Speakout Advanced p 75. Shopping. Extra Speaking

A Have a conversation as natural as possible with a partner about the topic. Use the pictures above and the questions below to help you.

1. Is the society we live in too consumer oriented? Do you follow the latest fads or do you have your own sense of style?
2. People spend a lot during the sales.  Is this justified? Do you believe in the sales? Do you think some people buy things on impulse?
3. How do advertisers manage to strike a chord with the consumers? Does advertising play an important role when we decide to purchase commodities?  Is the best advertising the one that spreads by word of mouth? How do you achieve this? Do you think advertisers should be paid generously? Who do you think should?
4. What do you think of shopping online / in second hand shops/ at auction? Why do you think vintage clothes shops have become so popular nowadays?
5. What product/service sales are currently soaring? What have we seen a proliferation of? As a result, what business would you invest heavily in? Do you think the consumers will tire of this product/service? 
6. What product/service sales have currently lost their appeal and consequently stagnated? What would give rise to a sales jump?

B MONOLOGUE
 

Student A

1. Are we fashion victims?  Why?  Why not? What kind of trends/products get out of date too soon and why? How do trends take off?
2. “He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have” (Socrates).  Discuss.
3. Do you think that the fact that the economy is at a low ebb has brought about a shift in our shopping habits?

Student B

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of flea markets?

2. Do you look at prices when you go shopping?  When did you last ask for a quote? In what situations do people or organizations usually pay in advance? And in arrears? And in instalments?  And in full? And on expenses? Have you ever bought anything on hire purchase? And on credit?
3. "Women enjoy buying things, men don't." Do you agree with this statement? Do you think women spend freely and men are frugal and save hard?

Vocabulary

fad: something that people are interested in for only a short period of time. Craze.E.g. the latest/ current fad. A fad for physical fitness. Rap music proved to be more than just a passing fad.

Impulse: /ˈɪmpʌls/ a sudden strong wish or need to do something, without stopping to think about the results. E.g. He had a sudden impulse to stand up and sing. I resisted the impulse to laugh. Her first impulse was to run away. The door was open and on (an) impulse she went inside. He tends to act on impulse. 

strike/touch a chord (with somebody) to say or do something that makes people feel sympathy or enthusiasm. E.g. The speaker had obviously struck a chord with his audience.

by word of mouth because people tell each other and not because they read about it. E.g. The news spread by word of mouth.

pay generously/ handsomely

auction /ˈɔːkʃn/ a public event at which things are sold to the person who offers the most money for them. E.g. an auction of paintings. The house is up for auction(= will be sold at an auction ). A classic Rolls-Royce fetched (= was sold for) £25000 at auction. An Internet auction site.
 
soar: if the value, amount or level of something soars, it rises very quickly. E.g. Unemployment has soared to 18%. 

proliferation: /prəˌlɪfəˈreɪʃn/ the sudden increase in the number or amount of something; a large number of a particular thing. E.g. attempts to prevent cancer cell proliferation. A proliferation of personal computers. 

invest foolishly/ heavily/ wisely

tire of something/somebody: to become bored with something/ somebody or begin to enjoy it/ them less. E.g. They soon tired of the beach and went for a walk. She was sure that he would soon tire of her. There are plenty of restaurants for those who tire of shopping.

stagnated stopped growing. To stop developing or making progress. E.g. Profits have stagnated. I feel I'm stagnating in this job. Businesses must adapt to change or stagnate.

give rise to something: (formal) to cause something to happen or exist. E.g. The novel's success gave rise to a number of sequels.

jump (in something) a sudden increase in amount, price or value. E.g. a 20 per cent jump in pre-tax profits. Unusually large price jumps  

out of date: old-fashioned or without the most recent information and therefore no longer useful. E.g These figures are very out of date. Suddenly she felt old and out of date. An out-of-date map. Out-of-date technology.  

The ebb: /eb/ the period of time when the sea flows away from the land. E.g. the ebb tide.
at a low ebb: in a poor state; worse than usual. E.g. Morale among teachers is at a low ebb.

bring something about: to make something happen. Cause. E.g. What brought about the change in his attitude? 

shift (in something) a change in position or direction. E.g. a dramatic shift in public opinion. A shift of emphasis.

quote (also quotation or estimate) a statement of how much money a particular piece of work will cost. E.g. Their quote for the job was way too high. You need to get a written quotation before they start work. We'll give you a free quotation for replacing your windows. We got estimates from three firms and accepted the lowest.

In arrears: /əˈrɪəz/ if money or a person is paid in arrears for work, the money is paid after the work has been done. E.g. if you pay in arrears, you settle the bill when the work is finished.

Instalment: /ɪnˈstɔːlmənt/ one of a number of payments that are made regularly over a period of time until something has been paid for. Sp. Plazo, cuota. E.g. we paid for the car by/ in instalments.

in full: to the full amount due. E.g. their relocation costs would be paid in full.

expenses [plural] money that you spend while you are working and which your employer will pay back to you later. E.g. You can claim back your travelling/ travel expenses. To take a client out for a meal on expenses. An all-expenses-paid trip 

Hire purchase: /ˈpɜːtʃəs/ A system by which one pays for a thing in regular instalments while having the use of it. The article only belongs to the person who is buying it when all the payments have been made. Sp. Comprar algo a plazos. E.g. a hire purchase agreement. We're buying a new cooker on hire purchase.

Credit: an arrangement that you make, with a shop/store for example, to pay later for something you buy. E.g. we bought the dishwasher on credit.

spend freely/ extravagantly/ wisely

Frugal: /ˈfruːɡl / using only as much money or food as is necessary. Sp. Austero. E.g. a frugal existence/ life. He has always been hard-working and frugal. 

save carefully/ hard