Instructions
Read instmctions A-D quickly. Which is probably:
an email to a friend ? ......(.....
written on a food packet? ...............
3 connected wit h compu ter software? ...............
4 a note to a new Oat ma te?
Are these sentences tmc (T), false (F) or the instructions don't say (DS)?
(£] The washing rnachine is u nreliable.
DYou shou ld n't put too m uch washing powder in the machine.
D The face2face CD- ROM al ways starts
automatically.
DYou need a mouse to sta rt the CD-ROM.
s DThomas oft en forgets to pu t th e ru bbish
ou tside.
6 DThomas shouldn't use the sink in t he u pstai rs bathroom.
7 DThe dish i n t he recipe is suitable for
vegetarians.
8 DThe reci pe ta kes less t han a n hour.
Reading instructions
Writing
i
nstructions:
connecting
words
(1),
usef ul phrases
Review
i
m
peratives;
computers
°! m
@Ti-e vo.i rro.c.hir.e loo\\ old. but it till voff.. .
Use tl-ese 1m:.tfud1on o.nd. you uld. l:e fine.
Put
<oorre
1 vo.i povder' O(h1d. 1n t1on A Ire ifo.y A
l /'lp.r.g e you don l put loo
tnuc.h povdE'f Iii Ire f (ety .
3 Choose o. vo.'51-11 pfog'OJTYT'e - I o.lvo.p use 3!
Pf '':>to.rt I
It to. o.bou: 40 m1nul on pf ClflYllE' 3. Don't
fOfg?I to Vllc.h Ire m::i.c.hir.e off vhen it \ fini !
B
First insert the face2face CD-ROM into your
CD-ROM d rive .
If Autorun is enabled, the CD-ROM will start au tomatically.
If the CD-ROM doesn't start, double-dick on
'My Computer'. Then double-cli ck on D:. Finally double-click on the face2face icon.
Tick the ideas that arc useful when writi ng inst ructions.
1 [2J Use numhers or hullet poi nts to organise
your inst ruct ions.
DAdd some jokes.
DUse im peratives.
4 DWrite the stages in t he order they should
happen.
5 DGive detailed tech n ical i nforma tion about
b) Which word or words in 4a) would you use:
i
n
the
m
iddle
of
you
r
inst
ruct
ions?
..th.o... , ............................
2 at the end of you r inst ructions? ... ........................
3 mean ing 'at the same time'? ............................
4 at the begin ning of you r instructions? ..........................
a) Look at these useful phrases for inst mctions. U nderline them i n i nst ruction s A-D.
somet hing.
6 DUse the passive more t ha n t he active.
7 DUse illust rat ions.
1 Make sure ...
Don't forget...
Remember that ...
4 You will need ...
s Whateveryou do, ...
6 Try to avoid ...
Inst ructions also use con necting words. Look at t he reci pe (i nst ruct ions D). Which five connecting words docs it use?
.........ffr.J..........
'
............
.
.
..
'
----·-·······················
,
•
Which phra se or phra ses in 5a) are:
a) followed by the infinil ive wi t h to? ······ ······,
b) followed by t he verh+ing?
c) a posi tive or negative i m perat ive?
d)
a
cla
use?
..............
,
...............
©
Hi Thomas,Thanks very much for looking after the house and the dogs while I'm away. I left inslructions on the kilchen table but here are a couple of lhings IIorgo!.
Remember that the rubbish is collected early on Monday mornings. You will need to put the bins outside on Sunday night.
Whatever you do, don't use the sink in the upstairs bathroom. It's broken! Sorry.
See you in a couple of weeks. Call me if lhere are any problems.
Anya
®
l First chop up the onions and garlic.
Then heat a little butter in a frying pan and cook the onions and garlic slowly for about 1O minutes. Try to avoid using too much heat otherwise you will burn the onions.
Next add the beef and cook for 10 minutes or until the meat is brown.
Meanwhile boil 1.5 litres of water in a saucepan with a little olive oil. Add the spaghetti and cook for about 1O minutes.
Add the tomato sauce , salt and pepper to the meat, onions and garlic.Leave on a low heat for 30 minutes.
Finally, you can mix the sauce and spaghetti or serve them separately.
Read t hese instructions. Which of the useful ideas in 3 does the wri ter .!lQ1 use?
L... .
Com ple te sentence b) so it has the same meaning as senten ce a). You can use one, t wo or three words.
You must use the word in hrackets.
a) I f you wa n t to cat the re on Sa t urda y, It h i n k i t's a good idea to book a tabk . (need )
b) I f you wa nt to cat t here on Saturday, you
...........................................book a table.
a) Don't forget to lock all doors and windows . (sure)
b) . you lock all d oors and window s.
a) Don 't forget t hat the oven will stay hot for up t o
30 m inutes. (rem em ber)
b) .......................................... the oven will stay hot for up lo
30 min utes.
a) Don 't usc lhe hand -held comput er i n heavy rain . (avoid )
bl ........................................... t h e hand-held com puter in heavy rain.
a) Rem em ber to take your suit to t he d ry clean er's. (forgcl)
b) ........................................... take your suit to the dry cleaner's.
a) Th e only th ing you sh ouldn 't do is press t he button on t h e left (whatever )
b) ... , don'l press lhe button on the left.
a) Choose one of the ideas below. Make notes on your inst ructions in the table.
