Fluency Listen, read and practise.
'Jane isn't very Pleased
John rang Jane last week. He wanted to invite her to the theatre. She was free on Friday, so they arranged to meet outside the theatre at seven. It was raining and John came twenty minutes late. Jane wasn't very pleased. They saw a thriller, but it wasn't very good. In fact, it was awful. They went to an Italian restaurant after the theatre and had pizza and wine. The pizza was terrible and the wine wasn't very good. John found he didn't have any money, so Jane paid for the meal. It was late when they came out of the restaurant and there were no buses and no taxis, so they walked home in the rain. John rang again the following Saturday to invite Jane to the cinema. Jane said she wasn't free.
A. Questions
1. When did John ring Jane the first time? 2. What did he want to do? 3. When was Jane free? 4. What time did they arrange to meet? 5. What was the weather like? 6. When did John arrive? 7. Was Jane pleased? 8. What did they see? 9. What was it like? 10. Where did they go after the theatre? 11. What did they have? 12. Was the pizza good? What about the wine? 13. Who paid? 14. How did they get home? 15. What did John do the
following Saturday? 16. Was Jane free? 17. Why do you think she said she wasn't free?
B. Retell the text.
What's the Matter?
Yesterday Helen woke up at seven thirty. She had a quick shower, a cup of coffee, got into her car and drove to work. She found a parking space outside the office door. "That's very strange," she thought as she walked up to the front door of the office building; usually there were a lot of cars outside the office and she left her car in another street.
The door was locked when she tried to open it. This was very unusual. She looked at her watch... it was exactly nine o'clock! "The door is never locked at nine o'clock," she said to herself. She took out her key and unlocked the door.
As she walked into the office, Helen saw that all the windows were closed. It was summer and her secretary opened the windows and curtains when she arrived in the morning. But Helen's secretary wasn't at her desk this morning. "Is there anybody here?" she shouted nervously. There was no answer.
Helen went to her office and sat down behind her desk. What was the matter? Where was everyone? Then she saw her diary on the desk. "Oh no!" she said. "Today is Sunday!"
A. Ask questions on the text. Retell the text.
B. Have you ever had any experience of this sort?
'Reward for Virtue
My friend, Herbert, has always been fat, but things got so bad recently that he decided to go on a diet. He began his diet a week * ago. First of all, he wrote a long list of the foods which were forbidden. The list included most of the things Herbert loves: butter, potatoes, rice, beer, milk, chocolate and sweets. Yesterday I paid him a visit. I rang the bell and was not surprised to see that Herbert was still as fat as ever. He led me into his room and hurriedly hid a large parcel under his desk. It was obvious that he Was very embarrassed. When I asked him what he was doing, he
smiled guiltily and then put the parcel on the desk. He explained that his diet was so strict that he had to reward himself occasionally. Then he showed me the contents of the parcel. It contained five large bars of chocolate and three bags of sweets!
A. Ask questions on the text. Retell the text.
Do the english Speak engdish?
I arrived in London at last. The railway station was big, black and dark. I did not know the way to my hotel, so I asked a porter. I not only spoke English very carefully, but very clearly as well. The porter, however, could not understand me. I repeated my question several times and at last he understood. He answered me, but he spoke neither slowly nor clearly. "I'm a foreigner," I said. Then he spoke slowly, but I could not understand him. My teacher never spoke English like that! The porter and I looked at each other and smiled. Then he said something and I understood it. "You'll soon learn English!" he said. I wonder. In England, each man speaks a different language. The English understand each other, but I don't understand them! Do they speak English?
A. Ask questions on the text. Retell the text.
a Private Conversation
Last week I went to the theatre. I had a very good seat. The play was very interesting but I did not enjoy it. A young man and a young woman were sitting behind me. They were talking loudly. I got very angry. I looked at the man and the woman angrily. They did not pay any attention. In the end I could not bear it. I turned round again. "I can't hear a word!" I said angrily. "It's none of your business," the young man said rudely. "This is a private conversation!"
