When someone´s pets come first – Fale tudo em ingles

Dear fellow English teachers,

Do you know anyone whose pet is more important to them than anything else? Take a listen to this dialogue and find out what happened to Frank in “When someone´s pets come first”.

This is a complete Lesson Plan you can use with your B2 level students. Enjoy!

When someone´s pets come first – Pre-listening questions:

Do you have a pet? If so, how important is it to you?
Should pets be treated like members of the family?
Have you ever had a fight with someone over your pet or someone´s pet?

Click the link below to listen to the dialogue “When someone´s pets come first”.

SCROLL DOWN FOR DIALOGUE SCRIPT

Dialogue Comprehension

Sabrina slapped Frank on the face. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___
Frank and Sabrina are not talking anymore. True ___ False ___ I don´t know _
Sabrina kicked Frank out of her house. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___
Todd doesn´t have a pet. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___
Frank plans to call Sabrina and apologize for his behavior. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___

Find words or expressions in the dialogue with the following similar meanings:

a. Tolerate: _____________________
b. Extremely annoying; irritating situation: ___________________
c. No: _______________________
d. Very angry: _______________________
e. Close friend; buddy: __________________
f. Got angry; lost control of one´s emotions: _______________
g. Baby dogs: ___________________
h. In a better situation: __________
i. Got out of control: ________________
j. Interfered: __________
k. Going from place to place aimlessly: _________________
l. Find a way of dealing with a difficulty: _______________

Fill in the blanks below with a word or expression highlighted in the dialogue:

“Carla is way too sensitive. Can you believe she got ____________ at me because I forgot her birthday?” Ronny told Vince.
“We´d be ______________ if we moved closer to the campus.” Ralph told his roommate.
“Things seem to be ____________________ in your department. You´d better do something quickly to improve the situation.” Jason´s coworker told him.
“I find it hard to ________________ Gary´s mood swings. He is so emotionally unstable.” Richard told Barney.
“We could all sense Sheila was running out of patience with the service at the restaurant. I was afraid she was going to ________________ and start shouting at the waiter.” Bob told Nina.

Discussion & Conversation 1

Would you rather have a cat or a dog? Why?
Are you afraid of dogs? Explain your answer.
Do you know anyone whose pet is more important to them than anything else? If so, describe this person´s behavior.
How often should dog owners walk their dogs in your opinion? Why?
Do you think pets should be allowed to roam freely in their owners’ houses and jump onto beds and sofas?

Additional Vocabulary & Expressions

Breed: a particular type of animal Ex.“My wife´s favorite dog breed is the German Shepherd. Unfortunately we can´t have one because we live in a small apartment.”, said Jeff to a friend.

Leash: a rope used to walk or control a dog or another animal Ex. The sign at the park read “Dogs must be kept on a leash at all times”.

Collar: a band of leather or other material that is placed around an animal´s neck Ex. Thelma grabbed her dog by the collar and dragged it out of the living room.

Bark: make barking sounds Ex. “I wish the neighbor´s dog would stop barking. I can´t get to sleep with all this noise.”, Stanley told his wife.

Kitten: a young cat Ex. “We´re planning to get our daughter a kitten for her birthday. She loves cats.” Barry told a friend.

Wag (the tail): move the tail from side to side Ex.. “My dog always wags its tail and jumps on me when I come home from work.” Daren told Mia.

Kennel: a place where dogs stay while their owners are away Ex. “We left our dogs at a kennel while we were away on vacation.” William told Terry.

Fill in the sentences or short dialogues below with words or expressions presented in Additional Vocabulary & Expressions:

“My dog ___________ its tail and keeps looking at me when he wants food. I guess that´s his way of saying he´s hungry.” Samantha told Nicole.
Mr. Harris: Hey, nice dog!
Susan: Thanks!
Mr. Harris: What __________ is it?
Susan: It´s a Golden Retriever.
“I´m a light sleeper and any noise like a dog ______________ in the distance may keep me awake.” Sharon told a friend.
“None of my friends could take care of my dog while I was away so I had to leave it at a ______________” Bart told Frederick.
“You´d better put a _____________ on your dog if you don´t want it to disturb the neighbors.”, Casey told Roy.

