Topic: Say Please, Say Thank You.
Age: 17-18
Level: intermediate/upper-intermediate
Task 1. This is the title of the article. What do you think it will be about?
Task 2 What does it mean to be polite? Why do we have to be polite? When do we have to be polite? Talk to each other in pairs.
Task 3 Read the following paragraphs. What does the author describe?
Task 4 Read the article and underline places and situations the author names that people are not polite.
Task 5 What does the author say about YouTube users and its users’ behaviour?
Task 6 Are these sentences True or False?
The former footballer on the train was travelling to Edinburgh. T / F
New technology helps people being polite. T / F
The contestants on TV shows are rude. T / F
In underground stations there are no notices with polite behaviour. T / F
Task 7 What do the underlined words and phrases mean? Try to guess from the context.
Task 8 Paraphrase the following sentences:
Perhaps the biggest problem is that rudeness is, in some quarters, no longer something to be ashamed of; it’s applauded.
It was also common to see a customer at a checkout in a shop, babbling on their mobile while an assistant served them.
On the internet, people now feel at liberty to taunt others in a way they’d never dare do in person.
Task 9 “Last year, it was announced that lessons in good manners were to be introduced.” What do you think, is it a good idea or not?
Task 10 In pairs, think about other situations where we are impolite. What can be done to make people more polite?