A HANDBOOK OF FREE CONVERSATION (COLIN BLACK) environment, they will simply not have time to

have recourse to their own language.

CONTENTS
3. Adequate preparation
It I difficult to discuss a serious subject if the
1. A PERSONAL INTERVIEW participants are not familiar with the key words
2. OLD PEOPLE in the special field in question. They can be
3. FRIENDSHIP given this language material before the class. A
4. HAPPINESS reading passage, a word list and set questions
5. SMOKING, DRINKING AND DRUG-TAKING to be answered in the following period are
6. FAMILY LIFE three ways of presenting the material.
7. FASHION
8. LOVE 4. Seating arrangement
9. LIFE AND DEATH The participants should on no account be
10. A HOUSE - A HOME allowed to sit in separate desks all facing the
11. TEENAGERS front, and of course no one can be permitted to
12. ADVERTISING stand up to answer a question. Desks should be
13. EXPERIENCE moved to form either a block or a circle, and the
14. EDUCATION teacher should sit with the others as one of the
15. CRIME group.
16. MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE
17. FREEDOM 5. Avoiding group silence
With shy students, a question addressed to the
group as a whole may be met with an
embarrassed silence. To avoid this, each new
Some factors that may contribute to a successful question can be addressed to a particular
discussion class: person. However, the answer he gives should
be fully discussed by the whole group.
Promptings like do you agree, X? Or does
anyone think differently? Are needed to
1. Serious subject
promote an exchange of views.
No one is likely to make the effort of expressing
himself in a foreign language on a subject he
6. The teachers own opinions.
would not deign to discuss in his own language.
The teacher should be modest when giving his
It is a common misconception, however, to
own opinions. There should be no suggestion
suppose that such people as high school
that he knows more than the others, or that he
students in the senior classes will have a lot to
is the fortunate possessor of the truth. Such
say in a discussion of recent popular records,
an attitude greatly inhibits discussion. His
recent hair styles, and so on.
opinions should be resented as questions, e.g.
would you agree that, if they must be
2. Relevant subjects
presented at all.
Subjects that concern the participants
themselves are the only ones that will deeply
7. Patience.
engage their attention. Discussion on the
The ability to listen patiently is an important
English character or British education are not
quality in the teacher. An uninhibited discussion
likely to be very animated outside Britain.
is impossible if he belittles the participants
Merely discussion a British subject does not
intelligence, or lets them feel they have nothing
bring people to do their thinking in English. If,
important to say. Each persons views, even if
on the other hand, they are animatedly
bizarre or immature, or expressed in halting
discussing actual problems from their own
 language, should be treated with seriousness
and respect.
8. Humor.
The teacher should be alive to expressions of
humor and be ready to join in laughter, even
when it arises in a very serious discussion.
Laughter enlivens and relaxes the group
enormously, and people are much readier to
express their views in a relaxed atmosphere.
9. Correcting mistakes.
The teacher will occasionally have to reword a
speakers statement if his view has not been
expressed clearly. This should be done tactfully,
e.g. do you mean that. This will often be the
case with errors of language. If the speaker
omits the negative, for example, or has a
completely wrong idea of the meaning of a
word, the teacher must be quick to ascertain
the error and clarify the statement. But other
mistakes of language should be ignored. It is not
a grammar lesson. If the meaning is clear, a
mistake should be overlooked. The ideal is for
people to express themselves in English in a
natural manner, not that they should produce
grammatically perfect sentences.
Planning a discussion
The most important factor of all I the teachers
own preparation. A discussion should not be
improvised. The teacher has enough other
things to think about while conducting the
lesson, without having to rack his brains for the
next question, the next impulse to discussion.
A teacher can conduct a fully planned
discussion from written notes without creating
a stiff or unnatural atmosphere, as long as his
notes and questions function as impulses to
discussion. Of course, if the group feels that it is
given an oral examination, the atmosphere of
free discussion has been destroyed.
The material contained in the following sections
of this book represents an intensive preparation
for a fully planned discussion of a number of
fundamental topics. The material is of 3 kinds: a
preliminary question, a word list and the
discussion questions. The preliminary question
and the word list can be given to the
participants a week before the class. They
should be told to think about the question and
to make sure they know all the words and
expressions on the word list.
