English Conversation Classes

English Conversation Classes If youre bored with the normal English conversation classes where you only learn how to introduce yourself   then LOI has English classes for you. Our classes cover a full range of topics and grammar points some are as timeless as talking about dreams and others are more current topics about the refugee crisis in Europe. Here is a lesson about dreamsif you want to correct the exercises and complete this lesson with a live teacher please click the link at the bottom.English Conversation Warm-upA. Conversation1) Do you usually remember your dreams? Why or why not?2) Do you believe that dreams have meaning? If so, how can you interpret their meaning?3) Have you ever had nightmares? What were they like?4) Have you ever had or heard of a dream that foretold the future?B. English VocabularyDirections: Match the vocabulary (1-10) to its meanings (a-j). Have you ever seen these words before? Which ones are new?Words/Expressions1. olfactory2. thriller3. tactile4. creature5. inspiration6. audi tory7. descend8. lucid9. interpreted10. subconsciousEnglish Definitionsa. to decide what the intended meaning of sth isb. connected with the ability to smellc. sb / sth that gives you ideas for doing sthd. the part of your mind that notices and remembers information and influences your behaviour without your realisinge. clearly expressed and easy to understandf. to go / come down / Opposite: ascendg. used to refer to a lifeform that is unusual / imaginaryh. of / about hearingi. a book,play / film that has an exciting story,often about solving a crimej. related to the sense of touchC. EnglishFill in the BlanksDirections: Fill in the blanks with the above vocabulary items.1. Where are the . organs found of the human body?2. Many cities have provided great . for artists and other creative individuals.3. We all have .. fears,which we never realise until we encounter something that triggers them.4. The aircraft began to . and we could see the metropolis below us.5. There are many avid re aders of spy . around. Personally, I dont see the attraction. Do you?6. In a forest you hear the chirping of birds and the sounds of other .7. What does .. mean? Can you use it in a sentence?8. You should write in a clear and . style. It makes for better reading.9. Some of the evidence in the case is difficult to . .10. Teaching methods use both .. and visual stimulants.II. ReadingDirections: Before reading, preview the comprehension questions. After reading, reread the sentences that contain the vocabulary words. Then explain the meanings of the sentences.A. TextDreams are expressions of thoughts, feelings and events that pass through our mind while we are sleeping. People dream about one to two hours each night. We may have four to seven dreams in one night. Everybody dreams. But only some people remember their dreams.The word dream comes from an old word in English that means joy and music. Our dreams often include all the senses â€"  olfactory, auditory, visual, taste andtactil e. We dream in color. Sometimes we dream the same dream over and over again. These repeated dreams are often unpleasant. They may even be nightmares.Artists, writers and scientists sometimes say they get  inspiration  from dreams. For example, the singer Paul McCartney of the Beatles said he awakened one day with the music for the song Yesterday in his head. The writer Mary Shelley said she had a very strong dream about a scientist using a machine to make a creaturecome alive. When she awakened, she began to write her famous sci-fi  thriller  Frankenstein.People have been trying to decide what dreams mean for thousands of years. Ancient Greeks and Romans believed dreams provided messages  descended  from the gods. Sometimes people who could understand dreams would help military leaders in battle.In ancient Egypt, people who could explain dreams were believed to be special. In the Christian Bible, there are more than seven hundred comments or stories about dreams. In China, people be lieved that dreams were a way to visit with family members who had died. Some Native American tribes and Mexican civilizations believed dreams were a different world we visit when we sleep.Early in the twentieth century, two famous scientists developed different ideas about dreams. Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud published a book called The Interpretation of Dreams in nineteen hundred. Freud believed our dreams are linked to our  subconscious  desires.  Freud  interpreted  peoples dreams as a way of helping them solve problems or understand their worries. For example, Freud said when people dream of flying or swinging, they want to be free of their childhood. When a person dreams that a brother or sister or parent has died, the dreamer is really hiding feelings of hatred for that person. Or a desire to have what the other person has.Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung worked closely with Freud for several years. But he developed very different ideas about dreams. Jung believed dreams c ould help people grow and understand themselves. He believed dreams provide solutions to problems we face when we are awake.He did not believe dreams hide our internal desires.Today we know more about the science of dreaming because researchers can perform  brain scans  while people are sleeping.One kind of dreaming is called  luciddreaming. This is when someone is aware that they are dreaming, and may even be able to control their dream.An organization in Canada called the Dreams Foundation believes you can train yourself to have lucid dreams by paying very close attention to your dreams and writing them down. The Dreams Foundation believes this is one way to become more imaginative and creative. It is possible to take classes on the Internet to learn how to remember dreams and use what you learn in your daily life.There have been many new phone apps and other software to try to help people control their dreams. This has been largely inspired by the  vast array  of films like Incep tion. These apps use special sounds to  trigger  thoughts and events inside a dream.B. Comprehension Questions(Support your choice by finding the answer in the text!)1. Dreams are expressions of actions. True / False2. Ou dreams usually include all of the senses. True / False3. The ancients thought dreams came from the gods. True /False4. Jung and Freud had the same theory about dreams. True / False5. You can control your dreams if you work hard at it. True / FalseIII.  GrammarA. Idiomatic ExpressionsIdioms are words, phrases, or expressions that are either grammatically unusual, as in, “Long time, no see!”, or their meaning cannot be taken literally, as in, “Its raining cats and dogs!” This expression does not mean that cats and dogs are falling from the sky, but it is a metaphorical expression (word picture) that means that it is raining very heavily.Idioms are an important part of every language. Therefore, as a language learner, knowing idioms is useful in at least two w ays:1) The more idioms you know, the more native-like your language will sound.2) By learning idioms, you learn a lot about the culture of the community speaking the language you are learning.B. Matching ExerciseDirections: Match the following idioms to their meanings. Then, use them in sentences of your own. Do you have similar ones in your language?1. In your dreams!2. like a dream3. a pipe dream4. be / live in a dream world5. beyond your wildest dreamsa. an idea that could never happen because it is impossibleb. far more than you could have hoped or imaginedc. if sb /sth does sth like a dream,they do it very welld. to have ideas / hopes which are not practical and are not likely to be successfule. sth you say to sb when they tell you what they are hoping for to show you do not believe it will happenC. Vocabulary and Grammar ConsolidationDirections: Answer the following questions using what you have learn in the lesson and drawing on personal experience.1.  Do you dream in black-a nd-white or color? What language do you usually dream in? Have you ever dreamed in English? Another language?2.  Do you think dreams can be explained scientifically? Why? If not, what other explanation can you give? Discuss.3. Would you dowload an app to help you control your dreams? Can someone control their dreams? Why? Why not?4. Tell your teacher about a dream that you have never forgotten. Was it a good dream or a nightmare?5.  What do you believe is the meaning behind deja vu? Have you ever experienced it? If so, describe how you felt. What is jamais vu?6. Finish this sentence In my wildest dreams .. .IV. Vocabulary ReviewDirections: Use the following vocabulary from the lesson to create sentences abut yourself or something you have seen or heard.Try to use some of the idioms in your sentences.1. inspiration2. subconscious3. olfactory4. thriller5. creatureV. Wrap-upA. Conversation1.  Do you ever want to live in the world of your dreams? Why? Why not?2. Would you like to contr ol your dreams,like in Inception? What are the benefits and drawbacks do you think.3. Do you think that humankind will finally understand the world of dreams in the future? If so, how do you think it would help us?B. WritingDirections: There are two perspectives in the text about what dreams are. One is Freuds and the other Jungs. Which do you agree with and why?Add some research of your own to support your opinion and present it to your teacher next lesson.(You should present some form of written work)