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Can you be a lifeguard? Verbs with prepositions for a summer job

Students practice verbs with prepositions, such as wait for and look at, in this A1 ESL lesson plan about summer jobs.

Grammar
Verbs with to, at, for, with and about (Lifeguards look at the water.), object pronouns after them (Wait for me!), look at or look for, work with or work for, and interview questions.
Topic
Summer jobs at a city pool in Brooklyn and the Red Cross lifeguard swim test, with words such as dive, rescue, whistle and deep end.
Activities
A lifeguard flyer to read, a dialogue and a pool announcement to hear, self-checking drills, a job interview chat, role-play boxes and an email asking for a summer job.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Hello, summer at the pool!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: at the poolVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: be a lifeguard!

    • Look at the photo: a city poolPictureUnlock
    • Read the flyer: summer jobsReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: the swim test

    • Listen to Olivia and JackListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to Gloria at the poolListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: Wait for me!

    • Study the scheme: look at, wait for, work withGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: verbs with to, at, for, withFill in the gapsTry it
    • Drag the words into the gaps: me, you, him, her, it, us, themDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: the job interview

    • Choose the right replies: a job interviewChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: a job interviewOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Write an email: a summer jobWriting, checked by the teacherUnlock
    • Record your answers: a job interviewSpeaking, checked by the teacherUnlock

25 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • pool
  • whistle
  • lifeguard chair
  • deep end
  • goggles
  • brick
  • swimsuit

Grammar: verbs with prepositions

Some English verbs need a small word before the person or thing that follows them: listen to, look at, wait for, work with. At a city pool, learners use these verbs followed by prepositions for what lifeguards and swimmers do, put me or them after the preposition and answer interview questions for a summer job.

Look at the water! Wait for me!

Some verbs need a little word after them: listen to, look at, wait for, work with.

Listen to, look at, wait for: each verb has its word

Each verb keeps its own preposition: Listen to the lifeguard. Lifeguards look at the water. Wait for the whistle. I work with kids. Help puts the person first: Can you help me with my homework? In American English, talk to and talk with are both fine.

Verbs with to, at, for, with, about

Verb + wordExampleWith me, him, her, them…
listen toListen to the lifeguard.Listen to him!
talk toCan I talk to the manager?Talk to her.
look atLifeguards look at the water.Look at them!
look forI'm looking for my goggles.I'm looking for them.
wait forWait for the whistle.Wait for me!
work withI work with kids.Work with us!
think aboutI think about the swim test.I think about it.
help … withCan you help me with my homework?Can you help me with it?

talk to = talk with

In American English, talk to and talk with are both OK: Can I talk to the manager? = Can I talk with the manager?

Look at or look for?

Look at means your eyes are on something: Kids, look at me, please. Look for means you're trying to find it: I'm looking for my whistle. A lifeguard does both, looking at the water and looking for swimmers in trouble.

look at = your eyes are on it

  • Look at the water!
  • Kids, look at me, please.

look for = you try to find it

  • I'm looking for my whistle.
  • Lifeguards look for swimmers in trouble.

Work with or work for?

Work with is for the people you help or work next to: Jack works with kids. Work for is for your company or your boss: Jack works for the city. So kids you help take with, and I work for kids at a camp is wrong.

work with + people you help or work next to

  • Jack works with kids.
  • I work with a great team.

work for + your company or your boss

  • Jack works for the city.
  • I work for Gloria.

Wait for me! Pronouns after the preposition

After to, at, for, with or about, a person or thing is me, you, him, her, it, us or them: Wait for me! Listen to him. Look at them! Wait for I is a classic slip, because I can't follow a preposition.

After to, at, for, with: me, him, her…

After to, at, for, with and about, say me, you, him, her, it, us, them: Wait for me! Listen to him. Look at them! (Not: Wait for I!)

Job interview questions: Can you…? Do you…? Are you…?

The interview questions start with Can, Do or Are, and the short answer repeats that first word: Can you swim? Yes, I can. Do you work with kids? Yes, I do. Are you 15 or older? Yes, I am.

QuestionYes ✓No ✗
Can you swim?Yes, I can.No, I can't.
Do you work with kids?Yes, I do.No, I don't.
Are you 15 or older?Yes, I am.No, I'm not.

Common mistakes

  • Listen the radio!

    Listen to the radio!

    listen + to

  • Wait me!

    Wait for me!

    wait + for

  • Lifeguards look the water.

    Lifeguards look at the water.

    look + at

  • I work for kids at a camp.

    I work with kids at a camp.

    kids you help: work with

More lessons on this grammar: Prepositions lessons and exercises

Try the verbs with prepositions exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 11 auto-checked exercises
  • 3 games
  • 2 teacher-checked tasks
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • use common verbs with their prepositions: listen to, talk to, look at, look for, wait for, work with, think about
  • put me, him, her or them after the preposition: Wait for me! Listen to him.
  • tell look at from look for, and work with kids from work for a boss
  • answer job interview questions with short answers: Can you swim? Yes, I can. Are you 15 or older? Yes, I am.

