CONVERSATION TOPICS - Advanced level
A list of conversation topics suitable for advanced level learners of English.
♦Note:
It's a good idea to pre-teach essential vocabulary before beginning a discussion.
This will help students feel more comfortable and encourage them to participate.
CONVERSATION TOPICS - ADVANCED LEVELIt's a good idea to pre-teach essential vocabulary before beginning a discussion.
This will help students feel more comfortable and encourage them to participate.
- Fake news
Fake news (fabricated news) is the deliberate spread of misinformation. Sensationalist, dishonest or outright fabricated headlines are often used to increase readership. - Do you agree with the above definition?
- Where do we most often find fake news? (newspapers, social media ..)
- What sort of fake news can you think of? (politics, show business..)
- How can we tell if a news story is ‘fake’ or not? (checking sources, dates, photos…)
- What is the purpose of the misinformation?
- Is fake news used in election campaigns?
- Have any countries recently been accused of spreading fake news?
- Can you think of ways to prevent the circulation of fake news?
- Violence in the world today
- When you hear the word 'violence', what do you think of?
- Is the world more violent today?
- Are there different sorts of violence? (physical / mental /psychological/domestic …)
- What forms of violence have you noticed?
- Do people tend to be more violent when they group together? (gangs / mobs / crowds…)
- In what areas is there an increase in the level of violence? (football, politics, religion, environment …)
- What are the causes of violence? (jealousy, frustration, unemployment, poverty, conspiracy theories, fake news …)
- What violent conflicts are going on around the world?
- Does the repetition of violent images in TV news reports have a positive or negative effect?
- Does violence ever achieve anything?
- Is the increase in violence a worldwide phenomenon?
- What could be done to reduce violence?
- Annoying things
- Do people have habits that annoy you?
- Do you annoy people with some of your habits?
- What does 'pet peeve' mean?
- Do you have a pet peeve?
- What annoys you when you are driving a car?
- What are some things that car drivers do that annoy you?
- Does it annoy you if someone cuts in front of you when you are waiting in line?
- Does smoking bother you?
- Does something that your parents or friends do annoy you?
- Do some people in your office/company do annoying things?
- Can you think of any celebrities that are annoying? Why?
- What do people do on public transport or on the street that annoys you?
- Success-Failure
- How would you define success?
- Do you have the same idea of success as your parents?
- To what extent will your encourage your children to become successful?
- Do you think failures can contribute to a person's success?
- Can you think of any famous people who encountered failure before success?
- Social Networking
- What is social networking?
- Can social networking sites be dangerous?
- What precautions would you advise people to take?
- Should the use of social networking sites be banned at work?
- Are social networking sites changing our daily behaviour?
- Is it possible to become a social networking addict?
- Diseases
- What dangerous diseases are people scared of nowadays?
- Should we be better-informed about the dangers of these diseases?
- What is the best way to stop diseases from spreading?
- Do diseases have an effect on travel?
- Which disease is it urgent to find a cure for?
- Manners
- Are good manners important?
- Do people have better manners today than before?
- Can you give examples of what you think are good manners?
- What do you think are bad manners?
- Can good manners in one country be bad manners in another country?
- What about table manners? Can you give examples of some good table manners?
- How about bad table manners?
- Can manners affect your success in life? How?
- What's the best way to teach manners to children?
- What advice about manners would you give a foreigner visiting your country?
- News coverage in the media today.
- Do you think news coverage today correctly describes what is going on in the world?
- Do you trust everything you hear or see on the news?
- What improvements would you make?
- What is the most important current news story?
- Do certain types of events get too much/too little coverage?
- Do you trust the media? Are you sure the information given is always true?
- Is it important to keep up with current events?
- Job interviews
- Is it necessary to prepare for a job interview?
- How can a person make a good first impression?
- Is there a recommended dress code for an interview?
- Can you think of any difficult questions one should be prepared for?
- Is there anything a candidate should avoid mentioning?
- Is it ok to make negative comments about your present employer?
- Is it ok for interviewers to ask questions about age, marital status, etc.?
- What information should a candidate have about the company?
- Environment
- What are some of the most serious environmental problems today?
