Topic 5
HOW DO YOU
SPEND THE DAY?
Improving
Conversation
Skills
ENGLISH CONVERSATION
How Do You Spend The Day?
Improving Conversation Skills: Practice the conversation with a partner
A: Good evening, I'm Steve. What's your name?
B: Hi Steve, I'm Karen. How are you today?
A: I'm fine, what about you?
B: I'm feeling good, thank you. Nice to meet you, Steve.
A: Nice to meet you too, Karen.
B: Tell me about yourself. How do you spend a day? What do you do?
A: Well, I wake up at 5 a.m and take a cold shower.
B: A cold shower, really?
A: Yeah, I don't remember exactly where, but I read an article that says a cold shower is
healthier than a hot shower.
B: Oh, I didn't know that. I'll try it tonight. What do you do after that?
A: Then I have breakfast with my girlfriend and go to work at 7 a.m.
B: What is your job?
A: I am an English teacher.
B: That's nice. When do you come back home?
A: Generally, I arrive home at 4 p.m. What do you do in the evenings?
B: I cook dinner with my girlfriend, and after dinner, we watch a film or sometimes play video
games together. I go to bed around 11 p.m.
ENGLISH CONVERSATION
How Do You Spend The Day?
Improving Conversation Skills: Practice the conversation with a partner
SCENARIO 2
A: Good morning.
B: Oh, good morning.
A: What time is it, six o'clock?
B: We missed you at breakfast.
A: Am I too late already?
B: I'm afraid so. Breakfast is in the great tent from 5 to 5:30. Here, have a piece of bread.
A: Is that it? One piece of bread?
B: Everyone has gone off to swim in the lake now. Do you want to join us in December?
A: You must be kidding. It's freezing!
B: But the water is pure and it refreshes your soul.
A: You said that yesterday, and I still haven't changed my mind. No way am I going
swimming, and that's final. Now, what's the rest of the program for today?
B: Well, morning prayers start at 6:30. We meet in the great tent and chant together.
A: Okay, I need to unwind.
B: We do this for half an hour until seven.
A: How about yoga? Isn't that in the morning as well? I can't wait for that.
B: The yoga class is in the great tent from seven to eight, and then we will walk into the
woods to achieve inner peace.
A: Now wait a minute. Where's that leaflet you gave me? Ah, yes, here it is. Yoga finishes at
eight, walking till ten. That's for two hours.
ENGLISH CONVERSATION
How Do You Spend The Day?
Improving Conversation Skills: Practice the conversation with a partner
B: Yes, it's really invigorating. The walk will cleanse your spirit and refresh your soul.
A: It seems a bit long for me. I'm not that keen on walking. Anyway, then from 10 to midday,
it's meditation, right?
B: Yes, we meditate together in the great tent.
A: Great! And after lunch?
B: It says here, creative skills. You will learn a special dance among the trees to show our
love for nature and the world. The dance will refresh your soul.
A: I'm not sure I like the sound of that. It's not really me.
B: Oh, you'll take to it in no time. It's from one to two o'clock. After the dancing, you will
learn how to express yourself through painting and song as well.
A: Ah, that sounds more like it. Oh, and when do I get the massage?
B: That's at four o'clock. Then dinner. Dinner, yes. Here it is at five o'clock.
A: What, soup and bread? The soup and bread will, let me guess, refresh my soul. Right,
that's right. Then what?
B: At 5:30, you return to your tent and meditate alone. You remain alone until breakfast the
next morning.
A: I think that'll be the best part.
B: Right, I'll see you at morning prayers in the great tent.
A: Yes, I'll see you then.
ENGLISH CONVERSATION
How Do You Spend The Day?
Improving Conversation Skills: Practice the conversation with a partner
SCENARIO 3
A: What is a typical day like for you when you're in Africa?
B: Well, when I am in Gombe, I set up at a quarter to seven for breakfast. I usually have a
piece of bread and a cup of coffee. Then I go and find the chimps.
A: What happens when you find the chimps?
B: I spend the day following them in the forest. It can be very tiring following the chimps,
crawling through the jungle, but it's always very interesting as I never know where I'm going
to go.
A: Do you stop for lunch?
B: I usually don't bother with lunch when I'm out.
A: What's the hardest part of the day?
B: I'm used to living in the jungle now, that has never been difficult for me. Actually, but in
the day, I normally feel most tired around three o'clock.
A: When do you start following the chimps and go back home?
B: When it gets dark out, the chimps choose a place to rest. The young ones play up in the
branches. The sunset is lovely after a hot day. When I know they are settling down, I head for
home.
A: How do you spend your evenings?
B: Hmm, the Gombe evening is magical. It's dark by 7:30 p.m. I jump into Lake Tangi and
Neca. The clear fresh water makes all the tiredness go away. Then, I cook something like
beans, onions, and tomatoes over an open fire.
ENGLISH CONVERSATION
How Do You Spend The Day?
Improving Conversation Skills: Practice the conversation with a partner
A: And how about in the UK? I guess your day must be a bit different.
B: Just a bit, yes. In Bournemouth, where I have a home, breakfast is at nine. This is great
because I can get three hours of work done first. I always have many letters to write. I try to
reply to them all, especially ones from children. In the morning, in the afternoon, I write
replies to all the letters. I have tea with my family in the late afternoon. Then I go for a walk
with my dog. After supper, it's back to work again.
QUESTIONS TO PONDER
1. How much time do you typically spend on 2. What activities or practices do you
electronic devices during the day? Do you find most helpful for maintaining your
think technology has a positive or negative mental and emotional well-being?
impact on how you spend your day?
3. How do you prioritize tasks and 4. How does your daily routine differ
manage your time throughout the day? on weekdays compared to weekends?
5. How do you balance academic responsibilities with other aspects of your life,
such as hobbies, socializing, or personal time?
