Select a quote about gossip and share your thoughts about it:
“Great minds discuss ideas,
average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
“Gossip is what no one claims to like – and everyone enjoys.”
– Joseph Conrad
“Gossip is a very dangerous tool.”
– John Lydon
WARM UP
BEGINNER
Leap frog – A quick Q and A game to review direct question forms
ADAPTABLE TO ALL LEVELS
I challenge you! – Warm up with grammar review.
INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED
VOCABULARY
rumor – an idea or opinion that people share, when the source and accuracy of the information is unknown (noun).
There is a rumor going around that…
Have you heard the rumor that…
It is rumored that…
(Notice that in the last example, ‘rumor’ is a verb. But the more common verb is ‘gossip’.)
gossip – rumors about a person (noun), a person who often shares personal information about others (adjective), and the act of spreading a rumor (verb).
What is the latest gossip?
Be careful what you say to Sam. He is a terrible gossip.
People are gossiping about Beth’s divorce.
GRAMMAR
BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE
Like, be like, or look like?
INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED
Reported Speech
Reported Orders and Requests
Reported Questions
READING AND WRITING
ALL LEVELS
WRITING: Imagine that you write a celebrity gossip column. Make up some juicy gossip that will get your readers talking.
INTERMEDIATE
READING: The Science Behind Why People Gossip – And Why It Can Be A Good Thing
LISTENING AND COMPREHENSION
CONVERSATION