Give it a shot

for 30 days!

1
Let’s get started
with vocabulary
Match the halves to create phrases.

1. be a. something from scratch

2. follow b. a habit

3. give c. stuck in a rut

4. make d. it a shot

5. break e. in somebody’s footsteps

4
Let’s check your answers.

1. be a. something from scratch

2. follow b. a habit

3. give c. stuck in a rut

4. make d. it a shot

5. break e. in somebody’s footsteps

5
Now, match the phrases from the previous exercise to correct meanings.

be stuck in a rut follow in somebody’s

footsteps give it a shot make something from
scratch break a habit

● try something
● stop doing a regular activity in your life, often something negative
● make something completely from the beginning
● do the same thing as someone else did previously
● be in a pattern of life, work or personal behaviour that is boring and
difficult to change

6
Let’s check the answers.

be stuck in a rut follow in somebody’s

footsteps give it a shot make something from
scratch break a habit

● try something
give it a shot
● stop doing a regular activity in your life, often something negative
break a habit
● make something completely from the beginning
make something from scratch
● do the same thing as someone else did previously
follow in somebody’s footsteps
● be in a pattern of life, work or personal behaviour that is boring and difficult to change
be stuck in a rut
7
Fill in the sentences below with one word each.

1. I was stuck in a career …………………, so I decided to find out what jobs could be
right for me to make a change.

2. I broke the ………………… of eating junk food every night for dinner.

3. It took years to build my company ………………… scratch, but it was worth it in the
end.

4. I had always wanted to try bowling, so I gave ………………… a shot two months
ago and I loved it!

5. A while ago, my sister took up jogging. I decided to ………………… in her footsteps

and after 3 weeks I feel amazing!
8
Let’s check the answers.

rut
1. I was stuck in a career …………………….…., so I decided to find out what jobs
could be right for me to make a change.
habit
2. I broke the …………………….…. of eating junk food every night for dinner.
from
3. It took years to build my company …………………….…. scratch, but it was worth it
in the end.
it
4. I had always wanted to try bowling, so I gave …………………….…. a shot two
months ago and I loved it!
follow
5. A while ago, my sister took up jogging. I decided to …………………….…. in her
footsteps and after 3 weeks I feel amazing!
9
 Discuss the questions below:

➔ Are you open to new challenges?

➔ How often do you take up a new hobby or sport?
➔ What was the last bad habit you managed to break?
➔ If you start doing something new, do you start full of enthusiasm
but it’s short-lived or do you tend to persist for a longer period?
➔ What do you do to help yourself stick to a new activity you’ve
taken up?

11
In a moment, you’ll watch a TED Talk titled:

Try something new for 30 days

While watching...
Watch the video and write down 4 things that the speaker learnt while
doing 30-day challenges.

1. …………………
2. …………………
3. …………………
4. …………………

13
Let’s check the answers.

1. The time he spent doing the challenges was much more memorable
2. His self-confidence grew a lot
3. You can do anything you want in 30 days
4. Small changes are more likely to stay longer with you.

14
Watch the video again and answer the questions.

1. What inspired Matt to start

doing 30-day challenges?
2. What’s the first 30-day
challenge that Matt talks about
in the TED Talk?
3. What challenge did he take that
he would have never imagined
doing before?
4. Why did he eat so many sweets
after his 30 days without sugar?

15
Let’s check your answers.

1. What inspired Matt to start doing 30-day challenges?

Being stuck in a rut
2. What’s the first 30-day challenge that Matt talks about in the TED Talk?
Taking a picture every day
3. What challenge did he take that he would have never imagined doing
before?
Hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa
4. Why did he eat so many sweets after his 30 days without sugar?
Because this was a big change for him that just didn’t stick

16
Let’s learn some vocabulary
Read an extract from the TED Talk and choose the correct meaning of the
underlined words and phrases [part 1/5].

Even last year, I ended up hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I would never have
been that adventurous before I started my 30-day challenges.
I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 days.
Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Every November, tens of thousands of people try to write their
own 50,000-word novel, from scratch, in 30 days. It turns out, all you have to do is write 1,667 words a
day for a month. So I did. By the way, the secret is not to go to sleep until you've written your words for
the day. You might be sleep-deprived, but you'll finish your novel. Now is my book the next great
American novel? No. I wrote it in a month. It's awful!

1. To end up means:
a. to stop in the middle of something
b. to finally be in a specific place or state 18
Let’s check your answer [part 1/5].

Even last year, I ended up hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I would never have
been that adventurous before I started my 30-day challenges.
I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 days.
Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Every November, tens of thousands of people try to write their
own 50,000-word novel, from scratch, in 30 days. It turns out, all you have to do is write 1,667 words a
day for a month. So I did. By the way, the secret is not to go to sleep until you've written your words for
the day. You might be sleep-deprived, but you'll finish your novel. Now is my book the next great
American novel? No. I wrote it in a month. It's awful!

1. To end up means:
a. to stop in the middle of something
b. to finally be in a specific place or state 19
Read an extract from the TED Talk and choose the correct meaning of the
underlined words and phrases [part 2/5].

Even last year, I ended up hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I would never have
been that adventurous before I started my 30-day challenges.
I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 days.
Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Every November, tens of thousands of people try to write their
own 50,000-word novel, from scratch, in 30 days. It turns out, all you have to do is write 1,667 words a
day for a month. So I did. By the way, the secret is not to go to sleep until you've written your words for
the day. You might be sleep-deprived, but you'll finish your novel. Now is my book the next great
American novel? No. I wrote it in a month. It's awful!

