Discussing Hobbies and Recreation (Intermediate)

Practice on Your Own

• Practice words for hobbies and recreation such as to play soccer/football, hockey, basketball, volleyball, netball, to run (short and long distance), to swim, to cook, to watch television, to garden, to read, to sing, to travel, to fish, to hunt, to dance, to eat, to sleep, to study/learn, to listen to music, to take pictures and to converse with people from different parts of the world. Read the materials available to you on these topics.
• Listen to audio examples of speakers so as to pronounce the words correctly.
• Review how to talk about routine activities in the present (the appropriate verb tense or other grammatical structures).
• Review the days of the week and times of day such as morning, afternoon and evening.
• Practice how to talk about what you like and dislike.
• Imagine that you are having a conversation with a friend about hobbies and recreation. You both say what your hobbies are. Each of you talks about what you like and what you don’t like, as well as the day(s) of week and the time of day when you do certain activities.
• Practice this conversation on your own or with a friend to prepare for the conversation session.

Practice in Conversation Session

• Be prepared to tell your conversation partner and fellow students about your hobbies and recreation activities in the same manner you have been practicing on your own. Your conversation partner and fellow students may ask you questions about what you like and what you don’t like, as well as the day(s) of the week and the time of day you enjoy doing certain activities. Each person will talk and then be asked questions by the others.
  • Pay careful attention to the use of verb tenses or other grammatical structures in these conversations.
• Be prepared to role play conversations where you will ask your partner questions about hobbies. After culturally appropriate greetings, ask your partner about their hobbies, especially what they like most and what they don't like. Your role play partner will also ask you about your own hobbies.
  • Are there different ways to talk about these activities, such as different verb tenses or other grammatical variations? If so, practice each of the different possibilities.
• The role plays will help you retain your already acquired vocabulary as well as learn new vocabulary. The practice will also enhance your fluency in the new language.