The teacher who tastes words like food

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: The teacher who tastes words like food

Warm-up

Do you know anyone who has a special talent? (Yes, my friend can...)

Vocabulary Match

condition •• feelings
vocabulary •• not common
senses •• health issue
experience •• linked
connected •• notice
rare •• words

Vocabulary Answers

conditionhealth issue
vocabularywords
sensesfeelings
experiencenotice
connectedlinked
rarenot common

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

Sarah Gann is a teacher from the US. She has a ________ ________ where her ________ are ________ in a special way. When she hears or reads a word, she sometimes tastes food in her mouth. For example, the word "church" tastes like powdered donuts, and "ball" tastes like nacho cheese.

At first, Sarah thought this was normal. But later, she found out that most people don't ________ this. It's not dangerous, and Sarah says it makes life more interesting. She even uses it to help her remember things, like people's names or new ________.

Sarah Gann is a teacher from the US. She has a rare condition where her senses are connected in a special way. When she hears or reads a word, she sometimes tastes food in her mouth. For example, the word "church" tastes like powdered donuts, and "ball" tastes like nacho cheese.

At first, Sarah thought this was normal. But later, she found out that most people don't experience this. It's not dangerous, and Sarah says it makes life more interesting. She even uses it to help her remember things, like people's names or new vocabulary.

Quiz

  1. What is Sarah Gann's job?
  2. What happens when Sarah hears or reads a word?
  3. What does the word "church" taste like to Sarah?
  4. How does Sarah use her condition to help her?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. She is a teacher.
  2. She sometimes tastes food in her mouth.
  3. It tastes like powdered donuts.
  4. She uses it to remember things, like names or vocabulary.

True or False

  1. Sarah Gann is from Canada. T F
  2. Sarah's condition is dangerous. T F
  3. Sarah thought her condition was normal at first. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. False
  3. True

Conversation

A:Hey Sarah, do you really taste food when you hear words?
B:Yep, it's like a snack in my mind!
A:That's so cool! What does "school" taste like?
B:Hmm, like a peanut butter sandwich.
A:Wow, that must make classes fun!
B:It does! But now I'm hungry all the time!

Discussion

  1. Would you like to taste words? Why or why not?
  2. What do you think (textbook) tastes like?
  3. What sense would you miss the most - sight, hearing, taste, touch, or smell?
  4. How do you usually remember new words or names?

Further Reading

https://www.ladbible.com/news/health/what-is-synesthesia-taste-words-sensation-020496-20240730

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