- Can you find ten things that each of us can do to help preserve our planet?
- What is your opinion on climate change?
- In what way will our children be affected by climate change?
- How can we make our homes more environmentally friendly?
- What can companies do to help preserve the environment?
- Which countries cause the most pollution?
- If we run out of oil, where will we get our energy from?
- Shopping on the internet
- Do you often do your shopping online?
- What do you buy online? :
- food
- clothes
- furniture
- services : airline tickets, theatre reservations, flowers, greeting cards ..
- other - Are the prices the same as in the shops/agencies or less expensive?
- Have you ever had any disappointments or bad surprises?
- What are the advantages of shopping online?
- What are the dangers?
- What advice would you give future online shoppers?
- Risk
- What is your definition of risk?
- Do you know any risk takers?
- In your opinion why do people take risks? (pleasure, work, challenge ..)
- What risks do you come across in your work/life?
- Are some people obliged to take risks in their jobs?
- When is a risk stupid or unnecessary?
- Politicians' personal lives.
- Does a politician's personal life have an effect on their ability to do their job?
- Do you think the media pays too much attention to politicians' personal lives?
- Why do certain types of media give excessive coverage to minor offences?
- Information concerning personal lives circulates quickly on social networks.
Is this good or bad?
- History for future generations.
- You are asked to select a number of objects to represent life at the beginning of the 21st century.
The idea is to help future generations better understand how we lived and what major events affected us.
What objects would your choose and why?
- You are asked to select a number of objects to represent life at the beginning of the 21st century.
- Technology
- What technology would it be difficult to live without today?
- Has technology changed our everyday lifestyle?
- What technology, if any, has made our homes more comfortable?
- Has technology changed education methods?
- Will online education one day replace the classroom?
- Travelling has become easier and cheaper. What has it changed in people's lives:
- speed, comfort, health, family relationships, etc.
- work/employment
- holiday habits
- way of life/standard of living in certain countries.
- Describe the best or worst trip you ever took:
- Where did you go?
- Did you travel alone or with a group?
- What did you do / what had you intended to do?
- What made it your best (or worst) trip?
- What advice would you give someone planning the same sort of trip?
- Work
- Do human beings need to work to be happy?
- What motivates people to work long hours?
- Can perks (or fringe benefits) compensate for a boring job?
- What are the advantages/disadvantages of working from home?
- How do people find a balance between work and personal life?
- What would make you leave your job?
- In your opinion, what is the worst job in the world?
- Is life today better than in the past? Think about the following:
- Education - employment - job satisfaction
- Health : prevention, treatment, new discoveries, social security, etc.
- Comfort : standard of living (housing/transport/leisure)
- Violence
- Social issues : single mothers, unmarried couples, homosexuality ..
- Inventions
- What invention has had the greatest impact on our lives?
- Are there some things that never should have been invented?
- Do some countries encourage inventors more than others?
- What are the 5 most important decisions in a person's life?
After making suggestions and defending their ideas, the group retains five of them and decides on the order of importance. - It is impossible to have a successful career and a happy family life.
You have to choose one or the other. Do you agree? - Careers today: how to advise young people
- How important is it to have a good (well-paid/secure) job?
- What advice would you give a young person today?
- Would you encourage your children to accept a job in another country?
- Would you be disappointed if your children
- left school early?
- chose a manual job?
- The internet is an essential communication tool in today's world.
- The first and most popular use is the email. What others can you think of?
- Has fraud increased since the arrival of the internet? How?
- Is the internet sometimes used for other dishonest purposes?
- What steps would you advise to protect data and privacy?
- What do you think the internet will be used for in the future?
- Recent physical achievements (crossing the Atlantic, mountain climbing, etc.).
- How many can you think of?
- Which achievement was the most impressive?
- Are the world's best athletes present at the Olympic Games?
- What do you think of 'extreme' sports (bungee jumping, tightrope walking..)?
- The effects of medical and scientific progress:
- health (prevention, treatment, organ transplants, rare diseases, etc.)
- beauty (plastic surgery, dental care, etc.)
