Intermediate Conversation Lesson – Friendship Idioms – 1 hour
This one hour conversation lesson plan includes a warm-up, short reading, friendship idioms practice, and partner discussion. There’s also a video for an additional optional discussion.
Download the PDF and answers and print it for class.
1. Look at the following images. (5-10 minutes)
Say what you see and what each of the images mean.
2. Read the story and answer the questions below (5-10 minutes)
When me, Ali, and Benny were younger, we were as thick as thieves. We hit it off because we all loved sports. I guess it’s true that birds of a feather flock together because we all joined soccer together, then basketball, and finally swimming. But one day Ali and Benny got into a massive fight during a game of basketball. They were really at each other’s throats. Neither of them wanted to be friends anymore, and it put me into a really awkward position because they both wanted me to be their shoulder to cry on. I begged them both to bury the hatchet, but it turned out that Benny was really a fair-weather friend because in the end he stopped talking to both of us. Ali and I kept playing sports together all through high school and after graduating, so we remained like two peas in a pod. Ali really is my ride or die because we’ve been through thick and thin together over the years. Sometimes I miss Benny, but I don’t feel sorry for him because I heard he got a really good job as a sports newscaster after graduating if you can believe it! He’s really got friends in high places now.
- Why did the three people in the story become friends?
- Who got into a fight? Why?
- What happened to Benny after graduating?
- How does the narrator feel about the situation?
3. Match the friendship idioms with the definitions (10 minutes)
| Idioms | Definitions |
| 1. Birds of a feather flock together | a. Someone who is only friendly when life is easy |
| 2. As thick as thieves | b. To fight or argue |
| 3. Bury the hatchet | c. To go through good and bad times together |
| 4. Fair-weather friend | d. To quickly start a friendship with someone |
| 5. Hit it off | e. Very close or friendly |
| 6. Two peas in a pod | f. Know people in positions of power or wealth |
| 7. A shoulder to cry on | g. Someone who will be with you until the end |
| 8. Friends in high places | h. Two people who are extremely similar |
| 9. Through thick and thin | i. People who are similar tend to stick together. |
| 11. Ride or die | j. A person who will listen to your anger, sadness, or worries |
| 12. At each other’s throats | k. To stop arguing and forgive one another |
4. Use the idioms from above to fill in the blanks. (10 minutes)
- Me and my grandma are always ____________________________________________. We just can’t agree on anything.
- All of the girls in my class who like K-pop music love to hang out together, so I think what they say is true that ____________________________________________.
- You and Rayan would really ____________________________________________ if you gave him the chance. You should get to know him.
- Those two are ____________________________________________. They even dress alike!
- Me and my brother are really close and love each other a lot, so my mom likes to say that we have always been ____________________________________________.
- Lee is my ____________________________________________. He saved my life when we were teens and we’ve been friends ever since.
- You should really ____________________________________________ with your coworker. You have to see her everyday, so you shouldn’t fight!
- I just need ____________________________________________. People keep trying to give me advice about my breakup, but I really just want someone to listen to me.
- Don helped cheer me up that awful summer when my car broke down and my house got broken into. He’s been with me ____________________________________________.
- You should ask Lydia if she knows someone who can get you a programming job. She’s got ____________________________________________ because she used to work at Google.
- When I got sick it became apparent who the ________________________________(s) were in my life.
5. Answer the discussion questions below with a partner. (20 minutes)
- Describe your best friend. Why is he or she your best friend? How did you meet him or her?
- Do you think it’s true that birds of a feather flock together? Why or why not?
- Have you ever met two people who are two peas in a pod? Describe them.
- Have you ever experienced a fair-weather friend? What happened?
- Do you think fair-weather friends are common? Why or why not?
- Have you ever hit it off with someone when you were least expecting it? Describe who you met and how you met them.
- Would you say that you are as thick as thieves with anyone in your family? If yes, describe the person and your relationship with them. Why are you thick as thieves with that person?
- Do you think your friends would consider you a shoulder to cry on? Why or why not?
- Do you have any friends in high places? Explain your answer.
- Is there anyone in your life where you feel you’re often at each other’s throats? Who is this person, and why is it a struggle to get along with them?
- Is it better to bury the hatchet or burn a bridge? Why?
- Are there some circumstances where burying the hatchet is impossible? Why or why not?
- Is there anyone in your life who has been there with you through thick and thin? Why would you describe them that way?
- Do you think having a ride or die friend is necessary? Why or why not?
6. Optional: Watch and talk about this video that describes how friendships work over the years.
Be sure to discuss your opinions of the video with your classmates and your teacher.
That’s all!
I hope you had fun practicing speaking with 12 new friendship idioms. The worksheet PDF and answers are below for downloading and printing before class.