Most of the words should be already known.
The list serves to group together the vocabulary
items essential for the discussion. The
participants bring the duplicated sheet
containing the preliminary question and word
list with them to the discussion. Some people
like to be able to glance at the word list before
speaking, others like to add relevant
expressions during and after the discussion. The
preliminary question need not be treated
separately, as it will come up in a different form
in the discussion questions.
The discussion questions presented in this book
are on the broad basis suitable for classes in
almost any country. But they can made much
more effective if they are carefully adapted to
the conditions of a particular country. This
requires some knowledge, perhaps research, on
the part of the teacher, but it is an essential
element in the creation of an intense,
meaningful discussion. Conditions that many of
them may need to be drastically changed,
supplemented or omitted.
Many of the questions are in the form of
factors. These give the opportunity for personal
experience to be brought into the discussion,
and also permit a freer response than a formal
question does. Members of the group can be
assigned one factor each to think about and
comment on. After a moment of reflection, the
first person is asked if he thinks his factor is
important in the particular problem. After he
has spoken, the reactions of the others are
sought. The remaining factors are discussed in
the same way.
The questions cannot all be discussed in one
period. Enthusiastic groups may like to return to
the same subject the following week, if gthey
have not had time to say all they wanted to say.
On the other hand, there is no need for all the
questions to be asked. It depends on the group.
Some questions can and should be passed over
relatively quickly or else omitted.
1. A PERSONAL INTERVIEW Health
(An introductory conversation exercise. The Good or bad?
students should be in pairs, with the material Nervous tired depressed
for the interview on duplicated sheets. The Active gay vital
teacher starts off by giving a model interview Always out of doors or never?
with a member of the class, expanding and
developing the material very freely. Then the General
students interview each other. The purpose of Worst feature of character
the exercise is to accustom the students to Most important event in your life
speak to each other in English) Happiest moment
Worst moment
Childhood Small things that make you happy
Where? Dreams and ambitions
Happy? Exciting?
Lonely? Difficult?
Important moments in childhood
Happy events 2. OLD PEOPLE
Terrible events If an old person is not well and cannot look after
himself, he may have to go and live an Old
School Peoples Home or in the home of on of his
Where? children.
Your relationships with other children N an Old Peoples Home he can b ooked after
Wih teachers by specially trained people: nurse, doctors,
Your school work social workers. Perhaps these people can look
Important eperiences after him better than his own family can.
Good friendships Where will he be happier?

Friends Old age

Many friends or one close one? The old age pension
What do you have in common? Talk about? To retire from work
Where have you met them? A retired person

Family Social life

Living with your family? Social clubs
Who are they? Sewing clubs
Close to them? Gymnastics clubs
understood by them?
Difficult to live with them? The state
Organisations for old people
Work
What work have you done? Do you do now? Dependent
Would you like to do? Independent
Useful
Free time Useless
What do you do in the evening? At the Lonely
weekend? Nervous
Special interests? Active
Reading Patient
Travel
To treat a person with affection/ with patience/
with sympathy
To regard a person as old and useless/ as a
nuisance
a) What makes the life of an old person
different from yours?
What special difficulties do old people
often have?
In what ways is independence a
problem for old people?
b) Do you think it could be pleasant to be
old?
What things can make an old persons
life happy?
Do you know an old person who is
happy? How does he overcome his
difficulties?
c) If an old person is not well and cannot
look after himself, will he be happier in
an Old Peoples Home or in the home of
one of his children?
Do you think that nurses and social
workers can look after an old person
better than his children can?
What is an Old Peoples Home like?
What are the good and bad features of
a Home you have seen?
d) If an old person is living with his young
relatives, how should the young people
treat him?
What often goes wrong in this
situation?
What can the old people do to help?
How does an old person feel when his
young relatives treat him as old and
useless?
What would you do if you were the old
person in this situation?
e) Is it possible for old people to
understand young people? Why is it
difficult?
Can young people understand old
people?
f) What are some of the ways in which the
state helps old people?
Are there other organisations that help
old people?
What do they do?
If an old person has no family, no house
or no money, how much is the pension
he gets from the state? Is it enough?
Do we care enough about old peoples
problems?
g) At what age must a person stop work in
this country? Is this right?
