English, baby!

Spontaneous or Planner?

Learn about verbs with "ing."

Date: Dec 10 2010

Themes: Time

Grammar: Verbs with "-ing"

Go Super!

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

Go Super to Listen

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Go Super to Listen

Spontaneous people and people who like to plan everything out are like oil and water. They just don’t mix. For someone who likes to follow a strict schedule and always has to know what’s going to happen well in advance, there is nothing more annoying than a person who does everything at the last minute and never makes any plans. But for a spontaneous person, making plans can be a big pain. Who wants to be tied down?

When it comes to making plans, Jeff and Dale are opposites. Jeff is a planner, and Dale likes to fly by the seat of his pants. But maybe they can find a way to meet in the middle.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Jeff

Dale

Jeff: What’s up Dale?

Dale: What’s up Jeff?

Jeff: You got any plans for the next couple days?

Dale: You know, I don’t like making plans. I like being spontaneous. I like to do things when it just comes to me. Spur of the moment.

Jeff: I don’t really understand that. I need a strict schedule. Wake up at the same time every day, have my coffee at the same time every day, take my lunch at the same time.

Dale: Living free and being a free spirit kind of, like, makes it so much more fun, when you just go with the flow.

Jeff: That seems to throw me off. It kind of throws off my plans. I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to scheduling.

Dale: So do you schedule at the last minute and then go with it, or are you just scheduling days before?

Jeff: Every now and again in this hectic lifestyle, you gotta pull something off at the last minute.

Dale: So what are your plans right now?

Jeff: Well, after I get done talking to you, I’m going to go home and cook up some lasagna, which I’ve already prepared. It takes hours, so that goes without saying.

Grammar Point

Go Super to learn "Verbs with "-ing"" from this lesson

Quizzes

Go Super to take Quiz

Lesson MP3

Go Super to download full lesson MP3

Go Super to Ask Ebaby! teachers your questions!

The iTEP^® test

Sponsored by

Schedule an iTEP^® test and take the official English Practice Test.
Take Now >

Discussion

Go Super to Listen

Jeff asks Dale what his plans are for the next couple days, and Dale explains that he doesn’t make plans. He prefers to be spontaneous.

Spontaneous people do things at the spur of the moment. They’re open to whatever fun comes along. They’re free-spirited and they like to go with the flow.

For people who always like to make plans and follow a strict schedule, like Jeff, spontaneous people can be hard to deal with. Planners don’t like surprises. They like to know what they’re going to be doing well in advance, so they can be sure to be prepared.

Are you spontaneous, or do you like to plan things? Do you follow a strict schedule or do you do things at the spur of the moment?

Comments

< Previous
41 through 50 of 50
1 2 3

sbm.india

India

Nice lesson…....Thanx

ddinesh50

Nepal

I am a spontaneous man. i want to live without plan. schedule life is a boring life. there is no thing surprise.

levycrazy

China

In the past,I was a real spontaneous person and do most things at the last minute,which usually spread myself too thin. The reason is not for freedom,but being lazy and sloppy. I just wanna sit in front of comupter with music and junk food. That's really a bad habit and makes me feel a sense of loss and empty.

I just made up my mind to change last month,for I wanted to live a colorful and meaningful life. Still , I tended to be sloppy and lazy all the time,but I forced myself to follow the plans. Little by little, I become a kinda planner. It really makes me happy and comfortable.

Don't get me wrong. I didn't mean to do everything on plan ,for that would be stupid and impossible. For example, if tomorrow is your best friend's birthday,will you tell him you have a guitar lesson to attend? No. right? My point is you need to make plans for important issues and play it by ear on certain occasions.

takendisi

Turkey

when ı make plans for something, ıt has never happaned. So ı ve decited to live without plans..

neha1209

India

well, i guess i m both… Partially a planner n partially a spontaneous person. It depends on my mood whether i want to plan in advance or leave it for the spur of the moment.

koxa

Ukraine

If I didn't make any plans I would be a person without any responsibilities, for people who work it means failure .....of course it might give some freedom to your internal world not to follow by a plan but in a developed society with a lot of rules and laws it's not a way to live.