In this week’s club, we are talking about “Growing up”- This is a great moment to get to know the other Conversation Club members, and to practice speaking a wide variety of arguments, which will also help you increase your vocabulary and improve your comprehension skills.

All mpec courses are based on Conversation, Communication and Interaction and our main goal is to give our students the confidence to approach any topic or idea in English. In this week’s Club, other than practicing speaking English, our goal is to find and learn new vocabulary and put it to use immediately…

Important Vocabulary & Useful Expressions

1. To Grow up: Intransitive verb (no object) – advance to maturity, develop into an adult – “I grew up in Dublin.”
2. To Bring up/raise a child/children: Look after a child until s/he is an adult – “They raised their children in the city.”
3. Grow up!: Begin to behave / think sensibly – “Oh grow up, Frank, stop being so silly!”
4. You’re such a baby!: You are very immature / you are behaving like a child.
5. Grown-up: Another word for ‘adult’ – “Maria has 3 grown-up children.
6. Act your age!: Another way to tell someone to stop behaving in a childish way – however, it can also be used in the opposite sense, too – “My son is so serious all the time, I wish he would act his age and play football with his friends.”
7. A spring chicken: used to talk about young people, usually in the negative form – “I’m no spring chicken, but I’m quite fit!”.
8. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks: the ‘essence’ of this proverb is that you cannot make people change their ways. It is commonly used to suggest that someone who has been doing something in the same way for a long time will not be able to learn a new way to do it.

Growing up

1. Do you think it is better to grow up in the city or in the countryside? Why?
2. What would you say are the pros and cons of each?
3. Is growing up in a residential area outside the city but connected to the city a better solution?

The parents’ point of view

1. What about bringing children up? Is it better or easier for parents who live in the city or in the countryside? Why?
2. Which ambient, in your opinion, requires stricter rules? Why?
3. Do you think the Modern World influences your answers to these questions? In what way?
4. Is cost an important factor in your opinion?

Expressions

1. Do you know anyone who doesn’t act their age? Tell us about them!
2. Have you ever told anyone that they were such a baby? Why, what happened?
3. Do you consider yourself a spring chicken? Why / why not?
4. Would you agree with the proverb “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”? Why? Do you have any examples to support your idea?

All mpec students are welcome to join our Conversation Club Zoom Sessions which take place every Tuesday, 6pm to 6.30 pm and Thursday from 1 to 1.30 pm from October to June. If you are not a part of the mpec community yet, please get in touch with us and we will partner with you to create the right course for your needs and goals. Live English Courses via Streaming

Self Study Suggestion:

A beautiful, emotional poem about the difficulties of growing up.