In this lesson, Anna wants to go to a Halloween party. But she needs a costume. Will her friend Genie help her find the right one?
Speaking
Learn the new words for this lesson. Then, learn how to talk about the future in two ways. You can use the modal verb "will" or the modal verb "might."
Anna: Hello! Halloween is very popular in the United States.
Anna: Children trick-or-treat. They ask people for candy. Children and adults wear costumes and go to parties!
Anna: In fact, there is a Halloween party tonight. I need my friend, Genie. Genie!
Anna: Hi!
Genie: Hi, Anna! What do you need?
Anna: Tonight, there is a Halloween party.
Genie: I love Halloween! Are you going?
Anna: I might go. I might not go. I don’t have a costume. Can you help me?
Genie: Dress as a genie!
Anna: Great idea! I can do a genie trick like read minds!
Genie: Anna, be careful. Things might go wrong.
Anna: What can go wrong?
Genie: Okay.
Anna: Hey, look! I’m a genie! This is going to be fun!
Genie: Remember, Anna. Be careful!
Anna: Don’t worry, Genie! I will!
Rebecca: Excuse me, are you really a mind reader?
Anna: I might be.
Rebecca: Okay, tell me what I am thinking.
Anna: Sure! First, what do you do?
Rebecca: I study. I'm a junior in college.
Anna: What do you study?
Rebecca: I study journalism.
Anna: Okay. Wait. You are thinking … you will graduate from college in about one year.
Rebecca: Well, yeah. That’s the plan. I told you, I’m a junior in college.
Anna: Right, um, wait. There’s more. You are thinking … you might get a job writing the news.
Rebecca: I MIGHT get a job writing the news? I MIGHT! That means I might not. And I'm studying really hard.
Anna: No, no, no, no. Uh, no, you will! You WILL get a job writing the news.
Rebecca: I will?
Anna: You will.
Rebecca: I will. I think.
Anna: 'Bye. Happy to help!
Kaveh: Can you really read minds?
Anna: I might.
Kaveh: Well, today, I will ask my girlfriend to marry me. What am I thinking?
Anna: Wait. Wait, you are thinking ... you might have a wedding very soon!
Kaveh: Might? MIGHT? She won’t say "no," will she?
Anna: No, no! She WILL say “yes”!
Kaveh: I will have a wedding, won’t I?
Anna: You will. You will!
Kaveh: Thanks. I think.
Anna: Good luck!
Anna: This is hard. Genie! Genie!
Genie: Anna, what’s wrong?
Anna: I don’t want to be a genie for Halloween. I might not go to the party.
Genie: Of course you will go. I have another costume for you!
Anna: I’m a rock star! You read my mind!
Genie: No. You told me you like rock music.
Anna: Oh, right. Well, I love it!
Genie: Have fun, Anna!
Anna: Thanks, Genie!!
Anna: I am ready for the Halloween party! But I am not going to read minds. I might play some rock music! Or I might not. Until next time …
Writing
What do you think about your future? Where might you live and work in five years? What might happen in your life? Write to us by email or in the Comments section.
Click on the image below to download the Activity Sheetand practice talking about the important things that happen in our lives.
Activity Sheet Lesson 34
Learning Strategy
Learning Strategies are the thoughts and actions that help make learning easier or more effective.
The learning strategy for this lesson isMake Your Best Guess. Thatmeans using what you know about the world to make a guess. When we do this with language, it can help us understand and speak more fluently.
For example, Anna says she might be able to read minds. But she is really guessing. After she hears Rebecca say, "I'm a junior in college." Anna says, "You are thinking … you will graduate from college in about one year." She knows that "junior" means a student in the third year at a four-year college, so she can make a good guess that Rebecca will be graduating in one year.
Can you find another example in the lesson of Anna making a guess? Write to us about it in the Comments section or send us an email. Teachers, see the Lesson Plan for more details on teaching this strategy.
Quiz
Listen to short videos and test your listening skills with this quiz.
candy - n. a sweet food made with sugar or chocolate
college - n. school that offers courses leading to a degree (such as a bachelor's degree or an associate's degree)
costume - n. the clothes that are worn by someone (such as an actor) who is trying to look like a different person or thing
dress - v. to put clothes on (yourself or someone else)
girlfriend - n. a woman with whom someone is having a romantic relationship
graduate - v. to earn a degree or diploma from a school, college, or university
Halloween - n. the night of October 31 when children dress up as ghosts, witches or monsters, and go to houses to ask for candy
journalism - n. the activity or job of collecting, writing, and editing news stories for newspapers, magazines, television, or radio
junior - n. US:a student in the third of four years in a high school or college
marry - v. to become the husband or wife of (someone)orto become joined with (someone) in marriage
might - modal. used to say that something is possible
mind - n. the part of a person that thinks, reasons, feels, and remembers
rock star - n. a person who plays a kind of popular music with a strong beat that is played on instruments that are made louder electronically
think - v. to form or have (a particular thought) in your mind
trick - n. something that causes confusion or that makes something seem different from what it actually is
trick-or-treat - expression. a custom on Halloween in which children knock on people's doors and say “trick or treat” when the doors are opened to ask for candy
wedding - n. a ceremony at which two people are married to each other
Each Let's Learn English lesson has an Activity Sheet for extra practice on your own or in the classroom. In this lesson, you can use it to practice talking about life events.
For Teachers
Lesson Plan - Lesson 34: What Will I Do?
See theLesson Planfor this lesson for ideas and more teaching resources. Send us an email if you have comments on this course or questions.
Grammar focus: Modal verb "might"
Topics: Asking about the future; Talking about life events
Learning Strategy: Make Your Best Guess (Inferencing)
Speaking & Pronunciation Focus: Usingmodal verbs "will" and"might;" patterns of intonation with modal verbs
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