Two Voices, One Life
Grammar: Conditionals
A Level 4 English lesson exploring culture.
What's in this lesson
A Level 4 (upper intermediate) ESL lesson on culture, practising conditionals. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary, a grammar reference with practice and discussion questions.
From the reading: Two Voices, One Life
"I came from a country where I had never felt black," Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie told an audience at TED in 2009. "Then I came to America." That single sentence captures something enormous. Adichie had grown up in Enugu, Nigeria, in a family of professors and storytellers. She had a clear sense of who she was. Then, at nineteen, she arrived in the United States to study — and discovered that other people had already decided who she was for them.
Vocabulary
- code-switch
- hybrid culture
- internalise a message
- reclaim your story
Grammar: Conditionals
- Pure third conditional
- If she had stayed in Nigeria, she would have written different books. — past condition, past result only
- Mixed: past → present
- If she hadn't moved to the US, she wouldn't be the writer she is today. — past condition, present result
Discussion questions
- Would you rather keep one strong cultural identity or mix two weaker ones?
- Is it better to blend in abroad or to stand out as different?
- Which shapes you more — the place you were born or the place you live now?
Two Voices, One Life
Grammar: Conditionals
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
Sign up to access full lesson plans
Start with a free trial — 5 lesson generations included
Get Started Free