idioms/ financial vocabulary/ articles
Money idiom discussion questions
Student A
Take turns asking each other the most interesting questions from your worksheets.
What is your attitude to credit cards and other kinds of debt?
What is your attitude to lending money to friends?
Do poor and rich people have equal opportunities in your country?
How much are the problems of the world due to the influence of money?
How much money would you give your children for pocket money (= allowance)? Would you make that money dependant on anything? What would you say if they asked for more?
Is people trying to get more money generally a positive or negative influence on society?
Does money make people happy, do you think?
What would and wouldn’t you do for a million pounds?
What would you do if you won a fortune?
What would you do if you were the richest man in the world?
What would you think, say or do if someone gave you a diamond ring on your second date?
What would you do if you found a suitcase full of money in your front garden/ in your hotel room?
Do you think that rich people usually deserve their money?
Does everyone in your country have the same opportunity to get rich?
What things are more important than money in a marriage partner?
How can you show off how much money you have without being tacky?
When was the last time you were skint (= broke)?
Look at both worksheets and work together as a class to answer any tricky questions. Then find vocabulary from both worksheets which refer to a lot of money or being rich. Then do the same for language which refers to a little money or being poor.
Student B
Take turns asking each other the most interesting questions from your worksheets.
Are you good at saving money? Why do you say that?
Do you shop around?
Are you good at haggling? Do you enjoy it?
What do you think about buying second hand things (= used things)?
Do you ever give money to charity?
What do you think a good government tax policy would be?
What is your attitude to investment? How much of a risk taker are you?
What do you think about giving money to beggars?
What is the minimum someone needs to live on in your country?
What do you think about banks in your country?
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
“Investing on the stock market isn’t much different from putting money on the horses”
What would you have to do to be worth your weight in gold to your company or university?
How would you blow 2000 pounds in a weekend?
What would you splash out on if you could double your income?
Are you a price conscious shopper?
Look at both worksheets and work together as a class to answer any tricky questions. Then find vocabulary from both worksheets which refer to a lot of money or being rich. Then do the same for language which refers to a little money or being poor.
Simplest responses game
Without looking below, listen to your teacher and point your arrow up if what they are saying means rich/ a lot of money/ expensive and down if it means poor/ a little money/ cheap.
When your teacher stops the listening game, label the sections below with arrows in those two directions.
Big and little money idioms to classify
Skint
I don’t have two pennies to rub together
Down and out
Down on my luck
(A bit) short of cash
As poor as church mice
A few coppers
Pocket money
Pin money
Loaded
Worth a fortune
Stinking rich
I’m coining it
I’ve got money to burn
A big one
Millions
Billions
Squillions
Gazillions
A bargain
It’s a steal
It’s a rip off
Pay through the nose
I blew it all
Outrageous prices
Cost a pretty penny
Pay top dollar
I splashed out
I spent a fortune
Spend money like water
Spend money like it’s going out of fashion
It’s a goldmine
It’s a license to print money
Strike it rich
Hit pay dirt
A money spinner
I’ve seen better times
I’m broke
Live from hand to mouth
It keeps the wolves from the door
I get by
It pays peanuts./ If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
Dirt poor
Rolling in it
I’m in the money
I make good money
Filthy rich
A multimillionaire
An unbelievable amount of money
Bags of money
Stacks of money
A blank cheque
Pots of money
Prosperous
Well off
Affluent
Privileged
Hard up
On the breadline
Strapped for cash
Deprived
Penniless
Needy
Twenty five mil
Pay a premium
Scrape by
Wholesale prices
Hike prices
The 1%
Slash prices
Bargain basement prices
Discounted
The crumbs from the table
A freebie
Loose change
Petty cash
Spare change
Brassic
Check as a class.
Test each other in pairs:
- Play the same arrows game
- Choose one category and say phrases with words missing for your partner to guess
- Choose a category and help your partner make suitable phrases with key words etc
Cards to point in the right direction
Big and little money idioms articles grammar presentation
Without looking at the other worksheets, try to fill the gaps with a, an, the or – (no article) from memory, your grammar knowledge or what sounds right
- What is your attitude to ________________________________ credit cards and other kinds of _________________________________________________________ debt?
- Do ___________________________________________________ poor people and __________________________ rich people have equal opportunities in your country?
- How much are _________________ problems of _____________________ world due to ____________________ influence of _____________________________ money?
- How much money would you give your children for _______________pocket money?
- What would and wouldn’t you do for __________________________ million pounds?
- What would you do if you won ____________________________________ fortune?
- What would you do if you were _______________________ richest man in the world?
- What would you think, say or do if someone gave you ______________________________________ diamond ring on your second date?
- What would you do if you found __________________________________________ suitcase full of money in your front garden?
- Do you think that ____________________ rich people usually deserve their money?
- Does everyone in your country have _______________ same opportunity to get rich?
- When was _______________________________ last time you were skint (= broke)?
- Are you good at ______________________________________________ haggling?
- What do you think _____________________ good government tax policy would be?
- What do you think about giving money to ___________________________ beggars?
- (A bit) short of ____________________________________________________ cash
- As poor as _________________________________________________ church mice
- __________________________________________________________ few coppers
- ______________________________________________________________ bargain
- It’s ____________________________________________________________ rip off
- Spend money like _________________________________________________ water
- It’s __________________________________________________________ goldmine
- ________________________________________________________ multimillionaire
- ________________________________________________________ blank cheque
- _________________________________________________________ pots of money
Check as a class or above.
Change groups. Ask the same questions, but this time with adding articles to another blanked version of this worksheet.
Big and little money roleplays
- Tell your father you’re skint and try to persuade him to give or lend you some money
- Persuade a bank manager that you are just down on your luck and that if he lends your money to start a new business you will soon turn your life around
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