
THE BLUE TREE
Man & Society

CEFR B1
Intermediate
back to HOME > General Interest > Man and Society >
warm up
- Do you have many friends?
- What does it mean to be a true friend?
- What does the saying “a friend in need is a friend indeed” mean?

key language
watch the video
COMPREHENSION
- ⌚ 00:05 What isn’t friendship like?
- ⌚ 00:19 Do friends owe each other anything?
- ⌚ 00:28 What does friendship mean?
- ⌚ 00:34 What do you need to be confident about in a friendship?
- ⌚ 00:42 How can we build friendships?

STUDY SECTION
Study the language for talking about friends and friendships.
WORDS THAT MEAN 'A FRIEND'
- mate
They’ve been best mates since school. - buddy
I’d like you to meet an old college buddy of mine. - pal
We’ve been pals since we were at school. - companion
For ten years he had been her constant companion. - chap
Come on, chaps, let’s go for a drink!
COLLOCATIONS WITH 'FRIEND'
- somebody’s best friend
Fiona was her best friend. - a firm friend
They had remained firm friends ever since they first met. - a lifelong friend
The two men were lifelong friends. They knew each other for years. - a mutual friend
They went to a mutual friend’s home for dinner. - a trusted friend
She told only a few trusted friends.
MORE ADVANCED WORDS FOR 'A FRIEND'
- shoulder to cry on
He was a fatherly shoulder to cry on when things went wrong. She could always go to him when she was feeling down. - to go back a long way
We go back a long way, don’t we John? It’s been more than twenty years now, hasn’t it? - a fair-weather friend
When Jack lost his fortune, many of the people around him turned out be fair-weather friends.
B2 - DESCRIBING A FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP
- get on well with somebody
She’s never really got on with her sister. - hit it off with somebody
We hit it off straight away. Did you know that Derek also loves sailing? - get on like house on fire
It didn’t come as a surprise that Sue and Jane got on like house on fire. They had a lot in common. - have a good rapport with somebody
He had an excellent rapport with his patients.
PRACTICE
DISCUSSION
- Have you ever 1. fallen out with a friend? How did it end?
- How do you 2. get along with your parents/children/workmates?
- Have you ever 3. struck up a friendship with someone you knew very little about?
- What can a person do to widen their 4. circle of friends?
- Is it easier or more difficult to have true friends these days?
- What do you think true friendship is based on?
to stop being friends because you have an argument
find it easy to talk to somebody and feel relaxed when you spend time together
to make friends with someone very quickly, especially if you do it intentionally
the people you know, especially a group of friends who all know each other and often meet socially
COMMENTS
➡️ Why are friends important?
➡️ How do you like to spend time with your friends?
➡️ What advice would you give to somebody who finds it hard to make friends?
Select one of these topics or come up with your own and submit your answer below.
0 Comments