Less Stuff, More Happiness, by Graham Hill Page 1

Less Stuff, More Happiness TEDTalks

A video talk by Graham Hill

You are going to watch a 6-minute video of a man named Graham Hill, who talks about
cutting down our possessions to lead a more sustainable lifestyle. As you watch the
video the first time, your objective should be to understand the general message of
the video; don’t worry too much about details during this first viewing.

Video link: http://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_less_stuff_more_happiness.html

After watching the video once, you should complete the following series of tasks,
which will help you to understand the video in greater detail and to improve your
English communication skills.

1. Listening Comprehension: Understanding the TEDTalk

During the talk, Graham Hill presents several facts about our consumer society and
explains the principles that support his ‘edited’ lifestyle. Watch the video again and
match the fragments on the left to the fragments on the right in order to form some
ideas from the talk.

1. We’ve got triple the space but we
become such good shoppers that
2. Such consumerism leads to
3. Less stuff and less space equal
a. we’ve got to learn to stem the inflow.
b. a smaller footprint, more money and
more happiness.
c. we need even more space.

4. We’ve got to cut the extraneous out d. we want stuff that we’re going to love
of our lives and for years.
5. We should buy and own some great e. credit card debt, a huge
stuff but environmental footprint and probably
more unhappiness.

These activities were created thanks to collaboration between Ziggurat Language Services, S.L. & Mother Tongue, S.L.
Less Stuff, More Happiness, by Graham Hill Page 2

2. Express Yourself
Graham Hill suggests three different approaches in order to lead a more sustainable
lifestyle. Take a look at the three approaches below and give some examples of how
you would apply each of those approaches in your life.
1. Edit ruthlessly
2. Think small
3. Make multifunctional

3. Language Practice
In this talk, Graham Hill uses several words that are related to optimization of space.
Read the following sentences about this topic and fill in the blanks with the words
from the box.

nesting stackable multifunctional moving

to digitize to stretch out to pop out to fold away

1. It’s a small table but it _______________ to seat 8.

2. Our interior designer recommends _______________ walls to separate the
different ambiences in our loft.
3. I want to get some _______________ baskets so that I can easily store them one
inside the other when they’re not being used.
4. Our living room is a _______________ area. We normally use it to relax and watch
TV but it also works as an extension to our dining room when we have guests.
5. When you press this button, a TV screen _______________ of the wall.
6. It’s a very practical work space, you can _______________ it _______________
when you finish working.
7. I’ve bought a set of _______________ glasses. I will save a lot of space in my
kitchen cabinets by putting one on top of the other.
8. I’ve decided to _______________ all my photographs. I’ve got too many albums
that take up a lot of space.

4. Writing
Graham Hill mentions several situations where people can experience the benefits of
an edited lifestyle, such as when we go camping or when we are staying at a hotel.
Write about a situation in which you have lived without as many comforts or as many
possessions as you are used to. Explain what it was like to live like that and your
feelings about it. Do you like the concept of an ‘edited’ life or do you feel that you
would miss your ‘unedited’ lifestyle?

These activities were created thanks to collaboration between Ziggurat Language Services, S.L. & Mother Tongue, S.L.
Less Stuff, More Happiness, by Graham Hill Page 3

Answer Key

1. Listening Comprehension
1. – c. We’ve got triple the space but we become such good shoppers that we need even more space.
2. – e. Such consumerism leads to credit card debt, a huge environmental footprint and probably
more unhappiness.
3. – b. Less stuff and less space equal a smaller footprint, more money and more happiness.
4. – a. We’ve got to cut the extraneous out of our lives and we’ve got to learn to stem the inflow.
5. – d. We should buy and own some great stuff but we want stuff that we’re going to love for years.

2. Express Yourself
Sample answer:
In order to edit my lifestyle, I would throw away all the items that I haven’t used for a long time and I
would cut down my shopping in order to buy only those things that are really necessary. I would also
digitize as much information as possible (pictures, books…). In order to think small, I would buy objects
that save space, such as nesting pans and pots or stackable chairs. I would also buy growing items of
furniture that would allow me to optimize the use of the available space. Finally, in order to make my
house more multifunctional, I would acquire items that can adapt to different uses, such as a sofa-bed
or a coffee table which opens up into a dining table.

3. Language Practice
1. It’s a small table but it stretches out to seat 8.
2. Our interior designer recommends moving walls to separate the different ambiences in our loft.
3. I want to get some nesting baskets so that I can easily store them one inside the other when they’re
not being used.
4. Our living room is a multifunctional area. We normally use it to relax and watch TV but it also works
as an extension to our dining room when we have guests.
5. When you press this button, a TV screen pops out of the wall.
6. It’s a very practical work space, you can fold it away when you finish working.
7. I found a set of stackable glasses. I will save a lot of space in my kitchen cabinets by putting one on
top of the other.
8. I’ve decided to digitize all my photographs. I’ve got too many albums that take up a lot of space.

4. Writing
Sample answer:
In the summer, I go to a very small village on holidays, and whenever I am there I feel like my life is
‘edited’. We stay in a small house that has very few comforts of modern life. It has running water and
electricity, and that is about it. There is a TV set but we barely use it because we spend most of the time
outdoors. There is no telephone line or Internet connection in the house and we can live without them, I
don’t miss them at all. I enjoy living with less for a few days and I like the experience of having a
different lifestyle, and I often wonder why people pile up stuff when you can live happily with few
things. I think this experience is positive for me because I have less comforts in an environment where I
don’t actually need so many things. However, I would find it hard to live without some of those things in
my normal life in the city, where cell phones, the Internet and other features of modern life are
absolutely necessary to relate with the environment around me.

These activities were created thanks to collaboration between Ziggurat Language Services, S.L. & Mother Tongue, S.L.