B2 - LESSON 2 — Temperature, Air and Humidity

 LESSON 2 — Temperature, Air and Humidity

Vocabulary

freezing • cool • chilly • scorching • warm • mild • arid • dry • wet • humid • damp • muggy

Lesson aims

By the end of the lesson, the student can:

• describe temperature and humidity precisely;
• distinguish between similar adjectives;
• use Present Perfect Continuous to describe weather continuing over time;
• compare Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous;
• discuss how different weather conditions affect people.

WHAT IS THE WEATHER?

1. WARM-UP — Temperature Scale

1. Which temperature is comfortable for you?
2. What temperature is too cold?
3. What temperature is too hot?
4. Do you prefer winter or summer?
5. What's the hottest weather you have experienced?
6. What's the coldest weather you have experienced?
7. Does humidity make hot weather worse?
8. Which is more uncomfortable: very hot and dry or hot and humid?

Complete:

I feel comfortable when it's around ___°C.

I can't stand it when it's ___°C or higher.

I don't mind ___ weather, but I hate ___ weather.

2. VOCABULARY

3. IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES

Cool vs chilly
cool = pleasantly or moderately cold
The evening air is cool and fresh.

chilly = colder than you would like
It's a little chilly in here.

Warm vs mild
warm = pleasantly hot
It's warm today.

mild = not very cold and not very hot
We've had a mild winter.

Humid vs muggy
humid = there is a lot of moisture in the air.
The climate is hot and humid.

muggy = humid + uncomfortable, usually hot and difficult to breathe.
It's really muggy today.

Damp vs wet
wet = covered with or containing water.
My shoes are wet.

damp = slightly wet, often unpleasant.
The room feels damp.

Arid vs dry
dry = little or no rain/moisture.
arid = extremely dry; usually used for climates and regions.
The Sahara has an arid climate.

4. GRAMMAR — PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

5. FOR vs SINCE

FOR = length of time

It has been raining for three hours.

It has been cold for a week.

SINCE = starting point

It has been raining since 8 a.m.

It has been cold since Monday.

6. PRESENT PERFECT vs PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

9. B2 SPEAKING CHALLENGE

Discuss:
"People complain about the weather too much."
Give:

1. your opinion;

1. a personal example;

1. an opposite argument;

1. your conclusion.

Useful language:
I tend to think that...
From my experience...
On the other hand...
That's true to some extent, but...
The main reason is...
Overall, I'd say...

10. Homework