1
Do.d . "This tinie we re JOiYlj to !Jet it ri3ht! We don't wo.rr! to miss Bi!J Brother 0.30.in! You need to put o. DVb in the D\it) recorder ond then you Should pre ss the record button. Of course, you'llp roba.h}y need to chO.Ylje the clionnel fir st. I thi11k Bij Brother is on Clionnel Fou r hut you co.n check . "The record button is red, by the wo.y, - you con't
h1iss d. A nd reh1eh1her to use o blank DVb!
b) Wri te the i nstructions in 6a) again as dearly
as possible. Use the connecti ng words in 4a) when possible.
Do.d,
H ere ore some instrudions for the DVb recorder.
rollow them co.ref ully!
J...P..1,1J.?t plank O.V.O.Jn..th..O.Y0. .r.g_@rd.r•.......................
You arc going on holiday a nd a friend is goi ng to feed your cals. vVrit e in slruction s on how often hdshc should fecc.I t hem , where th e food is, etc.
Virile instruction s for usi ng a com puter programme
)'OU know.
You hav e a new flat mate. H e/Sh e is movi ng i n wh ile
you a re on hol iday. \Vri te som e instructions for him/her about general things hdsh e needs to know.
stages
of
instructions
usef
u
l
phrases
other usef ul points,
for example illustrat ions
Write instructions for one of the ideas in 8a).
Use yo u r notes i n Sa).
Use the u sefu l ideas for wri ting insl ru ction s i n 3.
Use connecting word s a nd phrases in 4 and 5.
Read and check for mistakes .
Give you r i nst ru ct ions to you r lcacher n ex t class.
Tick the things you can do in English in the Reading and Writing Progress Portfolio, p88.
Problems and solutions
Pu t paragra ph s A-f i n t he correct order to make two lett ers.
Reading letters to a newspa per about problems i n towns
Writing
letters
to
a
newspaper:
orga
nisation,
connect
i
ng
words
(2),
the
passive
Rev
iew
Present
Simple;
Present
Perfect
Sim
ple;
the
passive
Lett er 1: _f_
• ..... ' ...............
Lett er 2: , ................ , ...............
b) Wh ich letter is about :
a) a pollut ion problem? ...............
b)
a
safet
y
problem?
...............
A
A lthou gh l feel that children should understand that the street (or my garden) is not a l itter bi n , I do not think we help them . There arc no bin s in front of Brighton High. And I have never seen any of the teachers. who drive down the road on their way home, speak to any students about their behaviour.
B
I work in the town centre and, like many other people, live on the other side of the park. My journey home is about 15 minutes shorter if I cycle through the park but in the future I will be cyclin g on the road . It is simply too dangerous.
G
It is time that both the school and the council take some action about thi s problem . For example , students should be told that it can take up to J 2
years for a cigarette stub to decompose*. I n addition ju st three or four bins, that arc emptied regularly, would help the problem enormously. Brighton is a beautiful town . We should keep it l ike that.
D
It would be simple and
*decompose = gradually
become worse in condit ion
inexpensive to repair the path and replace some of the lights. Furthermore it would encourage people to walk or cycle to work rather than drive on our already busy road s. I f th e council do not want to do this, the park should be closed al night and they should lock the gates. It would be very inconvenient for everyone who lives in my area but at the moment it is simply not safe.
E I enjoyed the a rticle about the environment and our town last week. However , you failed to mention the most obvious problem in Brighton : litter. I l ive opposite Brighton lligh Secondary School. Every evening when I come home from work, I pick up a collection of crisp and sweet packets that have been left in my front garden . Furthermore , I am not alone. My neighbours have to do the same thing. In the street , it is even worse with old cigarette stubs and chewi ng gum stuck to the pavement.
®
There
are
only
about
two
worki ng lights and it is impossible to see anything at night. :\Ioreover, when I am not worryi ng about hitting a pede stri an or being attacked, I am worrying about falling off my bike . The path is in a terrible condilion , with several dangerous potholes. Nothing has been done about this even thou gh I have phoned the council several times.
Read t he letters again . Arc these sent ences t rnc (T), false (F) or the lett ers don't say (DS)?
I n letter I th e writ er ...
is a teacher.
2 D t hi n ks child ren should be m ore respon si ble
abou t li tter.
3 D belie ves teach ers could h el p m ore with th e
In lett er 2 t he wri t er ...
Dof ten cycles through t h e pa rk.
D ha s fa llen off h is/h er bi ke before.
7 Dhas t ri ed con ta cti ng t he cou n cil a bou t th e ligh ts.
D t hi nks th e park should be dosed a t n igh t.
probl em.
4 Dt hinks that som e more bi n s would com plet ely
B
The wri t ers of both letters ...
Dli ve i n t he sam e town .
sol ve the problem . 9
Help with Writing
Each letter is organised into three paragraphs. Match paragraphs A-f to functions 1-3.
