GENERAL ENGLISH · PRACTICAL ENGLISH · PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

IT’S LIKE
THIS
1 Warm up

Match these shades and patterns with the things they describe.

striped dark spotted shiny light deep pale bright

1 black eyes 2 red flowers 3 purple fruit 4 fur

5 green leaves 6 blue sea 7 pink shell 8 tails

1. Which words are patterns?

2. Which shade words mean a strong colour? Which mean a weak colour?
3. Which words have two syllables?
PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

IT’S LIKE THIS

2 Listening

Carla works at Monkey Rescue, an organisation that takes care of monkeys. Jake plans to make a TV
show about Monkey Rescue. Carla is introducing him to some of the monkeys.

Listen to the conversation and answer these questions:

1. How many types of monkey does Carla introduce Jake to?

2. How many individual monkeys does Carla introduce Jake to?
PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

IT’S LIKE THIS

Listen again and draw a line to match each monkey with the information.

Bertie bright orange calm likes Carla would like to

come in

Clive dark brown intelligent doesn’t like would like to

another animal have a nap

Lola light brown lazy likes chasing

would like to
another animal
play

Peach pale orange playful likes watching

would like a
another animal
snack

3 Language point

We use the word like in several different ways. Study the questions and answers from the listening.

What does Bertie look like? Bertie has light brown fur and Clive is dark brown.

What’s Bertie like? He’s very playful.

And Clive, what does he like to do? He likes to sit and watch Bertie.

Would you like to meet some more animals? Yes, I would!

Match the questions with the type of information they are asking for.

1. What does he look like? a. a description of character or personality

2. What’s he like? b. a description of physical appearance

3. What does he like? c. an activity or thing for someone to enjoy now

4. Would you like ...? d. an activity or thing which someone usually enjoys
PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

IT’S LIKE THIS

Note that we can use two different structures to ask and answer this question. They have the
same meaning in this context.

What does he like to do? What does he like doing?

He likes to chase Clive. He likes chasing Clive.

1. What are these two structures called?

2. Can we use both of these structures with would like?

Write four questions using the subject they.

look like

1.

be like

2.

like

3.

would like

4.
PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

IT’S LIKE THIS

4 Practice

Candy is a zookeeper and Annie is a monkey. Write the questions that go with each answer. Then
add the missing words to the sentences. Use words from the box.

holiday hair sociable fur

toy to experienced caring

Candy

1. She’s got glasses and long dark brown .

2. She’s very . She started work here more than 25 years ago
and she knows a lot about monkeys.
3. She likes for the baby monkeys if their mothers can’t do it.
Sometimes they live with her so she can feed them at night.
4. She’d like a ! It’s hard work looking after baby monkeys.

Annie

1. She likes play in the trees.

2. She’s really and she likes playing with the young monkeys in her
group.
3. She’d like a new because she lost her old one.
4. She’s got pale grey .
PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

IT’S LIKE THIS

5 Speaking

Follow your teacher’s instructions to practise questions with like. Student A look at this page. Student
B look at the next page.

Student A

Work in pairs. First read your own information about one monkey and one zookeeper. Then
make notes on your table about another monkey or zookeeper – you can imagine the details.
Take turns with your partner to ask and answer questions about each other’s people and
animals. Make notes to complete the information on your table.

After you finish, guess if each one is a zookeeper or a monkey.

name appearance character or an activity or something they

personality things that they want to do or
usually enjoy have now

Jasmine black and white friendly climb trees some water

(monkey) striped tail

Jeff (zookeeper) light blue eyes helpful read about a cup of tea
history (not
monkeys!)

your own idea:

Student B will tell you about these people or animals

Wendy

Eddy

their own idea:

If you have time, work in pairs to ask and answer these questions about yourselves or people
you know.
PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

IT’S LIKE THIS

Student B

Work in pairs. First read your own information about one monkey and one zookeeper. Then
make notes on your table about another monkey or zookeeper – you can imagine the details.
Take turns with your partner to ask and answer questions about each other’s people and
animals. Make notes to complete the information on your table.

After you finish, guess if each one is a zookeeper or a monkey.

name appearance character or an activity or something they

personality things that they want to do or to
usually enjoy have now

Wendy pale skin quiet prepare food for start cutting up

(zookeeper) monkeys fruit

Eddy (monkey) spotted and shy eat fruit an apple

orange (not share!)

your own idea:

Student A will tell you about these people or animals

Jasmine

Jeff

their own idea:

If you have time, work in pairs to ask and answer these questions about yourselves or people
you know.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

IT’S LIKE THIS

6 Extra practice/homework

Put the sentences in order to make a dialogue.

Carla: He loves to meet the animals when they first arrive. They’re often sick and need to see a doctor.

Carla: He’s really funny he’s always telling jokes. He loves his job.

Carla: He’s very tall and he has bright red hair.

Carla: I think he’d love that. Go and ask him!

Carla: You should meet the vet, Malcolm.

Jake: I don’t think I’ll miss him. Is that him over there? Do you think he would like to have a coffee
with me now?

Jake: What does he look like?

Jake: What does he love about his job?

Jake: Who else should I meet before we start filming? 1

Jake: Yes, good idea. What’s he like?

7 Optional extension

We also use the word like in other ways. Read the information.

To ask for and give examples:

I bought lots of nice things to eat at the supermarket.

Like what?

Like cheese, biscuits and chocolate.

As filler, when we aren’t sure exactly what we want to say:

I need to ... like ... talk to him. I guess I should ... like ... ask him how he feels, and like ... find out if he wants to ..
PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

IT’S LIKE THIS

To focus attention on information given as numbers: There were like 50 people waiting to see the doctor. It

To report what someone said or felt:

And we were all like, what’s your problem. And then he was like, nothing. And we were
like, well you definitely have a problem. And he was like, really angry.

As a suffix attached to a noun to say that something was similar to another thing.

The dancers were animal-like.

1. Do you usually hear people use like in any of these ways?

2. Which use of like is formal?
3. Which two uses of like are mostly used by younger people?
4. Do you think you should use like informally when you speak English?