To the sludent

How do you learn a language?

There is no easyanswerto this question. Peoplelearn
series starts from the basisof natural
languagesin many different ways. The lnlrorriliolrg
conversationspeople haveevery day,then teachesyou the languageyou need to havesimilar
conversationsin English.
To make this processas interesting,motivating,and productive as possible,the Innoilttllcnc
series:
.

containsnumerousexamplesof the way grammarand vocabularyare naturallyused.

You can learn a lot of usefulvocabularyfrom good grammar exercises,and good
vocabularyactivitieswill give you practicewith the grammarof English.

introducesyou to many new featuresof spokengrammar and usefulidiomaticlanguage,

followed by opportunitiesto practisethem in meaningfulcontexts.
givingyou plenty to talk - and
includesreadingtexts that are intriguingand challenging,
think about.

.
.

features'Learneradvice'pages,which will help you study better.

We hope you find lmcrrriloltt

as fun and interestingto learn from as we did to write!

Acknowledgements
The authors and publishers would like to thank the following teachers for their valuable input
on this material at various stages during production:
and Continuing
David Frank Barnes,TheBritish Instituteof Florence;RichardBooker,Schoolof Professional
Education,Universityof Hong Kong;MichaelBowles,The British CouncihJohnCargill,TheBritish Councih
Alex Chevrolle,EF EnglishFirst ;JoseOlavo de Amorim, Col6gio Bandeirantes;Audrey Don, Universidad
British Schoolof Milan;FrankFarmer,Universidadde Quintana Roo,
LatinadeAmerica;JohnEaglesham,
Humphreys,The British CouncihMaria Helena
Unidad Cozumel;KirstenHolt, St Giles Eastbourne;Pamela
Primon lema,SociedadeBrasileirade Cultura InglesaSdo Paulo;BelginOgrek, Ozel Florya Koleji;Guy
Perring,TheBritish CouncihMark Rendell,EF EnglishFirst;Mark Rossiter,American Universityof Dubai;
Andre Joao Rypl,Cultura lnglesaPorto Alegre.
In additionto those atThomson,and in particularJimmie,Andrew would like to thank Harry and Shirley
Macu for her love and support,and Harry Dancey
Walkley for beinggreat parentsand true internationalists,
- a good friend made through teaching.

Hugh Dellar has taught EFL,ESPand EAP in Indonesiaand Britain,where he is now a teacher and teachertrainer at the University of Westminsten London. He trains both native-speakerand non-nativespeaker
teachers.He has also givenpapersand teacher developmentworkshops all over the world. He would like to
Maud Dunkeld, Andy
thank the following people:Lisa- for just beingthere;his mum and dad,JulianSavage,
Fairhurst,Nick Groom, Carole Patilla,SallyDalzell,Nick Barrett,Darryl Hocking,AndrewWalkley,Rob
Batstone,lvor Timmis,ScottThornbury,ChrisWenger,Howard Middle,StuartTipping,MichaelLewis and
JimmieHill for their help,support,inspirationand enthusiasmover the yearsandThierry Henry,Patrick
Viera,Robert Pires,Curtis Mayfield,PharoahSanders,lain SinclairandWong Kar-Wei for bringingbeautyand
joy to my rare moments of free time and for helpingme get through!!
Darryl Hocking is a teacher and teacher-trainerin both ESOLand EABas well as a lecturer in art and
design,atAuckland University of Technology,New Zealand.He specialisesin developingacademicliteracies
programmesin art and designand has also worked in this area at Goldsmiths,Universityof London.He
would like to thank Rosemary,Luciaand lsaac.

Conlents
Unit I

Listening:
The Brother from Hell! l0

Using Grommor

Tolking oboul
people

Reoding:
F u l l - t i m Jeo b !

Present tenses: l'm o journolistMy dod'sworkingin Monchester.

l2

Friendr ernd
relolives

Reoding:
Surprisefor Jailbird
Dad

l3

UsingVocobulory
Describing people: good-looking,
a bit dull ...
Adjectives - positive or negative: tidy,messy...

Unit 2

Modifierszvery,reolly,o
bit...

g
||

Using Grammor
14

14

Comparatives: not os ... os ...

t6

Comparing the present with the past:

It wosn'tos hot os the lost time ...

t5

UsingVocabulory
ldioms focus: like o houseon fire,
Body idioms: coston orm ond a leg,keepo stroightfoce...
Phrasal verbs with up: fill up, cheerup,mix up ...
Talking about disasters: Everyone's
been evacuated.
...
Giving bad news: Oh, haven'tyou heord?...

Unit 3
Your
inleresls

Listening:
SoWhat ShallWeDo
Tonight?

Unusuol
inleresls

Reoding:
lt's a Man'sWorld?

17
Ig
|9

Using Grommar
22

Reoding;
26
AreYou a BagPerson? 74

Unit 4

|5

28

ZO

Agreeing?,me too,me neither...

23

Auxiliary verb practice: so do l, neitherom I ...

23

UsingYocabulory
Free timez goingto see bonds,eotingout ...

20

Expressions of frequency: not os often os I usedtq

how oftendo you ...

2l

How- questionsz how much,how long...

Zl

Expressions of (dis)interese not reollykeen,I reoilyloveit ...

ldioms focus: not my cup of teo, rightup your street . ..

ZS

Expressions with thingz the thingis,for one thing...

Zs

23

Using Grommar
The -ing form as a verb: He spendsoll his freetime singing....
26
The -ing form as a noun z Mountoineering
pretty
con be
dongerous.
. .. 26
Would and 'd: I wouldif I could.I'd quitefiketo. ...
3|
Using Vocabulory
Yiofent or dangerous sports: boxing,bungeejumping...

Revlew: Units l-4

Unit 5
Big decisions

30

32
Listening;
Forty a Day!

Using Grommor
40

Giving explanations with the past perfect continuous:

I hodn't been getting on with my flatmotes,so I just decidedr needed
a placeof my own....

37

Second conditionals: lf I hod o job like that,t'd go crozy....

39

Likely or unlikely (conditionals): lf I possmy exom.

lf I won o lot of money...

39

Using Yocobulary

Tough decisions: decidingro get morried,decidingto chongejobs. ..

Expressions: Whot o nightmore,

36

ldioms focus: pieceof cake,nothingto it .. .

Taf king about jobs: surgeon,mechonk,builder...

37

36
3g

Decisions: wise,wrong...

39

How come? How come you'releovingeorty?...

4l

ll

Or

,tJ

Reoding
The Cost of a Cigarette 43

UNTT O
ftying

42

Using Grommar
Gerunds and infinitives: I cleorlyrememberpostingyour lener.
I must rememberto post your letter....

46

Using Vocobulory

Unit 7

44

enormous...
Strong adiectives: disgustlng,

45

Smoking: o choinsmoker,o heovysmoker...

47

45

Using Grammor

Listening
Thank Goodnesslt's
Friday!

Your weekend

Ffying vocabularyz o boordingcard,an eight-hourflight ...

Adjectives - strong comparatives: much worse,much nicer...

Four difrerent future forms:

present simple

'll going
I
to / present continuous /
49

More ways of talking about the futurez I've gogl'm supposedto,

5I
I mightbe ...
UsingVocobulory
Typicaf weekend activities: go out for o wokhove peopleround ... 48

Unit 8
Porty onimcrls

Reoding
Raveto the Grave

54

lp,vlc,wc Unlts 5-8

52

ldioms focus: No rest for the wicked...

53

UsingYocobulory
Parties: o dinnerporty,o birthdoyporty...
o porty...
Party collocations: breokup o party,goteuosh
...
Party politics: left-wing,
right-wing
o low,tighten
o low ...
Talking about the law: introduce

54
54
58
58

60

Unit 9
Losl nighr

56

Collocations with gozl'm goingon o dote...

Listening:
The Worst Disco in
Town!

Using Grommor
66

64

Responding with auxiliary verbs: Oh,didyou?Oh,hoveyou?...

67

Not untiL' I didn't getin untilthree....

68

Linking ideas: lt wos so loud,I couldhardlyheor myselfthink....

69

Using Yocobulary

Unit rO
lelotionships

70

Reoding
ls She ReallyGoing
Out with Him?

Lifestyle activities: I went to my eveningcloss....

64

Colfocations with gefi get up,getsomemoney...

65

Problem words: chotltokwoshlwosh-up...

65

Using Grommor
72

Appearances: looks(adj),lookslike o (n),looksos if (clause)...

70

Expressions with modals: I could'vetold you thot

You might soy thot ogoin! ...

74

Using Yocabulory
Descriptive adjectives: musculor,moture...

7|

I bet: I bet het studyingcomputing....

7|

Chat-up lines: Do you comehereoften?...

Stages of a relationship

engaged,manied, separated ...

Iend to: Men tend to eot more junk food thon women....

7l
73
75

Unit ll
Telling slories

Listening
Hair Today,
Gone Tomorrow!

76

76

Using Grommor
-ing clauses.' I wosjust stondingthere,mindingmy own business....
UsingYocobulary

Reoding:
SpiderWoman

Hairstyfes: She'sgot curlyhoir....

Difficuh ro
believe

Reoding
Home Alone

83

Urban Myths

87

77

Sfang: Het o reollynicebloke....

T7

Different kinds of storieszbedtime story,thesomeold story .. .

78

Storytelling

7g
gl

expressions: You'rejoking.Reolly?...
ldiomatic comparisons: like clockwork,likeo log ...
Exaggerating using idioms: I'm dyingfor o coffee....

Unit 12

19

I I

Using Grammor

82

Past simple and past continuous: I resignedfrom my job on

Fridoy.. . I wos livingin ltoly when ...

84

Being vague: ... or something,

... or onythifrg,
... -ish ...

86

UsingVocobulary
On the woy: As I woson my woy bockfrom France...
Travel words: tip,tour, journey...

Review: Units 9-12

Unit 13
Old friends

85
85

88
Listening:
LongTime,No See!

Using Grommor
93

Present perfect simple and present perfect continuous:

Where on eorth hoveyou been?I've beenwaitingfor on hour....

96

Adverbs with the present perfect: I've neverbeento Siberio....

Present perfect collocations: l've beentrovelling.
...

94

I wish (with past perfect): I wish lU oskedfor her oddress....

94

92 Reoding
Long Lost Friends

94
94

Using Yocobulary
Expressions with pointz get the poin[ see the point,mokeo point... 95

Unit l4
Art

Reoding
Art Attack

Using Grommar
100

98

Relative clauses: I went to thot new Motisse exhibition,whichwos

reollynice....

102

UsingYocabulary
Recommending: Youshouldgo ond seeit ...
Describing paintingsz portroiglondscape,st/llife ...
Oh,thot reminds me! Oh,thot remindsme! I must phone
my mum tonighL...

Unir 15
Describing
things

104

Listening
Not Exactly
Shakespeare!

99
99
102

Using Grommor
| 06

Conjunctions: olthough,considering,in
spiteof ...
Negative questionsz Don'tyou likecheese?...

105
107

ldioms focus: deod tired,brondnew...

107

Comparing: lt wos o bit like... but not os good....

/l4ust for guessing: Oh,thot must'vebeenwonderful....

| 08
109

Unit 16
Film crnd
television

Reoding
TV Robocop:
NotViolent Enough
I 12
forViewers

I l0

Using Grammor
...
Past perfect simple:TheW versionhad beencensored.

| |3

Mixed conditionals: lf it hodn't beenfor him,l would never

hovegone....

| |5

Using Vocabulory

Reviewr Units 13-16

Unit 17
G or s ond c i l i e s

...
Fifm types: sci.-f,onimoted,
blockbuster

I l0

Asking questions about films: Who'sin it? ...

|||

Film vocabulary: bonned,dubbed,direaor...

lll

...
Tefevision vocabulary: series,chonnel,digitol

I 14

Audiences: spectotors,
congregotion,
fans...

I 14

il6
Listening
More Sleeping
Policemen

Using Grommar
l2l

120

Second conditionals for making suggestions: lt'd be better

if the shopsstoyedopen loter....

122

The passive: fhe bonk hos beenturned into o videoshop....

124

ldioms focus: black sheep,wild goosechose...

| 25

Using Yocabulory
...
Personal opinions: personolly,
os for as l'm concerned
...
Talking about cities: innercity,shontytowns,industrial

Unit 18
Annoying
things

1 3 2 Reoding:
with
Economical
theTruth!

lhe world of
work

Reoding:
We Can Work lt
Out.

138

Review: Units l7-2O

t44

Tapescript

t48
t57
t59
t67

Grommor lntroduction
Grommor Commentory
Expression Organiser

Was/were going toz l thoughtit wos goingto be the holidayof

o lifetime...

| 28

Using Yocabulory

Listening
Now You're Talking! 133

unir 20

124

Using Grommor
126

176

Unit l9
Y our f ulur e

Reoding
A Sticky Problem

| 23

| 36

Phrasaf verbs: put up with,go on obout ...

127

Complaining about things: to top the wholethingoff,

the lost thingI need...

129

Expressions with bother: Sorryto botheryou ...

|3I

ldioms focus: a Cotch22 siuation,the tip of the iceberg...

|3|

Using Grommor
Starting with whotzWhot I reallyneedto do is ...

134

lf expressions (to talk about future plans):

lf oll goeswell...

''37

Using Yocabulary
Plans for the future: woit ond see,cont reallysoy...

134

Collocations: my own county,whereI grewup ...

135

Using Grommor
Future continuous: l'llbe meetingmy bossnext week....

143

139
Using Yocobulory
V(ork or job? hord work,o dirty job ...

140

Questions about work: How are thingsatwork? ...

The ideaf boss (describing your boss)z opproochoble,
...
domineering

l4l
142

Describingpeople
Think of three people you know - friends or family. Write their initials besidethree of the
adiectivesor expressionsbelow. Then tell a partner about your choices.
Tick the six adiectivesor expressionswhich best describe you. Then describe yoursetfto
your partnen
Age
young

Hair

Height
quite tall
a bit on the short side

fair

in his/hertwenties

darkish

quite elderly
youngerthan (s)he looks

completelywhite
going grey

older than (s)he looks

losinghis hair
almost bald

Looks
good-looking
not very good-looking

Weight
a bit thin
overweight
on the plump side

Other
lazy
hard-working
bad-tempered
easy-going
friendly
moody
energetic
a bit of a fitnessfanatic

Personality
amusing
a bit dull
conservative
warm
narrow-minded
independent
fun
a bit of a workaholic
religious
musical
sPorty
creative
very political
a good senseof humour

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.
f . When you're speakingyour own
language,
which adjectivesdo you
use most to describepeople?

2. What featuresof a person's

appearancedo you usuallynotice
firstl

3. Are you happywith your own

appearance?
Why/why notl

t-isten to the descriptionsof fenny,Nick, Matt, and Kirsty. Decide who's who. Then work
f,
t7 in pairs,
trying to remember as much as you can from the descriptionsyou heard.
3.

1 Talkingaboutpeople

Usirtg grarrrrrBr
Modifiers
The words used before adjectives or nouns to
md<e a comment strongeri weaker, or more
ecceptable are called modifiers. Add adjectives
in the spaces to talk about people you know.
+ adiective
l. verylreolly
She'svery nice.
He's reallybossy.
I've got a friend who can be very
. . . . at times,
but usuallyshet really. . . .

2. guite+ adjective
He'squite creative- he paintsand draws.
My father'squite
My teachercan be quite
. . . . sometimes.

3 . o bit + negativeadjective

Speaking
Do you agree with these statements?
l.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

nowadays.
Jeansare a bit old-fashioned
Tattoos are reallycool.
Body-piercing
is a bit too riskyfor me!
Surfingthe net can be a bit of a bore.
Long hair is very attractive.
Vegetarianscan be a bit of a pain in the neck.
Alcohol is very dangerous.
Parentscan be a bit too protective.

Reell Englisht a painin the neck

lf someoneis a pain in the neck,they are very
annoying.You can also use it about a situation.
Porking'sbecomeobsolutelyimpossiblein the town
centre.lt's o reol poin in the neck.

He'sa bit boring.

She'sa bit immature.
I hav et o adm i t,I c a n b e a b i t .
... s o m eti mes.
4. o bit of o + negativenoun
Shes a bit of a moaner.He'sa bit of a workaholic.
My mum/dad
isa bitof a ....

5 . o bit too + positiveadjective

She'sa bit too nice,if you know whar I mean.
I've got a friend who's very .
In fact,I think he'sa bit too
Tell your partner as much as you can about what
you have written.
For more information on modifiers,see G l.

Pronunciation
A Listen to the stress and intonation of these
I l'.r.-ples.
Itl quite exoensive.
(This meansit's expensive,
but not too expensive.)
It's quite expensive.
(This meansyou think it reallyis expensive.)
ff t:sten to these examples. Each is said in two
I d aif.rent ways. Then try saying them yourself,
so that the difference is clear.
l.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

I live quite near the office.

She'squite nice.
He'squite a good cook.
We're quite h"ppy with the colour.
He's quite friendly.
I think they're quite conservative.
The weather was quite good.
lt's quite interesting.

Friendsand relatives
Do you say the following in your language?
A friend of a friend is a friend.
A friend of an enemyis an enemy.
An enemyof a friend is an enemy.
An enemyof an enemyis a friend.
Check you understand these useful expressions
for talking about your friends and relatives.
l.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

I don't reallyknow John Baker.I only know him by

sight.
Mary'san old girlfriendof mine.
We're old schoolfriends.
He's her ex.
This is my parrner^,Jean.
Bill'sjust an acquaintance.
I don't reallyknow him
that well.
She'smy sister-in-law.
I don't know rhem,but I know of them.
I'm his godson.
My sisterand I are reallyclose.

Are there people in your life who fit the above

descriptions?Who and what are they?Tell a
partner about them.

1 Talkingaboutpeople

Lls'ier!
irr
Tell a partner as much as
you can about your family.

The Brotherfrom Hell!

Melanie: I can't remember. Do you take milkl
Simon:

Please,but no sugar.Thanks.lt's weird, you know, but I've been to

your house ( l) .
. . , and I still haven't met your parents.

Melanie: Yes,they're out a lot. My dad works for the BBC and my mum's a,
she does sort of (2) ...
work for a company. You
know,like an advertisingagency.They're both really busy.

A Simon and Melanie work

| ? in the same office. Simon's
popped in to Melanie's house
after work for a cup of tea.
As you listen to their
conversation, try to answer
these questions.

Simon:

Melanie: Do you think so? | find my dad (3) .. .

dull,to be honest.
He works late every day,even works some weekends, doesn't read,
d o e s n t g oo u t .l m e a n , d o n t( 4 ) . . .
......,he's
(5) ...
nice,but I don't know, I just don't haveanything
to say to him. I think (6) . . .
, we just don't spend
enough time together.

l. Do Melanieand Simonhaveany
brothers and sisters?

Simon:

2. Do Melanieand Simonget on
well with the other membersof
their families?

Simon:

Listen again and try to fill in

the gaps in the conversation
in the next column.

Oh, they sound really interesting.

How old is he, then?

Melanie: About fifty-five,I think. I can never really remember.

Oh, yeah.

Melanie: But my mum's lovely.She's(7)

..., a bit too nice
though, sometimes,alwaystrying to look after me. She worries
about me leavinghome. She's(8)
. . . over-protective,if
you know what I mean.I'm an (9) . . .
, SO...
Simon:

Oh, I didn't know that.

Melanie: What? You mean you can't tell!

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a
partner.
l . M elaniet hink sh e r m u m i s a b i t
too nice.ls it oossibleto be too
nicel Do you know anyonelike
that?
2. Melanieis an only child.Do you
know any only childrenlWhich
would you prefer:to be an only
child or to be one of ten or
eleven?
3. Do you know anyonewho
comes from a really big family?
How many brothers and sisters
did your parentshavelWhat
about their parents?

Simon:

I dont know. I've never thought about it, I suppose.

Melanie: So,what about you? Have you tot any brothers or sisters yourself?
Simon:

Yes,I've got one of each,( l0) .

Melanie: Oh right. Older or younger?

Simon:

My sister'stwo or three years younger than me, but my brother's

( | l) .
. . older. He's about forty now.

Melanie: Do you get on with them all right?You havent really talked about
them very much.
Simon:

Well, my brother,'not ( 12) .

. . well, actually.He's
different from me, (13) .
. . old-fashioned,
( 14) .
. . traditional. Well, actually,he's a bit, how can
I (15)
. . . , r i g h t - w i n g . Y o uk n o w - t h i n g s a r e n t w h a t
they used to be, more police, death penalty - that kind of thing.
H e ' s( 1 6 ) . .
.fool,actually.

Melanie: Oh, well, it takes all sorts, I suppose.

Simon:

But my sister, she's great. We ( 17) . .

same kind of ( l8) .

. We've got the

Melanie: Just a pity about the brother from hell, eh?

Simon:

Yes.Oh, but he's not that bad. We tet on all right, as long as you
steer (19) .
. . of certain topics. Anyway,you were telling
me about your parents.

Melanie: Oh, there's not much to tell, actually.

Real English3 the brother from helt

This meahsthat he is not a very pleasantperson.In fact,he is rather
The kind of neighbourswho playloud musicin the middleof
unpleasant.
the night are the neighboursfrom hell! Other people'schildrencan be
the childrenfrom hell!

10

1 T a l k r nagb o u tp e o p l e

U g i n gr r . a b u l a r1
1 | edlectives
ltark each of the adjectives below P or N,
depending on whether you think they are positive
or negative. Use your dictionary if necessary.
Then discuss your answers with your partner.
l.
Z
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

religious
traditional
quiet
alkative
tidy
laid-back
conservative
ambitious

9. strict
1 0 .b u s i n e s s -m i nded
I l. nice
1 2 .i n d i v i d u a l
1 3 .m e s s y
1 4 .l i b e ra l
15. hard-working
1 6 .s e n s i b l e

Underline the main stressed syllable in each

tdjective. Look back at the adjectives used to
describe people on page 8. Which is the most
positive for you? Which is the most negative?

We often use more than one adjective to describe

things or people. These adjectives are ofilen
emphasised by using the same adverb before each
adjective.
It was reallycold and reallywindy.
She'svery nice,very interesting.
It was extremelylong and extremelyboring.
We can use two different adjectives with a similar
meaning.
He'sa bit strange,a bit weird.
He'sa bit old-fashioned,
a bit rraditional.
It was really scary,reallyfrightening.
A Listen to the six sentences above, and practise
I l saying them.
Now talk about the pictures below using two
adjectives and the same adverb. For example:
What a bike! lt's really big and reallyfast.

Hd<e a list of the four most positive adjectives

end the four most negative adjectives you can
use about someone.

Positive

t.
2.
3.
4.

Negative

t.
2.
3.
4.

Compare your lists with a partner.

Judgingby appearances
Work with a partner. Decide what you think
these people are like. Use more than one
adjective for each person. Begin: Helshe looks ...
Underline the adjectives and adverbs which make
this dialogue sound interesting.
A: Didn't you go to Turkeylastsummer?
B: No, we went to Thailand.lt was reallynice,really
interesting.
/r: Whereaboutsdid you go?
B: Well, first we went to Bangkok,which was a bit too
crowded,a bit too mad for me, so we went off to the
islandsinstead,which were reallybeautiful,really
relaxing.
Now describe the following to your partner in a
similar way.

l.
2.
3.
4.
5.

your l asthol i day

the best placeyou've ever been to
food from your country
your best friend
your home town

11

1 T a l k i n ag b o u tp e o p l e

iiaadirrg
Discuss these questions with a partnea
I.
2.
3.
4.

Do you haveany kids?lf so, how many?

lf not, do you want anylWhy/why not?
What's the best numberof childrento havel
What's the best age to havethem at?

EveryEnglish-speaking
child knowsthe nurseryrhyme
aboutthe old womanwith lotsof children:
Therewas an old woman who lived in a shoe.
Shehad so many children she didn't know what to do.
Nicola Pridhammust understandthe old 'woman's
predicamentvery well. She's expectingher twentieth
child and she'sonly forty!She and her husbandKevin
alreadyhavetwelvesons and sevendaughters.
KevinPridhamis a self-employed
builder,but whathe
earnsis not enoughto feedand clothetheirlargefamily.
Everyweek their grocerybill comes to f400. They go
throughthirty-fiveloavesof breadand twenty-five
boxes
of breakfastcerealper week.

ff, Now read this text about a family with more

ld chilArenthan any of your parents- the
Pridhams. As you read, underline anything that
surprisesyou.

lf you havea child in Britaintoday,researchershave

shownthat it will cost you almostf100 per weekwhen
you takeintoconsideration
food,clothes,pocketmoney
and all the other expensesinvolvedin bringingup
children.
Beforethey are eighteenyou will have spent almost
f100,000per child.This meansthat Nicolaand Kevin
will haveto find two millionpounds!Youcan be fairly
surethat the Pridhamchildrenwill be handingclothes
down to each other and doing odd jobs to provide
themselveswith pocketmoney.

Speaking
Tell a partner what surprised you about the article above. Then discuss these questions.
l.
2.
3.
4.

12

Do you know anyonewho's expectinga child at the momentl

Do you know anyonewho's self-employed?
What do they do?
Did you ever get clothes handeddown to you?
Do you think housewivesshould be paid by the state?Why/why not?

1 Talking
aboutpeople

Grammarin context
Complete these sentences using the present
simple or present continuous.
l*rc are four ways of talking about what you
do br a living.
l"m
| rcrk
| run
I do

a journalist/ a civil servant/ out of work.

in a factory I in lT / as a DJ.
a guest house/ a restaurant.
cleaningjobs / a lot of work for the BBC.

Cornplete these sentences with a suitable

E b. The first two are done for you.
l . | . . . . + 1 1 . . .s e l f - e m p l o y e d .
L

He .. .ry9fF. . in advertising.

3. She. .

.. an architect.

1. You .

. .. for the government,dont you?

5. He ..

. . as a waiter at weekends.

6. 1....

inabank.

7. She..
8. My dad

..abusinesswoman.
. . . . unemployedar the momenl

9. M y br ot he r :...
10. I s om et im e s...
I l.

He . .

lL

My mother . .. .

13. 1....
11. She..

i n th e a rmy .
. b a r w o rk .

. . the occasionaldesignjob.
a retired teacher.

onaboat.
..herown business.

Speaking
Ask some other students in the classabout their
jobs and/or their parents' jobs. Who has the most
interesting job?The most stressful?The most
unusual?

Grammardiscussion
With a partner, discuss the difference in meaning
between the verb forms in these sentences.
la. My dad works for the BBC as a cameraman.
lb. My dad'sworking in Manchesterthis month.
2a. | find my dad a bit dull. He's only interested
in making money.
2b. I'm findingmy job a bit boring at the momenc
3a. He evenworks some weekends.
3b. He's working this weekend.He's finishingoff
a specialreport.
4a. My mum is a reallynice person.
4b. She'sbeing reallynice at the moment.I wonder why!
5a. Do you tet on with them all right?
5b. Are you getting on with them OK again?
In the examples aboye, underline the time
expressions used with the present continuous.

l. He usually
. . .(work) in the centre of town,
but this week he ...
(work) from home
becausehe . . .
(try) out a new computer
link-up for the company.lt could be the thing of the
future.
2. Don't you think John .
. . (act) pretty
strangelyat the moment?| mean,he ...
(not be) normallythat quiet.Do you think he'sOK?
3. My dad
. . . (run) his own business,
but he's
sick at the moment,so my older brother
(look after) it for a while. I think they want him to take
it over eventually.
4. You .
. . (not talk) about your parentsa lot.
...(you not get on) w i th them ver y well?
5. He ..
.(be) very left-wing.I think he

6;.

1::':
;l::iff:iiT::[:;::ilff'

actually.
He ..
. (be / still) annoyedwith me
for forgetting his birthdaylast year.

Now complete these pairs of sentences with

information which is true.
7. My..
My..
moment.

.works
.isworking....

.....atthe

8. I get on very well with .

I'm not gettingon yery well with
the moment.
9. My..
. l i v e si n . . .
My . .
moment.

. i s l i vi ngi n .. .

. .. at

at t he

For more information on the present simple and

present continuous,see G2.

Reol Englisht pretty

The adjectivepretty meansbeautifulor artractive.
As an adverb it means fairly.
I'm pretty goodot bodminton.
He's oaing prefty strongely.
\s there an)th\ngyou're prettt good atl.

Famouspresenttenses
These two famous quotations use the present
simple. Which is your favourite?
l. Freedomis the right to tell people what they do not
want to hear.
2. Foreignershavesex lives;the Englishhavehot water
bottles.
Here are some famous sayings. When would you
say them?
3. What goes up must come down.
4. An elephantnever forgets.
5. lt never rains,but it pours.
6. You'remakinga mountainout of a molehill.

13

iizaCirtu
While
Discuss these questions with a partner.
l. Who are the most infamouscriminalsin your
countrylTellyour partner as much as you can
about them.
2. Can you think of any examplesof an infamous
kidnappingl
An infamousmurder?An infamous
robbery?An infamousterrorist act?

You are now going to read about a son being

reunited with his infamous father. When you
have read the text, answer these questions.
l. Why hasBronsonspentso long in prisonl
2. How did his son feel about meetinghim?
3. How realisticare their plansfor their future?

3. How would you feel if your parentswere involved

i n c r im el

(urprise for JcrilfDird Dcrd

a a a a o a a a a a a a a a a a a o a a a a a a a o o a a a a a o a a a a a a a a a a o o o a o
There are many happy stories about children being
reunitedwith the famousparentsthey did not know they
had, but perhapsone of the most unusualis that of a
twenty-five-year-oldchef from Liverpool, who was
recentlyinformedof the fact that the fatherhe hadnever
known wasactuallyone of Britain's mostdangerous
men.
Originally jailed for robbery and burglary, Charles
Bronsonhasspenttwenty-twoof the lasttwenty-sixyears
in prison.Much of this is because
he hasrepeatedlytaken
jail
hostagesin
and attackedfellow inmates.He is a man
of incrediblephysicalstrengthand hasa terrible temper.
He hasalreadycausedover half a million pounds'worth
of damageto prisonpropeny andhashadto be movedto
a specialsecureunit, costingthe taxpayerover f60,000a
year.
Twenty-fiveyearsago,he becamea father,whenhis son,
Michael,wasborn. However,he split up with the boy's
motherwhenhe begana prisonsentencethreeyea.rslater.
Last year, though,an old friend managedto track down
Bronson'sson in Liverpool.The newsthat his fatherwas
the infamous'most dangerousman in Britain' obviously
cameasa total shockto the son,who nevertheless
decided
to get in touch with his father.When Bronsonfirst heard
from Michael,he said: 'I was on a missionof madness,
now I'm on a missionof peace.All I wantto do now is get
homeandhavea pint with my boy.'

14

Whenthe two men finally met in prison,Michaelsaidthat

he got on like a houseon fire with his father.'I gavehim
a greatbig hug.It wasvery nice to finally meethim after
all theseyears.Peopleget the wrong impressionof him
from the media.He's not as badas they makeout. He's
actuallya very sensitiveand talentedguy.' Interestingly,
the factsdo backup this claim,because
aswell ashavinga
reputationfor violence,Bronsonalsohasa reputationfor
his cartoonsandpoetry. He's beenattemptingto havehis
work published,but the prison authoritieshave stood in
the way of any suchplan,because
they don't wanthim to
profit from his crimes.
Michaelalsocommentedon the fact that he andhis father
looked very similar, except for his dad's large bushy
beard.Bronsonhimselfsaid:'I'm delightedto be back in
touchwith my son.It's takentwenty-twoyearsto get him
backinto my life.'
When CharlesBronsonis eventuallyreleased,father and
son want to open up a restaurant.Mike plansto be the
chef - while Bronson intendsto be the securityon the
door! Theseplans,however,may haveto be put on holdit seemsthat old habitsdie hard.Only last week,Bronson
wasinvolvedin yet anotherviolent incidentand an early
releaselooks increasinglyunlikely. If you would like to
know more about Charles Bronson's amazing life, a
biographyis currentlybeingwritten abouthim. You can
readit with a clearconscience
becauseany profits will be
goingto charity.

Use two of the idioms to tell a partner about two

people in your life.

Speaking

f*cuss

F r i e n d sa n d r e l a t r v e s

these questions with a partner.

Body idioms

t- Would you be interestedin readinga biographyof

CharlesBronson?Why/why notl

The Real English note on page 9 explained a pain

in the neck. Circle the correct word in the body
idioms in these sentences.

L Do you think lockingpeopleup for a long time is a

good idea?

3. \A/hateffect does prison haveon people?What about

dreir familiesl

l. My car'son its lastfeet / legs.I'vealready

started lookingfor a new one.

4- Can you think of any alternatives

to prisonl

2. Haveyou seen Paula'snew laptopl I bet it cost

her an arm and a l eg/ hand.

Vocabularycheck

Corrrplete these sentences with words from the

text
l- lf you haven'tmet someonefor fifty years,it can be a
yery emotionaloccasionwhen you are

L lf you are found guiltyof breakinginto someone's

home and stealingfrom them, you are guilty of

3 . Sometimesone country tries to put pressureon

anothercountry by takingsome of its citizens
. . . . S o m e t i m etsh e s e
are killed;sometimes
money hasto be paidfor their
release.
1. lf you are famousfor somethingbad or evil,you are

3 . I'm under a lot of pressureat work. My bossis

breathingdown my back/ neck all the time.
4. I'm afraidI'vejust put my foot / mourh in it.
I'vejust saidsomethingto Kate without
realisingshe and Petehavesplit up.

5. When Frankslippedon that bananaskin,I

nearly laughedmy legs/ head off.
6. Yes,it was funny,wasn't itl I tried to keep a
straightmouth I face,but it was impossible.
7. lf you'reworried about something,
tell me - it's
far better to ger it off your chest / back.
8. I can't even havea morning off. I'm up to my
eyes/ nose in work.
Can you translate the eight idioms above into
your language?

5. lf you put your arms round someone,you are giving

Speaking

t h e ma . . . .
6. lf a beardis . . . .
it meansthat it is large
and v er y t hic k- l i k ea b u s h !

7. lf you can'tcarry out a plan immediatelybecauseof

some problem,you haveto put the planon

When was the last time you ...

a

put your foot in ir?why? What did you say?

found it impossibleto keep a straight face?
bought somethingthat cost an arm and a leg?

8. ff you give awaythe money you makefrom something

to a good cause,the profits go to

UsirtEJ"-,1'cbdar
1
ldiomsfocus
Michaelsaid he got
on like a houseon
fire with his father.

Complete the idioms in

these sentences with
momen( eye, wavelength
and close.

t . We argueabout everything.We simplydon't see eye

to...

.onanything.

2. T h e r e ' sn e v e r ad u l l

....in our house.

There'salwayssomethinggoingon!

3 . I get on reallywell with my mum. We're really

4. It's incredible.Althoughmy gran is in her seventies,
we reallyare on the same

15

2 Friends
and relatives

Complete these dialoguesusing the adjectives

in brackets in the comparative form.

Comparatives:

t.

In the article that you read about Charles

Bronson, his son, Michael, said that his dad
is not as bad as the media make out.
Make six more examples of sentences that use
this structure. Match the sentence beginnings l-6
to the endings a-f.

t . I dont see my mum

2. I'm not as close to my older brother
3 . I don't get on as well with my sister
4. He's not as serious
5 . She'snot as old
6. We don't get on with them now as well

J
J
J
-J
J
J

a. as she looks.

3. A: What's your new teacher like?ls he all rightl

... ... . as
B: Y eah,he' sOK but he' snot . .
our last one,Jane.I mean,he'sclearand
. . . than Jane.
everything,but he's
We used to havea laughwith her. lt was just
. . . with her.(good,serious,fun)

trafficl

c. as I am to my younger.

B: Yeah,it was awful!We thought it would be

d . as often as I see my dad.

e . as we used to.
as he seemswhen you first meet him.

Now complete these sentencesin ways that are

true for you.
7. I'm not ascloseto my

What's their new flat like?ls it nicel

. . . than their old
Lovely,it's much
one and it's not nearly
(big,dark)

4. A: How was your journey?Was there much

b. as I do with my brother.

f.

2.

Did I hear you sayyou've got a new bike?

What's it like?
B: Brilliant!lt's I l00cc, so it's much
than my old one. l'll take you out on it next
week sometime,if you like.(powerful)

. . . . as I am to

. assomepeoplethink.
8. I'm not as.. .
9. I dont see..
.. asoftenasI usedto.
10. My dad'snot as
. . . . as he mightseem.
I l.
. . . . isnt asold ashe/shelooks.
Now explain what you have written to your
partner.
Have you ever got the wrong impression of
someone when you first met them?

Comparingthe presentwith the past

We often compare the present with the past. For
example, we often compare recent experiences
with past ones. Look at these examples:
A: How's the new carl
B: Great! Honestly,it's much easierto park than the old
one, now we've got power steering.
A: How was the holiday?Was the weather OK?
B: Yeah,it was treat. lt was much better going in May.
It wasn't as hot as the last time and there were fewer
tourists about.

. . . taking the motorway than the

way we came last time, but it was much
. .. . We were stuck in this
terrible traffic jam for about an hour.
(quick,slow)

5. A: You went to LakeComo again,didnt you?Was

it nice?

B: Yeah,it was OK, but it was a bit .

than I remember it being.(touristy)

What do you think touristy means?

Pronunciation:
The sound we call 'schwa'/ / is used for most
rnstnessed vowel sounds. In the sentences betow,
tfp stressed words or syllables are underlined.
llost of the other syllables are unstressed. Try to
sey this sentence stressing the underlined words.
k's much better than it usedto be.
Hqr

practise saying these sentences.

l- lt's better than my old one.

L

1- lt's much more touristy than it usedto be.

5. lt's much cheaperthan it usedto be.
6- lt was quicker than last time.
7. lt wasnt as good as the last time we wenl
8. lt wasn't as good as I remembered.
9. lt's not as good as it used to be.
fl
tl

U s i n gIg:ailu Iar1
Michael's parents split up. There are lots of
phrasal verbs with up. Complete the sentences
below with the correct form of the verbs in the
box.
fiil

Now listen and check your pronunciation.

Then tisten again and repeat the sentences.

What do you think it means in each of the

sentences above?
How many of the sentences above can you use to
talk about things that are true for you? Compare
with a partnen Who can use the most sentences?

Speaking
Discuss these questions in groups of three. Try to
use as much of the grammar from this unit as
you can. Spend five minutes planning what you
want to say first.
l. How do you like the flat/houseyou're livingin now,
comparedto placesyou lived in beforel
2. What's the best placeyou've ever lived in?Why?
What made it so good?
3. ls your city better or worse than it used to be ten
yearsagol In what way?
4. ls your country better or worse than it used to bel
In what wayl
5. Can you think of anythingthat you found a bit
disappointing
the secondtime around- a place,a film,
a book, a restaurant?
For more information on comparatives.see G3.

cheer

mix

get

look

pick

t . lf the ticketsgo on saleat nine,we'd better

. . . up early and be there by eight.

lt's better than it was before.

3- lti biggerthan the last one.

F r i e n d sa n d r e l a t i v e s

2. l'll . . .

you up in the car aroundsevenand

we can go into town and havea bite to eat.

3 . You look reallysad!.

. .up! lt's not the

end of the world!

4. l'll just go to their websiteand . .

. up the

times of their flightsto Zurich.

5 . We can

... up with petrol beforewe

leave.
I always
..........
up Petewith his brother Ed.
They look so similar.

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.
l. Can you think of three reasonswhy couplessplit up?
2. Can you think of three thingsyou could do to cheer
yourselfupl
3. What kind of thingscan you look up?

F r i e n d sa n d r e l a t i v e s

T a l k i n ga b o u t d i s a s t e r s
What do you think has happened in these
pictures?
With a partner, discuss in which picture each
of the following is most likely to be said.
l.

Everyone's
been evacuated.

2 . lt all jus t happ e n e d

so suddenly.

_l
-J

3. My car'sbeentotallyturned upsidedown.

4. Everything's
been smashedto pieces.

-J

5. Luckily,no one'sbeen hurt.

6. lt's balancedright on the edge.
7. Everything's
gone up in flames.
8. lt's spreadvery quickly.
9. lt couldgo ar any minute.
10. lt destroyedeverythingin its path.

_t

-J
-J
-J
_i
-J

I l . lt ' s done m illio n so f p o u n d s w

' o rth o f d a ma ge.

12. They'restill trying to pur it out.

13. Our roof was blown off.

-J

Speaking
Have there been any natural
disasters in your country? When?
What happened?

18

2 Friends
and relatives

5 i Givinq bad news

l

Real Englisht haveit put down

lf an animalis seriouslyill or badlyinjured,you

take it to the vet and he puts it down.Another
way of sayingthis is he puts it to sleep.

llotke how the highlighted expressions warn

rlc other person that bad news is coming.
:

I haven'tseen Mary for ages.How is she?

& Oh, haven'tyou heardl Shewas made redundantlast
month.
Oh, that'sawful.She must'vebeen reallyupset.
I

: Howl your motherl

& Well, actually,she passedawaylast month.
: Oh, I om sorry to hear that. ls your father all right?
Oh yes,he seemsto be copingvery well.

:
:

Can John make it to the partyl

l'm afraid not. We're no longer together.
Oh, I'm sorry about that. ls everythingOK?

lmagine you live in one of the places shown in the

pictures on page 18. A friend has rung you, not
knowing what has happened. Give them the bad
news. For example:
A

A Well, actually,it's like an inferno.Everything's

on fire.

T h e b u s h. . . t r e e s. . . h o u s e s
And are you all rightl
For the time being,I think we are.

H.ke short dialogues by matching the questions

l-f to the answers a-h.

t - Can you give me a lift home?

Do you think I could get that cameraback off

'ou sometimesoon?

3. Haveyou heard from Janrecendy?

1- ls your grandfatherany better?
5. So,has Peter had his resultsyet?
6- Are you feelingall right,Steve?
7. Hello,how are youl
& I thought you had a dog.
1

-J
-J
J
-J
-J
-J
-l
J

I'm afraid not. We're very worried about him.

But then, he is ninety.

b. Oh, fine thanks.Well,actually,

I think I'm
gemingthe flu, so I'd stayawayif I were you.
I don't know how to put this,but I think I lost it
last night while I was out. I'm reallysorry, but
I've searchedeverywhereand I can't find it. l'll
8et you another one. I'm extremely sorry.
d We did. But unfortunately,it ran out into the
street and was run over.I'm afraidwe had to
haveit put down.
e. I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't.I lost my licence
lastweek - had a bit too much to drink and
tot stopped by the police!
Well, actually,I haven't- not for about six
months - we had a bit of an argumentlast year.
Well, actually,no. I've just had some very bad
news.
h . Well,yes,I'm afraidhe has.He didn't pass-

so he'sgot to re-sit part of his examsin July.

C" back and undertine the expressions used
to introduce the bad news. Now listen and
check your answers. Then work in pairs reading
the dialogues.

A
lJ

Hello,is that you,Jack?This

is Ron in Sydney.

B: Hi, Ron,how are thingsdown under?

Now change partners. Think of five questions

your friend might ask you about the terrible
situation you are in.

t.

.........?

2.

. . . . . . . .I .

3.

.........1
I
I

Now role play a similar conyersation to the one

you've just had. This time, use a different picture
and the questions above.

tJiirt7 tr.AIrdar
1
Which of the following do you like doing in your
free time? Mark each one in this way:
O

if you do it often

if you do it sometimes

if you never do it

_J
J
J
J
J
-J
J
_J
J
J
J
J
-J
J

listeningto classical
music
goingto see bands
goingc l u b b i n g
playingan instrument
reading
working out at a gym
watchingvideos
goingto art exhibitions
goingto an eveningclass
playinga sport
eatingout
goinground junk shops

l.
rl

playingcomputergames

h-s

t'ai chi or somethinglike that

i Real Englishr junk

Junkis stuff of little valuewhic
you consideruseless,
for
example,old furniture,books,
CDs, or other thingsyou have
no use for.

