UNIT 1: ‘Business and Marketing’

LISTENING 1: They Said It was Just a Fad

NOTE-TAKING SHEET
Listen to a podcast about inventions that some people thought were just fads twice and take notes
on the note taking sheet.

They Said It Was Just a Fad

Introduction:

Electric Lightbulb:

Bicycle:

Fidget Spinner:

Conclusion:
 ADDITIONAL NOTE-TAKING QUESTIONS
They Said It Was Just a Fad
Answer the questions using your notes.

1. What is the main topic of the lecture?

a. inventions in history
b. fads and trends
c. electric light bulbs
d. Thomas Edison's inventions

2. What did Edison hope for the future of electricity?

a. making it exclusive for the rich
b. ignoring its potential benefits
c. replacing candles completely
d. making it widely available and affordable

3. Why did J. P. Morgan hire Edison to install 400 light bulbs in his New York mansion?
a. to test Edison's skills in mansion decoration
b. to show electric light as the future and attract other investors
c. to create a unique atmosphere in the mansion
d. to challenge Edison's ability to handle large projects

4. What was the initial problem with the early bicycles, called velocipedes?
a. They were too small.
b. They had no brakes.
c. They were too expensive.
d. Only adults could use it.

5. What led to the comeback of interest in bicycles in the 1890s?

a. the appearance of automobiles
b. the design of the "safety" bike
c. a decrease in production costs
d. the popularity of cycling as a sport

6. Which statement does not contribute to the reasons why bicycles remain popular today?
a. Cycling is a widely enjoyed sport.
b. Bicycles are an indispensable means of transportation, particularly in urban areas.
c. Bicycles are challenging to control through crowded streets.
d. Bicycles are cost-effective and environmentally friendly, requiring no fuel.
7. What is a fidget spinner, and when did it first become popular?
a. a stress-relief toy; in 2017
b. a stress-relief toy; in the 1890s
c. a new form of transportation; in 2017
d. a new form of transportation; in 1902

8. In the conclusion, what message or lesson does the speaker convey about starting something new?
a. New ideas always succeed.
b. Success is guaranteed with time and hard work.
c. People will always doubt new ideas.
d. Starting something new is easy and requires minimal effort.

UNIT 1 LISTENING 1– EXTRA SPEAKING PRACTICE

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
FOLLOWING RECENT FADS AND TRENDS
Work in pairs and discuss these questions.
1. Think of a fad that was popular in Turkey in your childhood? Why did it become popular? How
long did you use it?

2. Are there any fads from the past that you wish would come back?

3. Do you enjoy keeping up with recent trends? Why or why not?

4. What is the latest fashion trend that you've noticed in your community?

5. Have you ever bought something just because it was a popular trend at the time? What was
it?

6. In your opinion, are there any negative aspects to blindly following the latest trends?

7. Are there any trends that you actively avoid or dislike? Why?
 UNIT 1: ‘Business and Marketing’
LISTENING 2: Bucking the Trend

NOTE-TAKING SHEET
Listen to a conversation between two friends, Asha and Kim twice and take notes on the note
taking sheet.

Bucking the Trend

Asha’s motivation and business idea

Kim's Concerns

Pros of starting a business

Cons of starting a business

Final decision

 AFTER YOU HAVE LISTENED TO THE LECTURE TWICE AND TAKEN YOUR NOTES, GO TO YOUR
Q SKILLS 2 BOOK AND ANSWER THE COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS ON PAGES 12-13.
 UNIT 1 LISTENING 2– EXTRA SPEAKING PRACTICE
SPEAKING
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
BUSINESS AND TRENDS
Exercise 1. Work in pairs and discuss these questions. Then share your ideas as a whole class.
1. What role do you think advertising plays in promoting and shaping trends?

2. Do you think the influence of celebrities affects the popularity of certain trends?

3. How do you feel about social media influencers and their impact on setting trends?

4. Are there any influencers you follow on social media? Why do you follow them?

Exercise 2. Speak in pairs by answering the questions and giving details. Speak non-stop at least for
ONE MINUTE and then take turns.

 Speak about a current trend

 Describe the trend and say how it became popular.
 Explain why you are following it or not following it.

Now evaluate your partner’s speaking by using the rubric below.

Points
(0–5)
Discourse Speaker answers the question fully with /5
competence supporting details.

