Archive for the ‘English lesson conversation topics’ Category

Is There A Future?

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

I have heard that when a Japanese worker is laid off from his job, he might throw himself in front of a train. Suicide is crazy. No sane person would kill himself. Just because the world is crazy, doesn't mean we have to be crazy, too. The news in the media ...

Dioxin in Bottled Water?

Monday, May 4th, 2009

Someone sent me an e-mail that Sheryl Crow, the singer, got breast cancer from drinking bottled water that had been left in a car. The heat inside the car, the e-mail said, caused dioxin to leach out of the plastic bottle into the water she drank. Dioxin is one of ...

The Judging Machine

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

Around the year 1640 AD in France, René Descartes noticed that he was thinking. From this he concluded: "I think, therefore I am." Descartes was a mathematician and a very important philosopher in the West. Even though we are not philosophers, we are often asked to define our ...

Bedbugs and Other Social Stigmas

Monday, December 8th, 2008

One of my students was covered with bedbug bites from staying overnight in a youth hostel. Even five-star hotels have bedbugs these days. Bedbugs do not eat your food or make holes in your clothes. They hide during the day and come out at night to bite you when you're ...

Pier 40

Saturday, August 30th, 2008

We live in crowded NYC, so where do we go for space? I used to go a garden, until a park guard scolded me for stepping too close to a flower. The search for space can be very frustrating here in the city. Then, one gloriously sunny afternoon, I turned a ...

Showing Promise and Keeping Promises

Friday, August 29th, 2008

If a child is good in school, his parents think their child is showing great promise and is destined for a brilliant career. But here we are speaking of the expectations, wishes, and dreams of the parents, not promises made by children. If the parents are later disappointed, this ...

Your Expected Wait Time Is

Saturday, August 9th, 2008

I was in heaven the whole time I was talking to the man from Skylink with the deep, resonant voice, because I don’t think it gets any better than that. For example, he said: “Enter this in your browser: 155.656.1.1, and then press Enter.” I stroked the numbers. ...

Saying How You Feel

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008

I am excited by BookaChat's new English courses. I am saying how I feel. In many cultures, it is not necessary to mention feelings or to know what your feelings are. But to speak English, we must be able to say how we feel. In fact, tests of competency in ...

Making a List Can Save Lives

Thursday, July 10th, 2008

If you have too much to do, make a To Do list. If you don't make such list, you may rush around like a maniac trying to get everything done in one day. You may become irritated, angry, and even violent with your loved ones. In this way, making a To ...

The Good Life

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

I arrived in Manhattan at the age of 20 seeking work, only to find that my college degree did not qualify me for any job. I took jobs unrelated to my education in order to have enough money to pay the rent on a tiny apartment. I was one of ...