Fu rther details ahou t the problem:
.....A...... '
2 Suggcslion of a sol u tion :
3 Int rod u ction to t he problem:
············ - 'I ·········· ..
a)
The
letters
arc
formal
and
use
connecting
words.
Which
connecting
words
in
bold
arc
similar
in
meaning
to
and
or
but?
and:
/n
a.dd.lt.iq.n
,
.............................
'
2 but: .. ................. ....... , . . . .............. ....... ,
b) Complete these rules wi th t he connecting words in 4a).
1 We use q_f.th.o.v.gh or .... ...........
to
cont
ras1
two
clauses
i
n
th
e
same
senten
ce.
2 \Ve use ............... . ........... to cont rast 1wo sentences. (We alwa)'S pu t a comma after t h is word .)
3 We use
or at
t he begin n i ng of sen tences to add more infonnalion.
Formal letters often USC the passive. U nderline examples of the passive in the letters.
Why is the passive used in the letters? Tick the correct reasons.
DThe subject isn't i m porta n t.
2 DWe wa nt to keep t he su bjec t
secret.
DThe c;ubject is obvious.
DWe don't know t he subject.
Choose t he correct words . Sometimes both answers are possible.
The park is em pt y i n t he week. Moreover/ , it is q ui te crowded a l weekends.
2 Even though/However, t here is a lot a t raffic, I Joye where I l ive.
3 Schools arc not teaching st udents abou t recrcling . Furthermore/ Even though t here a rc vcr)' few rcc)'cli ng bi ns in our town.
4 Even though/Although I recycle a lot of rubbish , Iknow Icould do more.
s There is not hi ng to do in our town at weekends. Moreover/
However
,
t
here
arc
vcr)'
few
pla
ces
t
o
go
at
n
igh
t.
6 There aren't man)' places to park here. In addition/Furthermore the ca r pa rks we have a re incredibl y ex pensive .
7 The British recycle about 12% of their rubbish. Furthermore/ However, Ihe Japanese recrcle over 40% of t heirs.
Write t hese sentences in the passi\'e.
They've pu t in more C)'clc lanes. .MP.r.e._(;y(.fe /afJ.$.b.a.v.e .b.e fJ.P.V.t io....
2 They must repai r the road . ............... ...........................
3 People don't use rccrcl i ng bi ns regular!)'
4 o one ever empties the bins . .
s They recycle a lot of glass. ··-·················· ..............
6 They told me that t hey would replace the ligh ts.
Think about a problem in your town or city. Make notes in t he table.
describe
the
problem
f urther details about the problem possible solutions
possible results
·write a fonnal letter to a local newspaper about the problem you chose in Ba) .
Use you r notes from Sa).
Use the organisation of the l etter in 3.
Use the con ncc1ing words in 4 where possi ble.
Use t he passive if a ppropriate.
Read and check for mistakes.
Give )"OUT letter to your !cacher next class.
Tick t he things you can do i n English in the Reading and Writing Progress Port folio, p88.
•
A letter of application
Read the advertisement. Ti ck four more qualities you think an appli cant for this j ob should have .
organised ./
b}
speaks
foreign
la
nguages
Reading a job advertisement; a letter of application
Writing
letters
of
application:
organisat
ion,
usef
ul
phrases
Review work collocations
c) gets on well with people
d} abili ty to work overt i m e
e) good com pu ter skills
f} non-smoker
g) ability to ma ke q uick decisions
h} ability to drive
Read t h e letter of applicat ion and answer t he questions.
Where d id Ch ristin e see t he advertisement?
.!.o..th.c..G.v.m:J.ig.fJ._ O.C.W$p_qp_c.r......
Does Ch risti n e ever t each a t t he Black Lion? ....................................... ......
What information i n t he advertisement does Ch risti ne talk abou t in her letter? ................... . .......
4 Why docs she wan t a new job?
s How do we know Ch ristine likes doi ng sport? ............................................ .
Wha t has Ch ristin e sent wi t h her application letter? .................................
What ki nd of person do you thi nk Christ i ne is? .............................................
Fitness Trainer
We require an experienced fitness trainer for the Well Retreat Centre. As part of a team, you will develop training programmes for our customers. You will travel to several of our centres and give advice and training to other Well Retreat Centre instructors. This position is based at our centre in North London but involves extensive travel and flexible working hours.
Please apply in writing with a recent CV to:
Dear Sir/Madam,
11 am writing in reply to you r advertisement in the Guardian for a fitness trainer at the Well R etreat Centre.
2At the mom ent, I a m working as the Health and Fitness assistant manager at the Black Lion Sports Centre in Kent. 3My respon sibilities range from
orga
nising
timetables
and
managing
instru
ctors
to
giving
classes.
1
also
offer
specia
lised
fitness
traini
ng
advice
for
several
gyms
in
l
.ondon
and
in
the
Southeast
.
This
role
involves
working
with
instructors
and
custom
ers
to
plan
diets,
fitness
and
lifestyle
programmes,
according
to
their
needs.
1
work
long
hours,
but
1
enjoy
my
work.
