A night on Broadway: Let's, Shall we…? and Why don't we…?
About this lesson
A2 learners practice suggestions with Let's, Shall we and Why don't we in this ESL lesson plan about a night out.
- Grammar
- Let's, Shall we…? and Why don't we…? + a verb (Shall we reserve a table?), How about or What about + -ing or a noun (How about getting tickets?), and replies such as I'd rather not.
- Topic
- A night out in New York's Theater District near Times Square, with theater vocabulary such as matinee, marquee, ghost light and break a leg.
- Activities
- A guide post to read, a planning dialogue and a voice message to hear, self-checking drills, a night-out chat and open boxes for arranging to meet.
What's inside
Chapter 1Welcome to Broadway!
Chapter 2Let's read: Broadway 101
Chapter 3Let's listen: plans for tomorrow
Chapter 4Grammar: Let's… Shall we…?
Chapter 5Let's talk: a night out!
Chapter 6Homework
- Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
- Unscramble the words: theater wordsAnagramUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: theater wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: Broadway talkMemory gameUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: How about…? What about…?Fill in the gapsUnlock
- Sort the replies: yes, maybe or noSort into columnsUnlock
- Put the parts in the correct order: plans for a night outUnjumbleUnlock
- Drag the words into the gaps: Marco's messageDrag and dropUnlock
- Choose the right words: Nora's message to GrandpaChoose the optionUnlock
Theater 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
- matinee
- stage
- curtain
- marquee
- ghost light
- program
- break a leg
Grammar: suggestions with Let's, Why don't we and How about
A suggestion offers an idea for you and someone else: Let's see a show! Planning an evening on Broadway, learners choose a base verb or -ing after five openings and answer with Good idea!, I'm not sure or I'd rather not. They also learn that Why don't we…? asks for no reason.
Let's go! Shall we go? How about going?
Make a suggestion for a night out, then say yes, maybe or no.
Five ways to make a suggestion
Let's, Shall we…? and Why don't we…? take the base verb: Let's meet up on the red stairs. Shall we reserve a table? How about and What about take -ing or a noun: How about getting tickets? What about Tuesday?
| Start with | Then | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Let's … (= let us) | a verb: go, see, meet up | Let's meet up on the red stairs. |
| Shall we …? | a verb: go, see, reserve | Shall we reserve a table? |
| Why don't we …? | a verb: go, see, take | Why don't we see a matinee? |
| How about …? | verb + -ing, or a noun | How about getting tickets? How about pizza? |
| What about …? | verb + -ing, or a noun | What about meeting at six thirty? What about Tuesday? |
Let's go, but How about going?
After Let's and Shall we, there's no to (Let's go, not Let's to go), and Why don't we keeps the plain verb, never -ing: Why don't we go? Before a verb, about needs -ing, with the usual spelling changes: having, getting.
a verb (no “to”!)
- Let's go.
- Shall we go?
- Why don't we go?
verb + -ing
- How about going?
- What about going?
- have → having, get → getting
Why don't we…? is an idea, not a why question
Why don't we go tomorrow? asks for no reason, so Because… is the wrong reply; say Good idea! or I'd rather not. The word order is fixed: Why don't we meet at seven?, never Why we don't meet.
Why don't we…? is an idea
Why don't we go tomorrow? is not a question about a reason. It's an idea! Answer with Good idea! or I'd rather not, not with Because… And Let's has no question mark: Let's go!
Yes, maybe or no
Replies come in three kinds: Good idea! and Sounds great for yes, I'm not sure for maybe, and I'd rather not for no. I'd rather + a verb offers another plan: I'd rather see a play. I'd is short for I would.
Say yes, maybe or no
| Your answer | Say |
|---|---|
| Yes ✓ | Good idea! · Sounds great. |
| Maybe 🤔 | I'm not sure. |
| No ✗ | I'd rather not. · I'd rather see a play. (I'd = I would) |
Planning a night on Broadway
- Let's see a show tomorrow!
- Shall we meet up at six thirty? – Good idea!
- Why don't we take Biscuit? – I'd rather not.
- How about getting tickets in Times Square? – Sounds great.
- What about dinner at six? – I'm not sure. I'm filming a video at six.
Common mistakes
Let's to see a show. Shall we to go?
Let's see a show. Shall we go?
no “to” after Let's and Shall we
How about go to a musical?
How about going to a musical?
How about / What about + -ing
Why don't we going by subway?
Why don't we go by subway?
Why don't we + a verb
Why we don't meet at seven?