Use your dictionary to translate any yocabulary

you are unsure of. Find out what you have in
common with your partner.

20

ll,
t

3 Yourrnterests

Not as often as I used to

A Listen to June,a bus driver, talking about how

tl stre spendsher free time. As you listen,
cnplete the time expressionsshe uses below.

questions
How- questions are useful for asking for more
information.
How much did it cost?
How long did it take youl
How difficultwas itl
Make how- questions by adding an adverb, an
adjective, or a quantity word like much to these
questions.
l.

How
. . did it take you to learnto
playthe guitar as well as thatl
B: About ten years.I started when I was really
young,though.

2. A

How .
. is your work from your
homel
B: About an hour'sdrive,I think.

3. A : H ow
.. di d you move here?
B: Oh, agesago.In fact,I've forgotten how
long!
4.

l.
L
3,
45.
6.
7.
8.

Not all t hat .

All the
Not as
.. a s I' d l i k eto .
A bout
..fo rtn i g h t.
.. I can.
4...
. . . . . o f t i m e sa y e a r .
Hardly
Notasoftenasl..
......to.

Practise saying the eight expressions above.

H ow
.. doesdi nnerusuallycost
you?
B: lt varies,but I supposeabout tB or t9.

5. .A: So how
.. haveyou been learning
E ngl i shl
B: EversinceI can remember.I startedwhen I
was really reallyyoung.

6. .\, H ow
.. canyou speakC hinese?
B: I guessI'm OK, but I could be better.
7.

,ri.

H ow
.. i s i t to l earnC hi n ese?
B: Some people sayit's the most difficult
languageto learn as a foreigner.

8. ;\ How
. . do you go away,then?
B: Everycoupleof months,I suppose,
providingI've got the money.

3 i How often do you ...?

Ask and answer with a partner. When you answer,
try to use some of the expressions in Exercise 2.
H ow of t en do y o u ...
l.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
I l.
12.

haveyour hair cutl

get up early on Saturdays?
see your parents/grandparentsl
cook in the eveningsl
work in the evenings?
seeyour best friend?
havefriendsround for dinnerl
read in Englishl
watch films in Englishl
buy presentsfor friends?
go awayfor the weekend?
go to the cinemal

9. A : H ow

.. peopl edo you needin a

team?
B: Usuallyit's eleven,but you can also playwith
five.

t 0 . A: How

. . are you about your examsl

B: Very! But I'm trying not to think about them
too much!

Now write questions you would like to ask a

partner. Then work in pairs to find the answers.
l. Howmuch

.........1

2. Howoften

.........?

3. Howlongago

......1

4. Howfaraway

......?

5. Howdifficult

....... ?

6 . H o w e a s .y

. . . . . . . . .?

7. Howmany

.........1

21

3 Yourinterests

L . i ' [? t t ! ft g

So what shall we do tonight?

Speaking
Dan:
Discuss these questions with a
partner.

Helena: Well, I'd quite like to see a film, or, I don't know see if there'sany
good bandsaround,if you're into bands.

l. Do you havemuch in common

with the rest of your familyl
What interestsdo you share?

Dan:

2. Do you think men and women

tend to be interestedin different
kindsof things?

Dan:

3. ls it best to marry someone

who...
. sharesall your interests?
. sharesnone of your interests?
. sharesa few of your interests,
but hassome of their own?
4. ls there somethingyou would
really like to be able to do, but
havenot yet had the opportunity
to do?

So what do you feel like doing tonight?Any ideasl

Yes,that'san idea.(l) ..

musicdo you like,then?

Helena: Oh, all sorts, really,you know,a lot of pop and I quite like blues
and iazz and (2)
Oh, reallylI'm more into dancemusicmyself,so maybe...

Helena: Well, (3) . .

, we could alwaysgo and see a film.
I like realb/scarythings.
Dan:

What?You mean like Holloween?

Helena: Yes,that kind of thing,and I also (4)

. . action movies,
you know,car chases,gulS,bombs,anythingthat's fast and exciting.
Dan:

Oh, right.Tobe honestwith you, I'm not really(5) ..

violentfilms.

Helena: You'rekidding!And I thought this was goingto be the perfect

relationship!
Dan:

(6) ..
! But it doesnt sound like we'vegot all that
much in common,really,does it?

Helena:Oh come on, there must be somethingwe can do!

Dan:

Let me think. Well, I supposewe (7)

. . go clubbing.

Helena: What? Somewherelike Paradox?

Dan and Helena have only
iur. started going out
together. They are not finding
it easy to decide what to do
with their evening. Cover the
conversation. As you listen,
try to decide which of these
statements is the most
accurate.

A
ll

l. They havenothingin common.

2. They havelots in common.
3. They havelessin common than
they think!
Listen again and complete the
gaps in the conversation.

Dan:

ls that the new placethat's just opened?

Helena: Yes,just last week. Right,so (8)

Dan:

Helena: No, (9)

Dan:

. . going clubbing,thenl

OK. Why notl Do you go much yourself?

. . , actually.A couple of times a year,I guess.

Oh, me too now,but I ( l0) . .

a lot more when I was
younger- almost every weekend. The thing was,though,it just
got to me after a while, stayingout dancingall night and then
havingto go to work ( | l) .
. in the morning.I'm
gettinga bit too old for it now.

Helena: Oh, well, that'sthat off the menu,then! So,what shallwe do then?
Dan:

l don' t know .(12).

.get a vi deoand a curry,andhave
a nice quiet eveningin in front of the telly?

Helena: Oh, you'vegot to be joking!We're not in our gravesyet. I mean,

that'sthe kind of thing my parentsare probablydoing
( | 3) .
. ! Look, it's not what I'd normallydo on a
Mondaynight,but let'sgive clubbinga go! lt might be a laugh.

Recll Englisht The thingwas...

This is a naturalway to add extra detailsor an explanation.
The thing is ... introducesa problem,an excuse,or a difficultyof some kind.

Speaking
Do you and your friends eyer have problems trying to decide what
to do in the evenings?
At what age are you too old to go clubbing? Twenty-five? Thirty?
Forty? Never?

3 Yourinterests

U g i n g'laca!,ular1
| | Agreeing
f n

share someone's interests, we can say:

: I really love classicalmusic.

& Really?What's your favouritepiece?
So do l. Who's your favouritecomposerl
Me too! EspeciallyMozart.

or
or

When we agree with a negative idea, we say:

s I dont reallylike classical
music.
& Neither do l. or Me neither.

Without really, these statements would sound quite

strong and even rude. Make short dialogues by
matching the statements l-6 to the responses a-f.

2 | Grammarin context

tlorrP.

l - A I reallylove Mexicanfood.
B: So do l. / Me too. / So havel. lt's great,isnt itl
L { : I don't reallylike much modern fashion.
B: Neither do l. / Me neither./ Me too. lt's dreadful.
3- A: I'm not reallykeen on big Hollywood movies.
B: Neither do l. / Neither am l. / Me neither.They're
so predictable.
1- A: I've seenall the Bond films.
B: So havel. / Neither havel. / Me too. Someare
better than others.
5- A: ld love to go to Africa sometime.
B: So do l. / So would l. / Me too. lt soundsamazing.
6- A: I hate most classical
music.
B: Me too. / Me neither./ So do l. lt doesn'tdo
anythingfor me, I'm afraid.

Auxiliaryverb practice
lJse So + auxiliary + I or Neither + auxiliary + I
b agree with the following.
I prefer coffeewithout milk.
I dont like thingsthat are too sweet.
I'm goingto stay in tonight and do nothing.
I've just booked my summer holiday.
I nevergo abroad.
I'd love to meet someonereallyfamous.
I was born in Australia.
I can't stand sea water.
For

on

-J
J
fun,that's what I really like doing.
3 . I'm really interestedin politics.
J
4. f'm reallyinto older music,you know,before 1967.
J
5 . My favouritekind of thingsare comicsand
cartoons.
J
6. I'm reallyinto roller-blading.
lt's a bit like
roller-skating.
J
l. I love nearlyall winter sports.

For each of these statements only two responses

-t cor?ect. Cross out the incorrect one in each

l.
L
3.
1.
5.
6.
7.
8.

lf we do not share someone's interests, we often

soften the way we express this. Notice how really
is used in these examples:
A: I reallylove classical
musicand opera.
B: Oh, do you?I'm not reallyvery keenon it myself. or
It's not reallymy kind of thing,I'm afraid.
or
I don't reallylike thingslike that.

see

2. Going out with a crowd of friends and having

a. Oh, it's not really my kind of thing,I'm afraid.I don't

really understandwhat makesall the partiesdifferent.
They all seem the sameto me!
b. Really?I'm not reallyvery keen on them, myself.I once
broke my leg skiingand it put me off - for life!
c. Are you? lt's not reallymy kind of thing.I'm always
worried I might get hurt.
d. I don't really like things like that myself.I dont see the
point of them. I prefer a good novel - the longer the
better!
e. Are you? I'm not reallythat keen on anythingbefore
| 980.
f , Do you? lt's not really my kind of thing,I'm afraid.
I prefer to go out with just one or maybetwo people.
I hate crowds.
Now listen and notice how att the responses
ff
f d
Si". extra information. Go back and underline
all uses of really. All the language in this course is
carefully chosen to help you to learn useful natural
English. Complete these collocations from the
exercise above.
l.
2.
3.
4.

winter.....
5.
have.....
6.
i n t e r e s t e d . . . . . p o l i t i c s7 .
l t ' sn o t m y . . . . . o f t h i n g .8 .

get.....
c l a s s i c. a. .l. .
l d o n ' t s e et h e . . . . . o f i t .
lt.....me off.....life.

Reol Englisht What kind of fitmsare

you into?
lf you are into something,you are very interestedin
at.
She\ reollyinto heolthfood.
Heb into okernotivemedicine.
Tell your partner about somethingyou're reallyinto.

Do you like doing these activities or not? Discuss

with a partner using expressions from this page.
Explain why.
golf
surfing

snorkelling
football

cycling
skiing

tennis
singing

23

3 Yourinterests

i'-7rrl':(,?l
-

Are you a bag person?

Look at the examples below

of two people talking about
hobbies and interests they had
in the past, but don't have any
m or e.
S peak er l: I u s e dto c o l l e c t
canswhen I was younger,like
coke cans.I livednear the sea
and I'd find them on the beach.
I grew out of it after a while and
I can't rememberwhat happened
to all the cans.
Speaker 2: I usedto havea train
set when I was younger,but I just
lost interestin it once I got into
music.
Think of two hobbies you used
to have when you were younger.
Tell your partner as much as
you can about them. Try to use
the following:

Come on, admit it! You can't resistclassycarrier bags.You have

some cheapand nastybagsfrom the localsupermarketwhich you
put your rubbishin. But somewhereat homeyou'vegot a collection
of bagsthat you wouldn't part with for the world. An Armani bag?
A Guccione? Or maybe it's that one from the Duty-FreeShop at
Kuala Lumpur Airport? They prove that you're the sort of person
y o u ' d l i k et o b e .
Recently,a London gallery held an exhibitionto celebratethe
carrierbag. They askedthirty top artistsand designersto designa
carrierbag for thirty shopswhich took part in the exhibition.The
becauseit seemswe are all secret
show was a tremendoussuccess
carrier bag collectors.Some people go into expensivedesigner
shopsand buy the cheapestthing - just to get one of their bags.
Others don't even bother buying anything.They just ask straight
out for a free bag for their collection.lt seemsthat it's not the bag
we want. lt's what it represents.That's why we throw away our
boring Tescoand Marks and Spencerbags, but make sure our
Harrodsor LouisVuitton onesremainin perfectcondition.

l . I us edt o c olle c t
when I was younger.I kept them
I g r e wo u t
in a ..
of it when I was
yearsold.
2. I usedto play
I was younger.

. . when

trl
-.

When we ask about people's

interests and hobbies, we often
ask the question:

u
&

What do you do when you'renot

or
working/studyingl
What do you do in your free
tim e/ s par e
t im el

EI

It sounds a bit strange if you ask:

W hat ar e y our h o b b i e s ?

f r Now read the text about

I ?' collecting.

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partnen
l.
2.
3.
4.

24

Which is your most treasuredcarrier bag?Where did it come from?

What makesa classycarrier bag?
Do you collect anythingelsewhich might seem strangeto other people?
Do you ever wear any designerclotheslWhy/why notl

3 Yourinterests

Llsln vof,abulary

Expressions
with
Complete the sentences below with the
expressions in the box.

i r l ldioms focus
Ccnplete the idioms in the sentences below with
& words in the box.

-counting

c uP
.

t_ I must admit,I dont reallylike this kind of music.

hi not really my . .

of tea.

L lf you're into action movies,you reallyshouldgo and

see Explosiye
Device.lt should be right up your

3. You like Disneymovies!| can't believeit! Oh well,

eachto their .

My favouritekind of food is cheese- blue cheese.

I know it's an acquired
You'reinto techno musiclWell,there'sno
. . for taste,I suppose.

Dletch the idioms l-5 above to their meanings

.d.
1

Different people like differentthings.(two idioms)

b. I don't really like that kind of thing.

c- I'm sure you'd like it.
d. lt's somethingyou learn to like gradually.

it's just not the done

thing
it's just one of those
things

the thing is

one thing after another

t dont know the first

rhingabout

for one thing

t . I've had such a dreadfulday.lt's just been

. . sinceI got up.

2. I don't know why you're askingme. .

cars. Ask Mark.

3 . A: I'm sorry to hear you'velost your job.

B: Yes,well,.
all see it coming.

, I guess.We could

4. Whateveryou do when you'rein Indonesia,

don't use
your left handto offer or take things.
5 . I ' d l o v et o c o m ew i t h y o u ,b u t , .
.......,
I've alreadyagreedto go out with Samantha.
6. A: So why don't you like him,thenl
B: Well,
. . , you cant trust
anythinghe says,and for another,he'sa bit of a
show-off
Thing/things is a useful word in English. Find three
more thing expressions you like in a dictionary.
Tell your partner what you have chosen and why.

Speaking
Ask and answer these questions with a partner.
Try to use some of the idioms in Exercise I above
when responding.

Speaking
Are any of the following just not the done thing in
your country? Discuss with a partner.

l. What kind of food do you like?

2. What kind of thingsdo you usuallydo at the
weekend?
3. What kind of musicare you into?
4. What kind of things do you like watchingon TVI
5. What kind of films are you into?
6. What kind of thingsdo you like doing in class?
7. What kind of restaurantsdo you like goingto?
8. What kind of thingsdo you like reading?

L
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

usingyour left handto passthings

burpingafter dinner
startingto eat before everybodyelse
blowingyour nose in public
askinghow much someoneearns
women smoking
livingtogether before you're married

Think of three things you don't know the first

thing about. See if anybody in the class can teach
you a bit about them!

25

Go back and underline the time expressionsin

the sentences l-8. Then decide if these time
expressionsfit best into pattern a or b.
Tell a partner which of these things you enjoy
doing.
a
a
a
a
o
a
a
a
a
a
a
o
a
o
a
a

planningyour summer holidays

playingthe piano/violin/guitar
helpinghomelesspeople
raisingmoney for sick animals
collectingthings (e.g.stamps,phonecards,etc.)
goingfolk dancing
going to the theatre
studyinga foreign language
going campingor youth hostelling
going abroad
surfingthe net
gardeningor visitinggardens
mountaineeringor hill-walking
reading
paintingor drawing
singingor acting

Complete these sentences with the ideas aboye.

l. No wonder John'seyesare so sore.He spendshis
whole lif e. .
2. This Frenchfriend of mine'sjust got backfrom
NewYork where he spent most of the winter
. . at a school in Brooklyn.
3. Kevinfeelsvery stronglyabout animalrights.
He spendsa lot of time .
4. Pedro wants to be the next Pavarotti.He spendsall
his free time .
5. His mother really lovesher plantsand flowers.
Shespendsall her time .

6. I've spent ages.

., and I'm finallyoff
in three days.Two weeks in the sun!
7. Bill hasjust splashedout f 100on these new boots.
You know he goes
.. nearly every
weekend,dont you?
8. Marie works with poor people in the inner city.
She spendsevery Saturdaynight
at a hostel in the city centre.
Did you notice the two different kinds of -ing
patterns in the sentences l-8 above?
a. I go ...1n9+ time expression
b. I spend+ time expression+...-ing

26

whenever I can
most of my evenings
all my Saturdaymornings
as often as I can

all my life
half my life
quite often
onTuesdays

Now complete these sentences about your own

interests.
9. lgo.
10. I go .

..almosteyeryweek.
. . quite a lot in the summer.

I l. I spendmost Sundays
12. I sometimesfeel like I spendhalf my life

Tell a partner what you have written.

The -ing form as a noun

We can use the -ing form to talk about an activity
which is the subject of a sentence.
Mountaineeringcan be pretq/ dangerous.
Use your own ideas and the ideas in Exercise I to
complete these sentences in pairs. For example,
the answer to number one might be ballroom
dancing. What do you think?
l.

. . . is all right for old people,but not for

people in their twenties.

2. I know
... can be very dangerous,
but
there's no need to ban it, just becausesome people
get killed every winter.
3.

. . . aroundthe Greek islandsin the

summer is great fun.

4.

. . . is all right if you'vegot the time and

the money.

5.

. .. is more usefulthan learningChineseunless,of course,you happento be Chinese!

6.
7.

. .. is a very worthwhile thing to do.

. . . is something I've alwayswanted to do,
but I've just never had the time.

8.

... is all right for women,but not for

men.

Now compare your ideas with your classmates.

beil

English3 atright/ al right

lr British Englishsome people write alright as one

rord. Others write it as two. Writing it as one word
-nds to be more informal.In this course it is always
rrrnren as two words.

All right

Are you feelingall right now?

l'm reallynervousabout makingthe speech.
ls everythingall right,sir?

1. ls your coffeeall right?

Shallwe take the car?

5" Justlistento that wind. I hate flyingin weather

lik et his !
7 . ls it all right if I borrow your video for the

weekend?

Make short dialogues using the words in brackets

and the pattern you have just seen. Then practise
the dialogues with a partner.
l. ''i. I'm reallyinterestedin boxing.
B: (watch it / box yourselQ
No way!You'dnevercatchme in the ring! No,
I just love watchingit.

2.

;fr&e short dialogues by matching the questions

c comments | -7 to the responses a-9. Each
Cdogue contains a different use of all right.

')

U n u s u a lr n t e r e s i s

-J
-J
J
-J
-J
J
J

t- Well,actually,
it's a bit cold.

Yes,thanks.The room's perfect.

I reallyloveAmericanfootball.
B: (watch I play)
"' Oh, I'm in a team. We playevery Sunday.

3. "

I reallylove Chinesefood.
B: (go to Chineserestaurants/ make it yourself)

come round sometime.

4. ;t I'm reallyinto art.
B: (go to galleriesi paintyourself)
No, I wish I could paint.I just like goinground
gal l eri es.
I'm very interestedin culture.
(youth culture/ Beethovenand thingslike that)

Yes,thanks.I'm much better.

Yes,all right.lt'll be quickerthan the train.
e. Yes,sure - so long as you're carefulwith it.

Well,all sorts.Fashion,
music,dance,clothes,
anything,really.

Don't worry, it'll be all right on the night.

goingto be all right.
5- Now, calm down. Everything's
Practise reading out the dialogues with a partner.
Then cover the responses a-g. Your partner will
read out the questions and comments l-7. See if
you can remember the exact responses.

4 | More -ingforms in use

Good listeners check they understand what is
being said to them. This encourages the speaker
to give more information. You might have to
interrupt to do this. Look at the following yery
u s ef ul' c hec k in g ' te c h n i q u e .

Whatl Do you meanjust listeningto it or

actuallyplayingan instrument?
Both, really.I playthe drums in a band at
weekendsand I've got pilesof CDs at home.

27

4 U n u s u ai n
l terests

i'-?ading

It's a man's world?

Speaking
Discuss these questions with
a partner.
l . Do y ou t hink m e n a n d w o me n
are treated equallyin your
society?Why/why not?
2. Shouldwomen be allowedto do
exactlythe samesports and jobs
as m enl

Beforeyou
You are going to read an article
about the way in which women's
position in British society has and hasn't! - changed. To help
you understand the text better,
here are a few definitions:
.

A licencegivesyou permissionto
do something.

lf somethingis a spectacle,
it is
strangeor interestingto watch.

lf you counter an argument,you

give the opposite view.

lf you are unstable,you are not

mentallyfit.

lf you commit suicide,you kill

yourself.

While you
A Now read the article and
I I unaerline any examptes of
discrimination mentioned.

ot the last thirty yearu,we've been told that the war of the sexesis over
that women now have equal rights with men.To try to prove this,
J-and
I
some have pointed to the way in which women have reached the
highest offices. Mrs Thatcher, for example, led Britain for thirteen years,
whilst many other countries have also recently elected their first female
leaders.
l-

In the traditionallymale-dominatedworld of sport, women have also made

great progress.In kick-boxing, for instance,two young Scottishwomen have
forced their way into the British team. whilst many conseruative
commentators may disapprove,Kate Kearney and TeresaDewan are proud
of the fact that they can not only take on men, but can even beat them. ,\^/e
usually give them a good fight' said reresa, 'but a man never likes to be
beaten by a woman. They usuallygo off in a huff afterwards.You should see
their faces!'
However, several recent news stories have highlighted the fact that women
are still being discriminatedagainst in all areas of life. A suruey last year
showed that on averagewomen earn 300/olessthan men and that in many
companies,there is still a glassceiling,preventingwomen from getting the
top iobs.As if this wasn't bad enough, evidencealso suggeststhat women
do more than their fair shareof the work in the home. Women today have
the burden of having to go out and fight for their rights in the workplaceand are then still expectedto come home and cook and clean.
Sadly,despite the successof women like the Scottishkick-boxers,sexism is
also still alive and well in sport. The unofficialworld women's lightweight
boxing champion,Jane Crouch,is today waiting to hear whether the British
Boxing Board of Control GBBO will allow her to continue her career:The
BBBC is deciding whether women boxerswill be allowed to box officiallyor
whether they will have to remain in the shadowyworld of unofficialboxing.
Miss Crouch could expect to earn around 100,000 a year if she is given a
licence. However, there has been much opposition to the spectacte of
women in the boxing ring. There was laughter at the BBBC inquiry this
week when it was suggestedthat women should not be licensedto box
becausethey were biologicallyand emotionallyunstable.
To counter these arguments, Miss Crouch's lawyer, Dinah Rose, said
,\A/e
sarcastically:
are all taking a hell of a risk allowing women to pilot
aeroplanes,aren't we? Perhapsall women airline pilots should be tested to
see if they suffer from emotional instability.'
'l

would certainly want research on that, if I were responsible for them,'

replied Adrian Blackson,the BBBc's chief medical officer. And perhaps we
should alsosay that only men are stableenough to look after children,'Miss
Roseasked, to which Mr Blacksoncould only respond by saying, That's an
interestingquestion.'
Miss Rosewent on to suggest that it was men who were more likely to be
unstable,to commit violent crimes or commit suicide.Mr Blacksontold the
inquiry that until further researchhad been done, the BBBCshould not allow
Miss Crouch to box.

28

Speaking

Discuss these questions with a partner.

l. Do y ou t hink a n yo f th e th i n g sme n ti o n e di n the
ar t ic lehapp e ni n y o u r c o u n try ?
2. Do y ou t hink th e re i s d i s c ri m i n a ti oang a i n stany
groupsof people(other than women) in your society?

5 I Comprehension
check
Now answer these questions about the text.
l. How do male kick-boxersreactwhen they are
beatenby womenl
2. What's stoppingwomen from gettingtop jobs in
c om panies ?

Vocabulary c h e c k
Complete these sentences with words from the
text.
l . A sportspersonw ho w i ns a very i mportant
competitionis the
2. The placewhere boxingmatchestake placeis called
boxing
3. lf you saysomethingwhich is the oppositeof what
you believe,becauseyou want to mock or insult
someone,you sayit . . . .
4. lf you studysomethingin detailto gainnew
knowledgeabout it, you do . . .
. on it.
Now complete these sentences with words from
the text.

3. What does BBBCstandfor?

5. Y ou can expectto ...

4. Does Dinah Rosebelievethat women makebad

pilot s ?

6. There'sa lot of
srte.

. f30,000 ayea r .
. . . . to the proposedlandfill

7. I think we're
. . . . a big risk if we don't go to
the doctor immediately.
8. lf you commit a violent
to prisonfor a long time.

. . . . , you shouldgo

29

U n t - r s l ailn t e r e s t s

( "
J

'

e
J

J lt'-7. !' -. .

')'

Boxingjoke
f . P r ac t is e t elli n g th i s j o k e i n p a i rs . T h i n k a bout
0y'which words to stress and where to pause.
Who tells the joke better, you or your partner?
When I was a kid,we couldn'taffordaTV so one day,
m y dad dr illeda h o l e th ro u g hth e w a l l ,w h i c h m e ant
we could look into the housenext door. After that,
we usedto watch the boxingand the wrestlingevery
night . . . until we finallyrealisedthat the neighbours
didn't havea TV either.

V i o l e n to r d a n g e r o u s ?
Make sure you understand what these sports are.
Are they violent, dangerous, or both?

snowboarding
wrestling
c anoeing
sky-diving

b u n g e ej u m p i n g
water-skiing
horse-racing
kick-boxing
hang-gliding

climbing
skiing
canyonrnS
football
s c u b a -d i v i ng

Now talk about the activities above using these

structures:
I ' d q u i t el i k et o . . .
I wouldn' t. . . ev eni f y o u p a i dme ! I' d b e s c a re do f ...
Why do you think so many people like sports like
boxing or bullfighting?
Have you got any dangerous interests?

30

f
:\

4 Unusual
interests
Here are three common expressions with U and
wouldn't:

Tb responses a-e use would, wouldn't or the

crEacted
form U. Make short dialogues by
rEdring
the sentences l-5 to the responses a-e.
l- Im not reallyvery keen on going out tonight.
L lf tou wanr a ticket, I'll get you one.
3. Could you possiblygive me a lift home?
+

Ive no ideawhere to go on holiday.

5. I think l'll havethe Madrascurry.

1

I rvpuld if I could,but I can't,I'm afraid.

I've got to leaveearly today.

-J
-J
-J
-J
J

b, Well, ld quite like to go somewhereexotic.

c

lf you d rather,we could alwaysstay in instead.

I dont mind either way.

d. I wouldn't if I were you! lt's reallyhot!

c- ThatU be great, if you could.

Grammarin context

if you'd rather
I would if I could

t . A: So what do you feel like doing tonightl

B:

. . go out for a meal,if that's all

right with you.
I'm in a real

3. Look, it's not that I don't want to see you.

. . , but I just can't.I'm out of the
country all that week.

1.

' ' ' so to the PartYon Your own'

;;;b

il

;;;;.

Well, if you could persuadeJim to come to the

lecture this evening,then
. . , but
don't worry if you can't.
A: I'm reallysorry you can't come with us tonight.
B: Well, you know,
. . , but I've
reallygot to finishthis work.
I'm reallyvery tired
if that's all right.

8.

For more information on how to use would,seeG5.

Reol Englisht

Do you want a tift?

You ask this questionwhen you offer to take

someonein your car.Look at these examples:
Couldyou giveme o lift to the stotion?
Youcouldn'tgiveme o lift couldyou?
I'll giveyou o lift if you wonL
This is differentfrom the expressionthumb a lifr,
which meansthat you are hitch-hiking.

With a partner,try to agree what to do in each of

these situations. Use the expressions with would
from Exercise l.
l. An importantguestis visitingyour home town.
You havebeen askedto take them out and show
them the best it hasto offer. What would you
suggestto theml
2. You and a friend havejust won f 1,000in a lottery.
How would you most like to celebrate?

L A: Do you want a lift?

B: Oh, thanks. . . .
hurry to get home.

Use them to say something amusing about

yourself.

Reachingdecisions

Complete the sentences below with the

qressions
in the box.
i dat'd be great

You'dnever catch me in a boxing ring!

I wouldnt be seendeadwearingleathertrousers!
I wouldn't go parachutingeven if you paid me!

. . . . go to bed,

. . come a differentweekend,that's
fine. lt's all the sameto me.

3. You and some friends are totally broke,but want to

havea nice day out tomorrow. You haveabsolutely
no moneyto spend.Where would you go?
Once you have reached your decisions, join up
with another pair and reach a group decision.

Comparing
Choose the correct form.
\. [m \ookrng I \ \ook for a new lob at the moment.

In sentences l-5, cross out the option which

doesn't match the statement in the box.
The first one is done for you.

2. My dad is liking/ likesplayinggolf a lot.

The country is much worse than it used to be.

3. I ' m doing/ | d o o d d j o b s n o w a n d th e n .
4. She'srunning/ Sheruns her own businessfrom home
and alwayshas.

l. lt usedto be muchtrlor / lessviolentthan it is now.

5. I'm working / | work this weekend,I'm afraid.

2. Peoplearen'tas rude / polite as they usedto be.

6. How often are you having/ do you haveyour hair

cut?

3. Unemploymentis higher/ lower than it usedto be.

4. There usedto be a lot more / lesscrime than there
rs now.
5. The cities aren't as cleanI dirty as they used to be.

M u l t i p l ec h o i c e
Choose the correct alternative.

Now do the same in sentences 6-10.

The country is much better than it used to be.

t . H e ' s. . .
a. a bit of a show-off

b. a bit too show-off

6. lt isn't as safe/ dangerousas it usedto be.

2. H e ' s. . . .
a. quite fun to be with

b. a bit of fun to be with

3. a. To learn Englishis not easy.

b. LearningEnglishis not easy.
4. t' I don't reallylike this kind of food much.
B: a. Me neither.
b. Me too.
5. ., I don't reallylike placeswith lots of people.
B : a. S o do l .
b . N e i th e rd o l .

7. Inflationusedto be much lower / higherthan it is now.

8. lt's easier/ more difficultto find a job than it used
to be.
9. They'refinallyspendingless/ more on healthand
educationthan they usedto.
10. There didn't useto be nearlyas manypolicemen/
drug addictson the street as there are now.

Speaking

6. P et es pend sa l o t o f ti m e o u t i n th e c o u n t ry ... .
a. hill- wal k i n g
b . to h i l l -w a l k
7 . I s p e n d. . . .
a. as often as I can studying
b. most of my eveningsstudying

Do you think your town/country has changed for

the better or for the worse? Tell your partner
what you think and why.

8. How . . . pe o p l ea re c o m i n gto n i g h t?
a. many
b . mu c h
9. l. Do you want to go out somewherelater on
tonightl
B: T c b e h o n e s t , . . .
a . I'd rather just stayin b. I rather just stayin

t0

swimmingin the lakewhen I was younger.

a I hadgo n e
b. I usedto go

Compare your answers with a partner and discuss

your choices.

Conversation
Put the jumbled conversation below into the
correct order.
a. So,do you feel like doinganythingtonight?
b. Oh, really.I didn't know you had a brother.
H ow ol d i s hel
c. Well,actually,
I'm alreadygoingto see a film
with my brother.
d . You meanaction moviesand that kind of thing?
e . Yeah,that kind of thing.So,what were you
thinkingof doingtonight,anyway?
f.

And do you get on with him all right?

g. Yeah,he'sgreat. We get on reallywell.
He's into the samekind of films as me.

1,,

h . About thirty-two or thirty-three,I think. I can

never reallyremember.He'sa good bit older
than me.

IJ
J
J
J
J
J
I
-J

Review:
Units1-4

Look back and check:

Describing people

Collocations
Match the verbs l-8 to the best collocatiors ?-h.

look back at the language for describing people

ar pages 8, 9 and I l. Tick all the words you can
rcrnember. Then ask your partner about anything
you have forgotten.
lfse as much of this language as possible to
describe another student in the class. Can your
Frtner guess who you are talking about?

Expressions
Cornplete the sentencesbelow with the
crytessions in the box. All the expressions
r= fiom units l-4.
I'm afraid I can't
hryent you heard
I would if I could

not reallykeen
one of those things
cheer up

t . A: Where'sJim?Hasn'the turned up yet?

B: Oh,
. . . . I H e ' sb e e nt a k e ni l l a n d
rushedto hospital.

L Look, it's not that I dont want to see you. I mean,

.. . . , but I just can't get awayfrom work
until after seven.

3. A: Couldyou look aftermy kidson Fridayfor a few

hours?
B: No,sorry,
I'm alreadydoing
somethingelse.

1. A: I'm sorry I broke your vase.

B: Don't worry about it. lt's just .
5. A: So,what do you think? Do you like my new tiel
B: N o ,l c a n ' ts a yl d o r e a l l ly' .m . .
........on
that colour.

6. A:
. . . . ! lt's not the end of the world.
B: I supposenot, but I still feel bad about it.

l. do

a. for myself

2. run

b. the net

3. go

c. self-employed

4. surf

d. for the weekend

5. work

e . a lot of work

6. go away

f.

7. get on

g. clubbing

8. be

h . my own business

well with my family

Now match 9-16 to the best collocations i-p.

9. hand down

i.

a rePort

10. finishoff

j.

someonea big hug

I l.

k. religionand politics

breaki nto

12. give

t. the bui l di ng

| 3. be stuck

m . a lot of damage

14. steer clearof

n . clothes

I 5. evacuate

o. in a traffic jam

I6. do

P. the bank

Who would do each of the things in numbers

9-16 above and why?

English
Match the statements and the questions l-8
to the responses a-h.
l. What's all that noise?
2. Boxingis all right for men,but not for women.
3. Do you want a lift?
4. So,how long haveyou been collecting
phonecards,
then?

5. Can you get there by sevenl

6. What's your little brother like then? ls he OK?

How many different endings can you think of to

fiollow:'Oh, haven't you heard?' as in number one
ebove?

7. How do you get on with your in-laws?

8. He's great,isn't he,that new teacher?

J
J
J
J
J
J
-J
J

a. That's a pretty conservativeview, isnt itl

How many different endings can you think of to

follow:'l would if I could, but...' , as in number
two above?

b. Do you think so?I'm not that keen on him.

c . It's the neighbourfrom hell again.
d . Only if you're going my way.

e. Pretty well, I suppose,all thingsconsidered.

f.

No, not really.The thing is, I'm supposedto be

meetingJim at 6.30.

g. I supposeI've alwaysbeen into it, really.

h. You'rejoking,arent you? He's a pain in the neck!
You have one minute to memorise the responses
a-h. Now coyer Exercise 9 above. Your partner
will read out the statements and questions lJ.
How many responses can you remember?

33

R e v i e wU: n i t s1 - 4

ldioms

Vocabulary

Make sentences with idioms by matching the

beginnings l-7 to the endings a-g.
l.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

lt never rains,
You'remakinga mountain
We don't alwayssee eye
My car is on its last
I'm up to my eyes
lt's not really my
lt's just not

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.

in work at the moment.

legs.
out of a m ole h i l l .
the done thing.
cup of tea.
but it pours.

Answer these questions with a partner. Then

compare your answers with another pair. Who
got most answers right?

-|

_J
_J
_J
_J
_l
I

8. to eye.

How do you get your drivinglicencel

2. lf you want to do well in your career,are you

ambitiousor greedyl
3. Do vegetarians
drink milk and eat cheesel
does it meanthat
4. lf you hardlyever do something,
you do it very often or very rarely?
5. Where does a retired teacherteach?
6. lf you are messy,are you tidy or untidyl
7. lf someonekillsthemself,do they commit suicideor
sufferfrom suicidel
8. lf you are keen on anotherperson,do you want to
start a relationshipwith them or notl
9. lf someonewith red hair is calleda redhead,what
i s someonew i th bl ondehai r cal l ed?

remember?
With a partner, note down as much as you can
remember about the two texts you read in units
2 and 4.

10. Where are you likelyto be if you are havinga

pi nt?
I l.

lf you were a laid-backsort of person,how often

would you be in a huff with someone- often or
hardly ever?

12. ls a biographya book someonewrites about their

own or anotherperson'slife?
13. D o cri mi nal smakecri mesor commi t them?
14. How do you get on with someoneif you'renot on
the samewavelength?
15. A fri endof yours i s descri bedas narrow -minded.
Does it meanthey are open to new ideasor are
their ideasfixed in a negativeway?
16. lf you haveno brothersor sisters,are you a single
c h i l do r a n o n l y c h i l d ?
17. When do you needto get thingsoff your chest?
18. C an you thi nk of three thi ngsa hurri canecoulddo
to a house?
19. Does a boxingmatchtake placein a ring or a
squarel
20. How well do you know an acquaintancel

It's a man's world?

Now compare what you remember with another

pair. Who remembers more?
Which text did you enjoy more? Why?

134

R e v i e wU: n i t s1 - 4

Discuss these statements with a partner. What do you think?

l.
2.
3.
4.
5.

I needto learn more grammarand do more grammarexercisesin class.

You can saymore with vocabularythan you can with grammar.
Englishgrammaris very complicated.
lt's important to know all the grammarterminology.
What's more usefulwhen you go abroad- a grammar book, a coursebook,a dictionaryor
a phrasebook?
Whyl

Now read this text and see how the authors of this book answer the questions above.

Discuss these questions with a partnen

l. Do you useany books to help you study Englishat homel
2. Has this text made you changeyour mind about anything?
3. ls there anythingyou stronglydisagreewith herel Why?

35

Usirr vora ular1

decisions
What is the most important decision you have
ever made in your life? Did it turn out well or
badly?
On your own, put the following decisions in orderi
from the most difficult to make ( l) to the easiest
to make (8).

J
-J
-J
I
J
J
-J
J

decidingto changeyour job

decidingto get married
decidingto start a family
decidingto work abroad
decidingto stop smoking
decidingto get divorced
decidingto move house
decidingon a namefor your child

Compare your answers with a partner. Can you

think of any other tough decisions not listed
above?

Now listen to these three people talking

about their experiences of some tough
decisions. Listen carefully and write down their
decisions.

A
ld

nightmare!
Check you understand the expressions in the box
below. Use a dictionary to help you translate any
vocabulary you're unsure of.
I felt really pleasedwith myself.
It was total chaos.
It was a real weight off my shoulders.
I couldnt stand it any more.
What a nightmare!
After that, it was plain sailing.

ff
t/

Usten to the three people again and tick the

expressionswhen you hear them.

Use the expressions to talk about experiences

you have had.

36

t.

5 Bigdecisions

Grammar

When we explain why we did something, we often

talk about what had been happening (the past
perfect continuous) before we did what we did.
took at these examples:
A : So why did you decideto move out of your old flad
B: It was mainlybecauseI hadn't been getting on with
my flatmatesfor ages,so I just decidedI neededa
placeof my own.
A : So how come you started smoking?
B: Well, all my friends had been smokingfor agesand
theyd been trying to get me to start, so eventually
I just gavein.
Complete these short dialogues by putting the
verbs in brackets in the past perfect continuous.
l . A : So why did you decideto go to India,then?
B: W e l l l, . . . .
. . . . a l o t a b o u it t s i n c e
Sallytold me about her trip, so I just took a
month off work and went on my own. (read)

2. A: So what made you decideto stop eatingmeatl

B: W e l l l, . . . .
. . . . a b o u ti t f o r a w h i l e .
A few of my friendswere vegetariansand they
. . to convinceme for ages,so
I just decidedto give it a go. (think,try)

3. A: So how come you finallybought a computer?

B: It was reallybecausefor years I
. . all my writing on this ancient
typewriter,so I decidedto splashout. (do)

4. A: So how come you two split up,if you don't mind

me askingl

Ask each other these questions. Use your

imagination and the past perfect continuous
when you answer.
l.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

So how come you decidedto get engaged?

So what madeyou decideto buy your own flat?
So why did you finallydecideto get a jobl
So why did you decideto get rid of your cats?
So how come you gaveup salsadancing,thenl
So why on earth did you get rid of yourTV?

Tell your partner about a big decision you'ye

made, and then explain the background to that
decision, using these structures:
lU been-ing.
I hadn'tbeen -ing.
For more information on how to use the past
continuous,see G6.

Reol English3 Basicaly,

...
This is a common way to introducean explanation.
A: So why do you needto leorn English,then?
B: Well,bosically,
my bosstold me I had to.
A: How comeyou soldyour cor?
B: Well,basicolly,ljustcouldn'tofford to keep it
running.
What other reasonscan you givefor sellingan old carl

Usirr
ldioms focus

B: Well, basically,
we . .

constantly
for months,and,to be honest,we weren't really
enjoyingeach other's company.(argue)

5. A: I hear you've moved into a flat,Jiml

B: Yes,|
. . in the universityhostel
since I left home. I thought it was time to get a
placeof my own. (live)

6. A: So,you and Karen didnt move back to Sweden

after all?

B: No, we

. . secondthoughts
for a while, so we decidedto stay here in Cardiff,
at leastfor the time being.(have)

Go back and underline the time expressions.

Then read the dialogues with a partner.

Complete the idiomatic expressions in the short

dialogues below with the words in the box.
sailing

cake

stone

nothing

done

depth

l . A : It must'vebeen reallyhard learningSpanish.

B: No, not really,I alreadyspeakltalian,so it was a
pieceof..........!

2. A: Did Lee giveyou your money back?

B: Eventually,
yes,but it was like getting blood out of
a ....

. H e ' ss o m e a n !

3 . A : Did you go and give blood in the endl

B: Yes,and I'm glad I did. There was
. . .. to it!
I didnt feel a thing.

4. A: So how come you decidedto quit the classl

B: Oh, everyoneelse was so much better than me.
I f e l tt o t a l l yo u t o f m y . . . . . . . . . . !

5. A: Did it take you long to get usedto livingin Greecel

B: Well, the first six months were quite hard,but
after that it was all plain

6. A: Why not try and get a work permit and stay?

B: That'seasiersaidthan
lt's fine if you've
an EU passport,but I'm Chilean.

37

tr
T a l k i n gabout
Which jobs can you see in these pictures?
surgeon
chemist
bouncer
fireman

mechanic
social worker
policewoman
POStman

builder
soldier
pilot
model

Now complete these sentences in ways that are

true for you by adding the relevant iobs.
I w o u l d n ' t m i n d b e i n ga . . .
I ' d q u i t e l i l c et o b e a . . .
I could never be a . . .

Compare your answers with your partner and

explain your choices. These expressions might
help you explain why a job does or doesn't really
appeal to you.
On the positive side:
I imagineitd be reallyrewarding.
I think it'd be a reallycreativejob.
I imagineit'd giveyou a lot of freedom.
I'm sure the moneywould be good.
It wouldn't be all that demanding.
You'dmeet a lot of people.
On the down side:
You'dhaveto work really long hours.
I imagineit? be reallystressful.
I think it'd get reallyboringafter a while.
It'd be dangerous.
It'd be dirty.
I'vegot a feelingit'd drive me mad.
The moneywouldn't be very good.
You'dend up doingthe samething every day.

5 Bigdecisr ons
Now finish the sentences l-4 with your own ideas
or choose from a-d below.

Sfft
Secondconditionals
The first conditional uses the present simple:
lf I get that job, it'll be reallywell-paid.
The second conditional uses the past simple:
lf I had a job like that, lU go crazy.
Complete the paragraph below with the past
simple of the verbs in the box.

a.
b.
c.
d.

I d probablyhavegreat-great-grandchildren.
I dont know what lU sayto him.
the world would be a better place!
l'll be quite h.ppy.
For more information on how to use second
conditionals,see G7.

