, slightly up on half a century ago.

Half a century on, the survey suggests, the influence of class over British politics has diminished, along with a feeling of engagement with Westminster, but it has not been accompanied by a loss of interest in politics – rather the reverse. Significantly, in 2013 only 17% think that "having elections makes government pay a good deal of attention to what people think", against 46% in 1963. Yet in contrast, 28% now say they take "a good deal" of interest in politics, up from 16%, while 43% take "some" interest, compared with 37% in 1963. Politics is alive and well, it appears, but the House of Commons is not the focus.

Among the findings, the 1963 and 2013 polls also underscore the shift in public opinion on social security. In 1963, 77% thought the government should spend more on pensions and social services, while that figure is now 42%. However, given the choice between tax cuts and increases in social services, there has been a small decline in support for tax cuts, from 52% to 46%, and only a similar fall in support for more social services, from 42% to 37%.

The comparative figures reveal a sharp decline in optimism. Today 11% think they are better off than they were a year ago, and 38% feel worse off. The figures for 50 years ago were 33% and 21% respectively.

In 1963, 36% of British people thought Britain should have very close ties with the US. That has fallen to 14% in 2013.

The survey also underlines the decline in support for the monarchy as a political entity – 63% thought the Queen and the royal family were very important to the nation in 1963, compared with 41% now.

Adapted from http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/nov/17/1963-opinion-poll-westminster-public



B) Vocabulary. Look at the text again and do the exercise below.

Printable worksheets here




More
Practice.
The language of graphs. 
Look at the presentation. Try and describe the graphs.

IELTS Task 1 vocab from David Mainwood

Reading.
NatCen Social Research site http://www.bsa-30.natcen.ac.uk/

News
http://www.channel4.com/news/british-attitudes-towards-health-family-sex-and-benefits

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/british-social-survey-shows-changing-5873917





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What's so special about the Beatles?

You are going to

• do a listening comprehension exercise on the Beatles
• look at some vocabulary connected to culture / music
• read about the Beatles

1) Discuss

It's 50 years since the Beatles released their first album Please Please Me. They recorded the whole album in only one day.

• What do you know about the Beatles?
• Why were they important or special?

The first track on the album was called I Saw Her Standing There
Listen. Do you like it?

2) Before you listen
You are going to listen to someone talking about why the Beatles are "special".
Here is some vocabulary from the clip. Match the words to their definitions.

3) Listen
Listen below to an interview by Nick Ellerby with Phil Alexander, the editor-in-chief of the music magazine Mojo.
Why were the Beatles special?

listen to ‘50 year anniversary of The Beatles' Please Please Me with MOJO magazine’ on Audioboo

Now answer the questions below.

4) Read / Webquest
Click on this link and then do the question / answer matching exercise below
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/the-beatles/9946799/The-Beatles-Please-Please-Me-50-years-on-10-facts-about-the-debut-album.html

Printable worksheets are here




More
The Beatles  Listening, Music, Past Simple, Quizzes, Reading 

The Beatles official web page http://www.thebeatles.com/






Here are the Beatles in November 1963 at the Royal Command Performance attended by the Queen Mother. At 04:45 John Lennon makes a request. "For our last number I'd like to ask your help. The people in the cheaper seats clap your hands. And the rest of you, if you'd just rattle your jewellery."

What's cooking? - 2. Strawberry jam / A full English breakfast

You are going to

• watch some food recipe videos
• practise the language of cooking
• practise sequencers and time expressions
• practise giving instructions
• do some gap-fill exercises and a food vocabulary crossword
• write a recipe

Discuss

• Do you like cooking?
• Do you know how to cook?
• What's your favourite recipe?
• What are the ingredients?
• How long does it take to prepare and cook?
• Where did you learn to cook it?
• Do you know how to make strawberry jam?
• Do you know how to make a full English breakfast?

List
Write a list of all the cooking words you can think of in 60 seconds

Starter
Watch the strawberry jam recipe

• How do you make strawberry jam?
• What are the ingredients?
• How many words from your list did the presenter use?

B) Watch again. 
Look at this gap-fill exercise and fill in the gaps with one of the words from the list

Main course
Watch "How to make a traditional full English breakfast"
Find out

• What are the ingredients?
• What utensils do you need?

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-a-traditional-full-english-breakfast

A) What words do we use to say when or in what order things happen?
eg After that, then... They are called sequencers. Can you think of any more?





