Everyday English (Elementary)

Topic: Talking About Travel

In this lesson, students will develop vocabulary and conversation skills by talking about travel and focusing on Thailand.

Lesson Notes September 29, 2026 (Elementary)

Words & Phrases

• They don’t have any earthquakes, so there are a lot of really tall buildings. (We say “tall building” not “high building - see grammar below)

• One of my old friends worked for JAL. (We use “work for” + company / employer)

  • Her husband works at Canon’s Shinagawa office. (We use “work at” + company location)

  • Most of my friends work in (construction / marketing / Tokyo). (We use “work in” + industry / field / city)

• The riverboats are very long and covered with neon lights. They look cool but can be a little (showy / gaudy). (“Showy” is slightly negative or neutral, while “gaudy” is more strongly negative)

Grammar

• We say a building is tall when measuring its height from ground to top. We use high when something is positioned far off the ground (e.g., "a high balcony", "a high ceiling”)

Appropriate Language

• “Hearing aids” is the general everyday word for the devices that help make sounds louder for a person who has trouble hearing

• I was worried when I had conversations with my husband, he couldn’t hear me.

  • His hearing test results were rather worse than mine. He had no choice but to get hearing aids.

  • My brother has to wear hearing aids in meetings to hear clearer.

Next lesson

October 6, 2026 Talking about Travel” page 11 Let’s Focus on Thailand! Section 4 Pre-reading task: General Vocab