A2

My pet makes me happy

T PRE-CLASS ACTIVITIES
1. Read the texts and complete the gaps with the words in the boxes.

active calm complicated exciting loved productive stressed

Lucia: Yes, a snake! Slither is an internet star. My TikTok is full of videos of

her. I show how she eats mice, hides behind the couch and climbs the
furniture. People love watching her, so we have lots of subscribers. People
say snakes are dangerous, but playing with Slither makes me calm.

The problem is that I live in a small town. It’s complicated to find a vet who
will agree to check a large snake.

Lina: I have a cat, his name’s Pilgrim. He’s the most beautiful cat in the
world, and I want to show him to everyone. We often take part in different
cat shows. He has won five! He makes my life exciting: we travel, we
prepare for shows and we meet other cat parents. When I come home after
a long day, he jumps on my lap and purrs. It’s the best feeling ever! In
those moments, I feel loved.

There is only one problem: his fur is everywhere.

Mike: Yes, I’m a dog owner. I work from home, so I sit most of the day and
rarely leave the house. Without Max, I wouldn’t move at all. He makes me
more active. I wake up early to walk him. And I need to go shopping to buy
him food because there is no dog food delivery. Max is my best friend,
really. He takes away all my worries and bad thoughts so I feel less
stressed.

On the other hand, taking care of a dog who weighs 30 kilos is quite
expensive. Also, when he is around, I can’t focus on work and become less
productive.

2. Underline the questions which all three people (Lucia, Lina and Mike) answered in the texts in ex.
1.
Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.
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My pet makes me happy

• Do you have a pet?

• What do other people think about your pet?
• What effect does your pet have on your life?
• Do you have any problems with your pet?

T IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES
3. Look at the advantages and disadvantages of having a pet. Add one or two points to each category.
Then, say if you think it’s a good idea to have a pet.

T Encourage students to share their experience.

Advantages: Disadvantages:
• Playing with pets makes people calm. • Some pet food is quite expensive.
• Pets make their owners’ lives more active. • Pets’ fur can get everywhere in the house.

4. Complete the gaps with the pets below and continue the sentences with your own ideas.

spider hamster rat fish rabbit budgie

A. A ______________ is the most active pet so...

B. It’s really complicated to take care of a ______________ because…
C. With a ______________, your evenings will be more exciting because...
D. A ______________ can make you feel loved because...
E. If you want to be more productive, have a ______________ as a pet because...
F. ______________ are quite calm, so...
G. It’s not a good idea to have a ______________ as a pet. It can make you stressed because...

5. Discuss the questions.

• Which of the pets in ex. 4 do people in your country have more often? Why?
• Do you think it’s a good idea to have unusual pets like spiders, monkeys, snakes, etc.? Why/Why
not?

Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.

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My pet makes me happy

• Is there an animal you would like to have as a pet? Is there a pet you would never have?

6. Create four sentences that are true for you using words and phrases in the boxes.

Before students do the task, ask them these questions about the example sentences to check if they
understand the structure:
T
Does the person like their job? – Yes.
Is the person afraid of spiders? – No.
EXAMPLE: My work makes me happy.
Spiders don’t make me scared.

My pet
active productive
My work make
calm sad
Other people’s pets makes me
complicated scared
Spiders don’t make my life
happy stressed
My friends doesn’t make
loved
Hobbies

7. Find a mistake in each sentence and correct it.

A. Don’t take food away from the raccoons because it makes they angry. them
B. People say it’s a challenge to have a dog but my pet don’t make my life more complicated. doesn’t
C. When my pet monkey hugs me, she make me calm. makes
D. The long walk made we tired. us
E. Having a cat purring on his lap makes he more productive. him

8. Look at the pictures and answer the questions about each of them.

Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.

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My pet makes me happy

• Do you think the pets make their owner/their owner’s life…

- easier/more complicated? - more exciting/more boring?
- less/more productive? - more/less active?

9. Watch a video [https://youtu.be/3v1PCF3ZuUU] and say why the workplace is unusual. Say if you
would like to work in such an office and explain why/why not.
Employees of this company can bring their pets to the office.

10. Watch the video again and tick the ideas that are mentioned.
A. Their boss was the first person who brought their dog to the office. [00:26]
B. Some of the workers prefer to leave their pets at home.
C. Experts say that pets have a positive effect on employees and their work. [01:13]
D. The workers say that there are some problems that dogs create in the office.
E. The company offers lunch breaks for the pets, too.
F. The company in the video is open to having all kinds of pets in the office. [02:13]

11. Choose four statements and comment on them.

• Most pets don’t like staying at home alone.
• Pets make workplaces loud and messy.
• Pets can make employees more friendly with each other.
• Not many employees would be happy to have a pet-friendly
workplace.
• Many people don’t get pets because they wouldn’t be able to
spend a lot of time with them.
• The employer is responsible for everything pets do in the office.
• People should not bring their pets to public places such as restaurants, hospitals, hotels, shops,
etc.
• Pets can be stressed in the office where there are other pets and people.

12. Discuss how pets can change these parts of life in positive and negative ways.

health money friends and relationships

Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.

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My pet makes me happy

This worksheet includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. It’s only
T
available in the teacher’s version of the worksheet. Print it, cut it up and hand it out to your students.

Use the nouns and adjectives in the boxes and the verb ‘make’ to create four or five statements that are
true for you. Add details to your statements.
If you do or check this task in class, ask students to work in pairs. Ask them to exchange their
T
sentences and discuss if they are true for them too.

EXAMPLE: Painting makes me calm. When I paint, I forget about my problems.

coffee painting bored productive

comedies pets complicated sad
fast cars travelling calm scared
food video games exciting stressed
long walks wine tasting happy tired

Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.

My pet makes me happy

Use the nouns and adjectives in the boxes and the verb ‘make’ to create four or five statements that are
true for you. Add details to your statements.
EXAMPLE: Painting makes me calm. When I paint, I forget about my problems.

coffee painting bored productive

comedies pets complicated sad
fast cars travelling calm scared
food video games exciting stressed
long walks wine tasting happy tired

Use the nouns and adjectives in the boxes and the verb ‘make’ to create four or five statements that are
true for you. Add details to your statements.
EXAMPLE: Painting makes me calm. When I paint, I forget about my problems.

coffee painting bored productive

comedies pets complicated sad
fast cars travelling calm scared
food video games exciting stressed
long walks wine tasting happy tired

Use the nouns and adjectives in the boxes and the verb ‘make’ to create four or five statements that are
true for you. Add details to your statements.
EXAMPLE: Painting makes me calm. When I paint, I forget about my problems.

coffee painting bored productive

comedies pets complicated sad
fast cars travelling calm scared
food video games exciting stressed
long walks wine tasting happy tired

Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.