B) Look at this gap-fill exercise and fill in the gaps with one of the words from the list

Write

Write a recipe of a food you know how to cook

• List the ingredients
• Write the instructions
• Use some of the sequencers, time expressions and verbs in the exercises

Dessert
Do the cooking crossword. 
Too easy? Try this more difficult crossword here

Printable crosswords here (Int) and here (U.Int)
Printable exercises here





More
Sequencers
http://esl.about.com/od/grammarintermediate/a/sequence.htm
Adverb Clauses with Time Expressions
http://esl.about.com/od/grammaradvanced/a/adverb_clauses.htm


The British breakfast
http://designerlessons.org/2012/07/04/esl-lesson-plan-a-full-english-breakfast/

British Food 
http://istudyabroad.wordpress.com/2012/09/01/exploring-british-food/


Activities
Esolcourses Food and Drink activities

Quiz-Busters - Food Quiz With Pronouns

BBC Lingo - Food and cooking


Recipes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/

http://foodupload.com/text_photo_recipes


Don't eat too much!
http://efllecturer.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/what-is-weight-of-human-race.html

No more...

What's cooking? - 1. "Bubble and Squeak"

You are going to

• watch a food recipe video
• practise the language of cooking
• practise imperatives
• do a gap-fill exercise
• do a food vocabulary crossword
• write a recipe

1) Discuss

• Do you like cooking?
• Do you know how to cook?
• What's your favourite recipe?
• What are the ingredients?
• How long does it take to prepare and cook?
• Where did you learn to cook it?
• Do you know what "Bubble and Squeak" is?

2) List
A) Write a list of all the cooking words you can think of in 60 seconds

3) Watch "How to make Bubble and Squeak"

Find out

• What is "Bubble and Squeak"? 
• What are the ingredients?
• Does the presenter use any cooking words from your list?

.
Watch the video. 
Click on this link  http://video.about.com/britishfood/How-to-Make-Bubble-and-Squeak.htm and the video will open in a new tab.





4) Watch again
A) Look at the list of cooking words below.  Do you know all of them? Look up the words you don't know.
Watch the video again. How many of the words in the list do you hear? Put "Yes" or "No"









B) Look at this recipe and fill in the gaps with one of the expressions from the list

5) Write

Write a recipe of a food you know how to cook

• List the ingredients
• Write the instructions
• Use some of the verbs in the exercise

8) Do the vocabulary crossword

Printable exercise here
Printable crossword here

More

Now try this one
What's cooking? - 2. Strawberry jam / A full English breakfast  British Culture, Crossword, Differentiated Exercises, FCE, Food, IELTS, Imperatives, Instructions, Intermediate, Listening, Recipes, Sequencers, Time Expressions, Upper Intermediate 


Other Food Activities
Making a sandwich with Mr Bean

Esolcourses Food and Drink activities

Quiz-Busters - Food Quiz With Pronouns

BBC Lingo - Food and cooking

Recipes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/

http://foodupload.com/text_photo_recipes

Keep Calm and Carry On

You are going to

• practise the passive
• watch a clip about a famous poster
• do a listening comprehension practising the passive
• do a word-ordering sentence

1) Discuss

• Have you seen this poster before?
• What do you know about the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster?
• When and why was it designed?
• Who was it designed for?

2) Watch
Watch the video to find the answers.

Vocabulary. Before you watch check you know the meaning of these words -  commission   consider    design    distribute    hold in reserve    intend    issue    parody    reproduce    require    trivialize

Film, music, script, and narration by Temujin Doran.
Concept and production by Nation.
The original home of ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ – Barter Books







3) Watch again
Watch the clip again, listen carefully and answer the questions below.
All of the answers practise the passive (see guide below).

If you have any problems doing the exercise, you can read and listen to the full script here


Printable worksheet here

Create your own motivational poster here http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/

4) Word order. Practise the passive
Drag and drop to order the words and make correct sentences in the passive.
Click "Next" for a new sentence. There are 15 sentences in total.
If you can't remember how to make the passive look at the guides below.

The Passive
Pronoun / Noun	+  Be	+  Participle
I You He She It We They Water Food Computers DVDs Books Posters…	am are is was were will / shall be can be could be may be might be must be should be ought to be has / have to be has /  have been will / can’t / could / may / might / must / should / ought to have been had been	bought commissioned considered designed distributed found held intended issued made produced reproduced required sold

Questions in the Passive. Change the order.
·       Present ·       Past	Be Is / Are Was / Were	+ Noun / Pronoun the books water	+ participle sold? distributed?
·       Future ·       Modals in the present	Will / Modal Will Can Could Must Should Can Might	+ Noun / Pronoun it food they	+ be + participle be sold? be distributed?
·       Present perfect ·       Past perfect	Has / Have Has / Have Had	+ Noun / Pronoun the DVDs Water	+ Been + Participle been sold? been distributed?
·       Future perfect ·       Modals in the past	Modal / Will Will Might Could Must Should	+ Noun / Pronoun the DVDs Water	+ Have been + Participle have been sold? have been distributed?