Uging Iscab'ular;1
Decisions,
decisions

Somepeoplespendhalftheir life wishingtheir liveswere

b e t t e r - i t r e a l l ya n n o y sm e . ' l f| ( l ) .
...a bit more
m o r em o n e y - i f l ( 2 )
. . . . a b e c e rj o b - i f I
(3) . .
. . the right man or woman for me.' lt drives
me mad. There is no perfect job or perfect partner!And
people saythings like'lf | (4) .
. . . so busy,I'd do this
or that', but thatt just an excuse.lf they really
(5) ..
. . to do it, I'm sure they could find the time. lf
the word'if' (6)
. . . . , rhe world would be a much
happierplace.
Hake second conditional sentences using the
wolds in brackets. For example:
(you / look better I if Iwear / suit)
I think youd look better if you wore a suit.
f . (Rachel/ understand/ if I you explainit / her)
I ' m s ur e
2. (if / we have more time / look round / museums)
It's a shame.

3. (l / buy one / if / not be / so expensive)

The fact is, . ..

1. (afI I I not haveany children/ | / travel round the

world)
I often think that
(life / be easierI if I everybodyI tell lthe truth)
I often think that

Likely

unlikely?

Choose the most suitable verb form - past for an

unlikely situation:

Deciding on your career is one of the biggest

decisions you'll eyer make in your life. Complete
the sentences below with the words in the box.
wise
immediate

wrong
joint

unpopular
right

t . We definitelymadethe ..

.. decisioncomingby
train.lt's so much easierthan driving.

2. Look,we've got three daysto make up our minds

about it. lt's not as if we need to make a(n) .
decisionor anything,
is it?

3 . A: I've decidedto stayand finish my course.lt would

be mad to leaveit now.
B : I t h i n k t h a t ' sa ( n ).
...decision.

4. Oh no, look at the traffic. We made the ..

decisioncomingthis way.
The government'sdecisionto raise income tax to
35% hasbeenvery
Someof our friendsthink it was my ideato give up
our jobs and move to the country,but it wasn't.
We d both talked about it for years.lt reallywas a(n)
....decision.

Speaking
Discussthese questionswith a partner.
l. Hasyourgovernment
madeanyunpopular
decisions
recently?
2. Haveyou madeanyjoint decisionsrecently?
Who
withl What about?
Haveyou ever made a wrong decision?

lf I won a lot of money,...

and present for a likely or more likely situation:
lf I passmy exam,...
l . lf I m eet / m et th e P ri meM i n i s te r,...
2. lf everybodythinks/ thought like me, ...
3. lf I live / livedto be seyenty,...
4 . lf I liv e/ liv edto b e 1 2 0 ,...

39

5 B i gd e c i s i o n s

Forty a day!
Before you listen
Phil:
You are going to hear a man talking about some
big decisions he's made. The expressions in the
box are all connected to these decisions. Discuss
with a partner what you think he decided to do.
passa physical
stuck in front of a computer all day
It's dead!

Justtime for a quick smoke.Oh sorry,do you

want one?

Jason: No, thanks.I gaveup yearsago.

Phil: ( l) . .
! I'vegivenup eventrying
to give up!
Jason: Yeah,it's a nightmare,isn't it?
Phil: (2) ..
! | don't know how you
managedit.
Jason: Well, it's funny,but it was my job that did it.
I mean,(3) . .
, and you know
it's destroyingyour lungs,don't you, and I knew
I wouldnt be ableto becomea firemanif I didn't
give up.
Phil:

Phil and f ason are both in the same evening

n
td.lass
chatting during the coffee break.
Listen to "ni"r.
them talking about some big decisions.
Cover the conversation. As you listen, try and
answer these questions.
l. What big decisionshasJasonmade?
2. Why?
Listen again and try to fill in the gaps in the
conversation.

So,what's becominga firemangot to do with it?

ls it the fire risk or somethingl
passa
Jason: No, it'sjust that (4) ..
physicalto get in,and I wouldn't be ableto do
that if I was smokingforty a day.
Phil: Forty a day!Justas well you gaveup! So,
(5) ..
you decidedto become
a fireman anyway?
Jason: Mm, ld haveto think about that. I supposeit all
goes backto when I got out of college.I wanted
to do somethingexcitingand different,you
know,and a friend of my dad'swas in the local
fire brigade.
Phil: Oh,right.So,(6)

Speaking
Crawley is a nice quiet town in the country about
half an hour by train from London. lt's near
Gatwick Airport, so there are a lot of jobs. lt's got
good schools and few social problems. Where
would you rather live - London or Crawley?
Would you like to move to another town - or
eyen another country - or are you happy where
you are?

........?

Jason: Yes,he helpedme get the job. I mean,I knew I

didn't want to (7)
. . sittingin
an office pushingbits of paper round a desk or
stuck in front of a computerscreen!
Phil: Yeah,I know exactlywhat you mean.I'm half
blind already!So,(8) ..
move
to London,thenl Was it for work or becauseof
a relationshipor what?
Jason: Well, it was mainlywork, but also becauseI was
just (9)
. . where I was livingat
the time.
Phil:

lt was down in Crawley,wasn't itl lt's pretty

quiet down there,isn't it?

Jason: Quiet?Yeah,it's dead.There'sabsolutelynothing

to do there.
Phil: (10).
.......?
Jason: What? Becominga fireman?
Phil: No, no, movingto London,I mean.
.lloveit.
J a s o nO
: hyeah,(ll).
I don't think I could live anywhereelse now.
Phil:

No, it'sthe samefor me.lt getsyou after a while,

doesn't it? lt's like a drug.

Real Englisht

Goodfor you!

This is a common way of congratulating

someone.
A: I'vejustpossedmy drivingtest
B: Goodfor you!

40

5 Bigdecisions

3 . A : I wish I'd brought the piano with me.

B: How come?
A:
4. A: When I was a kid, I ran awayfrom home.
llow come is an alternatiye way of saying why.
took at these examples:

It took them six months to find me.

B: Six months!How come it took them so longl

A:

}Yhy did you decideto move to Londonl

How come you decidedto move to London?
tVhy did you decideto do that, then?
l{ow come you decidedto do that, thenl

your decisions
3 | Explaining

Wtry are you leavingearly?

l{ow come you're leavingearly?

Here are six expressions for explaining why you

made certain decisions. Put the words in the
correct order.

Practise saying the expressions above.

a. got / with I we ljust / each/ other / bored

Re-write these sentences starting with why.

b. afwaysI l've I been / in / it / interested

l. How come you paid so much for your car?

c. alwaysI to lwanted / I'd
2. How come you got here so early?
d . j u s t / w i t h / u p / | | f e dI i t / g o t
3. How come you refusedthe invitationf
e. j u s t / l / f e l t / i t l l i k e
4. How come you didn't acceptthe job in LAf

t. him / of / friend / recommended/ mine / a

5. How come you're so interestedin Tibet?
6. How come there's no beer left in the fridge?

Now complete these sentences with how come

or why.
7. So,

. . you're studyingEnglishl

8. So,

. . did you choosethis school?

9. So,

. . did you decideto do that, then?

10. So,

..you choseto studythat?

I l. So,

. . do you want to go to lceland?

12. So,

. . you decidedto move there,thenl

Now ask your partner two intresting questions

starting with how come.

Jokes!
fl
l/
o
.
.
.

Comptete these'How come?' jokes with

tn. clrrect responsein the box betow.
I wanted to be near my mum!
BecauseI left the plane tickets on it!
They didnt look!
I want to be ready in casethere's an
accident!

Now complete these short dialogues with the

expressions a-f above.
l. A: Why did you decideto write a bookl
B:
..eversince
I was at school.
2. A: So,how come you went to Dr Martin?
B:
. . a n dI ' m
glad I did. He's wonderful.
3. A: So,why did you decideto stop dancinglessons?
B:
.. .l mean,
it was fun to beginwith, but it started eatingup
all my free time.

4. A: So,what on earth madeyou decideto dye your

hair grey?

B:

.. . I t hought
it might make me look more mature.

5. A: So,what madeyou study Greek philosophyl

B:
. ., b elieveit
or not!

6. A: So,why did you andJanesplit up?

B:
It's sad, I know, but that's life,I suppose.
Tell a partner
. something
o something
. something

about:
you got fed up with.
silly you just felt like doing.
you've always been interested in.

l . A : How come you drive with your brakeson?

B:
2. A: How come you were born in New Zealand?
B:

41

iteadirrg
Your captain speaking
With a partner, discusswhether you think these
statements about air travel are true or false.

whv?

You're going to read an article that features air

travel, the law and smoking. Check that you
understand the words in the box beloq using a
dictionary to help you if necessary. Then put
them into the correct categories.

l. Only you or membersof your familymay packyour

luggage.

2. No aerosolsare allowed in any luggage.

3 . Only two items of hand luggagemay be carried on
board.

4. No cigarettesor alcoholare allowedon board.

5 . The use of mobile phonesis strictlyprohibited.

air travel:

6. No toy weaponsare allowedon board.

smoking:

Can you think of other rules which aPPly to these

things when flying?

With a partner, discuss what you think the article

is going to be about.

7. smokingduring take-offand landing

8. usinga CD player

the law:

While

9. wearinghigh-heeledshoesin an emergency
10. where to put your hand luggage
I l.

us ingt he t oi l e t

12. seatsin the upright position

I3. wearingseatbeltsduringthe flight
14. specialseat belts for babies

A Read this article about a woman whose

ld.r"ring
for a smoke tanded her in big trouble
- at 30,000 feet! When you've read it, answer
these questions.
l. Why did JoanNorrish light up on the plane?
2. When was she arrested?
3. What happenedto her after thatl

The cost of a cigarette

A businesswoman's
desperateneedfor a cigaretteon an eighthour flight from Americaresultedin her being arrestedand
handcuffed,after she was found lightingup in the toilet of a
Boeing747, not once but twice.
Joan Norrish,aged33, yesterdaybecamethe firstpersonto be
prosecutedunder new laws for smoking on board a plane,
when she was fined t440 at Uxbridgemagistrates'court. Ms
Norrish,from Radwinter,Essex,said: 'l'm such a nervous
passenger,and I couldn't have handledthe flight without a
cigarette.
lf they'dtold me I couldn'tsmokeon board,lwould've
avoidedgoing by planealtogether.'
Ms Norrishfirst attractedthe attentionof the in-flightstaffwhen
she had her first puff in the toiletafterthe planetoucheddown
for refuellingat New York'sJFK airport.One and a half hours
later,she went into the lavatoryagain,causingpassengersto
theycould
complainto the cabincrew.However,on inspection,
find no sign of cigarettesin the toilet,and wereconcernedthat
thus addingto their
Ms Norrishmay havehiddenthe cigarettes,
fearsfor the safetyof the plane.
RelationsbetweenMs Norrishand the crewsoon got worse,as
Ms Norrishturnedviolentwhen the planelandedat Heathrow,
arrested
wherethe policewere alerted.She was subsequently
and handcuffed.
'lt
Outsidethe court,Ms Norrishcommentedon her fine. was
quitehigh,much higherthan I was expecting.lt all seemslike
Ms Norrish
an avvfullot of fuss overjust a coupleof cigarettes.'
is being encouragedto appeal against the fine by a prosmoking organisationwho have offered her legal aid. A
spokesmanfor the group said: 'Thisis yet anotherexampleof
againstand
the way in whichsmokersare beingdiscriminated
marginalised
in society.We generatemillionsof poundsfor the
governmenteveryyear throughthe taxeswe pay - and yet we
are treated like second-classcitizens.We're banned from
smokingin all kindsof publicplacesand peopleexpectus to
stand outsidein all weathersif we want to smoke. lt's got to
stop!'
However,anti-smokinglobbies have welcomedthe judge's
decision and have claimed that there is no excuse for
'Thisis
the livesof othersby lightingup in public.
endangering
'andwe look
said,
a step in the rightdirection,'a spokeswoman
forwardto the day when all smokingis banned.'

Flying

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a
partner.
l. Do you haveany sympathyfor
Ms Norrishl Why/why not?
2. ls smokingbannedin your
country?Can you think of
anythingelsethat is?
3. Are you more pro- or
anti-smoking?
Why?

Vocabularycheck
Complete these sentences with
words from the article.
l. I quit after two yearsworking
there.I just couldn'thave
....thepressureany
longer.
2. lf I'd known we'd get delayed
for six hours,I would've
.... flyingaltogether.
3. Whenwe..
..down,
there was a great big crash.lt
was really scary.
4. I've looked everywherefor her.
She'sjust totallyvanished.
There'sno..
..ofher
anywhere.
5. Sincethe war endeda few
years?go,.
. .. between
our two countries have
improveda lot.
6. lt was lovelythis morning,but
i t ' ss u d d e n l y . . .
.really
cold,hasn'tit?
7. Has the postmanbeen yet? I'm
....someimportant
mail today.
8. I was goingto complain,but I
didn't want to make a
I hate it when I
feel like everybody'slooking at
me.
9. I'm goingto applyfor
....aidsolcantake
them to court.
10. I'm a firemanand we're going
on strike next month. We're
sick of beingtreated like
second-class
. ..

43

Flying

U i i n g rs.abularT
Flyingvocabulary
Match the words l-10 to the words a-j to make
collocations which are commonly used to talk
about things to do with flying.

On a long flight, do you watch the in-flight

movies? Complete these sentences with the
correct form of watch, see, or look.
l.

Could you havea look on the TV pageto . . .

what's on after the news?

l. y our boar d i n g

a. entertainment

2. the drinks

b. flight

2. A: Can you .
. . . anythingwrong, doctor?
B: No,yourthroat...
.fine.

3. an eight-hour

c . locker

3. I think l'll . . .

4. the overhead

d . crew

5. your oxygen

e . stoPover

4. The amountof food at the weddingwas incredible.

I ' v en e v e r
. . . . a n y t h i n gl i k ei t !

6. the in-flight

f. trolley

7. the smoking

g card

8. the emergency

h section

9. the cabin
10. an uns c he d u l e d

exit
I

mask

Discuss these questions with a partner.

I l. Haveyou ever had to use your oxygen mask?
12. Can you rememberthingsfallingout of the
overheadlocker?

t 3 . When was the lasttime you went on a reallylong

flightl

1 4 . What is the longestflight you haveever been on?

. the matchon TV tonight.

5. I want you to
to something.

. . . . him closely.I think he'sup

6. Here,
. . . . out of the window. Haveyou ever
seena car like that before!
7. Can you
pl ease?

. . . . my bagwhile I go to the loo,

8. When the sky is this clear,you can

milesfrom up here.lt's fantastic!
9. Haveyou .
10. I've ..

. . . . for

. . . that new film yet?lt's great.

.. ever)rwhere
for my wallet.I can't
....itan)rwhere.

Do you have three different words for look, see

and watch in your language? Do you use them in
the same way as the examples above?

Flyingjoke
Now imagine you have just touched down after
the worst flight eyen You had problems with all
of the things in Exercise I above. You're going to
phone a friend back home and tell them about
your journey. Spend five minutes planning what
you are going to say. Ask your teacher for help
if necessary.

Try to guess the ending of this joke. Listen

anA check. Then tell it to each other in pairs
and decide who tells it better. These people then
tell it to the class, who vote on who tells it best.

A
l/

Alfred had never flown before and was extremely

nervous.H e w as fl yi ng acrossthe A tl anti c t o visit his
sister,who had emigratedto Canada.When he got on
the pl ane he found he w as si tti ng i n a w i ndow seat .
After a few minutes,the personnext to him arrivedan enormousl yfat A meri can.N ot l ong after t he plane
took off, the Americanfell asleepand beganto snore
loudly.It was obviousto Alfred there was no way he
could get out, evento get to the toilet, without waking
the man up.
After the in-flight meal had been served,the plane
entered an area of severeturbulence.The American
continuedto snore.Alfred,however,
startedto feel sick.
He was desperateto get to the toilet. Finally,he was
si ck - al l overthe man' strousers.The
A mericandidn't
w ake up, but he j ust conti nuedto snore.A lf r ed didn't
know what to do.

A s the pl anetoucheddow n,the A meri canfi nallywoke

up and saw his trousers.Alfred turnedto him and said,

What is your worst flying story?

44

6 Flying

Adjectives:strong comparatives

We often respond by repeating an adjective as

a question and then adding another stronger
adjective. Respond to these questions or
comments in a similar way using the strong
adjectives in the box below.

Here are expressions which show that the end

result of something was different from our
expectations.
A: How was your flightl
B: lt was terrible - much worse than I thought it
would be.
A: What was the food on the plane like?
B: lt was good - much nicer than I'd expected.
Using these two examples, think of answers to
the following questions. Here are some words
end phrases to help you.
fine
trat
went well
interesting
nice
sweltering

much hotter
much nicer
much better
much easier

l. How was your examl

L What was the weather in Tunisialike?ls it hot at this
time of yearl

tiny
terrifring

5. What did you think of the restaurantlWas it nice?

6. So,how was the exhibition?As good as all the
advertisingsaid it would bel
Now ask your partner questions about some
things you know they have done or seen recently.
They should answer as above. Continue the
conversations for as long as possible.

Strong adjectives
took at ways of responding in the examples
below.

shocked
gorgeous

It's a pretty big city, right?

B:
3. A: How's your flatl lt must be a bit cold with all this
snow we're having.

B:
4. A: It's pretty quiet down in Devon,isn't itl
B:
5. A: You must'vebeen pretty surprisedwhen you read
the report in the papers.

B:
6. A: It'sa bit smallin here,isn't it?
B:
7. A: So,is he good-looking,then,your new boyfriend?
B:
8. A: It must'vebeen a bit scary,going so high up like
that.

B:
A lt is important that you can keep
I d.on"ersations going-Here are A's next
comments a-h from the conversations above.
First match them up. Then listen to the
conversations. Finally, practise reading them
with a partner.
a. There'sno way you'll catch me doing that again!
b. That'swhy I've decidedto havecentral heating
put i n.
c. That'swhy I moved to a smalltown out in the
country.
d. You can hardly swinga cat in here!
e. That'swhy we made sure the hotel had
air-conditioning.
f.

A: Havingsomeonethrow up all over you is quite

unpleasant,
isn't it?
B: Unpleasant?
lt's disgusting!

boiling
enormous

l . A : It must'vebeen reallyhot in Greece.

B:
2. A: Oh, you're from Sio Paulooriginally,are you?

3. So,you've moved into your new house.How did it

gol
1. How did you feel about your presentationthe other
dayl Were you happywith it?

freezing
dead

That'swhy I decidedto move to the city!

8. You'lldie when you see him!

h . That's why I contacted my solicitor straightaway.

A: That guy on the planewas quite fat,wasn't he?

B: Fatl He was enormous!

45

6 Flyrng

U ; i n gg r a t n { r l a l
I
I
II

Gerundsand infinitives

Grammar
Verbs often work together in specific patterns.
Circle the correct form in these sentences.
l. Why did you decideto learni learningEnglish?

Look at these two patterns:

Verb + gerund
There's no way you'll catch me doing that again.
Verb + infinitive
That'swhy I've decidedto move to the city.
Some verbs can take either pattern, but the
meanings may be different:
I clearlyrememberpostingyour letter.
I must rememberto post your letter.

2. Well, becauseI wanted going/ to go to America.

3. Well, becauseI was interestedin travelling/ to travel.
4. Well, becauseI was fed up with working / to work in
the evenings.
5. Well, I was reallybored with doing / to do the same
thing every day at work.
6. BecauseI was trying getting/ to get into university
and I neededit for my exams.

7. BecauseI was hopingto go / goingto Australiafor six

months.

Mark each verb in this way:

G

if it only takes the gerund

if it only takes the infinitive

G/l

if it can take either

l. t r y t o do / d o i n g

9. enjoyto do / doing

2. ask him to do / doing

10. avoidto do / doing

3. promiseto do / doing

I l.

4. suggestto do / doing

12. prefer to do / doing

5. forget to do / doing
6. expectto do / doing

13. carryon to do /
doing

7. love to do / doing

14. manageto do / doing

8. rememberto do /
doing

1 5 . s ta rt to d o / doi ng

beginto do / doing

1 6 . p l a nto d o i doi ng

Now cross out the impossible verb forms.

Grammarin context
With a partner, think of two possible answers for
each of these questions, starting with the words
given.
l. A: So,why did you leaveyour jobl
B : I w a n t e d. . . .
I was fed up
2. A: So,how come you decidedto move to Milan?
B: I was bored
I w as i nterestedi n ...
3. A: So,why did you break up with your fianc6(e)?
B : I w a n t e d. . . .
I didn't want
4. A: So,how come you suddenlydecidedto stop
smoking?
B : I w as tryi ngto ...
I was just fed up with
For more information on how to use gerunds and
infinitives,see G8.

Complete these sentences in ways that are true

for you. Use the gerund or the infinitive.
l. l'll neverforget
2. I must remember
this week.
3. I promised
but I didn't.
4. I'm alwaysforgetting
5. I've never quite managed
6. I usuallyavoid
if I can.
7. There'sno way you'll catch me . .
8 . I ' m p l a n n i n.g. . .
sometimein the next couPleof years.
Tell your partner as much as you can about what
you have written.

Flyrng

U s i n gJ D C A D u l a r l
Smoking
Complete these collocations by
adding the missing words.
a

a heav y / a c h a i n/a n o c c a s i o n a l

b. smokea / light a / put our a

c. king-size/ low-tar I mild I
menthol/ strong
d.

.... lighter/packet/
ends/ advertising
give up / start / stop / be
anti-

Now complete these sentences

with collocations from a-e
above.
l. I usedto be a really
smoker,you know, fifty a day,but
now I'm just a(n)
smoker.
I've been trying to . . .
smokingfor yearsnow I wish ld
never
. . . . i n t h e f i r s tp l a c e !

3. W h e r e c a n l .

...this
cigarette?ls there an ashtrayor
somethingaround?

4. I saw this old homelessguy in the

A We ofilen need to pause when we are asked difficult questions, to

I J glve us time to think. We do this by using,delayers'. Listen and
practise saying these'delayers'.
So how come you decided to start smoking?
Why did I start smoking?
That'sa good question.
That'sa difficultquestion.
Well, ld haveto think about that.
I'm not reallysure.
Um, I don't really know.
Why? | haven'treallythought about that.
with a partneri take turns asking and answering the questions
below. Before answering, use delayers to give you thinking time.
l. How come you decidedto wear those clothesthis morning?
2. Why did your parentscallyou (your name)?
3. What made you decideto sit nexr to me todayl
4. Why do you think everyoneends up learningEnglishand not French,
G ermanor S pani shl
5. What makesEnglishso hard to learnl

Roleplay
Pick someone in the class to pretend to be a famous person. For a
couple of minutes, the rest of the class should prepare to ask them
difficult questions about their life and experiences. The famous
person should answer the questions, remembering to use.delayers'
if they need time to think before they answer.

streets yesterdaypickingup all

the old cigarette
Cigarette
. . . . i s b a n n e do n
televisionin some countries.
6. T h e l i n k b e t w e e n
.... and
lungcancerhasnow been
proved.

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a
partnen
l. Do you know anyonewho
smokeslWhat kind of smokerare
theyl
2. Do you know anyonewho's given
up?How did they manageto do
it?
3. How do you feel about cigarette
advertisingl

47

A typical weekend
Here is a list of things people do at weekends. Tick the ones you
do. Think of some others.
do the weekly shopping

catch up with your e-mails

havea lie-in

go out for a walk

havepeople round

go to the cinema/thetheatre/

tidy up your house/flat/room

a concert

wander around town

cleanthe car

go out with friendsfor a meal

catch up with work

go to church

visit your parents/grandparents

stay in and relax

playfootball/tennis

do some studying

Compare your answerswith a partner.

Reol English3 What are you up to this weekend?

This is a common way of askingwhat your plansare.
Whot ore you up to tonight?
Whot ore you up to on Soturdoy?

Planningexpressions
ft
ld

Listen to Gavin talking about his plans for the weekend.

ri.t the expressionsyou hear.

l. I guessl'll probably. . .

5 . I h o p et o . . .

l'll...
2. I imagine

6. Unfortunately,I've got to . . .
7 . I ' mg o i n g t ot r y t o . . .

3 . l w o u l d n tm i n d . . . i f l g e t t i m e .
4. lf I get the chance,l'll . . .

to . ..
8 . I' m pl anni ng

Now practise sayingthe expressionsabove.

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.
l. When was rhe last time you just had a night in front of the telly?What did
you watchl
2. Do you know anybodywhose house is a tip?
3. When did you last havea big night out? Did it take you long to recover?

7 Yourweekend

=ing gra rtrrfttl

Grammar
Complete the sentences below with the correct
form of the verbs in the box.

Here are four common ways to talk about

dre future.
l. 'll

get in

do (x2)

go

give

sneeze

t . A: What're you up to this afternoonlAny plansl

B : I thi nk I ....

Thatl the phone.I'll get it.

\Afaitfor me. l'll only be a minute.
I think l'll havethe chicken.

2. Accordingto the timetable,the earliestbus

2. going to

3 . A: Did you manageto post that letterl

took at those black clouds.lt's goingto rain.

We're goingto catch the early train.
We're going to go to New Zealandthis winter.
3. prcsent continuous
We're meetingin town tomorrow.
fm leavingat the end of the month.
I'm going out to the cinematonight.
1. present simple
We leavefor Calcuttatomorrow morning.
The las tbusleav e sa t I l .1 5 .
IndiaplayAustraliain the final next month.
With a partner, discuss which of the following
best describes each group of sentences.
a- We use this form becausethere is some kind of
evidencenow for the future event. This might
be a decision,a plan,or somethingyou can see.

somegardeni ng
i f i t' s n ice.

at seven.
B : O h , I ' m s o r r y I. c o m p l e t e lf yo r g o t |. . . . . . . . . . . i t
on my way home tonight.I promise!

4. S o r r yI c a n t m a k ei t t o c l a s st o n i g h t|. . . . . . . . . . . o u t
to dinnerwith some friends.

5 . As soon as I passmy drivingtest, my father

me his old car.
5. Passme the paperhankies.
Uh, uh,uh, I

Grammarin context
Make sentences by matching the beginnings
to the endings a-d.
l. I'm just goingto havea quiet night in tonight,
2. I've got ro work really late tonight,
3. I'm so pleasedthat my examsare over
4. l4y mother's arrivingtomorrow

We use this form for thingswhich are as

certain as a timetable.

a. so I'm planningon havinga lie-intomorrow.

b. so I've got to get up reallyearly and meet her.

We use this form for thingswe've already

arranged.

c. and watch a bit ofTV.

d. that I'm going to go out and celebratetonight.

d. We use this form to give a reaction,an opinion

or a decisionat the moment of speaking.

Grammardiscussion
Read these sentences. Then discuss the question
in brackets after each sentence.
l. I'm goingto tidy up the housetomorrow morning.
(When did you decidel)
L We landat eight in the morningUS time. (How do
you knowl)
3. l'll call in on the way home from work. (When did
you decidel)
1. We're havingmy grandparentsfor Christmasdinner.
(ls this a plan?)

a4

J
_|

J
J

Now make sentences by matching the beginnings

5-8 to the endings e-h.
5. I've beengoingout sucha lot lately
6. I'm just going to take it easytonight
7. I've got a big night on Friday
8. I'm just going ro stay in tonight because
e. becausemy brother'swedding'son Saturday.
f . I'vegot some thingsto do aroundthe house.
g. becauseI was out until three last night at a party.

J
-J
J
-J

h. that I'm just goingto srayin tonight for a change.

Ask some other students:,So, what're you up to
this week?'
For more information on how to use these structunes,

seeG9.
You will learn best from good, natural examples.

49

7 Yourweekend

L.;g'efl':ft!
While
lt" Friday evening. Ken
A
f l
Steve have both iust
",ra
for the daY,and
work
finished
go
home. Listen
to
are about
about their
talking
to them
weekend.
the
plans for
Cover the conversation. As You
listen, try to answer this
question.
What are Ken and Stevedoing this
weekend?
Listen again and fill in the gaPs
in the conversation.

Thank goodnessit's FridaY!

Steve: Thank goodnessit's Friday!Thisweek'sbeen
draggingon forever.
me about it! So,what are you up to this
Tell
Ken:
weekendl
Steve: Oh, nothing special,really.This evening,I'm
. for dinnerwith mY Parents'
( l) . .
Ken:

Oh, that shouldbe nice.

Steve: Yes,we're goingto this little Frenchplacenear

where I live. The food's Sreatthere, and then
tomorrow I've got to get up reallyearly - at
leastfor me! - and do some cooking,because
...somePeoPle
I've(2)
t
h
e a f t e r n o o nA. n d I ' l l h a v e
....in
(3)..
good cleanas well'
really
to give the placea
(4) . .
I
think
but
And, I'm not sure,
a film or
see
to
that
be going out after
anything'
planned
really
something.We haven't
What about yourself?
. . . goingout
Ken: Well,tonight I'm (5)
with some peoplefrom my old iob, but I don't
reallyfeel like it any more. I'm feelingreally
tired.
Steve: So you're just goingto (6)
then?
Ken:

Yes,becausetomorrow night I've got a big

night.I'm goingto my friends Pete and Rachel's

party. lt's on a boat.
....... ?
Steve: O h , t h a ts o u n d sg r e a t .( 7 ) . .
Ken: Down by the river. You know, in the docks.
Steve: Oh yes,I know where you mean.I went to a
party there myself(8) . .
Ken:

Right.ls it OK down there?

. . .. . .big.
Steve: Yes,it's great,but it's (9) . .
boat.
the
on
room
much
not
that
There's
Ken:

Mm, soundscosy!

Steve: Oh, yes,you can get reallyclose to people!

Lots of sweatybodies!
. . . . . t h a t s o r to f
Ken: l d o n ' t t h i n ki t ' s( 1 0 ). . .
party!
you never know. lf you're lucky it might
Well,
Steve:
becomeone! No, I'm only ioking,it's actually
a great place for a party.
Ken:

..to it.
G o o d .I ' m r e a l l y( l l ) .
unfortunately,I've got to
But then on Sunday,
do some thingsfor work.

Steve: No rest for the wicked!Well,listen,I

. . give You a ring on SundaY,
( 12) .
then,just to hear all about your quiet night out
down on the river!

Real Englisht Tell me about itt

you saythis to peoplewhen they tell you somethingnegativeand you want to symPathise
becauseyou havehad a similarexperience.
A: I've hodso monybills to poy thisweek.I con'tbelievehow muchit coststo hovemy ownflot!
B: Tetlme obout it! MY ploceis costingme o fortune!
find
Are there any more expressionsin the conversationwhich you havenot met before or

surprisingl

50

With a partner, use one of the patterns t-4 to telt

someone that ...
l. a friend hasarrangedto come to your flat to help
you with some homework on Sunday.
2. you've arrangedto go shoppingwith a friend on
Saturday,
but you'll probablystay at home.

3 . you've thought about goingto the cinema,but you're

Speaking

not sure yet.

4. you haveto do a lot of work this weekendbecause

the deadlinefor your essayis Monday,and you haven't
even started it yet.

Discuss these questions with a partner.

l. Who do you think is goingto havea better weekend
- Steveor Kenl

5 . your flat is reallyuntidy.You know you must cleanit

2. Do you ever ger that Fridayafternoon feelingor rhar

Mondaymorningfeeling?

6. there'sa possibilityyour friend,Steve,is havinga

3. Haveyou ever been to a party on a boatl What was

7. you've arrangedto meet some friends on Sundayfor

4. How often do you go out for dinner with your

parentslWhat kind of placesdo you go tol
5. Are you usuallytoo tired on a Fridayto want to go
out in the evening?

this weekend.
parry tomorrow night.
lunch,but you don'r know if you'll feel like it because
you're goingto a party on Saturday!

8. your mother has arrangedto visit your new flat on

Saturdayafternoon.
For more information on how to use these srructures
to talk about the future, see G 10.

U g i r r yU l ' c i l t { f f a f
More ways of talking
about the future
Here are some more ways to talk about things in
dre future. All are common in spoken English.
l. I'vegot somebodycominground.
I've got some friends arrivingfrom Spaintomorrow.
2. I've got to do something.
I've got to get up really early tomorrow to take my
father to the airport.
3. I'm supposedto be doingsomerhing,
but . . .
I'm supposedto be playingfootball on Saturday,
but
I've got a bit of a cold.
4. I might be doing something.
I might be goingto the coasrfor the weekend,but I
haven'tdecidedfor sure yet.
'1J Listen
and practise saying these sentences.
JJ

lmagine you want to invite your partner to

a special event (e.g. the wedding of a relative,
a day at the races, a masked balt). Howeverl
your partner can't come and will make an
excuse. Practise using the example below.
A

Debbie and I are getringmarried next Saturdayand

weU really like you to come to the reception in the
evening.

B: Oh, I'd love to, but I'm afraidI can't.I'vealready

arrangedro go awayfor the weekend.
A: That'sa shame.ls there no way you could put
it offl
B: Well, I would if I could,bur we'vealreadybookedthe
tickets.
A: Oh well,too bad.We'll saveyou a pieceof the cake!
Do you find it easy to turn down invitations?
Would you turn down an invitation to any of the
things shown in the pictures on these pages?

i'

7 Yourweekend

Famousfutures
What's your favourite song?

Collocations

Can you complete these lines from famous songs?

Each usesa future form. In one of the examples,
you will need the spoken form of going to gonna.
shall

'll

f . f'm goingon a dateI a day-tripto Cambridge/

SOnna

l. We.

...overcome.

2. 1....
want.

t e l l y o u w h a t l w a n t ; w h a tl r e a l l y , r e a l l y

be all right.

'Wfun I was
!ruU, I uas to[], Tou'$seewficnyou're
I
fifty.' I *rfiftg onl I finoen'tseeno tfi.ing!'
I
..-r-'-3
E4s:Y_-_-^*_.d-*nff'Otdnen ore{a,ngerous.
to tfum ufrat is
It doun't ffi.o.tter
wor{i.'
tfu
goiry to frappento

f;
I

-f-*-..--- ._...-nF*

/t-tttsemardsfraat
----.'*-,-*_*F-^8

'I {isapprooeof wfrotyousay' 6ut I wilt fufenl to tfiz dcatfi

I
your rigfit to say it.'
I
'l/o[taire

--..-*.-**.

Answer these questions.

7. Do you like goingto barsl
8. How often do you go awayfor the weekend?
9. When was the last time you went away
somewherel
What did you catch?
lO. Haveyou ever been fishing?
I l. What was the last day-tripyou went on?

Vocabulary
What is the difrerencebetween a meeting, an
appointment and a date?

Can you say this short Poem?

'-F

Compare your answers with a partner, then make

six statements about what you plan to do next
weekend, using the vocabulary above.

*-.e<*e-a

^^-'f^**

Tomotol(stcfr.up
tfu,6ott[2,
If y* dorct sfrn"kp
^{qu'ff cortt,anl tfun o {ot'ff.

3 . I'm going out for shopping/ a walk / the day on

5. I'm going out to get somethingto eat / some things

for the house/ some shopping/ driving.
6. I'm goingfishingwith my dad / shopping/ some
shopping/ clubbingtonight.

Find some more song lyrics which include future

forms.
Here are three famous quotations, each using a
future form. Which is your favourite?

shoppingtonight / a guidedwalk.
2. I'm going out to see a film / my friend up in Yorkshire/
a bar tonight/ see a musical.
Saturday/ a drink with some friends.
4. I'm going awayto the mountains/ Brightonthis
weekend/ Francefor three days/ the pub.

.. be cominground the mountainwhen

3. She..
she comes.
4. Everything's.. . .

Below are six sentenceswith go for talking about

your plans for the weekend.Cross out the wrong
collocation in each grouP.

I
I
*-t

Make sentencesby matching the beginnings l-'{

to the endings a-d.
l. I've got an appointment
2. I've got a blind date with

Pronunciation
ln the conversation Steve said:'l'll have to
A
f d git. the place a really good clean' . Practise
'll.
saying these common sentences with
l. Right,l'll see you later.
2. lt'll be all right on the night.
3. She'llbe with us in five minutesor so.
4. What'll you sayto your boss?
5. How'll we recogniseeach otherl
6. You'll regret it.
7. l'll see what I can do.
8. There'll be a lot of people you know there.
9. So,where'llwe meet,then?
10. I'm sure we'll meet again.
In what kind of situation would you say number 6?

52

3. I've got a meetingwith

4. I'm meetingup with
a.
b.
c.
d.

my boss at four,which should last until six or so.

some friends of mine later for a drink.
at the dentist'sat five.I'm dreadingit.
this friend of a friend.

J
J
J
J

Now make sentencesby matching the beginnings

5-8 to the endings e-h.
5. I'm goingto go and visit
6. I'm going round to
7. I've got a date with
I'm meeting
a friend'stonight.
some friends later on this evening.
a friend of mine in hospitalthis afternoon.
h. this gorgeousguy/girl I met yesterday.

8.
e.
f.
g.

J
J
J
J

7 Yourweekend

Real English3 a friend's

This is how you talk about a friend'shouse or flat.
We're meetingot Steye'sbeforegoinground to Stewort
ond Jone's.
We often also say Steve'sploceor/one's ploce.
Whose plocedo you go to most often?

Steve used the expression'No rest for the

wicked!' at the end of his conversation with Ken
on page 50. We use this expression to make fun
of friends when they have to work - and we don't!
Complete the common idioms below with the
words in the box.
choosers joking

Discuss these questions with a partnea

me

see

devil

present

a. L o n gt i m en o . . . . . . . . . .!

l. What is the differencebetweena date and a blind

datel Haveyou ever been on a blind date?

c . Beggarscant be

2- How often do you havea dentist'sappointment?

d . Ratheryou than

3. Do you ever haveto go to meetingslWho with?

1. Do you remember your last date,meetingor
appointmentlWhat about your first datel

f.

b. T a l k o f t h e . . . . . . . . . . !

e . There'sno time

Youmustbe..........!

Complete these short dialogues with the idioms

a-f above.
In pairs, plan an ideal weekend. Think about
wtrether you want to
'
'
'
'
.

stayat home or go awaysomewhere.

relax or keep busy.
stay in the town or go out into the country.
be on your own or with friends.
eat out or at home.

Now talk to another partner and tell them

tbout your plans for your ideal weekend.
Next, plan a really cheap weekend with your new
partner. When you have done this, talk to a
difierent student and compare your plans.

Festivals
Ar= you interested in going to festivals such as
dre one shown in the pictures? lt's Samhuinn
(pronounced Soyin) - an old Celtic festival, held
h Edinburgh to celebrate Hallowe'en (All Souls)
and the end of summer. Do you have anything
3e this in your country?

t . A: Hello,Jack,.

....... !
B: I know. I haven'tseen you for ages.

A: When are we goingto plan the partyl

B: Well,
.., isthere?

3 . A: We're goingto the opera tonight.

B : O p e r a ?. . . .
. . . . ! | c a n ' tt h i n k
of anythingmore boring!
4. A: I think Jane'sjust a bit annoyedbecauseof
what happenedearlier.
B: Oh,
. . ! H e r es h e
comes now. Let'sask her about it.
5. A: Look, the cheapestflight leavesat midnight
and gets in at four in the morning.
B: Let'stake it!
.. . .. . . . !
6. A: I was wonderingif you could lend me f50
till next Friday.
B:...
. . . . . ! l ' m s t i lw
l aiting
for the f5 | lent you last week!
Which of these idioms do you think you'll use
most often? Why?

U E i r r yJ r r a b u l a r l

collocations
Complete the sentences below with the correct
form of the verbs in the box.

What kind
With a partner, discuss what each of these kinds
of parties involves.
.
.
.
.
.

a birthday party
adinnerpafty
a family get-together
a fancydress parq/
a farewell party

.
.
'
.

a house-warmingparty
arave
a stag night/a hen night
a surpriseparty

break up
finish

gatecrash
go on

invite
ruin

t . I t w a sa g r e a tp a r t y|.t . . . .

sort out
throw

. . . . . u n t i lt h e s m a l l

hours.

2. My girlfrienddumped me in front of everybody.lt really

...theparty!

3 . The neighbourscomplainedabout the noiseand,in the

end,the policeturned up and

Which of these kinds of parties do you enjoy

going to the most?And the least?Why? Are there
any you've never been to?

Reell Englisht

. . . the party.

4. We had a lot of trouble with these guyswho tried to

. . . the party. We told them they weren't
invited,but they just wouldnt listen!
......... ?
5 . W h a t t i m ed i dt h e p a r t y
6. Hey,remind me later.I must rememberto ...

a rave

A rave is a party with hundredsof young people

and very loud danceor techno music,often held in
a warehouseor other largeempty building.
Sometimesthe venue is kept secret till a few
hours before it starts so that the policewill not
know about it. Peoplediscoverwhere the rave is
takingplaceby ringinga specialnumberor finding
out via the Internet.

LouiseandArthur to the house-warming.

7. You know Russell'sleavingsoon,don't you? I think we

should
him.

. . . some kind of farewellparty for

8. Have you .

. . everythingfor the office

Christmasparty yet? Do you need a handwith
anythingl

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.

Recl Englisht a stagnight/

a hen night

t . Haveyou ever gatecrashedany parties?Haveany of

These refer to the parties usuallyheld before

two peopleget married. A stag night is when
the bridegroomgets together with his male
friends.A hen night is when the bride hasa
night out with her girlfriends.

your parties ever been gatecrashed?

2. What kind of thingswould ruin a surpriseparty?A

dinner partyl A familyget-together?A fancy-dress
partyt Have you ever been to a Party which was
ruined by something?

3 . What's the longestparty you've been to?

P a r t ya n i m a l s

4iPlanningaparty
i

You are going to have a party.put the following

in
order of importance.
lots of food
loud fast music
reallyslow music
lots of your friends

some new people

lots of differentkinds
of thingsto drink
somewherewith
atmosphere

Now compare your order with a partner and try

to agree.

Re-order the jumbled conversation below about

organising a party.

b. Brilliant.I'm lookingforward to it already.

c . Yeah,OK, no problem.l'll try and bring crisps
and thingslike that. What about the invites?
d . Well,to be honest,ld rather organisethe music,
if its OK with you.Couldn'tyou do the foodl
e . Oh, l'll do those.l'll be seeingmost peopleat
school this week,so that'il be easy.
Now underline the expressions above that you
coufd use when planning a party.

Reql Englishs the invites\

The normalword is invitations.
Invitesis common in informal
speech.

.
.
.
.
.

What kind of parry do you want to have?

When are you goingto haveit and wherel
What do you think you'll needto buyl
How manypeopleare you goingto invitel
Will your party havea themel

Now walk around the class and invite as many

people to your party as possible. Use the
following:
We're havinga party on ... night.Would you like to
come alongl

Planningexpressions

a. Right,l'll bring some musicif you sorr out

the food. How does that soundl

You and your partner have got ( 100 to organise

a
party for some friends. plan it together. Here
are
some of the questions you will need to discuss.

]J
-J
J
_J
-J

When you are asked to someone etse's party,

make sure you ask these questions.
. Whereaboutsis it?
. When's a good time to
turn upl
. ShouldI bringanything?
lf you have already accepted an invitation to
another party on the same night, make sure you
turn down the new invitation using an exprerrion
from the role play on page 5l.

Speaking
When you are invited to a party at afriend,s,
what do you normally take as a present? What
present would you give in these situations?
l. A friend is gettingmarried.
2. lt's your best friend'seighteenthbirthday.
3. A friend is movinginto a new flat.
Look at the picture below. What do you think
each object is for? Would you like to get any as
presents? What would you say if you were given
any ofthe others?

rlr

6IL

- lJ.

B P a r t ya n i m a l s

i'.?adirry1
Collocations
Before you read the article,
complete the sentences below
with the phrases in the box.
led to callsfor tighter laws
lose control
sufferingfrom shock
ended in tragedy
organisedcrime
got out of hand

t . Our holidayin Canadawas

supposedto be the trip of a
lifetime,but the whole thing
when
nearly
our hired car went off the road
in the middleof the mountains.
One of the problemswith
mind-alteringdrugsis that people
who take them can sometimes
. . . . . a n de n du p
doing reallystupidor dangerous
things.

