Preview Activity (1)

Work with a partner or group. Do the activities below together about the USA and profanity.

PART I Discuss the questions below, depending if you live in the USA or not.

QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS WHO LIVE IN THE USA:

• What do you think about American English? How hard is it for you to understand?
• Which English words are hard for you to use, pronounce, or understand?
• What’s difficult or challenging about living in the USA?
• What do you think about living in America? How is it different than your home country?

QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS WHO DO NOT LIVE IN THE USA:

• Which English words are hard for you to use, pronounce, or understand?
• What do you think it would be like to live in America? Do you think you’d like it?
• Do you know any cultural differences between the USA and your home country?

PART II 1 Which two ways are correct for responding to the question, ‘What’s up?’

a. Not much. c. What’s up?

Hey, what’s up?
b. Not bad. d. Fine, thanks.

2 What are two other ways Americans might greet
each other casually?

a. How’s it going? c. What do you mean?

b. For real? d. What’s going on?

PART III Discuss the topics below about profanity and swearing.

• Do you know / Can you explain what profanity / swearing is?

• Why do people use profanity? What are some good things / bad things about it?
• In what situations is it acceptable / unacceptable to use profanity?
• Do you know what it means if you offend someone or say something offensive?

PART IV Pronounce the words below:

1 subtle 2 dumb 3 debut

 Preview Activity (2)

PART I Test your knowledge. Match each adjective on the left with the definition on the right.

_____ 1 subtle a. correctly, in the right way

_____ 2 flipped b. full, complete
_____ 3 dumb c. reversed
_____ 4 entire d. precise / small thing which is difficult to analyze or describe
_____ 5 proper(ly) e. stupid

PART II Read the sentences below with the phrasal verbs. Then fill in the blanks about them.

1 Before I moved to America, I thought my English was good. But then I move here,
and it turns out that my English isn’t as good as I thought!

2 It was very hard to figure out New York City’s subway system when I visited. I got
lost many times! It must take years to really figure the system out.

learn | surprising | expect | solution | discovered

We use “It turns out...” when something becomes known or (1)

in a (2) way. We use it to talk about a fact or result that we
didn’t (3) to be true.

We use “figure out” when we (4) how to do something or find a

(5) to a problem or something complicated.

PART III Write a definition for the idiom in English below based on the context.

We studied a few basic American slang words in our English lesson today. But those
words are just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many more to learn!

Meaning:

Do you know what it means...

...if something is bad-ass? (E.g. That shirt is bad-ass! I want to buy one for myself.)
...if someone does something half-ass? (E.g. The mechanic did a half-ass job on the repair.)
...if someone is a lazy-ass? (E.g. My lazy-ass husband sat at home all day watching sports.)
 The Most Complicated Word in English

Preview Discussion Questions

When / Where have you heard a lot of

swearing in English?

Do you ever watch stand-up comedy perfor-

Viewing Activity mances? Do you have a favorite comedian?

PART I Choose the correct answer or meaning for each sentence below.

2:54 1 That was a long-ass flight.

a. That was a long flight.
b. That was a short flight.
c. That was a good flight.
3:43 2 That’s badass.

a. That’s dumb. b. That’s bad. c. That’s good.

4:11 3 Move your ass!

a. Move closer to me or in my direction.

b. Move to a different house or area.
c. Move yourself plus all you have.
4:38 4 What does it mean if someone says, “My car is fast.” and then you say, “Fast? My ass!”

a. Yes, that’s true. b. No, that’s not true. c. Maybe it’s true, maybe not.
4:59 5 You’re an ass.

a. You’re being stupid. b. You’re being bad. c. You’re being lazy.

5:07 6 If you are doing something “half-ass”, it means…

a. You’re not concentrating properly.

b. You’re concentrating for too long.
c. You’re concentrating fully.

5:22 7 If you are “a piece of ass” it means…

a. You’re complicated. b. You’re dumb. c. You’re beautiful.

Note to remember...

! *these are informal and slang usages of the word. it’s recommended not to use
these in formal or professional settings! in number 7 above - “a piece of ass” -
could be considered vulgar or offensive when used.
 Post-Viewing Activity (1)

PART I More (non-vulgar) Phrases with ‘ass’: Discuss what you think each phrase means.

1 That movie was kick-ass! I’m definitely watching it a second time.

2 I can’t believe the Manchester soccer team beat Madrid 5-0 in the football match.
Manchester really kicked their ass!

3 When I was walking to school, there was ice on the ground, and I busted my ass!

4 My boss is on my ass about the deadline for the project. I have to finish it soon.

5 It always takes my children a long time to get their ass in gear in the mornings.

Note to remember...

! *these are informal and slang usages of the word. it’s recommended not to use
these in formal or professional settings! be careful when using these.