- comfort in the home
- transport
see also:
Unfinished sentences - advanced
Conversation topics - intermediate
Conversation topics - business
back to Resources for Teachers
Unfinished sentences - advanced
Conversation topics - intermediate
Conversation topics - business
back to Resources for Teachers
Please note that British English spelling is used on this website.
This is a sample lesson from the Everyday English Speaking Course. You can register to get all 45 lessons in the course!
Are you ready to take a trip? We’re going to start a series of lessons on practical English for use while traveling. Today we’re going to go through the airport step by step, learning important vocabulary and useful phrases along the way.
Conversation #1 – At the Check-In Desk
Dan is flying from New York to Los Angeles. When he arrives at the airport, he goes to the check-in desk. Listen to the conversation he has with the agent:
https://www.espressoenglish.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/16a.mp3Agent: Good afternoon! Where are you flying to today?
Dan: Los Angeles.
Agent: May I have your passport, please?
Dan: Here you go.
Agent: Are you checking any bags?
Dan: Just this one.
Agent: OK, please place your bag on the scale.
Dan: I have a stopover in Chicago – do I need to pick up my luggage there?
Agent: No, it’ll go straight through to Los Angeles. Here are your boarding passes – your flight leaves from gate 15A and it’ll begin boarding at 3:20. Your seat number is 26E.
Dan: Thanks.
Conversation Vocabulary and Phrases
- Instead of “Where are you flying today?”the agent may ask “What’s your final destination?” The answer will be the same!
- You can say “Here you go”anytime you give something to somebody
- To check your bags means to put them on the airplane inside the cargo compartment. The small bag you take with you on the airplane is called a carry-on. You need to put your carry-on bags through the X-ray machine at security.
- The scaleis the equipment that tells you the weight of your luggage (45 kilograms, for example)
- A stopover or layover is when the airplane stops in a different city before continuing to the final destination
- If the agent says that your luggage will go straight through, it means it will go directly to the final destination (and you don’t need to pick it up during your stopover)
- Boarding passes are the tickets that permit you to enter the airplane
- When a plane begins boarding, it means that the passengers start to enter the plane. Usually boarding time is 30-60 minutes before takeoff (when the plane leaves)
Other Questions & Phrases for the Airport
https://www.espressoenglish.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/16b.mp3- “Excuse me, where is the American Airlines check-in desk?”
- “How many bags can I check?”
- “Will my luggage go straight through, or do I need to pick it up in [Chicago]?”
- “How much is the fee?”
If your bag is heavier than the weight limits, or if your bag is larger than the size limits, you may need to pay extra: an oversized baggage fee or overweight baggage fee (this can be $75 to $300). Some airlines in the United States also charge a fee for ALL checked bags (usually $15 to $30). - “Please mark this bag as ‘fragile.’”
Say this if you have fragile or sensitive items in your bag that might break - “Is the flight on time?”
The agent will respond either “Yes” if the flight is on time, or “There’s a 20-minute delay” (for example) if the flight will leave later than expected.
Extra questions in the U.S.
On flights going to or inside the U.S., you might be asked some extra security questions before or during check-in. Here are some sample questions:
Answer YES to these questions:
https://www.espressoenglish.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/16c.mp3- Did you pack your bags yourself?
- Has your luggage been in your possession at all times?
- Are you aware of the regulations regarding liquids in your carry-on?
(Liquids must be 100 mL or less, and stored in a single quart-sized clear plastic bag)
More information: TSA.gov
Answer NO to these questions:
https://www.espressoenglish.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/16d.mp3- Are you carrying any firearms or flammable materials?
- Have you left your luggage unattended at any time?
- Has anyone given you anything to carry on the flight?
Conversation #2 – Going through Security
There are two pieces of equipment in security: you put your bags through the X-ray machine, and you walk through the metal detector. Some airports also use a body scanner for a more careful check.
The X-ray machine has a conveyor belt that moves your bags automatically through the machine. You can put small items like keys or money into plastic bins.
In the picture below, the woman is walking through the metal detector.
Her suitcase is on the conveyor belt after going through the X-ray machine.
https://www.espressoenglish.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/16e.mp3Her suitcase is on the conveyor belt after going through the X-ray machine.