3 . The demonstrationwas meant to

be peaceful,but the whole thing
a n d e n d e du p
as a full-scaleriot.
4. Most murdersin Londonare
c o n n e c t e tdo . . .
rather than individualcriminals
working alone.

5 . The massacreof fifteen students

in Americahas
of guns.
on the possession
6. After the crash,three passengers
were taken to hospital

The article on the right is called

'Rave to the graYe' and contains
the six collocations in the box in
Exercise I above. Discuss with a
partner what you think the
connection between them
might be.

While
A Now read the article and
f l ,"" if you were right.

56

,^
A rave party nearly ended in tragedy last night, when over a hundred
people fell through the floor of the fourth-floor flat they were dancing in
a n d i nto the fl at bel ow . A mazi ngl y,no one w as ki l l ed, al thoug h seven
people were taken to hospital suffering from shock. The party was
organisedby a group calledTribal Spiral,and was held in a desertedflat
on a housingestate in EastLondon.lt is believedthat the extremelyhigh
volume of the techno musicbeing played weakenedthe structureof the
floor.
'l
Bert Jones,aged 54, who lives in the third-floor flat below, said: must
a d m i t, I hadn' t real l ynoti cedthe party goi ng on. l ' m a bi t hard of hear ing
a n d I di dn' t have my heari ngai d i n, but I coul d feel the vi brati onsf r om
somewhere. I just thought it must be kids messing around upstairs
somewhere.Then, the next thing I knew there was an almighty crashin
th e l i vi ng room, so I ran i n and the pl acew as ful l of dust and pl a st erand
people screaming.I just couldn't believe my eyes.I got the shock of my
life, I can tell you. Now l'm waiting for the councilto sendsomeoneround
to fi x thi ngs.'
The incidentfollows a number of complaintsabout techno partiesall over
th e capi tal and publ i c outcry about raves.A recent tabl oi d headline
GO DRUG CRAZY AT
screamed, 'SPACEDOUT! 11,000 YOUNGSTERS
BRITAIN'SBIGGESTEVERDANCE PARTY',while the number of drugrelated deathsat raveshas risendramaticallyover the lastyear.All of this
will undoubtedly lead to callsfor tighter anti-ravelaws.The government
i s a l r eadyconsi deri ngi ntroduci nga new l aw w hi ch w i l l hel p pol icecr ack
d o wn on unoffi ci al gatheri ngsof thi s ki nd. They are proposinga bill
w h i ch w i l l al l ow pol i ce to break up any groups of more than t went y
people listeningto 'musicwith repetitive beats'and also intend to make
club owners responsiblefor any drugs being sold on their premises.A
'Things are getting out of
spokesmanfor the Metropolitan Policesaid,
hand, and obviouslywhat worries us the most is that where you have rave
parties and where you have drugs, you're bound to come up against
organisedcrime. We'd obviouslyappreciateany new law which gave us
more powersto tackle this problem.'
David Goodyear,a Stepney ambulanceman,claimed that many of the
partygoersat the Tribal Spiral event had failed to notice the floor had
collapsed.Most of the young people just carried on dancing - a fact he
put down to the mind-altering affects of Ecstasyand other so-called
'dancedrugs'.
However, there are signs that young people themselvesare already
new
looking for alternativesto the rave scene.One of the most successful
clubsto have opened this year is the Domino Club.Here,young people sit
around drinking cocktailswhilst a DJ playslaid-backjazz.Thereisn't much
dancing- instead,the club-goersplay board gamessuch as Scrabbleand
Monopoly.Another club which has becomevery popular is The Big Chill,
w h i c h i s hel d i n a churchcal l edthe U ni on C hapel .l roni cal l y,maybeyoung
people today are closer to God than the government and the police
realise!

Comprehension
Without looking back at the article, try to
correct these false statements using the exact
words from'Rave to the graye'.
l. The party was held inTribalSpiralt flat.
L

Dancingweakenedthe structure of the floor.

3. Bert Jonesis fixing his flat himself.

1. This is the first complaintthere's been about techno
partiesin London.

P a r t ya n r m a i s

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.
l. Haveyou ever been in a situationwhere you just
couldn'tbelieveyour eyes?
2. When was the lasttime you had to admit to
someonethat you just couldn'tresisrsomething?
3. When was the lasttime you just couldn'rmakeup
your mind?What about?

5. There'sbeena smallincreasein the numberof

drug-relateddeathsover the last year.

4. When was the last time you got so bored by

somethingthat you just couldn'rbear it any longer?

6. The dancingstoppedwhen the floor collapsed.

5. Haveyou ever been so annoyedby somebodythat

you just couldn'tbear it any longerand had to say
something?
What did you sayl How did they feel?Did
it make you feel better?

Now go back and see if you remembered the

exact words correctly.

Speaking
l. What's the noisiestparty you've ever been to?
L Why do you think young peopletake drugsl
3. ls your country'hard'or'soft' on drug-taking?
1. ls organisedcrime a problemin your countryl

couldn't wait
In the article, Bert fones said:'l just couldn't
believe my eyes.'Can you remember why?
What do you think just means in these
expressions?
a

b.
c.
d.
e.

just couldn'tmakeup my mind.

just couldn't bear it any longer.
just couldnt wait.
just couldn'tresistthem.
just couldn't believemy eyes.

Now complete these sentences with the

expressions a-e above.
l. Sorry I've started without you, but I was expecting
you at five.I got so hungrythat.
There'sstill a little bit of chickenleft if you want it.
L When I saw what he'd done to his hair,
. ! lt was bright pink and green!
3. A: Did you manageto get some shoes?
B: Oh, it was awful,it reallywas.I went into dozens
of shoe shopsand tried on I don't know how
many,but . .
So,in the end,
I didn't buy anything!
1. The meetingwas supposedto run from nine till six,
but after a couple of hours it got so boring
. . So I made my excusesand left.
5. I know I'm supposedto be on a diet, but the cakesall
looked so deliciousthat
. Oh well,
I just won't eat all day tomorrow now!

57

B P a r t ya n i m a l s

Talking

)iirry lr.abularl
politics
Check you understand the meaning of the
highlighted words below. Then ask some
other students in your class the questions.
l. Do you know anyonewho is a memberof a political
partyl
2. What kind of thingsdo left-wingpoliticalparties
believeinl
kind of thingsdo right-wingpoliticalparties
What
3.
believein?
4. What are the main politicalpartiesin your countryl
5. Which party cameto power in the last election?
6. Which party leadersin your country do you think
are strong/weakat the moment?
7. Are any politicalpartiesbannedin your country?

Whv?
8. What was the last politicalparty to be set uP in your
country?
9. Haveany parties in your country split over the last
few years?

Complete these sentences with the correct form

of do or make.
l . I t h i n kh e ' d.

. . . a v e r y g o o dl e a d e r .

2. The People'sParty didnt

last election.

. . . . very well in the

. . .. him PartYleader.
3. I dont know why they
He's completelyincompetent.
. . . . a big differencesincethey came
4. They've
to power. Thingsare much better now.
' 5 . I c an' t

.... u p m y mi n d w h o to v o te for.

6. We've got to try and

tomorrow.

. . . . a decisionby

7. I wouldnt take those pills if I were you. They won't

. . . .you any good!
8. At some time in our life,we all
somethingwrong and we all .. .
9. Do you think you can
if you get time?

. mistakes!

. ' . . the shoppinglater,

10. I'm only here for a few days,so I want to . . .

the most of my time.
I l. I've got an important client comingover later,so
. . . . an effort to look your best.
please
12. I don't know why you like this kind of music!lt
. . . . a n y t h i n g f o rm e .
doesn't

58

In the'Raye to the graYe' article, you read that

the government is considering introducing a new
law. Can you remember why? Look back at page
56 if you need to.
Now make four sentences about laws by matching
the beginnings l-4 to the endings a-d.
l. They'regoingto introduce a new law to ban
2. They'regoingto introduce a new law to Protect
3. They'regoing to introduce a new law to crack
down
4. They'regoingto introduce new tax breaksto
encouraSe

-J
J
J
J

a. on illegalstreet trading.
b. smokingin all publicplaces.
c. peopleto havemore children.
d. the environment.
Now make four more sentences by matching
the beginnings 5-8 to the endings e-h.

5.
6.
7.
8.

They'regoingto relax the drinking laws

They'regoingto tighten the immigrationlaws
They'regoingto changethe old adoption laws
They'regoingto legalise

e. becausethey're out of date.

f.

to allow pubs to stayopen longer.

g. geneticcloning.
h . to make it more difficultfor peopleto get into
the country.

I
I
_J
J

r--lf

'

,7'l

/.Jq-e
. l
';s
,
I

t,

In groups of three, you are going to set up your

own political party. You will need to decide the
following:
.
'
.
'
'
'

what you want to ban

what you will crack down on
what tax breaksyou will giveand to who
what lawsyou're going to tighten
what lawsyou'regoingto relax
if you'regoingto legaliseanyrhing

Decide on a name for your party and then go

round your class campaigning. Your teacher will
then organise a class election. You're not allowed
to vote for your own party!

Politicalquotes
Do you agree with the three quotations below?
Why/why not?
The naturalrelationshipbetweena journalistand a
politicianshouldbe that of a dog towards a
lamppost.
Henry Mencken
Powertendsto corrupt and absolute
power corruptsabsolutely.
Lord Aaon
I must study politicsand war so that my sons
may be free to study Mathematics
and
Philosophy.
I

JohnAdams

59

Conditionals
Make sentences by matching the beginnings l-6
to the endings a-f.

Choose the correct form.

l.

BeforeI left home,I haven't/ | hadn'tbeengetting

on very well with my parents.

2. I'd / I'll die if that happenedto me.

3. ,ir. What are you up to tonightl
B : I ' m m e e ti n g/ l ' l l me e t s o mefri e n d s .
4. i'ri So,how come you decidedto go to the doctorl
B: Well, I didn't feel / | hadn'tbeenfeelingwell for
ages,so it seemedlike the right thing to do.
5. lf he does that one more time, l'll / I'd scream!
6. We weren't / We hadn't been getting on very well
for ages,so we decidedto end the relationship.

7. We'll go /We're goingto the cinematonight.

Do you want to come with us?

8 . lf I'm / | were you,I'd be reallyupsetabout it!

9. Will you / Are you goingto tell me when it's
five o'clock,pleasel

l. lf he does that one more time,

2. lf he did that to me,

3. I'd givethat a miss

4. I won't be able to do that

-|
-l

5. I'd be able to do that

_|

6. I'll buy that for you

_J

a. I'd leavehim.
b. if you don't find the instructions.
c. if I had the money.
d. if I get a Christmasbonus.
e. I thi nk l ' l l scream.
f. if I were you.
With a partner, discuss what you think'that'
could mean in l-6 above.

t 0 . l'll / I'vegot to go and pick the kids up from school

in a minute,so I'll phoneyou backlater,OK?

M u l t i p l echoice

...
7. l f I w as a man/w oman.

Choose the correct alternative.

l.

H o w c o m e. . . I
a. y ou bou g h ts u c ha n o l d c a r
b. did y ou b u y s u c ha n o l d c a r

2. Did y ou m a n a g e... ?
a. findingthose shoes

b. to find those shoes

3. lt was r ea l l y... .
a. m uc h m o re b e tte r th a n mi n e
b. m uc h b e tte r th a n m i n e

...
8. lf I spokebetter English,
9. l f I w as ol der,...
1 0 . l f l w a s n ' ts i t t i n gh e r e , . . .
| 1. lf I could take a year off, ...

Conversation
Put the jumbled conversation below into the
correct order.

d. StudyinglOh right,your Greek course.

How come you decidedto start that?

IJ
J
J
J

e. I'm going awayto Wales. Would you like to

comel

_t

8. Don't worry. ... .

a. lt's just a simplemistake
b. lt jus t i s a s i m p l emi s ta k e

It couldn'tbe more tediousthan beingstuck

in front of a computer all day!
g. Oh, I'd love to, but I'm afraid I can't.I've got to
do some studying.

9. I alwaystry to avoid ... .

a. talkingto him if I can

h . Well, I supposeit was becauseI've always

wantedto live and work on a Greek island.

_l
J
J
J

4. I r eallyen j o y ... .
a. liv inghe re

a. So,what are you up to this weekend?

b. to live here

5 . I was r eal l yfe d u p ... .

a. with sittingaroundall day b. to sit aroundall day
6. I ' m g o i n g. . . .
a. on a day-tripto Bath
b. out for a day-tripto Bath
... .
7. I'msupposed
a. playingtennis

b. to be playingtennis

b. to talk to him if I can

10. I c an s t ill re m e m b e r... .

a. watching her leave

b. to watch her leave

Compare your answers with a partner and discuss

how you made your choices.

60

Now use these five sentence starters to tell a

partner some things about yourself.

b. I don't know. I haven'tgot a clue.I supposeit

dependshow good my Greek gets.
c. Don't you think it'd get boringafter a while?

I know what you mean.I'm half-blindalready.

So,you think you'll get a job out there,thenl

Review:
Units5-8

Collocations
Look back at the strong adjectives and follow-up
Gorrrments on page 45. Tick all the words you can
rernember. Ask a partner about anything you
Itrye forgotten.
Can you think of some instances from your own
Ife where you could use some of the words and
phrases?Tell a partner as much as you can about
dtem.

Expressions
Complete the short dialogues below with the
expressions in the box. All the expressions are
fr.om units 5-8.
make up my mind
I lust felt like it
what a nightmare

you'll regret it
that's a good question
! would if I could

l . A : Why did you go and haveall your hair cut offl

B: I don't know.
2. A: They lost all my luggageand then we got delayed
for three hours.
Oh,no!

........!

Match the verbs l-10 with the best collocations

a-j.
l. watch
2. make
3. go out
4. stop
5. go
6. take
7. get up
8. put
9. stay
10. look

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g
h
J

smoking
your cigaretteout
reallyearly
a photograph
too muchTV
for a meal
at home
a big decision
everywherefor something
on a date

Now match the verbs I l -18 to the best

collocations k-r.
I l. gatecrash
12. eat up
13. feel
14. introduce
| 5. accept
| 6. treat
47. make
18. rai se

k. a fuss
t. a new law
m . a j ob
n . them like second-class
citizens
pleased
with myself
o.
P. income tax
q. all my free time
r. a Party

Discuss these questions with a partner.

3.

Can you give me a hand to move this tablel

No, sorry.
. . , but I'vegot to rush.
I'm late for work.

4.

I'm just goingto haveone more cream cake.

I y o u l d n t i f I w e r ey o u . .
....... !

5.

::T::::::i::'ft?:::
.',;il-,".,T:*i,'$:

6.

Did you buy anythingin the end?

No, nothing.I just couldn't
I wanted.

.. what

19. What eats up most of your free time?

20. When was the last time you had to look everywhere
for something?
Did you find it in the end?
21. Haveyou ever madea bigfuss?WhylWhathappened?
22. Havethey introducedany new laws in your country
recendy?

English
Match the statements

Can you think of three other sentencesyou might

rcspond to by saying:'Oh no! What a nightmare!'?

l-6 to the responses a-f.

l. I'm goingto GuineaBissaunext year.

2. I'm goingto study in Edinburghfor a year.

Can you think of three other sentencesyou might

lespond to by saying:'l wouldn't if I were you.
You'll regret it'?

3. lt's so expensivehere in London,isn't itl

4. What are you up to this weekend?
5. Doing anythingtonight?
6. Did you get an invite to Ann's party?

I
-J
J
_J
J
J

a. Tell me about it! I've alreadyspent most of the

money I camewith!
b. Good for you!You'llhavea great time.
c. No, I didn't eyen know she was havingone!
d. Yes,I am, actually.I'm going round to Jane's.
e. Where on earth is that?
f. I'm goingto my country cottageon Fridaynighc
You have one minute to memorise the respons/es
a-f. Now cover Exercise 8 above. Your partner
will read out the statements l-,6. How many
responses can you remember?

Review:
Units5-B

ldioms
Make sentences with idioms by matching the
beginnings l-8 to the endings a-h.
l. lt's a real weight

a. plainsailing.

2. No rest

b. me mad.

3. After that it was

c. be choosers.

4. lt'd drive

d. the devil.

5. Longtime

e. off my shoulders.

Answer these questions with a partner. Then

compare your answers with another pair. Who
got most answers right?
l. lf there'sno signof someone,does that meanthat
you can't find them an)rwhereor that they haven't
sent you a letter?
2. How manydifferentkindsof partiescan you think
ofl

6. Talk of

f . for the wicked.

3. Could you be arrestedfor lightingup on a plane?

7. Beggarscan't

g. than me.

8. Ratheryou

h. no see.

4. lf you spentthe weekendjust messingaround,what

did you do?

remember?
With a partner, note down as much as you can
remember about the two texts you read in units
6 and 8.
-Y-Y-Y
r \. in n t! ii !', ri
\ \ \ \ \ 1

5. What's the differencebetween left-wingand

right-wing?
6. Who would break up a party and whyl
7. When you go to the dentist's,do you make an
appointmenror a date with him?

8. lf you don't like,for example,earingfrogs,would you

say:'lwouldn't eat a frog if you paid me' or
'l
wouldn't eat a frog if you askedme'?

9. lf you and some friendsgo to a nice little French

The cost of a cigarette

place,what are you goingto dol

1 0 . lf you're a heavysmoker,does it meanyou're fat or

that you smoke too much?
il.

What is the differencebetweengoingshoppingand

doi ngthe shoppi ngl

12. Does a planetouch down at the beginning,

in the
middle,or at the end of a flight?

t 3 . lf somethingdragson, does it happenreallyquickly

or does it take foreverl

1 4 . lf you can be on board a plane,can you be on board

a boat?

t 5 . How could a governmenttightenlawson drinking?

On immigrationl
16. Are your relationsthe sameas your relativesl
Rave to the graye

17. Do you go on a day-trip or havea day-tripl

18. You playtennison one and you might end up in one
if you're arrested.What is it?

t 9 . ls a cosy room largeor small?

20. Where do you work if you are one of the cabin
crew?

Now compare what you remember with another

pair. Who remembers more?
Which text did you enjoy more? Why?

62

L = a r .' = l

-- ?i
*

<

ll"L
a

:'ft,

l ' t l t ?

J - i J ' J j j

? -

tr=-rt'-!

Discuss these questions with a partner.

l.
L
3.
1.
5.

How do you learnvocabularylDo you think you do it well or badly?

Do you read texts to learn vocabularylWhat kind of texts?
What do you do if you don't understanda word?
What kind of dictionarydo you usel
Do you translatewords into your language?
Why/why not?

Now read this text and see if you are like any of the students mentioned.

Has the text made you change your mind in any way about the way you study?

UgingJacabularl
Lifestyle

night?
Complete the sentences below with the words in
the box.

What sort of lifestyle do you lead? Do you go out

every evening or are you the stay'at'home tyPe?

absolutely
catch up
depth
halfiruay
horrendous

Read these descriptions of what some people did

last night.
l.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

I went out for a walk aroundtown.

I rang my sister.
I watched the semi-finalon TV.
I just had a quiet nightat home.
I went to my eveningclass.
| finishedpaintingthe kitchen.
I had an early night.
I visitedmy neighbourin hospital.
I tried to find a cheapflight on the Internet.
I went to the laundrette.

Which of these things do you do? Which do you

never do?

fl Listen to four people talking about what they

I d aia last night. When you have decided what
they did, tick the correct number in the list
above.

l.

house
loads
seat
single
taking it up

I had a terrible time. I didn't know a(n) .

person there.

2. I had a terrible time. The servicewas

.. .. nothingin

3. I had a terrible time. We had

common.

4. I had a terrible time. I was completelyout of my

5. I had a terrible time. I fell asleeP. . ..
6. I had a great time.We got on like a(n)
fire.
7. I had a greatti me.I met
people there.

through.
. .. . on

....of i nter est ing

8. I had a great time. lt was really nice to

after all this time.
9. I had a greattime. I'm thinkingof .
seriously.

... more

10. I had a great time. I was on the edge of my . .

the whole way through.
With a partner, practise asking and answering
these questions using the answers above. Try and
keep each conversation going for as long as you
can.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

So how was the play?

So how was your datel
So how was your ltalianclass?
So how was the party?
So how was the meal with your friends?

Speaking
When was the last time you had a great time?
A terrible time? Why?

9 Lastnight

b Erercise I on page 64, one speaker said they

r:le guite tired when they got in from work.
Tbt? :u1emany collocations with get. Complete
t
-ntences below with the words and
in the box.
4rcssions

With a partneri discuss the differences in meaning

between the highlighted words in these pairs of
sentences.
a. I had a chat with her.

I had a talk with her.

We gossipedabout the boss.
We talked about work.
c. I did the washing-up.
I did the washing.

I got .
. . last night.Do you like itl
I think it's a bit too short at the back myself.

L I tried to get some

. . . from the cash

machinelast night,but it wasn't working.
3. I got .
. . from an old friend of mine last
night.I hadn'tspokento her for ages,so that was
nr c e.

+
:.::: :::]1.T*:'so

I poppedout to set

5. I got really

. . . last night watchingTV.

I watchedthat documentary/about Hiroshima.

6. I'ye never seen rain like it - | got really

. . . on the way home last night.
7. I got a real . .
. last night.An old school
friend of mine turned up out of the blue!

8. Hey,you won't believeit. I've finallygot

I start next Monday.

9. My car broke down, so I had ro get the last

... home.

r0.

d. I went to a disco.
We endedup goingto a disco.
e . I missedthe last bus home.
I reallymissedher when she was in Spain.
f. I went out last night after work.
I left work last night about five.
Now complete these sentences with the
sentences a-f above.

r. yes,Mr Fairhurst,

. . aboutit.

I'm sure Evewon't be late again.

2. I bumped into Marie yesterday,
which was nice.
. . about,you know, nothing much,
but it was nice to see her.
3. I had a drink with Bill lastweek.
and nothingelseall evening!

4. Someof us went for a drink after work the other

day.lt was awful
gladhe wasn'tthere!

. . . . . for ages.I'm

5 . I haven'tgot anythingto wear tomorrow. lt reallyis

time.

I walked around town a bit, but ended up getting

.. . I had to ask someonewhere I was!

Go back and underline the get expressions.

You can use get with all of the following words.
Use them to say something true about yoursetf
or people you know.

6. Justlook at all those dirty dishes.lt's time

7. I had a crazyevening.I met some old friends and we

went out for dinnerand then eventually
My legsare killingme this morning!
and didn't stop dancingall night!

9. I'm reallyannoyed.I didn't get home until rwo last

annoyed
better
tired
well paid

anSry
soaked
married
lazy

When was the last time you ...

.
'
.
'

had to get a taxi homel

got in really late?
got stuck in traffic?
got stopped by the policel

uPset
worried
sleepy
Pregnant

night.

1 0 . Janecame back last week.

il.
and just went straighthome.
t2. I should haveknown better.
. . . with a
few people from my departmentand I didn't get in
till 3 am. I feel terrible.

l:<t

nrnht

Speaking

'
?
7 ?
? . ?
- . J - r . - . . . : J
l

'

'

Discuss these questions with a partner.

listen
Are there any places you would never go out to
in your town? Why not?

While

listen

Rose and Lucy are having breakfast in the

fi
O J kitchen of tne flat they tf,.t". Listen to them
talking about what they did last night. Cover the
conversation. As you listen, try to answer these
questions.

youngerthan youl W hat happenedl

2. What's the worst club,disco or party you've ever
beentol What made it so bad?
3 . How often do you eat foreignfoodl What's your
favourite?
4. Do you ever feel you watch a bit too muchTV and
that you shouldgo out a bit more instead?

Real Englishs I bet he hadn'teven L

l. What did Roseand Lucydo after work?

2. What time did they go to bed?

started shaving.

It is very common for friendsto makecomments

to eachother starti ngI bet ... .

Listen again and try to fill in the gaPs in the

conversation below.

Reol Englisht get a cab

t . Haveyou ever beenchattedup by someonemuch

I bet John'sgoingto osk Angieto the porty!

I bet you'rewishingyouA gone!
I bet their cor will breokdown!

Cab is correct spokenEnglishfor a taxi.

We sayI bet ... when we are fairlysure that what

we are sayingis true.

Yougeto cob.l'll wolk.

The Worst Disco in Town!

Lucy: Hey,Rose,there'sa letter for you.
Rose:Thanks.You must'vegot in late last night.I didn't
ev enhe a ry o u c o m e i n - a n d (l ) . .
after one.
yes.I went and met some old friends
Lucy: I did,actually,
from collegethat I hadn'tseenfor ages.
. . . ?That must'vebeen nice.
Rose:Oh, (2)
Lucy: Yes,we had a drink and a chat and caughtup with
all the gossip.You know what it's like.
Ros e:Uh- huh .
. and then another
Lucy: Then we had (3) . .
. . . goingon to
drink and then we (4)
this awfuldiscoin town.
Rose:Oh, did youl Which one?Not Stardust!No, surely
not Stardust?
Lucy: I'm afraidit was,actually- and it was really
terrible,just full of kids and the musicwas so loud
(5) . .
. lt was like beingbackat
schoolall over again.Kids of fourteenactingas if
they were eighteen!
Rose:I could'vetold you that!
Lucy: This boy came up to me - you know, bottle of
beer in his hand,actingall macho,and askedme to
dance!| bet he hadn'tevenstartedshaving!
Ros e:A nd did y o u l
Luc y : W hat ?D a n c ew i th h i m?(6 ) . .
I told him I was thirty-five!

56

l Then

Rose:You'reso cruel.
Lucy: Well, I just figuredit was better he found out
(7) . .
. that I was old enoughto be his
mum!
Rose:I thoughtyou were supposedto be there talkingto
ol d fri ends.
Lucy: I was,but there was so much noise,you couldn't
And then to top
reallyhavea proper conversation.
it all,I missedthe lasttrain home and had to get a
. three!
caband (8) ..
Rose:Didn't you?Youmust be feelingexhaustedthis
morni ng,then.
Lucy: Yeah,I could do with another hour or two in bed,
. , what about
that'sfor sure. (9) . .
you?How was your night?
Rose:Oh, it was OK. I just did a bit of shoppingon my
way home,cooked myselfsome ramennoodles.
L u c y :C o o k e dy o u r s e (l f1 0 ).

........ I

noodles.
Rose:Ramennoodles,you know,just Japanese
Lucy: Oh, OK.
Rose:They'rereallyquick and easy,and then I iust did a
you know,nothingamazingor
bit of tidying-up,
anything,
read for a bit,watched( | l) .
- some film - you know the kind of thing that'son
late on Channel4. Actually,I was so tired, I fell
asl eepi n the mi ddl eof i t!
Lucy: Oh, don't!You'remakingme feel evenmore
exhausted!

9 L a s tn i g h t

U st n g g r a { f i t f t V f

Talking

Respondingwith auxiliaryverbs
Look at these common ways of responding to
f,
v7 what someone says. Then
listen and practise
saying the expressions in colour.
Auxiliary question + follow-up question
-1, I met our old Englishteacheron the train last night.
B: Oh, did y ou?How i s s h e ?
: She'sfine,shet working at another school now,
teachingyoungerkids.
Auxiliary question + follow-up comment
': H.y - great news! I've just passedmy drivingtest!
B. Oh, haveyoul Congratulations.
You must be really
pleased.
: Yes,it's excellent.Now all I need is the moneyfor a
car.
First respond to the statements l-8 with an
auxiliary question. For examplezCon you? Hove
you? Then add one of the follow-up comments
atr.

t . A:

rt or not.

B:
f\:

B:
3 . A: I had a fight with my boy/girlfriendyesterday.
B : . . . . . . . . .?.

4. A: I was thinkingof goingto rhe circusthis

weekend.

B:
5 . A : I think I'm gettingthe flu.
B:
....?
6. A: I usuallyplayfootball on Saturdays.
B :. . . . . . . . ?
..
7. A: Eventually,
I'd like to end up livingoverseas.
B : . . . . . . . . .?.
8. A, I'm goingto see Marco tonight.
B : . . . . . . . . .?.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.

Who do you playfor?

How was it?
S ay ' Hello'f r om me .
Haveyou sorted everythingout yet?
Keep awayfrom me, then.
Where's it onl
t. So,when are you goingto invite me round for
d innert,hen?
h. An)rwhereparticularin mind?
With a partner, practise reading out the diatogues
aboye, but add a third comment - as in the two
examples at the top of the page.

Complete these sentence starters in ways that

are true for you. lf you can, think of things which
are interesting or unusual.
l.
2.
3.
4.
5.

I can.
I'd really love to
Believeit or not, I've never
When I was younger,I once
Lastnightl....

Now tell a partner what you've written. Your

partner should respond first by using an auxiliary
question and then by adding a follow-up question
or comment. Try to continue these conversations
for as long as you can.
For more information on how to use auxiliary verbs
when responding,see G I l.

L a s tn i q l r l

M a k i n g s u r ey o u u n d e r s t a n d

Real English3

My car cost over

two grand.

How do you feel when you don't understand

something someone has iust said to you? How
do you deal with this problem?
When someone says something in a conversation
that you don't understand, it is not enough to say
simply that you don't understand. Here are some
ways of making it clear exactly what you don't
understand.
I surfedthe net last night.
B : Y ou did w h a t l a s tn i g h tl
Surfedthe net - playedaroundon the lnternet.
I went on holidayto Phuketlastyear.
B : Y ouwent w h e re ?
Phuket.lt's a beachresort in Thailand.
(
Listen and practise the dialogues above with
O d ^par t ne r.
Now complete these dialogues by writing
questions to make it clear exactly what you
don't understand.
. ' . . .?

B:
Over two grand,two thousandpounds.
I had d i n n e ri n Be l l i n i ' lsa s tn i g h t.

2.

. . . . .I

B:

B:

Complete these sentences by choosing

the more appropriate of the two choices.
l . I h a d t o w o r k l a t e ,s o . . .
a. I got home at seven
b. I didn'tget home until seven
2. The traffic on the way was really heavy,so ...
a. I didn'tget there until ntne
b. I got there at nine

4. I was a late starter.

a . I d i d n ' t h a v ea g i r l f r i e n du n t i l I w a s t w e n t y - o n e
b . I h a d a g i r l f r i e n dw h e n I w a s t w e n t y - o n e

6 . T h e r e w e r e t h r e e s t a n d i n go v a t i o n s .T h e c o n c e r t . . .
a . f i n i s h e da t I l : 3 0
b . d i d n ' tf i n i s hu n t i l I l : 3 0

...'.1
On Boxing Day,you know,the daYafter
Christmas.26th December.

5.

'l got in at three?'

. . . . .I
I downloadedan article,you know,copiedit off
the lnternet.

B:

didn't she say:

I downloadedthis great articlelast night.

I arrivedhere on BoxingDay.

4.

Why

5. I just had a fairly quiet night.

a. I didn't get to bed until eleven
b. I went to bed at eleven

I n B el l i n i ' sth, a t n e w l ta l i a np l a c e .
3.

In the conversation on page 66, Lucy says:

'l
didn't get in until three.'

3 . W e m a n a g e dt o g e t t h e b u s O K , s o . . .
a.we were there by nine
b. we weren't there until nlne

My car cost over two grand.

l.

I n i n f o r m a l s p o k e n E n g l i s ha g r a n d i s o n e t h o u s a n d
p o u n d s .I n n u m b e r s i x i n E x e r c i s e3 e i g h t y q u i d i s
i n f o r m a l B r i t i s h E n g l i s hf o r e i g h t y p o u n d s .

I went bungeeiumpinglastyear in Canada.

. . . . .?
B:
a
from
you
when
you
know,
Bungeeiumping,
iump
your
legs.
round
bridgewith elastic

7 . I ' m n o t t o o b a d a t E n g l i s hc, o n s i d e r i n g. . . .
a . I d i d n ' t s t a r t s t u d y i n gu n t i l I w a s e i g h t e e n
b . I s t a r t e d s t u d y i n gw h e n I w a s e i g h t e e n
8. I was so busy that ... .
a. I had breal<fastat midday
b . I d i d n ' t h a v e b r e a k f a s tu n t i l m i d d a y
Can you explain your choice in each example?

T his s h i rt c o s t m e e i g h tyq u i d .

6.

. . . . .I

B:
Eightyquid,you know,eightypounds.
I found a babywren in my gardentoday.

7.

B:

..'..?
its
nest.
of
out
A babywren. lt must'vefallen
We went to Alton Towers at the weekend.

8.
B:

.....1
like
park,
To Alton Towers.lt's a kind of theme
Dis ne y l a n db,u t mu c hs ma l l e r.

Discuss
With a partner, answer these questions. Try to
use not until . . . . Give reasons for your answers.
You don't have to tell the truth.
l . W hat ti me di d you get i n l astni ghtl
2. When did you haveyour first boy/girlfriend?
3. W hat ti me di d you go to bed l astni ght ?
4. W hen di d you start studyi ngE ngl i shl

Compare your answers with your partner, then

practise the dialogues above in pairs.

68

9 L a s tn i g h t

Linking
Cln page 66, Lucy talked about the disco:
It was so loud,I could hardlyhear myselfthink.'
This is a common way of linking two ideas:
lwas very tired.
| ftll asleepin the middleof the film.
- | was so tired,I fell asleepin the middle
of the film.
l'ld<e sentences by matching the beginnings l-8
b the endings a-h.
l. lt was so cold,

L I was so exhausted,
3. I was so hungry,
1. It was so hot,
5. His conversationwas so dull,
6. I was so angry,
7. I was so worried,

8. The film was so bad,

a- I could'vekilledhim!

J
J
J
J
J
J
-J
J

b. I rangthe police.

c. I could hardlybreathe.
d. I walked out halfwaythrough.
e. I just went straightto bed as soon as I got in.
f. I could hardlysrop myselffrom yawning.

t- my handsfelt like they were goingto fall off.

h. I could'vecarriedon eatingall night!

Listen,then say all these sentences,making

sure you stress so.

conversations
With a partner, complete these diatogues using
ideas of your own. For example:
A: So,how was that club you went tol
B: Terrible!Themusicwas so loud,I just had to leave.
l. A: So,what was that film like you saw last nightl
B: Well,to be honest,it was so bad,... .
2. A: What was the food like in that Frenchplaceyou
went tol
B: Reallygood.lt was so deliciouS,
...
3. A: So,did you do anythingspeciallast nightl
B: No, I was so exhausted,
| ... .
4. A: So,how did your meetinggo last night?
B: T er r ible,it wa s s o ... , | ... .
A: So,did you sort everythingout with your boss
yesterdayl
B: No,I got so ... , | ... .
6 . A: So,did you passyour drivingtest?
B : No, I ' m af r aidn o t. I w a s s o ... , | ...
For morc information on how to use this linking
structune,see G 13.

There's a thief in the class!

At I pm last night, a terrible crime was
committed - your teacher's car was stolen
from the school car park. The police suspect
two students from this class.

t . The class decides which two students are most

likely to have committed the crime. The pair
of suspects leave the room to prepare their
story. They should try to use as much
language from this unit as possible.
(Where were you when the crime happened?
Who were you withlWhat were you doingl
All the detailsare important!)

2. The rest of the class prepare to interview the

two students. (What will you ask theml)

3 . Student one comes back into the room alone

and is interviewed by the class. When the
interview is finished, student two comes in to
be interviewed.

4. When both students have been interviewed,

the class vote. Are they both guilty? ls only
one guilty? What should happen to them?
Decide on a suitable punishment!

Ji: !.'i t

l ' - - , ' / ' ? l i 7 . a'

'l

ot

Judging

Speaking

o'

appearances

Which of the peoPle in the Picture below do you

find most/least attractive? Why?

Do you think any of the sentences l-9 in Exercise

describe the people in the picture below?
Compare what you think with a partner.
For more information on how to use these structures,
s e eG 1 4 .

Comptete these sentences by adding looks, looks

like or looks as if.

2. He/she

got some kind of disease'

. . . . he's/she's
....amodelorsomething.

3. He/she

....abitofanerd.

4. He/she

....abitdull.
. . . . he/shewouldn't sayboo to a goose'

l. He/she

5. He/she
7. He/she

. . . . q u i t es e x Y .
....areal creeP.

8. He/she

about to collapse.
. . . . he's/she's

9. He/she

....abitdown.

6. He/she

70

Recrl EnglishS

a real creep/a bit of a

nerd

Creep is a very negativeword usedto describe

someonevery weird - usuallymale- who makes
Nerd is a negative
women feel uncomfortable.
word usedto describesomeone- usuallymalewho is so obsessedwith a hobby,suchas
computers,that they haven'treallydevelopedany
soci alski l l s.
Haveyou ever met anyonelike this?

10 Relationshios

UgirtgJr.aeular1

2l I bet
When we make guesses about people based on
their appearance, we often use I bet + a statement.

First decide if these adjectives describe character

or appearance or both. Then mark them P or N,
depending on whether you think they are positive
or negative.

J
J
J
J
J
J
J
J

muscular
pushy
plain
forward
warm
quiet
skinny
down-to-earth

J
J
-J
-J
-J
J
J
I

flirty

For example:
A: He looks like a bit of a nerd.
B: I know. I bet he'sstudyingcomputingor something
like that.
A: He looks a bit mad.
B: I know. I bet he likes playingpracticaljokes on people.

sexy
macho
unpredictable
dishy

With a partner, haye conversations like this about

the people in the pictures at the bottom of the
Page.

Chat-up

mature
cuddly
hairy

Now describe someone else in your class to your

partner using some of the adjectives above. See if
th.y can guess who you're talking about.

Real Englishs dishy

lf you find someonedishy,you find them physically
attractive.Some dictionariessaythat this is a
rather old-fashionedword, but manyyoung British
peoplein their twentiesuse it, particularlywomen.

lf you chat somebody up, you talk to them in a

friendly way to show that you're attracted to
them.'Chat-up lines' are openings that people
use when they want to chat you up.
Decide which of the following you think are the
best and worst chat-up lines. Compare your
answers with a partner.
l. Do you come here often?
2. Someonecall heaven- | think they'remissingan
angel.
3. What's a nicegirl/guylike you doing in a placelike
thi sl
4. Are you here by yourself?
5. Excuseme, but haveyou got a light?
6. Can I get you a drink?
7. Has anyoneever told you you'vegot reallylovely
eyes?
8. What are you doing afterwards?
Has anyone eyer tried to use these chat-up lines or similar versions in your own language - on you?
Have you ever used any yourself? Can you think of
any other chat-up lines you'ye ever heard? Did
they work?

71

10 Relationships

Which of the following are most

important for you in a partner
or friend? Give each of the
following ideas a score ( l-5):
I means you think it is not
important;5 is very important.
money
senseof humour
age
looks
nationality
dresssense
intelligence
cooking ability
honesty
religion

J
J
J
J
J
-J
J
J
J
J

Prepositions
Before you read the article,
complete these sentences with
a suitable preposition. Check
your answers after you've read
the text.

reallu
The latest census in the UK has confirmed that inter-racial marriages are
increasingly common, leading many journalists to claim that we are a totally
tolerant society. However, despite what the census might suggest, the truth is
that the vast majority of us tend to eventually marry a partner not only of the
same race, but also of the same religion, class, age and background. While
mixed marriages of various descriptions may be on the increase, prejudice and
social and family pressures are still very much alive, and love cannot always
overcome them. We talked to two couples about their experiences.

Rachel McCarthy and David Brown decided to leave Belfast, the city in Northern
Ireland that they both grew up in and where their parents still live, when they got
married last year. Rachel is a Catholic and David is Protestant. The two halves
of the Christian religion are still deeply divided in Northern lreland, and
although the bombing and killing which occurred between the two communities
has largely stopped, as Rachel and David know, people in mixed marriages are
'We
actually found it difficult to find a
often ostracised and verbally abused.
place to live in Belfast because areas tend to be either Catholic or Protestant.
That's really why we left. Over here, we just look the same as everyone else and
no one really knows - or cares - that we have different backgrounds. It has been
very difficult, though, because we haven't had any support from our families.
Neither sets of parents have really come to terms with our relationship and that's

t . It was awful when I had to break

obviously been very painful.'

the news of our grandmother's

death
. . .. my brother.
My girlfriend'sa belly-dancer.
I was worried that my parents
wouldn't approve
.. .. her.

3 . I've beengoingout . .

.. my
boy'riendfor almost six years.
4. Personally,
I dont reallygo
. . .. blondes.I much prefer
brunettes.

5 . He kept on askingme all these

really personalquestions,so
I just told him it was none
. . . . h i sb u s i n e s s !
It took the childrena long time
....the
tocometoterms
death of their rabbit.

Jamie Brodlin is twenty now and has been going out with his partner, Jane
Fisher, for three years. Believe it or not, Jane has just turned sixty! They met
when Jamie was out clubbing with three friends. Jane was working in the
cloakroom and when Jamie came up to her and started chatting her up, she
'l
thought he was pulling her leg. thought he was just some lad with too many
beers inside him who was doing it all for a bet. It was only later when he phoned
me up to ask me out on a date, I realised just how mature and sensible he
really is.'
Jamie says:

'To

be honest, I never have gone for girls my own age. I tend to find

them a bit immature. They usually just want to talk about music and shopping,
whereas you can have a proper conversation with someone who's older. I guess
Jane was quite a bit older than my previous girlfriend,

but there was just

something about her and about the way she moved and hung up the coats that
caught my eye. She's a very warrn and appealing sort of woman. My mates did
think it was a bit weird, but I just told them it's none of their business, and now

What do you think a mixed

marriage is?What advantages
and disadvantages do you think
there are to mixed marriages?

they don't really ask about Jane. Jane often stays in with my parents when I go
out clubbing. She says she's too old for that kind of thing these days, which is
ftne. I was worried that my parents wouldn't approve of her when I first broke
the news to them, but they've been fantastic. They found it a bit difficult to
accept I uras in love with someone old enough to be my gran, but when they met
her, they just got on really well. I don't know if ure'll ever get married. We'll see.

A Now read the article and

f l r"" if any of your ideas are
mentioned.

72

We haven't really talked about it.'

10 Relationshios

tDid the article mention any advantages or

-Gadvantages to mixed marriages that you
ddn't think of?

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.

Do you think the two relationships described in

||te article are likely to last? Why/why not?

l. Haveyou ever gone out with anyonemuch older or

youngerthan yourself?

Which of the two couptes ...

2. How do you feel about relationshipswhere there'sa

largeage difference?

l.
L
3.
1.
5.

get on well with their parents?

havebeen insultedin the streetl
f'aceda lot of discrimination?
dont socialisevery much togetherl
havebeen ignored by most people in their societyl

Now go back and underline the parts of the

article which confirm your answers.

Complete these sentences with words from the

article.
l. Marriagesbetween people of differentreligionsis
. . . . c o m m o nn o w .
2. There was a lot of family
a doctor.

3. How would your parentsand friends react if you

started going out with someonemuch older or
youngerthan you?
4. How would you feel about marryinga divorceel

Whv?
5. How do you know when you're in love?
6. Would you considermarryingsomeoneif there was a
big age difference?
What do you think of relationships
betweenthese pairs of people?
a. a man of fifty and a girl of eighteen
a woman of fifty and a boy of eighteen
b. a man of twenty-fiveand a girl of eighteen
a woman of twenty-five and a boy of eighteen
c. a man of eightyand a woman of thirty
a woman of eighty and a man of thirty

.. . . on me to become

3. My mum didnt approveof my girlfriend,but I got a

lotof
....from my sister.
4. A: Excuseme, but is there somewhereI can leavemy
coat?
B: Yes,there'sa . . . .
just at the top of the
stairs.
5. He's a typical macho
. . . . , you know alwaysout
for a good time with his mates.
6. I don't know about you, but personallyI don't find
that kind of man very .
. .. . He's a bit too tall
for me.

Reol Englishs I thought he waspuiling

my leg
lf someonepulls your leg,they are loking with you.

How would you complete these statements?

