LESSON

SHARE

Mistakes and regrets

by Matt Done and Roksana Krzyzanowska

Age: Teenagers / Adults 1. Divide students into A and B pairs. If there is an

Level: Intermediate odd number of students, put two weaker students
Time: 120 minutes (longer if you use the together to share the role of Helen.
optional activities)
2. Introduce the characters – Chris and Helen. Tell
Objectives: To improve students’ ability to talk about
the students that Chris and Helen are friends and
mistakes made in the past using the
that they are going to discuss a ‘bad’ blind date that
structure should have + past participle
Chris has just been on. Give out the role cards and
Key skills: Speaking
give students about three to five minutes to read
Materials: One copy of the worksheet per student;
them and prepare what they are going to say.
the audio file, downloaded from
onestopenglish; one set of role cards per 3. Give the students about five minutes to do the role
pair of students, cut up; one copy of the play. You may wish to provide them with an opening
quotes cut outs per class; one copy of the sentence, such as: ‘So how was your blind date?’
quotes discussion handout per student 4. Once the students have finished, ask them whether
they think Chris made any mistakes (they’ll probably
Preparation say something along the lines of ‘Yes, a lot!’)
Lesson Share TEACHER'S NOTES

Before the lesson, cut up the role cards and the quotes Optional activity
cut outs. Each student in your class should have at Have some of the more confident students perform
least one quotes cut out. If you have more than 12 their role play to the class.
students, print out two copies of the cut outs and
Listening 1
double up on some of the quotes..
Aim: to give students some gist listening practice
1. Tell students that they are going to listen to the real
Procedure dialogue between Chris and Helen and that they
have to decide whether it is similar to their own.
Lead-in
Play the audio.
Aim: to warm students up to the topic of blind dates
1. Ask students to tell you the word in English for when 2. Briefly take some feedback on how similar or
two people, who are more than friends, go out to the different the real dialogue is.
cinema or to a restaurant together (a date). Listening 2
2. Elicit the verb and preposition that go before it (go Aim: to give the students some practice in listening for
on a date). detail

3. Then, elicit the term we use for when you go on a 1. Tell the students that they are going to listen to the
date with someone who you have never met before dialogue again and that they should fill in the gaps
(a blind date). as they do so in activity 4 on the worksheet.

4. Hand out the worksheets. Get the students to 2. After playing the dialogue, get students to compare
discuss the questions in activity 1 in pairs. Set a their answers and, if necessary, play it a second time.
time limit of about three to five minutes, then take 3. Get students to check in pairs, then elicit the
some feedback. answers and write them on the board.

Role play Key: 1. how did it go; 2. into me; 3. ended up;
Aim: to create both a context and a need for the 4. I’m; 5. low on cash; 6. made a fool of myself;
target language 7. common sense; 8. hang on
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LESSON SHARE / Speaking / Mistakes and regrets

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 LESSON
SHARE

Mistakes and regrets

by Matt Done and Roksana Krzyzanowska

Vocabulary matching 7. Tell students to find more examples of the structure

Aim: to consolidate the meaning of the new language from the dialogue.
from the dialogue by matching it to phrases with a
Key: You should have gone somewhere nicer!;
similar meaning
You should have talked about something you
1. Direct students to activity 5. Do the first question both like.; you shouldn’t have just talked about
together as a class and then give the students two yourself the whole time!
to three minutes to complete the rest of the activity
Note: You may wish to point out that this structure is
alone.
quite direct and it should not be used when talking
2. Get students to compare their answers in pairs to a boss or in a situation where it is important to be
before doing a class correction. diplomatic.
Key: 1. common sense; 2. ended up; 3. into me; Controlled practice
4. hang on; 5. how did it go?; 6. made a fool of Aim: to consolidate the new language and provide
myself; 7. low on cash students with some controlled practice
1. Do the first question together as a class, before
Optional activity
letting the students do the rest of the activity alone.
Get the students to read out the real dialogue together
Lesson Share TEACHER'S NOTES

