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Paul Sparks - Online English Lesson Plans, Lesson Material and Ideas for Oral English Lessons, Hunan University of Science and Technology...

Lessons Objectives: The students will learn the words "euphemism" and "taboo" and why we use euphemisms in English.

Source of Information: http://iteslj.org/Lessons/Alkire-Euphemisms.html


Introduction: English, like all languages, has subjects that can be difficult to talk about, because the original words for these subjects can offend, disturb, or embarrass the person one is addressing. For these subjects we use words called euphemisms, which are "softer" words than the original words. For example, mention that death is often talked about with euphemisms such as pass away, pass on, go to heaven, etc.

Words such as poor, fat, and old are often euphemised in English. Students will be asked if they know any euphemisms for them. (Possible answers might be, respectively, low-income, working class, modest; overweight, stout, portly, husky; senior, mature, traditional.)

Task: "translate" each of the following sentences into clear, straightforward English. 

• His grandfather passed away.

• My father is between jobs but has two interviews today.

• The peace officer apprehended the sanitation man for speeding.

• The sales associate answered in the affirmative when the judge asked him if he had ever been incarcerated.

• The manager complained to his administrative assistant of inventory shrinkage.

• Our son is a special child.

• Dan's supervisor laid him off because he was unmotivated.

Glossary of Words and Their Euphemisms

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