I have been working at the Black Lion and for other gyms for three years and both jobs have taught me a wide range of skills that arc valuable in my work. However, 1 would now like the opportunity to develop these skills in a full-time position with more responsibility . Fu rthermore, 1 would also like to work in more of a team environm ent. For these reasons 41 am very interested in working for the Well Retreat Centre.
5As you will see from my CV, fitness is also one of my main interests. When I hav e time to relax, 1 go running. 1 recently participated in this year's London Marathon. I have also written several articles for fitness trainin g magazines in the UK and the USA.
1
would
be
pleased
to
discuss
this
letter
and
my
enclosed
CV,
and
61
look
forward
to
hearing
from
you
.
Yours faithfully,
Chn s-t1Vle- fh,1vte
Christine Paine
Help
with
Writing
Read
the
letter
again.
Match
paragraphs
A-E
to
functions
1-5.
•
Fu rt her i nforma tion abou t yourself: ..0..2 \Vhat you arc doing at the moment: ........
Conclu sion :
Why you are wri ting: ........
s Why you arc a pplying:
Help
with
Writing 
Q
a)
Look
at
the
formal
phrases
l-6
in
bold
in
t
he
lette
r.
Ma
tch
them
to
infonnal
sentences
a)-0.
There is some i nformation abou t this on my CV. .....5...... d) These a rc t he t h i ngs 1 have to do at work . ..............
I saw your advert in t he paper so 1 t hough t I'd wri te. ............... e) Please wri te soon.
I really want Lo work for you r com pan y. ...............
b)
Complete
phrases
1-6
from
the
letter
wit
h
these
words
.
This is what ldo now.
.m- at as (x 2) from (x 3) in (x 2) to (x 3) for (x 2)
1 am writing ..f!'J...... repl y . . . your
advertisemen t the G11cmlicm a ...
4 1 am very interested
s .............. you wil l sec
working
my CV, ...
2
...............
t
he
moment
,
1
a
m
working
..............
a/the
...
-1
3 My respon sibilities range ............... ... ............... ...6 I look forwarcl hea ring
you.
Read
this
letter
of
application.
Put
paragra
phs
A-E in the correct order.
D....... ' ............... ' ........
@ At the oment Ia m working full-time at a receptionist for a la rge American bank in London. My responsibili ties range of meeting visitors to answering phones and taking messages.
b)
Read
the
letter
of
application
again.
f
i
nd
ten
mistakes
and
correct
them.
Choose
one
of
these
advertisements
or
you
r
own
idea.
i\fake
notes
on
a
letter
of
application
in
the
table.
I
Personal trainers .
@ I look forward to hearing of you.
Yours sincerely,
E-t1zo.JoeA;h We../;
Elizabeth West
@ I am interested of medical issues and three years
Our agency has a : personal trainer position ' available. You will be
, working with musicians on tours all over the
. wor1d. You should have
of ideas about cooking for
special diets.
dvertisement
. at least 5 years of experience of fitnessI training and diet
: planning.
\Ve are looking for a cook
for our health centre in Wallingford, near Oxford. We run courses for people who are following special diets as part of a health programme. You should have experience and lots
ago, I had a temporary position with a secretary on the Wellington Hospital. I believe my experience, interest and enthusiasm would be excellent for
you r position.
®
Dea r Mrs Crouch,
I am writing the reply to your advertisement on
The Times of a receptionist at St John's Wood Surgery.
@ As you will see on my CV, I have over nine years of experience. In this time, I have learned a wide variety of skills connected with my work. I have also realised that I particularly enjoy the personal contact that receptionists have with people.
Therefore I would like the opportunity to work in
a smaller office environment.
where you saw the a --
what you are doing at the moment
why you are applying
further information about yourself
b) Wri te a letter of application.
Use your notes from 6a).
Use t h e organisa tion of t he l euer i n 3.
Use t he formal ph rases in 4.
Read a nd check for mistakes.
Give your letLer Lo your teacher next class.
Tick the things you can do in English in t he Reading and Writing Progress Portfolio, p88.
•
Describing people
Rad t he descri ption qu ickl y. Tick the t hings 1-5 that Fiona mentions .
D Kate's boy friend.
D How Fiona met Kat e.
DKa te's personali ty.
4 0Kate's appearance .
s DKate's favou ri te hobbies.
Abou f six yui.,.s o8. ° I woS 1nvtf ul fo on old school f ,-1e.nd" s we.dd 1na We. ho.d bun re.olly fr1e.nds of school buf I hodn 'f seen her fo,. 1.1 few ye.1.1,-s. So Iwos 1.1 bd surpri sed fo 3e.f on 1nvtf 1.1 f1on WhenI,.e,1.1 l1sedIkne.w no one. e.lse. of fhe.
