Unusual Hobbies - Beyond the Ordinary
B2/C1 Hobbies, Observation, Present Perfect, Present-Tense Nuance, and Comparisons
Warm-up: choose by meaning in context, not by matching isolated synonyms.
Exercise 1: Read the Situation
Match each expression with the situation in which it is the most precise description.
Expression
Situation
Exercise 2: Choose the Precise Expression
Choose the only option that fits the meaning, grammar, and collocation of the context.
1.The label says the paste is no longer _____ after 14 September, so I would throw it out.
2.Whether I eat something near its expiration date depends _____ the type of food and how it has been stored.
3.This soup may _____ traces of nuts, but it does not include nuts as an intentional ingredient.
4.The smell made him feel sick, but he did not actually _____.
5.People-watching becomes _____ when the observer follows strangers or records them without consent.
6.Marta has excellent taste _____ furniture, and the reading chair she chose tastes nothing like anything because furniture is not food.
7.The table feels _____ because the craftsperson deliberately left the wood unsanded.
8.After three successful sales, Leo rejected a risky bulk order and decided to _____.
Ask first: Is the speaker counting a completed result, describing experience, or emphasizing an activity and its duration?
Exercise 3: Result, Experience, or Process?
Choose the tense that matches the time frame and the speaker's intended focus.
1.I _____ three cutting boards this month, and all three are ready for the market.
2.Your sleeves are covered in clay. _____ pottery again?
3._____ an unusual hobby at any point in your life?
4.I _____ furniture in the garage all morning; the job is not finished, and my back is aching.
5.I _____ the last cabinet into place, so the garage is finally clear.
6.She _____ vintage cameras since January, and the collection is still growing.
7.I _____ the craft market on Saturday, but I did not buy anything.
8.I _____ about woodworking techniques for two hours, but I still have not chosen a first project.
Exercise 4: A Hobby Fair in Progress
Complete the connected account with the one verb phrase that matches each time frame and meaning.
📚 Vocabulary Bank — Drag the words below:
1.Our community group [ Drop here ] four unusual-hobby fairs this year, and each event is now finished.
2.We [ Drop here ] today's fair since early May, so everyone is exhausted.
3.The programme [ Drop here ] more than 300 visitors so far today.
4.At the moment, one artist [ Drop here ] how to make ink from flowers.
5.The woodworker's hands are dusty because he [ Drop here ] a model bird all afternoon.
6.He [ Drop here ] two wings, so there is a measurable result even though the bird is unfinished.
7.A local photographer [ Drop here ] the same café every Saturday to sketch passers-by.
8.People-watching [ Drop here ] more mainstream as courses in observational skills appear online.
Final challenge: several options may be grammatical in another context; only one expresses the meaning established here.
Exercise 5: What Does the Speaker Really Mean?
Choose the form that expresses habit, temporary process, arrangement, irritation, or a supported comparison.
1.The speaker is describing a regular Saturday habit: ‘I _____ the same café every Saturday morning for people-watching.’
2.The speaker is irritated by repeated behaviour: ‘Why _____ always starting new hobbies and abandoning them?’
3.The sentence states a general truth: ‘Woodworking _____ patience, whether you like it or not.’
4.The timetable fixes the date: ‘My pottery class _____ next Monday.’
5.The trend is still developing: ‘Unusual hobbies _____ more mainstream.’
6.Complete the explicit comparison: ‘People-watching is more mainstream now _____ it was ten years ago.’
7.The speaker has a definite arrangement: ‘I _____ next Tuesday, so I cannot meet you then.’
8.Use present continuous + always to criticize the repeated behaviour: ‘She _____ about every class she attends.’
N
E
R
D
Word Origin
Naturally Eccentric, Remarkably Different
Word Origin
Naturally Eccentric, Remarkably Different
| Word / Phrase | Category | Origin & Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| a labour of love | idiom | A labour of love is demanding work done because it matters to you, not primarily for money. British spelling uses labour; American spelling uses labor. |
| green fingers / green thumb | idiom | Someone with green fingers in British English, or a green thumb in American English, is naturally successful at growing plants. A black thumb is the humorous opposite. |
| lose track of time | idiom | To lose track of time is to become so absorbed in an activity that you stop noticing how much time has passed. |
| in your element | idiom | When you are in your element, you feel naturally comfortable and capable. The opposite image is to feel like a fish out of water. |
| demeanour | usage | A person's demeanour is their outward manner or behaviour: how they appear to others through expression, posture, and tone. American spelling is demeanor. |
| mannerism | usage | A mannerism is a distinctive, repeated gesture, expression, or way of speaking. It is more specific than someone's general demeanour. |
| passer-by | word formation | A passer-by is a person passing a place. Its unusual plural is passers-by, because passer is the main noun. |
| trial and error | idiom | Learning by trial and error means trying possible methods, noticing failures, and adjusting until something works. |