English Conversation Topic 9 Talking about Australia in English

Conversation Starters 

Australia, the biggest island in the world, is a fascinating country. Share your knowledge of Australia with your friends by using the English questions below to start conversations.

1. What is Australia most famous for?

2. Do you think kangaroos and koalas are cute?

3. Why is Australia called the land ‘down under’?

4. What do you know about Australian culture?

5. Do you know which sports are most popular in Australia?

Discussion Questions 

You can have deeper conversations about Australia with these questions. If you don't know much about Australia, then talk about what you imagine.

1. Do you think you would you like living in Australia?

2. What do you know about Australian geography?

3. Can you describe any Australians you have met?

4. If you have never met an Australian, what are your impressions from TV, news or movies?

English Conversation Topic 8 Talking about art in English

Conversation Starters 

Use the questions below to have basic English conversations about art and artistic ability.

1. Do you have any artistic talent?

2. Can you draw or paint pictures well?

3. Do you know anyone who is a good artist? What kind of art can they produce?

4. Do you enjoy going to museums and looking at paintings or sculptures (shapes cut from stone)?

5. What kind of art do you like most?

6. Who are some famous artists that you have heard of?

7. Do you have a favorite painting? If so, describe it and explain why you like it.

Discussion Questions 

Have more serious English conversations about art by using the open-ended questions below.

1. Do you think music and dancing are forms of art? Explain why or why not.

2. Do you think of cartoons and comics as art? Again, explain!

3. Do you think graffiti (writing on city walls) is art? Why or why not?

4. Do you think website design is a serious art?

5. What do you think our world would be like without art?

6. Do you think governments should spend money on art and museums, or should art only be promoted by private citizens?

English Conversation Topic 7 Talking about arguments in English

Conversation Starters 

Arguing in any language can be necessary but it can also be unpleasant. Discuss various aspects of arguing in English, using the questions below to get started.

1. Do you enjoy arguing?

2. What kind of people enjoy arguing?

3. What kind of people hate arguing?

4. Do you get along with people who are argumentative? (people who argue a lot)

5. Are you good at persuading other people?

6. Are you easily persuaded by other people?

7. Have you ever participated in a debate at school? If so, describe your experience.

Discussion Questions 

Use the questions below to have deeper conversations about arguing in English.

1. What are some controversial topics that people like to argue about. Why do people argue about these topics?

2. What suggestions can you give to help people win an argument?

3. What suggestions can you give to someone who wants to avoid an argument?

4. How can we cool someone off if they are arguing too violently?

5. What are some good strategies to use in a formal debate?

English Conversation Topic 6 Talking about annoyances (things that bother us or annoy us)

Conversation Starters 

In today's world there are so many things that might annoy us. There's so much traffic, so many people in our cities, so much noise all around us. In addition, we are busy with our work and with our families. Have a discussion in English using the questions below as a starting point. If you are studying by yourself, think about how you would answer these questions, using full sentences as much as possible.

1. What are some things that can annoy you?

2. Are you annoyed more by noisy things or by inconvenient things?

3. Do people who are impolite bother you?

4. Does it annoy you when shop assistants try to sell you something that you don't need?

5. How do you feel when someone cuts in front of you in a line (a queue)?

6. Are you annoyed when someone interrupts you while you are speaking?

Discussion Questions 

Here are more challenging questions on the topic of annoyances. Ask these questions to your friends and be ready to continue the conversation by asking follow up questions.

1. Do you think we are so busy in today's world that small things annoy us more than in the past?

2. What can we do to deal with so many annoyances in today's world?

3. What is the most annoying thing you have to deal with at work? What can you do about it?

4. What annoys you most about learning English? Is it verb tenses, or articles, or something else?

5. Do you know anyone who is annoyed quite often? What advice could you give such a person?

English Conversation Topic 5 Talking about animals

Conversation Starters 

Humans are a kind of "animal". We share this world with many other animals. Use the English questions below to discuss the animal world. Start with the questions below. If you are studying by yourself, think about how you would answer these questions, using full sentences as much as possible.

1. Do you consider yourself an animal lover?

2. Are you afraid of snakes or spiders?

3. Is there a zoo near your home? How often do you go there?

4. Have you ever been to a farm? What animals can you see on a farm?

5. Is there an animal that is the symbol of your country?

6. Do you eat meat? Why are some people vegetarians who never eat meat?

7. Is there any kind of meat you would not eat? Why not?

8. Are there animal rights groups in your country? What do you think of them?

Discussion Questions 

Here are more challenging questions on the topic of animals. Ask these questions to your friends and be ready to continue the conversation by asking follow up questions.