Speaker uses appropriate grammar. /5

Linguistic
competence Speaker pronounces words clearly. /5

Speaker uses appropriate vocabulary. /5

STAGES OF WRITING

Welcome to the A2+ level writing pack! This pack is designed to help you strengthen your writing
skills by focusing on two key types of paragraphs: opinion paragraphs and cause/effect paragraphs.
Through engaging exercises and practical examples, you will learn how to clearly express your
opinions and analyze the reasons behind various situations. These skills are essential as they lay the
groundwork for the essay writing tasks you will encounter at the B1 level. By mastering these
paragraph types, you will be well-prepared to advance to more complex writing assignments in your
future studies.

At Department of Basic English, we use a process-oriented approach in our writing lessons. Process
writing has different stages of writing (planning, drafting, editing and re-writing).

1. PLANNING
a. Brainstorming

Before you write a paragraph, you should think of as many ideas as possible about the topic and this
stage is called brainstorming. It will help you put your thoughts together, and then you will organize
them in the outlining stage. There are many ways of brainstorming such as listing, clustering and free
writing.

Listing: With the listing technique, you think about your topic and quickly make a list of all the words
and phrases that come to your mind.

Here is a writing question.

What is the best place to go on holiday in your country? Why?

Write a paragraph of about 130 words answering the question above.
Example for listing:

The best place for holiday: Antalya

warm & hot weather trips Lara beach
summer city tours Archaeology Museum
beautiful beaches water sports Castle
different activities sunbathing cafes
historical places enjoyable time shopping
museums beach parties Amphitheatre
swimming nature
new friends tourists

Then you can separate these words in different categories (weather, activities, entertainment, etc.)
and use them as your supporting ideas.

Clustering: In this technique, you write the topic in the middle of your page. Using arrows or lines,
you draw many circles around the central idea, find related words and phrases and create a network
of ideas.
Free Writing: You just grab the pen and write whatever comes to your mind about your topic. You
don’t have to worry about your grammar or the format of your writing. You continue to think and
write what your topic reminds you of. After you finish, you go over your writing to pick any ideas that
can help you with your planning.

Example:

Antalya is the best place. I went there a year ago. It was May. It was a rainy day, but then the
sun came out. The sea, the mountains… They looked fantastic. Antalya Archaeology Museum was
excellent. I spent 3 hours there. There were hundreds of tourists in the museum. The food at the hotel
was delicious. We walked along the parks and the beaches. We took pictures. It is a peaceful city. It is
also close to other holiday resorts in the Mediterranean Region. It has an airport. It has beautiful
hotels. There are many activities to do. You never get bored. You can do these activities or simply lie
down on the beach and relax. We went to some beach parties as well. I met new friends from
Germany and South Korea. I spoke English. It was fun!

Remember! In the brainstorming step, you can write as many ideas as possible,
but you don’t have to use all of these ideas in your writing.

b. Outlining

After creating ideas related to your topic, you need to organize all of these ideas before starting to
write. Preparing an outline helps you organize your notes. You don’t have to write full sentences in
your outline.
Here is a sample outline for the topic “Antalya is the best place to go on holiday.”

OUTLINE

TOPIC SENTENCE: Antalya is the best place for a holiday in my country for three reasons

SUPPORTING IDEA 1: First of all, it has a nice weather.

Supporting Detail: warm all year round and hot for many months

Further Detail: spending time on the beaches and swimming in the sea for a long time

Example: Lara Beach

SUPPORTING IDEA 2: Secondly, there are many fun things to do during the day in Antalya.

Supporting Detail: visit places

Further Detail: seeing historical places

Example: Olympos, Aspendos

SUPPORTING IDEA 3: Lastly, Antalya has lots of options for fun at night

Supporting Detail: many bars, pubs, and clubs in the city center and on the beaches

Further Detail: go to beach parties and outdoor shows

CONCLUDING SENTENCE: In conclusion, with its great weather and lots of activities, Antalya is the
perfect place for a holiday in my country.

Here is the final paragraph of this outline:

ANTALYA: THE PERFECT PLACE FOR YOUR NEXT HOLIDAY

Antalya is the best place for a holiday in my country for three reasons. First of all, it has a
wonderful Mediterranean climate. The weather is warm throughout the year and very hot for
many months, especially during summer. This means you can enjoy the beautiful beaches and
swim in the clear blue sea almost all year round. For instance, Lara Beach is very popular and lots
of people spend their holidays there from May to October because of the long warm season.
Secondly, there are many fun things to do during the day in Antalya. You can visit historical places
like Olympos and Aspendos or try exciting water sports like diving and rafting. The Köprülü Canyon
is great for rafting, and Sarıgerme is a good place for scuba diving. You won't get bored in Antalya!
Lastly, Antalya has lots of options for fun at night. There are many bars, pubs, and clubs in the city
center and on the beaches. You can also go to beach parties and outdoor shows. In conclusion,
with its great weather and lots of activities, Antalya is the perfect place for a holiday in my country.
(192 words)
After outlining, it is time to start writing your paragraph (Drafting).