Agent: Please lay your bags flat on the conveyor belt, and use the bins for small objects.
Dan: Do I need to take my laptop out of the bag?
Agent: Yes, you do. Take off your hat and your shoes, too.
(he walks through the metal detector)
[BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP]
Agent: Please step back. Do you have anything in your pockets – keys, cell phone, loose change?
Dan: I don’t think so. Let me try taking off my belt.
Agent: Okay, come on through.
(he goes through the metal detector again)
Agent: You’re all set! Have a nice flight.
The phrase “you’re all set” is a common expression that means “you’re finished and everything is OK.”
Phrasal Verbs: SET OFF and GO OFF
When the alarm sounds, we say “the alarm went off.” To describe what caused the alarm to sound, we say “set off” – for example, “My keys set off the alarm” or “My keys set off the metal detector.”
Announcements at the Gate
Airports are divided into terminals (the major sections of the airport) and each terminal has many gates. The gate is the door you go through to enter the airplane. Here are a few announcements you might hear while you are at the gate, waiting for the plane to board.
https://www.espressoenglish.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/16f.mp3- “There has been a gate change.”
(this means the flight will leave from a different gate) - “United Airlines flight 880 to Miami is now boarding.”
(this means it’s time for passengers to enter the plane) - “Please have your boarding pass and identification ready for boarding.”
- “We would like to invite our first- and business-class passengers to board.”
- “We are now inviting passengers with small children and any passengers requiring special assistance to begin boarding.”
- “We would now like to invite all passengers to board.”
(this means everyone can enter the plane) - “This is the final boarding call for United Airlines flight 880 to Miami.”
(this means it is the FINAL OPPORTUNITY to enter the plane before they close the doors) - “Passenger John Smith, please proceed to the United Airlines desk at gate 12.”
Conversation #3: On the plane
The people who work inside the airplane serving food and drinks are called flight attendants. Both men and women who have this job are called flight attendants. Listen to this conversation that Dan has with the flight attendant when dinner is served on the flight.
https://www.espressoenglish.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/16g.mp3Flight attendant: Chicken or pasta?
Dan: Sorry?
Flight attendant: Would you like chicken or pasta?
Dan: I’ll have the chicken.
Flight attendant: Anything to drink?
Dan: What kind of soda do you have?
Flight attendant: Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Orange, and Dr. Pepper.
Dan: A Diet Coke, no ice, please.
Flight attendant: Here you go.
Dan: Thanks.
![Conversation Conversation](/uploads/1/2/3/7/123744888/177836861.jpg)
Conversation Tips:
If you didn’t understand what the flight attendant said, you can say Sorry? or Pardon? to ask him or her to repeat it.
If you want to ask for something, you can use the phrase “Can I have…?” or “Could I have…?” Practice your pronunciation with these common requests:
https://www.espressoenglish.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/16h.mp3- “Can I have a pillow?”
- “Can I have a blanket?”
- “Can I have a pair of headphones/earbuds?”
- “Could I have some water/coffee/tea?”
- “Could I have some extra napkins?”
Advanced English Conversation Dialogues
Which streaming service offers local c…. Finally, if you need to stand up, but there is a person sitting between you and the aisle, you can say Excuse me and make a motion to start standing up. The person sitting next to you will understand and stand up to let you get out of your seat.
You’ve finished Lesson 16! Now take the quiz to test how well you remember the phrases. In tomorrow’s lesson, you’ll learn English phrases for arriving at the destination airport, going through immigration, and dealing with common travel problems.
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(Right-click on each link and select “Save” or “Save as”)
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Why is speaking English so darn hard?
You know the words, you’ve heard them many times before.
You’ve even gone over them using all kinds of learning strategies.
You can probably think of what you want to say — but your mouth just can’t produce the words.
So, why’s this seemingly simple skill so difficult to master?
Why Conversational English is Challenging
To better answer this question, you should know that language learning consists of two things: Input and Output.
Input is all the listening and reading — everything about the English language that you absorb. Output is all the writing and speaking. People tend to have a harder time dealing with output, which is what I’m going to talk to you about today.
