Lesson 4 · When something stops working

Lesson 4: When something stops working

Describing problems with apps, devices and services

Warm-up

Talk about each question for a minute or more.

  • Which app or device in your daily life annoys you the most right now? What exactly does it do?
  • Think of a service you use every week. What would you do if it disappeared tomorrow?

Chunks

Read the dialogue

Sara: Our booking app has stopped working for some users.

Tom: I didn't expect that. We haven't changed anything this week.

Sara: Yesterday it stopped working for a whole region. Today it keeps crashing on the payment page.

Tom: And it doesn't work properly on older phones. Honestly, it isn't what it used to be.

Sara: If we ignore it, we will end up losing customers.

Tom: Then let's fix the glitch first.

Tap a card to turn it

Practice

Speaking

Goal: describe a service or app that quietly stopped working the way it used to.

1. Something that stopped working

Choose an app, a device or a service you use. Explain what it used to do well and what is wrong now.

  • It used to … but now it keeps …
  • It doesn't work properly when …
  • I didn't expect that, because …
  • If nothing changes, I will end up …

2. Roleplay: reporting a problem

A is the user and describes the problem. B is the product manager and asks: What happened? When did it start? Is it still happening? Then swap roles for the next round.

Round 1. A uses a food-delivery app. Orders have arrived late for two weeks, the app keeps showing the wrong address, and the courier map does not load.
Round 2 (swap). A uses a video-streaming service. Videos freeze every evening, the subtitles stopped working after the last update, and the price has gone up.
Round 3 (swap). Invent your own app and the problems. B asks at least one follow-up question about each problem.

3. Free speaking

Talk about a product or tool that is not what it used to be. Tap each chunk when you use it.

Chunks used: 0

Homework

Writing

Write a short message to the team of an app or service that has stopped working the way it used to. Say what has changed, what keeps happening and what you did not expect. Use at least five chunks from this lesson.

Learn

Study the Quizlet set for this lesson. Then describe one broken thing from your day aloud, using three chunks.