1. Planning (Brainstorming, Outlining)

2. Drafting
3. Editing (Self-editing, Peer-editing, Instructor feedback)
4. Re-writing

First, let’s look at the basics of an opinion paragraph.

OPINION PARAGRAPH

PARAGRAPH ORGANIZATION

________________________________________________ topic sentence

________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________ supporting sentences
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________ concluding sentence

A paragraph consists of sentences.

1. The first sentence of a paragraph is called “the

topic sentence”. It usually expresses the main idea.
(It is rarely the second or the third sentence in the
paragraph.)

2. The supporting sentences come after the topic

sentence. They give more information about the
topic sentence / main idea. Supporting sentences add
details and support the topic sentence.

3. Paragraphs also have a concluding / conclusion sentence, which states the main idea, again using
different words. Concluding sentences are not always necessary.
 An opinion is a statement of someone’s belief. When
you say, “I believe . . .” or “I think . . .”, you are
expressing an opinion. In writing classes, you often
have to express and support your opinions. Here are
four keys to write a successful opinion paragraph:
 State your opinion clearly in the topic sentence.
 Present the ideas for your opinion in logical
order.
 Use supporting details (justifications) to support
each idea.
 End with a powerful concluding sentence that
your reader will remember.

LOOKING AT THE MODEL

When you write your opinion, you have to organize your ideas in a paragraph to help the reader
understand your thinking. Read the following opinion paragraph and look at the way the ideas are
organized.

Television: Not a Bad Idea

It is true that some parents do not let their children watch television, but I believe that
television can be good for families. First of all, television is a cheap form of entertainment for families
with young children. If it is too expensive to take the whole family to the movie theater, the family
can sit in their living room with homemade popcorn and watch a movie on television. Secondly,
television can be a good teacher. For example, small children can learn many things, such as the
alphabet and numbers, on children’s programs. Most importantly, television lets children see a
bigger picture of the world. Families cannot travel all over the world, so the news shows them views
of other people and places. Also, television brings other cultures into homes through special
programs for children. In conclusion, I think that families should keep their televisions. (141 words)
Answer the questions with your class.

1. What is the writer’s opinion?

2. How many supporting ideas does the

writer give to support his/her opinion?
Underline them. Which words help you to
decide?
3. What facts or examples does the writer
use to support each idea?
4. What kind of sentence comes at the end
of the composition? What does it do?
When you write an opinion paragraph, you need to support it with supporting ideas. Each idea needs
to be supported by details, examples and facts. After you decide on your supporting ideas, facts, and
examples, you need to arrange them in a clear order.

Example:

Television: Not a Bad Idea

Topic sentence: Television can be good for families.
Supporting Idea 1: inexpensive entertainment for families with young children
Supporting detail: too expensive to take the whole family to a movie
theater
Supporting Idea 2: can be a good teacher
Supporting detail: learn many things through children programs
Supporting Idea 3: see a bigger picture of the world
Supporting detail: brings other cultures into homes

Exercise 1: With a partner, read the following paragraph. Circle the topic sentence and underline
the three supporting ideas.
Studying a Foreign Language

I think that all students should study a foreign language. First, knowing another language can
help you in your life and job. You have a better chance of getting a good job if you speak more than
one language. Also, your life can be more interesting when you talk to people from other countries,
read their books, watch their movies, and sing their songs. Second, learning a foreign language helps
you understand the world better. You learn how people in other countries think and live. For
example, you might find that people celebrate holidays or eat meals in different ways. This can help
you be more open-minded and accept other people. Finally, learning a foreign language helps you
learn more about yourself. It makes your brain work better, improves your memory, and gives you
more confidence. As you try to speak in a new language, you learn to be more patient and never give
up. For all these reasons, I believe that learning a foreign language is a fun and rewarding way to
understand and enjoy the world more. (179 words)
Exercise 2: Complete the outline for the paragraph on the previous page.