When the time comes to speak — and for some people, to write — there’s a mental block that slows conversations down. You have a simple sentence in your mind, but somehow it’s as difficult to say as a tongue twister. Here’s why:
You’re not getting enough real-world input.
When you’re studying English from a place where English isn’t spoken much, it can be hard to get enough real-world English input. So, how do average native speakers talk during a conversation?
Textbooks — along with any other learning materials made specifically for non-native learners — make conversation sound clearer and simpler. The slang words, idioms, accents, fast speed and improper grammar are all left out, to make understanding English easier for you.
Before you even start speaking practice, you’ll need to practice understanding what real-world English sounds like.
Luckily, that’s what FluentU was made for. FluentU takes real-world videos—like interviews, dialogues, news shows and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons. You can just sit back, relax and read along with the subtitles.
Alternatively, you can use the interactive learning features like flashcards and vocabulary lists. Everything is personalized to your English level and learning style based on the videos you’ve been watching. It’s perfect for getting practice with conversational English!
Speaking is the least practiced skill.
Maybe you practice speaking less because you prefer to hold back and listen during a conversation. Maybe it’s because you just don’t feel confident enough in your speaking ability. Or, maybe it’s because you study at home or in a classroom, and most of your learning time is spent reading, writing and listening. Unless you have a good conversation partner or live in an English speaking country, getting plenty of English speaking practice can be a challenge.
That’ why, in general, this form of output is the least practiced. It might seem quite basic to just join in a conversation, but for whatever reason that’s not always the case.
Conversations can be nerve-wracking.
So, you find yourself in a circle of people speaking in English. It’s fun to listen to their conversation, you understand what they’re saying and you’d like to participate with them.
However, once you actually have to say the words, you become nervous and your palms get a little sweaty. Who knows what they might think of you if you say the wrong thing or say it incorrectly? What if they don’t understand you? What if you make the whole fun conversation turn awkward?
These are all very common and understandable things to worry about when trying to speak. This can help explain why speaking is the hardest part about language learning. So, don’t feel back about it — it’s totally normal. There’s a ton of things you can do to help you overcome that mental block.
6 Ways to Practice Conversational English All Day, Every Day
1. Use your favorite technology
Technology has made our lives so much easier. It makes doing anything much more efficient, including learning English. Sure, you can practice any of the four aspects of language (reading, writing, speaking and listening) without any technology, but our computers, smartphones, televisions and tablets help us to accelerate our learning practice and do things more quickly and effectively.
So, how do you use technology to practice speaking English?
- When you use Google, use the “speaking” option. If you have a device with a microphone, like a smartphone or computer, you can do this easily. See if Google understands what you’ve said and puts the correct words into text.
- Find an online conversation exchange partner to practice with on a website like My Language Exchange.
- Make Skype dates with friends and family members who speak English.
- Chat with friends using messenger services like WhatsApp, and record little English language voice messages for people.
2. Try the Verbling Community discussions
Basically, the Verbling Community discussion board is a bunch of chat groups about all kinds of topics. The creator of the discussion (usually an English tutor) will post a question or interesting fact for others to talk about together.
Sometimes they will specifically state what language skills their discussion topic can help with.
Essentially, you can use this website to chat with native speakers and other English language learners for free. Other times, the conversations can be totally open and free-flowing.
People are always willing to help with mistakes and there’s no judgement for making mistakes. Everyone there is another language learner, so they understand!
As you gradually chat more and more (without being embarrassed of mistakes) you’ll find that you’re making great improvements in speaking English. An improved speaking ability means that you’re ready to move on up to the next level of more advanced conversation.
3. Go on HelloTalk
HelloTalk is a text-based app that teaches conversation using a messenger type format. It pairs you with real native speakers with whom you can have conversations that vary depending on skill level.
Any language can be chosen. Luckily, most people are there to practice their English just like you, so there are plenty of people you can practice with. But you want to practice speaking in particular, how can this app help you with that?
Well, there’s an awesome option on the keyboard that allows you to send voice messages to your partner. They can in turn respond with a voice message of their own. However, if your partner responds with just text, there’s an option to have the message read to you by the app. This can be extremely helpful with pronunciation as the app does a good job of speaking clearly.
