SAMPLE CHAPTER*

COMPELLING AMERICAN CONVERSATIONS

Questions & Quotations
for Intermediate American English Language Learners

Written, Compiled, and Edited by

Eric H. Roth and Toni Aberson
with Hal Bogotch

*reproducible for classroom use

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seeing our world with photographs

SHARING LASTING MEMORIES

Photography surrounds us in the 21st century: on billboards, on the Internet, in magazines, and
in our homes. We see new faces, go to distant lands, and remember special moments with
photographs. Explore the role of photography in our lives with your partner.
1. Where are some places we can find photographs?
2. How many photographs do you think youve seen in the last week? Where?
3. Do you keep photographs? What kind? Why?
4. Do you have a favorite childhood picture? Can you describe it?
5. What kind of photos do you like to take? Are they portraits? Action shots?
6. Are you a shutterbug? Do you take lots of photos?
7. Do you have a camera? What kind?
8. How do you store your photos? In an album? On a computer? Why?
9. Do you edit photographs? How do you change the photographs?
10. In your opinion, what makes a good photograph? Why?
11. Why do you think photography is popular?
12. What are three places in our city you would like to photograph? Why?

Compelling American Conversations

EXPANDING VOCABULARY

billboard

blink

click

portrait

shutterbug

store

upload

zoom in

billboard, noun: a large outdoor printed or electronic sign.

The billboard advertised the new James Bond movie.
blink, verb: briefly shut ones eyes.
My father often blinks when I take his photo using a flash.
click, verb (used without an object): to depress and release a shutter button rapidly.
Click this button to take the picture.
portrait, noun: an artistic representation of a person through a painting or a photograph.
Carlos loved the portrait that the photographer took of his wife at their wedding.
shutterbug, noun: an amateur photographer; one who is greatly devoted to photography.
My friend is a shutterbug. He shoots photos every day and takes his camera everywhere.
store, verb: the act of writing a data or image file to a hard drive, SD card, CD-R or DVD-R.
I store all my photos on an external hard drive.
upload, verb: the process of sending a copy of a file to a device or remote network location.
My sister likes to upload songs from the Internet to her iPhone.
zoom in, verb: to view something more closely by using a zoom lens.
I used my long lens to zoom in on the baseball player at Dodger Stadium.

A photograph is usually looked at seldom looked into.

Ansel Adams (19021984), American photographer

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ASKING QUESTIONS

Select five vocabulary words in this chapter, and write a question using each word. Then ask your
partner/classmate/teacher the questions you have made.

Example: Do you blink when someone takes a photo of you?

1. ......................................................................................................................................................
2. ......................................................................................................................................................
3. ......................................................................................................................................................
4. ......................................................................................................................................................
5. ......................................................................................................................................................

PARAPHRASING PROVERBS

A. What do the following proverbs and idioms mean? Discuss them with your partner. Circle
your favorite.

Out of sight, out of mind. English

Seeing is believing. English
A picture is worth a thousand words. English
Long time, no see. American

REMEMBER...
Capture beautiful memories
Explore your possibilities
Share your special moments
with others

Give someone the green light. American

Out like a light. American slang
None are so blind as those who wont see. unknown source
B. Can you add two more proverbs related to the topic?

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PUTTING PHOTOS INTO WORDS

Think of a caption for this photo. Be creative.

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Compelling American Conversations

Pretend this photo is in a magazine. You are the editor and must
write a caption. Please write your caption on the lines below. Make
up a name, a date, a location, practical information, and a story.
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THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES

1. Do you have any photos on your cell phone? Can you tell me something about them?
2. When do you use the landscape mode and when do you use portrait mode? Any preference?
3. Do you think its ok to take someones photo without their permission? Have you?
4. Do you think paparazzi are a necessary evil? Why? Why not?
5. What are some jobs for which you might want to get a head shot? Why?
6. Have you noticed any camera trends lately? What are they?
7. What feature would you love to see on a futuristic camera?
8. What is the best season of the year to take photos? Why?
9. Do you have any favorite sites for taking pictures? What is your favorite background?
10. If you went to Disneyland, which Disney character would you like to take your photo with?
11. What are your thoughts about disposable cameras?
12. Why do you think it is important to take photos?
13. What do you prefer taking still photos or videos? Why?
14. Do you consider photography an art form? Have you seen any photo exhibits?
15. How would our world be different if there were no photographs?
DISCUSSING QUOTATIONS

Take turns reading these quotations aloud and discuss them with your partner. Mark your
answers. Explain your responses.
1. There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.
Ansel Adams (19021984), American photographer and environmentalist
!

Agree Disagree
Why? ...............................................................................................................................

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 2. There are always two people in every picture:the photographer and the viewer.
Ansel Adams (19021984), American photographer and environmentalist
!

Agree Disagree
Why? ...............................................................................................................................

3. Actually, Im not all that interested in the subject of photography. Once the picture is in

the box, Im not all that interested in what happens [Link], after all, arent cooks.
Henri Cartier-Bresson (19082004), French photographer and father of modern photojournalism
!
!
! Agree
Disagree
Why? ...............................................................................................................................
4. People say photographs dont lie; mine do.
David LaChapelle (1963), American fashion photographer and director
!

