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Topic 25 of 60

Discussion picture Discussion questions Key words

Picture warm-up

1. What do you see in this picture?
2. Who are these people, and what are they doing?
3. Does this look like your life here, or in your home country? How is it the same or different?

Discussion questions

1. How do people celebrate birthdays in your home country?
2. What was your best birthday ever?
3. Do you like big parties or small gatherings? Why?
4. What is a baby shower? Do you have something similar in your culture?
5. What is a good birthday gift for an adult?
6. Is it rude to arrive late to a party in the U.S.? What about in your culture?
7. What does “BYOB” or “potluck” mean? Have you been to one?
8. Should you bring something when you are invited to someone’s home?
9. Do you like being the center of attention on your birthday?
10. Which birthdays are especially important in your culture?
11. How do you plan a party?
12. What food and music are necessary for a good party?
13. Have you ever thrown a surprise party?
14. Do you tell people your age? Is it rude to ask someone’s age?
15. What is the best party you’ve been to in the U.S.?

Key words

Say the word, then read the example sentence out loud.

• celebrate
  We celebrated my mother’s 60th birthday.
• invite
  They invited us to their housewarming party.
• invitation
  I got an invitation to a wedding.
• RSVP
  Please RSVP by Friday.
• host
  Who is going to host the party this year?
• guest
  We had forty guests at the party.
• potluck
  Everyone brings a dish to a potluck.
• surprise party
  We threw a surprise party for our boss.
• blow out
  Make a wish and blow out the candles!
• wrap
  I wrapped the gift in blue paper.
• baby shower
  We had a baby shower for my sister.
• decorations
  We put up balloons and decorations.
• throw a party
  Let’s throw a party for graduation.
• milestone
  Turning 50 is a big milestone.
• toast
  He made a toast to the happy couple.

Next topic: 26. Transportation

Topic chosen by comparing popular ESL conversation resources (see How these topics were chosen). Questions and example sentences are original to this collection. Translations are a guide and should be reviewed by a fluent speaker.