Talking point: City or country

In this week's talking point we are going to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of living in a city or in the country. Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below, so that you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand and ideas flow more easily the day you get together with your friends.

• What's the countryside like where you live?
• Do you ever go to the country? If so, why do you go? Do you enjoy yourself there?
• How did people who lived in the country 50 years ago entertain themselves? How do they entertain themselves now?
• What is the difference in relationships between the countryside and the city?
• Why people migrate to big cities in your country? And the other way round?
• If you moved to the country, what do you think you would miss the most about the city?
• If you moved to the country, what do you think you would enjoy the most there?
• If you live in a village or small town, what do you think you would miss the most if you moved to a big city? What would you enjoy the most about the city?
• What other advantages and disadvantages of living in the city or in the country can you think of?
• Do you know anyone who's moved from the city to the country? Why did they move? Did they find it difficult to adapt?

To illustrate the point, you can read The Guardian article City v country: where's the better place to live? and watch this Speakout video (Longman Pearson Publishers), where some people talk about city life.



You can read a transcript of the video here.