What are you good at?

Lesson objectives

u Review adjectives that are used to describe people

u Practice using expressions to describe talents
u Give details about your skills and the skills of others
u Explain why you are/aren't good at something
 Warm up

WHAT WORDS CAN YOU THINK OF THAT DESCRIBE YOURSELF

AND OTHERS? THINK ABOUT PERSONALITY AND TALENT!
Describing yourself and others.

u I'm friendly and good at talking to people. People enjoy being around me
and chatting with me.
u My sister is really smart. She gets high marks in math classes and wants to
become an accountant one day.
u My friend Allie is creative. She has a workshop where she builds beautiful
pieces of furniture and decorations.
u Write your own sentence about yourself or someone you know. What
adjective would you use to describe them and what details can you use
to expand that description?
Expressions to describe talents

u What could the following expressions mean?

u Have a head for figures Be good at mathematical calculations
u Have an ear for music Be good at recognizing, remembering, and imitating musical sounds

u Have an eye for detail Be good at seeing things that others don't notice

u Have a way with words Be able to express your ideas and opinions well
u Have a knack for languages Have a natural ability to learn and speak foreign languages
u Have a good intuition (or intuitive sense) Be able to draw conclusions based on feelings rather than
facts
u Have a way with people Be able to attract and influence people
u Be good with one's hands Have the ability to use one's hands to make or do things
u Be mechanically inclined Be able to understand how machines work
Matching
Note: "a knack for"

u One of our expressions was "a knack for languages" but we can
say we have "a knack for" just about anything! Having a knack
means you can do something easily and well.
u For example, my family might say I have a knack for baking.
u If someone has a knack for something, it sometimes means it is a
natural talent. Other times, it's taken them a while to get a knack
for something!
u What is something you have a knack for?
u (You can also say something "comes easy" to you!)
 Explaining your talents

u At times, you might want to let someone know why you are good at something or how your
talents relate to your job or hobbies. Let's practice using connectives to help you explain.
Connectives
Because
Since
Now that
So
u For example, I might say:
u Since I started working at this school, I've gotten a knack for teaching.
u I work as a carpenter, so I'm good with my hands.
u Because I have a head for figures, I became a physicist.
u Now that I play the piano, I've gotten an ear for music.
u Since I have an eye for detail, working in an antique shop suits me well.
 What aren't you good at?

u We can't be good at everything! What aren't you good at? Is

there a reason why?
u You can also say something "doesn't come easy" to you! Connectives

I'm not good at basketball because I'm short. Because

Since
Now that
u Some things you are not good at may be surprising:
So
u Even though I'm good at baking, I'm not a good cook. Even though
Although
u Although I studied French for five years, I can't speak it.

u Even though I like singing, I can't carry a tune.

u I'm not good at dancing because I have two left feet.
Asking about others' talents

u Are you good at ______?

u Would you say you're good at ___________?
u How are you at __________?