Want to do Christmas activities but your students have an exam coming up? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Here’s some Christmassy proficiency speaking part 2 tasks. Students work in pairs on a timed collaborative task. Download the PowerPoint below:
They’ve made their demands and they’re not going to back down. – stop demanding something
My car always breaks down when I don’t have enough money to get it repaired. – stop working
They broke/split up last year but then they got back together. – to end; to separate (a marriage / a relationship / etc.)
My parents died when I was very young so my grandma brought me up. – raise/educate/care for (a child)
I bumped/ran into an old friend from uni in the street. – to meet someone unexpectedly
The situation calls for calm negotiations and cool heads from everyone involved. – demand / request
They’ve had to call off the match due to bad weather. – cancel (an event)
I’m just going to carry on working on my presentation, but let me know if you need anything. – continue
The new hairstyle has really caught on with teenagers in my town. catch on – to become popular (an idea or a style);
I kept dropping hints about what I wanted for my birthday but my wife didn’t catch on. – to understand/realise after a long time
I bought him a pint to try to cheer him up – make happier
I came across my old school books while I was clearing out the attic. – find by chance
He came into quite a lot of money when his grandparents passed away. come into (money) – inherit
Come round after school and we’ll work on the science project together. – come to your house
I’ve come up with a great idea for our Halloween costumes. – think of and suggest an idea
The topic of a pay rise came up in my meeting with the boss. – be mentioned, arise or appear (in class / an exam / a meeting)
Don’t be late! Everyone is counting on you. – to rely on
My New Year’s resolution is to cut down on fast food.– reduce the amount you consume
Sorry, the call got cut off when we went through a tunnel. – separate / isolate / interrupt
My doctor has told me I need to cut out all processed meats from my diet. – stop doing / eating something
The child was struggling to do up his shoelaces. We’re doing up our house this summer. – fasten, button up clothes; repair, redecorate or modernize a building or room
We all dressed up as monsters for Halloween.– put on different clothes in order to disguise yourself
My Dad dropped by on his way home to work to say hello. – to visit informally or unexpectedly
He also came to drop off my Christmas presents. The taxi dropped us off outside the airport. – to take something (or someone) to a place and leave it there
He didn’t enjoy the economics degree course and dropped out after 6 months. – stop taking part in (a competition, a university, etc.)
We got lost and ended up in a completely different town. We were supposed to go out clubbing but we ended up staying in. – an end result of something planned or unplanned
She fell for him the moment she met him. – fall in love with
She fell out with her younger sister over who was going to look after grandma at Christmas. – argue and stop being friendly with someone
Yesterday she found out that she passed her law degree. – discover
I wrote them an email to follow up my complaint from the previous day. – find out more about something; take further action
I get along/on really well with all my teachers. – have a good relationship with
We just want to get away for the weekend and have some peace and quiet. – go on a short holiday/break
He stole €10 from his mum’s purse and got away with it, she blamed his brother. – not be punished for doing something
I don’t earn much but it’s enough to get by. – manage to survive / live
Stop chatting and get on with your work! – start or continue doing something (especially work)
It took him a long time to get over her, I think he still loves her. – recover after the end of a relationship with someone
I’m still getting over a nasty cold but I should be fine in a couple of days. – recover from
I get together with my old uni friends every 6 months or so. – meet (usually for social reasons)
I’m cleaning out my garage this weekend, I’m going to get rid of so much old stuff. – eliminate/discard
He accidently gave away the surprise birthday party to the birthday girl, what an idiot! – reveal
Hey! That’s my bag! Give it back – return
Don’t forget to give/hand in your essays at the end of the class. – submit (homework, etc.)
