Topic 59  2 November 2018   Fix It !


1. Have you ever been to a dentist? Try to describe in detail how the dentist fixed your tooth.

2. Think of something you know how to fix. Describe how you do it.

3. Imagine you are a teacher and a student gives you an essay with many grammar mistakes. What is the best way to fix this student's problem with grammar?

4. Imagine you are a counsellor and a patient or student comes to you feeling depressed. What is the best way to help fix their problem?

5. When I buy trousers, the legs are always too long. Try to explain exactly how to shorten the cuffs on the trousers.

6. Maybe the battery on your car goes flat. Can you give a step-by-step guide on how to recharge it without ruining the car's electronics? [Or ... explain how to fix something else on a car or a bicyle]

7. Think of a muscle or tendon pain you might get in some part of your body. Explain the best way to fix it.

8. About 90% of things people see a doctor about don't need a doctor. These problems fix themselves in time. What about the other 10%? How good are doctors at fixing real medical problems? Do doctors just treat symptoms and not causes?

9. In a new country, immigrants are often rude accidentally. They don't know the customs, or are weak with the language. If you make a mistake like this, what is the best way to fix the social problem? Think of examples.

10. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" ["ain't" = isn't. It is non-standard English]. The idea in this idiom is that it is a bad idea to change anything if it is working OK at the moment. This is often about politics, or social systems, or ways of doing things in business etc. Do you agree with the idiom? When might this idiom be bad advice?

59.. Fix It! ©Thor May 2018