English with Jo

This is the preparation material for an English conversation lesson about Time.  Time allows us to order events from the past through to the present and into the future. It also helps us measure the duration of events and to make schedules. Nowadays, many people feel that they do not have enough time. Sometimes it is difficult to balance all the different things we need to do in a day, like work, family responsibilities , exercise and social activities. Keeping a diary or writing a schedule helps to manage time but it can still be a challenge to fit everything in. It would be nice to have more free time.

Audio Discussion 

Download audio discussion about managing time

Download transcript of audio discussion

• Do you make the most of your free time or are you a ‘time waster’ like Steven was?
• Why do you think becoming a father helped him to make the most of his time? 

* Audio courtesy of elllo.org. 

Idioms & Expressions

• All in good time – “I hope I will get a great job opportunity soon, but all in good time”
• Better late than never – “Here is your birthday gift. I’m sorry it’s late, but better late than never!”
• Take your time – “The boss is not due back for another few hours so take your time, there is no need to rush”
• To work/race against the clock – “The report is due tomorrow so I am racing against the clock”
• For the time being – “You still have a temperature so you should stay in bed for the time being”
• One at a time – “I know you all want some cake, but please, one at a time!”
• At times – “He can be a bit grumpy at times”
• By the time – “By the time I get home, they are usually asleep.” 

Phrasal Verbs & Collocations 

• In time – “Please get home in time to cook dinner”
• On time – “I hope the train will be on time”
• Hurry up – “If we hurry up, we’ll be there before the others”
• Speed up – “Sometimes it feels like time is speeding up” 

Conversation Questions

• Are you good at managing your time?
• Do you have much spare time?
• What do you like to do in your free time?
• Do you have enough time to do all the things you want to do?
• Do you ever waste time?
• What do you spend too much time doing?
• During what activities does time seem to pass quickly?
• During what activities does time seem to pass slowly?
• Do you think time seemed to pass more slowly when you were a child? Why do you think this is?
• Do you always wear a watch? Have you ever tried going without a watch? What was it like?
• If you had two extra hours in the day what would you do with them?
• Do you make a schedule for how to spend your time?
• Are you good at getting things done on time?
• Do you think people are too concerned with time?
• Are you able to wake up at a specific time without the use of an alarm clock?
• How do you feel when you lose an hour's sleep because the clocks are changed? How long to you take to adapt?
• Do you often get jet lag when you change time zones?
• In your country, is punctuality important or is it common for people to arrive late for things?
• Would you rather have more time or more money?
• Do you like to be busy, or do you like to have an easy schedule?
• Do you like to show up early or late for social occasions?
• Do you ever race against time?
• Do you think time travel will be possible in the future?
• If time travel were possible, which time period would you like to return to?
• How far into the future would you like to travel? What would you like to see?