Who Picks Up the Tab?
Grammar: Discourse markers and hedging language
A Level 6 English lesson exploring money.
What's in this lesson
A Level 6 (proficiency) ESL lesson on money, practising discourse markers and hedging language. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary and discussion questions.
From the reading: Who Picks Up the Tab?
There is a particular kind of social dread that descends the moment a restaurant bill lands on the table. Everyone reaches for their phone, no one quite meets anyone else's eyes, and the mental arithmetic begins — who ordered the risotto, who had the third glass of wine, who quietly disappeared to the bathroom at precisely the wrong moment. Money, as the financial writer Alex Holder puts it, sits at the intersection of identity, value, and social belonging, which is precisely why conversations about it among friends feel so loaded.
Vocabulary
- mental arithmetic
- moral weight
- mutual credit
- quiet relief
- agree on
- budget
- produce
- reaches for
- sits at the intersection of
Discussion questions
- Do you find it easy to talk about money with close friends?
- Has a night out ever changed how you felt about someone?
- Is splitting a bill equally always fair?
Who Picks Up the Tab?
Grammar: Discourse markers and hedging language
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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