If someone is a very active old person,
should he be allowed to work until he
dies?
Will you want to work until you die?
h) Why are so many old people lonely?
What can be done to help them?
Why so many old people stay at home
all the time? Is this bad for them?
How can they be helped to find a life
outside?
Do you know any old people who are
active in social life?
i) What part did your grandparents play in
your childhood?
Do children like to have their
grandparents living with them?
What can a child learn from his
grndparents?
3. FRIENDSHIP
What are your thoughts and feelings when you
know your closest friend is in trouble but he
wont confide in you? Is this a test of
friendship?
A real friend
A close friend
Sincere
Patient
Sympathetic
Hurt
Disappointed
To have a problem
To be in trouble to keep a secret
I can rely on him / Trust him / Confide in him
I lik his company
He thinks the same way as I do
 What effect did this have on your life?
I can be natural /sincere / myself with him j) Are there some people who can never
He let me down hve close friends?
I was badly let down Are there some people who dont want
close friends?
a) Have you ever thought , I have no real Are there some people who dont
friends, only people I keep company wantany friends?
with? k) Is friendship a dangerous relationship?
What is the difference between people Are you likely to be hurt, disappointed,
who are only company and a real disillusioned, etc by close friends?
friend? Is this a reason for avoiding intimate
b) Have you a Close friend? friendships?
In what ways is ths friendship important l) What motives or circumstances cause
in your life? friendships to terminate?
c) Do you know everything about your
best friend? 4. HAPPINESS
Does he know everything about you? Old peopleare fond of saying, My schooldays
Is this important in a close friendship? were the happiest days of my life. But students
If your best friend is in trouble and know that being at school and being dependent
doesnt confide in you, what do you on their family gives them personal problems
feel? that make happiness difficult. And people who
d) Is it important for close friends to thnk have left school know that being independent
the same on important subjects? and responsible in various ways gives them
Can a communist be friends with a personal problems that make happiness
conservative, an atheist with a religious difficult.
person, and so on? To find happiness
What difficulties will such people have if To make yourself happy
they are friends? To make other people happy
e) Do you see any difference in the kind of
friendship you can have with a man and A persons attitude to life
with a woman? Cheerful
Can a man or woman be close friends Solemn
without being in love with each other? easy-going
Can your husband or wife ever be your
best friend? selfish/unselfish
f) Some people say that their best friends considerate
are animals. What kind of friendship egoistic
can a person have with a dog or a cat? self-important
g) If you move to a new town, a new
school or a new job, do you make new company
friends easily? loneliness
Why is it more difficult for some people
to make riends than it is for others? to have a bad conscience
h) How have you made you friendships? a feeling of guilt
How and where have you met your sin
friends?
i) Has there been a period in your life youth
when you had no freidns? Whatwas the health
reason? wealth
power What can a lonely person, for example a
widow or a divorced woman, do to
lucky/unlucky make her life happy?
by accident If a person cares for the happiness of
other people, will he be happy himself?
a) How important are these factors in g) Are men and women happy in different
being happy? ways and for different reasons?
Money h) Why do some people have a feeling of
Being young guilt when they are very happy? Is it
Good health wrong or selfish to be happy?
Good friends i) Is it important to be happy?
Interesting work
Love 5. SMOKING, DRINKING , DRUG- TAKING
Having children
Food Tobacco, alcohol and other drugs are not
Having a car, a nice house, a fur coat, necessary to life. They are all expensive, habit-
etc forming and in some degree harmful to our
Power telling other people what to do health. Why do we smoke, drink and take
Being important or famous drugs? Are these things necessary to a happy
life?
Does happiness depend on factors like
these? A smoker
Or does it depend on a persons Tobacco
attitude to life and his attitude to other Nicotine
people? Chain-smoking
b) Does happiness come to us by accident? Lung cancer
In what ways can we make ourselves
happy? To calm your nerves
Some people who are seriously ill To give up smoking
appear to be happy all the time. How is
this possible? A drinker
Is it better not to think about being To drink heavily
happy or unhappy? Todrink moderately
c) What are the things in your daily life
that constantly make you happy? To get drunk
How could you be happier than you are Drunkness
now? To have a hangover
d) Are these important factors in Sober
unhappiness?
