10: Discussion Questions

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Purpose/Goal: to reinforce comprehension of selected idioms

Number of Participants: any number

Materials: none

Procedure:

The following discussion questions are based on idioms in the categories in Part Two of this book. After teaching the selected idioms, use the following example questions as whole-class or small-group discussions. These are open-ended follow-up discussions that reinforce the meanings of idioms.

Category: People

Describe the members of your family or a group you belong to.
Who is a chip off the old block? In what ways is he or she? How is he or she not?

Who is the apple of your father’s eye? Is it you or one of your brothers or sisters?

Who is a big shot / an eager beaver / a good egg?
What happened to your grandmother (grandfather/mother/aunt/etc.) when she was knee high to a grasshopper?
Discuss the characteristics of someone you know who is the salt of the earth.
Describe someone you know who is a stuffed shirt.
What work would someone do if he were a white-collar worker / a blue-collar worker?
Who would you rather marry, a good egg or a Jack of all trades? Why?
Would you rather be footloose and fancy free or filthy rich? Why?
Do you know anyone who is an old fuddy duddy? Who?

Category: Conversation

Tell us about people who don’t let you get a word in edgewise.
Talk about a time when you had a heart to heart talk with a parent.
Do you know someone who sticks his/her nose in other people’s business? What does he or she do?
Discuss a time when a teacher put you on the spot.
Tell us about somebody you like to shoot the breeze with.
Talk to your friends about a time when you got something off your chest.
When should you lend someone an ear?
Name a topic that you don’t know beans about.

Category: Success and Happiness

What makes you feel tickled pink?
Have you ever felt like you were on cloud nine? Tell your friends about it.
When have you felt happy-go-lucky? What made you feel that way?
Do you know someone who leads a charmed life? In what ways?
Have you ever felt head over heels in love? What did you do?
What is the best thing to say to pop the question?
What would a woman wear if she is dressed to kill? What would a man wear?
Does your family keep up with the Joneses? How?

Category: Anger/Being Upset

When was the last time you flew off the handle? What did you do?
Have you ever lost your cool or gone bananas? How did other people react?
What makes you hopping mad?
When were you at the end of your rope? How did you help yourself feel better?
Talk about a time when someone was on the warpath/rampage.
What might happen to make you chew someone out?
Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? Or any other morning?
Did your mother or father ever put his or her foot down when you wanted to do something? What?

Category: Ill Health

What makes you feel better when you are under the weather?
When was the last time that you were black and blue? What happened?
What makes you feel burned out?
Have you every felt down and out? What was the situation?
Have you ever felt like just letting yourself go to pot? When? Why?
Tell you friends about a time when you didn’t know if you were coming or going.
How would you describe someone who is off their rocker?
How do you cheer yourself up when you are blue?

Category: Negative Situations

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt you were in over your head? Tell your friends about it.
Have you ever been in a jam? What got you there? What got you out?
Tell your friends about a time when you were in hot water with your teacher/boss.
If you are in a rut, what do you do to get yourself out of it? What about your friends?
When you were a kid, were you ever in the doghouse? How did your parents punish you?
If a friend comes to you and says, ’I am in a bind,’ what do you do?

Category: Time

Discuss something you do once in a blue moon.
Tell your classmates about a party where you danced till the cows came home.
When you have time to kill? What do you do?
Is there something you would do at the drop of a hat?
Tell us about times when you had to burn the midnight oil.
What have you done in the nick of time?
What have you done on the spur of the moment?
If you have time to kill today, what will you do?

Category: Money

Who brings home the bacon in your family?
Tell us about something that cost your family a mint.
What you would do with money to burn?
Talk about something you bought for a song.
Do you know a penny pincher? What do they do?
Have you ever been flat broke? What did you do?
How much money should you save for a rainy day?
Is it ever appropriate to go Dutch in your country? With whom and in what situation?