A moment that changed me: I was divorced, broke and alone – but I turned my life around with a list

This is a list of key vocabulary and expressions from the article in order of how useful they are. The student must choose 6 items from the list to study in the lesson.

Recently

A challenge

Embarrassing

Pretty

To be worth (doing) something

To be willing (to do something)

To be ashamed (of something/ someone)

To set (something) up

To be determined (to do something)

To be out of your comfort zone

To miss out (on something)

Middle-aged

To miss the boat

To enrol

Commute

‘having recently turned 32’

To be broke

Amusing

Rock bottom

To be out of your depth

To be set in your ways

Mould

To be chuffed

Hands down

Albeit

15 conversation-provoking questions related to the article.

1.       At the beginning of the article, how did Claire describe the situation she was in?

2.       What did she decide to do over the following year?

3.       How does she live her life now, ten years on?

4.       What did she say about her childhood and how it affects her today?

5.       What has she learnt, and what advice does she give at the end of the article?

6.       Do you find it strange that Claire abandoned the idea of having a family at the age of 32?

7.       Which of the challenges that Claire did would appeal to you?

8.       Which of the challenges that Claire did wouldn’t appeal to you?

9.       Have you ever had a terrible problem in your house, like mould?

10.     ‘It’s only worth doing things if you can excel at them.’ Do you agree?

11.     Do you think that Claire’s willingness to fail is actually a bad thing?

12.     Is winning important to you?

13.     Do you like to get out of your comfort zone? When was the last time you did that?

14.     Do you know someone who went through a terrible divorce/ break-up?

15.     What’s on your bucket list?

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