I wouldn'tget involvedwith anyonewho ...
I'd nevermarry someonewho . ..
Can you think of any famous people who have had
relationships with people much older or younger
than themselves?

Stagesof a relationship
Decide in which order you think the following
would probably occur. Use a dictionary or ask
your teacher to help you with any yocabulary
you are not sure of.
a. My wife/husbandand I are separated.
b. I'm getting married next week.
c. We've just got engaged.
d. I'm goingout with him/her.
e. My marriageis on the rocks.
f. We're havingmarriageguidancecounselling.
g. I proposedto her/him last night.
h. We're in the processof getting divorced.

-J
J
J
J
J
-l
J
J

Now compare your order with your partner and

explain your choices.
Do any of the sentences a-h above describe any
people you know?

10 Relationships

Usirl

Grammar in context

Expressions
with modals
Complete the fixed expressions in the short
dialogues below with the modal verbs in the box.
can

might

must

could

couldn't should

With a partner, choose which of the nine

expressions in Exercise I is the best response
to the following.
l. We spent the whole day on the beachyesterday.
2. Can you believethey wouldn't let me in becauseI
was wearingjeans?

3 . There were so many kids there yesterday,weren't

l . A : I usedmy best chat-upline on her,and then she
went and told me she was married!
've
B: | . . . .
told you that. I thought it was
common knowledge.

there?

4. That guy Mike we met last night is a bit of a nerd,

don't you think?
So,what was that exhibitionyou went to last week
like?Any goodl

2. A: Paddy'smust be one of the best clubs in town.

B: Y ou .
...s a y th a t a g a i n !W h aat n i g ht!
3 . A : The food there was terrible - again!
B: Well, you .
. . .'ve known better after what
happenedlasttime.

4. A: Does Rob ever invite you round to his place?

B: You .
... be joking!Rob neverinvitesanyone
round to his place.

5. A: I went for a walk with my parents yesterday

afternoon,down by the river.
B: Oh, that
. . . .'vebeen nice. You had some
lovelyweather for it.

6. A: So,did you havea good chat with Stevelast nightl

B: N o t r e a l l y , n ol t.w a ss o l o u di n t h e p u b ,| . . . . . . . . .
hardlyhear myselfthink!

Look at another useful modal verb expression

from the conversation that you heard in Unit 9
between Rose and Lucy.
Rose:
Lucy:

You must be feelingexhaustedthis morning,

then.
Yeah,I could do with another hour or two in
bed,that'sfor sure.

Complete the sentences below using I could do

with and one of the expressions in the box.

7. A: Did you seeJamietrying to chat up the cloakroom

a bit more time
more money
somethingto eat
some help

attendantlast night?

B: Yes,I know.I just

. . .. believeit. She'sold
enoughto be his grandmother.

8. A: We climbedover the fence and went for a swim in

their pool last night.
. . . be mad doing that!They'vegot an
alsatianand a rottweiler!
9. A: My husbandforgot my birthday- again!
B: You never know. He might be planningto surprise
you later.
A : Yes,right! And pigs
. . . .fly!

B: You .

a break
a good night'ssleep
a lie-in
a holiday

l. ls anyonefree?
This thing'sreally heavy.
2. Hey,can we pop in here for a snack?| didn't get a
chanceto haveanythingearlier.
3. I'm so tired staringat this computerscreen.. . .

Complete the nine expressions used above.

4. I haven'tquite finishedit yet.

l.

b eenni ce.

2.

. .say that again!

3.

be ioking!

4.

. be mad!

5.

believeit!

6.
7.
8.
9. Pigs.

...toldyouthat.
. . . . h a r d l y h e a rm y s e ltfh i n k !
.. known better!
..........!

...,tobehonest

5. I've been up to my ears in work this month. .. .

6.

;,;;"";
;;,,*J :::::l:::
;;;""",r;,r;;
. . . tomorrow, that's for sure.

7. I'm pretty tired.

tonight,if possible.

8. I'm pretty happ)rat work, but . .

I mean,I alwaysend up
broke by the end of the month.
For morc informationon horvto usemodals,seeGlS.

74

Discuss
Tend to
In t he ar t ic le on p a g e 7 2 ,l a rn i e s a i d th a t h e tends
to f ind gir ls his o w n a g e a b i t i m m a tu re .
We often use tend to after the subject of a
se nt enc e and be fo re a n o th e r v e rb . l t me a n s
'g e ner ally ,
but n o t a l w a y s ' . W e a l s o u s e i t
a lot t o t alk abou t o u r h a b i ts .
Com plet e t hes e s e n te n c e s i n w a y s th a t a re true
fo r y ou and t hen c o m p a re y o u r a n s w e rs w i th your
Pa r t ner .
I t end t o wat c ha b o u t

. .. . h o u rso f T V a day.

I t e n dt o s p e n da b o u t
studying
English.

. . . . h o u r sa w e e l <

I t end t o go t o b e d a t a b o u t
and I t end t o g e t u p a t a ro u n d

| t end t o s pen da b o u r

I tend to try and . .

can.

:
-

I t end t o ear c h o c o l a tema y b e

. . . . m o s r n i ghts,

. . . . mostdays.
. . at leasttwice a weel<,if I

Do you agree with these statements? Tick those

you agree with and compare your answers with a
partner. Try and explain your choices.

t.
2.
3.
4.
5.

M e n t e n d t o e a t m o r e j u n l <f o o d t h a n w o m e n .
W o m e n t e n d t o b e m u c h m o r e c a r e f u ld r i v e r s .
Women tend to tal<elonger to get ready to go out.
Men tend to be much more selfish.
Men tend to be more into sports.

The cl ass w i l l now spl i t i nto mal e/femal e gr oups

and your teacher w i l l gi ve you a few mi nute s t o
come up w i th some more i deas about the
di fferences betw een men and w omen. Make sur e
each sentence uses tend to - you don' t w an t t o
start World War Three, do you!
Once you have come up w i th a l i st you al l agr ee
w i th, fi nd a partner of the opposi te sex and
explain what you have written. Do you agree on
the differences between the sexes or does one sex
tend to have more ri di cul ous i deas than the
other?!

| t end t o do s o me s p o rt o r s o m e e x e rc i s emaybe

3 | t end t o . . .
of course.

. e v e ryw e e l < e n d
i f,I h a v ethe ri me,

Who's harder-working, you or your partner?

Who's healthier? Who's lazier?

Lig's3rring
Before you listen
Have you eYer not recognised
somebody you knew? When?
What happened? How many
different reasons for not
recognising someone can you
think ofl

Hair today,gone tomorrow!

Cathy: So,we've got to take this one and then changeat Cannon Street,
right?
Diane: Yes,that's it. Hey,( l) . .

what happenedwith

me and my dad on the undergroundlast yearl

Cathy: No, go on, whatl

Whileyou
Oiane and Cathy are taking
A
| ? ttt" underground across
London, chatting as they go.
Listen to Diane talking about a
strange thing that happened to
her.

, I decidedto get all my hair cut

off, right?| alwaysused to havereally,reallylong hair - ever
since I was about fourteen or fifteen,you know - way down past

Diane: Well, (2) ..

my shoulders- parted in the middlelike curtains.So,

, about a week after I had it all cut off,
you know - reallyshort - and I looked quite different.
(3) . .

Cathy: Yeah,I bet.

Cover the conversation. As you
listen, try to answer these
questions.
l . W her e and w h e n d i d th i s h a p p e n
to Diane?
2. What was the problem?What
happenedin the endl

home on the tube, and I was

half asleepbecauseit was five or six o'clock and I was just
- and little did I know
standingthere, (5) . .

Diane: So,anyway,(4) . .

that my dad was actuallycoming backfrom a businesstrip

abroad, passingthrough London on the undergroundto get his
train backto Durham. And (6) ..

Listen again and try to fill in the

gaps in the conversation.

into the samecarriageas me!The doors closedbehindhim.So

there I am, standingthere face to facewith my own father!
I dont recognisehim at first, but then I think,'Ah,that's my dad"

Real Englisht pinch

and,of course,he'sobviouslyonly seenme with reallylong hair

his wallet
you
lf you pinchsomething,
steal it. Pinchis a very informal
word.

for the last ten years,and so (7) . .

Speaking

staringat him and he (8) . .

there,
on glancingat me

this lunaticstaringat mel' and I'm

nervously,thinking,'Who's
thinking- you know it's the strangestfeelingnot being
recognisedby your own dad - so I just stood there thinking,
'Well, (9) ..
just get off at the next
stop without tellinghim,or ( l0) .

. risk giving

Do you ever ignore people you

know? In what situations?

him a nervousbreakdownand a heart attack by saying,'Hello,

What's the strangest/most

interesting thing that's ever
happened to you while you
were travelling?

worried becausehe thought I was a pick-pocketor a drug

....1 went,'Hello,dad'
d a d l 'B u t , a n y w a y ,l () l . . . .
'Diane!'
and then said how he was Settingreally
and he went,
.who'd beengettingreadyto
pinch his wallet or something and,um, yeah,that was a Pretty

addict(12) .

strangeand funny thing.

Cathy: Yeah,reollystrange.

76

? He got

' i - ' ?

i t i t t ' j?

Jt r, : L r l i 7 !

1 r Hairstvles
t

l'latch the descriptions l-8 to the picturesA-H.

I
J
3 . She'sgot a fringe.
-J
4 . He'sgot dreadlocks.
J
5 . She'sgot dyed red hair.
J
5 . She'sgot pigtails.
J
7 . She'sgot hair extensions.
J
8 . He'sgot short backand sides.
J
I

He'sgot spikyhair.

2 . She'sgot curly hair.

Have you ever thought of changing your hairstyle,

d yeing y our hair o r b l e a c h i n g i t b l o n d ?
Have you ever had a really bad, unusual or
different haircut? How did people react to it?

Slang
In the conyersation you heard pinch his wallet.
Match the slang words l-8 to the neutral
equivalents a-h.
l . C h u c ki t t o m e .

a . l o s t h i s te m per

2. Have you got a fagl

b. stolen

3. They went out boozing.

c. throw

4. My bicycle'sbeen nicked.

d. s e l l

5. I've decidedto flog the car.

e. d ri n k i n g

6 . lt only c os t t en q u i d .

f . crSarette

7. He'sa reallynice bloke.

g. p o u n d s

8 . He f lippedhis li d .

h . ma n

Always be careful with slang. You may think you

know what a slang word means, but sometimes it
has an extra meaning. In the examples in this
exercise, boozing means drinking in order to get
drunk. Slang is a dangerous area in all languages
and you should always check with a teacher
before using it.

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.
l. Haveyou ever flippedyour lid?Whyl
2. Has anythingof yours ever been nicked?
What happenedl

11 Tellingstories

Differentkindsof stories
Complete the sentences below with the words in
the box. Then underline the expressions formed
with the words.
hard-luck
love

old
tall

bedtime
inside

t . The story of Romeo and Julietmust be one of the

. .. stories.

world's greatest

I ended up sitting besidethis guy who d iust got

divorcedand lost his job. I spentthe whole six-hour
.. . story.
flight listeningto his

3 . A: The lift's broken down again!

B: The same

. . . story,then!
... story.

5. You'rea friend of Jane's.Nobody understandswhy

she'sleaving.Come on, you must know the . .
story!

6. A: Jasontold everyoneat work that heU won

f 10,000,but then managedto leaveit in a taxi!
B: I wouldnt believea word he says.lt soundslike
. stories.
another one of his . .

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.
l. What are the most famouslove stories in your
country?
2. Do you know anyonewho tells tall stories?
3. What bedtime stories can you rememberfrom when
you were a kidl

StorytelIing expressions
fi First complete the dialogue below with the
ld *otas in the box. Then listen and check your
answers.
well
you're joking

really
so

go on
anyway

A: Did I tell you about what happenedto me in France

last yearl
B: No, I dont think you did.( I) . .
A: (2) ..
. ., I was on holidaywith my Parentsin
this little villagenear the sea,and we ran out of
money.

B: ( 3 ) . .
A: Yes,(4)

..?That'sawful.
. . . . we went into town to find a cash
- w h i c hw e d i d ,n o t r o u b l e .( 5 ) . . . . . . . . . . ,
machine
when we put the card in the machine,it iust started
spiaing out loadsand loadsof money.

.. ! So did you keep itl

B: (6) . .
A: Of coursewe did!Wouldn'tyoul

Practise reading out the dialogue with a partnea

78

Look at the pictures below and try to imagine the

stories. The expressions below will help you tell
the stories. Work with a partner. Use one
expression from each group and plan how to tell
each story.
A. Introducing your story
Did I ever tell you about the time I
I must'vetold you about the time I
Did I ever tell you about this friend of mine who
B. Giving background details
A few yearsago,when this friend of mine was
LastAugust when my familywas on holidayin
C. Introducing the problem

4. The kids saythey won't go to sleepunlessyou 8o uP

and read them their

Tellinga story

A l l of a sudden,...
...
Then suddenl y,
D. How the problem was solved
Well, what happenedin the end was

E. Finishing off the story

things
It was one of the funniest/silliest/strangest/worst
that's ever happenedto me!
Lookingback on it, it was all very exciting/interesting/
strange/upsetting.
It seemsfunny now, but it didn't seem like that at the time!
For more informationon tenseusatein storytelling,see

1 1 T e l i r n sq t o re s

J J .

"
J

Now report some of your sentences to the whole

class and see who has made the funniest
examples.

-ing clauses
Itrndre conyersation on page 76, Diane says:.1was
standing there - minding my own business.'
ltr,rst

Pronunciation
r'
't

t-:tt"n and notice where the speakerpauses:

Not ic e t hat s he d i d n o t s a y :' l w a s s ta n d i n g

ctere. I was minding my own business.'

There was this great big dog,sittingthere,barkingat me.

Crpss out the words which are not needed in these

Jntences.

Listen to these short sections of speech and mark

the pauses.

I saw a man. He was breaking into a car.

Two firemen died. They were trying to get a child
out of the blazingflat.
The car broke down. lt was going up the hill.
He had a heart attack. He was playinggolf.
I was smnding outside the bank. I was waiting for a
DUS.

The policecaughtthem.They were trying to break

int o t he s hop.
We caughtsightof the Queen.Shewas drivingpast
on the way to the funeral.
We had to wait ten minutes.We were standing
out s idein r he p o u ri n gra i n .
S om ec hildr enw e re i n th e s h o p .T h e y w e re s teal i ng
sweets.
Look back at the conversation on page 16 and
co m plet e t hes e s e n te n c e s .
0. lt was five or six o'clock and I was just standing
t her e,
I. M y dad was ac tu a l l yc o m i n gb a c kfro m a b u s i n ess
tripabroad,....

l . l t w as fi ve or si x o' cl ockand I w as j ust standi ng

there,mi ndi ngmy ow n busi ness.
2. My dad was actuallycomingbackfrom a businesstrip
abroad,passingthrough London.
3. H e keepson gl anci ng
at me,thi nki ng,,W ho'this
s
l unati cstari ngat me?'
4. I was dancingabout in the streer,actinglike a fool.
5. I w as l yi ngthere on the ground,screami ng
i n pain.
Now listen again and underline the strongest
stress like this:
There was this great big dog,sittingthere,barkingat me.
Practise saying the sentences above, stressing the
correct syllables and pausing in the right ptaces.
Then do the same w i th the sentences l -12 i n
E xerci se l .

S p e a kni g
Re-tell your story from page 78 to a different
partner. This time, try to use some -ing clauses.

1 2 . He k eepson gla n c i n ta t m e ,

Practice
With a partner, complete these sentences by
adding as many -ing ctauses as you can.

t. There was this reallystrange-looking

guy,. .
2. I was r us hingar ou n dm a d l y ,
3 . o. rnr^;", , ;", o;t ;, .

..
"h8,

4 . So there we were, in this fancy restaurant

5 . ;r r.:;" *.r r,,

"r

there in tr'" o;. . .

6 . Ther ewas t his hu g ec ro w d o u ts i d eth e p a rl i a ment

building,
...and

79

11 Tellinostories

Differentkindsof stories
Complete the sentences below with the words in
the box. Then underline the expressions formed
with the words.

bedtime
inside

hard-luck
love

old
tall

t . The story of Romeo and Julietmust be one of the

world's greatest

.. . stories.

2. I ended up sitting besidethis guy who d just got

divorcedand lost his job. I spentthe whole six-hour
flight listeningto his
. . . story.

3 . A: The lift's broken down again!

B: The same

.. . story,then!

4. The kids saythey wont go to sleepunlessyou go up

and read them their

.. . story.

5 . You'rea friend of Jane's.Nobody understandswhy

she'sleaving.Come on, you must know the
story!
6. A: Jasontold everyoneat work that he'd won
f 10,000,but then managedto leaveit in a taxi!
B: I wouldn't believea word he says.lt soundslike
anotherone of his ..
. stories.

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.

Telling
Look at the pictures below and try to imagine the
stories. The expressions below will help you tell
the stories. Work with a partnea Use one
expression from each group and plan how to tell
each story.
A. lntroducing your story
Did I ever tell you about the time | ...
I must'vetold you about the time | ...
Did I ever tell you about this friend of mine who
B. Giving background details
A few yearsago,when this friend of mine was
LastAugustwhen my familywas on holidayin
C. lntroducing the problem
A l l of a sudden,...
Then suddenl y,
...
D. How the problem was solved
Well, what happenedin the end was

E. Finishing off the story

It was one of the funniest/silliest/strangest/worst
things
that'sever happenedto me!
Looking back on it, it was all very exciting/interesting/
strange/upsetting.
It seemsfunny now, but it didn't seem
that at the time!

l. What are the most famouslove stories in your

countryl
2. Do you know anyonewho tells tall storiesl

For more information on tense usate in storytelling, see G

3. What bedtime stories can you rememberfrom when

you were a kid?

StorytelIi ng expressions
A First complete the dialogue below with the
f ? words in the box. Then tisten and check your

answers.
well
you're joking

really
so

go on
anyway

A: Did I tell you about what happenedto me in France

last year?

B: No, I dont think you did.( l) . .

A: (2) . .
.. , I was on holidaywith my parentsin
this little villagenear the sea,and we ran out of
money.

B: ( 3 ) . .
A: Yes,(4)

..lThat'sawful.

. . . . we went into town to find a cash

m a c h i n -e w h i c hw e d i d ,n o t r o u b l e .( 5 ) . . . . . . . . . . ,
when we put the card in the machine,it just started
spittingout loadsand loadsof money.
B: (6) . .
.. ! So did you keep it?

A: Of coursewe did!Wouldnt youl

Practise reading out the dialogue with a partner.

78

":

11 Telling
stories

5f fr

Now report some of your sentences to the whole

class and see who has made the funniest
examples.

In the conyersation on page 76, Diane says:.1was

just standing there - minding my own business.'

Pronunciation
/^
'f
J

l-:tt.n and notice where the speaker pauses:

Notice that she did not say:'l was standing

tfrere. I was minding my own business.'

There was this grear big dog,sittingthere, barkingat me.

Cross out the words which are not needed in these

sntences.

Listen to these short sections of speech and mark

the pauses.

l. I saw a man.He was breakinginto a car.

t . It was five or six o'clockand I was just standing

there,mindingmy own business.

2. Two firemen died.They were trying ro get a child

out of the blazingflat.

2. My dad was actuallycoming back from a businesstrip

3. The car broke down. lt was goingup the hill.

4. He had a heart attack.He was playinggolf.

3 . He keepson glancingat me,thinking,'Who'sthis

5. I was standingoutside the bank.I was waiting for a

bus.

6. The police caughtthem. They were trying to break

into the shop.

7. We caughtsight of the Queen.Shewas driving past

on the way to the funeral.
We had to wait ten minutes.We were standing
outsidein the pouringrain.
9 . Somechildrenwere in the shop.They were stealing
sweeB.
Look back at the conversation on page 76 and
complete these sentences.
10. lt was five or six o'clock and lwas just standing
there,
I l. My dad was actuallycomingbackfrom a business
tripabroad,...
12. He keepson glancingar me,

With a partner, comptete these sentences by

adding as many -ing clauses as you can.
l. There was this reallystrange-lookingguy,. .
2. I was rushingaround madly,

3.

|;, ;,^;;;;r...................
""tn,^dry

4. So there we were, in this fancy restaurant

s ;; ;;:,";' ',;.';;,;.;;,;.;" ;.;::::::: :: ::

6. There was this huge crowd outside the parliament
building,
. .. a n d

abroad,passingthrough London.
lunaticstaringat me?'
I was dancingabout in the street,actinglike a fool.
I was lyingthere on the ground,screamingin pain.
Now listen again and underline the strongest
stress like this:
There was this great big dog,glttingthere, barkingat me.
Practise saying the sentences above, stressing the
correct syllables and pausing in the right places.
Then do the same w i th the sentences l -12 in
Exercise l.

Speaking
Re-tell your story from page 78 to a different
partner. This time, try to use some -ing clauses.

For more information on how to use -ing clauses,see G 17.

II

T e l l r n sq l o r r c , s

3 ] Speaking
D i scussthese questi ons w i th a partner.

Before

l . H asanythi ngl i kethi s ever happened

to you or
anyoneyou know l

Have you ever heard of anyone putting an animal

int o a m ic r owa v e o r fi n d i n g a mo u s e i n a pi e or
anything like that?

2. W hat w oul d you do i f you foundthe fol l owing?

' a spi deri n your bath
a caterpi l l ari n your sal ad a restaurant
a mouse in your bedroom
a cocl<roachin your hotel bathroom

While
(

ej

Read t he a rti c l e b e l o w a n d th e n d i s c u ssw i th

a par t ner w h e th e r o r n o t y o u th i n k i t' s true.

a s n a k ei n y o u r l < i t c h e n
a s p i d e r i n a f r i e n d ' s h a i r ( s h e ' st e r r i f i e d o f t h e m )

55pidel"
Have \/nl
_ y" *

1-eard hp storir ol

r f v u r v

L r r v

, ' c v l

v l

the

wornan who drred her cat ln the

mrcrowave
afteril had got wei - or the
one aboutthe woman who openeda
h eurvr
u

n
v f,

nranzror]

y,vyur--

crlr.l

sdlau

rnrl

all0

nrr

ou.

nn'
p
upoeO

^ f"r'
^,- {-1rl?
O l U I l y - V I U V V . t l l l l . r v I l vAvi rhrour(h. rour r lLh. ot rvjL: r rso- v

q o r t h p r n F n o l : n f l V / e n t l : Oj - i e i d O C t O l
uv!rLtrv11MrYrLrr1,

F o t dal tsshe hadn' l j l een al l rel o sLeep

b e c a r i s eo f n o i s e s , n l L e i e a r T h e
alocior -oiii rtel ilrat 'r:-ir-r,''\ia-sltot
ull'.iS-.a-Lo-s ci i-reopleha.r.el-iolseS
ln
ilelI eaIS ;i3..,.,rgr,rgi,
wlen le ,ooked
l n to her eal , he gor i re st.ccn of hrs

true or not, we love telhngeachother

s c a r ys L o r r e isJ n f o r t u n a t e tl yh ,e s t o r V hfe He could see legs ar..r sottethutg
r n n r r i n n I t 1 ^ / , r c 'a . a i 3 g S l t d e L l T h e
that foliowsrs defrnrtely
true
t l l v V 1 1 l V

\v ^v u/fo nl l uAt l n l1 ir rv ll rt rnv o ' Ill l K

R
a
r Lc
v vrv -r p n
l r lr lJ v
,
u
1 \ ue n l
Il]

1 L

V V L I U

w o nan w as absol i i l ei Y i el Lrfred of

q n ' d c ' q l- h p d o r - t o fw a s a b l e '

'' nlieklv a'rd qet
il free
" Y*'""',j

W h e r t s p e a k i t t gI O a c (.
few days later,the doctorr-.:
that that was the fust trmehe r u u | r ia s p r u e-j . \ ' l n g] n s o r t .
H r s c o l l e a g u es u g g e s r e d
sprder was probably loc,.
sornewhelewarm rn order ,,
eggs
f^,r-r-l

onir-lar

li-

11 Tellingstones

Exaggeratingusing idioms
ldiomaticlanguage
Colourful expressions are a common feature of
storytelling, and help to make stories more
interesting. As you study this page, try to think
what these expressions would be in your own
language.

ldiomaticcomparisons
We use strong comparisons to emphasise what we
are saying. For example:
It's a great bike.lt goes like a bomb!
He's got a great appetite.He eats like a horse!
Complete the sentences below with the
expressions in the box.

In Diane's story about her father not recognising

her on the tube, she uses exaggeration in the
following way:
. . . so I just stood there thinking,'Well,
shallI just get off
at the next stop without tellinghim,or shallI risk giving
him a nervous breakdownand a heart attack by saying,
' H el l o,
dad' l '
What do you think she really means here?
In English, it is yery common to exaggerate by
talking about illnesses,death, killing, and so on.
Complete the sentences below with the words in
the box.
died
death
l. I'm..

die
kill

murder (x2)
killing
dying

. . f o r acoffee.

2. Shegets awaywith
like dirt

3 . M y f e e ta r e . .

like a chimney

like death warmed up

4. ltk . .

like a house on fire

like a lunatic

like a fish

5. I nearly

like a log

6. I nearly

like clockwork

....laughing.

7. I'm sick to . . .
8. I'd . . .

.. me!

. . trying to ger him to do anything.

. . . . when he told me that!
. of it.

. if anybodyelsefound out.

l. I usedto havethis friend who drank

9. lf he does it again,I'll . . .

2. This guy was drivingalong

With a partner, discuss what you think the

common exaggerations above actually mean.

3. He's horrible to his wife. He treats her

4. When I saw myselfin the mirror, I looked
5. My granddadused to smoke

. him.

Now add one of the sentences I-9 above to the

end of each of the following.
a. I usedto be reallyinto dancemusic,but now

6. The tube systemin Tokyo runs .

b. I cant wait to get these new shoesoff and get into a

nice hot bath.

7. I was so exhaustedthat I slept

c. I can't wait for the break.

8. My sister and I get on . .

d. That film was so brilliant.lt was so funny.

e. And then he said I'd been acceptedfor the team.

With a partner, check how many of these

comparisons you can remembea Cover the list
and test each other.
Tell your partner about anybody you know who:
. s m o k e sl i k ea . . .
' eatslikea...

. driveslikea...
. l o o k s l i k e ... i n th e morni ngs

Have you ever heard any of the following

expressions? Can you guess what they mean?
I've got a memory like a sieve.
I felt like a fish out of water.
She spendsmoney like water.
When was the last time you slept like a log?
Have you ever met anybody who you
immediately got on with like a house on fire?

f. Only you know it's a wig.

g. Dad'sa bit too easy-going
with her.
h. I askedhim time and time againto fix it, but
i. That'sthe secondtime he'sthrown his rubbishover
into our garden.
Do you have similar expressions in your language?
Are there any phrases above you wouldn't feel
comfortable using?Why?

Collocations
.

nice!
With a partner, think of three naughty things that
children sometimes do. Add them to this list:

l . fight with their brothersor sisters

2. watch videosthey shouldn't
3 . experimentwith cigarettes
4.
5.
6.
On your own, decide which of the above are the
most and which the least serious.
Compare your answers with your partner, and
explain your choices.

Before you read the text on page 83, make

collocations by matching l-8 to a-h.

t.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

crgarette
I was grounded
it was burnt
to celebrate
80 on
a theme
treat
his credit card

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.

to the ground
park
thei r w eddi nganniver sar y
the other kids to ice cream
for a week
was refused
burns
spree
a spendi ng

You are going to read about five different young

people being left on their own by their parents.
With a partner,try to guess what their stories
might be, using the eight collocations above.

Did you ever do any of the things on your list?

Do you know any children who do?
Have you heard the saying'Boys will be boys'?
Does your language have an equivalent?

f . Now read the article and see if you were right.

I / Wnich story is the most incredible?Why?

1 2 D i f f r c u l tt o b e i , e Y e

I can't believe it!

fuc
Alone' is one of the biggestbox office successesin movie history. Along
rih fussequel,'Home Alone 2', it grossedoverhalf a billion dollars worldwide.
fp
ask me, they're not particularly funny films. There's too much slapstick
horr
for my liking - people slipping over or having their facescoveredin
Grm
but there is somethingabout the films which appealsto a deep-held
trasy we all had when we were children: the freedom to escapefrom our
Fcils and do whatever we wanted.
Uhm I was in my teens,my parentswent awayfor the weekendleaving me and
r; si:rteen-year-old
brother to fend for ourselves.We immediately rang up all
c friends (and our friends rang their friends) and we had a p^rty. The police
trne and broke it up at three in the morning becausethe neighbours were
arrrrplaining about the noise. when we cleared up the following day, I found
hrmdredsof cigaretteburns in the carpet. Luckily, we had an old piece of the
strDe carpet lytttg around, so I got my younger brother to go round the house
d stick little bits in the holes to coverthem up. It actually looked quite good
ad when my parents got back, it seemedthey didn't notice a thing and I
tharght we were in the clear. Unfortunately, when my mum came to do the
hmvering later in the week,all the bits we'd put in the holescameunstuck.She
szrsnot very pleasedand I was groundedfor a week, while my brother got away
sith it becausehe said I'd forced him into it. Typical! Still, this little story is
mthing comparedto someof the other horror stories about kids who havebeen
left'home alone'.
Terry andJerry Schneiderdidn't just find a few cigarerreburns when they came
back, they found their whole house burnt to the ground. The couple had left
their two children, agedtwelve and fourteen,in the house,while they went on
a romantic weekendto Las Vegasto celebratetheir wedding anniversary.The
children had bought what they thought were indoor fireworks and were playrng
with them. Unfortunately, the explosive Roman candle they lit was for use
qttside and it soon set fire to the sofa,curtains and carpet in the front room. By
the time the children called the fire brigade half an hour later, the fire was
alreadycompletelyout of conrrol.
John Thomas, a ten-year-old from Yorkshire, an areain the north of England,
was arrested after he shot a dog and terrorised walkers near his home in
Keighley. He had taken the gun from a kitchen cupboardwhile his parentswere
out shopping and had decided to do some shooting practice in some fields
nearby.'I didn't realiseI could kill anything, I just thought they were pretend
bullets,' he explained.
Lamine, a twelve-year-oldFrenchboy, went on a ten-dayspendingspreeat the
EuroDisneytheme park near Pariswith the ten thousand pounds he found ly,rg
around in his parents' home. As well as treating other children to ice creams,
burgers and free rides, he hired a chauffeur-driven car and slept in a three
hundred-pound-a-nighthotel.
PeterKerry, a schoolboyof fourteen,went halfway round the world after he stole
his father's passportand credit card. He had visited three separatecountriesin
twelve daysand spent almost six thousand poundsbefore he was finally caught:
his credit card was refusedafter his father cancelledit. It wasn't actually the
first time it had happened. Two yearsearlier he spent a week on his own in
Germany.'I like travelling,' he said.

We often comment on
incredible stories by making
questions using the past
continuous. These aren't
real questions - they are
expressions of surprise.
We often reply to questions
like this using modal verb
expressions.
Match each question l-3 to
two of the responses a-f.
l. What were the parentsdoing,
leavingall that money lying
aroundl
2. What were the securityguards
doing,lettinghim on the plane?
3. What was the kid thinkingof,
spendingall that money?
I know! He could'vebeena
terrorist or something.
b. I know!They should'velockedit
away more safely.
c . I know! He must hate his

Parents.
d . I know! He shouldn'thavetaken
it in the first place.
e . I know!Theyshould'vechecked

his passportbetrer.
I know!They musr havemoney
to burn.
Now write four questions
about the article showing what
you are surprised about. Use
these sentence starters.

*li::::
'::-::::::::T::1
,
What were Terry and Jerry doing,

What wasJohnThomasthinkingol

And what were his parentsthinking,

,

Ask a partner your questions.

They should try to respond
using a modal verb expression.

12

D i f f i c u l tt o b e l i e v e

2a. I was drivingthrough town when I got stoPpedby

this policecar.
2b. I was drivingthrough town when I was getting
stopped by this police car.
2c. I was drivingthrough town when I realisedI was
getting reallytired.

Using gtarnfftar
Pastsimpleand Pastcontinuous
Make logical sentences by matching the
beginnings l-8 to the endings a-h.
l. Shewas just sittingthere,reading,
2. Justas I was leavingthe house,
3. lt was rainingreallyheavilyas I was leaving,
4. I was livingin ltaly
5. I was just goinghome
6. Justas I went into my daughter'sschool,
7. While we were trying to decidewhere to 8o,
8. I resignedfrom my iob on FridaY

I
-J
_J
J
-J
J
-J
J

a. I rememberedthe tickets were on my bed.

b. so I grabbedan umbrella.
c. when the big Mafiatrials were happening.
d. when this guy suddenlystarted talkingto her.

e. I won this fabulousholidayto Jamaica!

f. and found a better one on SaturdaY!
8. she came runningup to me,crYing.
h . when my boss rang and told me I was going to
Washington!
Underline the past verb forms in each sentence.

Grammardiscussion
One sentence in each of the grouPs of three
below is wrong. Why?
What is the difference in meaning between the
other two sentences?
la. We were cleaningthe carpet when we were finding
the diamond.
lb. We got the systemcheckedout becausewe were
findinglots of problemswith it.
lc. We got the systemcheckedout becausewe found
lots of problemswith it.

84

3a. I was cominghome on the tube when I suddenly

bumpedinto an old friend.
3b. I came home on the tube when I suddenlybumped
into an old friend.
3c. I came home on the tube when I missedthe last bus.
Compare your answers with a partner.

Grammarcheck
Complete these sentences by putting the verbs in
brackets in the past simple or past continuous.
l. As I was on my way back from France,my car
.. . (breakdown)
.. . . home l astni gh t ,
2. W hen | . . ..
of mine.(walk)
friend
old
into
an
I bumped
3. My mother was tidyingmy room up when she
. . the letter. (see)
. alongthe beachwhen we
4. We .
suddenlysaw a body in the sea.(walk)
....ofwritingtoherwhenthe
5. 1....
next thing I knew she turned up on my doorstep.
(think)
6. I was talkingto a friend on the phone when my
rushinginto mY room'
dad ..
(come)
7. You can imaginehow angry he was when he
.. how much theYwere charging
him.(find out)
....some
8 . O h , i t w a s s o s t u p i1d. !. . .
water when I knocked it all over myself.(boil)
When the clock struck twelve on 3 l" December
1999,where were you and what were you doing?
For more information on how to use the past simple
and past continuous,seeGl8.

12 Difficultto belreve

Speaking

When we talk about things that happened to us

ct a journey, we tend to say where we were
Fing. We usually do this by using a verb phrase +
ct tlre woy (to) + place. For example:
As I was on my way back from France,my car broke
dotf,n.
Ytb stopped off and had somethingto eat on the way
o dre match.
Complete the sentences betow with the phrases
h the box.
a pile-up
broke down
I
I tot a puncture
! got lost
I tropp"d off
I

almost had an accident

bumped into
got car sick
had an accident
took a wrong turn

Have any of the things described in Exercise I

above eyer happened to you? On the way to
where? Spend a few minutes thinking about what
happened and where. Decide if you'll need to use
the past simple or the past continuous and then
tell a few other people your stories.

Complete the sentences below with the words

in the box.
trip

tour

travel

journey

flight

travelling

l. A: What time is their

. . . . supposedto be
getting in now?
B: About six thirty, I think. lt's alreadybeen delayed
an hour!

2. W h a t a . . . .

! T w e l v eh o u r so n a p l a n e , t h e n
six hours on a freezingcold train.

We ..
on the way to Dorset.
We had to call someone out from a local garageto
fix the engine.

3 . I alwaystry and
. . .. light,if I can.
4. When I graduated,I worked for a bit and then went

We ..
on the way to Lisa'smum's
house.We must'vegone up and down the same
street about ten times!

5 . I was thinkingof going on a day-.

3. 1 . . . .

. . . . o n t h e w a y t ow o r k t h e
other day.There'sso much glasson the roads
nowadays,it makescyclinghell!

4. We ..

at a beautifulold castleon
our way here and went and had a look around.

1....
. . . . o n m y w a y t os c h o otlh e
other day.This guy cut in front of me and I went
straightinto the back of him!

....forayear.
. . . ro
. Brightonthis Saturday.
Do you fancy comingl

6. He's awayon a business..

7. I never

. . . . by bus,if I can help it. I much

prefer just cyclingor walking.

8. I spent a couple of months

. . . . round peru.
9. I can't believemy parentsare planningto go on a
. . . . ro Disneylandwhen they retire!

t 0 . There'sa coach

7. Rebecca

. . on the way to
Rushden.Shewas sick all over the back seat.
8. 1 . . . .
. . . . a n o l d f r i e n do f m i n eo n t h e
way to work this morning.I hadn't seen her for
ages.

9. We saw

.. on the motorway on
the way to Malmir.lt was awful!There must'vebeen
at leastthree or four cars involved.

t0. We .

. on our way to Nara. We

nearly hit a truck which was coming in the opposite
direction.

. . . . of the city this afternoon.

Do you hncy going?

6. We ..

on the way to Cologne,

and had to do a U-turn in the middleof the
motorway!

. . , I'm afraid.Try

againon Monday.

il.

Once you land,haveyou got a long .

of you before you get home?

. . . ahead

t2. While I was in Granadain Spain,we went on this

guided
. . . . round the Alhambra,which was
reallyinteresting.

Speaking
Discussthese questionswith a partner.

t . Haveyou ever been on a guidedtourl When?Wherel

What was it likel

2. When was the last time you went on a day-trip?

3. What's the longestjourney you've ever been onl
4. Woufd you like to take a year off and go travellingl
Where would you most like to go?

12

D i f f i c u l tt o b e l i e v e

When talking about things that have happened to

us, it is common to use yague or approximate
fanguage.Choose the best definition )a or b for
the highlighted expressions in these sentences.

Look at these two examples:

My dad thought I was a pick-pocketor a drug addictor
something.
There was no hot water or showers or anything!

l. There must'vebeen about thirty or forty people

there.
a. Either thirty or forty people.
b. Between twenty-five and forty-five people.
2. He was sort of smilingat me.
a. lt was a particularkind of smile.
b. lt wasnt exactlya smile,but it was more like a
smilethan anythingelse.

3 . His skin had turned a weird blueishcolour and

hed stoppedbreathing.
a. lt was bright blue.
b. lt wasn'texactlyblue,but it was more blue than
any other colour.

4. There must havebeen 500-oddpeoplethere.

a. The 500 people were very strange.
b. There were approximately500 people.

5 . And the policemanlookedat me and said,'lsthis

your carl' you know,'blah,blah,blah.'
a. And some other thingsI didn't understand.
b. I'm sure you can imaginewhat elsehe said,and
you don't need me to tell you.
6 . It must havebeen built about 1985or so.
a. lt was buil t i n 1 9 8 5 .
b. lt could havebeen 1984or 1986.

Phrases with or something/or anything are

common in spoken English when we want
to be vague. Complete these sentences with
the language in the box below.
or somethinglike that food or anything
showersor anything a bit of wire or something
a hammeror something
I. He managedto get the lock to work by using
The campsitewas horrible.There were no proper
toiletsor...

3 . They must havebroken into the car with

They did a lot of damage.

4. I didn't reallyseethe registrationnumber,but I'm

sure it startedTKP .

5. We flew on one of those budgetairlines.There were

no dri nksor . . .
For more information on how to use these structures,
s e eG l 9 .

7. It cost two hundredand somethingpounds.

a. Justa litde more than two hundredpounds.
b. Almost three hundredpounds.

8. And I spoketo that man who works in the office

there, you know,what's his name,and he told me . . .
a. I can't rememberhis name,but I'm sure you
know who I mean.
b. Pleasetell me his name.

Reol Englisht sort of / kind of

Sort of and kind of are both very common in
spoken English.They are often usedwhen you
cannot find the right word to expresswhat you
mean.Somepeopledo not like thesephrases,but
they are extremelycommon even in educated
speech.
It wos kind of expensive-looking.
Shewos sort of onnoyedwith me.

Adding -ish to an adjective or number is

a common way of being less precise.
He's about forty-ish.
Her hair is a sort of reddishbrown.
Complete the sentences below with the words in
the box.
seven-ish
long-ish

yellow-ish
tall-ish

purple-ish
sixty-ish

l. He's not retired yet, but I'm sure he'sabout

2. When you get malaria,your skin turns a sort of
..... colour.
3. I think we'll haveto get the train about
get there in time for eight.

. . . . . to

4. Although it was red wine, it was a kind of deep

.....colour.
5. Eva'sthe one with

. . . . . dark hair.

6. You'llrecognisehim.He'sa sort of . . .
. . version
of CharlieChaplinwithout the moustache.

86

..--.

1 W h i l ey o u r e a d
-.- Here are four stories. Three are urban myths and only one is true.
I I Reaa t hem a n d d e c i d e w h i c h o n e y o u th i nk i s true.

Safetyfirst !

What a rat!

Did you hear about the plane which crashed

somewherein SouthAmerica as it was coming in to
land ?
Apparently, it was fitted with a device which
s-arnsthe pilot that he's approachingthe ground- a
Ground Warning Alarm (GWA) sysrem.Somepilots
find this warning irritating, so rhey switch it off.
When the black box was examined,the crashwas
blamedon pilot error. The decisionhad beeneasyro
reach.When the plane had been coming in to land,
the GWA had gone off, telling the pilot he was roo
close to the ground. On the tape rhe pilot can be
heard sa).lng,'Shut up, you stupid machine!' Then
r-ouhear the soundof the crash.

Then there was the story of the couple who were in

Thailand on holiday. The morning after rhey arrived,

True story or myth?

they found a thin little cat sitting on rheir balcony.

They immediately fell in love with it. They
cleaned it and fed it. By rhe time they were ready to
leave, they couldn't bear to be parted from it. They
arranged for the cat to come home with thern.
Waiting at home was rheir pet poodle. The poodle
and the cat seemed to get on together very well, so
the couple decided to go out for dinner. When they
got back, they found their sitting room covered in
poodle hair and the dog halfway down rhe cat's
throat !
It turned out the cat was not a cat. but an
enormous Thai water rat !
True story or myth?

Drowned in a drain

Sunk by flyng cow

\ man from Wakefield in Yorkshire went out one

night for a few drinks at his local pub. He left his car
in the street near the pub. When he decided ro go
home, he went out to his car, took out the keys, and
then accidentally dropped them down a drain in the
road.

A few yearsago, rhe crew of a Japanesefishing boat

were rescuedfrom the wreckageof their boat in the
SeaofJapan.They said that their boat had beensunk
by u cow falling our of the sky. Nobody believed
them.
A few weekslater the RussianAir Forceadmitted
that the crew of one of their planeshad stolena cow
in Siberiaand put it into the plane'scargohold.
At 30,000 feet the cow startedto run around the
planeout of control.The crew decidedtherewasonly
one thing they could do. So, they openedthe cargo
door and the cow jumped our, landing on rop of the
Japanesefishing boat.
True story or myth?

He could see the keys down the drain on top of

some leaves.So, he managed to lift the drain cover,
but the keys were too far down for him to reach. He
lay down in order to reach them.
Suddenly, he fell into the drain head firsr. Jusr as
he did that, it started ro rain heavily. Nobody heard
his cries for help. The next morning he was found
drowned, his head down the drain, his legs sricking
up in the air.
True story or myth?

5peaking
Do you know any other urban myths? lf you like this kind of story, they are all
o n t he W eb. F ind th e m u n d e r' u rb a n m y th s ' . B ri ng one i n to the next l esson!

ttt
llit

lil

87

Choose the correct form.

Rewrite these sentences using tend to or tend

not to instead of the adverbial phrases.

l. Oh, you stayedin Bahia?That must be / must'vebeen

lovely.

l. On the whole, I prefer not to eat sweet things.

