Learn English with English, baby!

Join for FREE!

Social_nav_masthead_logged_in
 
Spontaneous or Planner?
Spontaneous or Planner?

Learn about verbs with "ing."

Date: Dec 10 2010

Themes: Time

Grammar: Verbs with "-ing"

Intro

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

Go Super to Listen Go Super!

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

Go Super to Listen Go Super!

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.

Log in to Listen

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

Jeff

Jeff

Dale

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 Go Super!

Quizzes

Go Super to take Quiz Go Super!

 

Lesson MP3

Go Super to download full lesson MP3 Go Super!

The iTEP® test

  • Schedule an iTEP® test and take the official English Practice Test.

    Take Now >

Discussion

Go Super to Listen Go Super!

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

Log in to Comment

mitra.700

mitra.700

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I am a planner and i cant stand spontaneous people. when i plan in advance i feel moe comfortable and the way spontaneous people act give me stress.

06:30 PM Dec 11 2010 |

masiran

masiran

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

i can't follow a strict schedule i've always been creative with new ideas at time

06:02 PM Dec 11 2010 |

Chhan Pheak

Cambodia

I seem to be spontaneous rather than planner, but become a planner is what I want.

05:47 PM Dec 11 2010 |

bienemaja

bienemaja

Andorra

I´m more of the planner type, I guess. but not in extreme.I always have a diary each year.

03:30 PM Dec 11 2010 |

lucklin

lucklin

Taiwan

When I am younger, I was a planner. I liked to arrange everything and followed.

Since I faced many things unexpected in life, I tend to be a little bit spontaneous. We don't need to be a strictschedule-maker. It is sometimes funny when unecpected things come to you. Don't too be serious.

02:18 PM Dec 11 2010 |

MUHAMMAD92

MUHAMMAD92

Saudi Arabia

i'm follow a stricschedule,like jeff

01:58 PM Dec 11 2010 |

ah-rhum

South Korea

Maybe I'm sopntaneous but sometimes I'm feeling nevous

12:54 PM Dec 11 2010 |

lenny80a

Germany

 Usually, I just mix them. I hate to make everything, every day at the same time. Permanently, I dislike all of spur of the moment. I don't go with the flow to a last minute drug and rock n roll party. I have got a free spirit and well organized schedule. 

 

12:53 PM Dec 11 2010 |

lolita_lempicka

Yemen

80% spontaneous & 20 % planner

07:39 AM Dec 11 2010 |

dearpesar

dearpesar

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

im definitely plannerCool

05:27 AM Dec 11 2010 |

luosijie203

Taiwan

It’s hard to say what kind of person I am, some time I like to follow schedule, some time I lke to be spontaneous. you know something we need to plan for in advance, in such cases I want to make sure being prepared. but it’s impossible to plan for something before, so I like to be spontaneous.
Nomorally I like to plan for thing in advance, I prefer to knowing what’s going on before. That’s life!

02:49 AM Dec 11 2010 |

john

johnSuper Member!

United States

I like to spontaneously plan.

01:22 AM Dec 11 2010 |

mari mina

mari mina

Egypt

I am always spontaneous and never planned for anything either in my entire life or in my studying , and I think that was the reason whom i suffer 

07:52 PM Dec 10 2010 |

Stitch

Stitch

Taiwan

sometimes I'm spontaneous and sometimes I'm a planner. Laughing

06:39 PM Dec 10 2010 |

Gorgon

Gorgon

Romania

"Spontaneous people and people who like to plan everything out are like oil and water." Wrong from the start! This is just another simplistic manner to describe human behavior. But, hey, still is a good lesson.

05:35 PM Dec 10 2010 |

jasminrifi

jasminrifi

Morocco

panning every detail in our life ca make it boring and dificult to be lived ,for making our life good we have to leave some space for surprise and being apontanous or we will be likje machines and not human

05:12 PM Dec 10 2010 |

afufu

China

If you have a goal, and you have plans to reach it, that's very good, that makes you a efficient person.

But plans are not always good. Because you can not follow your plans all the time. When you fail to stick to your plan, it makes you frustrated. Planners don't like surprise, that's totally true. Because you have already scheduled your time, surprise will break your schedule.

Myself is a planner and I am happy with that. But that doesn't mean I have no fun. I do some crazy spontaneous things too.

03:27 PM Dec 10 2010 |

MIGUEL051

Dominican Republic

i am kind of spontaneous man. i go with flow, I just enjoying the moment at all.

02:03 PM Dec 10 2010 |

tr0yquint0

tr0yquint0

Philippines

I like being spontaneous but sometimes I need to plan of my schedule. It is because if you had a plan you will be on time. Like for example if i have project I need to make plans of my schedule so that I could finish it on time. The cramming time is a disaster if you have been out of time and missed the schedule.So if I planned my schedule perfectly and stick to it. The project will be finish on time.

In my opinion it is better to be a Planner rather than being Spontaneous. 

01:35 PM Dec 10 2010 |

sunyu922

China

When I am spontaneous or planner? It's depend on what kind of things I faced. Fox example, I like travel, so I will do a lot of reserch and make a very detialed planning  before I start off. But most of time, I fly by the seat of my pants.

12:22 PM Dec 10 2010 |

Likes (23):

See all >

Share this lesson:

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Bebo
  • Share on Myspace
  • Share on Twitter
  • Email this to a friend
  • Share on Sina

Post Ebaby! lessons on your blog:

Ebaby! Cast