Speaking Boost · C1 · Lesson 46 of 50
Speaking Boost C1 · Block 10: Big Questions and Final Talk

What makes a life meaningful?

Few questions are bigger than this one. Discuss what gives life meaning, and learn rhetorical structures for big statements: cleft sentences, the more… the more…, not only… but also, parallelism and rhetorical questions.

1

Warm-up

5 min
1.1

Meaning and purpose

Answer each question with 2–3 sentences.

  1. What gives your life meaning?
  2. Do you think about the meaning of life often?
  3. Who has had the greatest influence on your values?
  4. Would you prefer a long, quiet life or a short, exciting one?
  5. What do you hope people will say about you in fifty years?
  6. Has a difficult time ever changed what matters to you?
2

Words and phrases

12 min
2.1

New words

Read each word and the example. Then say a sentence about meaning.

2.2

Which word?

Choose the word that fits.

  1. The reason for which you do something, or the aim of a whole life, is its .
  2. Aristotle thought that people should , living well and using their abilities.
  3. What a person leaves behind for later generations, such as ideas or buildings, is a .
  4. Some people wealth and status all their lives but still feel that something is missing.
  5. A quiet feeling of being satisfied with what you have is called .
  6. The ability to recover quickly after difficulty is called .
  7. Saying thank you and noticing what you appreciate is a daily habit of .
  8. Awareness of our own , the fact that we will die, can make us value time more.
2.3

Opposites and pairs

Choose the right answer, then press Check answers.

  1. purpose is the
    for which something exists
  2. to flourish = to grow and develop
  3. a legacy is what you leave
  4. resilience = the ability to
  5. gratitude is the feeling of being
  6. to cherish = to
2.4

Useful phrases

Use these phrases to make strong, memorable statements.

  • What matters most is...Найважливіше — це...What matters most is the people we love.
  • It is... that gives life meaningСаме... надає життю сенсуIt is love that gives life meaning.
  • The more..., the more...Чим більше..., тим більше...The more we give, the more we receive.
  • Not only does..., but...Не лише..., а й...Not only does work pay, but it also gives purpose.
  • All that matters is...Все, що має значення, — це...All that matters is that we tried.
  • What we do..., what we areТе, що ми робимо..., те, ким ми єWhat we do shapes who we are.
  • Is it not true that...?Хіба не правда, що...?Is it not true that meaning comes from others?
  • In the end,...Зрештою,...In the end, we are what we cherish.
3

Read and react

8 min
3.1

The search for meaning

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

What makes a life meaningful?

What makes a life meaningful? Philosophers have asked this for more than two thousand years. Aristotle argued that the goal of life is eudaimonia, a word often translated as "flourishing": not a brief feeling of pleasure but a life lived well, using one's abilities and virtues.

In the twentieth century, the psychiatrist Viktor Frankl wrote about purpose after surviving Nazi concentration camps. In his book "Man's Search for Meaning", published in 1946, he argued that people can endure almost any "how" if they have a "why". What matters most, he suggested, is not what we expect from life but what life expects from us.

Modern research offers a few clues. The Harvard Study of Adult Development, which began in 1938 and has followed several hundred men and, later, their families, has repeatedly found that the quality of close relationships is a strong predictor of health and happiness. It is not wealth or fame that keeps people well, its directors have said, but good connections. Other studies suggest that a sense of purpose, whether through work, family, religion or helping others, is linked to better wellbeing, although such research can show only association, not cause.

The more people think about meaning, the more differently they define it. For some, it lies in legacy: what remains after they die. For others, it lies in everyday gratitude and contentment. Not only do cultures disagree, but individuals change over time.

So perhaps meaning is less a discovery than a practice. It is what we build, day by day, with the people and projects we care about.

What gives your life meaning?

3.2

True or false?

  1. Aristotle's word eudaimonia is often translated as flourishing.
  2. The Harvard study found that wealth is the strongest predictor of health.
  3. The Harvard study began in 1938.
  4. The text says that everyone defines meaning in the same way.
  5. The text says that research can show only association, not cause.
3.3

What do you think?

  1. Is meaning found or made?
  2. Can a life without a big purpose still be meaningful?
  3. Do relationships matter more than achievements?
  4. Does thinking about death change how we live?
4

Grammar for speaking

10 min
4.1

Grammar for speaking

Cleft sentences and big statements

Put the key idea at the end with What... is..., It is... that... and All that matters is.... A what-clause takes a singular verb. Use not only + inversion for two points and a rhetorical question to involve the audience.

What matters most is the people we love. It is love that gives life meaning. Not only does work pay, but it also gives purpose. Is it not true that meaning comes from others?

Correlatives and parallelism

Use the more..., the more... (with the comparative in both parts), the... the... and matching grammatical forms in a list to create rhythm.

The more we give, the more we receive. The older I get, the less I worry. What we do shapes who we are, and who we are shapes what we do.

Block 10 preview

Grammar you will use in this block.

big statements: cleft sentences, correlatives, parallelism (L46) · generalising and qualifying (L47) · narrative tenses and time linkers (L48) · proposals and persuasion (L49) · review and your big C1 talk (L50)

Common mistakes: What matters most is… (singular verb after a what-clause), the more…, the more… (both parts with the), and Not only does she…, but… (inversion after not only). ✗ What matters most are people → What matters most is people. ✗ More you practise, more you learn → The more you practise, the more you learn. ✗ Not only she came → Not only did she come. ✗ It is the family who matter → It is the family that matters.

