What Makes a Good Friend?
friendship | ||
Listen and read.
When you think about it, there are many different[explanation: different [ˈdɪf(ə)r(ə)nt] – erinev] kinds[explanation: kind [kaɪnd] – tüüp, liik] of friends. There are school friends and there are sports friends. There are friends that we work with and friends that we hang out[explanation: hang* out [hæŋ aʊt] – aega veetma] with. There are friends that we see every day and friends that we may never actually[explanation: actually [ˈæktʃuəli] – tegelikult] meet at all[explanation: at all [ˌət ˈɔːl] – üldsegi]! But what makes a good friend? We decided to ask that same question online. These are the answers that we got:
Pairwork 1
Discuss what kinds of friends you have in your life and which kind(s) you most interact[explanation: interact [ˌɪntəˈrækt] – siin: suhtlema] with.
Part I
Listen and read.
What do you think makes a good friend?
A good friend is someone[explanation: someone [ˈsʌmwʌn] – keegi] who tells you the truth[explanation: truth [truːθ] – tõde], even[explanation: even [ˈiːv(ə)n] – isegi] if that truth is something that you don’t want to hear.
A friend is someone who I can trust[explanation: trust [trʌst] – usaldama] and talk to about anything[explanation: anything [ˈeniθɪŋ] – mis tahes]. My friends always believe in[explanation: believe (in) [bɪˈliːv ɪn] – uskuma (kellesse, millesse)] me, and would never tell my secrets[explanation: secret [ˈsiːkrət] – saladus] to anyone.
Loyalty[explanation: loyalty [ˈlɔɪəlti] – lojaalsus, ustavus]. If you hear someone talking behind my back[explanation: behind someone’s back [bɪˈhaɪnd ˈsʌmwʌnz bæk] – kellegi seljataga, kellegi eest salaja], you have to tell me everything[explanation: everything [ˈevriθɪŋ] – kõik].
A friend knows when to be there for you and when to leave you alone[explanation: leave* someone alone [liːv ˈsʌmwʌn əˈləʊn] – kedagi rahule jätma].
A good friend is someone who is willing to[explanation: be* willing (to do something) [bi ˈwɪlɪŋ tu du ˈsʌmθɪŋ] – soovima (midagi teha), valmis olema (midagi tegema)] help you, but won’t be a doormat[explanation: doormat [ˈdɔːmæt] – siin: nõrguke]. Friends will listen to you no matter what[explanation: no matter what [nəʊ ˈmætə wɒt] – ükskõik mis/mida], but they’re still[explanation: still [stɪl] – ikka, endiselt] willing to tell you when you’re wrong. Good friends can get angry[explanation: angry [ˈæŋɡri] – vihane] at you sometimes[explanation: sometimes [ˈsʌmtaɪmz] – mõnikord], but they’ll still defend[explanation: defend [dɪˈfend] – kaitsma] you when you need it.
A friend tries as hard as you do. I hate[explanation: hate [heɪt] – vihkama] it when I’m always the one who has to make contact[explanation: make* contact [meɪk ˈkɒntækt] – ühendust võtma] and arrange[explanation: arrange [əˈreɪndʒ] – korraldama] things.
A good friend is there for you whenever possible, not just[explanation: just [dʒʌst] – just, vaid, ainult] when it’s convenient[explanation: convenient [kənˈviːniənt] – mugav, sobiv].
Exercise 1
Decide if the statements are true (T), false (F), or there is no information (NI). Then correct the false statements orally.
A good friend ...
Part II
Listen and read.
Some people want to see you do well[explanation: do* well [duː wel] – edukas olema, edasi jõudma], but not better than them. I think that good friends are happy to see you succeed[explanation: succeed [səkˈsiːd] – edu saavutama].
They speak to you about personal[explanation: personal [ˈpɜːs(ə)n(ə)l] – isiklik] matters[explanation: matter [ˈmætə(r)] – asi], and listen when you speak to them about personal things too.
A real[explanation: real [rɪəl] – tõeline] friend sees all of you, the good and the bad, and still loves you without[explanation: without [wɪˈðaʊt] – ilma (eessõna)] judgement[explanation: judgement [ˈdʒʌdʒmənt] – hukkamõist].
A good friend can handle[explanation: handle [ˈhænd(ə)l] – hakkama saama; ümber käima] an argument[explanation: argument [ˈɑːɡjəmənt] – vaidlus] with you, without pulling out the big guns[explanation: pull out the big guns [pʊl aʊt ðə ˈbɪɡ ˈɡʌnz] – trumpe lagedale tooma]. I’ve gotten into some pretty serious[explanation: serious [ˈsɪəriəs] – tõsine] fights[explanation: fight [faɪt] – vaidlus, tüli] with all of my close[explanation: close [kləʊs] – lähedane] friends. They had info[explanation: info [ˈɪnfəʊ] – info] on me that could have destroyed[explanation: destroy [dɪˈstrɔɪ] – hävitama] me at the time[explanation: at the time [æt ðə taɪm] – tol ajal]! But even though[explanation: even though [ˈiːv(ə)n ðəʊ] – kuigi, isegi kui] we were fighting[explanation: fight*, fought, fought [faɪt, fɔːt, fɔːt] – vaidlema, tülitsema] with each other, they never used it against[explanation: against [əˈɡenst], [əˈɡeɪnst] – vastu (eessõna)] me. I always learn how good a friend is when we fight.
