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GENERAL ENGLISH · GENERAL ISSUES · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

LEFT-
HANDED
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1 Warm up

Discuss these questions in pairs or small groups.

1. Do you usually write with your left hand or your right hand?
2. What percentage of people in the world do you think are left-handed?
3. Do you think left-handed people have different talents and abilities to right-handed people?

2 Vocabulary

Complete both of these vocabulary exercises.

Part 1: Match the words and their meanings.

1. competition a. a feeling like sadness, anger or happiness

2. cooperation b. a situation where people are trying to beat each other to become
the winner
3. emotion c. a situation where people work together to achieve something

4. evolution d. the way something changes over time from one form to another

5. interaction e. the way two people or things communicate with or react to each
other

Do you know the related verb forms of the nouns from Part 1 above?

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Part 2: Use these words to complete the sentences.

balance / fascinating / genes / skilled / spectrum

1. A rainbow includes a whole of colour, from red to purple.

2. A chef can prepare any type of food very quickly.
3. It’s important to have a good work-life so that you avoid stress and
stay healthy.
4. She’s very intelligent, and so are her parents. She’s got great .
5. Your uncle’s stories about his travels around the world are !

Which words in Part 2 are nouns, and which are adjectives?

3 Listening 1

Read these sentences, underline the key words and think about if they are true or false. Then listen
to the Mind and Body podcast to check your ideas.

1. 15% of people in the world are left-handed.

2. To decide if you are left-handed, you shouldn’t only think about how you write.
3. Some people choose or learn how to be left-handed.
4. Two right-handed parents are as likely to have a left-handed child as two left-handed parents.
5. There are more male left-handers than female.
6. Picasso, Van Gogh and many other famous artists were left-handed.
7. Left-handed people sometimes have problems using cameras.
8. Having a small number of left-handed people is an advantage in fighting and hunting.
9. It’s an advantage to be left-handed in all sports.
10. We shouldn’t include left-handers in studies of how the brain works.

What new information have you learnt from the podcast?

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4 Language point

When we talk about some types of information, we sometimes want to show how we feel about it.
We may want to say that we fully believe that the information is always true, or we may want to say
that we aren’t sure if the information is completely true. This is called hedging.

Compare the two sentences in the box. How does the second sentence show that the writer is
hedging?

1. Left-handedness is on a spectrum, so some people are very left-handed while others are
only a little bit.
2. It appears that left-handedness is on a spectrum, so some people are very left-handed
while others are only a little bit.

We can hedge in these ways:

• use a range of special reporting verbs, like appears.

• use modal verbs like could, may and might.
• include subjects like scientists, experts, researchers or studies.

Answer these questions:

1. Why do people want to use hedging?

2. What other points of view might people hold about the information in the sentence in the box?

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5 Listening 2

Read the sentence beginnings from the listening and underline the verbs used for hedging. Then
match the beginnings and endings of each sentence. Check your ideas.

Part 1

1. Left-handers seem to have much stronger a. be predicted by the position of the baby inside
the mother.
2. And interestingly, studies indicate b. better mathematical skills, language skills and
ability to recognise emotions.
3. Some researchers claim that it can c. communication between the two sides of their
brains than right-handers.
4. Many people believe that left-handers d. have special talents as musicians, artists,
architects and chess players.
5. Studies suggest that we also have e. that left-handedness develops before birth.

Part 2

1. But making them use their right hands a. around 10% of humans have been left-handed
might have for five hundred thousand years!
2. From the study of bones and tools, it looks b. been mostly sign language.
like
3. Left-handers using right-handed tools may c. have more accidents, leading to more deaths
and reducing their numbers.
4. Some scientists think that early language d. led to delays in development and problems with
could have language.
5. But many experts now doubt e. that this connection is so simple.

For which one of these sentences is hedging the most important?

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6 Practice

Reorder the words to make sentences with hedging.

diet / have / a much poorer / Some experts / suggest / than meat-eaters. / that vegetarians

1.

and mental ability. / a connection / doubt / Many people / that / there’s / between age

2.

about wildlife. / be doing / educating / a good job / people / seem to / Zoos

3.

better / may have / mathematical / Men / skills / than / women.

4.

blondes / have / indicate / more fun. / really / Studies / that

5.

Can you understand why hedging is used in these sentences? Give another point of view for each
item.

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7 Final activity

Choose one of these activities.

Discussion

Discuss these questions in pairs or small groups. Speak in full sentences and give reasons or examples.

1. Are you, or do you know, anyone who is a little bit left-handed?

2. Why do you think people in the past used to make left-handers use their right hands?
3. In general, do you think left-handers have more advantages or more disadvantages?
4. What special help might left-handed children need at school?
5. How can we design products differently to help left-handers? Do you think this is a good business
idea?

Interview

• If you could interview a left-handed person about their experiences, what would you ask them?
Use the ideas from the podcast to prepare at least five interview questions.
• Can you find one or more left-handers to interview? Ask your questions and use the answers to
write a short blog post for Janna’s Swipe Left blog.
• If you are left-handed yourself, you could go straight to writing something about your experiences
for Janna’s blog.