A. Ask questions on the text. Retell the text.
too late
The plane was late and detectives were waiting at the airport all morning. They were expecting a valuable parcel of diamonds
from South Africa. A few hours earlier, someone had told the police that thieves would try to steal the diamonds. When the plane arrived, some of the detectives were waiting inside the main building while others were waiting on the airfield. Two men took the parcel off the plane and carried it into the Customs House. While two detectives were keeping guard at the door, two others opened the parcel. To their surprise, the precious parcel was full of stones and sand!
A. Ask and answer questions on the text. Retell the text.
an experience on the tube A woman is talking about her experience on the tube. I was travelling from Hamburg to London. In fact it was on my way from Heathrow. I was very tired and I was looking forward to getting home. As I was walking along the platform I saw two men walk up behind a young woman. She was carrying her handbag over her shoulder. It was open. I was carrying two suitcases, but I walked quickly and came up behind the two men. As one of them took the purse out of the handbag, I told him to put it back. He dropped it immediately, turned and ran. A. Ask questions on the text. Retell the text.
an adventure
It was a typical summer afternoon; the sun was beating down, the cars were creeping slowly round the corner of the park. Five or six children were playing in the stream by the fountain, jumping in and out of the water, their laughter mixing with the noise of the traffic. All the world was wearing shorts or T-shirts, or bathing costumes; yet Walter Harrison, sitting on a park bench in his overcoat, was feeling cold and lonely. "Where will it all end?" he thought, as he watched the children splashing and laughing. After a few minutes, he got up and walked through the park gates. His adventure was about to begin...
He stopped just before putting his key in the front door. Something was happening in the back garden... Quietly, he crept around the side of the house and looked through the gate. Two
men were standing at the back of the house, holding a ladder. A third man was at the top of the ladder and a fourth inside the house: he was passing furniture through the window to his partner, who then gave it to his friends below. All four were working quietly and efficiently and the pile of furniture in the garden was getting bigger and bigger by the minute. Walter could not believe his eyes: the strangers were emptying his entire flat, and they were behaving as if it was the most normal thing in the world. He coughed loudly and then said, "Excuse me!" — and the man at the top of the ladder dropped his portable TV onto the concrete below. A. Ask and answer questions on the text. Retell the text.
an Accident
Mrs Cross is an old lady who lives in a village in the country outside Bristol. As she is a widow she lives alone.
Last week she had an accident. It was raining and she was walking to the village store. She slipped on the wet road, fell down and broke her hip. By chance, a local farmer was passing on his tractor. He went back to his farm and telephoned for an ambulance.
hitckhiking
James was a student at Oxford University, where he was studying law. Like many students he did not have much money because his grant was only just enough to live on. Last year, during the autumn term, he decided to go to Manchester to visit some friends for the weekend, but he could not afford a train ticket, and even the coach was too expensive, so he had to hitchhike. He caught a bus to the beginning of the motorway and waited. It was a cold, windy November day and while he was waiting he got soaked to the skin. After waiting two hours he finally got a lift from a lorry driver, who was in fact going all the way to Manchester. James felt extremely relieved. The lorry driver seemed a friendly fellow of around 35, reasonably well-dressed and he and James talked a lot. Suddenly, as they were driving along the motorway, a police car raced past them and made them stop. They were taken to the police
station because the police suspected that the lorry was carrying stolen goods. A detective interrogated James for two hours, and he even had to spend the night in a cell. He was eventually released the next day. Apparently, the lorry was carrying stolen television sets. James swore that he would never hitchhike again.
A. Ask and answer questions on the text. Retell the text.
B. Write about a memorable journey that you have made.
A wonderful holiday
Sandra Castle spent her holiday in Italy and had a wonderful time.
Hello. You look well. Where have you been?
I've just come back from Italy.
Oh. Did you have a good time?
Yes. Wonderful.
Where did you go exactly?
Rimini.
Did you go on a package holiday?
Yes, I did. It was very cheap.
Did you stay in a hotel?
