Speaking Activities for the Classroom

S 

Safe landing 

Satisfied customer 

Scared-silly Scheduled-service 

Scary scene 

Screaming-mad 

Search and destroy 

Sea sick 

Second  choice 

Secret desires 

Second-hand shop 

See you later 

Second-guessing  

Sensation of speed 

Seek my fortune 

Seriously considering 

Settle the issue 

Shoot and score 

Settle-for-less Shrinking 

world 

Shooting photographs 

Social security check 

Shot dead in an instant 

Solitary confinement 

Skull fracture 

Soul-searching 

Slavish desire 

Speeding train 

Slight of hand 

Spending spree 

Sound and sense 

Spice of life 

Special attention 

Squandered my fortune 

Sports stadium 

Standing-tall 

Stalk his prey 

Star struck 

Stand and deliver 

Startling sensation 

Starving thousands 

Stick your neck out 

Staunch supporter 

Striking to see 

Stickler for detail 

Substantial support 

Stopped searching 

Super spy 

Strike a chord  

Super-sensitive 

Strike back 

Supersonic flight 

Strikebreaker Supreme 

Council 

Summer hire 

Supreme Court 

 

447

T 

Table the motion 

Table of contents 

Tactical strategy 

Taken-in by someone 

Take a beating 

Takeover bid 

Take a gamble 

Tangled in knots 

Take care of yourself 

Taskmaster 

Tangible evidence 

Tattletale 

Technical know-how 

Tea and crumpets 

Tenable argument 

Teacher’s pet 

Tender touch 

Teamster’s union 

Terrible tragedy 

Temper tantrum 

Test of time 

Terrestrial creatures 

Thai-dyed Testicular 

cancer 

Third generation 

The kiss of death 

This and that 

These and those 

Tied-score Thirsty 

drinkers 

Tight clinch 

Tight spot 

Time is running-out 

Timber trail 

Tiny enclave 

Time to attack 

To-the-point Toastmaster 

Toast-of-the-town  

Toddle along 

Tongue twister 

Tomboy look 

Tongue-tied 

Tools of the trade 

Top ten stories in the news 

Tough luck 

Touches my heart 

Trash-can 

Trade talks 

Tricky customer 

Trench warfare 

Troublesome child 

Trigger a reaction 

Trusted-ally 

Turn against your best friend 

Turn down an offer 

 

448

U/V 

Ultimate question 

“V” for victory 

Unable to articulate 

Vacuum cleaner 

Unable to urinate 

Valedictory address 

Uncertain conclusions 

Value-added tax 

Uncouth expression 

Valued-friend 

Under certain circumstances 

Vantage point 

Under the weather 

Vast majority 

Underestimation of value 

Vast open-spaces 

Under-fire Vegetable 

market 

Understandable anger 

Vehement argument 

Understandable hesitation 

Venereal disease 

Underwater currents 

Ventilation duct 

Undulating hills 

Verbal agreement 

Unemployed engineers 

Very agreeable 

Unexpected avalanche 

Very important person 

Unidentified flying object 

Very valuable information 

Uniformed guards 

Very vivacious 

Unjustifiable action 

Vice squad 

Unknown origin 

Victorian values 

Unrefined uranium 

Victorious troops 

Unregistered voters 

Villainous deed 

Unwanted children 

Violent reaction 

Unwelcome guests 

VIP treatment 

Upheaval of emotion 

Virgin territory 

Upper-class Voices 

of 

moderation 

Uppercut to the jaw 

Voluminous amount 

Upset about nothing 

Voter registration 

Urban legend 

Vulnerable position 

 

449

W 

Wage war on the enemy 

What’s his name? 

War of the worlds 

What on earth! 

War on terror 

What do you call it? 

Warm welcome 

What’s the problem? 

Wasteland 

What’s the big deal? 

Wastewater treatment plant 

What’s the score? 

Watchtower 

What’s going on? 

Water  damage 

What’s wrong with you? 

Water leakage 

What’s happening? 

Water under the bridge 

What’s the occasion? 

Wedding invitation 

What’s going on with you? 

Weekly weather forecast 

What’s the holdup? 

Welfare fund 

What’s the time? 

Well, I’ll be damned! 

What’s the matter? 

Well-mannered young man 

Whatever is the matter? 

Well-timed move 

Where is the person in charge? 

What’s your beef? 

Where is the ladies’ room? 

Whereabouts unknown 

Where is the toilet, please? 

Wild imaginings 

Where are you going? 

Wise guys 

Where did you put the key? 

Wishful thinking 

Where’s Wally Wallace? 

Witness protection program 

Why all the commotion? 

Women’s liberation 

Why are you so late? 

Wonderful evening 

Why didn’t you tell me? 

