Wh- Questions for Making Small Talk
A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS
Open questions and question formation practice through everyday conversation questions in a TTT lesson format, also good for Social English classes and learning meeting people.
Lesson Plan Content:
Wh- questions for making small talk
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Free speaking
Roleplay meeting someone for the first time and then roleplay meeting the same person again. Each time smoothly start the conversation, chat for about two minutes, then smoothly end the conversation.
Suggested small talk questions starters
- How
- How long
- How often
- What
- Where
- Who
- Why
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More controlled speaking
Chat for about two minutes using the suggested questions, filling the gaps orally (without writing) if your teacher gives you the gapped version. Options on one line have more or less the same meaning, so just choose one. Please give your own true answers – the answers given there are just to help you understand the questions.
Ask about any questions you don’t understand, answers you think you might be able to use, etc, working together to answer the questions each time.
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Gap filling
Fill the gaps on the next page with wh- question words (“what”, “how long”, etc). If there is more than one question on one line, they take the same word. Then check with the version with no gaps.
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Brainstorming questions and answers
Without looking at the other worksheets, brainstorm possible answers and possible questions into the gaps given on the last two worksheets. Many more answers are possible.
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Free speaking
Change partners and roleplay the same two situations, not looking at the worksheets but trying to use what you learnt from them.
When you finish, look at the worksheets again and discuss what other things from them might have been good to use.
Suggested basic small talk questions
- How are you (today)?/ How are things?/ How’s life? – (I’m) very well/ fine/ not bad/ good/ great + thanks/ thank you + And you?
- How are your family? – Very well, thanks. My son has just started university.
- How has your week been (so far)? – Not bad, thanks. Not so many meetings.
- How was your journey?/ How was your flight? – Quite comfortable, thanks./ Not too good. It was delayed for nearly five hours.
- How was your weekend? – Great. I played golf then went out for a drink.
- How’s (name)?/ How’s your (person with relationship with you)? – She’s very well, thanks. She asked me to say hi to you.
- How’s business?/ How’s your business doing? – Very well, thanks. Our new product is selling well.
- How’s the weather (outside now)? – Unfortunately it’s still raining./ It’s stopped raining, luckily.
- How’s the weather in your country (now)?/ What’s the weather like in your country (now)? – It’s even colder than here./ I’m not sure now, but it was raining when I left.
- How’s work? – Very busy. It always is at this time of year. How about yours?
- How’s your project going? – Very well. We should finish on time.
- How’s your hotel?/ What’s your hotel like? – It’s not bad. The swimming pool is very nice.
- What do you do?/ What’s your job? – I’m an office worker./ I sell life insurance./ I’m a freelance graphic designer.
- What does your company do?/ What kind of company do you work for? – It’s an insurance company./ It does data analysis for internet companies.
- What does your division/ department/ section/ team do? – We develop new products.
- What exactly do you do (in your job)?/ What are your duties?/ What’s your role? – I supervise the quality control process.
- What’s your bestselling/ main/ most famous product? – We sell all kinds of things, but most people know us for our household insurance.
- Where are you from?/ Where do you come from? – I’m from South Korea./ I’m Canadian.
- Where are you staying?/ Is your hotel near here? – I’m staying in the Mandarin Oriental. It’s about five minutes on foot from here.
- Where do you travel on business? – Mainly Southeast Asia, especially Singapore.
- Where have you come from today?/ Did you have to come far today? – Not far. Our office is in Shibuya.
- Where’s your company based? – Its HQ is in Shinjuku, near the Tokyo Metropolitan Building.
- Who are your (main) competitors? – The market leader is Nike.
- Who do you work for? – It’s an American insurance company.
- How long are you here (in Tokyo)? – About three months, maybe longer./ Just this weekend.
- How often do you come here (to Tokyo)? – Usually once or twice a year.
- Why are you at this conference/ trade fair/ meeting/ job fair?/ Why are you here today?/ What brings you here today? – I’m mostly just networking./ Because I’m looking for new suppliers.
Wh- questions presentation
- ____________ are you (today)?/ ___________ are things?/ ___________________’s life? – (I’m) very well/ fine/ not bad/ good/ great + thanks/ thank you + And you?
- ___________ are your family? – Very well, thanks. My son has just started university.
- __________ has your week been (so far)? – Not bad, thanks. Not so many meetings.
- ________________ was your journey?/ ___________________ was your flight? – Quite comfortable, thanks./ Not too good. It was delayed for nearly five hours.
- _____________ was your weekend? – Great. I played golf then went out for a drink.
- ______________________’s (name)?/ _______________’s your (person with relationship with you)? – She’s very well, thanks. She asked me to say hi to you.
- _______________________’s business?/ ______________________________’s your business doing? – Very well, thanks. Our new product is selling well.
