We're going to talk to you about conversation skills and how you can improve them while talking about your
Downtime, hobbies, and time off…
Well, let's start off with what is a "hobby".
Well, a "hobby" is something -- and you can think of the word "habit".
I think most of you know "habit" is something you do regularly.
Well, a "hobby” means "something you do regularly".
But in this case, it's something that's fun, you do it regularly, and you don't get paid for it.
That's what we usually call your "hobby". So you might even spend money and time to do it, But you get a lot of fun from it, and you do it regularly.
Now, another word for "hobby" is "interest".
And the funny thing about "interest" is that I could say to you, "What are your hobbies?"
Or I could say to you "What are your interests?" And it's almost the same.
And we use them -- English speakers -- almost interchangeably, which means we can just change them, and it doesn't really matter. But there's a slight difference.
Well, "interest" means "I like it". Like, I'm interested in the theatre, but I don't go all the time, maybe once every two years.
But my hobby is collecting comic books, which means I actually -- every week -- buy the comic books.
So you could say, “I’m interested in reading."
I don't have time to do it, but I like the idea of it. Versus "My hobby is reading.” which is -- that's what I do when I don't have anything to do.
What kind of hobbies or interests can a person have?
One of them is collecting...
What does "collecting" mean?
It means "to bring together a group of things" in this case, "collecting" is very specific.
Personally, I collect comic books. And I collect batman books, I'm a real collector. I love Batman
So let's just say I bought Batman No. 1. Now, if I'm a collector, I’ll also buy Batman No. 2 and Batman No. 3 and so on and so on. I'll continue to buy. And I will keep them. I'm not going to sell them. I'm not trying to make money, and I'm going to enjoy them as a collector. I will go back after reading them and read them again.
Just like when you collect -- we say comics; you can collect books. You can also collect art and music.
You can collect art like: Van Gogh, Picasso and music like: Beethoven, Bach, and Brahms.
Collect and enjoy, for yourself or your friends.
So what else can you do?
Well, you can also play. And in this case, we're talking about playing sports.
I enjoy playing sports. I enjoy playing golf. You can enjoy playing cards or games.
So sports: "I enjoy playing soccer."
I enjoy playing volleyball at the beach
Cards: "I enjoy playing poker, solitaire
Or games. When I enjoy playing games, I can do "gaming" (PlayStation).
There are also board games like chess or checkers or Monopoly
Travelling
"Travelling" means anything outside of your city.
If you go to the library in your city, you're not travelling, you’rejust going to the library.
But if u have a big country, so u can travel to another city. You can travel to America, you can travel to Europe, and you can travel to Africa. You can travel between countries, continents and large regions.
So when you enjoy travelling, it can be from one city to another city, from a city in one part of your country to another, or to different country, or different continent
Going to....
Movies, the theatre, the beach
Going to means going from one place to another to do the activity
And that is the activity, going to, to do it.
In this case movies. I enjoy going to the movie, that’s my hobby. Every week I see a new movie
I have a friend who watches one movie every night, he goes to a cheap theatre and watches a movie,
He love them, that’s his hobby.
Or going to the beach. Some people like little turkeys, the lay in the sun, (it’s called tanning)
Some people like going to the theatre. Masterpiece theatre. Watch the theatre. He is very intellectual of theatre
Baking/cooking
So another hobby is baking and cooking, and it’s not just for women anymore... I like cooking too!
I like cooking shows like top chef, iron chef... you watch, and then you copy the recipe, and then u make it. So you say my hobby is cooking
Reading /writing
This is going to be funny, and I know some of you are laughing right now
Because I said we do thing we enjoy yes?
But in school we have to read and write. You call this a hobby?!!
Yeah!! There are crazy people who likes to read and write. >> like me :D
Well yes I like reading anyway. I like reading a good book, Ienjoy comic books.
But some people enjoy writing and doing some poems and stories, and some enjoy reading books:
Horror, drama....etc.
So now let’s look at the questions that u may ask somebody, or they may ask you.
So the first question that we look at is:
What do you do in your downtime?
Notice we say in, the preposition is in. Well because we are in time right?
So when we say downtime, it is your relaxing time
Time when you’re not up and working...so you’re down in time, so u can relax
So a lot of native speakers go:
Hey! What do you do in your downtime?
Next one:
What do you do with your spare time?
We know what time is.
So what is spare mean?
Spare means extra. It has many meanings but today the basic meaning is extra
We also have the word spare change
When u have paper money (a dollar) and you go to the store and they give you money back, and its little metal money, that’s call your spare change (or coins)
With your spare change its not enough to buy big things, you usually buy chewing gum, candy, or pay for parking. You know fun things with spare change
We do the same thing with our spare time, with our spare time (extra time)
It is spare time because you sleep for 8 hours, you work for 8 hours, you hate to eat and clear yourself.
But then u have only 2 or 3 hours a day for yourself, and that’syour spare time
So what do you do for fun with your spare time?
We use with as preposition to say...look, there is you with this time,
How do they come together?
Well they come together with me for collecting things like comics
Next one
What do you do when you have time off?
Well, time off from what?
Time off from work. That’s when travelling come. When i have time off, i going travelling, because it’s usually a long period of time.
So you say travelling for your time off. We can also use it for other things like collecting and that
Probably spare time or downtime you would say you hobby is collecting
But for time off most likely travelling but u still can use other things.
So what do you do when you have time off?
Will you can say I enjoy or I like to.
if u remember this simple rule you can use it:
I enjoy............
I like to...........
I enjoy --> don’t use to.
So u can say:
I enjoy – “ing”
I enjoy playing - I enjoy dancing - I enjoy singing - I enjoy going
I like to -- "base"
So the verb follows “I like to” has to be in base form
Base form means don’t change it:
Travel – play - collect
I like to travel - I like to play - I like to collect
I like to collect comic books.
I enjoy collecting comic books.
Did you see the difference?
So the response to all of this, when you go through this long conversation with somebody is:
That's cool
Interesting.
. . . . . . . ❀
TIME TO TEST YOUR UNDESTANDING
1. I like to ___________ comics, books, and art.
2. What do you do ____ your downtime?
3. What do you do ____ your spare time?
4. I like to _______________.
5. In my ________________ I like to _______.
6. A hobby is something that you do for fun, like a habit and for __________.
7. When you really like someone's hobby or interest you can say, "_______________"
8. I enjoy __________________.
9. Benjamin: You got ____________ from work? What will you do?
Jadzia: I am going to be travelling to Risa.
10. "I enjoy" usually goes with ___________.
↑ ू❁
. . . . . . . . By : LAW ,
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