DAY 3:
HOBBIES AND PASSIONS
A REAL CONVERSATION ANALYSIS
In this lesson we will listen to a real conversation between two native Australian English speakers.
I chatted with my friend, Caroline, about our hobbies and passions.
This is a great opportunity for you to practice listening to a conversation at a normal speed and learn some of the features of native English speaking.
First, listen to the conversation without reading the transcript.
Try to answer the questions below.
A Real Conversation
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. Has Nick been taking photos lately?
2. What does Nick like about photography?
3. What kind of hobbies does Caroline have?
4. What hobbies did Caroline have as a kid?
*Click below to open the Conversation Transcript.
Conversation Transcript
Nick: Alright. Here we are chatting again, about hobbies. This time, with Caroline.
Caroline: So what are your hobbies? What are you into, Nick?
Nick: Well I’m kind of into lots of stuff really but yeah, um, I guess photography. I’ve been into that for a fair while. Um, yeah I, um, started kind of trying it out when I was, you know, much younger and you know and then I eventually got a digital camera, an SLR and um, but yeah I haven’t been using it much lately. I guess I kind of went off it quite a bit and, um, I need to be a bit more dedicated to it and I’m not kind of… yeah I haven’t gotten right into it and trained and everything. It’s more just here and there, when I feel like it. I just try it out, give it a shot! I like framing and light and playing around with the frame and yeah so…How about you, you got… you’re into anything, got any hobbies outside of work or?
[01:02] Caroline: Yes I like….ohhh, whenever I start thinking about it I realise I don’t really have that many hobbies! I always feel so busy but I think it’s an important thing to have. I like, like I love art! So I always love to colour in, paint and all that kind of stuff. I write a lot…
Nick: Oh yeah that’s right, you do a lot of writing.
Caroline: Yeah so I think… I guess, it’s funny I would never call them a hobby, because I’ve been doing it for so long but I guess it is kind of a hobby…
Nick: ..like an interest or a passion. Yeah I guess it’s how we see a hobby, you know there’s an idea about what hobbies are like, collecting cards, collecting stamps or you know…
Caroline: Yeah exactly sometimes it’s more of a lifestyle thing.
Nick: Yeah so how long have you been writing like…?
Caroline: I first took up writing maybe like… oh well, when I think about it, I’ve been doing it since I was a kid so yeah…
Nick: Something that comes natural?
Caroline: Probably, yeah like some of its just more journal, some of it stories, a lot of it’s script writing these days because it ties in with my [02:00] acting work and collaborating and stuff so but yeah I guess that is a hobby. Um, it’s something I’ve got a sort of get around to a bit more, ya I’ve got to put more time into it, like you said, dedicate a bit more time to it.
Nick: Do you write poetry sometimes or…?
Caroline: Yeah… bad poetry, a lot of really terrible poetry!
Nick: You probably just think it is but it’s probably you know, I guess it’s very personal isn’t it,? Poetry and …. So what about when you were a kid? What were you into as a kid,? Did you have any interests, hobbies?
Caroline: I was always a very imaginative kid so I was very crafty. I loved to make things and I was always a big painter so I did lots and lots of stuff with art. Um, that was probably my major hobby, um. I used to collect coins, weirdly enough, from all around the world..
Nick: I think, I did that too and stamps. Good old stamp collecting!
VOCABULARY ANALYSIS
Now we look at some common conversation expressions in this conversation.
Let’s look at these phrases. Have you heard them before? Can you guess what they mean?
1. What are you into?
2. Give it a shot.
3. It’s more of a lifestyle thing.
4. It ties in with my acting work.
5. I was very crafty.
6. I was always a big painter.
7. I did lots of stuff with art.
What do they mean?
1. What are you into?
This is a common question we often ask when talking about hobbies and interests.
To be into something means to interested in or passionate about a topic or activity.
I’m really into jazz music right now. (I’m really passionate about jazz music)
I’m not really into politics. (I’m not interested in politics)
What are you into?
2. Give it a shot!
To give something a shot means to try / attempt something. This comes from a sport term. To take a shot means to aim for the goals.
A: Have you ever tried sky-diving?
B: No, I haven’t.
A: You should give it a shot! (You should try it!)
I’m not sure if this idea will work, but we can give it a shot.
*In Australia, we also say “give it a go”. This means the same.
3. It’s more of a lifestyle thing.
In this sentence, a ‘lifestyle thing’ means something related to your lifestyle (the way you live / your day to day routine), or something that is typical for this person, place or topic.
We often say ‘It’s a ___________ thing’ to mean it’s related to this topic, or it’s because of this.
Australians always have vegemite on their toast for breakfast. It’s an Aussie thing. (It’s typical for Aussies)
Most guys (men) don’t like talking on the phone. It’s a guy thing. (It’s typical for guys)
4. It ties in with my acting work.
To ‘tie in with’ something is a multi-word phrasal verb.
To ‘tie in with’ means to combine well with another activity or topic, or to be well suited to it.
My photography experience ties in well with graphic design. (…combines well with graphic design)
This project ties in with the historical research we’ve been doing.
Do you think this new idea will tie in with our plans?
5. I was very crafty.
To be ‘crafty’ is an adjective which describes someone who is good at making things; a creative person.
She’s very crafty. She’s always making something nice for the house.
Wow! You made that doll all by yourself? You’re very crafty!
6. I was always a big painter.
‘A big painter’ in this case means that Caroline loved to paint and she was always painting pictures.
We say “I’m a big ………..” when we talk about something that we really love, or that we do often.
I’m a big sports person. (I really love sports)
I’m not a big music lover.
He’s a big music type.
**NOTE: We don’t usually just say “I’m a big artist”. This might also mean that the person is famous.
So, we often say;
a big _______ person
a big _______ lover
a big _______ type
when talking about our interests and hobbies.
7. I did lots of stuff with art.
‘Stuff with art’ is a general way to say that she did a lot of activities and work with art. The word ‘stuff’ is a common general word to mean; activities, work, tasks and so on. We also use the word ‘things’ in this way, as a general, conversation noun.
What have you doing this weekend?
Oh, just lots of housework and stuff. (..lots of housework and that kind of thing)
I’ve been doing a lot of stuff with my online shop lately.
TALKING ABOUT YOUR HOBBIES
Let’s take a look at this structure:
How long have you been writing?
We often use the Present Perfect Continuous to talk about our hobbies.
I’ve been writing for many years.
I’ve been doing this since my childhood.
I’ve been playing piano since I was 16.
The Present Perfect Continuous expresses actions that we started in the past and that continue for a period of time to the present.
Subject + have / has + verb ing
LET’S PRACTICE
Practice answering the questions below out aloud to yourself.
1. What are your hobbies?
2. What are you really into?
3. How long have you been doing them?
4. What hobbies did you have as a child?
Come into the Facebook group and share your thoughts.