A friend orders[explanation: order [ˈɔːdə(r)] – tellima] pizza exactly[explanation: exactly [ɪɡˈzæktli] – täpselt] how you like it, without having to ask you.
A good friend gives you unconditional[explanation: unconditional [ˌʌnkənˈdɪʃ(ə)n(ə)l] – tingimusteta] love.
What are the do’s and don’ts[explanation: dos and don’ts [duːz ən dəʊnts] – käsud ja keelud] in friendship[explanation: friendship [ˈfrendʃɪp] – sõprus]?
Don’t:
- Use your friends as an emotional[explanation: emotional [ɪˈməʊʃ(ə)n(ə)l] – emotsionaalne, tundeline] dumping ground[explanation: dumping ground [ˈdʌmpɪŋ ˌɡraʊnd] – prügimägi].
- Run away[explanation: run* away [rʌn əˈweɪ] – ära jooksma] at the first sign[explanation: sign [saɪn] – märk] of trouble[explanation: trouble [ˈtrʌb(ə)l] – häda] and show up[explanation: show* up [ʃəʊ ʌp] – kohale ilmuma] again[explanation: again [əˈɡen], [əˈɡeɪn] – jälle, uuesti] once[explanation: once [wʌns] – siin: kui] everything is okay.
- Make them feel worthless[explanation: worthless [ˈwɜːθləs] – ebaoluline; väärtusetu]. Pay attention[explanation: pay* attention [peɪ əˈtenʃ(ə)n] – tähelepanu pöörama, tähele panema] to your friends!
Do:
- Sometimes share[explanation: share [ʃeə(r)] – jagama] personal stuff[explanation: stuff [stʌf] – asjad] with friends and try to support[explanation: support [səˈpɔːt] – toetama] them through their hardships[explanation: hardship [ˈhɑːdʃɪp] – raskus].
- Occasionally[explanation: occasionally [əˈkeɪʒ(ə)n(ə)li], [əˈkeɪʒn(ə)li] – aeg-ajalt] surprise[explanation: surprise [səˈpraɪz] – üllatama] them with gifts[explanation: gift [ɡɪft] – kingitus], their favourite food, etc. Just little things that remind[explanation: remind [rɪˈmaɪnd] – meenutama] you of them. It’s really nice to receive[explanation: receive [rɪˈsiːv] – saama, vastu võtma] gifts from your friends.
What do you think about these lists? Do you agree[explanation: agree [əˈɡriː] – nõustuma] or disagree[explanation: disagree [ˌdɪsəˈɡriː] – mitte nõustuma]? What is important[explanation: important [ɪmˈpɔːt(ə)nt] – oluline, tähtis] to you in a friendship? What do you think makes a good friend?
For this text, we used answers from the online message board Reddit. The users who answered were: brb_gottapoops, imjustlikeme, IntelSoap, mysterious_baker, snoopislurking, SolidSeverus, ThermiteMillie.
- What is a true friend’s attitude towards your success?
- How does a good friend make you feel accepted?
- How is a true friend expected to act during an argument?
- Why has one of the users mentioned a pizza order in their answer?
- What are you advised not to do when your friend is going through a rough time?
- According to the text, how can you surprise your friends to make them feel better?
- succeed
- personal
- real
- receive
- fail
- public
- fake
- give
Time to Talk
Pairwork 2
Discuss with your partner.
- Which idea(s) from the text do you agree/disagree with? Why?
- How do you react to your friends’ successes?
- Do you ever surprise your friends? If so, how?
Pairwork 3
How are the following words and phrases connected with the text? In turns, explain the connection to each other in English.
hang out online truth
secret doormat personal matters
argument gift
- A good friend is .
- A good friend makes .
- A good friend likes .
- A good friend talks .
- A good friend doesn’t .
- A good friend never .
Pairwork 5
Look at the statements below and discuss them with your partner. Do you agree? Why/Why not?
A good friend can tell a white lie[explanation: white lie [ˌwaɪt ˈlaɪ] – süütu vale (enda ees õigustatav), pisivale].
True friends don’t try to change their friends.
Good friends always agree with each other.
Name: | Quality: |
Honesty is extremely important to me.
In my opinion, loyalty is what makes friendships strong.