Agree Disagree
Why? ...............................................................................................................................

5. The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.
Dorothea Lange (18951965), American photographer and photojournalist
!

Agree Disagree
Why? ...............................................................................................................................

6. Photography is my one recreation, and I think it should be done well.

Lewis Carroll (18321898), English novelist and math professor
!
!
! Agree
Disagree

Why? ...............................................................................................................................

7. When I say I want to photograph someone, what it really means is that Id like to know

them. Anyone I know I photograph.
Annie Leibovitz (1949), American portrait photographer
!
!
! Agree
Disagree
Why? ...............................................................................................................................
8. I wish more people felt that photography was an adventure the same as life itself and felt

that their individual feelings were worth expressing. To me, that makes photography

more exciting.
Harry Callahan (19121999), American photographer
!
!
! Agree
Disagree
Why? ...............................................................................................................................
9. Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one Im going to take tomorrow.
Imogen Cunningham (18831976), American photographer ! ! !
Disagree
!
!
! Agree
Why? ...............................................................................................................................
Compelling American Conversations

SEARCH and SHARE

Documenting Moments in Time
Student Name: ......................................................................... Date: ...........................................
Class: ........................................................................................ Teacher: ......................................
Documentary photographs capture important moments in time. Visit the Library of Congress
collection at [Link]/pictures to find a special historical photograph that captures your
imagination. Print it out and share it with your classmates.
Title: .................................................................................................................................................
Photographer: ..................................................................................................................................
Historical Context: .................................................................................... Date: .........................
Describe the photograph. What is going on?
How did the photographer compose his picture? Where are your eyes drawn?
What historical moment does it capture? Does it do it well?
Why do you think the photographer chose to take this picture?
Why did you choose this photograph?
What did you learn from it?
Do you think a photograph like this would still be taken today? Why? Why not?

On a scale of 15 with five being the highest, how would you rate the photograph? Why?

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The camera can photograph thought.

Dirk Bogarde (19211999),
English actor and novelist

ON YOUR OWN

C H A P T E R 15 N O T E S
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Compelling American Conversations

Whats your favorite photograph?

Where was it taken? What does it
show? Why is it important?
Bring it to class and be prepared to
discuss with your classmates.

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THINK ABOUT IT
List 5 components of a camera.
(example: a flash)

1. .................................................
2. .................................................
3. .................................................
4. .................................................
5. .................................................

Praise for Compelling American Conversations:

Questions and Quotations for
Intermediate American English Language Learners
How can so much learning be in just one book?
Compelling American Conversations is all
that an ESL teacher or student needs to use in their
course. With clear, easy to follow directions,
students learn necessary details about American
English and culture, practice critical thinking,
expand vocabulary and idioms, as they converse in
real, natural adult English. Included in the Search
and Share component are marvelous lessons on
using the Internet. An extra bonus is that any of
the conversations, quotes, etc. can be used as
writing prompts. The book is fun and stimulating
and, fortunately, very accessible for the intermediate learner.

~ Planaria Price
Author, Life in the USA and Realistically Speaking
Compelling American Conversations is a
great book for students to improve their conversational skills. The exercises also help to improve the
"on-the-spot" thinking skills students need to
become fluent English speakers. I recommend this
book as a study aid for those who wish to improve
their IELTS speaking score.
~ James Hutzell
Lecturer, USC Language Academy
Conversational English proficiency can only be
acquired by engaging in authentic English
conversations. The academic approach used all
too frequently in conventional ESL classrooms
consistently fails at helping English learners
become fluent English speakers. Compelling
American Conversations fills the gap left by
inadequate curricula by offering engaging topics
and prompts that become the starting point for
thoughtful and meaningful conversations. I highly
recommend it.

Compelling American Conversations is a

great textbook for teaching conversational
American English to ESL learners. It teaches the
students topic by topic how to start a conversation
with small talk leading up to a more serious
discussion using relevant vocabulary and global
idioms within the context of American culture. It
also focuses on teaching the students how to ask
questions as well as answering them. This is
something that they will all need in the real world.
I highly recommend it as either a main textbook
or as supplementary material for any ESL
instructor to use with intermediate to advanced
level students who want to improve their oral
skills.
~ Eva Owen
EFL/ESL Instructor
Simply a FANTASTIC book! A must-have
resource for all English teachers and students
alike!
~ JJ Polk
Author, English in Global Contexts
Compelling American Conversations is an
essential English conversation book. The carefully
chosen vocabulary words aid students without
overwhelming them, and the way the questions
integrate with students' background knowledge
helps them feel confident in exploring new topics
of conversation. I love the use of proverbs and
quotations to engage English learners and to get
them talking. Whether you're running a school or
teaching private lessons, this should be the first
book you grab to get your students talking.
~ Brent G. Warner
Author, How to Pass the TOEFL iBT Test

~ Nathan D. Crandall, M.A.

Founder, The Fluency Coach
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