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8 Optional extension

Janna Cooper runs a blog about left-handedness called Swipe Left. We say "swipe left" when we use
social media, to show that we don’t like something.

Expressions relating to left things often have negative meanings. What do you think the expressions
in bold in these sentences mean?

I never dance with my boyfriend. He’s got two left feet.

• A: You don’t look so tired today.

• B: Wow - that’s a left-handed compliment!

I don’t know what the boss was talking about. Those comments really came out of left field.

• A: I just got an e-mail saying we could get a refund on our tickets.

• B: But I thought you just spoke to the company on the phone, and they said they wouldn’t
give you the money.
• A: I guess the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.

• A: What a sinister-looking guy!

• B: I know - he really looks like Dracula, doesn’t he?

Does your language have any similar expressions?

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Transcripts

3. Listening 1

Presenter: Hello, listeners! It’s time for another edition of our podcast, Mind and Body. Today’s
guest is Janna Cooper. Janna, tell us why you’re here.

Janna: Hi. I’m here to talk about being left-handed.

Presenter: And how is this topic important to you?

Janna: Well, I am one of the lucky ten percent of people who are left-handed, and I also run a
blog about left-handedness called Swipe Left.

Presenter: Great. Let’s start by defining exactly what we mean by left-handed.

Janna: Sure. Basically, someone is left-handed when they’re more skilled and comfortable with
using the left hand for everyday actions like eating, writing and throwing a ball. But it’s
not as simple as it sounds. It appears that left handedness is on a spectrum, so some
people are very left-handed while others are only a little bit.

Presenter: And why are some people left-handed?

Janna: First of all, it’s important to say that being left-handed is not a choice. Handedness
is controlled by several different genes, which are related to the interaction between
the left and right sides of the brain and body. Left handers seem to have much
stronger communication between the two sides of their brains than right handers.
And interestingly, studies indicate that left-handedness develops before birth. Some
researchers claim that it can be predicted by the position of the baby inside the mother.

Presenter: So, if your parents are left-handed, are you more likely to be left-handed?

Janna: Yes, you are. If both parents are left-handed, the chance of the child being left-handed
is around twenty-five percent. If both parents are right-handed, this drops to around
ten percent. However, some identical twins, who of course have the same genes, have
different handedness.

Presenter: That’s really strange! Are there more male left-handers, or more female, or is it equal?

Janna: Twelve percent of men and eight percent of women are left-handed. This gives us the
average figure of ten percent that I mentioned earlier.

Presenter: You said you were one of the lucky ten percent. Why "lucky"?

Janna: Many people believe that left-handers have special talents as musicians, artists, architects
and chess players. Studies suggest that we also have better mathematical skills, language
skills and ability to recognise emotions. Famous left-handers include Leonardo da Vinci,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Marie Curie and Nicola Tesla.

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Presenter: OK, but lots of other great artists like Picasso and Van Gogh were right-handed. Anyway,
there must be some disadvantages to being left-handed, right?

Janna: There are. Many everyday tools are designed for right-handers, and left-handers find
them difficult to use: scissors, can openers, vegetable peelers. It can also be hard for us
to use doors, cash machines and cameras with controls on the right. I should also say
that in the past, some left-handers were not allowed to use their left hands to write. But
making them use their right hands might have led to delays in development and problems
with language. That was a huge disadvantage.

Presenter: So, have left-handers always been around?

Janna: From the study of bones and tools, it looks like around ten percent of humans have been
left-handed for five hundred thousand years!

Presenter: No way! That’s amazing. But why do we need left-handers?

Janna: In every society, there is both competition and co-operation. But these need to be in
balance. A small number of left-handers is the result. Let me explain. In competition
against enemies or in hunting, left-handedness gives an advantage because of the
element of surprise. We’re not expecting someone to use their left hand and we don’t
know what to do or how to avoid an attack from this side. For example, in sports, fifty
percent of baseball’s top hitters are left-handed. As long as left-handedness is unusual,
it gives an advantage in competition.

Presenter: OK, that makes sense. But what about situations without that kind of physical
interaction?

Janna: Well, we can see that in a game like golf, where there is no physical contact between
players, only four percent of top golf players are left-handed. In activities that require
cooperation between people, and in particular sharing tools, it’s not an advantage to be
left-handed. Left-handers using right-handed tools may have more accidents, leading to
more deaths and reducing their numbers.

Presenter: I see. So, what can we learn from studying left-handedness?

Janna: We can understand more about the evolution of our brains. Some scientists think that
early language could have been mostly sign language. If the left hand was used for
communication, then the right hand could be free for tool use. We can also understand
more about how the left and right sides of the brain are organised and specialised and how
they connect and communicate with each other. Scientists used to think that the hand
you used the most was connected to which side of your brain was stronger. But many
experts now doubt that this connection is so simple. Studying a range of left-handers will
help us understand how the brain works in all people.

Presenter: What a fascinating area for research! I hope you’ll come back and tell us more.

Janna: I’d love to. Thanks for having me.

