English conversations: How to Explain something in English
When was the last time you had to explain something in English to a friend, colleague, classmate or boss?
Sometimes, we just need to describe what happened. Other times, we may have to give our opinion, or explain what the options are.
However, there are times when things don’t happen the way we want them to. And then we may need to make excuses or explain things in more detail.
For this fun activity, simply watch the conversation clips and answer the questions. Good luck!
Level: Pre-Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate (A2-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 HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO CLIPS
Here are the questions for you to answer. [answers below]
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Who does the woman on the left say is the best candidate for the job?
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What is the soup of the day?
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How many packets of crisps did the man buy?
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Has the woman installed the bathroom toilet furniture?
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
Shirley [on the right]: So, I’m looking at the options for this promotion to marketing manager, and I just can’t decide who to go with. Do you have any opinions?
Nicole [on the left]: Yeah, well I was thinking about this, and I think, er, Jessica, er, Jessica Lines. I think she, she’s the best candidate for this.
Shirley: Really?
Nicole: Yeah…
Clip 2
Woman: This place is really nice!
Man: And it’s so nice to finally, really have some time away from work.
Woman: Yeah, it’s been a long week! Hi!
Waiter: Good afternoon!
Man: Good Afternoon.
Waiter: Hope all is well. [Yeah, really good.] Welcome to our, lunch, restaurant here. [Thank you!] Er, I’m here to just start off with your appetizers. We have, er, soup of the day. Our soup of the day is pea soup, and our daily special is…
Clip 3
Man: Hey, honey, I’m back.
Woman: Finally! I’m starving. Did you get any crisps?
Man: Yeah, of course, of course. [Good, good, good thank you.] The shop was busy today, and they didn’t have everything. [That’s a bummer.] And your…
Clip 4
Man: OK, so, first off, have you installed the bathroom toilet furniture.
Woman: No, ‘cos we can’t do that yet until we’ve laid the floor first.
Man: Right, OK, so, why haven’t you laid the floor?
Woman: Er, because they still haven’t delivered the flooring material that we ordered about three weeks ago.
The Complete English Course
By the way, these clips come from of the Low-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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Who does the woman on the left say is the best candidate for the job? She says that Jessica Lines is the best candidate for the job.
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What is the soup of the day? The soup of the day is pea soup.
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How many packets of crisps did the man buy? He bought one packet of crisps.
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Has the woman installed the bathroom toilet furniture? No, she hasn’t installed the bathroom toilet furniture.
