ESL Conversation Topic - Life's Greatest Pleasures

This is a fun ESL conversation activity about life's greatest pleasures suitable for intermediate, upper-intermediates and advanced. The pleasures cost very little or no money, so people from all backgrounds can associate with them.

1. Print out a copy of life's greatest pleasures and give one to each student.

2. They must rank the list in order of most importance.

3. Then, in pairs or groups, they must agree on the top 10 greatest pleasures.

4. Finally, they must discuss and come to an agreement on 10 more pleasures. Note – the pleasures must not cost any money.

   
   

• Hearing a song the suits your mood.

• The feeling you get after exercising hard.

• Eating really good food.

• Watching an animal doing something funny.

• No traffic on the roads.

• Curling up on the couch with a warm fire and some good company.

• Having a lie-in at the weekend.

• Realising you might be good at something.

• Telling a story that everyone is listening to attentively.

• Making eye contact with someone attractive.

• Finishing something that you found very challenging.

• Finding money in your pocket or wallet.

• Getting a bargain.

• The feeling you get when you've finished cleaning the house.

• The unexpected kindness of strangers.

• Making someone laugh.

• Receiving a message from a long lost friend.

• Getting a hug from someone you love.

• Having the house all to yourself for the evening.

• The first night in clean bed linen.

• Eating dinner outside with friends as the sun sets.

• A sleeping baby or pet.

• Driving past a yellow traffic light just as it turns red.

• Drinking a cold drink after working hard outside.

• The smooth feeling in your mouth after getting your teeth cleaned at the dentist's.

• Someone who cooks or does the dishes for you .

• Laughing until you cry.

• Feeling the warmth of the sun on your back as you sit on the beach or in the countryside.

• The first cup of coffee or tea in the morning.

• Meeting someone who is similar to you.

• Being warm and dry while it is wet and stormy outside.

• When someone says something nice about you that you never noticed before.

• A smell that reminds you of your childhood.

• Opening presents.

• Hearing a baby or a child laugh.

• Reminiscing about school or university.

• Waking up early and realising you still have more time to sleep.

• An interesting dream.

• An engrossing book which you cannot put down until you've finished it.

• Accidentally finding a wonderful movie on T.V.