Love Streaming, Can't Stand Scrolling: Likes & Dislikes Get a 2020s Remix
Comprehensive likes/dislikes lesson for 2020s lifestyles
Every ESL textbook has a likes and dislikes unit. It’s where students first encounter gerunds—I enjoy reading, I can’t stand waiting, I don’t mind cooking—alongside safe, predictable vocabulary: hobbies, sports, food.
But the way young people actually talk about their preferences has shifted dramatically. They’re not just watching TV—they’re binge-watching K-dramas. They don’t listen to music—they stream playlists and follow content creators. The grammar hasn’t changed, but the cultural vocabulary has. And if our materials don’t reflect that, we’re teaching language that students may recognize as out of date and out of touch.
This lesson keeps the grammar foundation intact while updating everything around it: wireless earbuds, matcha lattes, scrolling TikTok, unboxing videos. Students practice the same structures, but with vocabulary they actually use.
Visual Vocabulary
Scrolling through feeds, binge-watching entire series in a weekend—this is how students actually spend their free time. This visual exercise captures today’s leisure: ordering fancy drinks, following music and style trends, watching reaction videos, or creating the perfect playlist. The vocabulary is immediately useful for conversations about preferences, habits, and daily life.
Grammar Role Play
Two friends with opposite tastes use one grammar pattern (gerunds) to express what they love and cannot stand.
Critical Thinking
This is an engaging critical thinking activity for discussing 2020s lifestyles in English.
