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GENERAL ENGLISH · GENERAL ISSUES · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

AGE
GAP
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1 Warm up

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

1. Who are the people in the photos?

2. What do you know about them?
3. What is the connection between them all?

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AGE GAP

2 Skimming for gist

Read the following sentences and decide which ones fill the gaps a – h in the article on page 3. You
will not need all of them.

a. Previously, women were more dependent on their husbands and the man being older seemed to
make biological sense.

b. Yet, despite the liberalisation of relationship statuses, there is one last taboo which is still able to
ruffle feathers, and that’s a significant age gap.

c. Clearly, there is a lot of work to be done to increase equality between the two.

d. The divorce was perhaps inevitable as a result.

e. Yet as more varied lifestyles are embraced by more people, those relationships slowly become
more run-of-the-mill.

f. In 1963, only 15% of women were married to a younger man.

g. While it is true for some people, it is not always for others.

h. Unmarried couples living together would have raised eyebrows in polite society before the 1960s.

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The Age Gap

The taboo that won’t go away

A. In the West, time has made attitudes towards relationships increasingly progressive. 1)_____ Now, it is seen by
many as an expected step on the way to marriage, if marriage is even to happen at all. Indeed, the former Prime
Minister of the UK, Boris Johnson and his partner are unmarried, cohabiting, and have recently had a child: a state
of affairs that would have been inconceivable for hundreds of years for someone in such a high-status position.
Acceptance of same-sex couples living together has also increased, with same-sex marriage becoming legal in
2014 in the UK; ten years behind California. That said, it wasn’t until 2015 that all 50 states finally followed the
Golden State to legal acceptance of same-sex marriage. 2)_____

B. The tone of disapproval is present in magazine articles and gossip columns discussing Leonardo DiCaprio’s
relationships (that he, a man in his late 40s, hasn’t dated anyone older than 25 is a point of note on the Internet),
George and Amal Clooney’s marriage (she is 16 years his junior), and Anthony Kiedis - lead singer of the Red Hot
Chili Peppers, and his taste for much younger women. However, it seems there is greater ire aimed at women
who dare to enter into relationships with younger men. Demi Moore’s marriage to a younger Ashton Kutcher was
the subject of much ridicule in the media which can’t have helped it flourish. 3)_____ President Macron of France
and his marriage to Brigitte Macron at the age of 44 and 68 respectively has also occupied many column inches,
as has the recent pairing of Kim Kardashian, who, at 41 is dating 28-year-old Pete Davidson of Saturday Night Live
fame.

C. There is evidence though, that older women and younger men are more frequently becoming couples. Terms such
as ‘cougar’ and ‘toyboy’ have entered popular jargon, and studies have shown there’s been a steady increase in the
number of women married to, or living with, younger men. 4)_____ By 1998, the share had risen to 26% and by
2011, data was showing that since the 1970s, the number had tripled. Much of this has to do with the increase in
power that women have had in society. 5)_____ Around the age of 35, fertility for both men and women decreases.
If a married couple wanted children, the younger the bride, the greater their chance of reproducing. A man in his
50s who wanted children could still do so as long as his partner was of child-bearing age. The reverse, however,
is not true. Yet as women have gained greater independence and society’s expectations have shifted away from
women being there to provide children, older women have started to enjoy the same freedoms as older men.

D. However, there is still an intolerance around differences in age, though there are signs that this is slowly being
eroded. Humans, as a rule, tend to be quite judgemental when it comes to lifestyles outside of the norm. 6)_____
We can be hopeful that, given time, larger numbers of people will be able to live in the relationships they want
without being subject to criticism from others.

Sources: BBC, The Guardian

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3 Scanning for vocabulary

Quickly read the article on page 3 and find words which mean the following.

1. (v, para. A): live together

2. (adj, para. A): impossible to imagine

3. (n, para. B): anger

4. (n, para. B): comments which make fun of someone

5. (v, para. B): grow and improve over time

6. (n, para. C): the ability to have children

7. (v, para. D): slowly remove or destroy

8. (adj, para. D): being critical

4 Reading comprehension
Read the following statements and decide if they are true (T), false (F), or not given (NG).

1. The former Prime Minister of the UK, Boris Johnson, has one child.

2. The UK legalised same-sex marriage before the United States.

3. There is a larger age gap between Amal and George Clooney than between Leonardo DiCaprio
and his most recent girlfriend.