Yes, I did.
And how long were you there?
A fortnight.
Did you go alone?
No, I went with my boyfriend.
And what was the weather like?
It was fantastic. It was really hot every day.
What did you do most days?
We went swimming and lay on the beach.
And what did you do in the evenings?
Some nights we went to a bar or a disco and other
nights we just stayed in the hotel.
Did you go on excursions?
No, we didn't.
Oh. Look at the time. I must rush. See you.
Bye.
A. Read the conversation. Ask each other questions about Sandra's holiday.
B. Roleplay the conversation.
C. Ask the person sitting next to you about one of his/her holidays. Ask about the weather, the hotel, the room, the beach, the swimming pool, the food, the waiters. Here are some words ranging from good to bad to help you answer.
| Good | OK | Bad |
| fantastic | not bad | not very good |
| very nice | quite good | terrible |
| wonderful | all right | awful |
| very good | OK | really bad |
Victor's tripto New york
Victor: I went to New York last week.
John: Really? When exactly did you go?
Victor: Last Monday. I flew. I went to the airport and
checked in. The girl behind the counter was beautiful. She said, "First class, business class or economy class?"
John: Which did you choose? Did you have enough money for first or business class?
Victor: I hesitated, but I chose economy class.
John: Smoking or non-smoking?
Victor: Non-smoking. You know I gave up smoking a year ago.
John: Did you have anything to declare?
Victor: Mmh. No, but the customs officer told me to open my luggage.
John: Did he find anything?
Victor: No, he found nothing.
John: Victor, did you have an aisle seat?
Victor: No, I had a window seat.
John: Did you stay at a good hotel?
Victor: Not bad. I stayed at the Hotel Chelsea. It wasn't very expensive.
John: What sort of hotel was it?
Victor: It was full of artists and musicians.
John: I hope they didn't wake you up during the night.
Victor: No, because I didn't sleep during the night, I slept
during the day.
John: And what did you do during the night?
Victor: I went out.
John: Every night?
Victor: Practically.
John: Did you meet any nice girls?
Victor: Sure. I met a lot of nice girls.
John: Did you drink a lot of whisky?
Victor: Yes, I drank a lot of whisky.
John: Did you have a good time?
Victor: Yes, I had a great time.
Johnf Really!
A. Speak about Victor's trip to New York.
B. Roleplay the conversation.
C. Ask each other questions about your last journey by plane.
What a terrible holiday!
Tom MacDonald is talking about his holiday at Vista Beach. I have just come back from a fortnight at Vista Beach. What a terrible holiday! The weather was awful, the town was boring, the hotel was dreadful and I spent all the money. It rained almost every day and there was a strong wind which blew from the sea, so that even when it didn't rain it was impossible to sit on the beach.
There wasn't much to do in the town — not many interesting places to visit. So I stayed in the hotel most days and read a lot of books and watched a lot of rain. In the evenings I went out to
bars and discos and I drank a lot of wine — there were hundreds
of bars. The night life was good, but I didn't talk to many people,
because I didn't feel well.
The hotel looked beautiful in the travel brochure but when I
got there I found it was small and dirty. Most of the meals were badly cooked and the waiters were slow and rather rude. I had a tiny room with one small window and a beautiful view of the local fish market. What a smell! And what a noise! At five o'clock every morning the sound of lorries, fishermen and people
at the market always woke me up. I am back in England now
and I need a holiday.
A. Decide if the following sentences are true or false.
eg It didn't rain much. False. It rained a lot.
1 . He spent a lot of time on the beach.
