Chapter 5 :

Asking for Directions 

First National Bank  Metro Zoo  unny 

Sunny Beach 
Joe’s Super Burger

Lewis Boulevard 
Charlie Chapin Cinema 
Post Office 

Hugo´s 
Gym 

Conversation Practice : 

Jack :  How do I get to the First National Bank from 

Sunny Beach. 
Tim :  Walk along Lewis Boulevard past the Metro Zoo. It 
is right next to Joe’s Super Burgers on the north 
side of the street. 
Jack :  Thanks a lot you’ve been a real help ! 
Tim :  Your welcome. Is it your first time in Jacksonville ? 
Jack : Well, we just moved here from Toronto so we are still 
getting used to the city. 
Tim:   Oh, welcome to Jacksonville. I’m sure I´ll see you 
around sometime. 
Jack : Yeah. Thanks again. 

Direction vocabulary : 
walk up  on the right  next to  across from 
walk down  on the left  between  beside 
walk along  on the north side  in front of  south 
north  on the south side of  east  west 
down the ...  up the ... 
Practice asking for directions with a classmate using the street scene 
above. Substitute the different locations and direction vocabulary in your 
conversations. 
Common Conversations about Directions 

Do you know where the washrooms are ? 

Franco :  Excuse me, do you know where the washrooms are ? 
Lisa :  Yes, they are down the hall on your left. 
Franco :  Thanks a lot. 
Lisa :  No problem. 

Cultural note: In English the washrooms can also be called the restrooms, the 
bathrooms, the men’s room, and the ladies room.  Some slang expressions include; the can 
and the john. Generally, it is not impolite to ask for the washrooms and it isn’t  necessary to 
excuse yourself when you need to use them.. 

Is there a payphone near here ? 

Rosemary :  Excuse me. Is there a payphone near here? 
Caroline :  Yes, I think so. I think there is one across the street 
in  front of the travel agency. 
Rosemary .  Do you know if it takes calling cards ? 
Caroline :  No, I’m sorry. I have no idea. 
Rosemary :  Okay, well thanks anyway. I´ll check for myself. 
Caroline :  Good luck. Bye. 
Rosemary.:  Oh, bye. Thanks for your help. 
Caroline :  Don’t mention it. * 

*Don´t mention it means the same as ; It’s no problem. or It’s nothing. or You’re welcome. 
Where is the airport, please ? 
John :     Can you tell me where the airport is, please? 
Hotel clerk: Certainly, sir. You drive west along Bloor 
St.  until  you  come  to  a  sign  that  says  highway  401. 
Turn right at the sign and continue north along highway 
401  until  you  see  a  sign  for  the  airport  on  your  left. 
Take the exit marked terminal. 
John : Could you write that down for me, please. 
Hotel clerk : Sure, no problem, sir. 
John : Thanks a lot you have really been helpful.
I.­ Look at the map and complete the conversation. 
1.­  A: Excuse me, sir. Is __________________ a bank _____________ here? 
B: Yes, there’s a bank _______________ Fifth Street. 
A: And, is there a coffee shop _________________ the bank? 
B: Sure, there’s a coffee shop _____________ the post office and Norma’s gym. 
A: Thank you. 

2.­  A: Excuse me, miss. Is there a supermarket ______________    ____________? 
B: Yes, there is. It’s ____________________ the park? 
A: Oh, I know. There’s a news­stand just in front of the supermarket, right? 
B: No. The news­stand is ______________ Oak St. And Fourth, but there’s a 
bus stop _____________________ the supermarket. 
A: OK, thank you. Bye! 
II.­ Help these people! Look at the map and write directions for them. 
1.­ Alice is going to the department store. 

2.­ Laura is looking for a hotel. 

3.­ Jim is going to the cinema. 

4.­ Bob is looking for a gas station. 

5.­ Carol is looking for a coffee shop. 

III.­ Answer the questions. 
1.­ Where can Alice buy food? _____________________________________________ 

2.­ Where can Bob have dinner? ____________________________________________ 

3.­ Where can Kate buy a magazine? ________________________________________ 

4.­ Where can Jim buy a book? _____________________________________________ 

5.­ Where can Sue buy aspirin? _____________________________________________ 

6.­ Where can you buy clothes? _____________________________________________
 THE MAP OF BLOOMFIELD 
Pop. 12,019  27 stop lights 
26 km by 25 km  2 police stations 
26 ladies bars  1 unemployment office 

O
Alice SECOND 2nd STREET
X
GAS GRAND NEWMAN‛S
Pine STATION Elm HOTEL Oak SUPERMARKET Palm
X X X
Rd
O Carol THIRD 3 STREET

St. RESTAURANT St. CINEMA St. PARK St.