Why don't we meet at seven?
word order: Why don't we…?
Try the suggestions exercises
Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.
What's in the lesson
- 16 auto-checked exercises
- 5 games
- 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:
- make suggestions with Let's, Shall we and Why don't we + a verb: Let's see a show! Why don't we see a matinee?
- suggest with How about and What about + -ing or a noun: How about getting tickets? What about pizza?
- say yes, maybe or no to a suggestion: Good idea! I'm not sure. I'd rather not.
- plan a night out and arrange to meet: Shall we meet up at six thirty? Let's meet up on the red stairs.
Lesson 23 is the third lesson of Music and nights out in English A2.1 · Then and Now. A1.1 lesson 31 introduced Let's and How about + a time (How about nine o'clock?); now Shall we…? and Why don't we…? join them, and How about takes the -ing form from A2.1 lesson 21. With most theaters dark on Mondays and matinees in the afternoon, picking a day is a real decision.
Students spin a wheel of questions about nights out, then learn ten words with pictures and audio, from meet up and reserve to marquee and ghost light. Nora's guide post to the Theater District covers dark Mondays, matinee times, cheaper tickets at the booth in Times Square and the words actors hear before a show. Then students listen to Nora and Marco plan tomorrow's show (an AI-voiced dialogue) and to Grandpa's voice message with a challenge. Four drills follow the scheme, each checked as students answer; one is a table that says one idea three ways. In the speaking chapter, students plan a Saturday on Broadway with a friend in a chat, then open boxes to plan a night out and arrange to meet.
The homework's nine exercises are all self-checking: a word match, an anagram and a gap-fill of theater words, a memory game of Broadway talk, How about + -ing gaps, replies sorted into yes, maybe and no, plans put in order and two messages with gaps.
- Grammar:
- Let's… · Shall we…? · Why don't we…? · How about + -ing? · What about + -ing? · replies to suggestions
- Topic:
- Broadway · New York's Theater District · Times Square · theater traditions · the ghost light · break a leg · a night out
Teaching tips
- Write the five openings on the board and point at one at random: a student turns see a musical into that form, from Shall we see a musical? to How about seeing a musical?
- Compare show times before the guide post: ask when shows start where students live and which evening is quiet, then let the post's dark Mondays and afternoon matinees give the Broadway answer.
- Hand out yes, maybe and no cards: one student makes a suggestion, the partner draws a card and replies with it, such as I'm not sure or I'd rather not. I'd rather see a play.
- After the chat, plan a real night out in pairs: choose a show, a day, dinner and a place to meet, one suggestion for each step, then tell the class: We're meeting on the red stairs at six.
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The whole course: English A2.1 · Then and Now
32 lessons for adults at A2 in simple American English, from the past simple to going to, should and might. Eight units tell stories of journeys, American firsts, food, places, sports, music, neighbors and dreams. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course
Unit 1 Amazing journeys
the past simple, regular and irregular verbs, negatives, prepositions of movement
Unit 2 American firsts
was and were, past questions and short answers, ago and in, could for past ability
Unit 3 American food
countable and uncountable nouns, comparatives, ordering food, a few and a little
Unit 4 City or country?
comparatives with more and less, superlatives, as … as, too and enough
Lesson 13The island with no carsComparatives with more and less, plus better, worse and farther
Lesson 14America's extremesSuperlatives with the + -est, the most and the least
Lesson 15San Francisco or Yosemite? You choose!As … as for the same, not as … as for less
Lesson 16A park on an old railroadToo, enough and not … enough
Unit 5 Game on
play, go and do with sports, going to, adverbs of manner, reflexive pronouns
Unit 6 Music and nights out
love, enjoy and hate + -ing, the present continuous for plans, suggestions, to for purpose
Lesson 21Where jazz was bornGerunds after love, like, enjoy, hate and don't mind
Lesson 22Music on every streetThe present continuous for future arrangements
Lesson 23 · you're hereA night on BroadwaySuggestions with Let's, Why don't we and How about
Lesson 24An orchestra for every kidThe infinitive of purpose and to or for
Unit 7 Neighbors and community
much and many, should, something and everyone, because and so
Lesson 25Everybody cleans up!Much and many with nouns you can and can't count
Lesson 26Good neighbors shovel snowShould and shouldn't + the base verb
Lesson 27Take a book, leave a bookIndefinite pronouns with some-, any-, no- and every-
Lesson 28A bench for making friendsBecause for reasons, so for results
Unit 8 Plans and dreams
verb + to, the present continuous vs going to, might, when, before and after
