Analysing the text:"Teenagers' Talk" on the web-site for teachers and learners of English as a secondary language from a German point of view

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Herbert, the boy who predicted earthquakes

Teenagers' Talk

Brenda Wilson, 17, is an apprentice. She works in a hairdressing salon. She earns ?100 a week. She goes to church on most Sundays, but her parents do not trust her when she goes with boys. Brenda says:
"Kids grow up much faster today. But my dad won't let me stay out longer than 11 o'clock on a Saturday. It's ridiculous. I'm nearly eighteen. He's still living in the past. I want to be treated like an adult."

Linda Gibbs, 16, is still going to school. Her father is an export representative who works half of the year in the Netherlands.
"But when he comes home, he starts criticizing me. Why won't I eat pudding? Why can't I be quicker in the bathroom? Why can't I have a tidy bedroom? I say, advice is all very well, but not several times a day. The older I get, the more certain I become: I want to leave home as soon as I can."

John Brodrick, 15, wants to leave school before taking the examination. He is fed up with wearing the school uniform with a silly little school cap. Quite often he does not return to school after the midday dinner break and walks round town instead of going to lessons. He says:
"Some teachers treat me like dirt. They think I'm stupid and tell me so day after day. Kids like me haven't got a chance in school. We're just there to be shouted at. I want to get a job and then study in evening classes where they treat you like human beings."

Paul Grey, 17, is unemployed. He is a member of a group and plays drums. He does not get on well with his parents:
Vivienne Davis, 16, is an assistant in a big department store and spends every weekend at a sports club on the outskirts of town. She is not a critical as the others and says:
"They say I should do more to get good training. But I want to be a musician. Dad wants me to go into the army. Mum is always complaining about my hair style and my clothes. Why do they irritate her so much? Why can't I have the freedom to dress as I like? I don't want to become a bank manager after all!"

Vivienne Davis, 16, is an assistant in a big department store and spends every weekend at a sports club on the outskirts of town. She is not a critical as the others and says:
"I say all this talk about the generation gap is a lot of nonsense. The less we talk about it the better. It's bad to think about yourself too much. There have always been quarrels between parents and their children about when they should get home and what they should wear. But I can talk to my mum and dad about everything. And I get a lot of advice from my granny, too I don't mind that. She's seen a lot of life. I say, if you take the right tone, you'll have no trouble with most parents. You can even get some teachers to eat out of your hand. You see, politeness is so rare now, it works wonders."