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ESL Conversation Topics

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Questions for English Learners

If you want to learn English conversation, you need to practice speaking. Like any skill it takes constant practice. This page contains topics and questions for use in ESL classrooms. These English questions are intended for use in 'guided conversation' lessons, where the instructor pre-teaches vocabulary, then provides a model answer to each question, practices with the students and finally steers them into extended answers. As noted in the procedures, it is suggested that teachers choose only 4 or 5 of the questions for use in each lesson.

The suggested Procedures for using these ESL Conversation Questions are listed after the questions. The questions are roughly graded, with the easier question at the beginning and the more difficult questions later. It is hoped these topics will assist students learning English conversation, and ESL teachers in preparing English lessons.

Note: the questions in this lens are taken from Language Express, Bangkok and are used in the school's "Voice Room" conversation classes.

Ghosts (ESL Questions)

ESL Topics - Ghosts

Elementary Questions
1. Do you believe in ghosts?
2. Have you seen a ghost?
3. Where do ghosts live?
4. Are ghosts good or bad?
5. Would you talk to a ghost?

Intermediate Questions
1. Do you believe in haunted houses?
2. If you were a ghost, who would you haunt?
3. What are ghosts? Why do they haunt us?
4. What ghost movies have you seen?
5. Do people in your country generally believe in ghosts?

Advanced Questions
1. If you saw a ghost what would you do?
2. Can you recall any strange or unexplained events in your life?
3. Has anyone you know seen a ghost?
4. Are there any famous ghost stories in your country? Tell me.
5. Why do people say they see ghosts even though they sometimes do not?

Time (ESL Questions)

ESL Topics - Time

Elementary Questions
1. What time do you go to bed?
2. What time do you take a shower?
3. What time do you start work?
4. What time do you finish work?
5. What time do you eat dinner?

Intermediate Questions
1. Do you prefer to show up late or early?
2. What is your busiest day of the week?
3. Does waiting bother you?
4. Are you good at getting things done on time?
5. Do you think time moves slowly or quickly?

Advanced Questions
1. What would you do if you had a few extra hours in a day?
2. Would you rather have more time or more money?
3. In your culture, is it polite to always show up on time, or to show up a little late?
4. Is it ok to be late in your culture? How late is ok?
5. Can you do without a watch or a clock? For how long?
6. If you could stop time, what would you do and why?

Television ( ESL Questions)

ESL Topics - Television

Elementary Questions
1. How many TVs do you have?
2. How often do you watch TV?
3. What is your favourite TV show?
4. Do you have a TV in your bedroom?
5. Will you watch TV tonight?

Intermediate Questions
1. Are you going to watch TV tonight? (What will you watch?)
2. What do you usually watch on TV?
3. What kind of TV programs do you usually watch?
4. What types of TV program are there?
5. When do you usually watch TV?

Advanced Questions
1. Do you think that TV makes people lazy?
2. Do you think too much time is spent watching TV?
3. Could you live without TV for a week?
4. Do you think that there is too much violence on TV?

Telephones ( ESL Questions)

ESL Topics - Telephones

Elementary Questions
1. Do you have a mobile phone?
2. How many people in your family have a mobile phone?
3. What brand of phone do you have?
4. How old is your phone?
5. Do you want a new phone? (Why?)

Intermediate Questions
1. How often do you talk on your phone?
2. How often do you text on your phone?
3. Have you ever called for pizza delivery?
4. Have you ever had a problem with your phone bill? What did you do?
5. How many phone calls do you usually receive/make in one day?

Advanced Questions
1. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of mobile phones?
2. How much do you spend a month on your cell phone?
3. When did you first get a cell phone?
4. Who do you call most often?
5. Has your phone ever been lost or stolen?
6. What age you think children should be allowed to have a mobile phone?

Transport (ESL Questions)

ESL Topics- Transport

Elementary Questions
1. Do you have a car?
2. Do you have a motor bike?
3. Do you have a bicycle?
4. How often do you ride the train?
5. How often do you take a taxi?

Intermediate Questions
1. Do you often ride public transportation during rush hour?
2. Do you often use public transportation?
3. Do you always wear a seat belt?
4. Is parking a problem in your country?
5. Have you ever gotten a parking ticket?

Advanced Questions
1. How much does gasoline cost is your country?
2. Are there speed limits in your country? If so, what is the average speed limit?
3. At what age does the average person obtain a driver's license?
4. Is there any environmentally-friendly transportation in your area?
5. What are the most annoying bad driving habits of drivers in your country?

Conversation Procedures

Procedures for Using the Conversation Topics (25 minutes)

Step 1 (Warm up and question selection - 5 minutes)
* Warm Up: Introduce yourself and get students to introduce each other.
* Selection: While talking, assess your students and choose 3 to 5 questions from the assigned Voice Room Topic sheet that best suit the range of levels and personalities in the group)

Step 2 (Modelling the Q & As - 5 minutes)
* Select a student to ask you the first question.
* Give a clear, simple answer
* Repeat the Q & A modelling with the remaining questions

Step 3 (Pair Conversation -5 minutes)
* Break the students into pairs. Allow each pair 2-5 minutes to practice asking and answering the questions to each other.
* You can either monitor the pair practice, or pair up with a student and practice with them.

Step 4 (General Questions- 10 minutes)
* Steer the class into a general conversation on the topics.
* Ask your own questions or those from the Voice Room Topic sheet.

Link List

English Conversation Topics: More English Conversation Topics for ESL Classrooms
Language Express: English Language Learning at its Best.
ESL Games & Activities: 25 Games & Activities for ESL Classrooms
Learn English in Bangkok: List of school and profiles of English schools in Bangkok
Bangkok English School: Map to Language Express school in Bangkok

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About Me

Michael currently lives in Thailand where he is the Director of Language Express.

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