Carpe Diem! I´ve come across a couple of Carpe Diem tattoos …

Carpe Diem! I´ve come across a couple of Carpe Diem tattoos on peoples´arms, necks, backs and legs, which inspired me to include this Latin phrase in the dialogue you´re about to hear. I also pay tribute here to the late actor Robin Williams, Captain my Captain!

This is a complete LESSON PLAN you can use with your students, extracted from my book titled LET´S TALK ABOUT IT! – The Ultimate ELT Conversation Book.

FASHION

Pre-listening/reading questions:

Do you like to keep up with fashion? How often do you buy new clothes?
How important is it to dress well in your opinion?
Do you have a tattoo? Have you ever thought about getting one?

Click the link below to listen to the dialogue “Have you ever thought about getting a tattoo?”

Dialogue Comprehension – “Have you ever thought about getting a tattoo?”

Nick doesn´t have a clue what “Carpe Diem” means. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___
Barry has already seen the movie “Dead poets´ society”. True ___ False ___ I don´t know _
Jane doesn´t care much about fashion. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___
Both Nick and Barry have already considered getting a tattoo. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___
Most of Nick´s friends have tattoos. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___

Focus on Words & Expressions – Find words or expressions in the dialogue with the following similar meanings:

a. What is really important: _________________________
b. The behavior or way of doing something that is usual or expected: ____________________
c. Complained: _____________________
d. Regardless of; despite: ______________
e. No longer alive; deceased: ____________
f. Feel sorry that something has happened: __________________
g. Attractive and exciting: _______________________
h. A type of pants that are wider at the bottom: _________________
i. Keep updated: ___________________
j. Now that I think about it: _______________
k. I couldn´t avoid: ____________________
l. Willing to consider new ideas or opinions: _________________

Fill in the blanks below with a word or expression highlighted in the dialogue:

1. “I don´t ____________ moving to Chicago. Actually, I think it was one of the best things I have ever done.” said Derek to a friend.

2. Some time ago women used to stay home and play housewives, but that´s not _____________ anymore.

3. “There were very few people at the party yesterday. _______________, I wonder why Jake didn´t show up at all.” Bill told Agnes.

4. “Man, I went to a ____________ party last night. We had a lot of fun.” said Greg to a friend.

5. “Will you please stop ________________ about your life? I´m not your shrink, remember?” said Karl to his roommate.

Discussion & Conversation 1

Do you think society is more open-minded about tattoos nowadays? Explain your answer.
Do any of your friends have tattoos? What kind of tattoos do they have?
What´s your opinion of body piercing? Would you pierce your nose or any other part of your body?
How difficult is it for you to decide what clothes you´re going to wear for a particular event or situation?
Should people be allowed to wear whatever they want at the workplace? Explain your answer.

Fashion – Additional Vocabulary & Expressions

Dress code: a set of rules specifying what you can wear for a particular occasion or place. Ex. The dress code at the company where Jake works is pretty informal.

Casual Friday: a working day (Friday) when employees are allowed to dress casually. Ex. “I often wear jeans and a polo shirt on casual Friday” Nick told Marge.

The in-thing: what is fashionable now. Ex. “If you want to know what the in-thing is now ask Margaret. She knows all about fashion” Dick told Frank.

Dressed to kill: very well dressed. Ex. “Where is Stephanie going tonight? I´ve never seen her dressed to kill like this before.” Timothy told Gary.

Catch on: become popular. Ex. “Do you think those new kind of pants will catch on?” Meredith asked Sonia.

Dress up: put on fancy or formal clothes. Ex. “It´s supposed to be an elegant party, so I think we will have to dress up”, Stanley told Brian.

Trendy: extremely fashionable; modern. Ex. “Alexia is always wearing trendy clothes. She definitely keeps up with fashion.” said Barry to a friend.

Fill in the sentences or short dialogues below with words or expressions presented in Additional Vocabulary & Expressions:

1. Although Black Friday is originally an American phenomenon, it has ____________ in England and other countries worldwide, such as Brazil.

2. “I don´t have a clue what _______________ is now. I don´t really care about fashion.” said Ryan to a friend.

3. Pablo: What´s the ______________ like where you work? Robin: Fortunately it´s pretty casual. I don´t have to wear a tie.

4.People are supposed to ______________ when they attend a wedding.

5. Karen: Do you know what you are wearing to the party next Saturday? Monica: Not yet, but I´m going to make sure I´m ______________.
People will be taking a lot of pictures and we will be all over social media.

Discussion & Conversation 2

What do you think of people who don´t dress up for special events like a wedding? Should they be prohibited from attending the event?
Is it possible to be fashionable without spending too much money?
Do you ever give your old clothes to charity or someone in need?
Would you dye your hair green or blue? What do you think of people who do that?
Do you know anyone who doesn´t care at all about fashion? If so, what is he or she like?

Choose the alternative that best explains the meaning of the words in bold in the sentences below.

1. “I think that we have all done things that we regret later.” said Caroline to a friend.

a) feel good
b) feel sorry or remorseful about
c) feel happy
d) feel uneasy

2. “I love casual Friday. The work environment seems a lot more relaxed when people are dressed casually.” said Nathan to a coworker.

a) a working day on which people should dress up
b) a working day when bow ties are not allowed
c) a working day on which it is acceptable to dress informally
d) a working day when people should not dress down

3. “I work for a law office, so suits and ties are the norm there.” said Jonathan to a friend.

a) usual and expected
b) acceptable
c) intentional
d) undesirable

4. “We had dinner at a trendy restaurant in Boca Raton. It was great.” Mark told Hank.

a) pricy
b) fashionable
c) cheapo
d) weird

5. “You know Bill, he´s always whining about something.” said Stuart to a friend.

a) laughing
b) giggling
c) boasting
d) complaining

Complete the sentences below with your own words.

………………………………………………………………………… what really matters.
……………………………………… trendy …………………………………………………
Do you regret ………………………………………………………………………………
The dress code …………………………………………………………………………….
He´s always whining about ………………………………………………………………..

Discussion & Conversation 3

Do you like to go window shopping? How often do you do that?
Have you ever bought clothes from a thrift store? If so, what was the experience like?
Do you think people can look beautiful without makeup and fashionable clothes? Explain your answer.
Would you consider wearing contact lenses to change your eye color?
“Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess.” What do you think of this statement?

José Roberto A. Igreja is the author and co-author of several ELT books, including:

LET´S TALK ABOUT IT! – The Ultimate ELT Conversation Book, now available on the Amazon stores of the following countries:

AUSTRALIA BRAZIL CANADA FRANCE GERMANY INDIA ITALY JAPAN MEXICO NETHERLANDS SPAIN UK US

If you´re based in Brazil the paperback is available at a discount price on UICLAP!
240 pages – 31 QR-CODES for the audio tracks (dialogues) “even the paperback comes with built-in technology”

A BRAND-NEW ELT BOOK!