Being without love Alcohol
Being ill An alcoholic
Having nthing to do Alcoholism
Being lonely
Hurting someone else To prohibit alcohol
e) Who is the happiest person you know? Prohibition
Why is he happy?
f) Is it possible to be happy without Habit-forming
otherpeople? Would you be happy if A drug addict
you lived alone in a forest or a desert? Addiction

Perception
Hallucinations
A mystic experience
Psychodelic
Soothing
Calming
a) It seems certain that there is a
connection between cigarette-smoking
and lung cancer, but people appear to
smoke as much today as they ever did.
Why do we take this risk with our lives?
b) Why do you smoke? Are thse some of
the important satisfactions in smoking?
It calms your nerves.
You like the taste and smell of tobacco
You like to have something in yourhand
or mouth
A cigarette makes you feel more mature
Somking makes you more relaxed when
you are with other people.
c) Alcohol has been proved to have
harmful effects on our mental and
physical health. Is this a good reason for
prohibiting the sale of alcohol?
d) Are the laws on the sellng and drinking
of alcohol in this country satisfactory?
What changes would you like to see in
these laws? What effects do the laws
have on the way people drink?
e) Some parents teach their children that
they must never have a drink. They tell
them that if a person once begins to
drink he will never be ablo to stop. Are
they right?
What would you teach your own
children about alcohol?
f) Many young people drink for the first
time in secret, and their drink if often
cheap brandy or whisky. What is the
effect ofthis kind ofintroduction to
alcohol?
Is there a better way of introducing
young people to alcohol?
At what age should young people be
allowed to drink?
g) Can alcohol help people to relax and
enjoy life? How?
What arethe good features of alcohol?
h) Is it possible to drink in a civilized way?
What is your idea of good drinking
habits?
What is your idea of bad drinking
habits?
Would you criticize the drinking habits
of people in this country?
i) It is often suggested tat marihuana is
less harmfull than alcohol and tobacco.
Why should this drug be prohibited in
countries where alcohol and tobacco
are approved of?
Prohibiting drugs gives criminals great
opportunities to make money, but does
not seem to stop the sale of drugs.
Would it be better to allow people to
buy drugs openly from chemists?
j) Does theuse of comparatively harmless
drugs like hashish lead inevitable to the
use of dangerous drugs like heroin?
k) Various drugs are said to give their
users unusual perception and
understanding. Is this a good reason for
the use of psychedelic drugs?
6. FAMILY LIFE
Probably nothing affects a childs character so
much at the home he grows up in. in what
different ways is a child affected whn:
He grows up in a largefamily
He is the only child
His mother goes out to work
His parents are separated
His parents are always nervous and bad-
tempered?
An only child
Dependent on his parents
Independent
Too much attention
Housewives
Working mothers
Confined to the house
To bring up children
Peace and calm
The relationship between parents and children
Unmarried mothers f) What help is given in this country bu
Birth control the state or by the town to:
To stop having children People who have very big families.
Unmarried mothers
Selfish/unselfish Do these people get enough help?
To spoil a child g) What are the special problems of these
A spoilt child parents?
Young parents with their firs child
Tired Parents of teenage children
Worn out Widows
Nervous h) What causes conflict between parents
Depressed and children in families that you know?
Hysterical Could this conflict be avoided?
i) When are most parents closest to their
Gentle children in this country?
Tranquil When the children:
Easy-going Havent yet gone to school
Uncomplaining Are in the primary school
a) Does it make any difference to a Are un he high school
persons character whether he grows Hve left school
up in big family or a small one (or as an j) In some countries a young married
only child)? coupleoften goes to live permanently in
b) Do you agree with all these statements the house of the young mans parents.
aboutbig families? What are the good and bad features of
A big family teaches a child to look after this arrangement?
himself. Do young peoplein this country tend to
It teaches him to llok after other lose contact with their parents when
people. they marry?
It makes him selfish. k) Many mothers today work and are
No one can have peace and quiet in a away fromhome all day. How does this
big family. affect her and fer family?
No one can ever be alone, and everyone Would it be better for the family to
needs to b lone sometimes. have less money but have the mother
A big family makes the parents at home?
depressed and confined to home.
