Men & Women’s Brains – Mark Gungor and Habit Expressions
Part 1: How do Men and Women Think Differently?
In general, what differences have you observed in how men and women’s brains work? Think about…
A. How they make decisions
B.
How they deal with stress
C.
How they solve conflicts
D. Other major differences you have observed?
Part 2: Vocabulary
Match the Spanish vocabulary and expressions to the English versions in the examples below:



Relajarse
Consciente, informado
hablar largo y tendido sobre algo



Muerte cerebral
Sin parar
Averiguar



Estar en racha
Volverse loco
Alejarse de…
The vocab.
After such a long week, I feel totally brain-dead! I can’t deal with organizing
plans, can you do it?
Sharing a bathroom with my wife drives me nuts. She leaves makeup and hair
styling products everywhere!
When I’m stressed out, I like to do yoga to unwind.
Before you have the operation, you must be aware of the risks.
My 14-year-old niece can talk on the phone to her friends for hours on end.
I made 3 sales in one week – I’m on a roll!
This is a complicated problem – we need to figure out what we are going to do
next!
We have several problems in our friendship, I think we need to talk them
through.
When I see my wife having an intense conversation with 4 of her friends, I
usually just stay away.
Listening Comprehension
PART A – Listening for “Gist”
1. What analogy does Mark use to describe men’s brains? What
about women’s brains?
2.
Which observations in your list from Part 1 does Mark mention
in the introduction?
PART B – Listening for Detail
Watch the video and answer the questions below.
3.
What “box” does Mark say men have that women are not aware of?
Why is it important?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BabsgCQhpu4
4.
What examples does Mark give of activities that men can seemingly do for “hours on end”
5.
What happens when women see their husbands doing a “brain-dead” activity?
6.
When Mark talks to women about this particular “box,” what question do they frequently ask
him? What is his answer? Why?
7.
When women see a man “in that box,” what do they typically ask him?
8.
What do women need to do when they are stressed out?
9.
What mistake do men make when they see that their wives are stressed out? What mistake do
women make with their husbands?
Frequency Adverb Review:
GENERAL RULE
Frequency adverbs goes ________________the verb TO BE
Frequency adverbs go ________________ ALL OTHER VERBS.
*EXCEPTION
“_______________” “________________” and “_______________” CAN go at the beginning of
sentences.
“_______________” and “_______________” CANNOT. EVER.
Based on these rules: Rewrite these sentences using a frequency adverb:
1. Men prefer to occupy their “nothing box.” (80%)
________________________________________________________________
2. Women think they can join their husbands in the “nothing box. “ (50%)
________________________________________________________________
3. But the truth is, women can join their husbands in that box. (0%)
________________________________________________________________
4. Men understand what to do when their wives are stressed out. (15%)
________________________________________________________________
5. Women are curious what their husbands are thinking about when they appear to be
doing nothing. (80%)
________________________________________________________________
6. In this situation, men are thinking about practically nothing at all. (100%)
________________________________________________________________
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BabsgCQhpu4
“Persistent Habit” Expression
When you want to emphasize that someone has a serious habit, that the behavior is persistent (and often
even a bit annoying!), you can use the present continuous expression:
Subject +
to be + always + verb(ing)
Example:
-
According to Mark, women are always trying to get their husbands to talk about their
problems.
Men are always telling their wives that the best way to deal with stress is to not think about
the problem.
1.
2.
3.
My wife ________________________(to tell) me to do the dishes more.
My husband ________________________(to answer) work calls during dinner.
Our friends ________________________(to invite) to come over for dinner, but they live so far
away!
4. I ________________________(to say) that I am going to start karate, but I never seem to!
5. Women ________________________(to comment) on how “cute” the players are when they
watch football matches. That’s not the point, ladies!!
6. Men ________________________(to take) football so seriously. I’d rather just talk about how
cute the players are.
7. My friends ________________________(to ask) me why I don’t go out with them as often
anymore. What can I say? I’m getting old!
8. I am ________________________(to suggest) new activities for my partner and I to do on the
weekend. It would be nice to HEAR a suggestion once in a while.
9. My girlfriend ________________________(to complain) that I never come up with interesting
ideas for things for us to do together. Not true! We watched football and went to an asado just
last weekend!
10. My parents ________________________(to harass) me about my plans to have children. It’s like,
back off, guys!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BabsgCQhpu4