we.dd1113.Ifliou 3Af d woS 301118 fo be. o lon3 doy Bv.f fhe.n I
n-£.f Kofe. And . we.II. [JU-"5S she. 's rrry be.sf fne.nd now
The. f1rs f fh1rlf) I nof1ce.d obouf Kofe. woS he.r sh0"5 In fod d was d1f f1culf fo m1SS fhe.m! The.y were. b,.13M ,.e,d ond f he.y were. fhe. only fli1n3Icould se.e. - she. wos under 1.1 foble. look 1n:J fo,. lie.,. confocf le.ns' AsIwolke.d byIso1d ·N ice. s/ioe.s!" ond
Iliui.rd he.r Soy "Tlio.nks 1• Then wlie.n she. come. ouf f,.om unJe.,. fhe. fl.Ible. we. looked of e.och ofher o.nd l1.1u3he.d ! We. hod e.xocf ly fne. some. dress on ! We. hove. very sondor fosfe.-1.!J. ciofhe.s ,,,
foc f - we. like. b,.13Af clof/ie.s - sf r 1pe.d ond flowery J,.e.sSt,S ond fops Bu f we. look comple.f e.ly d 1f fe.re.n f She. is fonne.d ond looks Sp1.1n1sh o,. If 1.1l11.1n Ilook f yp1co.ll y En:Jl1sh! We.·,.e. bofh 111 our m1d -fwe.n f 1e.S buf '""'f notr" IS shod o.nJ blonde. ond ner S IS lon:J ond dork I'm nof ve.,.y foll buf she. 's fol/er f/ion mos f men I know In focf she. looks like. 1.1 mode.I ond I we.II , don' f!
Ou,. pusonolt fie.s we. very d1f fe.,.e.n f, foo She.'s much mo,.e. c.onf 1de.nf fhon Iom Bu f s/ie. co.n be. SO d1so,.9°111se.ci of f1me.S
Icon' f ,.e,me.mber fhe. numbe.,. of f1me. s we.' ve. m issed fhe. sf o,.f
of 1.1 film . ploy o,. conce.,.f be.couse. Ko fe. wo.S lofe.! Howe.ve.,., she's funn y wo.r"m ond fhe. mosf constde.,.ofe. ond unse.lf 1sh pe.,.son I know She. s 1.1lw1.1ys re.o.d y wtf h 1.1 wp of fe.o ond some.
o.dv1ce. whenIhove. o prob lem
I've. le.orne.d so 1>1..1c.h f,. om Kofe. And I woS SO luck y fo me.e.f
/ie_,. I'm sure. we.'// be. f,.1e.nds fo,. life. And oil be.co.use. of fh ose. love.ly ..e.d shoes ond lier fyui. f fos fe. 111 clof ne.s'
Reading a description of a good friend Writing descriptions of people :orga nisation usef ul phrases ·
Review
describing
people;
cha
racter
adjectives
;
adjectiv
es
to
describe
behaviou
r
( v 9' " w'
Read the description agai n and answer these questions.
Where did Hona meet Kate?
Why did t hey sta rt talki ng?
What kind of thi ngs do t hey both like?
How arc t hey different in appearance?
s How a rc t hey di fferent in personality?
6
Why
doc<>
f
iona
think
Kate
is
kind
?
Fiona's story contains four parts , which
each
have
a
di
fferent
function
.
Put
parts
a)-d)
in
t
he
order
1-4
in
which
t
hey
occur
in
the
description.
lier fcclings n ow 4......
b) Cha ract er: ...............
c) Int rod u ct ion/How t hey me t : ...............
d) Ph ysica l appea rance/Cl othes: ...............
a) Read t he description again. Underline
these useful phrases for describing people.
We have si m ilar tast e i n ...
I/We look ...
3 Sh e looks l i ke a ...
4 She's t he ... (person ) I k n ow.
b)
Wh
ich
phrase
or
phrases
in
4a):
a) arc followed by a n oun ? .. .} . . ,
b) cont ains a superlat ive? -·-····---·--·-
c)
is
followed
by
an
adjec
t
i
ve?
...............
a) Complete sentence h ) so it has t he same meani n g as sent ence a). Use th e phrases
in 4a).
1 a) Sh e has a worried expression on her face.
b) ..Sb.d P.9KS..WPt:ried.
2 a) People t hin k l'm intelligen t beca u se I wea r glasses!
b) beca u se I wear
glasses!
3 a) We like t he same kind of m usic.
b) We have ........................................ 1nusic.
4 a) Can you t ell me about her a ppeara n ce?
b) Can you t ell me w ha t she
. . ····································· ?
s a) I d on't k now a nyon e m ore t alent ed t ha n Pa u l.
a) Ihave a similar face 10 m y sister.
b) I look . ....................... sist er.
a) I don't k n ow a nyone worse a t driving t ha n h i m .
b) He ....................................... driver I k n ow.
b) Correct the mistakes in t hese sentences.
angry
1 Th ey look . don't they ?
My bro t h er an d I have similar taste on ca rs.
People thi n k I look like Swedish bu t I'm actually Brazilian!
4 My dad is one of t h e m ost funny peo pl e I kn ow. s He looks likes h is fat h er, doesn't he?
6 Sh e looks well in t h a t d ress.
a) Think abou t someone you know well. !\lake notes in t he tabl e.
how
you
met
physical
appea
ra
n
ce
personality
what you think of the person now
b) Writ e a description .
Use you r n ot es from Ga) .
Use t he organisa ti on of t he description i n 3.
b) Paul is ..................
k now.
person l
Use the phrases i n 4.
Read and check for mista kes.
Give your descri pt ion to your teach er nex t class.
