November Week Three

That Drives Me Up the Wall!

First of all, thanks to all of you who showed up at the Extra Activity last week, we really had a great time at the museum. It was a great chance to see the renovated building, the collection and to practice speaking English with fellow classmates.

This week we talked about all those things that drive us crazy: our pet peeves!  Things that annoy us, bother us, and bug us. Our lists were long and varied, some of you hate bad spelling or grammar, others hate aggressive drivers, and several of you complained about people who use their phone while they're talking to you. 

Listening
There are a few things out there that learners could try listening to, such as Pet Peeves,  Ruth's Pet Peeves (mp3 and transcript) or the more advanced Annoying Coworkers . For original version, listen to a segment of This American Life about an Astronaut's pet peeves (listen with transcript).  Or if you want to really be annoyed, watch some of those horrible Annoying Orange Videos.  But you have been warned, they live up to their name!

Reading
Don't forget to practice your reading. Learners could try reading a text about Bad Habits or a dialogue about Pet Peeves. If you're looking for something in original version there are several articles out there about scientific studies about annoying behaviours: Our Facebook Friends are Very Annoying, or any of the many articles from the Complaint Box Series at the New York Times.

Writing
Don't forget to practice writing. This week you could write a composition about something that really drives you nuts.  Why? Under what circumstances? Or respond to this question: Do you have any advice for dealing with difficult, moody, or “toxic” people?


Best,
Kelly

“Good manners are made up of petty sacrifices.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson.