speakout Upper Intermediate

5 IDEAS
UNIT 5

Overview
Watch the video podcast. Are your views or opinions similar to any of the speakers?

1 Read the text below about Val’s shopping habits. Try to fill in the Val
gaps from memory and then watch the video podcast from 0:11-0:33
to check your answers.
Hi. I enjoy walking around the 1 shops and I buy things 2 ________ books
and make-up 3 ________ but I always do my food shopping 4 ________
– it’s such a fantastic service and you get everything 5 ________ to your door.
Today I’m talking to people about 6 ________ and innovative products. What
7
________ do you enjoy buying most?

Glossary: on impulse = when you buy on impulse you buy things you had not planned to buy

2 What items do you enjoy buying most? Read below what these six people say about things they enjoy
buying. Then watch the video podcast from 0:33-1:20 and match the people A-F to the statements 1-6.

A B C
Liz Maria Sue

D E F
Emma Joe Chris

1 markets, antique markets and vintage clothes

2 I love to browse around bookshops.
3 I probably enjoy buying books the most and music as well.
4 I love going to food markets, fish markets.
5 I love buying plants for the garden.
6 I should say like shoes, bags I think and make-up.

3 What sorts of things do you buy on impulse? Look at the items in the box below. Then watch the
video podcast from 1:20-2:04. Circle the FIVE items which the speakers say they buy on impulse.

food     books     CDs     music

jewellery     plants     clothes     shoes
handbags     antiques     holidays     make-up

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 speakout Upper Intermediate
5 IDEAS
UNIT 5
4 What sorts of things do you plan to buy? Watch the video podcast from 2:07-2:26 and write true (T)
or false (F) next to each statement.

A B C
Paul Emma Damian
1 He travels a lot for his 3 She doesn’t need to plan what 4 He plans before he buys a
work. T she buys because she has plenty holiday.
2 The price of train and plane of money. 5 He plans before he buys
tickets are important to anything costing more than
him. £50.

Glossary: good value for money = something is worth what you paid for it - the price is not too high; a
purchase = something you buy

5 What recent product or service do you think is impressive? Read the responses below. Watch the
video podcast from 2:32-2:52 and fill in the gaps using the words and phrases from the box, then match
the statements 1-3 with the people A-C.

taking a picture     iPhone     mobile phone     amazing

camera     changed my life     emails

A B C
Maria Sue Paul
1 _______________. Absolutely _______________! I mean I bought one and it’s just,
it’s really _______________.
2 Probably my _______________. I’ve just changed it to a Blackberry Storm® where I can get
all my _______________.
3 The new _______________ that I saw on television, on the commercial. So you’re
_______________ and you’re seeing yourself on the other side.

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 speakout Upper Intermediate
5 IDEAS
UNIT 5

6 If you could start a business or invent a product or service what would it be? Read the responses
to the question below, then watch the video podcast from 3:00-3:21 and fill in the missing words and
phrases.
1 I don’t know. I’d like to sell ___________ if you could sell ___________ that
would be good. I don’t know how ___________ .

Paul
2 My ___________ business is to have a thing called Sophia’s ___________ and
to make really fantastic ___________ that you can’t buy in this country.

Liz
3 I love the ___________ so anything that would, kind of, bring more
___________ to people’s lives and expression – I think that would be great.

Emma

7 The way we speak

7 The people in the video podcast talk about buying things on impulse. Look at the statements below
and then watch the video podcast from 1:20-2:04 and tick (✓) what the people say, a or b.
1 a) Music, I suppose I buy that on impulse.
b) Music, I always buy that on impulse.

Paul
2 a) Clothes, but not as much as I used to.
b) Clothes, but not as many as I used to.

Liz
3 a) Well, I’m not that kind of person that buys things on impulse.
b) Well, I’m not that type of person that buys things on impulse.

Maria

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 speakout Upper Intermediate
5 IDEAS
UNIT 5
4 a) ... I saw a pair of silver tongs that looked like a great bargain.
b) ... I saw a pair of silver tongs that looked like a great buy.

Damian

5 a) On impulse? Oh, dreadful! Handbags, that’s probably my big impulse buy.

b) On impulse? Oh, dreadful! Handbags, that’s probably my biggest impulse buy.

Sue

Personalisation
8 Write your answers to the questions.
1 What sorts of things do you buy on impulse?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2 What recent product or service that you’ve seen do you think is impressive?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3 If you could start a business or invent a product or service what would it be?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

BBC LINK
BBC reporter Stephen Sackur investigates the qualities that make some people
innovators.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10653786

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Unit 5 Ideas
Ex 1: 1 shops 2 like 3 on impulse 4 on-line 5 delivered
6 shopping 7 items
Ex 2: 1D 2F 3E 4C 5A 6B
Ex 3: food, music, clothes, handbags, antiques
Ex 4: 1T 2T 3F 4T 5F
Ex 5: 1 iPhone, amazing, changed my life - C 2 mobile
phone, emails - B 3 camera, taking a picture - A
Ex 6: 1 joy, joy, you could do it 2 fantasy, Bakery, cakes
3 Arts, creativity
Ex 7: 1a 2a 3b 4a 5b