4. Download the WordReference Dictionary App
WordReference is a great tool that is a known lifesaver for language students. But there’s more than just the dictionary-style website for you to enjoy!
The app has some special benefits. It’ll go where you go. You won’t have to lug (carry) around a gigantic book that takes a long time to search through. WordReference truly sets itself apart from other similar apps because it has two specific features that allow you to practice your speaking.
First, the app will sound the word out to you. This is a great tool for understanding how a word is pronounced. However, to fully take advantage of this feature to improve your English speaking skills, you’ll need to repeat the word out loud, mimicking the way it’s pronounced by the app. There’s also an option to hear a British voice or an American voice, so choose whichever one fits the accent of English you’d like to learn.
The second feature is that you can easily look up words and see how they’re used in context. Whenever you search for a particular word, you’ll get a definition and example sentences. They aren’t just basic sentences either, they’ll show you tons of great real world examples for how to use new vocabulary. You’ll never wonder if you’re using the right word again. Sounds good, right?
Plus, there are forums where language learners can ask their questions to the world — and the world responds! Check out these forums to see how native speakers explain their own ways of using English vocabulary. This will help you understand cultural contexts and etiquette behind words.
All of this is perfect for practicing your speaking skill because you can say the sentence out loud to yourself, or you can recall a time when the word was spoken to you and you didn’t understand why it was used in that instance.
5. Narrate your day like a reality TV show
Sometimes, we want to get away from all the technology in our daily lives.
Don’t worry—there are lots of fun and creative ways to practice speaking without technology.
For example, have you ever wondered what your life would look like as a reality television show?
Go about your day. As things happen, practice your English speaking by discussing the things you do, as well as the people, things and sometimes problems you encounter. Talk about everything as if you had a million viewers out in the audience, interested in your life. If something was difficult about a particular part of the day, talk about how that obstacle was easy or hard for you to overcome.
Perhaps while cooking you can tell the audience what it is you’re making and how to make it. Go through the recipe step by step and talking about why you love it so much. While watching a sports game, try to narrate everything going on like an actual newscaster.
You’ll find this speaking practice to be fun and effective, and it can be applied to tons of basic things that you do throughout the day. You’ll see how many words you can remember when you need them. You’ll realize where you get confused and which grammar points are hard for you to figure out while speaking.
When you have to pause because you can’t remember a particular word or phrase, keep talking using other words to describe what you mean. This will help you leave to be more creative. If you happen to have a way to take notes at the moment, make a note of which words and phrases you forgot. Then, you can look them up and study them for future use in conversation.
So, just have fun with it and you’ll see your speaking ability improve greatly without realizing it.
6. Translate everything, on the go
This is an exercise that can be worked into many different parts of your life, just like the reality TV show. Often, when done frequently enough, it almost becomes a habit. Pretty great habit to have, right? To give an example: you’re driving on the road and see a billboard with a funny phrase on it. See if you can translate it and speak your English translation out loud with excellent pronunciation.
Don’t forget to use the awesome apps listed above if you need some help!
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Just like before, this can be applied to many different things See what you can do throughout the day with these exercises whenever you’re ready to finally improve your English speaking skills and start heading towards total fluency!
Oh, and One More Thing…
If you liked these tips, you should check out the FluentU app. Like the website, the FluentU app lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials, as you can see here:
If you want to watch it, the FluentU app has probably got it.
The FluentU app makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.
FluentU lets you learn engaging content with world famous celebrities.
For example, when you tap on the word “brought,” you see this:
Learn all the vocabulary in any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.
FluentU helps you learn fast with useful questions and multiple examples. Learn more.
The best part? FluentU remembers the vocabulary that you’re learning. It recommends you examples and videos based on the words you’ve already learned. You have a truly personalized experience.
Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play stores.
If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn English with real-world videos.
CONVERSATION TOPICS - Advanced level
A list of conversation topics suitable for advanced level learners of English.
Advanced British English Conversation Dialogues Pdf
♦Note:
It's a good idea to pre-teach essential vocabulary before beginning a discussion.
This will help students feel more comfortable and encourage them to participate.