- __________________________________________’s the weather (outside now)? – Unfortunately it’s still raining./ It’s stopped raining, luckily.
- _______’s the weather in your country (now)?/ What’s the weather like in your country (now)? – It’s even colder than here./ I’m not sure now, but it was raining when I left.
- ___________’s work? – Very busy. It always is at this time of year. How about yours?
- ___________________’s your project going? – Very well. We should finish on time.
- How’s your hotel?/ ________________________________’s your hotel like? – It’s not bad. The swimming pool is very nice.
- _______________ do you do?/ _____________________’s your job? – I’m an office worker./ I sell life insurance./ I’m a freelance graphic designer.
- ____________ does your company do?/ ________________ kind of company do you work for? – It’s an insurance company./ It does data analysis for internet companies.
- ____________________________ does your division/ department/ section/ team do? – We develop new products.
- _____________ exactly do you do (in your job)?/ ________________ are your duties?/ _________________’s your role? – I supervise the quality control process.
- ________________’s your bestselling/ main/ most famous product? – We sell all kinds of things, but most people know us for our household insurance.
- ______________ are you from?/ _________________ do you come from? – I’m from South Korea./ I’m Canadian.
- _____________________________ are you staying?/ Is your hotel near here? – I’m staying in the Mandarin Oriental. It’s about five minutes on foot from here.
- _________ do you travel on business? – Mainly Southeast Asia, especially Singapore.
- ______________________ have you come from today?/ Did you have to come far today? – Not far. Our office is in Shibuya.
- ________________’s your company based? – Its HQ is in Shinjuku, near the Tokyo Metropolitan Building.
- ___________________ are your (main) competitors? – The market leader is Nike.
- _________________ do you work for? – It’s an American insurance company.
- _____________________ are you here (in Tokyo)? – About three months, maybe longer./ Just this weekend.
- ___________________ do you come here (to Tokyo)? – Usually once or twice a year.
- _________________ are you at this conference/ trade fair/ meeting/ job fair?/ ____________________ are you here today?/ What brings you here today? – I’m mostly just networking./ Because I’m looking for new suppliers.
Try to think of questions that would get these answers.
(I’m) very well/ fine/ not bad/ good/ great + thanks/ thank you + And you?
Very well, thanks. My son has just started university.
Not bad, thanks. Not so many meetings.
Quite comfortable, thanks./ Not too good. It was delayed for nearly five hours.
Great. I played golf then went out for a drink.
She’s very well, thanks. She asked me to say hi to you.
Very well, thanks. Our new product is selling well.
Unfortunately it’s still raining./ It’s stopped raining, luckily.
It’s even colder than here./ I’m not sure now, but it was raining when I left.
Very busy. It always is at this time of year. How about yours?
Very well. We should finish on time.
It’s not bad. The swimming pool is very nice.
I’m an office worker./ I sell life insurance./ I’m a freelance graphic designer.
It’s an insurance company./ It does data analysis for internet companies.
We develop new products.
I supervise the quality control process.
We sell all kinds of things, but most people know us for our household insurance.
I’m from South Korea./ I’m Canadian.
I’m staying in the Mandarin Oriental. It’s about five minutes on foot from here.
Mainly Southeast Asia, especially Singapore.
Not far. Our office is in Shibuya.
Its HQ is in Shinjuku, near the Tokyo Metropolitan Building.
The market leader is Nike.
AIG. It’s an American insurance company.
About three months, maybe longer./ Just this weekend.
Usually once or twice a year.
I’m mostly just networking./ Because I’m looking for new suppliers.
Check above. Many other questions are possible, so please check if you wrote something different.
Try to think of good answers for these questions.
How are you (today)?/ How are things?/ How’s life?
How are your family?
How has your week been (so far)?
How was your journey?/ How was your flight?
How was your weekend?
How’s (name)?
How’s business?/ How’s your business doing?
How’s the weather (outside now)?
How’s the weather in your country (now)?/ What’s the weather like in your country (now)?
How’s work?
How’s your project going?
How’s your hotel?/ What’s your hotel like?
What do you do?/ What’s your job?
What does your company do?/ What kind of company do you work for?
What does your division/ department/ section/ team do?
What exactly do you do (in your job)?/ What are your duties?/ What’s your role?
What’s your bestselling/ main/ most famous product?
Where are you from?/ Where do you come from?
Where are you staying?/ Is your hotel near here?
Where do you travel on business?
Where have you come from today?/ Did you have to come far today?
Where’s your company based?
Who are your (main) competitors?
Who do you work for?
How long are you here (in Tokyo)?
How often do you come here (to Tokyo)?
Why are you at this conference/ trade fair/ meeting/ job fair?/ Why are you here today?/
What brings you here today?
Check above. Many other answers are possible, so please check if you wrote something different.
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