X X
FOURTH 4th STREET

LIBRARY BANK POST COFFE NORMA‛S

X OFFICE E GYM
X X SHOP
X
X
th
FIFTH 5 O STREET O
Bob Laura
PARKING BOOK FLOWER DEPARTMENT
LOT STORE SHOP STORE
X
X X X
th
O Jim SIXTH 6 STREET 

X = Entrance  O = Location of people

Scale 1:26000
 Grammar Tip

In English, we use capital letters when referring to street names,

for example; Davis Road, Lawrence Boulevard, First Street,
Country Club Drive, Miller Avenue, Lois Lane, Blueberry
Crescent, etc... We often use abbreviations for street names. They
are as follows :
Street = St., Avenue = Ave., Road = Rd., Drive = Dr., Crescent = Cr.,
Boulevard = Blvd.

We use the preposition on when we talk about a location of a particular place as

being on a particular street.
Ex. The post office is on College Avenue.
What is on Cliff Road ?

However, we can use on or at when we talk about the corner of two streets.
Ex. The train station is at the corner of Station Road and Main Street.
The public library is on the corner of Ocean Avenue and College Avenue.

Sometimes we only use the first part of the street name when we talk about
locations, especially if the person is very familiar with the city or town.
Ex. The bank is on the corner of Prince and Park. (not Prince Street and Park Road)

Ordinal Numbers
If you want to identify or describe something by indicating where it comes in a
series or sequence , you use ordinal numbers. They are always used in English
when we talk about a date, a floor number in an apartment or office building,
certain street names, and for sports periods (i.e. baseball innings, boxing rounds
etc..). 
First  Second  Third  Fourth  Fifth  Sixth 
1 st  2 nd  3 rd  4 th  5 th  6 th 

Seventh  Eighth  Ninth  Tenth  Eleventh  Twelfth 

7 th  8 th  9 th  10 th  11 th  12 th 

Thirteenth  Fourteenth  Fifteenth  Sixteenth  Seventeenth  Eighteenth 

13 th  14 th  15 th  16 th  17 th  18 th 

Nineteenth  Twentieth  twenty­first  twenty­second  twenty­third 

19 th  20 th  21 st  22 nd  23 rd
* Note that we do not always write the st, nd, rd, or th beside the numbers but we must 
always pronounce them when we talk about dates, floor numbers, street names, baseball 
innings etc...
Exercises

Complete the following sentences using ordinal numbers.

1. Take the Central Ave. bus and get off at _________ (5) Street.

2. My apartment is on the ______________ (11) floor.

3. Are you watching the baseball game on t.v. . It’s in the __________ (9) inning.

4. Where do you work ? I work in the sunlight Tower on the _________ (22) floor.

5. Excuse me, how do I get to ___________ (1) Ave. from here ?

6. The supermarket is on _________________ (33) St. West.

7. Is there a bank near here ? Yes, it’s on the corner of ______________ (15) Ave.
and Lester Rd.

8. I live on ______________ (14) St. on the ________________(27) floor of a high rise

apartment building. It has a great view of the city.

9. What period is the hockey game in ? It’s in the _______ (3) period.

10. There’s a post office on ________________ (12) Street.

There is / There are

There is or There are is usually used at the beginning of a sentence to describe
something and is generally followed by a subject. However, in question form we
can use it to ask directions or for information about something.
Ex.
There´s a plane at 8:30. There are four people here. Is there a bank nearby ?

Singular : Plural
There is ... Contraction There are ... Contraction
There is not There’s ... There are not... There aren’t
Question There isn’t or There’s not... Question
Formation Formation
Is there ? Are there ... ?
A : Ask directions using Is there...? and Are there ...?
Ex. (any good restaurants)Are there any good restaurants near the train station ?

1. ( any banks) ____________________________________ near here ?

2. ( a post office ) ___________________________________ on this street ?

3. ( tourist information office ) _______________________ close by ?

4. ( money exchange) _______________________________ in the hotel ?

5. ( any museums ) _________________________________ in this area ?

