How to make hard

choices

ESL Brains
Let’s get started
with a warm-up

ESL Brains
Discuss the questions. In your answers, use the words and phrases in bold.

● A hard choice - a curse or a godsend? Give examples.

● What is a hard choice you'll face in the near future?

● How do you make a choice? Do you consider all options or take

the safest one?

● Do you always try to figure out the effects of your potential

choices?

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In a moment, you’ll watch a TED Talk
titled:
How to make hard choices

ESL Brains
Watch the video and answer the following questions.

A. What is the speaker's

attitude towards choices?

B. What makes a choice hard?

C. Who are drifters? Do you

know anyone who you could
call a drifter?

D. Can you give examples of

some small choices you
make every day?

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Let’s check the answers.

A. What is the speaker's She believes that we shape who we are through hard choices.
attitude towards choices? When you make a hard choice, you create your own identity.
In a hard choice, one alternative is better in some ways, the
B. What makes a choice hard? other alternative is better in other ways, and neither is better
than the other overall.
C. Who are drifters? Do you Drifters are people who don't create their own reasons when
know anyone who you could making hard choices. They let the world write the story of their
call a drifter? life.

D. Can you give examples of

some small choices you
make every day?

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Let’s learn some vocabulary!

ESL Brains
Decide which of these idioms can be used to describe something difficult and
which to describe something easy.
● a breeze ● child’s play ● dead easy
● a piece of cake ● a tough nut to ● a tough row to hoe
● an uphill battle crack

difficult easy

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Let’s check the answers.

● a breeze ● child’s play ● dead easy

● a piece of cake ● a tough nut to ● a tough row to hoe
● an uphill battle crack

difficult easy
a tough nut to a breeze
crack
child’s play
a tough row to
hoe dead easy

an uphill battle a piece of cake

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Complete the sentences with the words in the boxes.

against consideration favour for to twice willing

A. I will give a lot of ______________ to such a difficult choice.

B. Generally, I am in ______________ of introducing this new law.

C. Fewer students than ever opt ______________ study maths at a higher level.

D. I am not ______________ to accept all of the conditions they offer.

E. Parents should think ______________ before letting their children go on

holiday alone.

F. I am ______________ the idea of throwing away all unnecessary clothes.

G. I felt much better, so I decided to go ______________ a skirt, instead of my

everyday jeans.
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Let’s check the answers.

against consideration favour for to twice willing

A. I will give a lot of ______________

consideration to such a difficult choice.
B. Generally, I am in ______________
favour of introducing this new law.

C. Fewer students than ever opt ______________

to study maths at a higher level.

D. willing
I am not ______________ to accept all of the conditions they offer.

E. Parents should think ______________

twice before letting their children go on
holiday alone.

F. I am ______________
against the idea of throwing away all unnecessary clothes.

G. for
I felt much better, so I decided to go ______________ a skirt, instead of my
everyday jeans.
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Now, we’ll put it into practice!

ESL Brains
part 1/2

Using the vocabulary from the box, discuss the following choices.

be against
be in favour of
● Would you choose to have a boss that is
be willing to
demanding or one that is lenient?
a breeze
● Would you prefer to have neighbours with small child’s play
children or neighbours that love listening to loud dead easy
music? give consideration to
● Would you rather be alone for the rest of your life or go for
always be surrounded by annoying people? opt to
a piece of cake
● Would you prefer to have an apartment near the
think twice
beach or an apartment with a swimming pool?
a tough nut to crack
a tough row to hoe
an uphill battle
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part 2/2

Using the vocabulary from the box, discuss the following choices.

be against
be in favour of
● Would you rather speak perfect English or know the
be willing to
basics of speaking Chinese and be able to
a breeze
communicate?
child’s play
● Would you rather that you always have to tell the dead easy
truth or always lie? give consideration to
● Would you rather find your true love or a suitcase go for
with five million dollars inside? opt to
a piece of cake
think twice
a tough nut to crack
a tough row to hoe
an uphill battle
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THANKS!

ESL Brains