Student guide #3

Activity 1
Look at the following expressions. Put them into the correct category.

 admit making a mistake

 make up an excuse
 shift the blame
 keep a promise
 tell a lie / tell the truth

Taking responsibility Avoiding responsibility

 keep a promise  tell a lie

 admit making a mistake  shift the blame

 tell the truth  make up an excuse

Activity 2
Complete each conversation with one of the expressions from activity 1. Pay attention
to the tense in which each sentence is written.
1

Riya: I thought you were coming to my birthday party! Where were you Saturday night?

José: I'm sorry I missed your party. I'll tell the truth I just forgot about it.

Melissa: I just realized that I emailed some important documents to the wrong client. I have to
tell my boss, but I'm afraid of what she'll say!

Michael: She may be upset, but I think she'll appreciate the fact that you're admit making a
mistake

Habib: What did your teacher say about the book you lost?

Miyuki:I didn't tell him that I lost it. I said I left it on my desk and someone must have taken it.
Habib: So you shift the blame. That wasn't very responsible!

Leo: Do you believe Mark really overslept this morning?

Lucia: I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if he just make up an excuse for missing the
meeting. I've heard him lie about things before.

Anton: I agreed to babysit my sister's kids on Saturday, but now I've been invited to a great
concert that night.

Chloe: Are you going to tell your sister that you can't help her out?

Anton: No. As much as I'd like to see the concert, I'll keep the promise to my sister. I think it's
important to be trustworthy.

Nadia: Why are you making your son stay home tonight?

Wing: It's his punishment for telling a lie. He needs to learn that honesty is the best policy!

Activity 3
3.1 Complete the following sentences using adjective clauses

1. Anyone who says he or she always tells the truth is probably lying.
2. There are certain situations that often lead to telling lies.
1. It feels awful to lie to the people to whom you've promised to tell the truth.
2. I expect there are certain places where people have a greater tendency to tell lies.
3. I wouldn't criticize someone whose lies are only to protect people's feelings.
4. People whom worry about the feelings of others will sometimes tell "little white lies."
5. Have you ever told a lie for which you were rewarded?
6. Describe a time when you were punished for telling the truth.

3.2 Complete each sentence with the correct relative pronoun. Do not add any prepositions

1. Do you think that the participants whose diaries were most detailed were the most
honest?
2. Has there ever been a time when you've been asked to take part in a psychological
study?
 3. I have a friend who works in a lab where researchers study how lies affect the human
brain.
4. Who are the people to whom we tell the most white lies?
5. There's something which I need to tell you, but I'm afraid you won't like it.
6. Do you think that people who can lie gracefully have good social skills?
7. These are the situations in which people tend to make up an excuse.
8. If there's ever a day when I'm sure I don't tell any lies, it must be a day of no
communication with anyone.

Activity 4
Listen to the lecture and choose the correct answer.

1. The speaker believes that most people choose a charity based on

a) logic.
b) data.
c) emotion.
2. He says it's important to check that a charity
a) gives most of the money to the people it's meant for.
b) has a good humanitarian record.
c) isn't using false advertising.
3. When the speaker says "hard data," he means information
a) that was difficult to acquire.
b) that is common knowledge.
c) that is based on scientific studies.
4. Which of these is an example of a "commitment device"?
a) a savings account that you can't access for a specific length of time
b) a checking account that you use to pay bills
c) a credit account that you can borrow from when necessary
5. Why did the organizations decide to try a commitment device with the schoolchildren?
a) because children aren't good at saving money
b) because studies have shown that commitment devices are effective
c) because they wanted to provide a small amount of money each week
6. Why did the researchers expect the "hard" commitment device to work best?
a) because it required children to save the most money
b) because it gave the money back in cash
c) because it paid out with a voucher that could only be used for school supplies
7. Why was the "soft" commitment device more effective?
a) because kids who were going to get cash back saved more money
b) because it didn't change the children's usual spending habits
c) because the children could only spend the money on school supplies
8. The speaker's main reason for describing the Uganda study is
a) that he wants to show how effective commitment devices are.
b) that research is the best way to get accurate information.
c) that poor children are capable of saving money.
Activity 5
5.1 Click on the correct place or places in the sentence and type a comma

1. They knew I was lying, which embarrassed us all.

2. He made up an excuse for not coming to the party, which was totally unnecessary.
3. My roommate was borrowing my things, which annoyed me , so I started locking
my door.
4. Jack took out a big loan to buy a car, which was a bad idea , and later he regretted
that decision.
5. She admitted her mistake and apologized, which was the right thing to do.
6. I accidentally broke a vase, which made me feel very bad, and I promised to replace
it.
7. People didn't always return the books they borrowed, which drove me crazy ,so I
don't lend books out anymore.
8. They brought flowers when they came over for dinner, which was a nice gesture.

5.2 Combine each pair of sentences into one, using a comment clause with which.

1. Bob talks too much in meetings. It annoys everyone else.

Bob talks too much in meetings, which annoys everyone else.
2. Nancy is often late. It irritates me.
Nancy is often late, which irritates me
3. I made an apology. It wasn't easy.
I made an apology, which wasn’t easy.
4. I let things get out of hand. That was a mistake, so I had to set things right.
I let things get out of hand, which was a mistake, so I had to set things right.
5. I borrowed her earrings and lost them. That was careless of me, so I need to replace
them.
I borrowed her earings and lost them, which was careless of me, so I need to replace
them.
6. He borrowed my phone and broke it. That embarrassed him, and he promised to pay
for it.
He borrowed my phone and broke it, which embarrassed him, and he promised to pay
for it.

7. I offered to pay for the damage. It was the least I could do under the circumstances.
I offered to pay for the damage, which was the least I could do under the
circumstances.

8. He offered to help with expenses. That was very good of him, but we said it wouldn't
be necessary.
He offered to help with expenses , which was very good of him, but we said it wouldn't
be necessary.