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How to Talk about Good and Services in English

Published on July 5, 2020 | Updated on September 10, 2024

In this lesson we are going to learn more about goods and services in English, what the terms mean and what sentences we can make around them.

Services can be defined as an action that a person does for someone else and Goods are items you buy, such as food, clothing, toys, furniture, and toothpaste.

The point of this lessons is making short sentences such as:

  • I need to get a haircut
  • I have to buy a concert ticket
  • I am going to rent a car
  • I have to make a bank transaction
  • I need to buy cereal and milk for breakfast
  • I want to buy a cup of coffee

You can also make questions like these ones:

  • Where can I get a haircut?
  • Where can I buy a coffee?
  • Is there a bakery around here?
  • Is there a bookstore around here?

Let’s check all that you need to know to make all those sentences and questions about good and services



Places around Town + Good and Services

These are some examples of places that you can find around your town or city, things you can buy or get there.

  1. Airport: You can travel to another city.
  2. Bakery:  you can buy fresh bread and cakes there.
  3. Bank:  you deposit money or cash a check.
  4. Bookstore: you can buy books and magazines in that place.
  5. Bus station: You can take a bus to another city.
  6. Butcher’shop:  You can buy fresh meat there.
  7. café: you can buy a cup of coffee, cakes or sandwiches.
  8. Church: You can pray and worship there.
  9. Department Store: You can buy clothes , appliances and so much more.
  10. Cinema/movies:  you can see the latest movies there.
  11. Gas Station: You can buy fuel
  12. Gym: you can do exercises, weight training and keep fit there
  13. Beauty Salon:  you go there when you want to cut your hair
  14. Hospital: you go there when you need a surgery .
  15. Hotel: where you can sleep when you visit another city
  16. Jail / Prison: criminals go there for a number of days or years
  17. Library: a place where you can read and borrow books
  18. Pharmacy/ Drugstore: you can buy medicines
  19. Police Station: when a person is arrested, the police takes him/her to this place
  20. Park:  where you can rest, play or walk your dog
  21. Restaurant: you go there to buy meals and special dishes.
  22. School: a place where children learn
  23. Supermarket: You can buy food and drinks

Vocabulary to Describe Products and Services

This is vocabulary that can help you describe products and services

badmodern
cheaptechnological
expensivenecessary
innovativeimportant
creativeDurable
interestingTough
appealingLong Lasting
attractivePremium
usefulfreemium
newFragile

You can make sentences such as:

  1. That’s a brand new cellphone
  2. I have a freemium account
  3. That’s an expensive watch
  4. I have a premium hosting account
  5. Those shoes are cheap

Phrases to Describe Products and Services

These are some common phrases to help you describe products and services

  1. Tell me about (this product)
  2. What can you tell me about (this product)?
  3. Can you give me some information/details about this?
  4. What is special/unique about this?
  5. What are the specifications?
  6. Let me tell you about . . .
  7. This is our (newest) product.
  8. This is one of our latest designs.
  9. It is made of . . .
  10. It can be used for . . .
  11. You can use it to . . .
  12. You can . . . with it
  13. This has/contains . . .
  14. This one features . . .
  15. This comes with . . .
  16. This is equipped with . . .
  17. This particular model . . .
  18. This is priced at . . .
  19. This costs . . .

Expressions

  1. This product is the best because…
  2. This product is better than…
  3. One of the key feature of this product is …
  4. You can…
  5. This product helps you to…
  6. One of the main characteristics of the product is …

Lesson Plan: How to Talk about Good and Services

Schema Activation

  1. Students make three or four teams.
  2. They are given a wordle and they have to identify the vocabulary in it.
  3. Each group chooses a leader to do mimics so their team guesses the good or the service in the slips of paper.
MagazinesShoesSurgery
TravelingSupermarketBooks
LearningPlayingDogs
BusFuelCake
Push-upsBabyCash
MoneyBreadAirport
ClothesHotelExercises
HospitalSchoolLibrary
ChecksHairMedicine
BuyingCoffeeTrees
MeatFoodResting
GymFruitsSleeping
DrinksCriminalMovies
DrugstoreMealsChildren
ParkDrugsPopcorn

Pre-Task

Task #1

  1. Teacher sends a presentation with sentences to students.
  2. Students read sentences and identify if these describe goods or services.
  3. They compare their answers with their classmates by using phrases such as:
    1. I think this is a good
    2. I think this is a service

Task #2

  1. Teacher  invites students to play this Kahoot Game so they can learn more about places and the good and services they offer.

Task #3

  1. Students make pairs.
  2. They sit in a back to back position
  3. They have to talk each other and complete a matching about places and the good and services they offer
  4. Once they  finished, they quiz each other using the information in it.

Task

  1. Students record themselves talking about where to get good and services. They do the activity in groups of three.
  2. They record themselves and they make two questions to their classmates to make sure they are paying attention.

Post- Task

  1. Students are sent a google form.
  2. They complete the survey before they leave.

Manuel Campos

Manuel Campos

I am Jose Manuel, English professor and creator of EnglishPost.org, a blog whose mission is to share lessons for those who want to learn and improve their English