Hibiscus Teach · Comedy · Futurama
Futurama: Would you buy it?
The future looks tempting. What’s the catch?
Adverts in your dreams. A gadget everyone wants. Explore two short Futurama scenes and practise explaining what makes something appealing, what worries you and whether you would buy it.
Created by Denis M., British English teacher.
Start speaking · 20 seconds
Think of something you wanted after seeing an advert. Say what attracted you in 20 seconds. Alone, add whether you really needed it. Tutor: ask ‘What made it seem special?’
Your goal: Explain a joke using evidence from a scene, weigh up a product’s benefits and drawbacks, and give a reasoned recommendation.
How to use this lesson
Watch each clip, then try its activities.
Read “Before you watch”, then press play. Each player is set to the selected section. Open the quiz and speaking activity when you are ready.
These short selections focus on advertising and shopping. Fry uses the rude command ‘shut up’ in Clip 2. Use the timed player for Clip 2: its full upload contains adult jokes outside the selected section. Captions may be unavailable or inaccurate; an optional recap follows each clip.
Adverts in your dreams
Where should advertising stop?
Fry comes from the twentieth century and now lives in the future. He has just discovered an advert in his dream. His friends consider this normal. Listen for what shocks him.
First watch: what boundary does Fry think advertising has crossed?
A Fishful of Dollars · Crow OG. The linked upload is the selected scene.
Need support after watching? Read a short recap
Fry is shocked that adverts can enter dreams. Asked about his own century, he lists many places where advertising already appeared. He still insists that dreams were different.
Clip 1 quiz · 3 questions
1–2 minGrammar in a minuteB2 · Reporting a negative question without inversion
“Didn't you have ads in the 20th century?”
Clip 1, quotation excerpt
The negative question conveys an expectation that ads existed. A neutral whether-report can preserve its factual question while losing that expectation, so report the expectation explicitly when it matters.
Spot the satire, then explain it
Satire uses humour to criticise habits, behaviour or society. Here, a familiar experience is exaggerated into an impossible one. To explain the humour, name the contrast and give evidence: ‘The funny part is that… We can see this when…’. Your interpretation can be different if the scene supports it.
Speak for 20–30 seconds: explain why the long list matters. Alone, try ‘Fry says…, but…’. Tutor: ask ‘Does that make his concern unreasonable?’
Keep talking · Adverts in your dreams
Choose one prompt and speak for 30–45 seconds. Give an opinion, one reason and one example. Alone, say it twice and make the second version clearer.
- Where should advertising be allowed, and where should it stop? Name one reasonable boundary.
- Would you accept more adverts in exchange for a free service? Explain one condition.
- Does finding something normal make it acceptable? Use Fry and his friends as a starting point.
I don’t mind… as long as… / I’d draw the line at… / The joke works because…
Need an idea? See one example
I don’t mind adverts in a free video service as long as they are clearly labelled. I’d draw the line at adverts in private messages. People should have some spaces where companies cannot interrupt them.
Tutor or partner: ask ‘What if the service became much cheaper?’ Alone, answer that objection in one extra sentence.
The gadget everyone wants
Does excitement drown out the drawbacks?
The eyePhone is a fashionable new gadget. Fry has reached the shop after a long queue. Notice how the crowd reacts to limited stock and how Fry responds to the salesperson.
First watch: does hearing the problems make Fry hesitate?
Attack of the Killer App · Hulu. On YouTube, stop at 1:46.
Need support after watching? Read a short recap
The shop announces limited stock. A salesperson warns Fry about restrictions and technical problems. Fry interrupts and insists on paying anyway.
Clip 2 quiz · 3 questions
1–2 minGrammar in a minuteB2 · Possible existence rather than confirmed stock
“THERE MAY BE ONE”
Clip 2, quotation excerpt
May be leaves the item’s availability uncertain. There must be one strengthens that inference; there may have been one moves the possibility into earlier stock.
Make a balanced recommendation
Use ‘although’ with a subject and verb: ‘Although it looks useful, I’d wait for reviews.’ Use ‘despite’ with a noun or -ing form: ‘Despite the high price, it could be worth buying.’ Both express contrast. ‘I’d’ means ‘I would’, useful for an imagined decision. Fry’s rude command creates comedy; in a shop, try ‘Thanks. I’ll think about it.’
Speak for 20–30 seconds: name one appealing feature of a gadget, then add a drawback with ‘although’. Alone, make a decision. Tutor: ask ‘Which reason matters more?’
Keep talking · The gadget everyone wants
Choose one prompt and speak for 30–45 seconds. Acknowledge something appealing, explain a drawback and make a recommendation. Alone, record yourself or answer as both people.
- Your friend wants an expensive device with poor battery life. Give advice without making them feel foolish.
- You are considering an app that has useful features but too many adverts. Explain whether you would use it.
- A shop says a popular product may sell out today. Explain what you would check before deciding.
Although it…, I’d… / Despite the…, it might… / I can see the appeal, but… / Before buying it, I’d…
Need an idea? See one example
I can see the appeal: it looks exciting and your friends have one. Although it is popular, I’d wait for independent reviews. Poor battery life would be a real drawback for you because you travel a lot.
Tutor or partner: say ‘But it might sell out today.’ Alone, respond to that pressure with one calm reason to wait or buy.
Finish with confidence
Mastery check · 3 questions
Your final recommendation · 30–45 seconds
Imagine a free app that helps you practise English but interrupts you with an advert every two minutes. Would you use it? Give a 30–45 second recommendation with one benefit, one drawback and one condition or next step. Alone, record your answer; with a tutor, explain it to them as a friend.
Benefit → drawback → decision and reason
See one possible response
The app could give me useful daily practice. Although it is free, an advert every two minutes would break my concentration. I’d try it once and compare it with another option. I would keep it only if I could finish a short activity without an interruption.
Tutor or partner: ask ‘What evidence would change your mind?’ Alone, add one sentence answering that question.
Check yourself: Did I mention both sides, use a contrast phrase accurately and explain my decision? If one part is missing, try again.
1–2 minGrammar masteryB2 · Reporting a question in the passive
“you're telling me they broadcast commercials into people's dreams?”
Clip 1, quotation excerpt
A reported yes/no question uses whether/if and statement order. A passive version makes commercials receive the broadcast.