Words of wisdom 

Watch out! 

World Series Championship 

Watch where you are going! 

Worthwhile endeavor 

Watch what you say. 

Wrestling match 

Watch your tongue young man! 

 

450

XYZ 

Xenophobic fever 

Yacht harbor 

Xerox machine 

Yahoo to you too! 

Xmas cheer! 

Yangtze River 

Xylophone player 

Yard Bird Suite 

Yes sir! 

Yearly-outing 

You are a genius. 

Yearning desire 

You are a kind-hearted soul. 

Yeast and malt make good beer. 

You are so beautiful. 

Yelling like a madman 

You are somebody very special. 

Yellow-bellied, lily-livered coward 

You are the one I want to marry. 

Yes, man! 

You broke it. You pay for it. 

Yesterday’s hero 

You dirty no good liar! 

Yeti tracks showing in the snow. 

You irascible, little scoundrel! 

YMCA 

You really think you’re something. 

Yoga instructor 

You said it! 

Yom Kippur 

You, yourself, ate to blame. 

Yonder Yodeler 

You’d better be good. 

York Rite 

You’d better not pout. 

Young blood 

You’d better watch out! 

Youthful exuberance 

You’ll be sorry! 

Zambezi river 

You’ll get what is coming to you. 

Zebra stripes 

You’ll pay for that one day. 

Zen Buddhism 

You’ll regret those words. 

Zero growth 

You’re a low-down lying scoundrel. 

Zigzag course 

You’re drinking will kill your liver. 

Zillions of good wishes to you. 

You’re going to be sorry for that.  

Zookeeper 

You’re lazy and good for nothing. 

Zoroastrian beliefs 

You’re the meanest man I’ve seen. 

Zorro lives! 

 

451

Finally Saying Full Sentences 

 

In this chapter of the book, we started with small word units and gradually 

increased the number of words or the length of the phrases. Thus far, 

students should have had no trouble getting the sound and rhythm right by 

simply repeating what they hear. Now, comes the tricky part, because the 

students are going to repeat full sentences, and they have to be sure they 

follow the same rhythm as the teacher does. To make it easier, the sentences 

have been written in little rhythmical patterns with pauses in-between. It is, 

therefore, very important that the students listen carefully to the teacher 

reading the examples aloud, to be able to hear and repeat not only the 

sounds but also the rhythms. If students don’t get the rhythms right, they 

cannot be said to be speaking fluent English. Below are a few examples to 

illustrate. You can stop to discuss the ideas and idioms too : 

Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. 

Ignorance of the law is no excuse. 

Don’t let your troubles get you down. 

Nobody knows the trouble I’ve been to. 

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. 

A true gentleman would prefer death to dishonor. 

Love me or leave me, but please don’t deceive me. 

I feel better after I’ve had my morning cup of coffee. 

Children should be taught that curiosity killed the cat. 

You have to learn to deal with stress in the workplace 

Don’t worry, because everything is going to be alright. 

It’s up to you whether you want to accept my offer or not. 

Whenever I’m feeling lonely and blue, I always think of you 

I’ve never worked so hard in my life as I have in the past two days. 

If you don’t learn to love yourself, you, will never learn to love others. 

Note that many of the sentences in normal English textbooks are often boring to read, 

but this is because many academic writers have not had the opportunity and training to 

develop a feeling for sound and sense and rhythm in language. If you don’t understand 

some of the expressions in the sentences, be sure to ask the teacher to explain their 

meanings and give some examples of how they are used in different situations in our lives. 

 

452

Read these Sentences Aloud After Your Teacher 

 

Those big bruisers have more balls than brains. 

He says he likes big blondes with long, lanky legs. 

I’ll pledge you the promise of my everlasting love. 

News of the president’s death spread like wild fire. 

Under these circumstances, I cannot approve your loan. 

There used to be a series on TV called “Sex in the City.” 

There’s no love lost between those two low-life characters. 

If you think someone wants to kill you, you may be right. 

I’ll be gone for a while because I’m going to get my hair cut. 

Let’s leave the leftovers in the fridge and eat them tomorrow. 

I’m longing for a life of solitude somewhere in the Southern Seas. 

I need a grease job on my car and I’m going to go and get it now. 

You’d best be very careful, or you’ll get yourself in big trouble again. 

First, we’ll fire the boss, and then we’ll buy the company for ourselves. 

I’m afraid you’ll have to be punished for your irresponsible actions.  

We don’t stand a ghost of a chance of getting our money back. 

I want to be kept in the manner that I am accustomed to.. 

We have no other choice but to strike you from the list. 

We’re going to try to get the jump on the competition. 

It’s time for our company to make some big changes. 