in pairs. Encourage them to read it expressively rather 2. Have students compare their answers in pairs
than just in a flat tone. before doing a class correction.
Language focus – should have + past participle Key: 1. should have watched; 2. shouldn’t have
Aim: to present the structure should have + past participle worn; 3. should have studied; 4. should have tried
1. Tell students to cover the dialogue in activity 4. it on; 5. shouldn’t have told; 6. should have booked/
chosen; 7. should have left; 8. should have chosen/
2. Write the following on the board, complete with
studied
the gap:
3. Using some of the sentences from this activity,
H: What did you wear?
model and drill the pronunciation of the structure:
C: My new Adidas tracksuit.
should have /ʃʊd əv/
H: A tracksuit? You ___________________ a shirt!
shouldn't have /ʃʊd(ə)nt əv/
3. Ask the students if they can remember exactly
Point out that, while the full form of have is /hæv/,
what Helen told Chris about his clothes (should
native speakers tend to pronounce the auxiliary
have worn).
form as /(h)əv/.
4. Ask the following concept questions:
They quite often abbreviate the pronunciation
• What did Chris wear? (a tracksuit) even further by pronouncing the structures as /
• Was this a good idea or a mistake? (a mistake) ʃʊd ə/ (should have) and /ʃʊd(ə)n ə/ (shouldn’t
have). Students should be aware of this last set of
• When did Chris make the mistake – now or in pronunciations so they can successfully understand
the past? (in the past)
native speakers but it’s probably best if they avoid
• How does Helen feel about it – happy or a little using the heavily abbreviated forms themselves, at
angry? (angry) least in any but the most casual of conversations.
5. Explain that we use this structure when we feel
annoyed about mistakes made in the past.
6. Elicit the structure:
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should/shouldn’t have + past participle

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LESSON SHARE / Speaking / Mistakes and regrets

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 LESSON
SHARE

Mistakes and regrets

by Matt Done and Roksana Krzyzanowska

Controlled oral practice 3. Let the more confident students act out their
Aim: to give students further practice in producing the dialogue to the class.
target language
Optional activity – Quotes
1. Demonstrate activity 7 as an open pair with a
Aims: to allow students further fluency practice by
confident student. You say This romantic film is
getting them to discuss quotes by famous people on
awful, then prompt the student to say We should
the topic of mistakes and regrets; to give students the
have watched a comedy. Correct the student’s
opportunity to talk about mistakes in their own lives
pronunciation of should have if necessary.
1. Give each student at least one slip of paper from
2. The students will now continue in their pairs, the quotes cut outs handout. Tell students that they
swapping roles halfway through. Make clear that have half a quote and that they have to mingle and
they can read out the answers (they don’t have to find the student with the other half of their quote.
complete the activity from memory) and remind the
2. Once the students have found their partner, read
B students to focus on their pronunciation.
out the correct answers.
Optional activity
Key: Forgive yourself for your faults and your
Keep students in their pairs. Student A holds the
mistakes and move on.; Success does not mean
handout and, from activity 6, reads the first parts.
Lesson Share TEACHER'S NOTES

never making mistakes but never making the same

Student B covers the handout and replies with the
mistake a second time.; I’m proud of my life. Although
should have parts from memory. After a minute or so,
I’ve made many mistakes, I have no regrets.;
get the students to swap roles.
Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.;
Personalization and fluency practice Do not fear mistakes.You will know failure.;
Aims: to consolidate the new language by
There are no mistakes, only lessons.
personalizing it; fluency practice
3. Give each student a quotes discussion handout
1. Demonstrate activity 8 by sharing your own
and have pairs discuss the questions.
personal sentence and inviting questions.
4. Take some class feedback.
2. Give students three to four minutes to come up with
some true sentences about themselves using the Optional homework – I should/shouldn’t have …
structure. Aim: to use another skill (writing) to practise the target
3. They should then share their sentences with a language in a personalized context
partner and discuss them (point out the example Ask students to write a short account of something
conversation on the worksheet). Allow five to ten they regret in their past. Suggest a few possible topics
minutes, then take some feedback. (education, career, romance, travel, etc) and set a
word limit.
Role play
Aims: to give students an opportunity to use the new
language in a freer communicative context; to assess
the extent to which they have internalized it
1. Put students in pairs and give them five minutes to
prepare for the role play.
2. While students do the role play, monitor to check
whether students are successfully using the new
language. Take notes on what the students are
saying for use during a delayed feedback slot after
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the role play or at the start of the next lesson.