Discussion & Conversation 2

Have you ever been scared by a dog? If so, what happened?
“Barking dogs seldom bite.” Do you agree with this saying? Why/Why not?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a pet in your opinion?
Should pet owners always clean up after their pets? Explain your answer.
“Some pets are better treated than kids.” Do you agree with this statement?

Choose the alternative that best explains the meaning of the words in bold in the sentences below.

“I did my best to remain calm, but in the end I just lost it.” Burt told a friend.

a) became very shy
b) got lost and did not know where I was
c) became very angry
d) became very hungry

“I can´t sleep with all this barking and meowing going on. Can you please phone our neighbor and tell him to get his pets to settle down?” Joey asked Sheena.

a) the neighbor´s pets are tame
b) Joey´s neighbor is a dog walker
c) the neighbor´s pets are not bothering Joey at all
d) Joey can´t sleep because his neighbor´s pets are making a lot of noise

“Sorry to hear about that. I hope you can work things out with Sarah soon enough.” Mick told George.

a) find a solution for a difficult situation
b) enjoy oneself
c) find a better job
d) put up with someone

“That park has an off-leash area for dogs. That´s why I like to go there with Rover.” Mark told Julian.

a) area where dogs can bark freely
b) area where dog owners don´t have to keep their pets on a leash
c) area where dog owners can feed their pets
d) area where dog owners can roam aimlessly

“I´d rather have a kitten than a puppy. I´ve always preferred cats.” Stacy told Bill.

a) baby cat
b) baby wolf
c) baby bear
d) baby dog

Complete the sentences below with your own words.

Roger would be better off if he …………………………………………………………
I can´t put up with …………………………………………………………………………
Pet owners should ………………………………………………………………………….
He is mad at his girlfriend because ………………………………………………….
My favorite dog breed is …………………………………………………………………

Discussion & Conversation 3

Do you enjoy going to the zoo? Do you have a favorite animal?
“A dog is a man´s best friend.” Do you agree with this saying? Why/Why not?
What´s your favorite dog breed? Can you name two vicious dog breeds? What about friendly dog breeds?
Has a dog´s barking ever kept you awake at night? If so, what happened?
Can you ride a horse? How often do you go horse riding?

Dialogue Script: When someone´s pets come first

Todd: Hey Frank, you´ve been very quiet all day and you look kind of upset. Is something the matter?
Frank: You´re right. This is not one of my best days.
Todd: Do you wanna tell me what happened?
Frank: Thanks Todd! You´ve always been a good friend. I had a fight with Sabrina over her puppies.
Todd: Did you?
Frank: Yeah, it´s actually a long story. You know Sabrina, she has a thing for dogs and that has always gotten in the way of our relationship.
Todd: Don´t tell me you´re jealous of her pets, are you?
Frank: I guess I wasn´t when we first started dating, but a lot of things have happened since then and I´ve come to the conclusion that her puppies are more important to her than I am.
Todd: Really?
Frank: Yep, you know, I´d been trying to control myself and avoid complaining about her dogs, but I just lost it last night and that´s when things got out of hand.
Todd: Things got out of hand? Can you be more specific?
Frank: I told her that having to put up with her dogs roaming freely around her bedroom was a pain in the ass.
Todd: Did you really say that? I bet Sabrina got mad at you.
Frank: She was furious! I´d never seen her that angry before. For a split second I thought she was going to physically attack me. Can you believe that?
Todd: Gee, looks like things really got out of hand pal! What happened then? Are you two talking at all?
Frank: Nope! She kept yelling at me and told me to get the hell out of her house, so we haven´t talked since then.
Todd: Gee, Frank. I´m sorry to hear that. Can´t you try and work things out with Sabrina?
Frank: I really don´t think so. I don´t see the point of trying to make our relationship work anymore. I´d always be second on her list. I´m probably better off without her anyway.