I wouldn’t want him to ever get me in his clutches. 

For me, it’s either feast of famine or boom or bust. 

Please help me because I’m in a very tight clinch. 

We’ll forget risk management and go for broke. 

I can hear a slight improvement in your accent. 

I feel that your English is getting better. 

Let’s go on and do another page. 

Before you say these sentences, try feel where the stresses should go. 

 

453

Sentences for Vocabulary and Pronunciation Practice 

 

If you we’re a creative person you would be able to think up a story for every sentence 

Curiosity is the mother of invention. 

I’m a jack of all trades and a master of none. 

We have just enough time to make one more call. 

I must be cruel to be kind and tell you what I think. 

I want to lock myself far away from the maddening crowd. 

Nothing has been heard about the man who blew up the building. 

There’s wisdom in the words, “Neither a borrower or a lender be.” 

He disappeared during the May disaster, never to be heard of again. 

They’ve just informed us they want to charge us a 3.8% royalty rate. 

I can’t let you out of my sight because I know you’ll get lost in the crowd. 

This attack shows the very depth of depravity that these men have reached. 

The outbreak of flash fires on the West Coast damaged dozens of homes. 

A powerful bomb blast has exploded in a van in front of the UN building.. 

Forest fires raged for fifty hours before they finally burned themselves out. 

A tropical storm is approaching the Hong Kong area from the Northwest. 

Pakistani troops are on high alert after the recent bomb blast in Kashmir. 

The Israelis have just declared a sudden suspension of those peace talks. 

So sorry to disturb you, would you please be so kind as to pass the salt? 

These terrorist bombs have killed a lot of totally innocent bystanders. 

Sit tight for a second and I’ll see if I can get us some theatre tickets. 

It’s a crying shame that people allow themselves to be driven by hate. 

There have been a lot of sexual scandals in the popular press lately. 

I’m going to have to catch a flight to Seattle to visit my sick sister. 

Fire fighters have reported dozens dead and hundreds homeless. 

There was a sharp drop in prices after the outbreak of the war. 

No one is sure who is behind this series of senseless attacks. 

Some soothsayers are predicting the end of the world. 

 

454

Read These Sentences Aloud and Get the Rhythm Right 

 

Charges have been laid against a suspect in the Sacramento serial-killings.. 

Rescue workers are trying frantically to rescue the ten trapped miners. 

Unprecedented monsoon rains have even washed out whole highways. 

Thirty Swiss skiers have been declared lost after an unexpected avalanche. 

Violent fires raging out of control are threatening to destroy the whole city. 

Poisonous gasses escaping from the sewer system have killed two people. 

I’m going to have my child by Caesarian section to avoid risk to the baby. 

After the curfew, there was finally some semblance of order in the streets. 

That deal I had been hoping for has now been signed sealed and delivered. 

After sailing solo around the world, he was happy to set foot on dry land. 

That mass murderer is finally serving several consecutive life sentences. 

The US Secretary of State has declared his full-dedication to world peace. 

Well, hello, my old, long-lost friend, you’re really a sight for sore eyes. 

I see what you mean when you say it’s not so easy as one might think. 

They did a space walk to make a slight adjustment to the solar module. 

I don’t see why I should be silly enough to stick my neck out for you again. 

Whenever I see a scary scene in a movie, it makes my hair stand on end. 

Don’t believe a single thing he says, because he is a well-known scam artist. 

You should purchase CD movies with the original soundtrack in English. 

There has been a striking lack of cooperation between trade talk delegates. 

The sniper was a sharpshooter who had been trained by the US marines. 

I’ll pay you all the money I owe you after I get my social security check. 

He squandered his fortune on drinking, gambling and wild, wild women. 

All of our embassies worldwide are now enhancing their security systems. 

He killed the deputy Sheriff with a sawed-off shotgun just for the fun of it.. 

Excavating for antique artifacts is a very tedious and time-consuming task. 

There is not a single, solitary soul to be seen on the streets, after midnight 

I felt a shocking sense of horror when I saw the starving babies in Ethiopia. 

 

455

Can you Find the Rhythm in These Phrases and Clauses? 

 

Sally got all dolled-up to go down town to dance at the disco.  

Finally meeting you was a dream come true at the end of my life. 

I hope and pray that he will have the good sense to go to the police. 

She likes to watch kick-boxing matches on the Channel of Champions. 

Can I have a word with you regarding your claim for monthly expenses? 

Always be sure that you know the exact location of the emergency exit. 

A Greenpeace activist was arrested by the local law enforcement agency. 

Hit the road, Jack, before the cops come and put you under lock and key. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is keeping track of your movements. 

It is beyond belief that people can massacre others in the name of religion. 

Independent analysis has shown that the findings of the CIA were correct. 