Lesson 27 is the third lesson of Jobs people do, the seventh unit of English A1.2 · Out and About, and holds the unit's task, a summer-job interview. It builds on the object pronouns of lesson 16 (Thank him! Give them a card.), which now follow a preposition, and on Can you…? questions from A1.1 lessons 29 and 30; lesson 28 goes on to possessive pronouns. At a pool, these verbs are the rules of the day: swimmers listen to the lifeguards and wait for the whistle.

Students spin a wheel of pool questions and learn ten words, from dive and rescue to goggles and brick, with pictures and audio. They read a Brooklyn pool's flyer about the Red Cross swim test, from a long swim and two minutes of treading water to a dive for a 10-pound brick, then hear Olivia ask Jack about a job at his pool (an AI-voiced dialogue) and the pool manager's morning announcement. Four exercises follow the scheme, each checked as students answer, among them a gap-fill of verbs with to, at, for and with and a drag-and-drop of object pronouns. In the speaking chapter, students answer the pool manager's questions in a job interview chat, then open boxes for an interview role-play.

Homework starts with two self-checking tasks, sentences to put in order and pool words to match. Students then write an email asking for a summer job and record their answers to job interview questions, both checked by the teacher.

Grammar:
verbs with prepositions · listen to, talk to, look at, look for · wait for, work with, think about, help with · object pronouns after prepositions · Can you…? Do you…? Are you…?
Topic:
lifeguards · summer jobs · swimming pools · the Red Cross swim test · job interviews

Teaching tips

  • Mime the verbs before the scheme: look at a student, look for your pen, wait for someone at the door, and have the class say what you're doing: You're looking for your pen!
  • Write each verb on a card with its preposition, never alone, and hand them out: students make a pool rule with theirs, like Listen to the lifeguard or Wait for the whistle.
  • Read the pool announcement as the manager: students act out each rule as they hear it, from listening to the lifeguards to walking, not running, and waiting for the whistle.
  • Run the interview in pairs after the chat: one student is the pool manager and asks Can you…?, Do you…? and Are you…?, then they swap for a job at a café or a summer camp.

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The whole course: English A1.2 · Out and About

32 lessons that pick up where English A1.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present simple with he and she to was and were. Eight units cover shopping, the weather, getting around, celebrations, health, animals and nature, jobs and weekends. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Shopping

    clothes and colors, he and she in the present simple, sizes and prices, paying in a store

    1. Lesson 1What does she wear on Aloha Friday?Present simple with he, she and it
    2. Lesson 2A basket on wheels?Present simple negatives with don't and doesn't
    3. Lesson 3What size are these boots?What questions and a pair of
    4. Lesson 4Can I try it on? The Santa Fe Indian MarketRequests and permission with Can I and Can you

  2. Unit 2 Weather and seasons

    the weather, seasons and months, the present continuous, how often it rains or snows

    1. Lesson 5Is the Windy City windy?Weather adjectives with It's
    2. Lesson 6Does it rain in the desert?Yes/no questions with does
    3. Lesson 7Baseball at midnight?The present continuous for now
    4. Lesson 8Is it always windy on Mount Washington?Adverbs of frequency and their place

  3. Unit 3 Getting around

    transport, timetables, where places are, tickets with want and need

    1. Lesson 9How do you get to work?By + transport, take the bus and on foot
    2. Lesson 10What time does the ferry leave?Wh- questions with does
    3. Lesson 11Where's the streetcar stop?Between, behind, in front of and across from
    4. Lesson 12Do you need a ticket?Want and need with a noun

  4. Unit 4 Celebrations

    dates and holidays, in and on, party invitations, object pronouns

    1. Lesson 13Why is it called Juneteenth?Ordinal numbers for saying dates
    2. Lesson 14Never on a Sunday? The Rose ParadeIn, on and at for dates and times
    3. Lesson 15Come to our Lunar New Year party!Some and any with plural nouns
    4. Lesson 16Thank you, teacher!Object pronouns me, you, him, her, it, us and them

  5. Unit 5 Healthy me

    the body, how often, at the pharmacy, steps with first and then

    1. Lesson 17Does your back hurt?Hurt and hurts with parts of the body
    2. Lesson 18How often do you walk?How often questions and expressions of frequency
    3. Lesson 19What's the matter?Have and has for health problems
    4. Lesson 20Clean hands in five stepsSequence words with imperatives

  6. Unit 6 Animals and nature

    there is and there are, what animals are doing, parks, a, an and the

    1. Lesson 21Which frog sings its name?There is and there are for what's in a place
    2. Lesson 22What's the bear doing now?Present continuous questions and negatives
    3. Lesson 23Are there any horses on the beach?Questions with is there and are there any
    4. Lesson 24Where do the baby turtles go?A, an and the for first and second mention