4. Women who are older than their male partners tend to be happier.

5. There’s a reduced chance of women becoming pregnant after the age of 35.

6. Increasingly, women have more freedom to choose how they want to live their lives.

7. Society is generally uncomfortable with people who have lifestyles which are considered unusual.

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5 Focus on vocabulary
Part A: Match the vocabulary to the definitions.

1. cheat on (phr. v) a. end a romantic relationship

2. flirt (v) b. leave your married partner for someone else

3. devoted (adj.) c. showing great love or support for something or

someone
4. compatible (adj.) d. being suitable for another person because of similar
ideas, interests and beliefs
5. dump (v) e. an ending to a relationship

6. separation (n) f. a situation where two married people are living apart

7. break-up (n) g. have a sexual relationship with someone who is not

your romantic partner
8. run off with (idiom) h. the legal responsibility for someone

9. custody (n) i. act in a way that suggests you are attracted to someone

Part B: Now put the vocabulary from Part A into the correct gaps in the following sentences. You may
need to change the form of the word.

1. I think she’s getting tired of being a wife and wishes she had her own career instead
of just looking after the children all the time.

2. I went on a date with this guy who just talked about his car all night, so I ended up deciding that
we just weren’t very .

3. I never thought she’d be the one to me. I thought she really loved me.

4. Did you hear about Sara? Apparently, she had a really nasty with her boyfriend.
I heard the police were called!

5. Will you please stop with the server and decide on what food you’re going to
order?

6. They both want of the kids so it looks as though their divorce will be going to
court.

7. It turned out he’d been her with her best friend for about two years. You’ve no
idea how much drama it caused!

8. We all thought they were really happy until he a woman he met at work. She was
devastated.

9. After many arguments, they decided to try and stop living together for a while.

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Now in pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. What would someone be like who was compatible with you?

2. In your country, who normally has custody of the children after a divorce: the mother or the
father? Why?
3. How does someone act if they are devoted to their partner?
4. Have you ever known anyone who ran off with someone else? What happened?

6 Listening for gist

Listen to the conversation and match the names to the description.

1. Peter a. Sheila’s brother

2. Eric b. Melissa’s boyfriend

3. Sheila c. In a relationship with Sheila

4. Melissa d. In a relationship with Peter

5. Shane e. Eric’s best friend

6. Colin f. Married to Peter

7 Listening comprehension
Listen again and decide if the following information is Given (G) or Not Given (NG).

a. Eric is attracted to Sheila.

b. Shane did not like Peter.

c. Melissa and Peter are work colleagues.

d. Eric and Sheila are in a romantic relationship.

e. The kind of property Peter lives in.

f. Melissa’s age.

g. The age difference between Melissa and Sheila.

h. Peter has three children.

Answer the following questions.

1. What is your opinion about Peter’s marriage? Who do you think is at fault for the problems?
2. Do you think flirting with someone you are not in a relationship with is harmless or not? Why?
3. Do you think Peter’s new relationship will last? Why/Why not?

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8 Extended activity / homework

Read the essay question.

"It is unnatural for women to be in relationships with men who are younger than they are. As
we know, women mature faster than men, so the woman will always be intellectually superior,
but also more likely to be physically weaker. The result will be unhappiness for both."

To what extent do you agree with the above statement?

You should:

• write at least 250 words,

• check your grammar, spelling and punctuation.

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AGE GAP

Transcripts

7. Listening comprehension

Man: Did you hear about Peter?

Woman: I heard that he cheated on his wife.

Man: Yeah, that’s what everyone is saying, but there’s a lot more to it than that.

Woman: Oh really? Go on ...

Man: Well, the problem has been going on for ages. His best friend, Eric, and his wife, Sheila,
have been flirting with each other for years.

Woman: What? Was Peter there when it was happening?

Man: Yeah, I think so. I think he just laughed it off mostly. He was actually a really devoted
husband.

Woman: I didn’t realise. Poor guy.

Man: That was until he met Melissa.

Woman: Was that who he cheated with?

Man: Yes, but they were friends at first. They worked together and went on some work trips.
I think he mostly used to talk to her about his problems with his marriage. She was in a
relationship when they met - with a guy called Shane. But I think Melissa and Peter were
just a lot more compatible and after a while, Melissa decided to dump Shane.

Woman: Ah! I see.

Man: By this time, the thing with Eric and Sheila has turned into a real problem. Peter has moved
out. He doesn’t know for sure if anything happened with his wife and Eric, but they’re just
arguing all the time. So, they were already going through a separation. Peter is having the
worst time of his life already and is living on his own in a small flat. When the break-up
with Shane and Melissa happened, it was only a matter of time before they got together.