2. I was breaking/ | broke my leg skiing.

3. Would it be OK if I was leaving/ | left an hour early
todayl
4. I was walkingdown the road when suddenlya
woman came up / was coming uP to me and started /
was startrngscreaming.

5 . A: I phonedyou last night at about nine.

B: Oh, sorry. I was cooking / | cooked,so I wasn't
answering/ | didn't answer it.
6. I watched / | was watchingTV when the lightsjust
suddenlywent / were going out.
7. Were you living/ Did you live in Pariswhen Princess
Dianadied / was dying.

2. By and large,I don't go out much during the week.

3. As a rule,I don't drink.
4. Generallyspeaking,I take the bus to work.
5. As a rule, people in my country are quite religious.
6. By and large,people in my country don't invite friends
round to their houses.
peoplein my country spend
7. Generallyspeaking,
their holidayswith their families.

8. A: Did you manageto see the first performance?

B: No, I wasn't arriving/ | didn't arrive until after
theyd finished.

8. On the whole,women don't smokemuch in public.

ls each of the sentences l-8 above true or false

for you? Why? Tell your Partner.

Multiple choice
Choose the more natural alternative.

t . A: I had an argumentwith my flatmatelast night.

Are there any other generalisations you can make

about yourself? About people in your country?

B: Oh, a. had you?What aboutl

b. did you?What about?

2. I'm exhaustedthis morning.

a. I got in at four in the morning!
b. I didn't get in until four in the morning!

3 . A: This traffic's absolutelyawful,isn't itl

B: a. You can saythat again!
b. You could saythat again!

4. A: I'm going parachutingthis weekend.

B: a. You mustn't be serious!
b. You can't be serious!

5 . I was lyingby the pool, ... .

a. I was sunbathing

b. sunbathing

6. I arrivedat ... .
a. sort of nine o'clock

b. about nine-ish

7. a. He was sort of just standingthere.

b. He was about just standingthere.

8. I do drink wine and beer,but I never touch vodka

or whis k y... .
a. or somethinglike that

b. or anythinglike that

b. like reallysad

t 0 . Shelooks as if ... .
a. a model

88

Put the jumbled conversation below into the

correct orden
a. So when did you find out Dave had bought a dogl

b. That soundsterrible.He must be mad!

c. It's a he. Davewants to call him Arsenal.
d. I bet you couldnt believeit! ls it a he or a she?
e. He is mad!And what's worse, it's a boxer or
something,and the stupid animalbarkedall night
long!
f. You know - Arsenal - after the football team.

b. she'siust won the lottery

g
J
3
_il
3
_l

8. Well, I told him you'vegot to choose! lt's either

of us will haveto go!
One
me!
Arsenal or

h. He wants to call him what?

i . Did it?You'll end up gettingdivorced!

j.

9. H e l o o k s. . . .
a. reallysad

Conversation

Last night.I didn't get in until eleven,and there it

was, just sittingthere.

I
I

R e v r e w :U n r t s9 - ' i 2

Now match the verbs I l-18 to the best

collocations k-r.
f.-t
back at Linking ideas in Exercise 6 on page
lf- Tick the expressions l-8 you can remember.
&
a partner about anything you have forgotten.
Crr you think of times in your life when these
-tGnces
have been true for you?Tell your partner
- much as you can about them.

Expressions
Complete the sentences below with the
qressions
in the box. All the expressions
re
sick to death of
you must be mad
you went where

or somethinglike that
when all of a sudden
you can saythat again

I I. fall

k. my car

12. flog

l. the kids their bedtimestory

| 3. read

m. you to dinner

14. download

n. the newsto his family

| 5. treat

o. a spendingspree

| 6. break

p. a lot of discrimination

17. go on

q. asleephalfwaythrough

18. face

r. an article

Now discuss these questions with a partner.

19. When was the lasttime you bumpedinto an old
friend?
20. Haveyou ever had to break any bad news to someonel
21. What was the lastthing you downloadedl

English
l. A: I went to BurkinaFasolast year.
B:
last year?
A: BurkinaFaso,in West Africa.
L

Match the statements l-8 to the responses a-h.

A: lt's freezingoutside,isn't it?

B:
.....!lhadtoweartwo
pulloverswhen I went out.

3. I was just walkingdown the road

these two guyscame runningup to me and accused
me of stealingtheir car!
1. You paid two grand for a 1985 Renaultwith rust
e v e r y w h e r.e. !
........ !
5. A: What does her boyfrienddo for a living?
B: I think he'sa lawyer
6. Shallwe eat out tonightl I'm . .

. cooking!

Can you think of three other situations where you

might say:'You must be mad!'?

J
J
3. Are you OK? You look dreadful.
J
4. lt hurt like hell when he pulledthe tooth out.
-J
5. I heardsomeonepinchedyour bag.
_J
6. Did you do anythingspecialyesterdayafter work?
-J
7. I tend to go to bed earlier in the winter.
J
8. I heard the house cost your sister a fortune.
J
l. What's your brother like?

2. Do you love him?

a. Yes,I bet it did! Ratheryou than me.

b. Yes,it was over eightygrand!
c. He's a bit of a nerd,actually.
d. Kind ol I suppose.

Can you think of four things you could be sick to

death of?

e. No, I just went straighthome and had an early night.

f . Yes.I'm reallyannoyedabout it!

Collocations

g. Yes,I'm OK. I just had a bit of a late night,that's all.

h. Yes,so do l.

Match the verbs l-10 to the best collocations a-j.

l.

mind

a. like a chimney

2. smoke

b. into an old friend

3. spend

c . your own business

4. go

d . at my watch

5 . do

e . exhausted

6. glance

f. somethingto eat

7 . bum p

8. out for a quick run

h . a bit of washingup

8. feel
9. catch up
1 0 . get

i . the eveninground at Dave's

j . with the gossip

You have one minute to memorise the responses

a-h. Now coyer Exercise 8 above. Your partner
will read out the statements l-8. How many
responses can you remember?

R e v i e wU: n i t s9 - 1 2

Vocabulary

ldioms

Answer these questions with a partner. Then

compare your answers with another pair. Who
got most answers right?

Make sentences with idioms by matching the

beginnings l-8 to the endings a-h.
l. I nearly

a. a log.

2 . I s leptlik e

b. a fish.

3 . I c ouldhar dl y

c. on the rocks!

4. I'm dyingfor

d. a lunatic.

5 . He dr ink slik e

e. might fly!

6. Pigs

f. died laughing.

7. He was drivinglike

g. a coffee.

8. My marriageis

h . h e a r m y s e l ft h i n k !

l.

lf you wantedto show someoneyou were angry

with them,would you stareat them,glareat them
or gl anceat theml

2. Can you think of five thingsyou can run out of?

t heir
personsomeonew ho underst ands
3. l s a sensi bl e
friends'feelingsor someoneableto makegood
deci si ons?
4. lf you're'goingout with' someone,what two
meaningscould this havel

1 0 What can you remember?

5. l f you bump i nto an ol d fri end,does i t hur t ?

6. How could my youngerbrother get awaywith
murderl

With a partner, note down as much as you can

remember about the two texts you read in units
l0 and 12.

7. l s a di vorceesomeonew ho i s di vorcedor som eone

who is gettingdivorced?
8. lf you proposeto someone,what is the question
you ask?
9. l f you get on l i kea houseon fi re w i th som eone,do
you get on well or badlyl

ls she really going out with him?

10. W hy w oul d you w ear a w i gl

I l.

lf you'retired,do you go asleepor fall asleepl

12. lf you don't haveany cleanclothesto wear,would

or the w ashi ngl
you do the w ashi ng-up
you uP ,do they just want
chat
13. l f someonetri es to
to talk to youl
w,ha t kind of
of your busi ness'
14. l f I say:' That'none
s
questionhaveyou just askedme?
J

15. l s someonew ho ki l l sa l ot of peopl eover a per iod

of ti me a seri ouski l l eror a seri alki l l erl
16. D o you surf the net or the beachl
17. A re l adsyoungmen or youngw omen?
18. C an you thi nk of three recentbl ockbust er sl
19. lf you go to a club,do you leaveyour coat in the
cl oakroomor the bathroom?
do you like them or
20. lf you find someoneappealing,
not?

Now compare what you remember with another

pair. Who remembers more?
Which text did you enioy more? WhY?

90

' - l
Lr groups, show each other the notebooks you keep of language you learn in
ctass and/or any vocabulary record books you have. Explain how you record
hnguage and what you do with the notes after class. Be honest!
Hd do you try and learn words and expressions?Who do you think has the
best method? Why?
Now read this text and see if you are like the student mentioned.

Has the text made you change your mind about the way you learn and record vocab ulary?

91

.i fUrt

- . J - J . j . t ; 2

ft"':

Elevenquestions
lmagine you are attending a reun:on of all your
old friends from secondary school. Here are some
of the things you might want to say.
l. Hello,( Car r i e ,)h o w a re y o u l
2. I haven'tseenyou for ages.
3. You haven'tchangedone bit.
4. You look exacdythe same!Not one day older!
5. What've you been doing for the past (ten) yearsl
6. What're you doing nowl
dol
7. Are you marriedlWhat does your husband/wife
8. Haveyou got a familyl
9. Are you still (afraidof spiders)l
1 0. Do y ou s t ill (p l a yte n n i s )?
I l. Where do you live now?
First, work alone and decide how you would
respond to these questions and comments. Then
talk to other students in the class and find out
what you have all been doing.

I haven't seen you for ages

Who is your oldest friend? When did you first
meet?
Can you think of someone you haven't met for a
long time? Why not? Are you still in touch? What
are they up to now?

While
Sharon and Barry are friends who live in the
area. They;ve bumped into each other
,"-.
in the street and are catching up with each
other's news.

A
ld

Cover the conversation on Page 93. As you listen

to them talking about what they've both been up
to, try to answer these questions.
l. What's Barry been up to?
2. What's Sharonbeen up tol
Listen again and try to fill in the gaPs in the
conversation.

92

1 3 O l of r e - : s

Long time, no see!

Sharon: Barry! Hi, how are you? | haven'tseenyou for
a8es.
Barry: Hello,Sharon.Longtime, no see.
Sharon: I know.So how're you doingl
Barry: I'm all right,thanks.And you?
Sharon: Yeah,not too bad.So,what'veyou been up to
sinceI last sawyou?
Barry: Not a lot - working mostly ( l) . .
re a l l yl o n g h o u rsthi s
week,getting reallyfed up with it, you know.
Sharon: Really?
Barry: Yeah,but I went down to Kent last weekend,
for my grandma'sbirthdayparty.
Sharon: O h, ho w o l d w a s s h e l
Barry: Eighty-five.
lt was reallygreat.We
(2) . .
this lovelymealand
t hen we (3 )
.. a w al k
alongthe beach.lt was good to get out of the
crty.
S h a r o n :l b e t .l ( 4 ) .
.havea
weekend away myself.
Barry: I know. You get to the point where you really
need it, don't you? lf you don't get out of
Londonfrom time to time, it starts driving
you crazyyou know. (5) ..
w h a ta b o u yt o u ?( 6 )
........ I
Sharon: Well,on SundaymorningI
(7) ..
that exhibitionat the
RoyalAcademy.
Barry: Oh yes,the one there's been
( 8) . .
a b o u t- d e a dsheep
and picturesof toilet rolls and things.
Sharon: Yeah,my friendAngela- she'sat art schoolshe kept naggingme to go and see it, so
I went.
Barry: And what did you think of it?

( e .) .

. . . . .?.

SharonO
: h ,l ( 1 0 ) . .
thoughtit
was excellent,reallygood and challenging.
There'sonly one thing that madeyou go
'yuk!'the deadsheep.I think it's meantto
shock you,though. Anyway,after that, I
( | l) .
. and saw a friend of
mine,Richard,for a bit and then we went up
to Camdenmarketto do a bit of shopping.
Barry: Oh yeah,it's nice up there on a Sunday,
isn't
it?
Sharon: Yeah,it's great. And then I
( 12) .
. at my mum's,which
was nice.
Barry: Oh, that soundsgood.
Sharon: Yeah,and apart from that,
( 13) .
. thingsfor college,
really.
Barry: Uh-huh,still beinga good student,then.
Oh look, there's my bus into town.
( 1 4 ).
. l ' l l s e ey o u s o o n ,
then. Bye.
Sharon: Yeah,OK, bye.

I Recll Englishs Longtime,no see!

usedbetween
r This is an informalexpression,
friends.lt means:'lhoven'tseenyoufor o long
time.'
I
-J

Real Englishs

I actuallythought it

was excellent.
Actuallyis usedlike this when we want to stress
somethingwe see as a fact,and which is different
from what the other person expected.
A: Thot jocketmust'yecostyou o lot
B: Well,it wos octuolly quitecheop.

Speaking
Has there been an exhibition or concert that
caused a big fuss in your country? Why was it
so controversial?
What makes you go 'yuk'?

Expressions
In the conyersation, Barry said that if you live in
a big city like London, you get to the point where
you really need a weekend away. What do you
thi nk i t means?
Get is a very common verb in English.
Here are eight things you can get. Use them
to complete the sentences below.
the impression
a terrible shock
some sleep
a doctor

five years
to the top
a life
the message

t . I got .

. . . when I saw Mary after all

those years.Shelooked reallyold.
2. That guy got . .
. . for knockingdown one
of our neighbours'children.He was drivingwhen he
was drunk.

3. Quick,get..
. . ! S h e ' ss t o p p e db r e a t h i n g !
4. Sorry,I've beenworking non-stopfor eighteenhours.
I really need to get . .

5 . Do you sometimesget .

. . . that Claire is

bored with her job?

6. I can't believeyou spentthe whole weekend

studying.You shouldget out more and get
I

7. I keep droppinghintsthat I'm not interested,but he

neverseemsto get
8. He's incrediblyambitious.He'd do anythingto tet

93

13 Old friends

I
PresentperfectsimPleand
perfectcontinuo
You arrange to meet a friend at seven otclock.
He finally arrives at eight. Which do you say to him
- a or b? Explain your choice.
a. Where on earth haveyou been?I've been waiting
here for an hour.
b. Where on earth haveyou been?I've waited here for
an hour.
The next example is very strange. Correct it.
I'm afraid I cant go. I've been breakingmy arm.
Which of these sentences sound correct?
la. You look as if you've been crying.What's the matterl
lb. You look as if you've cried. What's the matterl
2a. Hey! I've been finding your PassPort.
2b. Hey! I've found your PassPort.

Adverbswith the PresentPerfect

Look at these common adverbs which are often
used with the present Perfect:
just

almost

never

comPletelY

Discuss which is the most likely in these

sentences.
l.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

I've..
I've ..
I've . .
I've..
I've . .
I ' v e. .
He's .
I've ..
She's
I've . .

..beentoSiberia.
.. bumpedinto Harry on the tube.
. . finished.Give me two minutes.
..forgotten Your name.
. .tot to the end of the book.
.. h a d a n i d e a .
. . had an originalidea in his life!
.. seen somethint reallyfunny.
. . .got over the death of her son.
. . seen anythingso funny.

Use these sentence starters to tell your pattner

some interesting things about yourself.
l.
2.
3.
4.

I'vejust . . .
I've never ...
I'vealmostfinished...
I've completely...

_ l
:,'#f,
Presentperfectcollocations

Some verb forms occur very often with the same

expressions.Choose the correct expression to
complete these present perfect sentences.
l. I've been at college

a. for the past three years.

b. since the last three years.

2. I've been travelling

a. about Africa.

b. around Africa.
3. I've been studying

a. for a doctor.

b. to become a doctor.
4. I've been abroad

a. studying.

b. for studying.
5. I've been working

a. as a volunteer in Africa.

b. as volunteer in Africa.
6. I've been on a course a. to better my English.
b. to improve my English.
7. I've been away

a. sincetwo months.

b. sinceChristmas.
8. I've been ill

a. for the past fortnight.

b. since the past fortnight

13 Old frrends

Now complete the sentences below with the

adjectives in the box.

Pronunciation
$
lJ

tisten to the intonation pattern of this line

f"om the conversation.

How are youl I haven'tseenyou for ages.

Pnactise the following,which have similar patterns.
l.
L
3.
1.
5.
6.
7.
8.

How are youlWe haven'tspokenfor weeks.

How are you?We haven'thad a chat for ages.
How are they? | havent seenthem for months.
How is hel I hear he'sjust got back.
How is shel I haven'tseen her for ages.
How's your dadl I haven'tseen him for years.
How is she?| heard she'shad a boy.
How much was itl I heard it cost a fortune.

high

turning

Now ask your partner the questions in Exercise5

above. Try to keep each conyersation going for as
long as possible.
For more information on how to use the present perfeci
simple and present perfect continuous,see G20.

sore

5. The real
.. . . point in my life was when I was
told ten yearsago rhat I only had three months to live.
6. One of Mary's
.. . . points is the fact that she
never gets annoyedwith anyone.
7. Dont talk to Bill about his divorce.lt's still a very
. . .. poi nt w i th hi m.
8. I think the . .
. . point of my trip to Africa was
standingatVictoria Falls.
Now complete the sentences below with the
common expressions in the box.
on the point of

Grammarpractice

strong

there's no point

9. Jane'sworking in Greece for a month, so

trying to ring her.

t 0 . I was

leavingwhen the phone rang.

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.

girr

l. What are the strongand weak pointsof your Englishl

Grammar?Pronunciation
I Vocabulary?

Expressions
with point

Havethere been any turning points in your life?

What has been the high point of your year so farl

You can record expressions in your notebook in

difrerent ways. For example, you could put the
expression Barry used in the conyersation -'you
get to the point where you need a weekend away'
- under the heading of get or as an expression
with point. Doing both is a good idea.
Here are sentences with some other expressions
with point. Complete them with the words in the
box.
get

see

make (x2)

l. Do you think you could

. . . . to the point,
please?
2. Please
. . .. a point of beingearly.
just
3. I
dont
. . . . the point of complaining.
4. lf you don't
. . . . your point strongly,people will
just ignore what you're trying to say.

1 3 O l df r i e n d s

Speaking

i'=7,r\',( ?1

. . 1 - a - . . . . t

Whileyou
ft ttrere is aTV programme in Britain called
ld'surprise
Surprisel. lf you want to get in touch
with someone you haven't seen for a long time,
you contact this Programme and they try to put
you back in touch - and film the meeting! Some
people think this is a very good idea; some think it
is a dreadful idea. What do you think?
lf you were the programme's producer, which two
of these stories would you be interested in? Why?

Long lost friends

Bob's story
When I was in the army, I was very friendly with a
chap calledTom Ramsayfrom Leeds.We lost touch
when we left and I wish we hadn't.I would love to
meet him againto talk about all the thingswe went
through together.
Jill's story
When I was a young girl of fifteen,I had a baby.My
parentsforced me to have it adopted.All I know is
that she was born on March 14th, 1975 and the
peoplewho adoptedher lived in York.I would love
to meet her.I think about her everyday of my life.

Discuss these questions with a partner.

t . ls there anybodyyou'velost touch with who you'd like

to be reunitedwithl

2. ls there anybodyyou reallywouldn't like to meet

againlWhy notl

Decide if these idioms describe a good

relationship or a bad one.
L We got off on the wrong foot, and it was all
downhillfrom there.
2. We decidedto go our seParateways'
3. I'vegot a bit of a soft spot for him.
4. She'sgood if you need a shoulderto cry on.
5. There'sno love lost betweenthem.
6. We iust hit it off immediately.
7. They hate each other's guts.
Do you have similar idioms in your language?
Spend two minutes trying to memorise the idioms
above. Now cover the sentences l-7 above and
complete the sentences a-g below.
a. Listen,you can alwaystalk to me if you need a
shoulderto...
Haveyou seenmuch of Nick and Linglately?
b.
B: Oh, haven'tyou heard?They'vegone their

Jim's story
l'm now eighty-five.When I was a young lad of
fifteen,I spenta summerworking on a farm in Kent,
picking fruit. I fell in love with a girl called lrene
Smithson.Shecamefrom Canterbury.Atthe end of
that beautiful summer,we went our separateways
and nevermet again.My wife died lastyear.I would
love to meet lrene again.I have three childrenand
twelvegrandchildren.

ls there something going on between those two?

It's a long story, but basicallythey iust hate
d . I met him when I first startedwork, and we iust

... immediately.
e.

h a v ea b i to f a . . . .

96

. . . . . f o rh i m .

Those two don't get on, do theY?

certainlyno
B You can saythat again!There's
t
h
e
m
.
... between

Hugh's story
l'm twenty-fiveand single.I live in Birmingham.Last
month, I spent the weekend in London with some
friends.On the Saturdaynigh[ | met a fabulousgirl
calledMelanieBrownat a disco.We dancedtogether
all night and talked for hours. We iust hit it off
immediately.The trouble was she had a boyfriend
who wasabroadon businessthat weekend.Shegave
me her telephone number, but l've lost it.l'm
desperateto see her again.I wish l'd asked her for
her addressaswell.The only thing I know is that she
lives in Notting Hill Gate. But thats all I know exceptthat she had huge brown eyes.

He'sa bit of an idiot,really,isn't he?

B: I know what you mean,but I haveto admit,I do

How come you and Mariannedon't get on?

B I don't really know. We got off on the
. . . and then it was all
from there!

Think of some people these idioms could 6.t.6bc'

Tell some of the other students in your class aboc
them.

'

, : l ? , t ,

J J ) J J . :

ilrilt!!i--;f

I wish
In the text on page 96, Hugh said:,1wish I'd asked
her for her address.'
i . Can y ou r em emb e rw h y h e fe l t l i k eth i s ?

With a partner, decide which of the four possible

stories from the TV programme ,surprise, Surprise',
described on page 96, you would like to act out.
Spend five minutes thinking about what you're
going to say. Ask your teacher for help if you
need to. Then role play the people being reunited.

7. What tensedo we use after wish if we want to talk

about past regretsl
Complete these sentences by putting the verbs in
brackets in the correct form. Some sentences will
be negative.
. I s o m e t i m ewsi s h| . . . .
..... my
grandfatheron my mum'sside.(know)
i . I w i s h| . . . . .
. . . . s o m u c he a r l i e (r e. a t )
3

J
-J
| o f t e nw i s h I
. . . m o r ew h e n I w a s
younger.(travel)
I
I reallywish |
. . . ro seethe doctor
about it earlier.(go)
-J
I s o m e t i m ewsi s h| . . . .
. . . . . s o m u c ht i m e
when I was at university.
(waste)
-J
I w i s h| . . . . .
. . . . s o m u c hm o n e yw h i l eI
was on holiday.(spend)
J
I w i s h| . . . . .
. . . . h e r e a r l i e (r m
. eet)
_J
I reallywish |
. . . my addressbook.
(lose)
J

Now match the sentences l-8 above to the

follow-up comments a-h below.
:

I wouldn't be working here if ld got a better degree.

I wouldn't havehad to spendso manyyearsof my life
on m y own!

I just don't havethe time to do it now.

It wouldn't havegot so bad if I had.
I wouldn'tbe so badlyin debt if I hadn't.
l'm goingto losetouch with loadsof peoplenow.
He was supposedto havebeena reallyinteresting
guy.
-

| feel reallysick!

lJ

Now listen and check your answers.

Express regrets that are true for you using these

rntences starters.
9

| s o m e t i m ew
s i s h I ' d. . .
3. I reallywish I'd
. I reallywish I hadn't
2. I often wish I hadn't
Tell your partner what you have written and try
to explain why you feel like this.
lll
For more information on how to use wishto talk about
dringsyou regret,see G2l.

rlt

lil

Uiirtg Jr.abularl
Speaking
Discuss these questions with a
partner.
l. Do you ever go to exhibitions?
W hat ki nd?
2. Has your home town got an art
gallerylWhen was the lasttime
you went to it?
3. What is the best exhibitionyou
haveever been tol
4. The pictureson this pageare a
portrait of LuniaCzechowskaby
A medeoModi gl i ani
and'St illlif e
with apples'by PaulC6zanne.Do
you like them?Can you saywhyl
5. Haveyou ever painted,
sculptedor drawnl Has any of
your work ever beenexhibitedperhapsat schooll

14 Arr

Recommending
Put the jumbled conversations into the
correct
order.
Conversation I

Practice

a- | went and saw an exhibitionat the Hayward

Galleryearlierin the week.
b. So,you'd recommendit. then?

lJ
_J
c. Quite good,actually,the photos were really
great,quite amazing_ some of them.
-J
d. Oh, reallyllt soundsquite interesting.What
was
it like?
J
e. Yes,you shouldgo and see it.
J
f. lt was a collectionof photos from the
first lunar
landing.
-J
g. Oh, did youl What was it?
J
Conversation 2
I went and saw that new exhibitionat the
NationalGallerythe other day.
b. Oh, it was this collectionof Flemishpaintings
from the seventeenthcentury.
c. Oh, did you? Which one'sthat again?
d. Well, I didn't think much of it myself.lt was all
a bit dull,you know.
e. No, ld give it a miss,if I were you _ unlessyou
reallylike that sort of thing,of course.
f. Oh reallylWhat was it like?
t. So,you wouldn't recommendit, then?

IJ
_J
-J
-J
_J
J
J

f 'r Ura.n and check your answers. Then practise

both conversations with a partner, making
sure you sound enthusiastic or not, as
appropriate.

Recommendi ng expressions
When we talk about an exhibition we,ve been
to,
we usually say whether we think it was
worth
seeing or not. Put the words in order to
make
necommending expressions.
f . y o u ' r e/ O K l i t ' s l s o r t / i f / i n t o / t h i n g l t h a t l o f

2. a i m u s t / i t ' s

Listen and check your answers. Which

expressions recommend an exhibition?
Which do not?

A
t7

Think of an exhibition you'ye seen. Decide

whether youU recommend it or not. Use
Conversations t and 2 as models and tell
your partner about it. you should begin:
I went and saw an exhibitionat ... the other daylthe
other week.

Describingpaintings
are eight ways of describing paintings.
lere
Check that you understand the words, uring
dictionary if necessary.Use them to complete"
the sentences below.
portrait

detailed

landscape

traditional

still life

original

abstract

colourful

l . I thi nk hi s w ork i s very i ndi vi dualvery

, .
I've neverseenanythingelselike it.
2. I'vejust beento a(n) .
. . . exhibition_ it,s
somethingI've tried to do myself,but my apples
alwayslook like peaches!
3. We've got a(n)
. . . . of my great_grandfather
at
home.He was a generalin the army.
4. Renaissance
paintingswere alwaysvery .
You could see all the stitcheson the clothes.
5. His most famous
. . . . was a pictureof the
sceneryaround his home in provence.

ll
ll
t,

6. I don't actuallyrikemodern art. I much prefer

more
....things.
7. ldon't like paintingsthat are all greysand browns.
I like really . . . .
things.you know, lots of bright
greensand reds and yellows.
8. I don't understandher work at all.lt's just too
....forme.

Speaking

3 . recommendI reallyI I I it

Discuss these questions with a partner.

4 . you I give / if / were / missI a I l,d I it | |

l. You'vejust learnedwhat a portrait,a landscape

and a
still life are. What other kindsof art can you think
of?
2. What's your favouritepiece of artl Why? How
would
you describeit?

5. visit / well / it's / a / worth

Ir

li

6 . entrance/ not I it's lthe / fee / worth

7. its / my | rca lcup / of I really/ not

h
t

eel
I

14 Art

i'.'=aditry
Discuss these questions with a partnen
l. Do you like modern artl Why/why not?
2. What do you think art is for?
3. Do you like any of the works you can see on
these pages?Why/why not?

Now read the article and decide how the

writer woutd answer the three questions
i n E x er c is e l.

n
ld

It's November,which means it's the time of year when the

papersare full of articlesby people who are shocked about
art. This is becausein November the Tate Gallery in London
holds the annual Turner Prize exhibition of modern aft. Each
year four of the best British artists are selectedfrom all those
who have exhibited during the year and of these, one is
chosen.For the most part, the shockjournalists expressis not
'Youcall that art?!' variety.We
moral outrage,but more of the
are treated to a string of the usual complaints and clichds:
Anyonecould do that!' 'My five-year-olddaughtercould do
betterthan that.' Abed in the middle of a room! Where'sthe
'Whatever happenedto people just painting
skill in that?'
'Fifty
pictures?'
thousandpoundsfor that! You'repulling my
leg.' etc.,etc.Well, personally,I'm sick of it - the journalists
complaining, that is - not the art. The only thing which is
predictable,boring, and money for nothing is their writing.
Thesepeoplejust want an to be pretty pictures.For them, it's
just. an extension o[ interior design - something which will
match the sofa or look good in the bedroom. For me, the
worst thing anyonecould say about art is that it looks quite
nice. Art should make you think. Art should be the result of
artists thinking about the world they seeand their reactions
'Oh,
to it. It shouldn't be aboutseeingsomethingand saying,
that looks nice. I'll paint that and make it look just like a
photograph, and I'll take ten years to do it,' which is what
thesejournalistsseemto think is required of art.
I have made a selection of some of the previous Turner
Prize entrants - I know journalists do not like to spend time
doing researchfor themselves,so I've done it for them.
Perhaps they could ask the question Wolfgang Tillmans, a
previous winner, poses. 'These scenarios might appear

100

strangeto somepeople,but I try to ask through them, what is

so strangehere, the scenarioin the picture, the world around
you, society, your ideas about beauty or my ideas about
beauty?'
Richard Long causedoutragewith his work, which was a
line of bricks laid on the floor of the gallery. He made a
similar piece with bits of slate,a kind of grey stone,which
he'd found on a walk in the countryside.
Martin Creed won the prrze with a piece which involved
the audience walking into an empty gallery space and the
lights suddenly being turned off and then sometime later
turned back on again.
Rachel Whiteread uses common objects as a mould. She
fills the inside with concreteand exhibits the sculpturesrvith
the objectsremoved.She has used tables,chairs, bookcases
and, most famously,a whole house.
'The Great Bear'.
Simon Patterson, in a work called
painted a replica of the London Underground map, but
replacedthe namesof the stations with the names of famous
people from history.
Chris Ofilli paints religious figures, and as well as paint
uses other media such as mud and elephant dung. Mayor
Giuliani in New York oncetried to ban one of his works of the
Virgin Mary becausehe said it was an insult to the Catholic
religion.
Tracy Emin was famous for making an installation of her
slept-in bed in the middle of a gallery. She also made a tent
and pinned on the inside the namesof all the men she'd slep
with.
Douglas Gordon won for showing Alfred Hitchcock's
thriller, 'Psycho',which he sloweddown so much that it took
twenty-four hours to play instead of two.
Personally,I don't really careif you don't /ike thesepieces:
that's not the point. What shouldbe absolutelyclear,though.
is that these ideasare not the work of five-year-olds,but of
creative,intelligent adults.It's a shamewe can't saythe sanrc
of somejournalistsand critics!

*F,

&

14 Art

t, -'\

J t ) )

Now make short dialogues by matching the

statements l-6 to the responses a-f.

( - . 7 ( i r ?
2. -..)...

l. I visitedAlan in hospitallast Fridayto see how

he was gettingon.

Relativeclauses
we talk about the things we've been
doing, we usually follow facts with comments.
For example:

When

I went to that new Matisse exhibition, which was really

ntce.
There was a riot in the city centre, which meant I

2. I spentall day Sundaycatchingup on all my mail.

last week.
3. I went and saw that musical,Chicogo,
4. I went round to Mike and Sue'sthe other dayto
see that new car they'vebeentellingeveryone
about.

__J
_J
_J
_J

couldn't get to the airport.

Try to think of comments
l.

for the following.

, hich meant . . . . .
l t w a s p o u r i n g w i t h r a i n o n S u n d a yw

, hich was .
2 . I w e n t t o v i s i t a w h i s k y d i s t i l l e r yw

5. I went down to Bristolfor the weekenda couple

of weeks ago.
6. I just stayedin last nightand watchedTV. There's
a greatthing on on Fridaysat the moment about
Antarctica.
Oh, that remindsme. I must record that new thing or
ChannelFour tonight.lt's meantto be reallyfunny.

tr. ; ;"", *n .i *rr'

3. mi"r.o.na r"ir.o..t" ou"r^
4. I went to see Iosco at the opera last night, which was

: : : :

: : : : :: :

: : : : : : : : :

b. Oh, reallylI've beenthinkingabout havinga weekend

awaymyself.Were you campingor whatl
c . Oh, that remi ndsme. I must sendi n my passpor t

5 . I m i s s e d t h e t r a i n t h i s m o r n i n g ,w h i c h m e a n t
6. I failed my exam, which meant

II

appl i cati on.

to go and see him
d . Oh, di d you?| keepmeani ng
myself.How was he?
e . Oh, that remi ndsme. I mustgi vethem a ca ll.I haven't

spokento them for ages.

Speaking
Think of two things you'Ye done recently, and
tell your partner about them. Be sure to add
comments starting with which.
For more informationon how to add extra comments
usingrelativeclauses,see G22.

) i ' )| t ( j J r a - t i i t u J TI; J
r e m i n d sm e !
When people are talking about what they have
been doing, it often reminds us of things which
we have thought of doing ourselves. Look at the
highlighted expressions in these examples:
I went to seethe Turner Prizeexhibitionthe other
d.y.
B: Oh, yeah.I keep meaningto go and seethat myself.
What was it likel
Oh, it was OK, but nothingspecial,really.
I went round to see my mum on Sunday.
B : O h, t hat r e mi n d sm e , I m u s t p h o n em y m u m
tonight.I alwaystry to ring her once a week.
Yeah,parentsget upsetif you don't keep in touch,
don't theyl

102

Oh, I've been meaningto go and seethat for ages.

Was it as good as everybodysays?
'l

j N"*

listen and check your answers.

14 Ar1

2 i Practice
Practise reading the dialogues in Exercise I aloud
with your partner. Try to add a third response, as
i n t his ex am ple.
I visitedAlan in hospitallast Fridayro see how he
was getttngon.
Oh, did you?| keep meaningto go and see him
myself.How was he?
Not bad.You shouldgo and see him.I'm sure he'd
love to seeyou.
With a partner, have similar conyersations using
tfiese ideas.
l. buy a birthdaycard for my brother
2. phone my parents
3. paymy telephonebill
1 . book m y s um m e rh o l i d a y
5. sendin my applicationform
6. havemy hair cut

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.
L Here are six examplesof thingsyou mightgo and
see.Do you find any of them morallyoffensivel
Politicallyoffensive?
a. a displayof Egyptianmummies
b. an exhibitionof the body of a man found
frozen in the Alps after hundredsof years
c. a zoo with lionsand tigersin cages
d. a museumin Britaindisplaying
staruestaken
from Greece 200 yearsago
e. a sci encemuseumw i th humanfoetuses
preservedin formaldehyde
f. an exhibitionabout some of the most famous
murderersin history

2. Would you ban any of them?

3 . Would you be happytakingyour childrenor your
youngerbrothersor sistersto them all?

4. What do you think of the exampleof street art

belowl

103

L : gI ? I t ' : l t g

While

Here are eighteen ways to describe something.

Six of them mean very good; six mean very bad;
six are mildly critical. Put them into groups.
terrific
a bit bland
excellent
very ordinary
dreadful
wonderful

horrible
marvellous
horrendous
dire
brilliant
terrible

awful
nothingspecial
on the dull side
a bit over-the-top
superb
a bit disappointing

. ', i4
"ri+$dl;riir r+ agiq

:f 4rl*;-:+'1si
1'.e..i;,.3"e*

listen

You are going to hear three conversations

ff
ul where people describe what things are like.
As you listen, take notes on what they are
describing and which adjectives they use. Listen
again if you need to.

Practice
Use some of the adjectives on this page to
describe:
1.
2.
3.
4.

a film you'veseenrecently
the weather recently
a journeyyou'vebeen on
a meal you've had recently

Recll English3 oventhe-top

Over-the-top means'exaggerated
or extravagant
in some way'.lt could refer to someone'sdressor
behaviouror the amount of food or drink at a party.
Didn't you think their house woso bit over-the-top?
I thoughtten RollsRoycesat the weddingwos o bit overthe-top.
Underline the main stressed syllable in each
expression and practise saying them.

I
I
I

Sometimeswe sayOTT instead.

It wos o bit OTT!

15 Descrc^::--:)

Asking linked questions

Itb sometimes ask two questions at the same

tine. For example:

So what'sthat new film likelAny good?

Yes,it's great - if you like Hugh Grant.
What was Maltalike?Was it hotl
Yes,it was really lovely.We were never out of the
water.

Write similar questions to suggest these answers.

The first one has been done for you.
f . : Whot'shis houselikeTls it big?
B: Yes,it's huge.lt's got four bedroomsand an
enormousgarden.
I
L :
B: No, it wasn't,actually.lt was reallyboring.ln fact,

::::::r::
i::::::.::
;

3 . :
B: Yes,very much.My bossis reallynice and it's quite
well paid,really.

1 . :
B: Yes,it wosquite warm, but not as hot as the last

Now complete these sentences with although or

consi deri ng.
l. Talking about a new CD
a. I think the whole CD is reallygood how manychangesthe band'shad sincetheir last
one.
b. I think the third track'sthe bestI qui te l i kethat songcal l ed' D ol phi ns'
too.
c. I thi nk i t' sa greatC D
.... i t' ssti l l n ot
as good as their first album.
d . I t h i n k i t ' sr e a l l yg r e a t
...... how
differentit is from what they usuallydo.
2. Talking about a trip
a. The trip was great
the mosquitoes
were a bit of a problemat night!
b. I reallyenjoyedthe flight in the end how nervous I was before we took off
c. I had a real l ybri l l i antti me .... I pro bably
wouldn'tgo back.
d. We had a great trip, .

. . . how little it cost!

Now complete these sentences with although or

in spite of.

ilme we went.
3. Talking about buying a watch

5 i .

B Yes,I think it'sgreat.The third track is brilliant.

6

B No, we lost three-one.lt was just terrible.

I can't believeit.

ff Check with a partner to see if you have

ll similar questions.Then listen to the modet
questionsand practisesayingthem.

Practice

a. I reckon this one'sgot to be the best buy,

I know I shouldn'treallyspendmore than f 100on
a watch.
b. I thi nk thi s one j ust l ooksni cerbeinga
lot cheaperthan the others.
c. I'd go for that digitalone,.
. . . the strap.
You can alwaysget that changedlater.
d. I think the Rolexone'sthe nicest
goingto nearlybankruptme!

. . . . . it is

For more information on how to use these conjunctions--

Now ask your partner two linked questions about

the following.

seeG23.

li
ir
)

t . the weatheron their last holiday

2. t heir job
3 . their houseor flat
4. how they get on with their parents
5 . how they are
6. their day yesterday

U;irryg l ? i r r rrft a r
Conjunctions

Make three questions youU like to ask a partner

with this pattern.
S o w h a t ' s. . . l i k e l
Now take turns asking and answering these
questions. Try to describe things in as much
detail as you can, using as much of the language
from these pages as possible.

Look at these examples of sentences with

although, considering and in spite of.
I quite like her new shoes- althoughI think the heels
are just a bit too high.
I quite like her new shoes- consideringhow cheapthey
were.
I quite like her new shoes- in spite of the flashydesigner
label.

Ir
I

1 5 D e s c r i b i tnhgi n g s

L , ; t ' e t t ' : f tJr t

Not exactlyShakespeare!

Dl;Jl;l:J::,[:".y:

Paul:

Guesswhat I went and saw last night - Titonic- it's on againthis

week at the Duke ofYork's.

coffee. Listen to them talking

about the films they have seen
recently.

Mick

Oh, yeah.I saw that when it first cameout. What did you think
ofitl(l)..
.......?

Paul:

Oh, it was great.I reallyenjoyedit. I thought the specialeffects

were amazing,and the actingwas brilliant.lt's one of those films
where, you know,when | first heard about how much money
they'd spent on it, (2) . .
. , but it was reallygreat.
It was a bit like one of those old disastermovies,you know,like
Toweringlnfernoor Eorthquoke,(3)

Mick

Really?I'm surprised.I thoughtthe actingwas a bit wooden

myself,and the dialoguewas just awful. (4) . .
. .you
actuallythought it was worth the money they'd spent on it.
I mean,(5) . .
. the whole thing just a little bit
over-the-topl

Paul:

Oh, no. (6) . .

Mick

But the actingwas horrendous!

Paul:

Well, I know it's (7)

. . . Shakespeare,
but it's not
meantto be,is itl l'll tell you somethingweird though,there was
this guy sitting nexr to us who snored all the way through the
fi l m!

Mick

ReallylThat (8)
. . . really,annoying.
How could
anybodyactuallysleepthroughall that noise!

Paul:

I don't know - just deadtired, I suppose.

Mick

Yeah,I guessso,but really,though,(9) . .

just a bit too sentimental?

Cover the conversation. As you

listen, try to answer these
questions.
l. Which filmsare they talking
about?
2. What do they think of them?
Listen again and try to fill in the
gaPs.

. I thought it was brilliant.

. it was all

Paul: (10).
. . , b u t l h o n e s t l yd i d n ' t I. r e a l l yt h o u g h ti t w a s
all done just right.lt was so romantic.
Mick

Oh well, eachto his own. Haveyou seen BombAlert2 yett

P a u l : N o , l h a v e n e' tv e nh e a r do f i t . ( l l ) . .
Mick

....... ?

Um,Jean-Paul
van Klam,he'sgreat in it and,um,that woman from
Komikoze,you know who I mean.Remember?Shewas
T u r t l e - w o m at o
n o ,( 1 2 ) .
. . I m u s t( 1 3 ) .
she wasn't very good in that.

P a u l : O h , h e r .S o w h a t ' si t l i k e ?( 1 4 ).
........ ?
Mick Yeah,it's great - if you like blood all over the placeand that sort
of thing.
Paul:

Oh, it doesn'treallysound like ( 15) . .

I think l'll giveit a miss.

. , actually.

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.
f . Which film would you rather go to - Titonicor BombAlert2?
2. What's the most over-the-topfilm you've ever seenl

1 5 D e s c r r b i tnhgr n g s

Uging 'i)trr{ttff t=tr

1

Negativequestions

}lkk asked:'Didn't you think it was all just a bit

bo sentimental?' Negative questions can express
n indirect opinion or surprise.
Do you like cheese?(normalquestion)
Don'r you like cheesef(l'm surprised.)
Vl/hatdid you think of it? (normalquestion)
Didn't you think it was reallyboring?(, did.)
Negative questions are often followed by the
rcrts find and think.
f . Don'tlDidn't you find it + adiective
i I reallylike livingout here in the counrry.
B: Oh, really.Don't you find it a bit boringl
i No, not at all.lt's great.
L Don'tlDidn't you think it + verb
-r. f'm goingto see DogsofWor tonight.
B: Oh really.Don't you think it looks really
violent?
A Yes,a bit, but then I like that kind of thing.
,\
Listen to these examples and practise them
lj
wtth a partnen

Grammarin context

Grammar
lmagine your partner lives in the biggest city in
the country. While you make a list of four or five
negative things about living there, your partner
should make a list of the positive things. Then
have conyersations like this:
^ Don't you find Tokyo just a bit too big and crazyt
B: Yes,I know what you mean,but I love the night life.
,,\ You must be mad! | can't stand ir.

In the conyersation, Paul said that the man who

was snoring next to him must've been dead tired.
There are many more idiomatic expressions
which make common adjectives stronger.
Match l-8 to a-h to make eight such idiomatic
expressions.
l. brand

a. sharp

2. razor

b. asleep

3. di rt

c . hard

4. stark

d . easy

5. dead

e . cheap

6. fast

f.

7. wide

8. new
h. naked

8. rock

awake

Complete these short dialogues with negative

questions.

t.

I reallylike watchingfilmswith subtitles.

Reallyl
. . them hard to readl
I reallyloved that ltalianactress.
Did you?
. . she over-acteda bit?

3.

Did you see that Chinesefilm last nightl

Yes,but
.. it was a bit slowl

4.

I thought that last scenewas a bit slow.