2. Adventurous means:
a. successful
b. willing to try new or difficult things 20
Let’s check your answer [part 2/5].

Even last year, I ended up hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I would never have
been that adventurous before I started my 30-day challenges.
I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 days.
Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Every November, tens of thousands of people try to write their
own 50,000-word novel, from scratch, in 30 days. It turns out, all you have to do is write 1,667 words a
day for a month. So I did. By the way, the secret is not to go to sleep until you've written your words for
the day. You might be sleep-deprived, but you'll finish your novel. Now is my book the next great
American novel? No. I wrote it in a month. It's awful!

2. Adventurous means:
a. successful
b. willing to try new or difficult things 21
Read an extract from the TED Talk and choose the correct meaning of the
underlined words and phrases [part 3/5].

Even last year, I ended up hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I would never have
been that adventurous before I started my 30-day challenges.
I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 days.
Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Every November, tens of thousands of people try to write their
own 50,000-word novel, from scratch, in 30 days. It turns out, all you have to do is write 1,667 words a
day for a month. So I did. By the way, the secret is not to go to sleep until you've written your words for
the day. You might be sleep-deprived, but you'll finish your novel. Now is my book the next great
American novel? No. I wrote it in a month. It's awful!

3. To figure out means:

a. to understand
b. to calculate 22
Let’s check your answer [part 3/5].

Even last year, I ended up hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I would never have
been that adventurous before I started my 30-day challenges.
I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 days.
Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Every November, tens of thousands of people try to write their
own 50,000-word novel, from scratch, in 30 days. It turns out, all you have to do is write 1,667 words a
day for a month. So I did. By the way, the secret is not to go to sleep until you've written your words for
the day. You might be sleep-deprived, but you'll finish your novel. Now is my book the next great
American novel? No. I wrote it in a month. It's awful!

3. To figure out means:

a. to understand
b. to calculate 23
Read an extract from the TED Talk and choose the correct meaning of the
underlined words and phrases [part 4/5].

Even last year, I ended up hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I would never have
been that adventurous before I started my 30-day challenges.
I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 days.
Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Every November, tens of thousands of people try to write their
own 50,000-word novel, from scratch, in 30 days. It turns out, all you have to do is write 1,667 words a
day for a month. So I did. By the way, the secret is not to go to sleep until you've written your words for
the day. You might be sleep-deprived, but you'll finish your novel. Now is my book the next great
American novel? No. I wrote it in a month. It's awful!

4. Badly means:
a. very much
b. seriously 24
Let’s check your answer [part 4/5].

Even last year, I ended up hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I would never have
been that adventurous before I started my 30-day challenges.
I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 days.
Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Every November, tens of thousands of people try to write their
own 50,000-word novel, from scratch, in 30 days. It turns out, all you have to do is write 1,667 words a
day for a month. So I did. By the way, the secret is not to go to sleep until you've written your words for
the day. You might be sleep-deprived, but you'll finish your novel. Now is my book the next great
American novel? No. I wrote it in a month. It's awful!

4. Badly means:
a. very much
b. seriously 25
Read an extract from the TED Talk and choose the correct meaning of the
underlined words and phrases [part 5/5].

Even last year, I ended up hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I would never have
been that adventurous before I started my 30-day challenges.
I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 days.
Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Every November, tens of thousands of people try to write their
own 50,000-word novel, from scratch, in 30 days. It turns out, all you have to do is write 1,667 words a
day for a month. So I did. By the way, the secret is not to go to sleep until you've written your words for
the day. You might be sleep-deprived, but you'll finish your novel. Now is my book the next great
American novel? No. I wrote it in a month. It's awful!

5. To turn out means:

a. to mean
b. to be known or discovered finally 26
Let’s check your answer [part 5/5].

Even last year, I ended up hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I would never have
been that adventurous before I started my 30-day challenges.
I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 days.
Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Every November, tens of thousands of people try to write their
own 50,000-word novel, from scratch, in 30 days. It turns out, all you have to do is write 1,667 words a
day for a month. So I did. By the way, the secret is not to go to sleep until you've written your words for
the day. You might be sleep-deprived, but you'll finish your novel. Now is my book the next great
American novel? No. I wrote it in a month. It's awful!

5. To turn out means:

a. to mean
b. to be known or discovered finally 27
 Discuss the questions below:

➔ What do you think about the speaker’s idea?

➔ Do you agree that if you want something badly enough, you can do
anything for 30 days?
➔ Would you follow in the speaker’s footsteps and take some of his 30-
day challenges?
● Bike to work ● No TV
● 10,000 steps/day ● No sugar
● Take a picture a day ● No twitter
● Write a novel ● No caffeine

➔ Do you consider yourself adventurous? 28

Look at the list of activities below.
Which ones would you give a shot at for 30 days? Why?

● No plastic
● Read 100 pages/day
● 20 min workout/day
● No takeaway
● Learn new vocabulary every day
● No overtime
● No Netflix
● Create a piece of art from scratch
● 1h walk every day
● No social media
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Time for a challenge!
Take the 30-day challenge below!

YOUR 30-DAY CHALLENGE

How about learning new English vocabulary every day for 30 days? Below you will find
links to some sets of vocabulary that you need to study. Study each set for 7 days doing
various activities and on the last 2 days revise newly learnt vocabulary using a set with
all the words and phrases from weeks 1-4.
● Week 1: adjectives
● Week 2: nouns
● Week 3: phrasal verbs
● Week 4: idioms
● Day 29-30: revision

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Thanks!