Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Job interviews are both stressful and necessary. Experts recommend that all job seekers, including
native English speakers, practice their interviews. You want to give short, clear, and smart
responses. Working with a partner, interview each other. Switch roles between manager and job
applicant after every three questions. Use complete sentences.
Please circle the words that you know. Read the other definitions below.
apply, verb: to ask for a specific job, by filling out and turning in papers or by answering
questions online.
benefit, noun: something good or helpful; anything valuable given by a company to its
workers, such as health insurance.
George’s company offers a tuition benefit that helps employees pay for college classes.
promote, verb: to be chosen for a better job within the same company, often with more
difficult tasks and a higher salary.
Raj was promoted to supervisor after only a few months on the job.
software, noun: coded programs that work on computers and other electronic devices.
3 www.CompellingConversations.com
ASKING QUESTIONS
A. Select five vocabulary words in this chapter and write a question for each word. Remember to
start your question with a question word (Who, What, Where, When, Why, How, Is, Are, Do,
Did, Does, etc.). You will also want to end each question with a question mark (?). Underline
each vocabulary word.
PARAPHRASING PROVERBS
✦ ................................................................................................................................................
✦ ................................................................................................................................................
DISCUSSING QUOTATIONS
Take turns reading these quotations out loud and discuss them with your partner. Mark your
answer. Explain your response.
2.
“I find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world
calls success.”
—Thomas Edison (1847–1931), American inventor
! ! ! Agree Disagree
Why? ...............................................................................................................................
3.
“The difference between a job and a career is the difference between 40 and 60 hours a
week.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963), American poet
! ! ! Agree Disagree
Why? ...............................................................................................................................
5 www.CompellingConversations.com
4.
“You have to have your heart in the business and the business in your heart.”
—Thomas J. Watson (1874–1956), American founder of IBM
! ! ! Agree Disagree
Why? ...............................................................................................................................
5.
“In business for yourself, not by yourself.”
—Ray Kroc (1902–1984), American owner of McDonald’s Corporation
! ! ! Agree Disagree
Why? ...............................................................................................................................
7.
“If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.”
—Dr. Laurence J. Peter (1919–1990), Canadian-American educator
! ! ! Agree Disagree
Why? ...............................................................................................................................
8.
“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
—Vidal Sassoon (1928–), British hair stylist and businessman
! ! ! Agree Disagree
Why? ...............................................................................................................................
10.
“I want to work for a company that contributes to and is part of a community. I want not
just to invest in; I want to believe in.”
—Anita Roddick (1943–2007), British businesswoman and human rights activist
! ! ! Agree Disagree
Why? ...............................................................................................................................
Please find a video clip (in English) that you would like to share with your classmates from
YouTube.com, hulu.com, or Monster.com that helps people successfully interview for jobs.
Watch the video, take notes, and review it for your classmates.
How would you rate this video on a scale of 1–5, with five being the highest? Why?
7 www.CompellingConversations.com
“You may be disappointed if you fail, ON YOUR OWN
but you are doomed if you don’t try.”
—Beverly Sills (1929–2007), You have started a new business.
American opera singer How will you choose your employees?
List the first seven steps you will take.
1. ................................................
C H A P T E R 12 N O T E S
.....................................................
.....................................................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................................................
..................................................................................... 2. ................................................
..................................................................................... .....................................................
.....................................................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................................................
..................................................................................... 3. ................................................
.....................................................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................................................
..................................................................................... 4. ................................................
.....................................................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................................................
..................................................................................... 5. ................................................
.....................................................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................................................
.....................................................................................
6. ................................................
.....................................................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................................................
..................................................................................... .....................................................
.....................................................................................
7. ................................................
.....................................................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................................................
..................................................................................... .....................................................
.....................................................................................
“How can so much learning be in just one book? “Compelling American Conversations is a
Compelling American Conversations is all great textbook for teaching conversational
that an ESL teacher or student needs to use in their American English to ESL learners. It teaches the
course. With clear, easy to follow directions, students topic by topic how to start a conversation
students learn necessary details about American with small talk leading up to a more serious
English and culture, practice critical thinking, discussion using relevant vocabulary and global
expand vocabulary and idioms, as they converse in idioms within the context of American culture. It
real, natural adult English. Included in the “Search also focuses on teaching the students how to ask
and Share” component are marvelous lessons on questions as well as answering them. This is
using the Internet. An extra bonus is that any of something that they will all need in the real world.
the conversations, quotes, etc. can be used as I highly recommend it as either a main textbook
writing prompts. The book is fun and stimulating or as supplementary material for any ESL
and, fortunately, very accessible for the inter- instructor to use with intermediate to advanced
mediate learner.” level students who want to improve their oral
skills.”
~ Planaria Price
Author, Life in the USA and Realistically Speaking ~ Eva Owen
EFL/ESL Instructor
~ James Hutzell
Lecturer, USC Language Academy “Compelling American Conversations is an
essential English conversation book. The carefully
chosen vocabulary words aid students without
“Conversational English proficiency can only be overwhelming them, and the way the questions
acquired by engaging in authentic English integrate with students' background knowledge
conversations. The academic approach used all helps them feel confident in exploring new topics
too frequently in conventional ESL classrooms of conversation. I love the use of proverbs and
consistently fails at helping English learners quotations to engage English learners and to get
become fluent English speakers. Compelling them talking. Whether you're running a school or
American Conversations fills the gap left by teaching private lessons, this should be the first
inadequate curricula by offering engaging topics book you grab to get your students talking.”
and prompts that become the starting point for
thoughtful and meaningful conversations. I highly ~ Brent G. Warner
recommend it.” Author, How to Pass the TOEFL iBT Test
9 www.CompellingConversations.com