A big family gives the parents a full, 7. FASHION
happy life. The dress designers and the fashion magazines
c) Can the parents of only on or two that follow them tell women that they can only
children be closer to them, love them be well-dressed if they follow th continual
more,help them more? changes of fashion.
If is this true, is it always a good thing? This means spending a lot of money and time.
d) How many children would you want to Can a woman be well-dressed if she hs neither
have? Why? the money nor th time to follow the fashions?
e) Is it likely that most people have large
families only because they dont know Fashionable
how to stop having babies? The lattest fashion
In some countries birth control is taught Ready-made
in all schools. Should this be done A dress-maker
everywhere? Material
A mannequin
It suits you verywell
It doesnt fit me
Its too big for me
Its the rong colorfor me
The colors dont match
It isnt my style
Elegant
Simple
In good taste
In bad taste
Well-dressed
Badly-dressed
(A selectionof pictures taken from fashion
magazines should be ready before the
discussion begins. They are needed for question
H)
a) What is a well-dressed woman?
Are these the most important things
that help a woman to be well-dressed?
Money 8. LOVE
Good taste
Being tall and thin
Reading fashion mgazines
Self-confidence
Personality
b) Does a woman fll better-dressed when
she is wearing an expensive evening
dress than when she is wearing a wee-
made but simple dress?
How can people be well-dressed at
work or school?
c) What does a badly-dress man look like?
Whatare theworst features of the way
men in this country dress?
Why is it that mens fashions change so Sympathy
slowly?
Should men be more daring with their
clothes?
Wht changes would you like to see in
the clothes of the men you know?
d) When is a woman badly-dressed?
What are the worst features of the way
women in this country dress?
e) Womens clothes, especially summer Loveless
clothes, are often brightly coloured.
Should all women, young and old, short
and fat, tall and thin, wear these bright
colours?
What kind of mistakes can be made
with colours?
f) Wich fashions in the last few years have
you liked very much?
Will any of the todays fashions last a
long time?
g) What are the wrong clothesto wear on
these occasions:
You are invited to dinner by some
people youdont know very well.
You are spending the weekend in the
country at a friends country house.
At work
At rhe theatre
In a restaurant on Saturday night
h) When and where would you wear these
clothes? (pictures cut out from fashion
magazines are passed around the group
at this point)
Are there many kinds of love?
Is there a difference between the love you feel
for our family and the love you feel for ur
lovers, wives, husbands?
Christianity teaches Love one another, Is
Christian love another kind of love? Or is this
something different, not love at all?
A relationship
A friendship
A love affair
Affection
Desire
Infatuation
Pity
Attractive
Fascinating
Lovable
Insensitive
Cold
He was interested in her
He was attracted by her
Hefell in love with her
He adored her
He bored her
She got tired of him
She left him
a) Aquestion for men:
What is an attractive woman? Are thse
qualities important foryou?
Tenderness
Beauty
Intelligence
A sense of humur
An interesting personality
b) A question for women:
What is anattarctive man? Are these
qualities important for you?
Politeness and friendship
Good looks
Money
Strength
Intelligence
An interesting personality
c) Is it possible to live without love?
Are there some people who can
neverlove?
Does this harm them? How?
Has there been a period in your life
when you didnt love anyone?
What difference did this make to your
life?
d) Do you find it more important to loveor
to be loved?
e) What is it in another person that makes
you love him/her?
f) What can you do when someone loves
you whom you dont love?
How do youfeel in this situation?
g) What is the difference in the love we
feel for our family and the love we feel
for our lovers, wives, husbands? IS
there any difference? Christianity
teaches: Love one another, Is this
another kind of love?
h) Is there a real difference between deep
friendship and love?
i) When people are asked what made
their love die, they often say things like
this:
we didnt see each other for 3 months
she began to bore me
he stopped paying attention to me
she was only interested in herself
He lied to me
Areall of these things important in
causing love to die?
j) Are these important factors in
preserving love?
Caring foreach other
Maturity
Honesty
Not always being together
k) What would you have been done?
Professor X is an American. When he
was 23, he studied for a short time in
Moscow. There he met a Russian girl nd
shortly after married her. They returned
to the US to live and had three children.
More than 10 years later, X met another
woman, with whom he fell deeply in
love. Knowing that his wifehad left her
country for him, he decided to break off
the relationship, which caused him and
the woman reat pain.