The kids wouldn’t stop asking for an ice cream so I finally gave in and let them have one. – agree to something you do not want to
The rotting fruit was giving off a nasty smell. (a smell) – produce and send into the air
The receptionist gave out all the most important information to the guests. – announce or broadcast information
They’re giving/handing out free samples of delicious cheese at the supermarket. – distribute to a group of people
The sudoku puzzle was too difficult so I gave up and read a book instead. – to stop trying to do something (often because it is too difficult)
A: We should decorate the kitchen. B: Yeah, I’d go along with that. – support an idea or agree with someone’s opinion
The milk has gone off, we’ll have to buy some more. A bomb went off outside the airport, luckily nobody was hurt. – explode; become bad (food)
The poker game went on for hours and hours. – to continue
Have you heard? Charlie is going out with Kathy. – have a romantic relationship with someone
My Dad’s threatening to take away my car keys if I don’t tidy my room but I don’t think he will go through with it. – complete a promise or plan
My best friend from primary school and I grew apart over the years and now we hardly speak. – get distant from someone, like a friend
When I grow up, I want to be a firefighter. – slowly become an adult
We hung around outside the concert hall for 2 hours after the show trying to get an autograph. – to wait or spend time somewhere, doing nothing
I’m just going to hang out with my friends tonight. – spend time relaxing (informal)
Don’t leave your shirts on the floor, you need to hang them up. She finished the call and then hung up. – to hang clothes or an object on a hook or line; to end a phone call
Go down this street and then head for the big church, your hotel is right next door to it. – go towards
My shyness always holds me back in social situations. – prevent someone from making progress
We need to hurry up! Our train leaves in five minutes. – do something more quickly
Just keep on walking this way and you’ll get to the station in no time. – to continue
Where were you on Saturday? I really needed your help and you let me down. – disappoint
The police decided to let the kids off with a warning because it was their first offence. – give someone a lighter punishment than they expected (or not punish at all)
I can’t come out, I need to look after my baby brother. – take care of
I hate it when people look down on those who are less fortunate than them. – feel superior to
I’ve been looking for a flat for 2 months but haven’t found one I like yet. – try to find
I’m really looking forward to Christmas this year. – feel happy about something that is going to happen
The police are looking into the case of the missing dog. – investigate
I had never heard of my Dad’s favorite footballer, I had to look him up on wikipedia. – find information about (e.g. a word in a dictionary)
I’ve always looked up to my mum, she’s very resilient. – admire and respect
They gave us free tickets to a different show to make up for the cancellation. – compensate for
They fell out over something stupid but now they’ve made up. – become friends again
He’s always making up ridiculous stories and excuses for why he’s late. (something) – invent (stories, excuses)
Ok, thanks for that report Jon, now let’s move on to Sarah’s presentation. – change to a different job, activity or place
I moved out of my parents house when I was 18. – stop living in a house or flat
He was so dehydrated that he passed out and woke up in the back of an ambulance. – lose consciousness
When are you going to pay back the money you owe me? – return money
Don’t worry, my parents are going to pay for dinner. – purchase
They’ve finally managed to pay off the mortgage on the house. She got into Oxford University, all of her hard work has paid off! – finish paying for something; have a positive result from hard work
Mum, it’s raining really hard, can you come and pick me up from the train station? – meet / collect someone (e.g. at the station / from school)
At the end of the presentation our boss pointed out several obvious mistakes we had made. – to draw attention to something or someone
Vicky! Come and put away your toys before you have dinner. – put something back in the correct place
I’m going to the dentist tomorrow, I’ve been putting it off for months. – postpone
They put on a big show to raise money for charity. (an event/a show) – organize an event
Put your coat on, it’s cold outside. (clothes /make up) – place something on your body
I put on quite a lot of weight during lockdown. (weight) – increase (weight)
The firefighters were finally able to put the fire out. – extinguish (e.g. fire)
My uncle can put us up for a couple of nights while we’re in London. (for the night) – accommodate
Put your hand up if you have any questions. (your hand) – lift into the air
I’m not going to put up with anymore lateness from those kids. – tolerate
The car rental company tried to rip us off but I was having none of it. – charge someone too much for something
We ran out of petrol in the middle of nowhere, it was terrifying. – use up (e.g. money, petrol, time)
We had to set off at 4am, it was horrible. – start a journey
We set up the company in 1995 and it’s still going strong to this day. – establish / start (e.g. a company)
Dan! Stop showing off and pass us the ball, we’re losing 4-0. – try to impress people by telling or showing them what you are capable of
They’ve had to shut down 5 stores in the area because sales have dropped. – to close
We need to sort out accommodation for our trip to Paris. – arrange or order by classes or categories; find a solution
BBC stands for the British Broadcasting Corporation. – to represent
His ginger hair really makes him stand out from the rest of the boys in his class. – be easy to see because of being different
I’d say I take after my Dad in my looks and my Mum in my personality. (someone) – resemble a member of your family in appearance, behaviour or character
Please take your feet off the seat, your shoes are very dirty. – to remove from a surface or your body (clothes)
Our plane takes off at 9pm. – leave the ground (e.g. a plane)
She’s taken on a lot of extra responsibilities in her new job. – attempt something new; employ
A new manager has taken over the department. – take control of
I took to ice-skating really quickly and now I’ve signed up for weekly classes.– start to like, especially after only a short time
I first took up volleyball when I was in secondary school. – start doing (a hobby)
The teacher told us off for being late. – speak angrily to someone who has done something wrong
I’ve decided to throw away my old sofa, unless you want it. – get rid of something you do not need any more
The weather on the mountain got really bad so we had to turn back. – return towards the place you started from
They’ve turned down our offer for the house, they want more money. – reject or refuse
On a full moon he turns into a werewolf! They’ve turned my favourite restaurant into a Burger King! – to transform
Don’t forget to turn/switch off the lights when you leave. – to disconnect (e.g. a computer)
He switched/turned on the TV and sat down to watch the match. – to connect (e.g. the TV)
Our bus didn’t turn up for 2 hours. – arrive, usually unexpectedly, early or late
He always uses up all the toilet roll and doesn’t replace it. – finish a supply of something
I’ve completely worn out my old football boots, I need to get some new ones. – to use something until it becomes unusable
I work out 3 times a week at the gym. The students struggled to work out the complicated equations. The police couldn’t work out how the burglars got into the house. – think about and find a solution; do exercise
