English with Jo

Keeping Secrets

This is the preparation material for an English conversation lesson about Secrets.

Keeping a secret can be difficult, and when it is a juicy secret it might be near impossible. It takes a great deal of willpower and determination not to want to tell someone what you just heard. If you feel that you do not have the willpower necessary, then do not put yourself in the position of even hearing a secret. If you don't keep a secret it can hurt you in the long run. If it is your own secret and you don't want anybody to know then don't ever bring it up. Chances are you'll end up "Spilling the beans".

Verbs and Secrets

• To keep a secret
• To reveal a secret
• To tell a secret
• To leak information

Phrasal Verbs

• Confide in – “I have a secret I want to share. Can I confide in you?
• Let in on – “I will let you in on a little secret”
• Spread around – “I told John my secret and now it has spread around the whole school!”

Idioms

Keeping Secrets

• Keep it under your hat – “I just heard that Tony is leaving the company but keep this under your hat.”
• Just between you and me – “Just between you and me, I think Alex is having an affair”
• My lips are sealed – “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anybody. My lips are sealed”

Revealing Secrets

• Let the cat out of the bag – “It was meant to be a surprise but Jake went and let the cat out of the bag!”
• Spill the beans – “I didn’t want anyone to know but unfortunately Mary spilled the beans”

Conversation Questions

• Are you a secretive person?
• Do you keep a lot of secrets to yourself?
• If you had a secret, who would you confide in?
• Do people confide in you?
• Are you someone people trust with their secrets?
• Have you ever let out a secret?
• Have you ever revealed someone else’s secret?
• If your friend did something dangerous or illegal would you tell someone about it?
• If you found someone’s personal diary, would you read it or would you respect their privacy?
• When you meet someone new, are there some things that you want to keep secret or private? Why?
• Are you concerned about Internet privacy?
• What do you do when a web site asks you for information that you consider private or personal?
• Do you use your real name on the Internet?
• When applying for a job is it okay for the company to ask you your religion or marital status?
• Do you think it is ok for a married couple to keep secrets from each other?
• Do you think priests, doctors and lawyers should keep everything they are told confidential or are there some situations where it is ok for them to reveal the information?
• What do you think about Wikileaks? Do you think it is a good or bad thing that they reveal secrets and classified information?