2. He didn't spend much money.
3. He didn't have much good weather.
4. He didn't visit many places.
5. He didn't read many books.
6. There are a lot of bars at Vista Beach.
7. He didn't drink much wine.
8. He didn't speak to many people.
9. He ate a lot of good meals. 10. He got a lot of sleep.
B. Read the text and ask questions on the text.
C. Speak about Tom MacDonald's holiday at Vista Beach.
D. Speak about your last holiday. Say what you liked and what you didn 't like about it.
Last week it was New Year's Eve and we spent this holiday in Berlin. It was a new experience for us. First of all everybody bought a lot of fireworks. Then on the evening of 31st December people gathered in groups of friends and ate New Year's dinner or buffet meals. At 12 o'clock, midnight, the meals and dancing stopped. Then everybody drank together and wished each other "Happy New Year". A moment later thousands of fireworks went off in the sky above the city. At about 2 o'clock in the morning people started eating cakes. They also drank strong coffee. Probably they didn't want to fall asleep.
A. Ask and answer questions on the text.
B. Tell how you celebrated New Year s Eve this year.
Today most people have a job of some kind, and their only free time is at the weekends. What do people do with this time?
Let's take the Barclay family, for example. James Barclay works in one of Britain's larger cities. He's in his middle forties. His wife is a secretary and they have two children, one ten and one thirteen. They have an old car, and about once a month they are able to get out into the country. We talked to Jennifer, the eldest daughter: "We don't go out a lot but sometimes we go to a place in the country which Mum and Dad know. I think they knew it when they were, you know, younger. It's got a lake, well a pond really, and trees. The dog likes it, he can run around and nobody really minds. It's a very quiet place. Dad doesn't do very much. Often he just sleeps. Mum talks to the dog. Once, earlier this spring, Mum and Dad stopped at a pub for a drink. Dad didn't want to stop because he said it was too expensive, but we stopped anyway, and Mum and Dad went inside. Sharon and I stayed in the garden with the dog. Anyway, I think Mum drank a bit too much. Dad didn't. He's too frightened of the police. You know, drinking and driving. Anyway, we were driving down this road and we were stopped by the police. The policeman asked Dad to blow into the bag, but he was really nervous and he couldn't do it. He's never been stopped by the police before. Sharon and I were laughing in the back seat, but Mum was furious. "Give me that bag!" she shouted at Dad. She took it from him and blew into it herself. "See?" she said to Dad. "Like that!" The policeman looked at the bag, and then at my Mum. He said, "I can see you've had a few drinks, madam. It's lucky you're not driving!"
A. Read the text. Ask and answer questions about the Barclays' drive into the country.
B. Retell the text.
C. Do you often go to the country? What was your last picnic like? How do you generally spend your weekends? What about the members of your family?
Steve: Look, here's a letter from Jack Stevens. Do you remember him, Jill? I used to share a room with him in my first year at college.
Jill: Jack Stevans? Is he the one who used to play the guitar very well?
Steve: Guitar? No, Jack didn't play the guitar! He used to play cards and win!
Jill : Did he smoke very heavily too?
Steve: Yes, that's right.
Jill: What does he say in the letter?
Steve: Oh. Didn't I say? He wants to come and see us!
Old Jim: We had a hard life! When I was a boy—eight years old—I used to work for a few pennies. I made tea for the coalminers here in Derbyshire.
Grandson: How many hours did you use to work at the weekend, Grandad?
Old Jim: Well, we were busy from six o'clock on Saturday morning until eleven on Sunday evening. We used to stay in the mines for thirty-six hours at the weekend.
Grandson: That was a long time, Grandad!
An old man was sitting on a seat in a small park, surrounded by new red brick houses. A young man with a dog came up and sat down beside him.
"It's all changed," said the old man, shaking his head sadly. "You see over there, where those houses are. That used to be the orchard. They used to grow some of the finest pears and apples in the County there.
And over there; you see that house with the green door; there used to be a pond there. When I was a lad, we often used to fish in it. I don't know what happened to that pond. It must be there somewhere under somebody's foundations."
"Are you sure it was there?" asked the young man. "Where the house with the green door stands?" "I'm positive," replied the old man. The young man looked a little anxious. "That's my house," he said, "the one with the green door."
A. Questions
1. Where was the old man sitting? 2. What was the park surrounded by? 3. What did the old man say? 4. Why did the young man look anxious?
B. Turn the following thoughts into USED TO ideas:
eg They grew fine apples there. or
They used to grow fine apples there.