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LESSON SHARE / Speaking / Mistakes and regrets

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 LESSON
SHARE

Mistakes and regrets

by Matt Done and Roksana Krzyzanowska

In this lesson, you will learn …

• … how to talk about past mistakes and regrets;
• … vocabulary for informal conversation.

1. Discuss these questions with a partner.

a. Have you ever been on a blind date?
If so, how did it go?
If not, would you ever go on a blind date? Why? Why not?
b. Which of the following activities do you think would be best for a blind date? Why?
• an expensive dinner
• the cinema
• a walk on the beach
• a picnic
• an extreme sport activity

2. Look at your role card and prepare to have a role play with your partner.
Lesson Share WORKSHEET

3. Listen to the real dialogue between Chris and Helen. Is it similar to yours?

4. Now, listen to the dialogue again and fill in the gaps.

Helen: So _________________(1)?
Chris: Well, you know … It wasn’t exactly the best date I’ve ever had.
Helen: How come? What happened?
Chris: Nothing, really. I just don’t think she was that _________________(2).
Helen: Hmm. Well, let’s see … Where did you go?
Chris: I really couldn’t think of a good place to go so we _________________(3) at McDonald’s.
Helen: Seriously? McDonald’s for a first date? Come on! You should have gone somewhere nicer!
Chris: I guess so. But _________________(4) really _________________(5).
Helen: (Sigh) What did you wear?
Chris: My new Adidas tracksuit – the green one!
Helen: Are you serious? A tracksuit, on a date? You should have worn a shirt! You don’t wear a tracksuit on a
first date!
Chris: Why? I wanted to be comfortable! I hate wearing shirts.
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LESSON SHARE / Speaking / Mistakes and regrets

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 LESSON
SHARE

Mistakes and regrets

by Matt Done and Roksana Krzyzanowska

Helen: You have a lot to learn. Anyway … What did you talk about?
Chris: Well, you know … normal stuff – video games, mainly.
Helen: Does she like video games?
Chris: I don’t know. I don’t think so.
Helen: Then, why did you talk about video games? You should have talked about something you both like, not
only what you’re interested in!
Chris: Couldn’t you have said all this before I _________________(6)?
Helen: I thought all this was _________________(7)! Anyway … what about her? What does she do? What
does she like?
Chris: I don’t know.
Helen: You didn’t ask her about herself? Come on, Chris, this is a disaster!
Chris: I didn’t want it to seem like a job interview, asking her questions every five minutes!
Helen: Fine but you shouldn’t have just talked about yourself the whole time! At least ask her something!
Chris: (Phone rings) It’s Rachel! She’s calling me! _________________(8) (Cough) … Hello? Hi Rachel ...
Tomorrow? Yeah, that’s fine! See you tomorrow, then! … Ha, she wants to meet tomorrow!

5. Match the answers from activity 4 to the phrases with similar meanings below.
Lesson Share WORKSHEET

1. the ability to use good judgment and make sensible decisions

2. were in a particular place after doing something or because of doing it
3. interested in me
4. wait
5. how was it?
6. made myself look stupid
7. without a lot of money
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LESSON SHARE / Speaking / Mistakes and regrets

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 LESSON
SHARE

Mistakes and regrets

by Matt Done and Roksana Krzyzanowska

6. Complete the gaps using should/shouldn’t have and the past participles of the
following verbs.

wear     book     leave     watch     try (it) on     tell     study     choose

1. This romantic film is awful. We _________________ a comedy.

2. I’m freezing cold. I _________________ shorts.
3. She didn’t do very well in the test. She _________________ harder.
4. That jacket is too small for you. You _________________ before you bought it.
5. I’m so angry with Michael. I told him a secret and now everyone knows. I _________________ him.
6. This hotel is too far from the centre. We _________________ one with a better location.
7. This traffic is terrible. I’m definitely going to be late for work. I _________________ earlier.
8. I’m not really enjoying studying business at university. I _________________ psychology instead.

