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This page has the online practice materials for:
LearnEnglish Elementary Podcast Magazine No. 05
Section 1 - Conversations in English

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Section 1 - Conversations in English
“I didn't know you had a dog!” – talking about pets
This section starts at the beginning of the audio file, immediately after the Introduction, e.g. when the counter on your audio player is on 00mins.20secs

Section 1 is based on the Introduction. This section looks how to talk about your pets or ask questions about other people’s..

Suggestion: One way to use this is to read the transcript, and then look at Tom's tip in this section. You can then do some exercises to help you to learn the common phrases. A good idea is to practise these with a friend who speaks English or is also learning English.

Transcript

Tess: Do you want to know my big news for this week, Ravi?
Ravi: Let me guess. You’re going to be the star of a brand new Hollywood movie? You’ve won the lottery?
Tess: Not quite, Ravi. I’ve got a cat!
Ravi: Really?
Tess: Well, it’s just a baby cat – a kitten, but yes, I got him yesterday. He’s gorgeous.
Ravi: It’s a boy cat then? Where did you get him?
Tess: Well, my friend Kate found him in the street. And Kate’s already got two cats so I said I’d take this one.
Ravi: What colour is he?
Tess: Well, he’s only small but he’s a brown tabby.
Ravi: What’s a tabby again? Is that the stripy one?
Tess: That’s it – tabbies are the ones with sort of dark stripes – like a tiger. He’s really lovely.
Ravi: What are you going to call him?
Tess: D’you know, I just don’t know. I’ve got lots of ideas for names but I can’t decide. I thought maybe you could help me. What would you call a cat?
Ravi: Hmm. That’s a difficult question. To be honest, Tess, I’m more of a dog person. I’ve never really thought about names for cats.
Tess: You don’t like cats?
Ravi: Well, it’s not that I don’t like cats. I just prefer dogs, that’s all. Anyway, I’ve got an idea, why don’t you call your cat ‘Gordon’.
Tess: Hmm. I don’t think so. I need to think of a name soon though, really.

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Tom’s tip 1

A lot of British people have pets – and they like to talk about them. So even if you don’t like animals yourself, it’s a good idea to be interested in other people’s pets. It’s also a very easy thing to talk about when you don’t know someone very well and you can’t think of anything to say! You can talk about your pets or ask questions about other people’s.

Tom’s tip 2

Some learners think that ‘he’ and ‘she’ are only used for people and that we always use ‘it’ for animals. That isn’t really true. When we don’t know if an animal is male or female, for example, we see a lion in a programme on the television, or we see a dog in the street, then we use ‘it’. But when we know if the animal is male or female then we use ‘he’ or ‘she’. You can see this clearly in the dialogue between Glen and Stella below.

Practice materials: talking about pets - gapfilling activity

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If someone starts talking about a pet, you can ask them a lot of questions to keep the conversation going. Or you can tell them about your pet or pets.

Look at the examples from the dialogues in the boxes:

	You: Ask ... Tell ... Ask what sort of dog/cat 1. .......... What sort of dog is it? 2. .......... She’s a girl. She’s a mixture – a bit of everything I think. She’s a street cat. Ask people to describe them, especially the colour and length of their fur/hair 3. .......... What colour is he? 4. .......... He’s really lovely. She’s absolutely gorgeous She’s got long black hair. He’s a brown tabby. Ask about their name 5. .......... What are you going to call him? 6. .......... Her name’s Cleo because... What a nice name. Ask about age 7. .......... Was she a puppy? 8. .......... She was already adult. She’s about five now I think. She’s getting a bit old now. Ask about where and when they got them 9. .......... Where did you get him? How long have you had her? 10. .......... I got him yesterday. I saw her in the pet shop and I just had to have her. Ask about health 11. .......... How’s your dog? 12. .......... I had to take my dog to the vet. He’s much better now, thanks. Talk about your pets - past and present 13. .......... Have you got any pets? 14. .......... I had a pet mouse when I was a kid… Talk about people’s opinions of pets 15. .......... You don’t like cats? 16. .......... To be honest, I’m more of a dog person. I like them, but I don’t really want to live with one.

Now decide which of the phrases in the table below should go next to each number in the table above. See answers at the bottom of this page.

	No. My parents didn't want us to have animals in the house. She's a cross between a Labrador and an Alsatian Oh, he just needs some injections Is she a special breed? Didn't you have a hamster or something when you were young? George – because he looks a bit like my uncle Oh dear. What's wrong with him? Is she very old, then? My mum's dog had puppies so I decided to take one. They make too much mess in the house Did you find her in the street? What does she look like? She’s got spots – you know, a bit like a Dalmatian. Are you an animal person? What's she called? She's just a kitten.

Next:
Continue to: Practice materials: Section 2: I'd like to meet
Return to: Elementary Podcast 05 Home Page

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Answers

1. Is she a special breed?; 2. She's a cross between a Labrador and an Alsatian; 3: What does she look like?; 4. She’s got spots – you know, a bit like a Dalmatian.; 5. What's she called?; 6. George – because he looks a bit like my uncle; 7. Is she very old, then?; 8. She's just a kitten.; 9. Did you find her in the street?; 10.  My mum's dog had puppies so I decided to take one.; 11. Oh dear. What's wrong with him?; 12. Oh, he just needs some injections; 13. Didn't you have a hamster or something when you were young?; 14. No. My parents didn't want us to have animals in the house.; 15. Are you an animal person?; 16. They make too much mess in the house