What is +alpha?
When we speak, we usually don’t need people to ask us questions.
We add more information by ourselves.
Maybe we tell a story, we give an opinion, or we talk about a plan for the future.
Examples of +alpha
| Conversation (Q/A) | + Alpha Conversation |
| A: What did you do in winter? B: I studied. A: Where? B: Home. A: Why? B: Library was busy. | A: What did you do in winter? B: I studied at home. I wanted to study at the library, but it was so busy. I can’t study around a lot of people. I wanna find a quiet place at Gandai to study! |
When someone asks us a question, we usually don’t talk like:
A: What do you think about your hometown?
B: It’s okay. How about you?
A: I like it.
A & B: 終わり！
We give more information. We keep talking.
Maybe we:
- Tell a story about an experience
- Talk about a plan for the future
For example:
A: What do you think about your hometown?
B: Yeah it’s okay. I think it’s a little small, like, it’s a little quiet.
It’s kind of far away from Morioka.
A: Yeah.
B: So, yeah, it takes me a long time to come here, or go back home.
A: Right, right, that’s so different to me!
Yeah, actually I’m from Morioka.
B: Oh, from Morioka!
A: Yeah, so, I like it here, so I decided to come to Gandai.
I don’t know if I’ll stay here forever, but I think it’s good while I’m at university.
You said it’s kind of far away, will you go back this summer?
| Remember to use answer + alpha! | |
| 1 | What do you want to do after graduating university? |
| 2 | What is the worst movie you have ever watched? |
| 3 | What are you good at? |
| 4 | What are you bad at? |
| 5 | What do you do after you finish your lessons? |
| 6 | In the future, where do you want to go? |
| 7 | Have you eaten wanko soba? |
| 8 | What is your favorite place? |
| 9 | Do you like spending time alone? |
| 10 | What kind of Pokemon do you like? |
| 11 | What club would you like to join? |
| 12 | Do you have a pet? |
| 13 | Do you often take pictures with your phone? |
| 14 | Why did you choose Iwate University? |
| 15 | What is your favorite object that you have? |
| 16 | Who is a person you want to speak with? |
| 17 | What sports do you like? |
| 18 | What do you think about university life? |
| 19 | What time do you get up in the morning in the holidays? |
| 20 | Do you like your hometown? |
| 21 | What has surprised you about Iwate University? |
| 22 | What kind of fish do you like? |
| 23 | Do you like speaking with strangers? |
| 24 | Do you like reading books? |
| 25 | Do you have a driver’s license in the future? |
| 26 | What is your favorite food to eat at home? |
| 27 | What’s your favorite memory? |
| 28 | What type of person do you like? |