Yes,it was a bit, but
. . it was
reallyromanticl

5 . A: I thoughtthe plot was a bit too predictable.

B: Did you?.
though?

. it quite funny,

6 . A I thoughtthat leadactor was brilliantin it.

B: Really ?
.. h i m a b i t to o much
like Robert De Niro?

7. A: Titonicwon loadsof Oscars,didn't itl

B: I know.
. . it's a bit over-rated?
8. A: It was rubbish,but at leastit was funny rubbish!
B: D i d y o ut h i n ks o ?. .
...... it

Now complete these sentences with the idiomatic

expressions you formed above.
9.

Be carefulwith that knife.lt's . .

10. I got theseshoescheapin a second-hand
shop,but
they're almost

l t . It was so embarrassing.
He walkedinto the
bathroom
a n ds a wf f i , . .

........ !

t2. I wish the kids would go to sleep.They'restill

. . . . and it's almostmidnight!

t 3 . I bought five bottles. They were

l'll neverseethem at that price again!
14. Don't wake him.He's
15. | finishedthe crosswordin a coupleof minutes.
It was
|.6. Throw that bread away!lt's . .

was just sillyand typicalof late-nightcableTVI

With a partnerr practise the conversations above.
il

I
107

1 5 D e s c r i b i ntgh r n g s

Practice

Comparing
One way of describing something is to compare it with something
else. For example:

Describe the things in these

pictures.

So,what was that fashionshow you went to likel

B: Oh, all right,I suppose.lt was a bit like lastyear'sreally,but not as good.
Here are some more common expressions for comparing.

I t w a sa b i t l i k e. . .

but not as good/nice.

but there are a lot fewer peoplethere.
only a lot louderiquieter/more
beautiful.
only there are more/therearen'tas manycars on the
road there.

Describingth i n g s
Complete these short dialogues with the expressions below.

t.

What's lndonesianfood like?

B: Delic io u sA. b i t l i k eT h a i fo o d ,I s u p p o s e,
2.

What was Lizzie'sparty like,then?

B: O h, it w a s O K , a b i t l i k e h e r l a s to n e ,
3.

So,what'sNew Zealandlike,thenl

B: A bit like lreland,really,

4.

So,what'sNick and Beth'sflat like,then?

B: I supposeit's a bit like ours,really,

5.

What's snowboarding?
I've neverheardof it.

B: Snowboardingl
Well, it's a bit like skiing,
6.

So,what'sGraham'ssisterlike,thenl

B: Well,actually,
she'sa bit like him,
7.

What's your new laptoplike?

B: It'sthe sameas my old one,

8.

So,what'rethe Spiderslike,thenl

B: They'reOK, they'rea bit like the Beatles,

a. only the kitchen'snot as big.
b. but there'smore sheep.
c . only a bit m o re mo d e rn -s o u n d i n g .
d. only a lot faster.
e. but a little bit lessspicy.
f.

only a lot more difficult,really.

g. but there weren't as manypeopleas I'd expected.

h. only she'seasierto get alongwith, I suppose.

J
_J
J
_J
J
J
J
J

Now describe these things in a

similar way.
l.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

a film you haveseen

a big city you know
a caf6,restaurantor club you know
a drink
a bandyou like
a vegetable
a pieceof furniture
a new televisionprogramme

Read your descriptions to a

different partner. Can they guess
what you are describing? For
example:
OK . l t' san al cohol i cdrink which is
a bit like vodka.but it's madefrom
flce.

B: Oh, it must be that stuffthey drink

in Japan.What do you call itl Oh
yeah,sake.
That's it. Haveyou ever tried it?
For more informationon how to
make comparisonslike these,see G24.

108

1 5 D e s c r i b i ntgh t n g s

t I Must for guessing

Grammarin context

We often make guesses about something. Here

ru two ways of doing this using must:

Complete the responses in these dialogues using

must or musttve.

must be
- Have I told you yet?We've finallymoved into our
new house.
& Oh reallyflt must be reallynice to havea bit more
spaceat last.

l. A. My brother and his wife haveactuallygot eleven

kids now.
B: Eleven!
2. /.: We stayedin this hugetwenty-storeyhotel.

must'Ye been
: I grew up in a smallvillagenear Ludlow.
B: Oh, that must'vebeenwonderful.lt must'vebeena
bit of a shockwhen you first movedto Birmingham,
then.
Complete these sentences with must be or
rnust'Ye been.
l. Sally'snew boyfriendhasa foreign accent.I think he
. . . French.
L The car won't start. The battery ...
dead.
3. I'm not sure where Petewent to school.I think it
. . . somewherein Wales,judgingfrom
somethinghe saidthe other day about Cardiff.

1. Well, if this pen'snot yours,it . . .

mine!
5. I ' m t i r e d . S u r e il ty . . . .
. . . . . t i m et o g o h o m e l
6. Bali. .
. wonderful!Areyou planningto
go backl

B: Oh, one of those places!

3. ,t I usuallycycleinto work, if it's not raining.
B: Oh reallyl
4. A I got up at five,just as the sun was comingup,and
went for a walk along by the river.
B : W o n d e r f u l.!. . .
5. A\ | like my job, but I haveto work a six-dayweek
every week!
B: Everyweek?
6. A The planewas delayedforty-eight hours! Can you
imaginewhat it was like?
B: Forty-eighthours!
7. J',''Did you hear that over 200 peoplewere killed
in that crash?
B: I know.
8. .r Everyyear we haveour annualsalesmeetingat a
beautifulcastlein the ScottishHighlands.
B: Really?
Compare your responses with a partner, then
practise the conversations in pairs.

7. Justlook at those poor people.lt . . . .

dreadfulhavingno money and no food.

Practice

8. Two yearsago we paid f30 a night.I should think it

. . . at least f40 now.
9. Did you seethat policecar?lt
over a hundred.

. . . doing

Tell a partner about two interesting things you

have done or seen. Your partner should respond
with a comment using must be or must'ye been.
For example:
A: I spent a week in Hong Kong,which was great.

Reell English3 doingovera hundred

This meansthe car was going at over a hundred
milesan hour. Look at theseexamples:
Youcon't do more thon thirty in town.
We did on overogeof sevenryon the motorwoy.

B: Wow!That must'vebeen interesting.I've always

wanted to go there. lt soundslike an amazingplace.
Where do you think the places in the pictures
below are? Use must to make your guesses.
For more information on how to use must for guessing,
see G25.

Ji.!

t 7

J I

-'--

!J

ltt-.',7.

of film
Do you recognise any of the films shown in these
pictures? Have you seen any of them? What were
they like?
Which of these descriptions match the three
films in the pictures?

t.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

It's a kind of sci-fithing.

It's a costumedrama.
It's a typicalHollywoodblockbuster.
It's a romanticcomedy.
It's a cult movie.
It's a real weepie.
Itt an animatedfilm.

Can you think of other examples for each kind of

film ?
What kind of films do you like most? Why?
Are there any kinds of films that you really can't
stand?

110

A s k i n gq u e s t i o n sa b o u t f i l m s

Hcre are common questions to ask about films.

r
1
a
a

\A/-ho'sin it?
What's it aboutl
Where's it onl
What's it likel

e.
f.
g.
h.

Who's it byl
When was it madel
Where's it froml
What kind of film is itl

lld<e short dialogues by matching the questions

>lr above to the answers l-8 below.

Pronunciation
f\ eractise sayingthe questionsfrom Exercise2.
t7 Listen,then saythem again.
With a partner,try to have your own conversations
about films you have seen, using these questions.
Use the'forgetting' expressions from Exercise 3 if
you can't remember specific details.

F i l mv o c a b u l a r y

t.
B: Two or three yearsago.

Complete the sentences below with the words in

the box below.

B: JulietteBinocheand that guy who was in Dimples.

banned
dubbed

3.
B: Japan,but it's subtitled.

stars
cur

director
specialeffects

1B: At the Odeon in Queen Street.

t . My favourite. . .

B: This guy who hasa mid-lifecrisisand drives

acrossAmericalookingfor his parenrs.

2. The governmenrthoughtthe film might corrupr

. is Hitchcock.There'snever
beenanyoneelselike him.

5.

people,sothey

....tt.

3 . Haveyou ever seenMeon Streets?

lt . . . .

6.
Someltaliandirector.
7.
It's a cross betweena traditionalcop movie and a
more arty kind of movie.
8.
It's silly.I mean,it was amusingfor a while,but
then I just got bored by it.

Real EnglishS somettatiandirector \

Usingsome in number6 in Exercise2 meansthat
you don't know the person'sname.

Robert De Niro and HarveyKeitel.

4. I thought that the
amazing.

5 . When they showed Robocopon TV,they .

about fifteenminutesout of it, becauseit was so
violent.
6. I prefer to seeforeignfilms in their originalversions
with subtides,rather than
Now complete the sentences below with the
words in the box.
soundtrack
dialogue

Somewomon cameto the door colleaingfor chority.

3 | And when you can't answer!

. . . . in lurossicPorkwere

set
plot

scene
ending

7. The thing I love about that film is that the ..

is just so sharpand witty. I laughedat almostevery
line.

Put the words in order to make expressions that

we use when we can't remember something.

8. I lovedthe . .

l. Sorry,/ completely/ gone / mind's/ blank/ my

9. I lovedall the twists and turns in the

. . . . , and
the way it only madesenseright at the very end.

2 . W ait , / m inut eI to I a / c o me / i n / me / i t' l l

lr

t:

. . so much that I went out and

bought the CD the next day.

t 0 . I liked most of it, althoughI did think that the

. . . . was just a bit too sentimental.

3 *.n, i ;.:,; ;onr"") ', ) oor ,t,1,"onI or

il.

4 . S o r r yl,m y l t o p l t h e / h e a d/ c a n ' t / l / r e m e m b e r /

t2. My favourite. . .

::

":

Now listen and practise saying the expressions

f,t
7 above.
a . W hic h ex pr es s i o n
me a n s ' l ' dn e e dto l o o k i t u p '?
b. Which two expressions
mean'l can almost- but not
quite remember'l
c. Which expressionmeans'l'veforgotten'l

It l ooksamazi ng.
l t' s ..
year 2050.

.. i n N ew Y ork i n t he

. in the whole film is the bit

where the aliensfinallycome out of the spaceship.

Discuss these questions with a partner.

l. Do you preferforeignfilmsto be dubbedor to have
subti tl esl
2. What are the best specialeffectsyou'veever seenin
a fi l ml
3. Do you havea favouritefilm soundtrackl

I
I

I
111

1 6 F r l m sa n d t e l e v i s i o n

i'-7r?i'i( ?,

. . r a 3 . . . 2

Discuss these questions with a partner.

f,'1 Read this article about what happened when

I J Robocop was shown
on British TV. When you
have read it, answer these questions.

l . Do y ou t hink f i l m c e n s o rs h i p
i s a g o o d th i n g l G i vean
example.

l. Why did the TV versionof Robocop

offendso many
peopl el

2. Did your parentsever stop you watchinganythingon

TV?What?Whyl

2. What effectdid censoringthe film havel

3. Haveyou ever seenRobocop?

What did you think of
it l

The newsthot Mory Whitehousehos died ot the oge of

n inet y - onehos b ro u g h t th e s o me k l n d o f o pposi ng
reoctionsthot she provokedwhen shewos olive.Forover
thirty yeors she wos the heod of the Notionol Viewers'
ond Listeners'
Associotion,which she set up in the lote
sixties.She formedthe orgonisotionolong with two other
mothersin their mid-fortiesto 'protectchildrenfrom the
filth ond violence thot is flooding our W screensond
ruiningour children'slives'.When it firststorted,the NVLA
ottrocted hundredsof people to the meetingsit held
roundthe country,ond the group forced the government
ond TV componiesto creote o nine o'clock wotershed,
before which progrqmmesshould not contoinsweoring,
e x c es s iv ev iolen c e o r s e x u o l b e h o v i o u r.l t ol so coordinoted letter writing ond phone compoignsto
c o m p l o i n o b o u t c e r t o i n f l l m s o n d p r o g r o m m e s .A
spokesmonfrom the NVLAsoid,'lt'svery sod thot she hos
died, but she mode o greot contributionto thiscountry.lf
it hodn't been for Mory Whitehouse,the quolity of TV in
this countrywould be muchworse ond the effect on our
childrenwould'vebeen terrifying.'
One TV producer soid in reply, 'l would soy thot!
ru bbis h r eolly . M rs W h i te h o u s e w o s i u s t on ul tro
conservotive
who didn't understondort. She cousedo lot
of problemsfor producersof seriousdromo ond, os o
result,she might've persuoded some writers ond ry
executives
not to showone or two things,but bosicollylife
movedon oheod of her.In the end, we're odultsond we
livein o democrocyond we shouldbe oble to wotchwhot
we like.'

Reol

English3

3. W ho w as MaryW hi tehouseand how does he r

organisation
feel about the TV versionof the film?

Porodoxicolly,
o recentincidentperhopsprovesboth
sidesof the orgument.Followingthe showing ol Robocop,
the sci-fi movie best rememberedfor its comic-book
violence,hundredsof people rong up to comploinobout
it. However,whot offended the oudiencewos the polite
longuoge ond the foct thot it wos not violent enough!
Angry viewerscolled their locol televisionstotionssoying
thot the TV versionhod been censoredso muchthot the
film hod been ruined.All the f-words hod been overdubbed ond the violencewos so reducedthot ot timesit
wos opporently hord to follow the plot. One mon who
comploinedsoid, 'Thisis o clossicexomple of over-thetop censorship
we constontlyget on BritishTV becouseof
people like Mory Whitehouse.When ore you going to
reolise these people ore dinosoursond let us choose
whot we wont to wotch?'
The strong publ l c reocti on hos octuol l y l e d TV
executivesto consider putting bock some of the bod
l onguogeond vi ol encew hen i t i s show nogoi n.Th e f ilm ,
.|0.05
shownlost Soturdoynight ot
pm, ottroctedmore
complointsthon ony other film this yeor. One executive
commentedthot 'one con't help but noticewe've moybe
token too muchout of o film like Robocop.Moybe we've
gone o bit too for thistime.'MrsWhitehousemust'vebeen
turni ngi n her grove.
However,o spokespersonfor the NVLA soid, 'People
who moke thesekindsof complointsore only concerned
obout their own interestsrotherthon the good of society
os o whole.Anybody who con't give up o littlebit of film
in order to reducethe currentclimqteof violenceshould
not be tokenseriously.'

bad tanguageand the f-word

Bad languageis swearing.Sayingthe f-word is a common way of avoidingsayingfr*k

itself.You shouldonly usethe word itselfin very informalsituationswith peopleyou
know who are huppy using it in conversation.Many people find the f-word very
offensive.

112

'
i
t,
:

16 Fi l ms
a ndt elevislon
Discuss your opinions with a partner. See if the
whole class can agree.
Do you agree more with the NVLA or the
viewers who complained about Robocop?Why?

U E i n gi t a i h ' ! { t a - f
Pastperfect simple
Look at these examples from the article.
The TV versionhad been censored_
The film had been ruined.
The past perfect is used to talk about an action
or event which happened before another event in
the past. For example:
'd
f passedthe turn-off for Leedsbefore I realised.
The househad burnedto the ground by the time the
fire brigadegot there.
What sentence comes to mind in these
situations? The first one is done for you.
| . f-W.s terrified as I put on my parachute.

t.7.nr.r."!.i.u.ryP.r.d.
gy.t'.9[g.plqry
.\rIp:f,.. . . .

2. I was feelingsick at the thought of my speech.

. . . . in my life before!

Collocations

3. I was worried about meetingMary'sparents.

' berore!

Complete the highlighted collocations in this

$rmmary of the article on page I 12.

4. ; ;r;:; ,,," n' o ,i. *.,",";;.

. before.

The TV version of Robocop

causeda strong public
i
( l) . .
. Manypeoplerangtheir local (2)
|
to complainthat too much violencehad been cut
I
from the film. In fact,so much had been cut, it was
difficultto (3)
. . the plot. lt was a classic
(4) . .
of over-the-topcensorship.The NVLA, an
organisationopposedto violenceon television,was in
hvour of the cuts becauserhey object stronglyto the
current (5) ..
of (6)
. . on relevision.

5. The woman in red was his first wife.

' ' once ber or e'
6.;;"

;" ;' ," ,0

.n" ,r;;r,

;" ,"

;" .r.
an earthquake.

7. He left without sayinggoodbyeto me.

I i::
: :j::::j
::i::t: J:1"
:"J::"
;.;'

Speaking
Look at these statements about films. Decide
how strongly you agree.
| = strongly disagree
6 = totally agree
l. Violentfilms can be reallyoffensive.
2. Cuttingfilms ruinsthem.
3. Bad language
shouldbe cut out of films.
4. Very few peoplecomplainabout violence.

Can you say something true about yoursetf using

the past perfect and these ideas? For example:
lU nevereatenpaellauntil I went to Spain.
l.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

.... unti l I w ent to a C hi nesere st aur anr .

... unti l I w en t abr oad.
.....until ldid my militaryservice.
...until lwentto university.
until I went to Britain/America.
. . . . . u n t i ll f e l l i n l o v e .

5. Banningviolentfilmswill cut crime.

6. The TV version of a film should be censoredmore
than the cinemaversion.

I
I

For more information on usingthe past perfect simple,

seeG26.

I
113

1 6 F i l m sa n dt e l e v i s i o n

U ; i r t g I r a r - J b u l a1r

During the fifties,lots of houseshad television

(4) . .

reallygood

much with the arrivalof (5)

. . .. , (6)

Put the jumbled conyersations about films into

the correct order.

and satelliteTV.

Conversation I

At first, the idea in the UK was thatTV should be

a. No, I haven'tactually,but I've heard it's really

good. Friendshavetold me it's worth seeing.

educational,so there were lots of (7) . .

b. Have you seen Doy of the Dogsyetl

c. Really?
Well, I must admit it looks a bit too
violentfor me.
d. Yes,I'm not sure if I want to see it myself.

-J
J
J
J

Conversation 2

-J
b. Well, the reviewsI've seenwere very good.
J
c. Are youl I've heard that it's terrible.Justtypically
-J
Hollywood.
d. Were theyl I've heardthe opposite.
-J
Conversation 3
a. But it's meant to be one of the best horror films
ever made!
b. ls it?You'renot goingto watch it, are you?
It's supposedto be reallyhorrible.
c. Excellent.
lt soundsright up my street,then.
d. ThrillerKiller is on tonight.
e. Well. someonetold me that it's the most
disgusting
thing they'dever seenin their life.

J
J
J
J
J

Speaking
With a partner, use the language highlighted in
the conversations in Exercise I above to talk
about a new film that you would really like to see.

Televisionvocabulary
Complete the text below with the words in the
box.

today the channelsseem to do nothing but fight to see

which one gets the biggestaudiencefor soapssuch as
Nerihbours,Eostenders
and CoronotionStreet
The BBC is still one of the best companieswhen it
comes to makingseriousdrama (8) . .

remote
documentaries
aerials
cable

As I sit here today in front of my TV with my

( l) . .

. . control in my hand,it's easyto forget

that when I was growing up in the fifties,there was

only one ( 2) . .

.. i n th e U K . l t w a s BB C a nd i t

was years before we got ITV and BBC2. The main

differencewas that tTV had (3) . .
didnt.

. . and BBC

. . - Pride

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.
l. Haveyou got satelliteor cableTVI What about digiral
- is it really better?
2. Do you know anyonewho doesnt havea television?
Why don't they haveone?
3. How muchTV do you watch per week?What kind of
thing do you normallywatch?What makesyou switch
the televisionoff?

Audiences
Exercise 3 above talked aboutTV audiences.
Complete the sentences below with the words in
the box.
spechtors
fans

congregation
audience

on-lookers
viewers

l. The .

. . . gavethe singersa standingovation.

2. The .

.. . were silentas the priest camein.

3 . B o yb a n d su s u a l lhya v em o s t l y g i r. l. . . . . . . . . !
4. Lots of
5. S ome

series
channel
digital
advertisements

. . , but

ond Prejudice
and things like that.

a. I'm thinkingof goingto see that new De Niro

film.

114

. . on their roofs, but nowadaysthey are

becominga thing of the past.Thingshavechangedso

. . . . object to violenceon TV.

.... w ere i nj uredw hen H akki nencr ashed.

6. The policecouldn'tget to the crashbecauseof all

t h e. .
Which of these different groups of people have
you been part of? When?

16 F r l m sa n d t e l e v i s i o r r

U i ' : i : ' 1?

2 1

r 71 ., . ". (' ., . ?j -?. i. 7 (

Mixedconditionals
ln the text on page | 12, the person from the
I{YLA said:'lf it hadn't been for Mary
lrVhitehouse,the quality of TV in this country
rould be much worse and the effect on our
cfiildren would've been terrifying.' The speaker
dtinks Mrs Whitehouse had a very positive effect
qt the country and we should be grateful to her.
The speaker uses would be and would've been.
YYhat's the difference between them?

S p e a kni g
Discuss these questions with a partner.

t . Do you know who the peoplein the picturesbelow

are?

2. How do you think they haveinfluencedthe worldl

Look at sentences l-6 about influential peopte.

Decide which ones talk about an imaginary past
rcsult and which ones talk about an imaginary
present result.
l. lf it hadn'tbeenfor him,I would neverhavegone to
university.
2. lf it hadn'tbeenfor him,I'd probablybe dead.
3. lf it hadn'tbeenfor her,the country wouldn't be in
sucha terrible state.
1. lf it hadn'tbeenfor him,animationwould nevernave
becomeso popular.
5 . lf it hadn'tbeenfor her,millionsmore peoplewould
be dyingevery year.
6 . lf it hadn'tbeenfor her,I probablywouldn't be doing
what I'm doing now.
What kind of person do you think sentences l-6
tbove are talking about?
Now complete sentences 7-12 by putting the
verbs in brackets in the correct form.
7. lf it hadn'tbeenfor my friend Reo,I
to Japanlast year.(never/ go)
8. lf it hadn'tbeenfor my mum,I . . . .
anyoneto babysitmy daughterwhen she was
growing up. (not have)
9. lf it hadn'tbeenfor the unions,you .
a pensionnow,Joyce.(not get)
1 0 . l f i t h a d n ' tb e e nf o r F e d e r i c oF e l l i n |i ,. . . .
foreignfilmsas much as I have.(never/ get into)
I l. lf it hadn'tbeenfor our first president,we
. . . in the Dark Ages.(still/ live)
'|2. lf it hadn'tbeenfor her parents,nothing

and
we
'.,,,"irir":;;,ilil]

Now make five sentences about people who

influenced your life - or your country. Use the
same pattern as the examples above.
Tell your partner what you have written.
For more informationon how ro use mixed conditionalsl

115

conditionals,I wish l'd ...

Choose the correct form.
l.

I've been / | went to China last year on holiday.

It was great.

Match the statements l-6 to the follow-up

comments a-f.
l. I wish I'd studiedcomputingat school.

2.

I've playedtennis/ I've been playingtennistwice

this week.

2. I wish we'd done some shoppingearlier.

3.

Haveyou been stayingin / Haveyou stayedin quite

a lot latelyl I haven'tseenyou about.

4. I wish I hadnt floggedmy stamp collectionwhen

I di d.

4.

I've asked/ | askedhim five times now, and he still

hasn'tdone anythingabout it!

5. I often wish ld kept in touch.

5.

A: lt rainedthe whole time we were in Wales.

B: Really?
That must be / must'vebeen horrible!

3. I sometimeswish I'd nevermarriedyou!

6. I wish I hadn'tgone to rhat party.

a. We wouldn't haveto haverice againtonight
if we had.

6.

I've been trying / I've tried to do it all week, but

I still havent managedto get it done.

7.

Did you speak/ Haveyou spokento him before he

left to go home?

c. lt'd be easierto find a job now if I had.

8.

A: I'm working six daysa week at the moment.

B: Wow, that must be / must'vebeen really
exhausting!

e. lt would've been more fun just stayingin.

9. What's happenedto Mike?| haven'tseen/ | haven't

been seeinghim for ages.
10. I wish I hadnt done / | didn't do that! lt was really
stupid of me!

J
J
J
J
J
J

b. I'd probablyget a much better price for it now.

d. I'd love to know what she'sup to now.

f.

My life would be a lot easiernow if I hadnt!

With a partner,try and think of another possible

follow-up comment for statements l-6 above.

Speaking

Multiple
Choose the correct alternative.
l. I'veworked here ... .
a. sincefive years
b. for five years
2 . I ' v e. . . .
a. never been an)rwherelike Kos before
b. never been somewherelike Kos before
3 . a. Dont y ou th i n k h i m a b i t d u l l ?
b. Don't you find him a bit dull?
4. I do quite like life in centralLondon,... !
a. in spite of the fact it's so noisy
b. consideringit's so noisy
5. I'vebeentrying to understandthe presentperfect... !
a. sinceages
b. for ages
6. We spenta coupleof weeks in Hawaii,... .
a. that was nice
b. which was nice
7. I didnt feel like going,because... that film before.
a. I saw
b. I'd seen
8. Our train was late getting in, ... .
a. which meanta bit of a pain
b. which was a bit of a pain
Compare your answers with a partner and discuss
your choices.

115

Tell a partner five things you wish you had done

or hadn't done. Try to use mixed conditionals to
explain why you feel like this.

Conversation
Put the jumbled conyersation below into the
correct order.
a. I bumped into Richardand Judythe other day.
b. I must admit,it doesn't reallysound like my
sort of thing,actually.
c. No, they reallyenjoyedit, actually.They said it
was a bit likeThailand,only wilder!
d. Oh really?How are theyl I haven'tseenthem
for months.
e. What did they think of it? Didn't they find it
reallydifficult?
f. They're great. They've been travellingaround
Indiaand havejust got back.

IJ
J
J
J
J
J

R e v i e wU n r t s1 3 - 1 6

5 i Look back and check:Recommending

Look back at Conversation l, Conversation 2
end Recommending expressions on page 99.
Underline any bits of language you have
forgotten. Ask your partner about anything
you have forgotten.
With another partner, do Exercise 4 on Page 99
again. This time you should begin:
I went and sawthat film called... the other dayltheother
week.

Expressions
Complete the sentences below with the
erpressions in the box. All the expressions
er e f r om unit s l 3 -1 6 .
he's not exactly
get a life
it's not worth the entrance fee
that remindsme

Collocations
Match the verbs l-8 to the best collocations a-h.
l.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

fol l ow
dub
cut
give
star
go
make
get

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.

a point of doing something

twenty minutesout of a movie
and seean exhibition
to the point
the plot
in a movie
it a miss
a film into a foreign language

Now match 9-!6 to i-p.

9. get
10. have
I l . obj ect
12. cause
1 3 . s e n di n
14. gi ve
15. like
16. come over

a mi d-l i fecri si s
the third track best
a lot of suffering
for a meal
the message
to violenceon TV
your applicationform
the performersa standingovation

I haven'tseen you for ages

a sore point

Now discuss these questions with a partner.

l. A

17. Haveyou ever seena film you couldn'tfollow the

plot of?

l was thinkingof goingto see the new Storlrek

movietonight.
B: ReallylI wouldn't bother if I were you.

18. Do you object to anythingon TVI Why?

19. What's your favouritealbum?Whichtracksdo you
like best on itl

I can't believeyou haven'tbeen out an)rwheresince

you arrivedhere!Youreallyneedto

English
3 . A What's your brother likel ls he good-looking?
B: W e l l ,l e t ' sj u s ts a y . .
....the
best-lookingguy you've ever seen.

1 . A Whatever you do, don't mention cars to Andy.

B: Why on earth nor?
His was pinchedlast month and itt still a bit of

5. A: ld better just givemy mum a call,to sayI'vearrived

safely.
B : O h, . .
I mu s t re m e m b erto send
my mum a birthdaycard this week.
6. Hi, how are youl
Can you think of three other situations where you
might tell somebody to get a life?
Can you think of six words you coutd complete
this sentence with?
He's not exactlythe most . . .guy I've ever met.

Match the questions l-7 to the responses a-g.

l. Hi, Dave.How are you?
2. How's thingsat workl OKI
3. What are his paintingslikelAny goodl
4. Did you seethar car?
5. Don't you find him a bit on the slow side?
6. Who was that at the door?
7. Where's Nigel gone for his holiday?Anywhere
good?

-J
-|

J
J
J
-J
-|

a. Well,we've actuallybeen incrediblybusyjust

lately.
b. Yeah.lt musr'vebeen doingabout a hundredand
twenty!
c. Oh, just some guy askingif we wanted anywork
done in the garden.
d. Well, he'snot exactlyPicasso,
if you know what I
mean!
e. Lee! Hello.Longtime, no see!
f . Oh, I can't reallyremember.SomeGreek island
or other,I think.
g. Well, he'snot exactlyEinstein,
is he!

117

R e v i e wU: n i t s1 3 - 1 6

Vocabulary
Make idioms by matching the beginnings l-8 to
the endings a-h.
l. We got off

a. naked.

2. lt drives

b. my guts.

3. ld giv eit

c. spot for him.

4. He was stark

d. on the wrong foot.

5. He hates

e. my leg.

6. They went their

t.

separateways.

7. You'repulling

g. a miss,if I were you.

8. I've got a bit of a soft

h. me crazy!

1 1 What can you remember?

With a partner, note down as much as you can
remember about the two texts you read in units
14and 16.

Answer these questions with a partner. Then

compare your answers with another pain Who
got most answers right?
l. lf you don't see the point of something,
do you need
glasses?
2. Do the policelook for reasonsor motivesfor
cri mes?
3. Does a weepiemakeyou cry or laughl
4. Can you think of three thingsthat could be rock
hard?

5 . Can food be a bit bland?

6. Where are sci-fifilms usuallyset?
7. What thingsmight you need to get over?
8. Name two thingsyou can pickle.
9. Do censorsdub films into foreign languagesl
t 0 . Can you go and see a bannedfilm at your local
ci nemal

i l . What's the differencebetweena still life and

a portrait?
12. What does OTT mean?
13. When are costumedramasusuallyset?
14. Does an old friend haveto be old?
15. Complete this sentencein five differentways:
It causeda(n) .. . .
16. ls a plot the sameas a storyl
17. Do you find turningpointsin the road or in your
life?
18. lf you givesomeoneyour consent,are you stopping
them from doing something?
19. lf two people hit it off immediately,
are they friendsl
20. Was the film Titonicset in Hollywood or made in
Hollywood?

Now compare what you remember with another

pair. Who remembers more?
Which text did you enjoy more? Why?

118

R e v i e wU: n i t s1 3 - 1 6

f)iscuss these questions with a partner.

Are you happywith your Englishaccentat the momentlWhy/why notl
lL How much betrer do you think you can getl
3- What do you think the best way of improvingyour pronunciationis?
Now read this text and see what the authors of this book have to say about pronunciation.

I
l
I

li
t:

I
ll

r!

ii

Tell your partner which of the things above you atready do. Are there any other things
you'd like to start doing? What?

119

l7
Trafficsurvey
You are doing a survey of traffic probtems in the
town where you live. Here are ten possible steps
w hi ch coul d be taken to i mprove the si tuat ion.

&lle-

l.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

i nstal speed
l
camerasat al l acci dentbl ac kspor s
i ncreaseparki ngfi nes
put more sl eepi ngpol i cemeni n quretsrreet s
ban all on-streetparlcingin the rown cencre
pedestri ani se
the mai nshoppi ngarea
set up more bi cycl el anes
provi debetter and cheaperpubl i crransp or t
ban all carsfrom the town centre
doubl ethe numberof traffi cw ardens
start a one-waysystem

In pai rs, deci de w hi ch four shoul d have the

hi ghest pri ori ty, w hi ch three are of medi um
pri ori ty, and w hi ch three shoul d have the
lowest priority.

R ecrl E ngl i sht

steepi ng poti cemen

\'

S l eepi ng
pol i cemeni s the normalw ay i n B ri t ish
E ngl i sh
of referri ngto speedhumpson the
road,designedto slow cars down in town.

Whileyou
{. -, Ctrris and Claire are having coffee in a town
? ? centre caf6. Cover
the conversation on page
l 2l . A s you l i sten, try to answ er these qu est ions.
l . W hat traffi cprobl emsdo they menti on?
2. What suggestions
for solvingthese problemsdo they
c o m eu p w i t h l
Listen again and try to fill in the gaps in the
conversation on the next page.

1 7 C a r sa n d c i t i e s

Recrl Englishs I mean

More sleepirg policemen!

I meanis very common in spokenEnglish.

lt is
used before we go on to make our meaning
clearer.

Chris: Did you hear about rhat kid who was knocked
down on JunctionRoadthe other dayl

A: So,whot woslcelondlike?
B: Oh,l lovedthe ploce.l meon,lwouldn,twont to
livethere,but it's o greot plocefor o hotidoy.

Oaire: Yes,it was awful,wasn't itl Still.itt

(l)..
. , i si t ?
Chris: What do you mean?

Real Englishr six penattypoints

Chire: Well, there are alwaysaccidentsdown there,

aren'r there, (2) . .
. with the speed
cars go at. And, well, basically,
the crossing'sin
the wrong place,isn't it? | don't know why
they'venever moved it. I mean,
(3) ..
. it was exactlyoppositethe
shops,wouldn't itl
Chris: Yes,(4)
... . They could do
somethingto slow the traffic down, couldnt
theyl Maybethey could put sleepingpolicemen
there or somethinglike that.
Chire: Yeah,maybe- maybeone every so often would
help,but (5) . .
. reallygreat is if they
had one of those speedcameras.

In Britainthere is a systemof penaltypoints.lf you

are caughtspeeding,for example,you could get
four penaltypoints.lf you ger too many,you lose
your drivinglicence.
ls the systemthe samein your countryl

Driving vocabulary
Complete this story with the words in the box.
one-way
petrol

pull over
turning

U-turn
direction

headlights
brakes

Chris: Big Brother,you mean!

Cb.ire: No, they really make a difference.you should
see how they'veslowed the traffic down where
my parentslive.
Chris: Yeah,(6) ..
I'm only against
them becauseI got caughtby one last month.
Gaire: You'rekidding!
Chris: No. A hundred and fifty pounds it cost me!
A fine ond six penaltypoints!
Oaire: Oh, that'sterrible!
Chris: Yeah,but it was my own silly fault.I mean,
I should'veknown better,but (7)
to what you were sayingabout the crossing,
you're right. lt would be far safer if it was
closer to the shops,becausethat'swhere
everybodycrosses,you know. That'swhere
mosr kids cross,so (8)
. . . if it was
moved down.
Cbire: Yes,I think that's the root of the problem.
I mean,it does seema funny placefor a
crossing.And (9)
. . . the orher
problem with it is the fact that lots of cars park
all round there.
Chris: Yes,that does make it difficultto see,I suppose.
Apparently,the car rhar hit that kid had just
driven off from there.
Chire: Oh, really?Had it?Well, you see what I mean,
then.

were (5) ...

. comingstraighttowardsme,so I quickly
s l a m m e do n m y ( 6 ) . .
. . a n dt r i e d t o ( 7 ) . .
so that I could wait till the road was clear. The car
suddenly stalled and I realised that I'd run our of
(8)..
.. !What a nightmare!
Now complete these collocations with verbs from
the text above.
l.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

....awrongturn
. . . . i n t h e w r o n gd i r e c t i o n
....aU-turn
.... dow n a one-w aystreet
.... on thebrakes
....ourofpetrol

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.
l. Do you drivel Haveyou got a car?Do you use it in
townl
2. Haveyou ever driven in Rome,Athens,London,or
Parisl
3. What's the worst city you've ever driven in?
4. Haveyou ever been stopped by traffic policelWhat
had you donel
5. Haveyou got any stupid/embarrassing/funny
driving
stories?

121

1 7 C a r sa n dc i t i e s

UEin

ratrtff.:.a:-

Secondconditionalsfor making
suggestions
In the conversation on page | 21, Chris and Claire
talked about the pedestrian crossing. Chris said:
'lt would be far safer if it was closer to the shops'.
Make short dialogues by matching l-,4 to the
responses a-d.
l. This town's dead at night,isn't it.
2. The traffic'simpossible,isn't it?
3. They'vemade the main car park bigger.
4. So,what do you think they shoulddo about all
the homelesspeoplesleepingrough?

I
-J
-J
J

a. Yes,but it'd be more usefulif they built a

multi-storey.
b. Absolute chaos!What would be reallygreat is if
buseswere cheaperand there were more of
them.

8. I can't believethat peopleare still allowedto

smoke on the buses.

5. Yes,but I think that that can cause/ do problemsas

well as solvethem.

J
-J
J
J

h . I know. What would be really great is if there

were some way of importing fresh mountainair
from Switzerlandor somewherelike that!

Sentencestarters
In the responses a-h in Exercise l, find four
difrerent if- sentence starters. Write them below.

122

6. Youd think that it was such a large/ major issuethat

they'd do somethingabout it.
7. Oh well, it seemsthat we've got completely
different/ unlikeviews on that.
8. I think you're trying to escape/ avoidthe issueby
sayingthat.
Do you have any strong views on anything? Wha
What are the major issues in your country/in the
world at the mom6nt? How do you think they
should be tackled?

Well, I think it'd be a reallygood idea if they had

more police camerasaround.
Me too! lt'd be more usefulif they kept it open
all through the summer.

t.
3.

Here are some useful expressions for talking

about your views on things. Circle the word
that collocates correctly in each.

4. I know what you mean,but that also brings/ raisesthe

questionof how you could do that, doesn't it?

e. I know. ltd be better if there was just a total ban

on it in all publicplaces.
f.

Collocations

3. You would've thought they'd be able to tackle / put

awaythat problem somehow,wouldn't you?

Now match 5-8 to the responses +h.

7. So,what do you think they should do about all

the street crimel

Ugingtrraeularl

2. I don't reallyhaveany heavy/ strong views on thaL

What do you think about itl

d. I know. ltd be far better if the shopsstayed

open a bit later in the evenings.

6. The pollution in the High Street is really bad.

I wish theyd do somethingabout it.

For more information on how to use second

for making suggestions,see G28.

l. Well, that's a difficult/ big questionto answer.

c. Well, I'm not an expert,but I think itd be a

reallygood idea if they spent more on trying to
build flats for singlepeople.

5. lt reallyannoysme that they closethe library

for the whole of August.

Practise reading out the dialogues in Exercise I

with a partnen Then change partners and this
time, use the four different sentence starters in
Exercise 2 to make your own suggestions about
the problems expressed in l-8.

2.
4.

Real Englisht

impersonalthey

They is common in spokenEnglishwhen,for some

reason,we don't know,or dont need to name,the
subject.In these examples,they refers to the local
councilor the police.
Theycoulddo somethingto slowthe troffic
down.Theycould creoteo pedestrionprecinctWith a partner, decide who they refers to in
these sentences:
l. They're supposedto be gettingtougher on car
crime,aren't they?
2. They haven'ttaken the rubbishthis week.
3. They'rethinkingof putting up income tax.
4. I only arrived five minutesafter the flight closed,
but they wouldn't let me through.

1 7 C a r sa n d c i t i e s

Personalopinions

Disagreeing

llere are some ways of giving your opinion.

hrsonally, I think it's

As far as I'm concerned,I think it's

brilliant.
a great idea.
not a bad idea.
outrageous.
ri d i c u l o u s .
mad.

Put the words in the correct order to make very

common sentence starters which show you
disagree.
f. Well, I a I agree| | I 6ut I up t to / point
2. what | | | you / but /Yes,/ know / mean
3. think /Yes,/ don't / that I but I you

With a partne4 use the expressions above and

jve your opinions on these topics.
l- shopsstayingopen twenty-four hours a day
L men in kilts
3. getting married at sixteen
1. legalising
cannabis
5. one car per family
6. body piercing
7- free coffeeduring Englishlessons

4. don't /Yes,/ forget I that / but

/a Listen and check your answers. practise saying

u? them. Then in pairs,take turns putting
forward and disagreeing with the views below. Try
to continue the conyersations.
l. There'stoo much sport on TV,isn'ttherel
2. The way I see ir, most TV these daysis just a load of
rubbi sh.
3. I don't mind a bit of violencein films.lt's more
realistic,isn't itl

You and your colleagues have decided it's time to

meet to discuss your working conditions. you
work lor a yery old-fashioned bank, founded in
| 748. The management don't tike change. Suggest
changes to the following - which you are not
happy about. Use as much tanguage from these
two pages as you can.
'

The computersystemis ten yearsold and there is no

network system.

'

Peoplecan smoke wherever they want.

'

There are no plantsor picturesor anythingon the

walls.

'
'

There is only one toilet for both men and women.

Everybodyhasgor to srart at 8.30 and finishat 4.30.

'

Women must wear skirts and men must wear ties.

PrivateInternetuse and telephonecallsare not

allowed.

'

There is nowhere to relax during breaksor

lunc ht im e.

You haveto buy your own tea and coffee.lt is not

provided by the bank.

Can you think of any changes you'd tike to make

to the place where you work or study?

4. Peoplelike footballersget paid far too much. At least,

that'swhat I think.
5. lf you reallywanr to improveyour English,
the only
thing to do is go and live in Britainor America.
Now do this exercise again, but this time begin by
saying:'Oh yes, I know what you mean.' Then add
why you agree.

1 7 C a r sa n dc i t i e s

Talkingabout cities
Complete the sentences below with the words in
the box. The words are commonly used when
describing cities.
shantytowns
capital

historic

overcrowded

cosmopolitan

l. ls Sydneythe . .

industrial

inner city
centre

Look at these modern pictures of Brighton. Say

what each place used to be and then make a
passive sentence about each one. For example:
It usedto be a bank.
It's beenturned into a video shop.

. . of Australia?

2. Sheffieldused to be nothing but factoriesand steel

works - very
. .. . , but not any more.
3. NewYork's one of the most
. . . . placesI've
livedin every nationalityunder the sun!
4. There are a lot of slumsin the
You know,
lots of tiny bedsitswith no bathrooms.
5. York'sa really
. .. . city - Romanruins and the
medievalwallsstill in good condition.

6. Thousandsof the poorest peoplelive in

7. The city
. . . . shoppingmall is the placeto go.
8. There'sseventeenmillion people livingin Jakarta.lt's

l. estateagent's--+ l'St?UF?Ilt

really

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.
l. What's the most historicalcity you've ever been to?
And the most cosmopolitan?

2. insuranceoffice --+trendy bar

2. Haveyou ever been to a very industrialcity?A very

overcrowdedcityl

Reol Englisht inner city

When Britishpeopletalk about the inner city,they
usuallymeanthe poor, overcrowdedareasaround
the city centre.lt's a negativeexpression.We
sometimestalk about inner city crime and inner
city problems.lf this is different in your country,it's
probablybetter to say I live near the city centre,
not I live in the inner city.

3. bank -- fish and chip restaurant

4. publictoilet --+sandwichbar
Now talk about your home town and tell other
students how buildings have changed and what
they have been turned into. You might also want
to say:
There usedto be a ... near my house/nearwhere I work,
but it was knockeddown and they'vebuilt a ... there
instead.

124

1 7 C a r sa n d c i t i e s

Grammarcheck
The passive is often used to talk about things
ping on in our town or city. The passive can
be used with most tenses.
How good are you at using this structure?
Try to complete these sentences and find out.
Prcsent perfect

ldioms focus
A zebra crossing is a kind of pedestrian crossing
where the road has black and white stripes.
Complete the idiomatic expressions in the
sentences below with the animat words in the box.
cat
cows

dogs
donkey

fish
goose

horse
sheep

l.

They'vefound an old bomb in the town centre.