CONVERSATION TOPICS - ADVANCED LEVELIt's a good idea to pre-teach essential vocabulary before beginning a discussion.
This will help students feel more comfortable and encourage them to participate.
- Fake news
Fake news (fabricated news) is the deliberate spread of misinformation. Sensationalist, dishonest or outright fabricated headlines are often used to increase readership. - Do you agree with the above definition?
- Where do we most often find fake news? (newspapers, social media ..)
- What sort of fake news can you think of? (politics, show business..)
- How can we tell if a news story is ‘fake’ or not? (checking sources, dates, photos…)
- What is the purpose of the misinformation?
- Is fake news used in election campaigns?
- Have any countries recently been accused of spreading fake news?
- Can you think of ways to prevent the circulation of fake news?
- Violence in the world today
- When you hear the word 'violence', what do you think of?
- Is the world more violent today?
- Are there different sorts of violence? (physical / mental /psychological/domestic …)
- What forms of violence have you noticed?
- Do people tend to be more violent when they group together? (gangs / mobs / crowds…)
- In what areas is there an increase in the level of violence? (football, politics, religion, environment …)
- What are the causes of violence? (jealousy, frustration, unemployment, poverty, conspiracy theories, fake news …)
- What violent conflicts are going on around the world?
- Does the repetition of violent images in TV news reports have a positive or negative effect?
- Does violence ever achieve anything?
- Is the increase in violence a worldwide phenomenon?
- What could be done to reduce violence?
- Annoying things
- Do people have habits that annoy you?
- Do you annoy people with some of your habits?
- What does 'pet peeve' mean?
- Do you have a pet peeve?
- What annoys you when you are driving a car?
- What are some things that car drivers do that annoy you?
- Does it annoy you if someone cuts in front of you when you are waiting in line?
- Does smoking bother you?
- Does something that your parents or friends do annoy you?
- Do some people in your office/company do annoying things?
- Can you think of any celebrities that are annoying? Why?
- What do people do on public transport or on the street that annoys you?
- Success-Failure
- How would you define success?
- Do you have the same idea of success as your parents?
- To what extent will your encourage your children to become successful?
- Do you think failures can contribute to a person's success?
- Can you think of any famous people who encountered failure before success?
- Social Networking
- What is social networking?
- Can social networking sites be dangerous?
- What precautions would you advise people to take?
- Should the use of social networking sites be banned at work?
- Are social networking sites changing our daily behaviour?
- Is it possible to become a social networking addict?
- Diseases
- What dangerous diseases are people scared of nowadays?
- Should we be better-informed about the dangers of these diseases?
- What is the best way to stop diseases from spreading?
- Do diseases have an effect on travel?
- Which disease is it urgent to find a cure for?
- Manners
- Are good manners important?
- Do people have better manners today than before?
- Can you give examples of what you think are good manners?
- What do you think are bad manners?
- Can good manners in one country be bad manners in another country?
- What about table manners? Can you give examples of some good table manners?
- How about bad table manners?
- Can manners affect your success in life? How?
- What's the best way to teach manners to children?
- What advice about manners would you give a foreigner visiting your country?
- News coverage in the media today.
- Do you think news coverage today correctly describes what is going on in the world?
- Do you trust everything you hear or see on the news?
- What improvements would you make?
- What is the most important current news story?
- Do certain types of events get too much/too little coverage?
- Do you trust the media? Are you sure the information given is always true?
- Is it important to keep up with current events?
- Job interviews
- Is it necessary to prepare for a job interview?
- How can a person make a good first impression?
- Is there a recommended dress code for an interview?
- Can you think of any difficult questions one should be prepared for?
- Is there anything a candidate should avoid mentioning?
- Is it ok to make negative comments about your present employer?
- Is it ok for interviewers to ask questions about age, marital status, etc.?
- What information should a candidate have about the company?
- Environment
- What are some of the most serious environmental problems today?
- Can you find ten things that each of us can do to help preserve our planet?
- What is your opinion on climate change?
- In what way will our children be affected by climate change?
- How can we make our homes more environmentally friendly?
- What can companies do to help preserve the environment?