PART II Replace the underlined words / phrases with one from the box below. *Two aren’t used.

your ass | kick-ass | bust your ass | kicks my ass

my ass | you’re an ass | half-ass | on my ass | bad-ass

1. Be careful not to fall hard when you’re riding your bicycle on the rocky trail.

2. We had a really enjoyable time at the concert last night.

3. My parents are continuing to push me hard about studying for my test.

4. I don’t like playing chess with Steve. He always defeats me by a lot.

5. A: It’s cheap to live in New York City.

B: Cheap? No, that’s not true!

6. Lucie was tired when she did her homework, so she did it without concentrating
properly and without full effort.

7. Hey, move yourself! I can’t see the television with you standing there.
 Post-Viewing Activity (2)

Study the examples in the video using the adverbs just, still, and even.

1

Ismo talks about the word ‘ass’ and adding it to the end of an adjective. He says...

“I’ve been trying to write a dictionary about just the word ‘ass’. You can just add ‘ass’ to any-
thing, and then it sounds a little bit cooler. For example, “I just bought this blue-ass shirt.”

The adverb ‘just’ has a different meaning in each sentence above. How is it different in each?

2

After that, Ismo says that adding ‘ass’ to a word can actually reverse the meaning. He says...

“But you have to be careful because sometimes if you add “ass” to something it can actually
reverse the meaning of the original word. For example, ‘bad-ass’...that’s good. But that’s not
always true - ‘dumb-ass’ is still dumb!”

Based on the above example, when do we use the adverb ‘still’?

a. to emphasize or express that something continues to happen or be true
b. to express that an action finished or happened before now, or earlier than expected
c. to express the specific point in time that an action will continue in the future

3

Ismo talks about how the word ‘ass’ is complicated because it can be divided. He says...

“To make it even more complicated, ass can be divided. You can be “half-ass” and it means
you are not concentrating properly. And if you go even smaller - if you are ‘a piece of ass’,
then you are beautiful.”

Based on the above examples, when do we use the adverb ‘even’?

a. to say that one thing can only be true if something else happens
b. to express an expectation, or to say that something definitely will happen
c. to say that something is more than you expected, or to emphasize a surprising fact
Post-Viewing Activity (3)

PART I Rewrite each sentence using the correct adverb based on the context.
*Pay attention to the position of the adverb in the sentence!

1 We watched a video about how to use an English slang word.

(express a short time ago) We just watched a video about how to use an English slang word.

2 Do you know if this guy does stand-up comedy? I thought he finished with it.

(express “continuing to be true”)

3 Ismo speaks English perfectly. He can use slang words and knows the subtle things!

(add emphasis)

4 You can the word “ass” to the end of the adjective to make it sound cooler.

(express the idea “simply”)

5 I don’t watch much comedy. There’s one comedian I watch a lot, and his name is Ismo.

(express the idea “only”)

6 I watched another funny video with Ismo and it was funnier than the first one!

(add emphasis)

7 I love learning English, but there are so many new words and phrases to learn!

(express “continues to be true”)

PART II Which adverb (still / even / just) do you think fits best for each space below?

1 A: Do you have a green card for America?

B: I _____________ don’t have it because I _____________ applied for it last week.

A: How was the process to get a green card for the USA?
2
B: My immigration lawyer did everything. I _____________ followed his instructions.
He was a really good lawyer, and _____________ gave me a free consultation!

3 A: What did you think about New York City when you visited?
B: It’s _____________ huge! I always knew New York was really big, but it was
_____________ bigger than I expected.

4 A: How was it navigating the New York City subway when you visited?
B: Very difficult. _____________ some New Yorkers _____________ don’t know how
to navigate it after living there all their life!
Quiz & Review Activity

Work with a partner. Complete the quiz and review activities below.

PART I Questions. Discuss the answers to the questions below about the video.

1. How do you answer the question, ‘What’s up’? Why is this weird for Ismo?
2. What does he say about the phrase “Can I help you?” What does it really mean?
3. What does it mean if you add the word “ass” to an adjective? (E.g. long-ass flight)
4. What does Ismo say about the words “bad-ass” and “dumb-ass”?
5. What does it mean if someone says “Move your ass!”?
6. If you do something “half-ass”, what does it mean?

PART II Vocabulary: Discuss what each word means below. Write a sentence for each.

1. subtle

2. it turns out

3. flipped

4. bust your ass

PART III Grammar: Explain the difference between just, still, and even. Then complete the
activity below.

Imagine someone says the sentences below during a conversation. Create some responses to each
sentence using still, just, and even. See the example below.

1 I lived in America for a long time. It was hard to understand people when I first moved there.

still - Do you still have trouble understanding?

just - Yeah, sometimes it’s just impossible to understand Americans.
even - When I was in America, I couldn’t even understand the restaurant servers.

2 Last week I rode my bicycle to work and I busted my ass on the way.
still
just
even

3 It always takes my children a long time to get their ass in gear in the mornings.
still
just
even