7. Work in pairs. Student A reads the first part of questions 1 to 8 in the last activity.
Student B replies with the correct should have part. Swap roles halfway through.
e.g. Student A: This romantic film is awful. Student B: We should've watched a comedy.
Lesson Share WORKSHEET

8. Write a couple of should/shouldn’t have sentences that are true for you. Then, read
your sentences out to your partner and talk about them.
A: I should have studied medicine at university.
B: Why didn’t you?
A: W
 ell, the main reason was my parents. They were both lawyers and wanted me to do the same as them.
Then, another reason was …

9. Read the information in the box and spend five minutes planning a dialogue with
your partner. Then, act it out to the class.

Maria has just come back from her holidays but she didn’t have a good time. She is feeling quite
disappointed. Her friend, Debbie, wants to find out what happened.

Maria was quite disorganized before and during her trip so Debbie is not surprised that she didn’t enjoy it.
Write a dialogue between Maria and Debbie, where Debbie asks Maria what went wrong and points out all
her mistakes.
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LESSON SHARE / Speaking / Mistakes and regrets

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 LESSON
SHARE

Mistakes and regrets

by Matt Done and Roksana Krzyzanowska

Student A – Chris
You’ve just been on a blind date. You don’t think the girl liked you but you don’t understand why.
Obviously, you’re not feeling great.
Your friend will ask you how your date was. Tell him/her that you don’t think the girl liked you and tell
him/her how you feel.
Then, your friend will ask you some more questions about the date. You will need the following
information to answer his/her questions. Give reasons for what you did on the date.
• You took the girl to McDonald’s.
• You wore your green Adidas tracksuit.
• You talked about your favourite video games during dinner.
• You didn’t ask the girl any questions about herself.

#
Student B – Helen
You are about to meet your friend, who has just been on a blind date. Ask him how the date was
overall.
Then, ask him some questions to find out more about the date. Ask him:
Lesson Share ROLE CARDS

• where he took her;

• what clothes he wore;
• what he talked about;
• if he asked the girl questions about herself.
If you think your friend made any mistakes on his date, tell him. For example, if he wore dirty clothes,
was this a good idea? If not, suggest an alternative.

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LESSON SHARE / Speaking / Mistakes and regrets

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 LESSON
SHARE

Mistakes and regrets

by Matt Done and Roksana Krzyzanowska

#
Forgive yourself for your faults … … and your mistakes and move on.

Success does not mean never … but never making the same
making mistakes … mistake a second time.
Lesson Share QUOTES CUT OUTS

I’m proud of my life. Although I’ve

… I have no regrets.
made many mistakes, …

Experience is simply the name … … we give our mistakes.

Do not fear mistakes. … … You will know failure.

There are no mistakes, … … only lessons.

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LESSON SHARE / Speaking / Mistakes and regrets

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 LESSON
SHARE

Mistakes and regrets

by Matt Done and Roksana Krzyzanowska

1. Forgive yourself for your faults and your mistakes and move on.
— Les Brown (American motivational speaker)

2. Success does not mean never making mistakes but never making the same mistake a second time.
— George Bernard Shaw (Irish playwright)

3. I’m proud of my life. Although I’ve made many mistakes, I have no regrets.
— Carly Fiorina (American businesswoman)

4. Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.

— Oscar Wilde (Irish writer)

5. Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure.

— Benjamin Franklin (one of the Founding Fathers of the United States)
Lesson Share QUOTES DISCUSSION

6. There are no mistakes, only lessons.

— Denis Waitley (American motivational speaker)

• Which of the quotes do you like most? Why?

• Do you disagree with any of them?
• Have you ever learnt an important life lesson from a mistake you made?

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