Introduce the expression to your students with a personalised example:
After just 2 days working for an insurance company, I decided I wasn’t cut out for an office job.
While at medical school my sister realised that she wasn’t cut out to be a doctor.
Have students infer the meaning: to not be the right type of person for that job/situation. Point out that it is almost always used in the negative and that it can be followed by “for” and a noun, or my “to” and a verb.
Put students in pairs and have them discuss the following jobs and situations. They should decide how suitable they think they are for them and to give reasons for their answers:
How well do you think you would cope in these situations?
As a waiter in a busy restaurant on a Saturday night.
As a board member of a big corporation.
In an army on a battlefield.
As an Olympic athlete.
As a doctor in an emergency room.
As an explorer in the 1500s.
As a teacher in a class of 30 4-year-olds.
As a teacher in a class of 30 14-year-olds.
As a world famous celebrity.
As an auctioneer selling world famous artworks.
As a reclusive writer living in a cabin in the woods.
Introduce it to your students with a personalised example:
“Getting away from the city for a couple of days did wonders for my mental health.”
Show them some more examples to help them grasp the meaning:
All that sunshine does wonders for your mood.
Yoga will do wonders for his fitness.
Fresh vegetables and pure water can do wonders for the liver.
Get a pet – my dog has done wonders for my soul.
The expression means to have a big positive effect on something. It’s most often used to describe positive impacts on physical or mental health, but can also be used to describe improvements to relationships or reputations.
The couples therapy did wonders for their marriage.
The announcement of the ceasefire did wonders for the country’s standing on the world stage.
Put students in pairs or small groups and have them think of some examples:
A product or activity that has had a positive impact on their mental or physical health.
Some advice you could give a couple who are going through a rough patch.
Something that a celebrity did that had a really good impact on their career or reputation.
As we’re over a year into the horrific war in Ukraine, we should spare a thought for all of the people who have been killed, injured or displaced as a result of Russia’s brutal invasion.
The expression means to stop and think about that group of people. The expression often appears like this:
Spare a thought for those less fortunate than you.
Encourage your students to think of other marginalised groups who need more support and attention at the moment. Perhaps consider creating a poster display with all your students’ messages of support for different groups.
Have them discuss the following questions in pairs:
How often do you think people spare a thought for those less fortunate than them these days?
What else can be done to raise awareness of the plight of marginalised groups?
Do you know anyone who has taken in refugees or offered support in other ways?
“Contrary to popular belief, you can’t catch a cold just from being cold.”
“Contrary to popular belief, gorillas are shy and gentle creatures.”
“Contrary to popular belief, British cuisine is actually quite good.”
The expression is used to introduce a fact or statement that is the opposite of what most ordinary people think
Challenge students to be stereotype/myth busters. They can either choose to disprove a stereotype about people from their country/region using the expression, or they can disprove a commonly held theory or “old wives’ tale”.
Please post some of their example sentences in the comments!
Introduce it to your students in a personalised example:
“I like scary movies but I draw the line at the Saw films, they’re too gory for me.”
Ask them to guess the meaning with their partner. The expression means to set a limit on what you’re willing to do or accept. You could show them more examples:
“I like exotic pizza toppings, but I draw the line at pineapple.”
“She’s all for her daughter expressing herself but she draws the line at her getting a nose ring.”
First have students consider the three examples. When it comes to horror films, where do they draw the line? What about pizza toppings? Where did their parents draw the line when they were growing up?
Encourage them to write 2 or 3 personalised examples and share them with the class.
Introduce it to your student by confessing about your inability to stick to a new resolution of healthy habit. You could say:
“Try as I might, I just can’t get out of bed in the morning to go to the gym. What should I do?”
Encourage students to come up with their own confessional sentences about their lives:
“Try as I might, I just can’t seem to find the time to….”
Encourage feedback on their issues from their classmates. Each student should leave with an action plan on how they can get over their issue. Be sure to check back in on their progress in the following class.
I’m trying to introduce some micro-learning to my proficiency class by starting a “phrase of the day” system. I’ll collect them in a Quizlet set so I can revisit them.
The first one is:
Strange as it may seem, ….
OR
Strange as it may sound, ….
I’ll introduce it to my students in a sentence about myself:
“Strange as it may sound for someone who is petrified of heights, I actually love rollercoasters.”
You can also use corpus websites like Skell, to show students more examples, though personalised sentences are always more effective.
Allow students to react to the meaning of the sentence. Do they think it’s strange that I like rollercoasters as Simeone who is scared of heights? How do I rationalise it?
Then have students come up with three examples about their own life. Encourage them to think carefully about some interesting or contradictory facts about themselves.
Have them read their sentences to each other and use it as a jumping off point for a short conversation. Can they find common ground? Who has the strangest fact?
This is a lesson plan for C1+ students who are preparing for Cambridge exams in which they have to write reviews of video games. Students will learn about the storytelling technique “in media res” and analyse a model text of an informal video game review. Download the handout, PowerPoint and key below:
A bead of sweat rolls down your forehead as you frantically rush from chopping board to frying pan. “Two cheeseburgers with everything, then a pepperoni pizza, then two sushi rolls.” You hear your colleague, a raccoon in a wheelchair, shout. “Ok, we’ve got this” you shout back. Then, out of the blue, the kitchen splits in two, and a giant rat steals your tomato! Don’t worry, you’re not having a nightmare, it’s the new, chaos-filled cooking extravaganza that is Overcooked! If you’re a fan of fast-paced teamwork, hilarious mishaps, and delicious meals, this is the game for you.
In Overcooked, you and your pals take on the role of chefs working frantically to prepare and serve up tasty dishes. But it’s not as simple as just tossing some ingredients together and throwing them on a plate. Oh no, no, no. You’ll be tasked with all kinds of crazy challenges, from cooking on a pirate ship to dodging traffic on a busy street.
Now, here’s the real kicker: you have to work together to get it done. That’s right, it’s a co-op game, which means you’ll need to communicate, delegate tasks, and keep an eye on the clock if you want to succeed. But never fear, even if you burn the soup or accidentally set the kitchen on fire, it’s all in good fun.
The mechanics of the game are simple enough for anyone to pick up, but the challenges quickly become more and more demanding. You’ll need to chop, fry, boil, and plate dishes as fast as you can while avoiding obstacles. It’s easier said than done, but trust me, when you finally manage to serve up that perfectly cooked sushi roll, the sense of satisfaction is unbeatable.
Overall, I’d say Overcooked is an absolute blast to play with friends. It’s the kind of game that will have you shouting and laughing and high-fiving each other (or apologising profusely for dropping the pizza on the floor). I’d recommend it to anyone who loves a good party game or just wants to bond with their buddies over some virtual cooking chaos. So fire up the grill and get ready to serve up some culinary mayhem!