  7. Unit 7 Jobs people do

    jobs and workplaces, the present simple and continuous, job interviews, possessive pronouns

    1. Lesson 25Who makes the sounds in movies?Present simple vs present continuous
    2. Lesson 26Nurses on horses?At, in and on with workplaces
    3. Lesson 27 · you're hereCan you be a lifeguard?Verbs with prepositions
    4. Lesson 28Whose hat is this?Possessive pronouns from mine to theirs

  8. Unit 8 Weekend stories and plans

    was and were, how long and how tall, and, but and or, camping food

    1. Lesson 29Why do we have two days off?Was and were, the past of be
    2. Lesson 30How long is a blue whale?How + adjective questions about size
    3. Lesson 31A cow made of butter?And, but and or for joining ideas
    4. Lesson 32What do you need for s'mores?Containers and quantities with of

Questions about this lesson

How do you use "wait for" in English?
Put for between wait and the person or thing: Wait for the whistle. Wait for me at the pool on Sunday! Leaving out for is the classic mistake: Wait me! is wrong. A person after for takes the object form, me, him, her, us or them: I can wait for you there. In the job interview chat of Can you be a lifeguard? on edio.ai, I can wait you there is a wrong reply.
What are verbs with prepositions?
Verbs with prepositions are verbs that need a small word before their object: listen to, talk to, look at, look for, wait for, work with and think about. The preposition can't be guessed, so learn each verb with its word: Lifeguards look at the water, not look the water. In a question, the preposition stays after the verb, at the end: What music do you listen to?
What are simple job interview questions in English?
Simple interview questions are often yes/no questions with Can you…?, Do you…? or Are you…?, and a short answer plus one detail works best: Can you swim? Yes, I can. I can swim really well. Do you work with kids? Yes, I do. I work with kids at a summer camp. Are you 15 or older? Yes, I am. Bring a question of your own, too: Can I wear my goggles?
Is it "listen the radio" or "listen to the radio"?
It's listen to the radio: listen needs to before what you hear. Listen to the lifeguard. Shh! I'm listening to the manager. With nothing after it, to drops out: Listen! Look at behaves the same way, as in Look at the water! and Look! Swapping in another word is a slip too: listen at the lifeguard is wrong.
What's the difference between "look at" and "look for"?
Look at is about seeing, look for about finding: with look at, your eyes are on the thing, and with look for, you're trying to find it. Kids, look at me, please. I'm looking for my goggles. Where are they? In Can you be a lifeguard? on edio.ai, a quiz offers I'm looking at my goggles. Where are they? as a wrong choice.
Is it "work with" or "work for"?
Both exist, but they mean different things: work with is for the people you help or work next to, and work for is for your company or your boss. Jack works with kids. Jack works for the city. I work for Gloria. So someone at a summer camp says I work with kids at a camp, not I work for kids.
Is it "talk to" or "talk with"?
In American English, both are fine: Can I talk to the manager? and Can I talk with the manager? mean the same. What you can't do is leave the preposition out, so Can I talk the manager? is wrong. A pronoun after it takes the object form: I can talk to him on Sunday, not talk to he. The gap-fill in Can you be a lifeguard? on edio.ai accepts both talk to and talk with.
How do I teach verbs followed by prepositions to beginners?
Teach the verb and its preposition as one chunk, with a real object, so learners never meet wait without for: Wait for the whistle. Look at the water. Act them out, then add pronouns: Wait for me! Listen to him. In Can you be a lifeguard?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, the verbs show up in a pool flyer and a dialogue first, then in the scheme, four drills and a job interview chat.
What's a good game for practicing verbs with prepositions?
Question boxes that end in a preposition make a quick speaking game: a student opens a box, answers, then asks a partner the same question. What music do you listen to? Who do you often wait for? Who do you talk to about your problems? The open boxes in this lesson include a job interview role-play, with one student as the pool manager.
How do you practice job interview questions one-to-one?
Role-play the interview, then swap seats: the teacher asks Can you…?, Do you…? and Are you…? questions about a real summer job, and the student gives a short answer and a detail. The chat in this lesson works with one student: a pool manager asks about age, kids and the swim test, and the student picks replies like Yes, I do. I work with kids at a summer camp.
What's good homework for practicing verbs with prepositions?
An email asking for a summer job works well, because it calls for work with, help … with and talk to: I help kids with art at the library, and I work with them every week. Can I talk to you about the job? For Can you be a lifeguard? on edio.ai, students write that email and record their answers to interview questions, after a word-order drill and a word match.
Are there interactive exercises for verbs with prepositions?
Yes: self-checking gap-fills and chats show at once which preposition is right. On this page, four parts of Can you be a lifeguard?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, play with no account: the lifeguard flyer from a Brooklyn pool, Olivia and Jack's talk about the swim test, a gap-fill of verbs with to, at, for and with, and a job interview chat. The drag-and-drop of pronouns and the other drills are locked.
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