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Key

1. Warm up

5 mins.
Students discuss these questions to prepare for the listening. Conduct a quick round-up of answers to conclude
this stage and tell students they will find out more about this topic during the lesson. Identify any left-handed
students at this stage so you can refer to their expertise during the lesson.

2. Vocabulary

10 mins.
Students define some useful vocabulary to prepare them for the listening. Check answers, including pronunciation
(stressed syllables are underlined). Pose the follow-up questions after each set of exercises to help students
process the vocabulary.

1. b 2. c 3. a 4. d 5. e
Verb forms:
compete, cooperate, emote, evolve, interact.
Part 2

1. spectrum 2. skilled 3. balance 4. genes 5. fascinating

Nouns and adjectives:
nouns: spectrum, balance, genes; adjectives: skilled, fascinating.

3. Listening 1

10 mins.
Students read through the sentences in pairs, underlining the key words and making predictions about whether
each one is true or false, if they can. Play the recording for students to complete the exercise; they could then
compare answers in pairs. Check answers with the class, asking students to justify their responses. Pose the
follow-up question.

1. F - 10%.
2. T - you should also think about how you eat and throw a ball.
3. F - it’s controlled by genes.
4. F - they are less likely to have a left-handed child (10% and 25%).
5. T - 12% and 8%.
6. F - but Da Vinci was.
7. T - because the controls are on the right.
8. T - because it gives an element of surprise.
9. F - it’s only an advantage in sports where you have physical interaction with the other players like baseball. It’s
not an advantage in golf.
10. F - studying them will help us understand how everyone’s brain works.
Podcast sources: medlineplus.gov/genetics; cnn.com; www.ted.com by Daniel M. Abrams; theconversation.com;

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4. Language point

5 mins.
Hedging is important in academic English and students need to be able to recognise it in listening and reading, as
well as produce it in their own speaking and writing. Go over the information in the box and elicit answers to the
questions.
- It starts with: It appears that...
Questions

1. They might want to make it clear that they don’t agree with this information themselves or that they are
aware that other people disagree. They may also want to avoid arguments, show that a situation is complicated
or prepare to introduce contrasting ideas.
2. Other people might not believe that left-handedness is on a spectrum; they might believe that it’s a simple
choice between two options.

5. Listening 2

10 mins.
First work with the whole class, asking students to notice and underline the hedging verbs in the first halves of
the sentences. If students are not sure of the meanings, explain or allow the use of dictionaries. Then give them
a few minutes to match the first and second halves, which can be done grammatically. Play the recording for
them to check their ideas and check answers. If you think the listening is too long to repeat, students can use the
tapescript to check. Pose the follow-up question.
Answers- the hedging verbs are: seem to, indicate, claim, believe, suggest, might, looks like, may could, doubt.
Part 1

1. c 2. e 3. a 4. d 5. b
Part 2

1. d 2. a 3. c 4. b 5. e
For which one of these sentences is hedging the most important?
Students’ own answers, based on the item that they feel someone is most likely to disagree with.

6. Practice

10 mins.
Students activate the hedging language by reordering words to forms sentences. They can work alone on this.
Check answers and then demonstrate the follow-up task with the first sentence: students might mention that the
speaker/writer is using hedging to say that this may not be true for all vegetarians and meat-eaters, or that the
diet may not be much poorer. They can continue the task in pairs before you check answers with the class. They
need to identify possible areas of disagreement in each sentence -– a range of answers is possible.

1. Some experts suggest that vegetarians have a much poorer diet than meat-eaters.
2. Many people doubt that there’s a connection between age and mental ability.
3. Zoos seem to be doing a good job educating people about wildlife.
4. Men may have better mathematical skills than women.
5. Studies indicate that blondes really have more fun.

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7. Final activity

10 mins.
These two options support students to respond to the theme of the lesson. You could decide which one they do or
let them choose. For the discussion, monitor and support as necessary and conclude the stage with some feedback
and error correction, including pronunciation. For the interview, monitor and support students to write relevant
and grammatically accurate questions. Depending on your teaching context, students may be able to interview a
classmate (or even the teacher), or they could complete the interview as homework. If students interview someone
outside the class, they may have to use L1. This is fine as long as they use English when they write their blog post.
They could aim to write 150 words. In this context, the use of L1 provides a valuable opportunity to practise
translation and mediation skills.

8. Optional extension

10 mins.
This activity is meant as a filler or cooler if you have some time in your lesson. Here students practise the valuable
skills of working out meaning from context. Pose the follow-up question at the end.
two left feet: He’s very clumsy and not a good dancer.
a left-handed compliment: It’s a compliment, or positive remark about another person, that seems to be nice but
also has a negative meaning. Here, the speaker implies that the other person usually looks very tired.
came out of left field: This is an expression related to baseball, and it means something strange or unexpected.
It’s more common in American English.
left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing: This means that there is a lack of awareness in a group or
organisation relating to what different people are doing, leading to confusion.
sinister: Sinister is a word that comes from the Latin term for left; it now means something strange, unnatural, evil
or dangerous.

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