Speaking Boost · A1 · Lesson 10 of 50
Speaking Boost A1 · Block 2: Family and Friends

Why are friends important?

Good friends make life better. Researchers say that friendship is important for our health and happiness. Review have got, questions, possessives and plurals, and give the final talk of Block 2.

1

Warm-up

5 min
1.1

Friendship

Answer each question with 2–3 sentences.

  1. Have you got a best friend?
  2. How many good friends have you got?
  3. Where do you meet your friends?
  4. What do you do with your friends?
  5. Whose house do you like to visit?
  6. Is your family or your friends more important?
2

Words and phrases

12 min
2.1

New words

Read each word and the example. Then say one sentence with the word.

2.2

Which word?

Choose the word that fits.

  1. A person you like and know well is a .
  2. When you believe a person, you him or her.
  3. A person who always says the truth is .
  4. A person who helps others and is nice is .
  5. A person with no friends near can feel .
  6. A good friend knows how to when you talk.
  7. A thing that you tell only one friend is a .
  8. A friend is a very good friend.
2.3

Opposites and pairs

Choose the right answer, then press Check answers.

  1. a friend is a person you
  2. honest = saying the
  3. lonely = sad because you have no
  4. to trust = to
  5. a neighbour lives
  6. together =
2.4

Useful phrases

Use these phrases to talk about friends.

  • She is my best friend.Вона моя найкраща подруга.She is my best friend.
  • I have got two close friends.У мене є двоє близьких друзів.I have got two close friends.
  • We meet every...Ми зустрічаємося кожен...We meet every weekend.
  • He has got a lot of friends.У нього багато друзів.He has got a lot of friends.
  • Whose house is it?Чий це будинок?It's my friend's house.
  • How many friends have you got?Скільки в тебе друзів?How many friends have you got?
  • I trust him.Я йому довіряю.I trust him. He is honest.
  • Friends help each other.Друзі допомагають одне одному.Friends help each other.
3

Read and react

8 min
3.1

Why friends matter

Read the text. Hover over the dotted words for help.

Why are friends important?

Friends are very important in our life. A good friend listens to you, helps you and laughs with you. Many studies say that people with good friends are often happier and healthier.

How many friends can a person have? Robin Dunbar, a professor from the UK, says that most people have got about five very close friends and about fifteen good friends. He says that the number of all friends and family that we can know well is about a hundred and fifty. This is an idea, not a rule.

A good friend is honest and kind. You can trust him or her with your secrets. A friend's house is often a second home.

Sometimes people feel lonely. It is OK to say, "Can we meet?" Friends are happy when you call them.

How many close friends have you got?

3.2

True or false?

  1. Friends are important.
  2. A good friend does not listen.
  3. Most people have got about five very close friends, says Dunbar.
  4. The number 150 is a strict rule.
  5. A friend can be like a family.
3.3

What do you think?

  1. Is it better to have many friends or a few good friends?
  2. What is a good friend?
  3. Who is your oldest friend?
  4. How do you make a new friend?
4

Grammar for speaking

10 min
4.1

Grammar for speaking

Review: have got and questions

Use have got with I, you, we, they and has got with he, she, it. Questions: Have you got...? Has she got...? Short answers: Yes, I have. No, she hasn't.

I have got two friends. She has got a best friend. Have you got a close friend? Yes, I have. Has he got a car? No, he hasn't.

Review: 's, whose and plurals

Use 's for owners and add -s for plurals. Whose asks who has something. How many + plural noun asks about numbers.

This is my friend's phone. Whose phone is this? Two friends, three boxes, four children. How many friends have you got?

Block 2 review

Use the grammar from this block.

have got and has got (L6) · questions with have got (L7) · possessive 's and whose (L8) · plural nouns and how many (L9)

Common mistakes: has got for he and she, Have you got...? for questions, 's for owners and -s for plurals. ✗ She have got two friend → She has got two friends. ✗ This is my friend phone → This is my friend's phone. ✗ How many friend have you got? → How many friends have you got?

4.2

Choose the right form

  1. I
    got two friends.
  2. She
    got a best friend.
  3. you got a close friend?
  4. Has he got a car? No, he
    .
  5. This is my
    phone.
  6. house is it?
  7. How many
    have you got?
  8. I have got three
    .
4.3

Fix the mistake

Each sentence has one mistake. Type the correct words.