6 a) je a n and Ka t e enj oy t he sam e t ype of
fil ms.
b) jea n and Kate have ................ ....................
fil m s.
Tick the thi n gs you can do in English in t he Reading and Writ ing Progress Portfolio , p88.
Telling
a
story
When Jamie wal ked
i n to t he offices of t he Cha rlton Corpo ration, he was fceling
absol u tel y terrified .
He'd never been in
su ch a large building before. Eve rythi ng looked so clean , so organ ised a nd even
qui t e glamorous. It did n't hel p, of course, t hat he was la te . He'd decided to go by u nderground rather t han t he bus and it 'd been delayed. He'd sa t in a tun nel near Padd i ngt on Station. He had n 't even been a ble to use his mobil e to tell
t hem he'd be la t e.
It was now 9.25 a nd his i nterview was su pposed to start a t 9.
He told t he receptionist his na me a nd apologised for being la te . The receptionist to ld hi m not to worry. I n fact, he told Jam ie, one of t he interviewers had n't a rrived yet. So i t didn 't ma iler. Ja mie sat down i n one of t he la rge armchairs in
reception a nd picked u p a newspaper . But he could n't concentra te on any of t he stories.
"Relax, Ja m ie. Relax," he told himself.
Abou t five min utes later a woman sat down beside Ja mie. She was wea ring a suit a nd carrying a lea t her bag tha t looked expensive. She looked nervous too.
"Nice hag, " Jamie said.
"Thank you," she replied. "Arc you here for an i nterview?"
Jamie sudden ly felt a lot better. She was obviously in t he same sit ua t ion as he was. A nd she was qui te good-looki ng, too.
"Yes," h e said.
"Arc you feeling nervou s?" she asked.
"No, not really, "Ja mie lied. "Alt hough a n old school friend of mine works here and he says t hat my i nterviewer is rea l l y bad -tem pered a nd rude. She works in a d ifferen t office a nd every t i me he's m et her, she's been really arroga nt. So I'm not look ing forward to that!"
The woman laughed . She had a beau tiful la ugh , Jami e
t hought. They started cha ning abou t interviews. Jam ie told her abou t t he t ime he'd gone for an i n terview and realised he still had a piece of chewing gum in his momh. He'd been so nervou s tha t he'd pu t i t u nder b is chair i n t bc in terview room. She la ughed again. She likes me, Ja mie t hought.
Ile told t h e woma n some m ore stories a bou t himself. H e lost h is last perma nen t job, he told her, when he fell asleep at his desk t he day after a big party at a friend's house . He
had n't really cared as he though t the job was too st ressful
a
nyway.
She
laughed
agai
n.
Maybe
he
shou
ld
ask
her
for
her
phone
n
u
mber,
Jam
ie
t
hough
t.
Reading a story abou t a n intervi ew
Writ ing verb forms in stories
Review Past Si m ple; Past Conti n u ous; Pa st Perf ect
Read the first pa rt of th e st ory and pu t even ts a)-h ) i n the correct order 1-6. There are two ext ra events tha t do n ot happen i n th e stor y.
a) 0Ja mie pu t some chewing gum under
a chair.
b} 0Ja m ie said sorry to th e recept ion ist.
c) DThe woma n and Ja mie talked abou t i nterviews .
d) 0Jamic caught an undergrou nd train.
e) DThe woman told Jam ie she had a n in terview too.
f) 0Ja mic asked t he woman for h er phone nu mber.
g) 0Jamic arrived at the Charl ton Corporal ion.
0Jamie met the woma n.
Read t h e story again and ch oose th e best answers.
Why was Jamie nervous?
Beca use he had an in terview.
b) Beca use h e was la te.
@ Bot h a) and b) .
2 How was Jamie l ucky ?
One of his interviewer s was also la te.
b} I !is u ndergrou nd t rai n wasn't delayed for long.
c) No one else had applied for t he job.
3 Why d id Jamie lie to t he woma n?
Because h e was feeli ng more relaxed .
b} Because he t hought t he woman was nervous .
c) Becau se he t hough t she was a tt ractive .
4 How d id Jamie know somet hi ng abou t his i nterviewer?
He had worked wit h her before.
b) One of his friends knew her.
c} He had been at school wit h h er.
5 Why did Jamie thi nk the woma n liked him?
Because she laughed at all his stories.
b) Because she told him she did.
c) Both a) a nd b).
Help with Writing
a) Underline the first exam ple of each of these verb forms in the first pa rt of the story.
Presen t Perfect Sim ple he's met
Past Sim ple
Past Conti n uous
4 Past Perf eet
s Present im plc
6
Present
Contin
uous
a)
Read
and
complete
ihe
second
part
of
the
story
with
the
correct
for
m
of
the
verb
in
brackets.
A t t hat moment, a ma n appea red a nd Ja mie's new friend 1 . Jpod (sta nd ) up. The man
..... obvious l y ............................ (meet )
t he woma n bcf orc. The y kissed each other on
t he cheek and Ja m ie, stu pid l y, felt a hit jealous.
But while t hey 3 ·········--·--------· (wa l k ) towa rds the lift, the woman looked back, 4
(sm ile) an d said "Good l uck !"