Woman: Oh! I thought it was just a typical “husband runs off with another woman” story.

Man: Yeah, but here’s the problem for him: Melissa is about 18 years younger.

Woman: 18! I didn’t know that!

Man: Yeah, he’s 46, and she is 28.

Woman: So, his wife thinks he’s off with a younger woman?

Man: Well, that’s what she’s telling everyone, even though she started the problem by flirting
with his best friend.

Woman: Was she really though? I mean, did anyone else see her flirting with Eric?

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Man: I think so, yeah. I know Peter’s brother-in-law, Colin. He said it could get quite
embarrassing. They would have family get-togethers, barbeques, birthday parties and
so on. Eric was always there and Sheila would just be talking to him for the whole event
– laughing with him and pretty much ignoring Peter and everyone else there.

Woman: So is she with Eric now.

Man: I think so, and she’s divorcing Peter and wants custody of their kids.

Woman: What a nightmare! I feel a bit bad for Peter now.

Man: I just hope Melissa sticks around for him. He’ll have lost everything if she doesn’t.

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AGE GAP

Key
1. Warm up

5 mins.
Ask the students to discuss the questions. See if the students realise that all of the people in the photos have
been in relationships with people who are of a very different age. They will have more opportunities to discuss
their thoughts on this later, so stay focused on the celebrities for now.
1. Leonardo DiCaprio 2. Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
3. Demi Moore 4. George and Amal Clooney
5. Ashton Kutcher 6. President Macron of France

2. Skimming for gist

5 mins.
You may want to set a strict time limit to encourage students to skim read.
Article sources:
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220317-age-gaps-the-relationship-taboo-that-wont-die
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/aug/07/cohabiting-couples-fastest-growing-family-type-ons
a. 5 b. 2
c. Not used d. 3
e. 6 f. 4
g. Not used h. 1

3. Scanning for vocabulary

5 mins.
This supports the reading exercise and can be done before or after the comprehension.
1. cohabit 2. inconceivable 3. ire 4. ridicule
5. flourish 6. fertility 7. erode 8. judgemental

4. Reading comprehension

5 mins.
Ask students to read more carefully and underline where they find the answers. If they are unable to do this, the
answer will be Not Given.
1. Not Given. The article says he has had a child, but does not state if there are any others (there are).
2. True. ‘That said, it wasn’t until 2015 that all 50 states finally followed the Golden State to legal acceptance of
same-sex marriage.’
3. False. ‘that he, a man in his late 40s, hasn’t dated anyone older than 25 is a point of note on the Internet),
George and Amal Clooney’s marriage (she is 16 years his junior)’
4. Not Given.
5. True. ‘Around the age of 35, fertility for both men and women decreases.’
6. True ’... older women have started to enjoy the same freedoms as older men.’
7. True. ‘Humans, as a rule, tend to be quite judgemental when it comes to lifestyles outside of the norm.’

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5. Focus on vocabulary

Part A
5 mins.
Ensure students can correctly pronounce the target vocabulary. Ask students to complete the exercise unaided
in the first instance, but allow them to use a reference later if needed.
1. → g. 2. → i. 3. → c. 4. → d.
5. → a. 6. → f. 7. → e. 8. → b.
9. → h.

Part B
10 mins.
Ask students to decide which parts of speech can fill the gaps before completing the exercise. When they have
finished, ask them to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups to practise using the vocabulary.
1. devoted 2. compatible
3. dump 4. break-up
5. flirting 6. custody
7. cheating on 8. ran off with
9. separation

6. Listening for gist

5 mins.
This allows students to hear the conversation and identify who everyone is ahead of comprehension.
1. → e. 2. → c.
3. → f. 4. → d.
5. → b. 6. → a.

7. Listening comprehension

10 mins.
Ask students to listen again and take notes to decide which information they hear and which they don’t. When
they have finished, ask them to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.
a. Given. ‘His best friend, Eric, and his wife, Sheila, have been flirting with each other for years.’
b. Not Given. We don’t know if Shane knew Peter or not.
c. Given. ‘They worked together and went on some work trips.’
d. Not Given. They say Peter doesn’t know if anything happened between them or not.
e. Given. ‘Peter is having the worst time of his life already and is living on his own in a small flat.’
f. Given. ‘Yeah, he’s 46 and she is 28.’
g. Not Given.
h. Not Given. We know he has kids but not how many.

8. Extended activity / homework

45 mins+.
Ask students to plan, write and edit their essays based on their conversations and reading from the lesson. Be
sure to provide feedback on their work.

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