First Impressions. Speaking exercise

In this lesson we will be talking about First Impressions in English, and looking at the difference between used to / usually / to be used to.


 

"There are no first impressions anymore. You go to a job interview, and they'll probably have Googled you…. If I'm angry about something, I'm not going to take to my Twitter".
— Patrick Stump

 

We all know the famous expression “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, but we also know that most of us are guilty of doing so, and so it is important that when we meet people, we make a good first impression — especially as first impressions can often be very hard to change!

Before we get started, here is a list of vocabulary that will help you talk about first impressions with your native English-speaking teacher in your conversation classes via Skype.

 

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English vocabulary related to First Impressions

She/he’s not my cup of tea	She/he’s not the type of person I like
To come across + adj.	To appear (adj.) to other people
To get to know someone	To know more about someone, little by little
To make a snap judgement	To make an immediate judgement of someone
To warm to someone	To start liking someone
To shake someone’s hand	A way of greeting someone
Eye contact	Looking at someone in the eyes
Facial expression	The expressions your face gives
Firm handshake	A strong handshake
Smile	(verb & noun)
Laugh	(verb & noun)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Grammar to use in your online English conversation class

Difference between used to / usually / to be used to.

1. Used to:  We use this for past habits that are no longer true. 

Examples:

Richard is in prison and his wife divorced him. 

• He used to work in a bank.
• He used to visit his country house at the weekends.
• He used to have a wife. 
• He used to love his life!

 

2. Usually:  We use this for current habits.

Examples:

Richard’s wife now lives with their children in the city.

• She usually cooks fish on Fridays.
• She usually visits Richard once a month with the children.
• She doesn’t usually visit the country house.

 

3. To be used to + noun/gerund:  To be accustomed to something

Examples:

Pablo has been an ERASMUS student in London for 6 months now.

• He is used to cooking for himself.
• He is used to the rain.
• He is used to not seeing his parents every day.

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Useful verb forms:

• Meet - met - met
• Shake - shook - shaken

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Common mistakes:

X clotheses
√ clothes
 

X The first time I knew him
√ The first time I MET him

 

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Common pronunciation problems:

• laugh  /‘lɑ:f/
• judge  /‘dʒʌdʒ/
• young  /'jʌŋ/

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Questions we will discuss in your online English conversation class:

- What is the meaning of “Don’t judge a book by its cover”?

- Are you guilty of judging a book by its cover?

- When you look at someone, what makes you think they are…(intelligent / greedy / kind / crazy / dangerous)

- What was first impression of your partner?

- Have you met someone who you hated right away even though you didn’t know them?
 

 

- When are the most important times to make a good first impression?

- What are the best ways to make a good first impression?

- Do you make first impressions based on what people wear?

- What kind of impression are you trying to make with your clothes?

- Do you try to make a different first impression now than you did in high school?

- In which jobs do people have to make very quick decisions based on first impressions?

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Practice reading and listening before speaking with your native English-speaking teacher:

This interesting article studies whether or not first impressions are hard to change, and whether or not the opportunities we get in life can be decided by our face and the first impressions we make on people.
 

“First impressions are hard to dislodge, new research finds. The good news is that people's snap judgments about others tend to be accurate.” Read more…

 

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And this short video gives advice on how to make a good first impressions, looking at both verbal and non-verbal communication:
 

Do listening exercise on this video!

 

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Speaking practice:

Now book your online English conversation class with one of our native English-speaking teachers to put into practice what you’ve learned in this lesson.

Book a class
 

Only by doing this will you improve the most important communication skill in English: speaking!

 

Not an OLA student yet? Sign up for your FREE trial class now!

 

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See our other lessons, and improve your grammar and vocabulary with our well-thought out lesson plans to ensure you learn how to speak real English!

 

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