  1. She have got two friend. →
  2. This is my friend phone. →
  3. How many friend have you got? →
  4. He haven't got a car. →
  5. Who's phone is this? →
  6. I has got three children. →
4.4

Talk about it

Answer with full sentences. Use the grammar of Block 2.

  1. Have you got a best friend?
  2. How many close friends have you got?
  3. Whose house do you like to visit?
  4. What is your best friend's name?
  5. What do you do with your friends?
  6. Is your friend honest and kind?
5

Three friends and a final talk

8 min
5.1

Three friends

Three people talk about their friends. Compare them. Who has got the most friends? Who has got a best friend? What is a good friend for you?

Person 1

Dina, 25

  • Has got a best friend
  • Her best friend's name is Kate
  • They meet every weekend
  • They share secrets
Person 2

Paul, 60

  • Has got fifty friends
  • His friends are from work
  • He meets them at a club
  • He has got a lot of stories
Person 3

Ira, 14

  • Has got two close friends
  • She trusts them
  • Their parents are neighbours
  • She is never lonely
5.2

Final talk of Block 2: family and friends

This is the final speaking task of Block 2. Your teacher will time you.

  1. Plan for one minute, then speak for two minutes.
  2. Part 1: say who your best friend is and what he or she has got.
  3. Part 2: say how many friends you have got and whose house you visit.
  4. Part 3: say why friends are important for you.
2:00
6

Personal questions

10 min
6.1

Part I: Me

  1. Have you got a best friend?
  2. How many close friends have you got?
  3. What is your best friend's name?
  4. Where do you meet your friends?
  5. What do you do together?
  6. Have you got a friend who lives abroad?
  7. Is your friend kind?
  8. Do you trust your friends?
6.2

Part II: Other people

  1. Who is your best friend?
  2. Who has got a lot of friends?
  3. Whose house do you like to visit?
  4. Who is the funniest person you know?
  5. Who listens to you?
  6. Who is your neighbour?
6.3

Part III: A bit deeper

  1. Is a friend more important than money?
  2. Is it good to have many friends?
  3. Can a pet be a good friend?
  4. Are online friends real friends?
  5. Is a family more important than friends?
7

Roleplay

12 min
7.1

Final talk: a friend

You

Speaker

A new teacher (your teacher) asks about a friend:
  • say who he or she is and how old
  • say what he or she has got
  • say whose house you visit
  • say why he or she is a good friend
Speak for at least 2 minutes in total. Use the grammar of Block 2.
Your teacher

Teacher

Says things like:
  1. Who is your friend?
  2. How old is he?
  3. What has he got?
  4. Why is he a good friend?
7.2

Making a plan

You

Friend

You and a friend (your teacher) plan to meet:
  • ask if the friend has got time
  • say where you want to meet
  • say whose house is near
  • say what you want to do
You do most of the talking. Use: Have you got...? · Whose...? · We have got...
Your teacher

Friend

Says things like:
  1. Have I got time? Yes!
  2. Where shall we meet?
  3. Whose house is near?
  4. Great idea!
8

Homework

at home

Your homework score

Do all four exercises, then press Check all homework. Correct answers will appear next to your mistakes.

– / 30
H1

Complete with a word

friendtrusthonestkindlonelylistensecretclose
  1. A person you like and know well is a .
  2. When you believe a person, you him or her.
  3. A person who always says the truth is .
  4. A person who helps others and is nice is .
  5. A person with no friends near can feel .
  6. A good friend knows how to when you talk.
  7. A thing that you tell only one friend is a .
  8. A friend is a very good friend.
H2

Block 2 review: choose the correct word

  1. I got two brothers.
  2. She got a nice friend.
  3. you got a pet?
  4. Has he got a car? Yes, he .
  5. This is my phone.
  6. bag is this?
  7. How many have you got?
  8. We have got two .
H3

Correct or incorrect? (Block 2 review)

Decide if each sentence is grammatically correct.

  1. She has got a best friend.
  2. She have got a best friend.
  3. Have you got a close friend?
  4. You have got a close friend?
  5. This is my friend's phone.
  6. This is my friend phone.
  7. How many friends have you got?
H4

Match the two halves

  1. She is my
  2. I have got
  3. We meet
  4. He has got
  5. How many
  6. I trust
  7. Friends

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© Yevheniia Kolesnykova, Academy of Languages. All rights reserved. No copying or reuse without written permission.