This lesson will focus on using a variety of expressions to give examples. The topic we will discuss is travel.
This lesson will help you give examples smoothly. You will also get a chance to talk about places where you have traveled.
The topic is travel, but students don't need to have traveled to many places (though it's a bonus if they have). It's perfectly fine to describe domestic travel or even say things that are not true. Feel free to change the language topic as well. If a business topic is more suitable to practice the phrases, that is fine too.
In the language section: the student should give a short answer to each question. Only focus on the phrase at hand. Don't move too quickly. Make sure the student is confident with each one before moving on.
Where have you traveled? Which place was most memorable?
This warm-up should take 2-3 minutes. Get a quick list of places to use in the language section, and build rapport while you chat about interesting places.
You can also be aspirational about this by asking: If you could go anywhere, then where would you like to travel?
Please consider each transition phrase. Your instructor has an example and a question regarding each one, so please practice it.
- A good/perfect example of this is... — This example is particularly powerful.
- For instance... — For example...
- In particular... — Especially.../This specific example is good.
- For one thing... for another thing... — These are two short examples.
- Perhaps the most obvious/best example is... — This is a common example.
- A case in point is... — A specific example that is especially powerful...
Spend as long or as short a time as necessary on each phrase, but make sure the student can use it smoothly before moving on.
Note: For struggling students, elicit the adjectives/sentences from the student before adding the transition phrase. For higher levels, you may be able to skip right to the question.
1. A good/perfect example of this is…
E.g.: America is a huge place. A perfect example of this is Texas—it's more than two and a half times bigger than the entire United Kingdom!
Practice: Japan is a beautiful country. For example, in the northern island Hokkaido, there are gorgeous mountains and lakes.
Question: Have you traveled to a beautiful place? Can you give a perfect example of why you think it's beautiful?
2. For instance...
This should be easy. Make sure your student is pronouncing it /f'r-IN-stins/
Question: Tell me about the city you live in.
3. In particular...
E.g.: I'd love to go to Morocco. In particular, I really want to visit the city Fez because of the architecture.
Practice: I went to France, and I enjoyed the food. I liked eating fresh croissants in the morning.
Question: Where would you like to go? What in particular do you want to see or do there?
4. For one thing... for another thing...
E.g.: The worst place I've been to is Lima, in Peru. For one thing, it's always cloudy. For another thing, it's dangerous. Thieves often steal the side-view mirrors from parked cars, and then sell them on the side of the street!
Practice: My apartment is terrible. It's too cold and it doesn't get enough sunlight.
Question: Where is one bad place you've been to? Can you give two quick examples of why it's bad?
5. Perhaps the most obvious/best example is...
E.g.: There are some great holiday locations in Italy. Perhaps the most obvious example is Venice, a city built on the water with canals instead of roads!
Practice: Tokyo is a great place for fans of anime and nerd culture. Akihabara has a lot of shops that appeal to fans of anime.
Question: Please describe the town you live in now, and give an obvious example.
6. A case in point is...
E.g.: Canadians are so polite! A case in point is when I was in Toronto I bumped into a woman, and she apologized to me! Not once, but twice!
Practice: Australians are very relaxed. People always say "no worries", even in the office.
Question: How do you think foreigners view locals in your country?
Now that you've had some practice using these phrases, try to answer some more questions. Use as many of the above phrases as you can.