1. They kept cows in that field. 2. There was a tall hedge there. 3. We went to the seaside in the summer. 4. My father took us sailing on the lake. 5. We often went for picnics in the woods. 6. Silvia lived in Kiel, now she lives in Munich. 7.1 liked sugar in my tea when I was very young, now I don't. 8. There was a meadow where that school stands. 9. He had his own horses at one time.
C. Study this sentence:
My brother used to work for PanAm, now he works for Intercontinental Hotels.
We often use this combination of used to with a simple present idea. Make similar sentences:
1. Kim live Georgia/now Texas
2. Alice dancer/now actress
3. Sylvia play guitar/now cello
4. Bob drive long distance lorry/ now coach
5. Mr Church repair clocks/now watches
6. Cyril write The Times/now The Telegraph 1. George play for Spurs/now Fulham
8. Frank teach children/now adults
9. David soldier/now policeman
10. Amelia write love stories/now detective stories
Now what about you? Can you think of some similar statements you could make about yourself?
D. Think back to when you were a child. Answer the following questions as truthfully as possible, using used to:
eg Where did you go to school? I used to go to school in Linz.
1. Give the name of a child you played with when you were young. 2. What sort of food did you like then? 3. What games did you enjoy? 4. What was your favourite season of the year? 5. What sort of things did you do in the holidays? 6. What did you dislike doing? 7. Where did you live? 8. What toys did you have? 9. How did you go to school? 10. Which lessons did you like?
E. The negative form of used to is didn 't use to and to ask questions we use the form: Did you use to...?
Look at this conversation:
- Lousie, "Did you use to like school?" Sally, "Yes, I did, didn't you?" or "No, I didn't, did you?"
Make more conversations like this. Here are some ideas:
have many friends like your teachers enjoy writing compositions play a lot of games dislike any lessons
F. Think back to your first year at school. Write a short account of the things you used to do, and the way you used to feel.
Sometimes I think about my childhood and remember how simple my life used to be. My life is different today. I have more responsibilities today and more pressure.
I used to live in a big house with my parents and brothers and sisters. My mother used to cook my meals and wash my clothes. My father used to play soccer with me. Sometimes, on the weekend, we used to go fishing together. If I needed something,
I used to ask my family. They used to give me money for school books and clothes. Sometimes they gave me money so I could go to the movies. When I was little, I didn't have to get up too early and I didn't have much homework.
Today, I have to take care of myself. No one else cooks my meals or washes my clothes. And no one else pays my rent. Today, I don't have much time for soccer and fishing. I have to get up early, and I have to work hard. If I want to go to the movies or go on a date, I have to save my money. No one else gives it to me. And I have to worry about my flat tires and running out of gas. Yes, it's hard work being an adult!
A. Now use the composition as a model and write about yourself. Compare your life now with your life before. Give your composition a title and be sure to answer these questions. Paragraph 1
1. What do you remember about your childhood?
2. Is your life different today?
3. How is it different?
Paragraph 2
1. Where did you use to live or who did you live with?
2. Who used to take care of you?
3. What did you use to do in your free time?
4. Where did you get your spending money? Paragraph 3
1. Do you take care of yourself today?
2. What kinds of things do you have to do for yourself?
3. Do you have much free time?
4. How do you spend your time?
5. What do you do when you need money for special things?
6. Is it hard work being an adult?
I remember sailing on a pond that used to be my grandfather's sawmill — we had a boat, and we used to go sailing on this. Also we used to do a lot of climbing trees. We used to climb those trees for apples, which we then ate and made ourselves very sick. And my mother would come along and complain very strongly,
but I don't think that stopped us at all. And of course in those days I had a bike, too, and I remember I used to push it up this very long hill near our house and then I'd get on and ride down as fast as I could go. My mother used to complain about that, too.
A. Read the text. Analyse the use of used to and would.
B. Ask and answer questions on the text. Retell the text.
C. Try to remember what you used to/woulddo some time ago.