Small talk questions with how activities
A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS
A big review of questions like "How's it going?" and "How was your holiday?" and typical responses.
Lesson Plan Content:
Small talk questions with how activities
Play the game below that your teacher tells you to.
A: How questions better responses for points game
Ask each other “How…?” questions such as those below. Your partner will respond with their real reaction to that question from the list below and why they used that word, e.g. “How was your weekend?” “Not so good, (because) I had a cold and so spent most of the day in bed.” You get the number of points below, so try to ask questions for which you think your partner will have a (very) positive reaction like “How was your summer holiday?” If they can’t answer with one of the words below, for example if their (real) response is “I’m not sure”, “I don’t remember” or “Actually, I don’t have a hangover”, then you get no points.
B: How questions longer and longer answers game
Choose one of the questions below. While you ask the same question to each other over and over again, try to produce an answer that was (at least slightly) longer than the last answer (the answer given by your partner) to the same question. Continue until the next answer is shorter or until someone gives up, discuss which of those answers would probably be best in real life, then do the same with other questions below.
C: Answers to how questions competitions
In groups of three or four, ask the same question to each other person in the group and then decide whose (true or made up) story was:
- The best match to the short answer that they gave
- The best length
- The most interesting story
D: How questions coin game
Ask your partner a “How…?” question and listen to their (real) answer. After they ask you the same question back, flip a coin to decide if your (real or, probably, imaginary) answer should be:
- More positive (= heads)
- More negative/ Less positive (= tails)
Continue asking the same question, flipping the coin and giving more or less positive answers until someone runs out of ideas or someone says something that doesn’t follow what the coin told them to do. Then do the same thing with other questions.
E: How questions boasting game
Ask your partner a “How…?” and then answer the same question yourself. If your (true) answer is more positive than your partner’s, e.g. if you weekend was “Fabulous” when theirs was only “Great”, then you score one point.
When your teacher stops you, ask about any questions and responses you aren’t sure about, asking and responding as a class each time. Then do the language tasks below.
Suggested how questions
- How are you?/ How’s it going?/ How are things?/ How’s life?/ How are you doing?
- How was your (long/ three-day) weekend?
- How has your week/ day/ trip/ visit/ stay been (so far)?
- How have you been (since we last met)?
- How’s work?
- How’s business?
- How was your (summer/ Xmas/ New Year/ Easter/ bank) holiday/ vacation?
- How was your flight?
- How was your journey?
- How was your trip?
- How’s the weather (there) in… (now)?
- How’s… going? (e.g. How’s your project going?)
- You said that you were going to… How was it?/ How did it go?
- I heard that you… How was it?/ How was the weather?/ How did you get on?/ How…?
- How are you getting on with…?
- How was your evening?
- How’s your hotel?
- How’s (name)? (e.g. How’s John?)
- How’s your family?/ How are your family?
- How’s the weather outside now?
- How was your lunch?
- How’s your meal?/ How’s the steak?/ How’s the…?
- How was the traffic (coming from…/ this morning/ on… road)?
- How was (name of place)? (e.g. How was England?)
- How are you coping with…?/ How are you dealing with…?
- How did… go?/ How did you get on with…?/ How did… react to…?
- How’s your leg (recovering)?/ How’s your cold?/ How’s your…?
- How’s… getting on with/ at/ in…?
- How’s your hangover?
Suggested responses
7: (Absolutely) wonderful/ fantastic/ superb/ perfect
6: (Really) great
5: (Pretty) good/ Very well/ Not (so/ too) bad
4: Okay/ Alright/ Nothing special
3: So-so
2: Not so good/ Not so great
1: (Absolutely) terrible/ awful
Suggested reactions to responses
- Congratulations!/ Good for you.
- I’m glad to hear that./ That sounds great./ I envy you.
- No way!/ Really?/ You’re kidding!
- That’s too bad./ That sounds awful/ terrible./ Sorry to hear that./ That’s a shame/ a
Small talk questions with how presentation
Small talk questions with how questions stems presentation
Ask as many questions as you can using the question stems below.
Brainstorm as many endings as you can to the “How…?” small talk questions below.
- How are…?
- How’s…?/ How is…?
- How was…?
- How has…?
- How have…?
- How did…?
Mixed answers
Match the question starters above to the endings below.
it going?
life?
work?
business?
the weather outside now?
the weather now in…?
your project going?
your cold?
your leg (recovering)?
your hangover?
you?
things?
you doing?
you getting on with…?
you coping with…?
your week been?
your day been (so far)?
your trip been?
your visit been?
your stay been (so far)?
you been?
you been since we last met?
your weekend?
your long weekend
your holiday?
your summer vacation?
your flight?
your journey (here)?
your trip (to America)?
your evening?
your lunch?
the traffic (this morning/ coming from…)?
your winter break?
your presentation go?
…go?
you get on with…?
Hint: Questions which take the same starter are above and below each other in this list.
Check your answers and then test each other by:
- Reading out endings until your partner guesses the beginning
- Choosing one of the beginnings and helping your partner complete it in as many different ways as possible
Answers to how questions presentation
Without looking above, brainstorm positive and negative basic answers to “How…?” questions below in order from most negative at the bottom to most positive at the top, with negative ones below the dotted line and positive ones above it. Some can go on the same line next to each other, and other words not above are also possible.
7:
6: GOOD
5:
--------4: NOT GOOD OR BAD
3:
2: BAD
1:
Use the mixed answers below to help with the task above, putting ones with the same meaning next to each other.
Use the Line by Line Mixed Answers below to help with the task and help check your answers above.
Mixed answers
- Alright
- Awful
- Fantastic
- (Pretty) good
- Great
- Not (so/ too) bad
- Not so good
- Not so great
- Nothing special
- Okay
- Perfect
- So-so
- Superb
- Terrible
- Very well
- Wonderful
--------------------------------------------------fold, cover or cut----------------------------------------------------
Line by line mixed answers
- (Pretty) good/ Very well/ Not (so/ too) bad
- Great
- Not so good/ Not so great
- Okay/ Alright/ Nothing special.
- So-so
- Terrible/ Awful
- Wonderful/ Fantastic/ Superb/ Perfect
Join the two sides below to make other possible responses.
(I’m) ole.
Mustn’t fine.
(I) can’t complain.
Same ole same grumble.
Reactions to responses presentation
Join the two sides below to make possible reactions to responses (i.e. the next step).
Congratulation bad.
Good for great/ awful/ terrible.
(I’m) glad/ sorry kidding!
That sounds -s!
I envy shame/ pity.
No to hear that.
You’re way!
That’s too you.
That’s a you.
Check above.
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