Mitch was able to turn off the switch just in time to avert an emergency. 

Barbara’s fatherless baby was kept out of sight by her family for years. 

Tommy Tucker likes to ride in a luxury limousine with his lovely wife. 

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, to finally appear in a feature film. 

If his jailors hadn’t had to practice restraint, they’d have killed him by now. 

Quentin Quinn stopped to have a quick snack before the Federal Inquest. 

Dupont spends millions on product research and development annually. 

When Dale was a young struggling writer, he had to live on almost nothing. 

This super crane can scoop up and load around two thousand tons a day. 

You won’t have much fun in life if you’re always afraid to take a risk. 

After six weeks in boot camp, he found himself in Iraq and under fire. 

Don’t be surprised if you find yourself in the valley of the shadow of death. 

Would you mind terribly if I were to ask you to drop me off at home? 

Whatever may happen in our lives, we will always have one another. 

You have had me under your spell since the first time I that we met. 

There have been a lot of very violent crimes in Los Angeles lately. 

After studying zoology, Jenny learned about Zen Buddhism in Japan. 

 

456

Speaking Activities for the Classroom 

 

Repeat these sentences aloud, one after another, so you can practice basic sounds. 

Management is aware of the problem and trying to do something to fix it. 

If we manage to find a solution, we will be able to stay ahead of the game 

I am afraid that buying a Jaguar like this one is beyond your means. 

Do you think you are capable of having contact with the dead? 

Our due diligence report shows a distortion in your disclosure of profits. 

I know that we do not see eye-to-eye on this matter so let’s talk about it. 

Fellow-feeling is an important factor in keeping up an employee’s morale. 

We’re going to get to the bottom of things by doing an internal audit. 

On Wednesday, we will have a high profile headquarters officer visiting us. 

My son died in the line of duty protecting our safety on the city the streets 

Just because I like you, I am going to tell you a secret nobody else knows. 

Living in Kensington in London affords one a good, respectable address.. 

Little Lord Fauntleroy did not behave in the same manner as Ritchie Rich. 

Mother Theresa has been beatified and may be soon proclaimed a saint. 

When your computer skills are inadequate, remember nobody is perfect. 

We locked our drunken father in his room to keep him out of harm’s way. 

Mother enjoys the peace and quiet after everyone has gone out for the day. 

Nothing would please me more than to see you achieve success in life. 

There’s nothing better than being out on the open road riding my Harley. 

Pulling off that heist with you will be a piece of cake or a walk in the park. 

The quest for truth should be within ourselves and not out in the world. 

Thais may study and live abroad, but they usually return to their roots.. 

Sergeant Smith is Special Agent in Charge of Safety and Security Systems. 

The things a secret agent sometimes has to do would tear my heart to pieces 

The suspect we have under surveillance has not yet committed any crime. 

In the face of very vexatious women, I try to keep calm and not be angry. 

We are waiting in wide-eyed wonder for a miracle to happen any minute. 

 

457

Another Elocution Lesson 

 

Just keep repeating the words and trying to catch the natural rhythm. 

In some countries, you can be married by a justice of the peace. 

The suspect is armed and dangerous, so exercise extreme caution. 

I was frightened out of my wits when you jumped out of the closet. 

The International Monetary Fund has given India a grant of ten billion. 

Marilyn Monroe died, when she was at the height of her fame and glory. 

One should try to protect one’s self from the ultra-violet rays of the sun. 

I thought I had cause for worry, but my father said not to worry about it. 

I work in an office where there is a lot of backbiting and internal intrigue. 

The hostage situation came to a dramatic conclusion, but no one was killed. 

The ambulance reached the emergency room earlier than we had expected. 

In the middle of the night, in the middle of his dreams, he just up and died. 

I stopped in my tracks, when I realized that someone was just behind me. 

The trouble with you is you think you stronger just because you’re younger. 

We got into a vehement argument which was really a test of my patience. 

It grabs me in my guts when I see a butcher chop off the head a chicken.  

You should always remember it is a sin to hide your light under a bushel. 

Keep me posted concerning this case if you discover any solid evidence. 

I’d like to be able to zoom about the universe on a special space scooter. 

The midwife arrived just in time to deliver an eight pound baby boy. 

Every one of my nine wives has run away and left me on my own. 

I have a score to settle with you, and I really want to tell you off. 

From my point of view, everything in the universe is relative. 

I need to allow myself a lot more time for rest and recreation. 

Xerxes was a powerful Persian King rode an elephant into battle. 

One day, my husband took off and never showed hid face again. 

At forty, Winston finally got wise to the dangers of drugs and alcohol. 

You think you’re a whiz-kid, just because you are a little smarter than me. 

 

458