Outline for “Studying a Foreign Language”

Opinion:.
Supporting Idea 1:

Supporting Detail:

Supporting Idea 2:

Supporting Detail:

Supporting Idea 3:

Supporting Detail:

Concluding sentence:
PARTS OF OPINION PARAGRAPHS
THE TOPIC SENTENCE
The topic sentence of a paragraph includes the topic and controlling idea of the paragraph. In an
opinion paragraph, the controlling idea is the writer’s opinion about the topic.

Example:

Topic Sentence: In my opinion, studying abroad is a valuable experience.

Topic: Studying abroad
Controlling idea: is a valuable experience
You can begin the topic sentence with one of these phrases:

 I think/believe/feel that + Topic Sentence

 I agree/ disagree that + Topic Sentence
 In my opinion, + Topic Sentence
 In my view, + Topic Sentence

Exercise 3: Circle the topic of each sentence. Underline the controlling idea.
0. I believe that social networking sites can be harmful for students.
1. In my opinion, sharing personal information on the Internet is a bad idea.
2. I think that social networking sites are useful in many ways.
3. In my view, social networking sites are not useful for businesses.
4. I think that Internet forums are not a good way to share opinions.
Sample Topic Sentences

file sharing sites is/are enjoyable (optional) (optional)

professional is/are easy to use

networking sites
is/are beneficial
I think that social networking for students
sites is/are advantageous
for people
I believe that is/are a good idea in many ways.
blogs
is/are entertaining for young
In my opinion, using desktop people
computers ------------
for many
is/are harmful for children reasons
In my view, using laptops
is/are dangerous for
businesspeople
using professional is/are
networking sites disadvantageous because of
many reasons.
is/are a waste of
posting personal time
videos online
has/have a lot of
problems
using social
networking sites is/are a bad idea
Sample Topic Sentences with ‘should’

(optional)
I think that students should (not) use social
networking sites for many reasons
I believe that wearing school should (not)
uniforms be mandatory for several
In my opinion, should (not) reasons
children play online
In my view, should (not) games because of many
reasons
people try online
shopping

Exercise 4: Use some/all of the words or phrases below to write a topic sentence with a controlling
idea. Answers may vary.
Example:
0. travelling to a foreign country / young people
I think travelling to a foreign country teaches a lot to young people.
1. traffic / biggest problem of Istanbul
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. football / Turkey /popular /reasons
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. losing weight /simple steps
__________________________________________________________________________________

Exercise 5: Read the paragraphs. Write an appropriate topic sentence.

1. ____________________________________________________________________. One reason is
that school uniforms make everyone equal. Everyone looks the same. In this way, the rich kids are on
the same level as the poor ones. Another reason is that getting ready for school can be faster and
easier. Many kids try to choose what to wear to school and waste their time. They are often unhappy
with their final choices. Finally, buying school uniforms is more economical. School uniforms are
perfect for everyday wear and repeated washing, so most parents are happy with this. They do not
have to buy many clothes and spend a lot of money. Obviously, school uniforms are useful in many
ways. (120 words)
2. ___________________________________________________________________. The first reason
is that you can earn extra money. Books can be expensive, or the rent can be really high, but when
you work part-time and go to school, you do not have to worry about the expenses. Another reason
is that working part-time while going to school teaches you to manage your time more effectively.
Therefore, you become a more organized person. Finally, you gain some work experience. This
means a better job when you graduate. In conclusion, students should work part-time and go to
school since they become a better person in many ways. (111 words)

SUPPORTING SENTENCES
You develop and support the controlling idea in your topic sentence with the supporting sentences.
In an opinion paragraph, the supporting sentences should include:

 Three supporting ideas or your opinion.

 one or two details, facts, or examples to explain each supporting idea. These help the reader
understand your reasons.

A paragraph with good supporting ideas and clear explanations helps the reader understand your
opinion. It can persuade the reader that your opinion is correct.

e.g.: Most students find living in a dorm highly beneficial. Firstly, it is convenient
Topic sentence Listing word supporting idea
because it is cheaper.
linking word supporting detail

SIGNAL WORDS TO INTRODUCE SUPPORTING IDEAS / REASONS

You need to use signal words to introduce each supporting idea in order to make your paragraph
clear.

SUPPORTING IDEA 1 SUPPORTING IDEA 2 SUPPORTING IDEA 3

Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly,
First of all, In addition, Finally,
To start with, Moreover, Lastly,
To begin with, What’s more, Last of all,

The first reason is that The second reason is that The third reason is that
The main reason is that Another reason is that The final reason is that