1.1.2 GETTING TO KNOW PEOPLE

GETTING TO KNOW PEOPLE

1.Warm-up: Bingo

Ask each other questions to fill in a Bingo sheet.

Use full sentences: “Have you ever…?”

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2A. Vocabulary Focus: Friends & Acquaintances

2B. Relationships Practice

Think of people you know who fit into the categories above and write their names.

In pairs, explain to your partner who the people are. E.g. “George is my flatmate. We live in the centre of Madrid.”

2C. Discussion Questions

💞Do you believe everyone has a soulmate? Why or why not?

👔 How do you maintain a good relationship with a business associate without becoming too personal?

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 What are the challenges of maintaining a lifelong friendship?

🤝 Do you think it’s important to have as many acquaintances as possible?

💼 What makes a colleague easy or difficult to work with?

🎓 Have your fellow students ever gone on to be famous?

🏠 What are the most important rules to follow when living with a housemate?

🏘 What kind of relationship do you have with your next-door neighbours?

🧒 Have you stayed in touch with any childhood friends? Why or why not?

❤️ How do modern relationships differ from those of previous generations?

2D. Debate Topics

Divide into groups, A (For) and B (Against).

3A. Grammar Focus: Present Perfect Simple vs Present Perfect Continuous

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✅ I’ve been studying English for 3 years.
❌ I study English for 3 years.
✅ She’s written three reports today.
❌ She’s been writing three reports today. (unless she hasn’t finished)

3B. Pronunciation of “been” /bi:n/ or /bin/?

Click HERE to watch a BBC video.

3C. 📝 Sentence Transformation

Transform the sentence using either present perfect simple or present perfect continuous, depending on the focus.

Example:
Original: “He started painting the living room two hours ago.”
Answer: He has been painting the living room for two hours.

3D. Practice

3E. Pair Practice: Find Someone Who…

Ask each other Present Perfect questions:

Find someone who…

has been learning English for more than 5 years
has visited more than 3 countries
has been doing the same hobby for years
has met someone recently
has been living in this city for a long time

Ask follow-up questions and note details.

🗣️ 4. Partner Speaking Task – Cause & Effect

Work in pairs. Partner A describes a result or current state. Partner B guesses what they’ve been doing and why.

Example:

A: I’m really sore today.
B: Have you been working out a lot recently?

Prompts:

I’m completely exhausted today.
The house looks amazing.
My hands are covered in paint.
I’ve barely eaten anything.
The garden looks so tidy now!

5.Role Play: First-Time Meeting

Choose a situation, a conversation prompt and then use follow-up questions and reactions to keep the conversation going. Try and use the relationship vocabulary from this unit.

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6A. Reading

Read the following article about friendships and then try the exercises that follow it.

Friendships Through Life: Old Friends and New Friends

A
It is important to acknowledge that both old and new friendships play indispensable roles in our lives, albeit in different ways. Old friends often serve as anchors, grounding us with a sense of continuity and shared history, while new friends can open doors to novel experiences and opportunities. However, nurturing any friendship, regardless of its duration, demands ongoing effort, open communication, and a foundation of trust. As individuals evolve, it is natural for friendships to undergo changes as well. Nevertheless, the hallmark of true friendship lies in the ability to maintain connection and support despite life’s inevitable fluctuations.

B
Friendship constitutes one of the most fundamental and enriching aspects of human existence. While some friendships are forged early in childhood and endure for decades, others may begin much later in life, often during adulthood. Long-standing friendships carry with them a wealth of shared history and collective memories, creating a unique and deep bond between individuals. These old friends are privy to the chapters of our lives that have shaped our personalities and beliefs, often offering a comforting sense of familiarity and understanding that is difficult to replicate.

C
Ultimately, the tapestry of our social lives is enriched by a blend of enduring bonds and fresh relationships. Together, they shape our emotional well-being, offer companionship through life’s varied phases, and remind us of the importance of human connection in an ever-changing world.

D
Conversely, friendships that develop later bring their own distinct advantages. New friends tend to introduce fresh perspectives and invigorate our social lives with renewed energy. Engaging with new people can expand our horizons, challenge our assumptions, and contribute significantly to personal growth. In many cases, these newer friendships, especially those founded on shared interests, values, or goals, can rival or even surpass the strength of older relationships in terms of emotional connection and mutual support.

6B. Facts or Opinions

6C. Discussion Questions

Can you think of an example from your own life where a new friendship had a positive impact on you? How did it compare to your older friendships?
Do you believe that old friends or new friends are more important? Why?
What challenges do you think people face when trying to maintain friendships over long periods?
How do cultural differences influence the way people form and maintain friendships?
In today’s digital age, how do online friendships compare with traditional face-to-face friendships?
How can someone balance the effort needed to keep old friendships alive while also building new ones?

7A.Video

Watch the following video “How to get to know someone”. Write down the steps that are talked about. Watch it HERE.

7B. What do you think of the steps mentioned? Would you add any more?

7C. What did you think of this idea at the end of the video?

Did You Know? The first developmental stage according to psychiatrist Erik Erikson, is trust versus mistrust. Erikson believed that if an infant cannot trust its caregivers, it may never grow to have trusting relationships.