LESSON OVERVIEW

You don’t want to be caught dead using the wrong slang! In this lesson, students will explore American slang and words that come and go over time. The lesson features a video of two men discussing new words in colloquial language. Students will learn and practice using adjectives, adverbs, and relevant vocabulary. The lesson includes plenty of engaging discussion activities and worksheets, specifically developed for both adults and teenagers to create an enjoyable and interactive learning experience.

LESSON OBJECTIVES

• Grammar: Students will learn and review adjectives and adverbs, focusing on their correct use in sentences to describe actions, people, and things, enhancing their descriptive language skills.

• Listening: Through video featuring discussions on slang, students will improve their ability to understand and interpret American slang and colloquial expressions used in everyday conversations.

• Speaking: Students will practice using American slang and colloquial language in speaking activities, improving their ability to express themselves more naturally in conversational English.

• Vocabulary: The lesson introduces contemporary American slang terms like “lit,” “bae,” and “extra,” along with their meanings and usage, broadening students’ understanding of informal English.

• Homework: Assignments will include exercises focused on applying new vocabulary, adjectives, and adverbs in context, such as completing sentences with the correct word forms and deciding on the accuracy of underlined words in given sentences to reinforce classroom learning.

VIDEO

The video is presenting two actors, Eugene Levy and Dan Levy, who challenge each other’s knowledge of youth slang. From “extra” to “lit”, watch Dan teach his father words that will never make their way into a dictionary.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

-I am Eugene Levy.

-And I’m Dan Levy.

-And we’re delving into words that will never find their way into a dictionary.

-I think they have.

-Show.

-Fam.

-Fam, yes.

-Do you, do you have a clue?

-Do you, do you have a clue?

-Well, fam is something you use to talk about how popular somebody is without actually going to the word fame. It’s like an abbreviated version.

-Cooler than fame.

-That’s the way I’ve heard it.

-Fam, I believe, means sort of your family. So, like, thanks for the love, fam. Like a group of supporters.

-So, you’re saving yourself two syllables?

-Yeah.

-Oh, lit.

-Well, of course, as we all know, that stands for English Lit.

-Lit means that something’s like hype, that something’s like, you know, really on fire. Like, it’s cool. This party’s going to be lit.

-My cigar was lit. You can say that.

-What’s next?

-By, by.

-Pronounced bae. It is a term of endearment that people use to talk about people they have crushes on, people that they like, people that they love. It means “before anyone else”.

-Yeah, so, you would say, I did this interview, bae.

-No, that’s not it at all. It’s in reference to a person. This person is bae.

-Oh, right. So, Adam, let’s say, in the book of Genesis [quite literally is bae] in the bible, you would say, quite literally is bae.

-Yeah, sure.

-Extra to me is still, what’s the headline? What’s the headline?

-Extra read all about it, you mean?

-Yeah.

-Like, like in newsies?

-Yeah.

-Extra means to be extra. This person’s being extra right now, meaning like they’re being dramatic, and no one wants to deal with it. Performative in a way that’s not welcome or comfortable.

-I’ll buy that because that actually sounds…

-Like me.

VOCABULARY AND PRONUNCIATION

• youth [noun]: young people
• incredibly [adverb]: extremely
• clue [noun]: information that helps you to find a solution or solve a problem
• lit [adjective]: as a slang word, it means cool, exciting, or excellent