1. What do you think is the most interesting animal in the world?

2. Do you think it is acceptable to keep wild animals in a zoo? Why might some people be against zoos?

3. Do you think it is okay to test cosmetics on animals?

4. How do you feel about the use of animals for medical research?

5. What do you think of people who wear fur coats?

6. Do you think animals have "souls" (spirits)?

English Conversation Topic 4 Talking about alcohol

Conversation Starters 

Alcohol is the most common "drug" in the world. It comes in many forms – beer, wine, along with whiskey and other "hard" liquors. Some people drink alcohol every day, others never drink it even once in their whole lives. Discuss drinking (or not drinking) alcohol with your partner, starting with the questions below. If you are studying by yourself, think about how you would answer these questions, using full sentences as much as possible.

1. Do you like to drink alcohol? Why or why not?

2. Do you think alcohol is addictive?

3. Do you know how much alcohol is in beer?

4. Do you know how much alcohol is in whiskey?

5. Do you know anyone who is an alcoholic? (a person who drinks too much)

 

Discussion Questions 

Here are more challenging questions on the topic of alcohol. Ask these questions to your friends and be ready to continue the conversation by asking follow up questions.

1. How can someone stop being an alcoholic?

2. Do you think we should try to make alcohol illegal? What might be the result if we did?

3. Why do some people drink too much alcohol?

4. Do you think alcohol is the same as a drug?

5. At what age should it be legal to drink alcohol?

English Conversation Topic 3 Talking about air travel

Conversation Starters 

Choose some questions below that interest you and ask your friends. If you are studying by yourself, think about how you would answer these questions, using full sentences as much as possible.

1. Do you ever travel by plane?

2. Do you enjoy travelling by airplane? Why or why not?

3. How old were you the first time you flew?

4. Were you afraid the first time you were on an airplane?

5. What was the longest flight you have taken?

6. Do you prefer window seats or aisle seats?

7. What do you like to do during long flights?

8. Can you sleep on an airplane?

Discussion Questions 

Ask these questions to your friends and be ready to continue the conversation by asking follow up questions.

1. What are the advantages of traveling by airplane? What are the disadvantages?

2. Do you know someone who is afraid of flying in an airplane?

3. What advice can you give to someone who is afraid of flying?

4. Would you like to be a pilot? What might be some of the requirements for the job?

5. Would you like to be a flight attendant? Why might it be a good job? Why might it be a challenging job?

6. What are some ways that airlines could improve the flying experience for passengers?

English Conversation Topic 2 Talking about advertising

Conversation Starters

Choose some questions below that interest you and ask your friends. If you are studying by yourself, think about how you would answer these questions, using full sentences as much as possible.

1. Why are there so many advertisements on TV, radio, in magazines, etc.?

2. Do you ever enjoy watching advertisements on TV? (If yes, what do you enjoy about them?)

3. What kinds of advertisements attract your attention?

4. What is the most memorable advertisement you have ever seen?

5. What is one funny advertisement you have seen? (Describe it.)

6. What products in your country use very serious TV advertisements?

7. What products in your country use funny TV advertisements?

8. Which celebrities have you seen in advertisements?

9. Do any advertisements in your country try to shock viewers?

10. How are radio ads, magazine ads and TV ads different from each other?

Discussion Questions:

Ask these questions to your friends and be ready to continue the conversation by asking follow up questions.

1. What makes an advertisement effective?

2. Have you ever bought a product because of advertising? (If so, why?)

3. What do you think of ads that are aimed at children?

4. Can famous celebrities in ads make people want to buy a product?

5. Do you think beer and cigarette companies should be allowed to advertise? Why or why not?

6. Why do some companies use celebrities in their ads?

English Conversation Topic 1 Talking about adventure in English

Conversation Starters

Life can sometimes be rather boring. We need more adventure, whether real or in our imaginations! Discuss adventures using the English questions below. You might need to use conditional verbs for questions 4 or 5.

1. Do you like to watch adventure movies?
2. Do you consider yourself to be an adventurous person?
3. What is the most adventurous thing you have ever done?
4. Would you say that learning English is a kind of adventure?
5. Could you say that life is a kind of adventure?

Discussion Questions

Use the questions below to have deeper conversations on the topic. Be sure to use conditional verb tenses in English when you are talking about things that are not quite real!

1. If you had a great adventure, who would you like to have it with?

2. Do you think your idea of adventure is the same as your parents’ ideas and your grandparents’ ideas?

3. Which of these things should be part of an adventure - danger, romance, travel, discovery, or treasure? Can you think of any other things?

4. Where would you like to go for an adventure – a jungle, a desert, a small island or a city?