4A Reading and Vocabulary Is there such a thing as having too many friends

• I can compare different styles of texts.

Sociable or solitary? Sort the words

1 In pairs, put the words and phrases from the box into two categories: sociable (A) or solitary (B).

a loner

a social butterfly

a team player

antisocial

enjoying your own company

extrovert

gregarious

introspective

outgoing

reserved

self-sufficient

stand-offish

Read the whole extract

2 Read an extract from Is there such a thing as having too many friends? and discuss the questions.

Is the extract mostly for or against having friends?

Which words from Exercise 1 would describe someone who has a lot of friends?

Read the whole blog post

3 In pairs, make a list of arguments in favour of being a loner. Then read the blog post What's wrong with being a loner? and compare it with your ideas.

First summary: friends and well-being

4 Now complete the summaries with information from the texts.

Society frequently tells us that those with a large social circle are 1 ___ than those who spend most of their time alone.

Yet these relationships fall into three categories: 2 ___ , work or classmates, and casual acquaintances.

But are all these relationships something we 3 ___ ?

There are those who would say that we are 4 ___ and need others for our well-being, particularly as many of us interact mainly through technology rather than in-person these days.

It’s clear that being with others is good for people’s 5 ___ .

In fact, research shows that the effect of a happy social occasion has positive physical benefits 6 ___ .

So it’s difficult to argue that having many friends doesn’t add to our 7 ___ as a result of the happiness we feel when we’re with them.

Second summary: the loner’s side

I wouldn’t say that I’m 8 ___ .

It can feel as though everyone wants to appear to be 9 ___ .

However, it’s been shown that introversion is a common trait in 10 _ , and introverted managers are often better able to 11 _ feedback from employees.

There are also animals who need alone time, but like their introverted human counterparts, the connections that they make with others endure for longer and tend to be quite 12 ___ .

How were the two texts built?

5 In pairs, discuss the following questions about the texts.

Was the first text arguing for or against spending time with other people? How do you know?

What did you think about how each text was organised? Was it clear? Why/Why not?

Is the extract for or against friends?

Now check what the extract argues.