Conversation class on Paternity Leave
In this week's English lesson we will be talking about Paternity Leave, and looking at the Phrasal Verb, To be off.
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Quote on parenting
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In this first class we will be looking at a quote by Stacia Tauscher on parenting, and discussing some questions based on vocabulary related to paternity leave. We also recommend that you take some time to study the common pronunciation problems and common mistakes that our students make.
Quote:
Discuss the following quote with your native English teacher via Skype:
"We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today."
– Stacia Tauscher
Questions to discuss with your teacher:
1. Can you tell me what paternity leave is?
2. How much paternity leave does a father-to-be receive in your country?
Check your pronunciation of the vocabulary with your native English teacher, and discuss the questions below.
| Vocabulary | Question |
| Entitled | What do you think of your country's paternity leave provision? Are fathers entitled to more? |
| Research | In your opinion, is it as important for the father to spend time with the newborn? Do you know of any research to prove this? |
| Newborn | What is the correct amount of time for parents to spend with their newborn child? 1 month? 6 months? 1 year? |
| To take time off | Sometimes if a father or mother chooses to take more time off to spend with their child they don't get paid and may even lose their job. Is this right? |
| Full pay | Should a father receive full pay for all of their paternity leave? |
Common pronunciation problems
Father-to-be 
Newborn
Stay-at-home Dad
Common mistakes
| ✘ Day of the Father | ✔ Father's Day |
| ✘ You need to stay in house with the baby | ✔ You need to stay at home with the baby |
| ✘ My dad gave me an advice | ✔ Dad gave me a piece of advice |
Any man can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a dad
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In this class we will be looking at questions and vocabulary related to being Stay-at-home Dads
We also recommend you watch the video before your English class to be able to discuss it with your English teacher.
Questions to discuss with your teacher:
1. What is a stay-at-home Dad?
2. Did your father spend a lot of time with you when you were a child?
Check your pronunciation of the vocabulary with your native English teacher, and discuss the questions below.
| Vocabulary | Question |
| Spring to mind | What images spring to mind when you hear the word 'father'? |
| Respected | In your country, is being a stay-at-home Dad respected? Is it common? Would you like it to be? |
| Role | What are the biggest roles of a father? |
| Avoidable | Do you celebrate Father's day? Is it necessary or avoidable? |
| A piece of advice | What is the best piece of advice your father has given you? |
Now discuss the video with your English teacher in your online conversation classes via Skype:
Click to do the English listening exercise on this video!
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Reading Practice:
This article talks about the best parental leave policies adopted by big companies. Read and discuss the article with your native-speaking English teacher online via Skype:
"Netflix offers unlimited paid parental leave in the first year after a baby is born or adopted" Read more…
Questions to discuss with your teacher
1. What does Netflix offer?
2. What did Amazon announce earlier this week according to the article?
3. What for Silicon Valley is the best way to attract top talent?
4. What percentage of the will be made up of millennials?
5. What is the conclusion of a recent survey by Ernest and Young?
Irregular Verbs
| Present | Past | Participle |
| Become | Became | Became |
| Give | Gave | Given |
| Take | Took | Taken |
English grammar review
Phrasal verb: TO BE OFF
The phrasal verb to be off is used to express a situation where the speaker is having time away from something or somewhere.
The compound noun time off means a period of time where you are not required to work/study.
In British English we also use the phrase to be off to say that we are leaving.
Study the various uses of this phrasal verb in the sentences below:
1. I am off work for three months with paternity leave.
2. We are taking time off together because of the new baby.
3. I can’t discuss this with you any more - I’m off!
4. The boy is taking time off from studying to help with his baby brother.
5. Thanks to our baby catching another virus I am off sick as well.
6. We’re off to the party now - are you coming?
Improve your English writing skills by choosing one of the following essay questions, and sending it to us for correction.
We will reply within 48 hours with the corrected text, clearly marking your mistakes, and a feedback sheet, which you can use to improve your future written work.
See our other English conversation lessons, to improve your grammar and vocabulary, and practice your reading and listening skills.
And don't forget to book your online English conversation classes with one of our native English-speaking teachers to put into practice what you’ve learned in this lesson.
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