B : Use there is / there are to complete the following facts.

Ex. (second / minute) There are sixty seconds in a minute.

1. (days/ year) ______________________________________________ .

2. (planets/ solar system) ________________________________________ .

3. (provinces / Canada) __________________________________________ .

4. (President / Mexico) ___________________________________________ .

5. (continents / world) ___________________________________________ .

Write it !
Now write the question for the answers in B.
Ex. Are there sixty seconds in a minute ? or How many
seconds are in a minute ?

1. ____________________________________________________

2._____________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________________
 Reading Comprehension

McGill University in the Heart of Montreal

McGill University is located at the corner of McGill College
and Sherbrooke Street in Montreal. McGill is one of the
oldest universities in Canada. Students can find everything
they need at the campus bookstore on McTavish Street just
one block west of the main gates. McGill is located in downtown Montreal and
there are a lot of shopping centres nearby.

There are two metro stations very close to the university, Peel and McGill. To get
to the metro stations, you have to walk south on McGill College for two blocks
until you come to de Maissoneuve Blvd.. If you want to go to the Peel metro
station, you turn right and walk west along de Maissoneuve until you see a blue
and white metro sign at the corner of Peel St. and de Maissoneuve. If you want to
go to the McGill metro station, turn left and walk east and look for the same blue
and white sign “Metro” at the corner of University Ave. and de Maissoneuve. Both
metro stations are about 5 minutes from the campus.

There are many movie theatres and restaurants along St. Catherine Street which is
three blocks south of the campus. This is a famous shopping street in Montreal.
You can find almost anything you are looking for there. So enjoy your studies but
don´t forget to enjoy the French flair of Montreal, too!

Vocabulary : Discuss the new vocabulary in the class

corner campus block downtown

metro stations famous flair main gates

Questions about the story: Discuss them in your class

1. Where is McGill University located ?

2. How do you get to the Peel metro station from the University ?
3. Are there any restaurants nearby ? Where are they ?
4. Do you think there is a bank close to the University ?
5. Is McGill University in a good location ? Why ?

Class Activity : Discuss where you work / go to school with your class. Is it in a good
location ? Why ? Are there many interesting things nearby ? Is that important to you ?
 Opening and closing hours

Location  Opening hours 

Royal Bank  Mon ­ Fri   8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 
Closed on Saturday and Sunday 
Carla´s  dry Cleaning  Mon ­ Sun    9:30 to 6:30    (Sun only to 4:30 

Public Library  Tues ­ Sat.   10 Am. to 7 p.m. 
(Sat. only to 5 p.m.)
Post Office Mon.­ Fri. 9 to 4 and Sat. 9 to 12 Closed
Sunday
Fran´s Cafe  Open 7 days a week from 7:30 a.m. 
to 10 p.m. 
big discount  open mon. - fri. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (fri. 
supermarket  until 9 p.m.) 
sat. and sun. open from 10 a.m. to 
4:30 p.m.

Answer the questions and practice them with a partner. Make up some of your
own.

1. When is the supermarket open ?

________________________________________________________________________ .

2. Is Carla´s Dry Cleaning open on Sundays ?

________________________________________________________________________ .
3. When is the Royal bank closed ?

________________________________________________________________________ .

4. What are the opening hours of the Public Library ?

________________________________________________________________________ .

5. What are Fran´s Cafe’s closing hours ?

________________________________________________________________________
Conversation Practice :

Harry: Excuse me, do you know when the bank

is open ?
Catherine: Sure, it’s open from nine in the
morning to four in the afternoon,
Monday to Friday.
Harry : What about Saturdays and Sundays ?
Catherine: No, it’s closed on the weekends.
Harry : Thank you.
Catherine: It’s my pleasure.

Practice the conversation and then substitute locations from the

previous page .

Rap up :

Make a map of your neighborhood with all the important

locations on it. Find out what the opening and closing
hours are of at least four of these locations.

In partners, exchange maps and ask your partner

questions about his or her map, including questions
about the opening and closing hours and directions. You can rotate
around the class asking different students about their maps.
Write some of your questions below.

1. __________________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________

Class Activity : Set up an obstacle course in the classroom or outside if possible. In

partners, have the students blindfold their partner and talk them through the obstacle course
step by step. Then have the other partner do the same. You can change the obstacle course
each time. Make sure to review all the direction vocabulary before doing this activity.