A few mi n u tes later, th e receptionist told Jamie that his in terviewers were ready now. He IOok .Jamie to a room a t the end of a long
corridor and 5 •••••• (knock) on the door.
Two people 6................••.....•..... (tal k) in the room a nd Jamie heard someone laugh.
Then t he recept ionist open ed t he door and looked at Jamie.
7
b) Look at where the verb forms arc used and choose the correct word in the rules.
We usuall y usc prcscntl past verb forms i n di rect speech in stories .
We usually usc present/pas t verb forms in stories when we describe t h ings t hat happen .
c)
Look
at
the
story
again.
\Vhich
verb
forms
arc
used
most
often
in
the
story?
a)
Think
ahout
a
time
you
fch
very
nervous
abou
t
someth
ing,
for
example
an
i
nterview
or
your
first
clay
at
a
new
school
or
work
place
.
Make
notes
in
the
table.
What
was
the
day?
How did you feel? Why?
Did
you
meet
anyone
who
helped
you
feel
less
nervous?
What happened in the end?
" . ......••..............•.. )'OU ............................. (feel )
OK? " t he receptionist asked .
.
Jamie's face 8 ..............-.. ......... (be) white . He suddenly felt sick. He 9••••.....• •• ••........... (h ear) that laugh before. And although h e 10•..•.•......(not ca n) see his interviewers yet , he could see a fa milia r expen sive lea t h er bag on th e tabl e ...
Why didn't Jamie feel very well when he arrived at the room?
Write a story about your experience .
Use your notes from 5a).
Use past verb fo rm s ( Past im plc, Past Perfect , et c.) to describe the t h i ngs that ha ppened and, if
ncce sa ry, present verb for ms ( Present Simple, etc.) for di rect speech.
Remember that you can i nven t some or all of t h e story if you want to .
R ead and check for mistakes .Give your story to your teacher next class.
Tick the things you can do in English in t h e Reading and Writ ing Progress Portfolio , p88.
Describing important moments
Readi ng descriptions of im portant moments
Writi
ng
common
mista
kes;
descriptions
of
events
Review
work
collocations;
phrasal
verbs
for
travel
"
Read t he article quickly. Whose descript ion is
The
day
that
changed
my
life
Five years ago I was working in an
connected wi t h ...
his/her career?
Al 1 Wl :EK. we 'vc been collecti n g
your stories on important moments.
\Ve 'vc had stories from all over the world - some romantic , some funny, some sad. •lllere a rc a few of t he best.
Ten yea rs ago, I was in my final year at university. During the holidays I decided to visit my grandparents, who
l ive in Boston, USA. bl ( was wai ti n g i n t he q ueue at Heat h row check-i n when a woma n approached me. She worked for the airl i ne and she told me t hat they had overbooked the flight. She ofTcred me a flight anywhere in Eu rope if Iagreed to ta ke a later flight to Roston . My grandparents wouldn"t worry and I wasn't i n a hurry so I agreed.
W hen I got home from my gra ndparents. Istarted t hink ing about my free flight. Paris, perhaps? A weekend in Venice or Barcelona?
A few night s later. I got a phone
call from an old friend Owen. \Ve 'd
office. •lM y life was a ll a bou t
dealing wit h com pla ints, meet ing deadl i nes and wri t i ng reports. I wa sn 't completely bored but it didn't excite me. One lunchtime Iwent out to buy a sandwich. It was sunny and I wasn't busy at work so I decided to eat it in the park . I could sec a group of people filming a TV program me nearby. They seemed to be argui ng about somet hi ng a nd everybody looked very stressed.
Suddenly I realised 0cveryonc was looking at me. And then two of them starting walking over towards me! They explained t hat they were making a short film and one of their actors hadn't turned up. He only had one l ine in t he story, they said. Would I mi nd saying the line?
I could tell they were desperate and although I'd never done any acting in my life, for some reason Iagreed.
An hour later we had finished. 11t
had been an a mazing ex perience.
b) a rcla1 ionsh ip? ....
Read the descriptions again. Arc t hese sentences t rue (T), false (f) or t he text doesn't say (DS)?
1 [£] Mia was offered a
free nigh t becau se the Oigh t 10 Boston wa s cancelled .
DOwen and Mia went
ou1 a t u niversi ty.
DOwen wasn't
Port uguese .
4 DM ia was s1ill st ud yi ng at u niversity when she
first went 10 Port ugal.
s DSteven ha ted his old j oh.
0Ste\"en had always
want ed 10 be an actor.
DHe got some moner for
his fi r
1 job as
k nown each ot her at university but he
was a year older than me . When he'd left university. we'd lost touch . A nyway, he was teaching in Lisbon , Portugal. We chatted for a long time, so Idecided to go and sec him.
Ile had only been in Lisbon for a year but his Port uguese seemed really good. I was impressed. <lA nd Idon't k now if it was his la nguage skills, t he su nshine or Lisbon itself. But on that short visit I fell i n love wit h Owen. Three yea rs ago we got ma rried. A nd in November, we're goin g t o have a ba by. dl J f I ha d n't agreed to ta ke a later flight, I m ight never have met Owen aai n!