- Which countries cause the most pollution?
- If we run out of oil, where will we get our energy from?
- Shopping on the internet
- Do you often do your shopping online?
- What do you buy online? :
- food
- clothes
- furniture
- services : airline tickets, theatre reservations, flowers, greeting cards ..
- other - Are the prices the same as in the shops/agencies or less expensive?
- Have you ever had any disappointments or bad surprises?
- What are the advantages of shopping online?
- What are the dangers?
- What advice would you give future online shoppers?
- Risk
- What is your definition of risk?
- Do you know any risk takers?
- In your opinion why do people take risks? (pleasure, work, challenge ..)
- What risks do you come across in your work/life?
- Are some people obliged to take risks in their jobs?
- When is a risk stupid or unnecessary?
- Politicians' personal lives.
- Does a politician's personal life have an effect on their ability to do their job?
- Do you think the media pays too much attention to politicians' personal lives?
- Why do certain types of media give excessive coverage to minor offences?
- Information concerning personal lives circulates quickly on social networks.
Is this good or bad?
- History for future generations.
- You are asked to select a number of objects to represent life at the beginning of the 21st century.
The idea is to help future generations better understand how we lived and what major events affected us.
What objects would your choose and why?
- You are asked to select a number of objects to represent life at the beginning of the 21st century.
- Technology
- What technology would it be difficult to live without today?
- Has technology changed our everyday lifestyle?
- What technology, if any, has made our homes more comfortable?
- Has technology changed education methods?
- Will online education one day replace the classroom?
- Travelling has become easier and cheaper. What has it changed in people's lives:
- speed, comfort, health, family relationships, etc.
- work/employment
- holiday habits
- way of life/standard of living in certain countries.
- Describe the best or worst trip you ever took:
- Where did you go?
- Did you travel alone or with a group?
- What did you do / what had you intended to do?
- What made it your best (or worst) trip?
- What advice would you give someone planning the same sort of trip?
- Work
- Do human beings need to work to be happy?
- What motivates people to work long hours?
- Can perks (or fringe benefits) compensate for a boring job?
- What are the advantages/disadvantages of working from home?
- How do people find a balance between work and personal life?
- What would make you leave your job?
- In your opinion, what is the worst job in the world?
- Is life today better than in the past? Think about the following:
- Education - employment - job satisfaction
- Health : prevention, treatment, new discoveries, social security, etc.
- Comfort : standard of living (housing/transport/leisure)
- Violence
- Social issues : single mothers, unmarried couples, homosexuality ..
- Inventions
- What invention has had the greatest impact on our lives?
- Are there some things that never should have been invented?
- Do some countries encourage inventors more than others?
- What are the 5 most important decisions in a person's life?
After making suggestions and defending their ideas, the group retains five of them and decides on the order of importance. - It is impossible to have a successful career and a happy family life.
You have to choose one or the other. Do you agree? - Careers today: how to advise young people
- How important is it to have a good (well-paid/secure) job?
- What advice would you give a young person today?
- Would you encourage your children to accept a job in another country?
- Would you be disappointed if your children
- left school early?
- chose a manual job?
- The internet is an essential communication tool in today's world.
- The first and most popular use is the email. What others can you think of?
- Has fraud increased since the arrival of the internet? How?
- Is the internet sometimes used for other dishonest purposes?
- What steps would you advise to protect data and privacy?
- What do you think the internet will be used for in the future?
- Recent physical achievements (crossing the Atlantic, mountain climbing, etc.).
- How many can you think of?
- Which achievement was the most impressive?
- Are the world's best athletes present at the Olympic Games?
- What do you think of 'extreme' sports (bungee jumping, tightrope walking..)?
- The effects of medical and scientific progress:
- health (prevention, treatment, organ transplants, rare diseases, etc.)
- beauty (plastic surgery, dental care, etc.)
- comfort in the home
- transport
see also:
Unfinished sentences - advanced
Conversation topics - intermediate
Conversation topics - business
back to Resources for Teachers
Unfinished sentences - advanced
Conversation topics - intermediate
Conversation topics - business
back to Resources for Teachers
Please note that British English spelling is used on this website.