At this time of year it´s good to talk about ENGLISH PARTIES!

Talking about parties is a great topic of conversation. We’ve all been to at least one in our lives! So, I often use it with my students. Just to help you talk about this popular topic, here are some useful words and expressions for you to learn to talk about English parties. Later, you can watch a video with two people chatting about parties to help with your listening skills.

Ready? OK, let’s go!

A host

The “host” is the person who organises the party, often in their own home.

“Who’s the host for this party?”

A guest

A “guest” is someone who goes to a party.

“How many guests were there at the party?”

To have a party

If you “have a party”, you organise the party and invite people to it.

“We had a party at my house last night.”

To go to a party

If you “go to a party”, you attend it.

“I went to a great party last week.”

To plan a party

If you “plan a party”, you organise it and decide what food to have, where to have it, who to invite…

“They planned their friend’s party in secret.”

To celebrate a birthday

If you “celebrate” a birthday, you do something special on your (or someone’s) birthday – the day when you were born.

“We all met up in a pub to celebrate her 28^th birthday.”

To gather

If people “gather” somewhere, they form a group to talk or do something special. A “gathering” is the noun.

“We had a little gathering last week with some old school friends.”

Highlight

The “highlight” of an event is the most interesting or exciting part of it.

“The highlight of the party was when Jessica and Jack got onto the table to sing their song.”

Have a good time

If you “have a good time”, you enjoy yourself.

“We had a great time at the party.”

Fancy-dress party

A “fancy-dress party” is one in which people dress up as famous people, monsters, vampires, fire-fighters…

“I went as a police officer to the fancy-dress party.”

Questions

Now, you’re going to watch a video with two people talking about the topic. Watch it and answer the questions.

1. Where does Kennedy live?
2. What does Kennedy’s family do at their parties in the woods?
3. What happened at the party last year?
4. What is Katie’s relationship with the girl who lives down the road?
5. What sort of parties do their friends have?
6. What was always a highlight of Katie’s holidays?

 Answers

Here are the answers:

1. Kennedy lives in Washington DC.

 

2. Kennedy’s family roast pigs and shoot bows and arrows in their parties in the woods.

 

3. In the party last year, someone was thrown out of a window.

 

4. Katie is the same age as the girl who lives down the road and they grew up together.

 

5. Their friends have Fourth of July barbecues, and Halloween and Christmas parties.

 

6. The highlight of Katie’s holidays was going to the neighbour’s house for parties.

Speaking

Now it’s your turn! See if you can answer these questions about the topic. Good luck!

• Have you ever hosted a party? When? Where? How did it go?
• When was the last time you went to a party? What was it like?
• Have you ever been to a fancy-dress party? What did you go as?
• Have you ever helped plan a party? What did you do?
• How did you celebrate your last birthday? Where did you celebrate it?
• What are some of the best parties you’ve been to? Why were they so good?

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