Mia, Maida Vale, London
The people were very grateful and paid
me for my time. Ilowcver, as I was leaving. the director of the film came over and gave me his card. He thought 1'd been brilliant and was naturally talented as an actor. I laughed but promised to call him some time.
Well, I did call him. And I went for an audition for another short film with the director. And I got the job. Two years later Ileft my office job and I'm now worki ng almost full-time as an actor. h> I low t he work and I'm goi ng back to college next year to sh1dy d rama. My l ife is now completely di ffcrcnt. And all because of l unch in the park!
Steven, St. John x H ood. London
a n act or.
8 DIle !cft work bccausl' he had too m uch
act i ng work.
Choose the reasons which probabl y hel ped Mia or
St even to make t he decision that cha nged t hei r li fe. Write
.M (lia), S (Steven) or B
(bot h) next to each reason.
fa m ily .M....
t he wea t her ..........
c) t i me .............
d) somet hi ng free
e) boredom
Help
with
Writing
a) Students often make mistakes in
language areas 1-8 wh en th ey w rit e. Look at phrases a)-h) i n bold in the article.
J\fat ch a)-h ) t o 1-8.
same sound bu t cl ifferen t spelli ng (here/
hea1; t hey' re/there, you're/you r, etc.) ... _;,.J.....
2 Presen t Sim ple/Presen t Con t i n uous wi t h state ve rbs (lihe, hate, etc.): ...............
3
Past
Simple/Past
Con
in
uous
in
sente
nces
wi t h when/while:
4 evc1)1011e + t hin.I person : ....
s rellexive pronou ns: ...............
6 com monly confu sed nouns or verbs ,
(
experie11ce/experi111e11t,
argue/discuss
,
mahd
do,
etc.):
7
verbs
+
preposi
tions
(
deal
wil
li
,
ete.):
···········-··
8 condit iona l sentences:
m
b) Match \anguage areas 1-8 in 4a) wit h these examples of correct and incorrect sen tences.a) I'm teacl1i ng myself to pla y the piano .
not I'm lei1chi11g m e le plfl)' I li c 11im10 .
b} DIheard you 're gelling married soon.
not I hcanl ye11r get ling lllfHTied seen.
c) DIf I'd been on time, we would n't have been
late.
not lf I we11ltl 11'1 !uwe hce11 ltue, ...
d} DCan yo u deal wit h a cust omer complaint?
not Ctm yeu defll ef €1 custemer complaint?
e) D Iwas waili ng for a bus when I met h er.
not l wfli t ed fer €1 h11s when I met lier.
DEve1yo11e want s to meet yo u.
not Evf'J)'f!IH' wwH 10 meet )'f! ll .
D My brot her a11d I vc1y oft en wgue.
not A1y lmll her t1111l l w1;i· <efte11 lisrnss.
h)
D1
love
my
joh
.
llOt
Read t hese descri pt ion s of important mom ent s. Find four more mi stakes in each one and correct them .
myself
I lrn t r writ i ng about ttte but I wa nted to say
somet hing on t h is topic. The day t h at cha nged my life is not con n ect ed wi t h l uck or serend i pi ty. It's
sim ply the day my daughter was born. Everyone say t ha t babie s cha nge your life. A nd t here right ! Idon't get as m uch sleep as I 11 ed to. And I don't go out as much. Bu t every day I'm t hi 11kin g how lucky I am to be a father. And Ican 't believe that Ididn 't do t his deci sion yea rs ago.
Pete Ke1111y, West llampstead , London
My
moment
is
rather
silly
really.
But
it's
important
to
me.
About
five
years
ago
Iwoke
up
one
morning
and
decided
I
couldn't
go
to
work
that
day.
I
phoned
my
boss
and
told
her
I
wasn't
well.
Then,
I
lay
in
bed,
thinking
in
my
life.
"You
need
a
cup
of
tea."
Itold
myself.
But
while
Imade
it,
Iknocked
over
the
milk.
If
there
is
one
thing
I
can't
stand,
it's
tea
without
milk.
So
I
walked,
in
a
miserable
mood,
to
the
corner
shop
to
buy
some.
Back
at
home,
I
noticed
a
competition
on
lhe
outside
of
the
milk
carton.
I
can't
even
remember
what
I
had
to
do
now.
Anyway,
Ientered
the
competition
and
...
Iwon!
Two weeks' holiday for myself and a f riend in the Caribbean. Not much I know, but at the time I really needed that holiday. And if I wouldn't have had ii, I wouldn't have made several important decisions that changed my life.
Kate Barker, Kilburn, London
Think about an important momen t in your life so far. M ake not es in t he t ahlc.
What happened?
What
were
you
doi
ng
at
the
ti
me?
How
did
it
change
you
r
life?
b) Write a description about your important moment.
Gse your notes i n 6a).
Remember tha t you can i nvent some or all of you r description.
Read a nd check for t he com mon mistakes i n 4.
Write you r descri ption agai n if you need to.
G ive your descriptio n to your teacher next class.
Tick t h e things you can do in English in t he Read ing and Writin g Progress Portfolio , p88.
•