Today he is an old man and knows
thatthis was the one great love of his
life.
9. LIFE AND DEATH
Are there some circumstances in which we are
justified in destroying humn life? In these
situations, for example:
A person is unhappy and wnts to kill himself.
A person has a painful and incurable disease
and wants to kill himself.
In war
A young girl is pregnant and doesnt want to
have her baby.
Someone is attacked by a dangerous madman
The law of a country says that the punishment
for murdr and other crimes is death.
To die of a disease
An incurable disease
Cance

Abortion
Illegal
Murder
A murderer
The soul
Immortal
Life after death
To defend yourself
Self-defense
Suicide
To commit suicide
Mental illness
Mentally ill
Depressed
Depression
a) If you were dying of an incurable
disease, would you prefer your doctor
to tell you that you were going to die?
What would you do if you were the
doctor in the same situation?
b) If a person is suffering from n incurable
and very painful disease, such as
cancer, should it be possible for a
doctor to help tht person to end his
life?
c) If a young unmarried girl is pregnant but
doesnt want to have a child, should she
have an abortion?
Some people consider abortion a form
of murder. Is this a good reason reason
for making abortion illegal?
d) Is it always wrong to kill? Would you be
justify in killing a person in any of these
situations?
In war
Someone is trying to kill you
Someone has killed a person you love
You wish to destroy a dangerous
politician
e) Do you ever think about your own
death?
Should anyone think about dying?
f) Is there any reason to be afraid of
death?
g) Would you prefer to die young?
h) In some countries a person who tries to
kill himself is considered mentally ill and
is taken to a mentl hospital. Is this
right? Should every person have the
right to end his own life when he wants
to?
i) What reasons might a person have for
wishing to commit suicide?
Are these important factors?
Loneliness
Boredom
Illness
Mental illness
Unhappy love
Financial problems
j) In some parts of the world, Scandinavia,
Japan and several Eastern European
countries, for example, suicide is much
more common than elsewhere. Why
should more people in one country
commit suicide than in another?
k) Are these factors that determine
whether a contry will have a high or low
suicide rate?
Standard of living
Climate
Drinking habits
Religion
National character
l) How would you explain to a young child
that someone he knew had died?
10. A HOUSE - A HOME
There are magazines which show us how to
furnish and arrange our homes in good taste.
Many people follow these mgazines and spend
a lot of money on expensive furniture, carpets,
pictures, etc. the result if often a room
furnished in good taste but cold and
impersonal. Why is this?
A cottage
A flat
A block of flats
An apartment
An apartment house
The kitchen
The sitting-room Would you prefer to live in an old-
The dining-room fashioned house with plenty of space or
The bedroom in a small modern flat?
The hall c) How is the sitting-room of your house
The bathroom arranged? What are the uncomfortable
The balcony features of the room?
What would you be your ideal sitting-
Furniture room? What kind of furniture, lights,
Carpets rugs, etc. would you choose for it? How
Rugs would you arrange it?
Lights Some sitting-rooms are wee-furnished
Pictures but cold and impersonal like a furniture
Plants shop. How does it happen?
A TV set What gives a sitting-room
personality?
To arrange d) In what ways are pictures important in a
An arrangement house?
To combine 2 rooms Do you prefer original paintings or
A combination prints of the great masters?
What place is there in a family home for
Comfortable/uncomfortable paintings and drawings done by the
Old-fashioned children?
Well-furnished e) Do you like to spend time in the
Personal/impersonal kitchen?
Informal Is the kitchen the best room in a family
home for meals?
Space Is it a good place to entertain friends?
A private life Is it a more relaxing place than the
Tidy /untidy sitting-room?
To make a mess What are the unconfortable features of
Messy yor kitchen?
Noise What is your idea of a really good
Noisy kitchen?

a) A modern flat id often too small for the

family that lives in it. In what ways can
this make the family unhappy?
Is it possible for a large family to live
happily in a small flat? How?
b) To make more space in a small home,
some rooms can be combined. What do
you think of thse combinations?:
Kitchen/dning-room
Dining-room/sitting-room
Sitting-room/bedroom
Houses built in early years are arranged
differently from modern flats. What are
the comfortable and uncomfortable
features of these houses?