This week the ‘Thinking in English’ Community is talking about hard work, success, and the American Dream!
Many people grow up believing that if you work hard enough, you can achieve success. I made an episode on a related idea recently known as the “American Dream” (the belief that anyone can build a better life through effort and opportunity). But is this dream still realistic today? And do people in different countries believe in similar ideas?
In this conversation club, we’ll discuss success, careers, money, social mobility, and the pressures people feel in modern society. Is hard work enough to become successful? How important are luck, education, or family background? And what does a “good life” actually mean to you?
This is a great chance to practice expressing opinions, discussing social issues, and talking about your personal goals and experiences in English.
Here are 10 conversation questions to get you talking about hard work, success, and the American Dream!
The Thinking in English Conversation Club takes place every TUESDAY and THURSDAY at 12pm, 6pm, and 24pm UK time!
You can find more details on how to participate here!
Conversation Questions:
- What is your personal dream in life?
- Would you move abroad for a better salary? Why or why not?
- Do people in your country believe hard work leads to success?
- What jobs are considered “successful” in your country?
- What does financial independence mean to you?
- Do young people today have more or fewer opportunities than before?
- Is success mostly about hard work, luck, or opportunity?
- Does social media create unrealistic dreams about success?
- Have you heard of the American Dream before? What would you say is “Your Country’s Dream”?
- Make your own questions!
Vocabulary
- Personal dream (Noun Phrase): A life goal or strong wish.
- Move abroad (Phrase): To live in another country.
- Salary (Noun): Money earned from a job.
- Hard work (Noun Phrase): A lot of effort and determination.
- Success (Noun): Achieving goals or desired results.
- Financial independence (Noun Phrase): Having enough money to support yourself.
- Opportunities (Noun): Chances to do something positive.
- Luck (Noun): Success caused by chance.
- Social media (Noun): Websites or apps used to share content and communicate online.
- Unrealistic (Adjective): Not practical or unlikely to happen.
- Considered (Verb): Thought of in a particular way.
- Lead to (Phrase): To cause or result in something.
Resources
Conversation Club Times
12pm Conversation Club Around The World
- London, United Kingdom Tue/Thur at 12:00 BST
- Mexico City, Mexico Tue/Thur at 05:00 CST
- Bogota, Colombia Tue/Thur at 06:00 COT
- Santiago, Chile Tue/Thur at 08:00 CLST
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Tue/Thur at 08:00 BRT
- Rome, Italy Tue/Thur at 13:00 CEST
- Warsaw, Poland Tue/Thur at 13:00 CEST
- Istanbul, Turkey Tue/Thur at 14:00 TRT
- Taipei, Taiwan Tue/Thur at 19:00 CST
- Tokyo, Japan Tue/Thur at 20:00 JST
18pm Conversation Club Around The World
- London, United Kingdom Tue/Thur at 18:00 BST
- Mexico City, Mexico Tue/Thur at 11:00 CST
- Bogota, Colombia Tue/Thur at 12:00 COT
- Santiago, Chile Tue/Thur at 14:00 CLST
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Tue/Thur at 14:00 BRT
- Rome, Italy Tue/Thur at 19:00 CEST
- Warsaw, Poland Tue/Thur at 19:00 CEST
- Istanbul, Turkey Tue/Thur at 20:00 TRT
- Taipei, Taiwan Wed/Fri at 01:00 CST
- Tokyo, Japan Wed/Fri at 02:00 JST
24:00pm Conversation Club Around The World
- London, United Kingdom Wed/Fri at 00:00 BST
- Mexico City, Mexico Tue/Thur at 17:00 CST
- Bogota, Colombia Tue/Thur at 18:00 COT
- Santiago, Chile Tue/Thur at 20:00 CLST
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Tue/Thur at 20:00 BRT
- Rome, Italy Wed/Fri at 01:00 CEST
- Warsaw, Poland Wed, Wed/Fri at 01:00 CEST
- Istanbul, Turkey Wed/Fri at 02:00 EEST
- Taipei, Taiwan Wed/Fri at 07:00 CST
- Tokyo, Japan Wed/Fri at 08:00 JST
Model Answers & Vocabulary
To help you prepare for the Thinking in English conversation club this week, I have created vocabulary lists and some model answers.
The model answers are split into intermediate, upper-intermediate, and advanced level responses. Hopefully this will give you an idea on the differences in quality between intermediate and advanced responses, and perhaps inspire your own answers to these questions!
B1 (Intermediate)
Model Answers
Vocabulary
B2 (Upper Intermediate)
Model Answers
Vocabulary
C1 (Advanced Level)
Model Answers
Vocabulary
See you all at this week’s conversation club!
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Further Questions?
