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Popularity
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Popularity
受欢迎

Learn English with this popularity English lesson

Date: Aug 26 2013

Themes: Friend, School

Grammar: Comparatives and Superlatives

Intro

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Do you remember “the cool kids” in school? They probably hung out in cliques and weren’t interested in spending time with the underdogs or a shy and quiet wallflower. The interesting thing about popular people is that while they seem to have everything, they’re often as insecure as everybody else. When you start to compare yourself to people who seem to attract more attention than you do, remember that they have the same worries and fears as the rest of us.

Everyone wants to feel accepted, hands down. We want to feel like people care about us. But not everyone cares about being popular and bringing attention to themselves. Popularity can bring good things, but it’s no guarantee for the perfect life. Think about how celebrities have to live. Would you want to be followed and photographed all the time?

Find out what Greta experienced in school as she tells Mason her story in this English lesson about popularity.

还记得学校里的“酷孩子”吗?他们可能会拉帮结派一起出去玩,而且不愿与可怜虫或害羞安静的局外人在一起。有趣的是,虽然受欢迎的人看似什么都有,但他们经常和其他人一样没有安全感。当你和比自己更具吸引力的人比较时,请记住,他们和我们一样,有着相同的担忧和恐惧。

无论如何,每个人都希望自己被大家接受。我们想要感受到别人对自己的关怀。但并非所有人都对受欢迎和被关注感兴趣。受欢迎可以带来积极影响,但却无法保证理想的生活。想想名人的生活。你想要时刻被人跟踪和偷拍吗?

在本节以受欢迎为话题的英语课上,听听格里塔向梅森诉说的故事,看看她在学校经历了什么。

Dialog

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

Greta

Greta

Mason

Mason

Greta:  Were you popular in school?

Mason:  I feel like I fell towards the middle of the popularity spectrum, but I don’t think I was unpopular.

Greta:  I had this brief, shining moment in junior high where I was in the “in” crowd. I had my clique. I was awesome. And then they all had a meeting, and they decided that since my mom would not let me hang out with boys, they really couldn’t be bothered with spending time with me because I could never go to any functions where there were boys. So they literally had a popularity contest, and I lost! So they informed me, and I was kind of a wallflower overnight.

Mason:  That is terrible. But thinking back on a bunch of junior high school-aged girls, not being able to hang out with boys is a pretty black mark on your record.

Greta:  Absolutely. And I will say that I’ve kept up with where they are, and I am way prettier than them now, so I feel OK about it.

Mason:  I do find that the popular kids in junior high and high school don’t hold up well. The ones who were kind of the underdogs or whatever, they age nicely.

Greta:  They absolutely do.

 

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Discussion

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Greta and Mason are discussing what it was like to feel popular as a teenager. Greta remembers being popular for a very short time, but when her friends found out she wasn’t allowed to hang out with boys, she was suddenly unpopular. How awful is that?

Back then, Greta was hurt, but she realizes today that she’s doing just as well as her old friends from her teen years. Maybe even better! Greta understands why those girls acted the way they did, and she can even laugh about it now. Mason suggests that the people who were popular in school aren’t as good-looking now as the people who weren’t popular. Of course that’s not necessarily true, but Greta still appreciates the compliment.

Do you remember being popular or one of the “cool kids?” If not, what did you think of them? Is popularity still important to adults?

 

Comments

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alssace_zhang

China

I think the popularity is so important to adults .And if you were not a popular boy in teenager,you could hardly change to popular one when you become a man .

11:48 PM Oct 17 2013 |

majiaoqin

majiaoqin

China

  in my opinion, just do yourself in your heart, who you want to be , what do you want to do ,i think, everyone is the only person in the world. so, just be yourself , believe in you.

01:30 AM Aug 31 2013 |

Irene Forever

Ukraine

I never thought about being popular when I was a teenager. It wasn’t important for me. I had a certain circle of friends with whom I spent my time and felt happy. To be popular means to be separated from others and to feel yourself on the pedestal. I don’t remember those who were popular among the students, but I remember those who were popular just for me and still take their place in my mind and heart.


On the other hand popularity in politics is the main aim for those who are thirsty for power. Let’s take writers, composers, singers or actors. They need to be popular, otherwise there is no sense in their profession. 


Thus I don’t think about popularity, and if somebody somewhere or somehow  think me popular, I’ll never know about it, as I don’t care about such a mere thing like popularity.


08:55 PM Aug 26 2013 |

danielenglish

Chile

I think the popularity is not important to adults.