4.2

Choose the right form

  1. What matters most
    the people we love.
  2. you practise, the more you learn.
  3. Not only
    , but she also helped.
  4. It is love
    gives life meaning.
  5. is that we tried.
  6. The older I get,
    I worry.
  7. What we do
    who we are.
  8. that meaning comes from others?
4.3

Fix the mistake

Each sentence has one mistake. Type the correct words.

  1. What matters most are the people we love. →
  2. More you practise, more you learn. →
  3. Not only she came, but she also helped. →
  4. It is love who gives life meaning. →
  5. All what matters is that we tried. →
  6. The older I get, less I worry. →
4.4

Talk about it

Answer in detail. Use big statements.

  1. What matters most to you in life? Finish: What matters most is...
  2. The more you give, the more you receive. Do you agree?
  3. Not only does work pay the bills, but... What else does it do?
  4. What is it that gives your days meaning?
  5. All that matters is... Finish the sentence for your own life.
  6. Is it not true that the best things in life are free?
5

Three views and a short talk

8 min
5.1

Three views on a meaningful life

Three people talk about meaning. Compare them. Who values relationships most? Who values achievement most? Whose view is closest to yours?

Person 1

Dr Frankl-Moore, 63

  • Studies purpose and wellbeing
  • Says meaning comes from commitments
  • Notes that research shows only links
  • Believes purpose helps people endure
Person 2

Ahmed, 38

  • Runs a small charity
  • Says it is helping others that matters
  • Finds fulfilment in his calling
  • Admits that the work is exhausting
Person 3

Beth, 74

  • Is a retired nurse
  • Says her family is all that matters
  • Cherishes simple pleasures
  • Feels grateful for every day
5.2

Mini-talk: what gives my life meaning

Your teacher will time you.

  1. Plan for one minute, then speak for one or two minutes.
  2. Part 1: say what gives your life meaning.
  3. Part 2: use at least three big-statement structures (What matters most is, It is... that, The more..., the more..., Not only does...).
  4. Part 3: finish with a memorable closing sentence.
2:00
6

Personal questions

10 min
6.1

Part I: Me

  1. What are you most proud of?
  2. What are your core values?
  3. What do you want your life to be about?
  4. Do you have a calling?
  5. How do you deal with hard times?
  6. What are you grateful for?
  7. Do you think about your legacy?
  8. Where do you find peace?
6.2

Part II: Other people

  1. Who in your life gives it meaning?
  2. Who is your role model?
  3. Who taught you your values?
  4. Who do you cherish most?
  5. Who has shown great resilience?
  6. Who would you like to thank?
6.3

Part III: A bit deeper

  1. Is happiness the same as meaning?
  2. Can money make a life meaningful?
  3. Should a person have a single purpose?
  4. Does religion give life meaning?
  5. Is a meaningful life always a happy one?
7

Roleplay

12 min
7.1

Answering a big question

You

Speaker

A friend (your teacher) asks what makes a life meaningful:
  • give your answer
  • support it with an example
  • respond to a doubt
  • end with a memorable sentence
Speak for at least 2 minutes in total. Use big statements.
Your teacher

Friend

Says things like:
  1. What makes a life meaningful?
  2. Can you give an example?
  3. But some people are happy without purpose.
  4. That is a good answer.
7.2

Discussing meaning

You

Speaker

You are in a discussion group (your teacher):
  • say what matters most
  • use the more..., the more...
  • respond to a different view
  • conclude
You do most of the talking. Use: What matters most is... · It is... that... · Not only does...
Your teacher

Group member

Says things like:
  1. Success gives life meaning.
  2. Is that all?
  3. Others find meaning in family.
  4. So what do you think?
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

purposeflourishlegacypursuecontentmentresiliencegratitudemortality
  1. The reason for which you do something, or the aim of a whole life, is its .
  2. Aristotle thought that people should , living well and using their abilities.
  3. What a person leaves behind for later generations, such as ideas or buildings, is a .
  4. Some people wealth and status all their lives but still feel that something is missing.
  5. A quiet feeling of being satisfied with what you have is called .
  6. The ability to recover quickly after difficulty is called .
  7. Saying thank you and noticing what you appreciate is a daily habit of .
  8. Awareness of our own , the fact that we will die, can make us value time more.
H2

Choose the correct form

  1. What matters most our health.
  2. we read, the more we know.
  3. Not only , but he also smiled.
  4. It is kindness counts.
  5. is that you are safe.
  6. The longer I wait, nervous I feel.
  7. What we say what others think.
  8. that kindness is free?
H3

Correct or incorrect?

Decide if each sentence is grammatically correct.

  1. What matters most is the people we love.
  2. What matters most are the people we love.
  3. The more we give, the more we receive.
  4. More we give, more we receive.
  5. Not only did she come, but she also helped.
  6. Not only she came, but she also helped.
  7. It is love that gives life meaning.
H4

Match the two halves

  1. What matters most is
  2. It is love that
  3. The more we give,
  4. Not only does work pay,
  5. All that matters is
  6. What we do
  7. In the end,

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