Persuading someone to do something in English
When was the last time you tried to persuade someone to do something?
Did you manage to convince them to do what you wanted? In these video clips, you’ll see examples of people trying to persuade others to do something.
As you listen to the conversations, you’ll learn lots of useful words and expressions.
And this in turn will help you speak more fluently. For this fun activity, simply watch the conversation clips and answer the questions.
Good luck!
Level: Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate (B1-B2)
Video activity
You’re going to watch some video clips from our fantastic online Complete English Course! Watch the video and try to answer the questions that appear at the start of each clip.
CLICK BELOW TO WATCH THE VIDEO CLIPS
Here are the questions for you to answer. [answers below]
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What’s the first holiday that the travel agent (the woman on the left) suggests?
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What do the two gangsters (dressed in black) want to talk about with the café worker?
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What time is it when the police officers arrest the man?
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How long has it been since the woman on the left (in the cream top) last had something to eat?
Watch & read!
After you’ve finished, watch the video and read the script at the same time. This is great for developing your listening skills as you can see the relationship between the spoken and written words.
Video script
Clip 1
Travel Agent: Hi! Thank you so much for coming, welcome to Ultimate Holidays. What
can I do for you both today?
Shirley: Hi, we are looking for an adventure holiday.
Mike: And when we say adventure, we mean adventure!
Travel Agent: Adventure, OK. Let me see what I’ve got for you. (OK.) So, here’s a
good one. Option one, European cities. Ten cities, in just five days, racing through
Europe on a bus.
Mike: Well…
Shirley: Boring.
Mike: A little boring.
Clip 2
Paulie: Hey.
Cashier: Good morning, guys. What can I get for you? It’s our first day, so 50%
off everything!
Lorraine: The manager. We’d like the manager.
Paulie: We want to speak to the manager.
Cashier: I’m the manager today. Hi, Nigel, as you can see.
Lorraine: Hi, Nigel.
Paulie: How are you doing, Nigel?
Cashier: What can I do for you guys?
Paulie: Well, we’re here, today… we represent…
Lorraine: East Side Merchant Protective Cooperative.
Paulie: That’s right.
Cashier: Great, what’s that? Right, you got a little catchphrase, yeah, I heard.
Paulie: That’s right. MPC.
Cashier: Community project, is it?
Paulie: That’s right.
Cashier: Oh, fantastic.
Lorraine: No, we’re actually here to talk about our insurance policy.
Cashier: Insurance Policy?
Paulie: That’s right
Cashier: Fantastic.
Paulie: We’d like to say, welcome to the neighborhood.
Clip 3
Officer Malone (on the left): Freeze!
Officer Flynn (on the right): Hands up!
Malone: Step back!
Flynn: Stop what you’re doing!
Malone: Put the can down. Search him.
Flynn: He’s clean.
Malone: Alright. What do you think you’re doing?
Man: Er, nothing?
Flynn: Shouldn’t you be home right now?
Malone: It’s awfully late.
Man: Home? It’s ten o’clock!
Malone: Mhm, well, you wouldn’t want to get in trouble, would you?
Man: No, but can I have my can back?
Malone: I don’t think so.
Flynn: What are you doing with it?
Man: Nothing!
Clip 4
Coach: OK ladies, it’s not that bad! We’re only down ten with fifteen minutes to go!
We can get them!
Jenny (in the black T-shirt): I just want to go home.
Shelly (in the cream top): Yeah, I’m exhausted. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.
Coach: Oh come on, stop complaining! We can get them. Get the ball, run fast, jump
high! Let’s do it!
Jenny: Come on coach, I was taking care of my kids all night last night.
Shelly: Yeah, and the other team is really good.
Coach: Yes, they’re really good, but you guys are better! We got this!
Jenny: How can you be sure, Coach? I…
By the way, these clips come from of the High-Level of The Complete English Course. Our 3-level online course will ensure you make real progress, improve all areas of English at the same time and increase your English level. Each level will improve your Speaking, Pronunciation, Listening, Reading, Vocabulary and Writing. For more information on this fantastic course and to try some sample lessons, please visit: https://learnhotenglish.com/product/complete-english-course/
Answers
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What’s the first holiday that the travel agent (the woman on the left) suggests? A holiday that involves visiting 10 European cities in just 5 days on a bus.
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What do the two gangsters (dressed in black) want to talk about with the café worker? They want to discuss an insurance policy for the shop.
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What time is it when the police officers arrest the man? It’s 10 o’clock.
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How long has it been since the woman on the left (in the cream top) last had something to eat? The woman on the left hasn’t eaten since breakfast.