I never was popular in the school, I think of them is very stupid, because we are people with the same needs

06:46 PM Aug 26 2013 |

Nairon

Nairon

Brazil

I’ve never been the popular one in school. I didn’t mind that, it was better to stay away from these popular people. I don’t know about the others who will comment on this, but according to my experience, popular people in school were sort of annoying and disrespectful with the others. They felt superior and used to mistereat others which is categorized as bullying nowadays. Back then, we didn’t have this term, I can remember seeing people criticizing others and stuff like that.

06:02 PM Aug 26 2013 |

yoytat

yoytat

China

Well, I absolutely thought that I like being the main attraction. But now I feel so tired to keep it. I think what I have done delight myself is enough~ Life is on our own’s hand, what it would be is designed on my own. Live in my way and be myself, making diefference and no comparing~

04:28 PM Aug 26 2013 |

jef_maiko

jef_maiko

Brazil

This lesson made remember how I were when I were teenager. At that time, as far as I can remember I were very confident and I loved to be one of the cool kids. I used to hang out with my friends, I used to do to parties and dating beatiful girls. Great times. It’s a pity that the time don’t come back again.

04:13 PM Aug 26 2013 |

jeddahboy

jeddahboy

Saudi Arabia

I think Schools and Colleges provide us with the chance for us to be stupid and experiment with whatever we want to do. Sing, dance, speak in front of the public… its the place where you can change 360 degrees. I remember my personality prior to joining my college. I was a true wallflower , then one day in my first year I decided to change and I became head of students club for first year degree classes and I started talking to people. Understand their problems..etc Good luck all

04:01 PM Aug 26 2013 |

aspire1

Germany

I suggest that popularity always exists, no matter at what age and where in the world. Of course the biggest role it plays during adolescence because that´s the time of developement when we try to classify ourselves and integrate in a group that we supposedly fit in. However, many adults are still in that phase of developement and will always be. That´s why we have wars.

04:00 PM Aug 26 2013 |

Drmahsa1995

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

yep i  was popular in highschool i could join with all groups and i could easily find friends all my firends told me uv got really sport…i had good grades too .. i had one besttt frirnd too and i still have…we were full of energy for example when we wanted to memorize something we made it with an interesting song then it couldnt got out of our memory ..

01:10 PM Aug 26 2013 |

shahriarheydari

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

when I was studing at school , back to befor the Electricity was invited ;)  , I had a clique for my own … few of clever  and handsome boys who girls really were expected that !

12:41 PM Aug 26 2013 |

DarknessLight

Germany

Well, the most popular I got was on my  senior year where I started to hang out with a clique that knew literally everyone. Along with other incidents (that had nothing to do with the clique) that made me quite popular. But that doesn’t really matter right now, not even back then, it was kinda annoying when people would come around asking about you, wanting to see you and stuff like that. Well, I’m not bragging, I’m just explaining how it was like. 


Popularity is important for school kids because it actually represents who you are. People will judge you depending on who you hang out with. And the more popular you the more you’re accepted you’ll be. But for adults, I don’t think it really matters, unless your career required that.

12:35 PM Aug 26 2013 |

Ngubo Sixtus

South Africa

i do like this subject

12:31 PM Aug 26 2013 |

1 person likes this

ola33

ola33

Japan

I think being popular is great! It might be the result of your achievements or your gregariousness or just the result of something that made you really popular. Well, the person is shining in the realm of glory. It’s absolutely wonderful! But one day, the popularity might be gone and that’s where this should be taken with a little bit of understanding giving in place for the others.


There might be another path of not being popular as well and just jump on the bandwagon of the popular ones. And this is what is being called as charisma and, for sure, it will never wane ;)

12:14 PM Aug 26 2013 |

Jasonlongo

Jasonlongo

Congo, Democratic Republic Of The

I think, being popular or getting popularity can also damage our lives, better be as we are than looking for something extraordinary to just attract people

12:13 PM Aug 26 2013 |

Joyce0508

Joyce0508

China

Be your personal best is the most important thing.

11:39 AM Aug 26 2013 |

1 person likes this

am.h768

am.h768

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Try to be a real human.believe me that is a real miracle!

11:32 AM Aug 26 2013 |

Panupan

Thailand

I’m really a wallflower in my workplace because I’m feeling insercure my personality . What should I do?

10:16 AM Aug 26 2013 |

1 person likes this

luana3

Italy

I think, the most important thing is trust in yourself :-)

09:55 AM Aug 26 2013 |

2 people like this

mohamma

mohamma

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

it cant be in all time


i think.!

08:40 AM Aug 26 2013 |

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