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TALKING ABOUT THE
HOLIDAYS
When people see each other after the New
Year holidays, they often use a greeting
such as "Happy New Year!" Some people
also ask about New Year resolutions (the
promises that you make to yourself to get
fitter, lose weight, change job etc) or refer
more generally to the whole of the
Christmas / New Year holiday period.

Asking about the holidays

What did you do over Christmas?
What did you get up to?
Do anything exciting / special over the holidays?
Have you made any resolutions?

Giving a vague reply

Nothing much.

Nothing special.

Oh, the usual…

Same old (= nothing new)

 Giving more information
 (Did you have a good Christmas?)
 It was great / fantastic / wonderful / lovely /
thanks.
Really relaxing / Just what I needed.
We saw the in-laws / some of the family.
We got away for a couple of days.
We had a quiet one at home.
 Asking the other person
 To keep the conversation going, try returning
the question.
 What about you? (Did you have a) good
Christmas?
And you? Did you see the New Year in?

Questions you can ask

 What do you like doing?
What sort of hobbies do you have?
What do you get up to in your free time?

How to reply
 In my free time I…
When I have some spare time I…
When I get the time, I…
I relax by (watching TV)
 I'm interested in (+ noun / gerund)
I'm keen on (+ noun / gerund)
I'm into (+ noun / gerund)
I enjoy (+ noun / gerund)
 You can add "really" or "quite" after "I'm…"
for emphasis.
"I'm really keen on football."

 Giving a longer reply
 You can give more information about your
hobbies and interests:
 I like arts and crafts. I'm a creative / practical
person, and like doing things with my hands.
 I'm an outgoing person, and like socialising /
hanging out with friends
 I enjoy being physically active, and spend a lot
of time playing sports and team games.

Like doing vs like to do
 We use like + gerund to talk about general
likes:
I like fishing.
 We use like + infinitive to talk about more
specific likes:
I like to go fishing at the weekend.

Talking about the weather in English
 It's true! British people often start a
conversation with strangers and friends by
talking about the weather. As weather is a
neutral topic of conversation, it's usually safe
to use it to strike up a conversation – at the
bus stop, in a shop, or with a neighbour over
the garden fence.
Some examples of conversation starters in
English
 "Lovely day, isn't it!"
 "Bit nippy today."
 "What strange weather we're having!"
 "It doesn't look like it's going to stop raining

Attitude to weather
 Although British people like to complain
about bad weather, they generally put a
brave face on it.
 If someone complains about too much rain,
you might hear:
 "Never mind – it's good for the garden."
 If someone complains that it's too hot, you
could hear:
 "At least my tomatoes will be happy."
 If the conversation has been about general
bad weather, perhaps someone will say:
 "Well, I've heard it's worse in the west.

Predicting the weather
 We can make predictions about the weather,
using a range of forms – not just the "will" or
"going to" form:
 "I think it'll clear up later."
 "It's going to rain by the looks of it."
 "We're in for frost tonight."
 "They're expecting snow in the north."
 "I hear that showers are coming our way."

 Human attributes
 We also attribute human features to the
weather, almost as if the weather can decide
what to do:
 "The sun's trying to come out."
 "It's been trying to rain all morning."
 "It's finally decided to rain."

 Understanding the forecast
 Many British people are keen gardeners, and they
keep a close eye on the weather forecast. Here are
some of the weather features which can worry
gardeners:
 a hard frost
blizzard / galeforce conditions
hailstones
prolonged rain
blustery wind
a drought
 Here are some English words for more temperate
conditions which gardeners like:
 mild weather
sunny spells
light drizzle

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Speaking english 53191020215

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Speaking english 53191020215