Complete First Unit 8
Student A – The person recommending
Find out about your partner’s tastes and try to think of something that they have never tried but might like.
Possible topics
Animation
Comics
Dance
Literature
Magazines
Movies
Music
News sources
Non-fiction
Online content
Radio
Theatre
TV
Visual arts
Possible questions to ask
Are you interested in…?
Do you like…?
Do you prefer to…or…?
Do you spend a lot of time…?
Have you ever…? How was it?
How do you feel about…?
How… are you?
What do you like about…?
What do you think about…?
What is your favourite…?
What kind of… do you…?/ What sort of…do you…?
What things… you when you were a child?
Would you describe yourself as…?
Would you prefer to…or…?
Would you say that you…?
Language for recommending
… is one of the best…
… will blow you away.
… would be worth a try.
I couldn’t recommend… more.
I highly/ thoroughly recommend…
If you like…, you’ll love…
The best… for you would be…
You should rush out and…
You shouldn’t miss…/ You mustn’t miss…
You won’t be disappointed if you…
You won’t regret…
Positive adjectives
action-packed
addictive
amazing/ brilliant/ exceptional/ terrific/ fantastic/ excellent/ superb/ outstanding
astonishing
attractive
award-winning
captivating
charming/ enchanting
classic
delightful
distinctive/ unique/ original
dramatic/ moving
exciting/ gripping/ thrilling
faultless/ impeccable/ perfect
fun
funny/ hilarious
genuine
impressive
intriguing
luxurious
memorable/ haunting/ unforgettable
realistic
satisfying
sophisticated
stunning
subtle
tasteful
thought provoking
uplifting
(good) value for money
well-regarded
Negative recommendations
… didn’t meet my expectations.
…. wasn’t (at all) what I expected.
…is best avoided.
Don’t bother (with)…
I didn’t find it very…
I wasn’t too keen on…
I wouldn’t (really) recommend…
I wouldn’t bother with…
I’d be in no hurry to…
You should avoid…
————————–
Recommending arts and media
Student B – The person being recommended to
Tell your partner about your tastes, listen to them recommend things that you haven’t tried, and react honestly on whether you think that you would like that thing or not.
Explaining your tastes
I ((absolutely) love…
I (absolutely) detest…
I (really) enjoy…
I (really) hate…
I (simply) adore…
I can’t get enough of…
I don’t (really) mind…
I don’t have any strong feelings about… one way or the other.
I especially like…
I follow…
I loathe…
I’m (really) fond of…
I’m (really) interested in…
I’m (really) into…
I’m (really) keen on…
I’m a great fan of…
I’m a… fanatic.
I’m a… geek.
I’m mad about…
I’m obsessed with…
My (all-time) favourite… is…
My favourite genre of… is…
My least favourite…
My most hated…
Negative reactions
… doesn’t sound like my kind of thing.
… sounds a bit…
annoying/ irritating
awful/ dreadful/ terrible
bland
boring/ dull
cheesy
childish/ juvenile
clichéd
confusing
disappointing
disgusting/ revolting
forgettable
low brow
melodramatic
monotonous
nothing special
notorious
only suitable for…
over the top
overlong
overpriced
predictable
pretentious/ over intellectual
repetitive
ridiculous/ silly
sentimental
tasteless
unbelievable/ unrealistic
unoriginal
—————————-
Recommending arts and media
Brainstorming stage
Without looking above, brainstorm positive and negative expressions for describing, recommending and reacting to art and media below. Phrases from several sections above can go into each column below.
| Positive expressions for describing, recommending and reacting to art and media | Negative expressions for describing, recommending against and reacting to art and media |
|
|
Look above for any positive and negative expressions you missed
———————-
PDF for easy saving and printing: Recommending arts and media
Related pages
Giving advice activites to practise other language (TEFLtastic classics Part 27)
TEFLtastic 