An old bomb
2. They'veclosedthe High Street.
The High Street
Prcsent continuous
3. They'recleaningthe swimmingpool today.
The .
4. They're buildinga multi-storeycar park.
A ...
Prresent simple
5. They collectthe rubbishon Wednesdays.
The .
6. They never cleanthe streets round here.
The .
Past simple
7. They closeddown that restaurantlast year.
That .
8. They found rats in the kitchen.
Rats .
Past continuous
9. They were still cleaningthe toilets when the
Queen arrived.
Thetoilets....
10. They were repairingthe road all last week.
The .

l. That night club is dreadfulnow. lt's usuallyhalf empty.

It reallyhasgone to the
2. A: I discoveredPascal's
got a blackbelt in judo.
B : R e a l l yH
? e ' sa b i t o f a d a r k
. . . . , i s n ' th e l
3. You'vedone absolutelynothingtoday!youcan't
expectto sit aroundwhile I do all the . .
work.
4. lt was reallyweird.I was the onlyAsianpersonthere.
l f e l t l i k ea . . . .
out of warer.
5. Pleasedont tell mum that we're going to havea
surpriseparry for her. And tell Janenot to let the
. . . . out of the bageither!
6. Our daughteris alwayswatchingTV insteadof doing
her homework.Shecould watch soapoperastill the
. . . . c o m eh o m e .
7. I supposeI' m the bl ack
.... of the fami l y .
I mean,I went awayto New Zealandand didn't get in
touch for twenty years.
8. No wonder we couldn'tfind the right house!
You sent us on a wild
. . . . chaselyougaveus
the wrong address.
Can you translate the idioms above into your
language?

Going to
I l.

They'regoingto build a new airport.

A ...
12. They'regoingto improvethe street lighting.
The .
Should
13. They shoulddo somethingabout all the litter.
Something
|.4. Maybethey should put a zebra crossingthere.
A ...

For more information on how to use the passive,

seeG29.

125

f'.EaCirrg
Discuss these questions with a partner.
l. What problemcan you see in this picture?
2. Do you havethis problem in your town/cityl
3. Can you think of some ways of tacklingitl

fl Now read this article about ways of trying

I J rc solve the chewing gum problem in two
different places.
Which idea do you prefer? Why?

A sticlryproblem
You can imaginethe scene.You'rewalkingdown the street
of an old Englishtown. You decide to sit on a bench to
admire the fine buildingsand beautifulflowers a little bit
longer. Then as you stand up, you feel that nasty pull on
your dressor trousers and turn round to see the remains
of a lump of chewinggum, half of which is now stuck to
your behind!A wonderful moment is destroyedand your
mood changesfor the rest of the day,or however long it
takes you to remove the awful stuff from your clothing.
Well, one town hasfinallyhad enoughof all the complaints
it receiveseachyear and is not goingto put up with it any
more. Darlington,which lastyear won a'BeautifulBritain'
competition,hasdecidedto act by providingspecialboards
where peoplecan stick their gum once it hasbeen used.
Up to thirty chewinggum'parkingboards'are to be put up
in an area in the town centre,which recentlyunderwent a
a one-million-poundfacelift.They will cost f3,000 to
provide, are aimed at the thirteen-to-twenty-three age
group, regardedas the worst offenders,and will bear the
messages'Don't
Gum Up Darlintton','Chewlt, Bin lt' and
'Park
Your Gum Here.'The town council believesboards
will help save some of the f6,000 a year it spends on
cleaningup gum from the streets.
The boards,to be situatedat placessuchas sports centres
and cinemas,will havea bull's-eyetarget so youngsterscan
aim at them. Keith Atkinson, head of Darlington's
environmentaland consumerprotection department,said,
'Most people
don't see chewinggum as litter, but we are
hoping the boards will help people to start thinking that
way.We've been flooded with complaints,mainly from
visitors,who saygum on the streets,stickingto pavements
and shoes,is both unpleasantand makesDarlington look
untidy.'

126

Darlingtonisn't the first placein the world to try to tackle

the sticky issue of chewing gum. In 1992,the Asian city
state of Singaporebanned all eating and importing of
chewinggum after it was claimedtrains had been delayed
becausetrapped chewinggum causedthe automaticdoors
to stick.The ban came with severepenaltiesfor breaking
the law.Smugglersbringinggum into the country could get
a jail sentenceof one year plus an eight-thousand-dollar
fine.The government also tried to reinforce its message
with advertising
campaigns,
which includedsloganssuchas:
'lf you
can't think becauseyou can't chew,try a banana.'
The policy has been a great successas even its critics
admit.'The whole ban idea was not a good idea to start
with, but it did help to educate Singaporeans
about the
nuisance effects of chewing gum. Now Singaporeans,
i ncl udi ng ki ds, are more mature about their civic
responsibilities,'
said one man we spoke to. And certainly,
Singaporeis acknowledgedto be perhapsthe cleanestcity
in the world.
However,it now looks as if the ban will at leastbe partially
lifted.This is not the result of thousandsof frustrated
Singaporeangum chewers, but instead it's come about
becauseof pressurefrom the Americangovernment.They
see the policy as a restriction on free trade - particularly
of the big American gum manufacturers.
As part of the
negotiations on the new trade deal, the Singapore
governmenthasagreedto allow sugar-freegum prescribed
by doctors and dentists to be sold by pharmacists.
The
relaxationof the law will only apply to smokerswho are
trying to give up by using nicotine gum and sufferersof
dental and gum diseasesfor whom chewing offers
therapeuticbenefits.

18 Annoying
things

Usingrs.at)ular1
Without looking back at the article, try to
Grrtct the following false sentences, using
|Lc exact words from ,A sticky problem'.

t _ The town centre hasnt been improvedrecently.

L The council havent had many complaintsabout
chewinggum.

3- In 1992,Singaporebannedthe export of chewinggum.

{. There'sonly a smallpunishmentfor breakingthe
anti-chewinggum laws in Singapore.

5- The Singaporeanpolicy has been a failure.

6. They'regoingto legalisechewinggum completelyin
Singapore.
Xow go back and see if you remembered
nrds correctly.

Phrasalverbs
In the article, you read that Darlington isn't going
to put up with chewing gum on its streets any
more. Here are some more phrasal verbs often
used when complaining. Make sentences by
matching the beginnings l-5 to the endings a-e.
Use a dictionary to check the meaning of any of
the highlighted phrasal verbs if you need to.
l. lf work carrieson like this,I'm goingto end up
2. I dont know how they can get awaywith
3. lt drives me mad the way she goes on about

the

4. The dry-cleanershavecompletelymessedup
5. I just can't put up with
a. thesepeopleany longer.I'm callingthe police.

Speaking
Discussthese questionswith a partner.
What are the litter laws in your countryl How do
you feel about theml Do you ever break them?

L Do you think the Singaporegovernmentshould have

to lift its ban on chewingguml Why/why not?
3. Do you think free trade is a good thing or notl Whyl

1. Has your country had any trade problemslWho

withl Whyl
5. Which of the slogansmentionedin the article do you
like the best?Whyl

{"o
tter

?oo
rINE

-J
_J
-J
-J
J

b. my shirt! Just look at the state of it!

c. her sillylittle problemsall the time.
d. havinga nervousbreakdown.
e. suchawfulservice.lt shouldbe illegal!
Now complete the pairs of sentences 6-10 with
the correct form of one of the phrasal verbs
above.
6a. lf this weather doesn'tget betten I'm going to
....goingmad!

6b. lf they don't do somethingabout all these cats,rhe

pl acei s goi ngto ...
smel l i ngaw ful !
7a. I reallydon't think I can .
. . . the flat beingin
such a state any more!

7b. I dont know how you can ..

.. him treating
you like that. I'd resignif I were you.
8a. l f I t h o u g h tI c o u l d
. . . . i t , I w o u l d n ' tp a y t a x
at all.

8b. She'sthe officegoldengirl. They let her

murder!
9a. I somehow spilt my coffeeand managedto totally
. . . . that essayI've been working on.
9b. I don't trust them, personally.I'm sure they'll
. . . . the economy,just like the last
governmentdid.
lOa. She'salways
. . . . how hard life is and how
little money she hasto live on.
l0b. I hate the way he'salways
. . . . how much
money he'searningand how rich he is.
Look again at the sentences above. What follows
the phrasal verbs - a verb or a noun? pay ctose
attention to the context of each example.
Does anywhere you know get away with really
bad service - a restaurant, petrot station, shop?
Have you ever messed up anything reatty
important? What was the last thing you reatty
messed up?

127

1 8 A n n o y i n tgh i n g s

Speaking

Now complete these sentences using was/were

going to and a passive form of the verb in brackets.

Are you a complainer or do you just tend to put

up with things? Which of these situations would
you complain about? What would you say?

7. I thoughtwe ..
at the airport and
taken to the hotel in a taxi, but we werent. (meet)

l. You get to your hotel room and discoverthey have

givenyou a room at the back.You had booked a
room at the front with a balconyoverlookingthe
beach.

9. lt saidwe ..
on a moonlightcruise
round the bay,but we never were. (take)

Your hotel room hasa shower and you wanted one

with a bath and shower.

3 . Your soup has arrived at your table.lt is warm, but

not hot.

4. Your bill has arrived for your meal.They have

overchargedyou by fl0.
Your bill hasarrived for your meal.They have
you by fl0.
undercharged
6 . It is 2 am. You'retrying to get to sleep.Your
neighbour'sdog is barking.You like your neighbours.

7. It is 2 am. You'retrying to get to sleep.Your

....everyday,
8. lthoughtourtowels....
but they were only changedonce. (change)

complaints
Now take a minute or two to think of things from
your own experience which you thought were
going to be better than they actually were. Tell a
partner about them.
With a partner, take it in turns to moan about
these things.
l. a bad haircut/hairdoyou'vejust had
I thoughti t w as goi ngto be ... , but ...

neighbour'sdog is barking.You don't like your

neighbours.

2. a diet someonetold you about

I thoughtI w as goi ngto l ose ... , but ...

Someonehasjust lit a cigaretteon the train.

Smokingis not allowed in any part of the train.

3 . a second-handcar you bought

Ugirr

I thoughti t w as goi ngto ... , but ...

4. a film you went to see
I t h o u g h t. . . , b u t . . .

5 . your favouriteTV show not beingon

I t h o u g h t. . . , b u t . . .
We often complain about things that have
happened to us using was/were going to.
For example:
I thought it was goingto be the holidayof a lifetime,but
it was a nightmarefrom start to finish.
I thought the hotel was going to be really romantic,but it
was horrible.
The advert saidwe were going to havea seaview,but we
had a tiny room at the back of the hotel.
With a partner, imagine you were on this holiday.
Complete these sentences using was/were going
to and the verb in brackets.
in a five-starhotel,
l. I thought we . .
(stay)
three-star.
but it turned out to be only a
2. lt saidthere
. . a drinks party on
arrival,but there was nothing. (be)
3. lt saidthe new swimmingpool .
ready,but it wasn't. (be)
..afive-minute
4. lthoughtthehotel
walk from the beach,but it was more like twenty!
(be)
. . . . . fresh flowers
5. They saidevery room
every day,but we didnt see any. (have)
. . new
6. The brochure saidthat we
towels eyery day,but we only got one! (have)

128

For more information on how to use woslweregoingto,

see G30.

Reol Englisht a haircut/ahairdo

Both men and women can havetheir hair cut.
It is usuallyonly women who havetheir hair
done.A hairdoimpliesmore than just cutting.
What other thingsmight havingyour hair done
involvel
What's the worst hairdo you've ever seenl

Complaining
Complete these dialogues with the correct
cxpressions.

With a partner, take turns complaining about

these situations, using expressions from Exercise r.
Spend a few minutes preparing what you will
say before you start.

l. Complaining about a meal

Student A

o they made it sound as if

. And then,to top the whole
thing off
. lt would've been OK if that
was the only problem,
but

l. a terrible Englishcourse
2. the trouble you had trying to find a friend'shouse
usingthe map they gaveyou
3. roadworksgoing on right outside your house
Student B

Jmn:
Itlike:

How was the meal last nightl

Oh, it was awful! The food wasnt very good.
the waiters were really rude as well. (2)
they tried to overchargeus. Then when we
complainedabout it (3)
..... ttwas

our fault!
L Complaining about a situation
. I wish they wouldn't
. I've
tot a bit of a problem with
o I mean,the last thing I need

Terry:
fulie:

How's collegegoing?
Not very well, actually.( l)

l. a horrible hotel you stayedin

2. the trouble you had trying to work out how to use
a new video recorder
3. a doctor who you don't feel is treatingan injury
you haveproperly
Now think of two really annoying situations from
your own life that youU like to comptain about.
Spend a couple of minutes planningwhat you,re
going to say. Then get things ofr yol" chest by
telling your partner about these things. Use as
many expressions from this unit as possible.

Recll Englisht get it off your chest

This is a common idiom which means,totell
somebodyabout somethingthat is annoyingor
irritating you'.

tl

::::::::::::::1:':::i::
:lililliiSl;*;
;;

a Friday.(3) . .
changethe timetableevery term. Lastterm was
much better.

Gillrt |T rtt
tvorDlt

129

18 Annoying
things

Put the words in brackets in order, to make

expressions that are typical responses when
people are complaining to us.

Tell a partner which of the things in the list below

really annoy you. They should respond using some
of the expressions from Exercise 3.

l. A: Doesn't it bug you the way shopsalwayscharge

t9.99 when you know it's reallyf l0?

l. findingpublictelephonesalwaysout of order when

you need to use them

B: I must admit,
(like / me / things/ that / really/ bother / dont)
2. A: Look, I'm reallysorry. There'sno way I can come
to your Part),tomorrow night. I've got to work
late.
B: Oh, well, don't worry
(world / not / end I the lthe / it's / of)
3. A: I reallythought I'd got the job. I mean,my
interview went reallywell, and then they tell me
I'm not even short-listed!
B: Oh, well.
(let / you I get I down / it / don't)

4. A: I've got about five bills I'm supposedto pay by

2. chewinggum on the pavementstickingto your shoes

3. people letting their dogsfoul the pavement
4. peopletalkingloudlyin publicon their mobiles
5. findingout before breakfastthat you've run out of
milk
6. discoveringthat a pair of trousers you bought have
shrunkin the first wash
7. uncollectedrubbish in the street
Choose the three most annoying things and
discuss how to prevent them from happening.
Can you use some of the if- sentence starters
on page 122 to make suggestions?

the end of the month. What do they think I am?

Madeof moneyl
B: Oh well,.
(you / do / nothing/ can / about / there's/ it)
titt"n and check your answers, then practise
th" conversations with a partnen Try to keep
the conversations going by adding further
comments of your own.

f,
t7

,i
I

, l

,lt'

1 8 A n n o y i ntgh i n g s

J I free practice

5. Sorry to bother you, but haveyou got the timel

6. I was really upset by her letter.

l|re these sentence starters to make statements

fu
are true for you.

7. I cant standmobilephonesgoingoff in public!

l- One thing that reallydrivesme mad is . . .

8. Are you sure you dont mind givingme a liftl

3 - h r eallyannoy sme w h e n p e o p l e...

a. No, it's OK. You needn'rbother! l'll do it tater.

b. Really?
Thingslike that don't bother me.

1- | don't know about you, but personallyI can't stand . . .

c. Oh, it's no bother at all.I'm goingyour way.

Doesnt it reallybug you the way . ..

d. Sorry,no, I haven't.

]aqr wdk around the class talking to some other

surdents about the things that really annoy you.

leol

English3 it realy bugsme

e. Oh, don't let it bother you.Shedidn't meanit.

f . No, I can't be bothered.I'm too tired.
g. Why bother!You'llonly start an argumenr.
h. I wouldn't bother if I were you.lt's dead.

b-

lf somethingbugsyou, it annoysyou.
It reollybugsme when peopledon't returnmy pen ofter
they'veborrowedit..

-J
J
J
J

Spend two minutes trying to memorise the

responses a-h. Then coyer Exercise 6 while your
partner reads out l-8. Can you remember alt the
responses?
Translate the eight expressions with bother into
your language. You will almost certainly need to
use more than one verb. How many verbs do you
need?

Complete the short dialogues betow with the

idiomatic expressions in the box.
It's a Catch 22 situation,isn't itl
Yes,and that'sjust the tip of the iceberg.
Its a bit of a mixed blessing,
isn't it?
Yes,poor guy.lt's a viciouscircle,isnt itl
l. ,: John drinksto stop himselfworrying about money,
and the more he drinks,the more he spends,and
so on and so on.

B
2 A The thing is,I can'tger a work permit unlessI've
got a job and I can't get a job till I've got a work .
permit.

I think there'sworse to come.

,",.
4.
Our neighbourswon halfa millionon the
National Lottery last year,but six months later
they separatedand now they're divorced.

More expressions
with bother
Make short dialogues by matching l-g to the
responses a-h. Then underline all the expressions
with bother.
l. Do you fancycomingout for a quickjogl
2. I'm going to complainabout that guy smoking.
3. That was really delicious.Let me wash up.
4. I think I'll try that new bar tonight.

B
A One hundredpeoplehavealreadylost their jobs.
B

J
J
J
J

B:

Speaking
Can you think of any other examples where the
four idiomatic expressions in Exercise 7 above
could apply?

131

J i ' ! 3 nI r f
Optimisticabout the future?
Do you agree with these statements?
l. The world is a better placethan it was twenq/
years a8o.

-J
2. You arent even safe in your own home today. _J
3 . Youngpeopletoday havegot a good chanceof
getting a well-paidjob when they leaveschool. J
4. There'sno suchthing as a safejob today.
J
5 . Pollutionis gettingworse.
J
6. I feel much more confidentthan I usedto.
J
7. The world is becominga lesstolerant place.
J
8. Peopleare more aware of environmentalissues
J
than they used to be.
Complete this sentence by adding a pessimist and
an optimist
. . . .. is someonewho alwaysthinksthe glassis
..... alwaysthinksit's half-empty.
half-full,while
Now mark the eight statements with an O or a P
depending on whether you think they are
optimistic or pessimistic.

Speaking
Tell your partner how optimistic you feel about
your own future, the future of your country,
or the future of the world.
The young person in this picture are protesting
against the cutting down of trees. Would you?
ls there anything else you feel strongly enough
about to protest against?

132

A Rachet and Nick, two friends both in their last

I J y" , at university, are chatting oyer cofree.
Listen to them talking about what they see
themselves doing in the future.
Cover the conversation. As you listen, try to
complete these sentences.
, but it dependson

l. Nick'sthinkingabout
2. He'd like to . . .

. . ., but he probablywon't have

...and
3 . R a c h ewl a n t st o . . .
4. lf she
, then she'll
Otherwise,she'll probablygo . . .
Listen again and try to fill in the gaps in the
conversation.

1 9 Y o u rf u t u r e

Now you're talking!

Rachel: So,haveyou had any more thoughtsabout
what you're goingto do next year,then?
Nick
Mm. I don't know really.I mean,
(l) ..
. . . . t h a t i t m i g h tb e a g o o d i d e a
to do that art course I was tellingyou about,
but it all dependson my results.
Rac hel: S o wha t a b o u t F ra n c e l(2 ) ..
.... goi ng
to Parisa while backl
Nick
Oh, for that Frenchcourse?Well,I would still
like to do it, but I just don'r know if I can
afford it.
Rachel: Oh, I know what you mean.Money'salwaysa
p r o b l e m ,i s n t i t l I m e a n (, 3 ) . .
.... next
year is to learn to drive and buy a car,but I'm
not sure if I'll havethe cash. (4) . .
I'm just so sick of havingto get buses
everywhere.
Nick
Dreadful,aren't theyl You wait half an hour
and then three come alongat the sametime.
S o , y o u ' r e( 5 ) . .
. . . . j u s tg o i n gt o b e
stayingaround here,just trying to saveup
some money,thenl
Rachel: Yes,I supposeso. lt depends,really.I mean,if I
can find a good job, then l'll stick around,but
ot her w i s e(6 ) ..
.... e v e n tu a l liys goi ng
back to Glasgow.
Nick
Oh right,becauseyou grew up there,didn't
you?
Rachel: Yes,that's right,yes,so I supposeI do see
myselfendingup there eventually.
Nick
Yeah.
Rachel: So,(7)
. . . . .you do this art course,what
do you see yourselfdoing after that, in the
longterml
Nick
Oh, I dont know. No idea really.I haven't
thought that far ahead.I'll just (8) . .
and see what happens.
Rachel: Justlistento us,Nick!We just soundso
b o r i n g (! 9 ) . .
....go offsomewhere
together this summer,you know,maybe- |
don't know - work abroadfor six monthsl
Nick
What?You meanpickinggrapesin FrancelThat
kindof thing?
Rachel: Yeah,o4 I don't know - workingin a hotel in
Spain,
or Nick
Or goingto Australia.lf the Aussiescanwork
o v e rh e r e (, 1 0 ).
. . . . g o a n dg e ta
job over there?
Rachel: Yeah,ld loveto do that.Where'sthe paper?
What'sthe cheapestflightto Sydney?
Nick
Now you'retalking!

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.
l. Are you the kind of personwho couldjust suddenlygo
abroadfor six months,on the spur of the momentl
Haveyou ever done anythinglike that?
2. Haveany of your friends ever gone off to work in
another country?Where did they go?
3. ls it possibleto plantoo much for the futurel

I Real Englishs theAussies

This is an affectionateterm used by British people
for Australians.
New Zealandersare known as Kiwis while
Australianscall Britishpeoplepoms or pommies.

Phrasalverbs with
In the conyersation, you met save up, end up and
grew up. Complete the sentences below with the
verbs in the box. Then go back and underline the
phrasal verbs.
do
beat

cheer
hung

put
come

turned
bottling

t . This reallystrangething happenedlast night. An old

friend from school just
totally out of the blue!

. . . . up on my doorstep,

2. That was weird. Whoever it was on the phone just

. . . . up as soon as they heard my voice!

3 . Once we've savedup enoughmoney,we're goingto

....upourflatabit.

4. A: Why don't I cook tonight,if you're not feeling

up to itl
B : W o w ! T h a t ' tsh e b e s ti d e ay o u ' v e. . . . . . . . . . u p
with all week!

ll
I

5 . I wish you d

. . . . up a bit! lt's reallystartingto

get me down, seeingyou like that!
I got muggedlast year,and when I wouldn't give them
my watch,they .
. . . me up really badly.
7. It's not healthy,you know,
. . . . up all your
negativeemotions like this. lt's much better to just
get thingsoff your chest.

8. lf you're stuck for somewhereto stay,we could

always

. . . .you up on our sofa.

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.
l. Do you ever bottle thingsup?
2. How do you usuallycheer yourselfupl
3. Haveyou ever been beatenupl

133

1 9 Y o u rf u t u r e

U;irry glarnfirar

Uging vsraeulary

Rachel said'What lU really like to do next year is

learn to drive'. What can be placed at the
beginning of a sentence to give special emphasis
to what follows. lt means'the thing that'.

Complete the sentences below with the words in

the box.The sentences are all common answers
to the question:'What are your plans for the
future?'

What I really need to do is get awayfor a break.

What I'd really like to do is learn to drive.
What I was thinkingof doing is goingabroad.
Rewrite these sentences using the expressions
with what above.

wait and see

cant really
change
a. I' m ..
b. My plans

l. Your companyis sendingyou to Japan,

so you
haveto start learningthe language.
What

c. lcan't
much longer.

2. You think it would be a great idea to buy a flat

d. l'll just haveto

happens.

in the next coupleof years.

What
3. You haveno money and desperatelyneed to
start saving.
What

4. You think you would quite like to travel round

India in the not-too-distantfuture.
What

5. You'yealwayswanted to start a family as soon

as you get married.
What

6. You've had an idea - maybego abroad for

Christmasthis year rather than stayat home.
What

e. ljust
f. | . . . .

perfectly happy
take things
see myself
. doi ngw hat I' m doing.
. . . fairly often.
...stayingtherefor
. . . what
...astheycome.
.. .. .sayyet.l t al l depends.

Now complete l-6 using a-f above.

t . I'm a fairly laid-backkind of person.I mean,

and only worry about things
if and when they happen.

2. A: So,what are you goingto do once you get back

to Madridl
B: Well, I might try and get a job as a chef,but
yesterdayI was thinkingabout maybegoing back
to college.Ask me againin a week!
., you know.
3 . A: So,how's it all goingl
B: Well, to be honest,I'm reallyfed up at work.
A: lt soundsto me like it's time to move on.

Complete these sentences in ways that are true

for you.
l. What I reallyneedto do beforethe endof the week
s

4. A: So,what are your plansfor the future?

B: Well, right now, life'sgreat.Maybein a
couple of years I might changemy mind,but at
the moment. ..

5 . A: So,are you still off to Kenyain the spring?

B: Well, I'm not 100%sure just now, becausemy
dad'sstill very ill,so . . .

What I was thinking of trying to do next year,if I get

the chance,is .

4. What ld reallylike to be doing in a few years'time

6. A: So,how long are you goingto be stayinghere forl

B:...
.on my
girlfriend.lf thingswork out between us,we might
think of getting married and settlingdown.

s
Now tell a partner about what you have thought
of, giving more details if you can.
For more information on how to use sentences
with whoqsee G3l.

134

Do any of the expressions a-f apply to you in

your present situation? For example:
I wouldn't say,'ljust take thingsas they come' now, but
I might'vedone when I was eighteenor nineteen
becauseI didn't havea job then,and I didn't reallyknow
what I wanted to do in the future.

2 | Coflocations
Complete each of the sentences l-4 in two
different ways, using two different endings from
the box below to make some common
collocations about the future.
my own country
abroad
a new job
studying

back to university
with my girlfriend
somewherenicer to live
where I grew up

l.

2.
3.
4.

Now complete sentences 5-9 in the same way.

reading
a better laptop
to buy a flat
house
the world

5.

south
my family
for a DVD player
sport
a new car

:::::::::::::1:
:::':::::
I'T:i:i'::::
Tl:T

7. ld like to start doinga bit more

t.....
8. lf I can,l'll probablysaveup
9.

:J::il:'i::i':l

How many of the sentences above are true for you?

Speaking
In the conyersation on page 133, Rachel and Nick
talked about going to Australia. lf you had a year
free, what would you do? Do any of these appeal
to you?
l . buildinga pr im a rys c h o o li n B a n g l a d e s h
2. working for an aid agencyin Ethiopia
3. goingon an expeditionto the North Pole
4. working with homelesspeoplein Manchester
5. sailinground the world
6. writing a book

1 9 Y o u rf u t u r e

i'-=aCirt'7
Make sentences about the future by matching
the beginnings l-7 to the endings a-9.
l. My parentshave
2. lwish
3 . I hope
I've alwaysdreamed
One of my greatestfears is

J
J
J
-J
__J

I'm reallylookingforward to
I'm reallydreading

J
--|

I didn't haveto go backto Japannext year.

great expectationsfor my future.
endingup on m y o w n w h e n I' m o l d .
the summer!lt gets so unbearablyhot here!
seeingall my old friendsagainonce I'm back home.
of maybeone day goingto live in Hawaii.
I can find a good job once I graduate.
Now use the sentence starters in 2-7 to tell your
partner about some of your hopes and dreams.

f1 You are going to read an e-mail from somebody who is dreading something.
I / f :nA out what it is - and why they are dreading it.

EcENoMItrAL

WITH THE

TRUTH !

DearAdam.
Hi. How'reyou doing?Hopeeverything's
all rightwith
you. I justthoughtI'd betterwriteto let you knowthat
I may not be able to come over and visit you in
likeI saidI would.Thethingis, I'vehadto
September
take a few weeks off recentlybecause I've done
somethingweirdto my back.Also,as you know,I've
got my end-of-school
examsin Juneand I can'treally
makeanyconcreteplansuntilI knowhow I'vedonein
them,so everything's
a bit up in the air for me at the
moment.Hopefully,
everythingwill workout fine and I
will be able to come and see you, but don't be too
surprisedif thingsfall through.

happened
is I'vefallenfor thiswomanI met.Heronlinenameis Foxyandshesoundsamazing.
She's22,
blondeand comes from Denmark.She's studying
alternative
medicineand we get on like a houseon
fire.The problemis, though,I haven'tbeen entirely
honestwith her. I told her I was seven years older
thanI am,and saidI wasalreadyworking- in a really
well-paidjob. I alsotold her I had my own apartment
rightin the centreof town.Anyway,to cut a longstory
short,I've stupidlyarrangedto meet up with her next
week. I'm reallydreadingit now!Whatdo you think I
shouldI do?

By the way, I also wanted to ask you lor a word of Hopeto hear from you very soon,
advice.SinceI'vebeenstuckat homea lot lately,I've All the best,
been surfingthe net quitea lot and spendinga lot of
time in various chat rooms, and basicallywhat's Max.

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.
L Do you ever visit chat rooms?Which onesl
2. Haveyou got an online name?

136

3. Do youthinkchatroomsarea goodplaceto meet

potentialpartners?
Why/whynot?
4. Haveyoueverbeeneconomical
with the truth?When?
Whv?
With a partner, either write Adam's reply to Max
or role-play the conyersationbetween Max and
Foxy when they first meet.

1 9 Y o u rf u t u r e

L a n g u a g ed e v e l o p m e n t

, :
.
J J . i . < i

?
J

l{atch the sentence adverbs l-5 with their

meanings a-.

if- expressions

B as ic ally

Realis t ic ally

II

ldeally

I
I

Eventually

Hopef ully

I
I

_J

There are seyeral if- expressions with which we

use to talk about our future plans. For example:
W el l ,i f everythi ng
goesaccordi ngto pl an, I sho uldbe
livingin Morocco this time next year.

I
I
a

I t hink t his wil l h a p p e ni n th e e n d .

T hiswould be th e b e s t p o s s i b l ere s u l t,b u t i t mi ght
not happen.

Complete the short dialogues below with the

correct form of the verbs in the box.
go (x3)

I would lik et h i s to h a p p e n .
This will probablyhappen,eventhough I may not
want lt to.

Complete these sentences in a way that is true

for you. Then compare with a partner.

fail

work

So,what do you seeyourselfdoingwhen you get

backhome?
B: W el l ,i f al l .
. . . w el l ,I shoul dbe abler o get
my old job back.Touchwood!

T his is m y gen e ra l /s i mpvl ei e w o f w h a t w i l l h a ppen.

Which two adverbs did Max use in his e-mail?

fall

2.

So,you'reoff to Australiafor Christmas,are youl

. . . . accordingto plan.
We're just waitingfor our visas.

B: Yes,if everything
3.

So,you'veappliedfor the manager's

job?
. . . . through,I thi nk l'll look
elsewhere.

B : Y es,and i f that

Basically,
what I'd reallylike to do in the future is . . . .
2. ldeally,I'd love to be ableto
sometimein the next few years,but realistically
l ' l lp r o b a b l.y. . .

4.

3. Next year I can see myself

and after that l'll hopefully

5.

So,you'rethinkingof buildingyour own house.

That soundsa bi t ambi ti ous.
B: Yes,it is a bit, but my father'sa builder,and if
nothing
. . . . wrong,it shouldonly take
about a year or so.

6.

What am I goingto do about my boyfriend?

B: Tell him you'regoingto work in Greenlandif he
doesn'rask you to marry him - and if that
doesn't
. . . . , r h e nn o t h i n g w i l l !

4 W ell,if I c ar r y o n d o i n gw h a t I' m d o i n gn o w ,.
e v e n t u a lll'yl l . . .
5. Well,you know that I reallylike . .
s o i d e a l l yI ' d l i k et o e n d u p . . .

It

We're too late to get tickets for the final now!

. . . . , we'll just haveto
watch it on TV then.

B: Well, if all else

Now go back and underline the full expressions

with if.

Recll English3 Touchwood!

It i s commonw hen usi ng' touchw ood' to touch a

pieceof wood at the sametime. This is a common
Britishsupersririon
when talkingabout the future.
I m seeingthe doctortomorrowond if otl goeswell,l'll
be bockot work pretty soon,touchwood!
This is a very old superstirion.The idea is that if
you touch wood - the samematerialwhich the
crossof Christ was madeof - you will have
good luck.Do you do anythinglike that?

137

20
What do you look for in a job?
Mark each of these ideas from | (not important)
to 5 (very important), depending on how
important they are for you when you're looking
for a job.

I beingableto work flexi-time

-J gettingholidaypayand sick pay
I earninga good salary
I doing a reallyinterestingjob
I knowingyour job is secure

2. What was the judge'sdecisionl

3. What are the implicationsof this decisionfor other
casualworkers?

J doing somethingusefulfor society

-J beingableto work from home
J getting a company car
J gettingmaternityor paternity leave

Compare your answers with a partner. What else

would you add to this list?

Complete the sentences below with the words

and expressions in the box.
lots of benefits
sick pay
contract

paid holiday
income tax

t . When my son was born, I took

. . . for
three months and then went back to work part-time.

2. I can't go awaymuch,becauseI only get three weeks'

3 ;;";
4.

; ;;;-" ;iil

| managed
to settwomonths'

... starts at20% and goes up to a

maximum of 40%.

5. I appealedto a tribunal becauseI felt lU been

6. I used to do only two daysa week, but I work
...now.

7. I've been there six years now, but I've never been
givena proper
The best thing about my job is that I get
. . . - a companypension,private
health insuranceand things like that.

138

employment. He or she is not permanently

employed and in many countries has few rights.
Read the article on page | 39 about two casual
workers who had a problem with their employer.
When you have read it, answer these questions.
l. Why did Mrs Carmichaeland Mrs Leesetake their
employersto court?

_t not beingstuck behinda deskall day

full-time
unfairly treated
maternity leave

ff A casualworker normally works for a

l/.o-pany,
but without a contract of

20 Theworldof work

We can work it out.

Crettinga good job in Britain today is far from easy.More
and more young people are going to university, so a degree
has becomethe minimum qualification required, whereas
once it was a magical door-opening piece of paper. If your
O/ doescatch a potential employer'seyeand you're lucky
enoughto get called in for an interview, you then encounter
the next hurdle: you find yourselfin a Catch-22 situation
r*'here you can't get a job unless you've got work
experienceand, of course,there's no way you can get any
r*'ork experienceuntil someonefeels like giving you a job !
If and when you do finally manageto land a job, you rhen
realise that your troubles have only just begun.
The last twenty years have seen radical changes in
employment laws, very few of which havebenefitedyoung
workers in any way. Full-time contracts seem to have
becomea thing of the pasr,and insteadyou'll probablybe
offered a short-term casual contract - even if they're
talking aboutemployingyou full-time ! I've heardof people
who've worked full-time for six or sevenyearsand who are
still being paid by the hour! One good rhing that has
changed recently, though, is that at least you're now
entitled to the national minimum wage. Living on less
than five poundsan hour isn't easy,but at leastyou can't
be totally ripped off by your bossesanymore.
Becauseof all thesechanges,there's not much job security
anymore. Companieshave learned how to dress up mass
redundanciesin media-friendlylanguage,calling hugejob
cuts 'down-sizing' or 'corporaterestructuring'! If you do
end up out of work, don't expect your union to be much
help. The power of trade unions was cut dramatically in

Speaking

the 1980safter the endlessindustrial acrionof the 70s and

today they've becomea little bit toothless.However,as a
recent landmark legal casehas shown, it's nol all doom
and gloom, and there is still hope for the workers.
Last month two casualworkers, who were never offered
proper contractsof employment,won the right to the same
benefits as full-time workers. A judge said that because
Mrs Carmichael,35, and Mrs Leese,36, had signedletters
acceptingjobs at Blyth Power Sration, they should have
been treated the same as any other full-time employeeof
National Power.However,the two women had been denied
holiday and sick pay and many orher benefits normally
given to full-time staff.
Despite taking income tax from their pay, making the
women wear companyuniforms, and giving them the use
of companycars, National Powertried to insist that Mrs
Carmichaeland Mrs Leesenever worked directly for the
company.They were, therefore,refuseda proper contract,
and were not givenany employmentprotectionor benefits.
Thejudge's decisionmeansthat casualworkersall overthe
country can now fight for the right to sick pay,holiday pay,
maternity leave and other benefits. The judgement also
means that casual workers can appeal against unfair
dismissal by their employer if they are sacked without
reason.A solicitor acting on behalf of the rwo women said
it was a major breakthrough in employment law, which
was likely to have a very positive effect on the working
lives of thousandsof men and women employedon a casual
basis.

Vocabulary

Discuss these questions with a partner.

Discuss these questions with a partner.

l . Does t he s it u a ti o ni n B ri ta i ns o u n ds i mi l a rro the

situationin your countryl In what way?What's
differentl

l. What is the differencebetweena full-timeworker,

a part-timeworker and a casualworkerl

2. Haveyou ever done any casualworkl How were you

treated?What was the money likel

3 . Who's the worst employeryou've ever worked for?

4. Haveyou heardof any companieswhich havea
good/badreputationfor the way they rreat their
workersl

*.;S'.-+---

':;=wijr'$*'
*.*-*lF-

2. What are the usualreasonspeopleget sacked?

3. What's the differencebetweengetringsackedand
bei ngmaderedundant?
4. What kind of thingsdo you pur in your CVI
5. What are the namesof the biggesttrade unionsin
your country?What do they dol

20 Theworld of work

i ltaTt'iizr J

J J ; J t

Complete these sentences with work or job.

l. He's neverdone a day's

. . . . in his life!

2 . A r e y o u s t i l l o o k i n gf o r a

....,thenl

3. lt's quite hard .

Milan.
4. lt's a dirty

. . . findinga flat in a big city like

. . . . , but someone'sgot to do it!

5. I know the money'snot very good,but at leastyou're

g e t t i n gs o m eg o o d
....experience.
6. Oh, the kitchenlooks lovelynow. You'vemadea
reallygood
....ofit.
7. I'm sorry,but I can't let you use the phoneto ring
Australia.lt's more than my
. . . .'s worth!
8 . I ' v ebeenup t o my e y e si n ...

. a l l w e e k!

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.
l.

Do you know anyone who's never done a day's work

in their life? How do they get byl

2. Can you think of three other things that are quite hard
workl

e
r
- . J

? O

- e .

?t

i
J t J

Before

listen

With a partner, decide what the people in the

pictures on these pages do for a living.
Which of the jobs in the pictures would you
most/least like to do? Why?
What do you think these jobs would involve?
Could you or would you do any of them?

/* , Now listen to three of the people in the

l/
pictures talking about their jobs. As you
listen, try to decide what their job is. Then
comPare answers.

t.
2.
3.

140

How arethingsat work?

Hatch the common questions about work l-5 with typical answers a-e.
l. How are thingsat workl

a. .
.
.

2. So,what exactlydoes your job involve,thenl

$. o They're OK, the usualnine to five.

Awful. I don't usuallyget home until ten!
Great. I'm usuallyhome by two or three.

lts OK. lt's enoughto live on.

lt's not very good - more like slave-labour!
Well, actually,I don't think it's any of your business!

3. Haveyou been doing it long?

c . . Crazyt I've been rushed off my feet all week!

Oh, we've been pretty quiet,actually.
Oh, it's OK, the sameas ever.
a

4. What are the hours likel

61. r
a
a

5. What's the money like?

Well, I'm in chargeof Accounts.

I do all the marketing.
I deal with all the complaintsthat we get.

e . . Yes,it's about ten years now I suppose.

No, I've only just started,actually.
Yes,too long!
a

In your country is it acceptable to ask someone how much they earn?

Are you happy to talk about how much you earn?

lmagine you are one of the people in the pictures on these pages. Spend two
minutes thinking about how you would answer the questions in Exercise I
above, using the typical answers if necessary. Your partner should then ask
you the questions and try to guess which job you do.

141

20 Theworldof work

jokes
Below are three joke answers to the question:'So
what's your boss like?' Discuss with your partner
which one you find the funniest and why.
l. He's reallyflexible.He lets me come in any time
I want beforenine,and then lets me leavewhenever
I want after five!
2. He's so meanthat if you're three minuteslate for
work, he finesyou,and if you turn up five minutes
early he actuallystarts chargingyou rent!
3. He's reallyhard on late-comers.Actually,one day
one of his assistants
turned up over an hour late,
covered in blood,and as he staggeredover to his
desk,my bosswent up to him and askedhim where
hed been.The assistantapologisedand saidhe'd
fallendown three flightsof stairs.
'What?'saidmy
boss,'thattook you a whole hour,
did it ! '
f 1 Listen to the jokes. Mark the stresses and
ld ptrres. Then tell the jokes to each other in
pairs with one student asking:'So what's your
boss like, then?'

Make answers to the question:'What's your boss like?' by matching the

beginnings l-8 to the endings a-h.
l . Well, he'snot exactlythe most

a . o
a

2. He's awful,a real

sit at his deskand giveorders!

talk to the other guysabout football.

b . . domi neeri ng.

bossyand dictatorial.
a

c . . on the phoneto her boyfriend!

3. Dreadful!All he ever does is

4. Oh, he'sgreat,he'sa really

jettingoff to Parisand Rome on business

d . . easy-goingand easyto talk to.

nice and friendly.
I

5 . O h, s hes pen d sth e w h o l e trme

e . r
a

6. Terrible,she'sreally

me about thingsthat aren'tmy fault.

everyoneabout spendingtoo much money.

. approachable
personI've ever met, but he'sOK, I guess.
intelligentbloke I've ever worked for, but I guesshe'sOK.

f.

7. O h, s he' sbr il l i a n t,re a l l y

g . ' dictator!
slave-driver!
a

8. He's alwaysgetting on to

o
I

nrce8uy.
good person to work for.

Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner.
L Do any of the commentsin Exercise4 aboveremind
you of your boss or one you haveknown?
2. Tellyour partner what kind of a bossyou think you'd
make and why.
3. Which personin your classdo you think would make
the best boss?Why?

142

4. ls it importantfor a bossto be friendlyand

approachableor is it OK if they're a bit distantfrom
their staff?

5 . Are there other qualitieswhich are important?

6. What do you call the bossof a schoolfA
departmentlA footballteaml

7. How manyother words can you think of with a

si mi l armeani ngto' boss' ?For exampl e:
head,
employer,manager,
supervisor,
superior,etc. Which
do you preferl

20 Theworld of work

Usinggfl{ftfftZtf

5. A: l'll give you a call over the weekend about the

followingweek.

B: Yeah,that's OK, but

A: Sure.I probablywon't know what I'm doing until

Futurecontinuous

then anyway.
Notice the highlighted words in these sentences.
l'll be meetingmy bossnext week,so I'tl talk to her
about my chancesof promotion then.
The twins will be startingschoolthis autumn,so l'll have
a lot more free time.
Both situations are about the future ('ll and will).
In both cases the verb is extended in time
(meeting and starting). lt is common for the
future continuous form to be followed by a clause
that begins with so.
Make sentences by matching the beginnings t-6
to the endings a-f.
l. I'll be doingsome work in your areatomorrow,
2. l'll be goingbackto Japanin the autumn,
3. I'll be passingyour front door,
4. l'll be doinga computer coursein April,
5. l'll be writing my MA thesisall summer,
6. l'll be going down to my dad'snext Saturday,
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.

-J
_J
-J
J
J
J

6. A: Thanksto this rail strike,I dont know how l'll get

home.
B: You'rein luck.I drove today.

plans
Walk around the class and chat to some other
students about the kind of work you see yourself
doing in the future, where you see your career
going in the short term, any long-term career
plans you'ye got, and so on. Try to use as much of
the new language from this unit as you possibly
can. For example:
lf we meet in ten years'time, if everythinggoes according
to plan,l'll havemy own company.l'll be drivinga top-ofthe-rangeMercedes.I'll be livingin a hugehousewith my
own private plane.I'll own an islandsomewherehot.
For more information on how to use the future
continuous,see G32.

so it's no trouble givingyou a lift.

so then I'll be an expert on the Internet.
so don't try and call me until Sundaynight.
so I'll be working in the librarya lot.
so l'll pop in and sayhello if I get a chance.
so l'll try and get you a cheapWalkman,shalll?

Grammarin context
Make short dialogues by adding sentences from
Exercise I above.
l . A : Well, I really like this Sony,but it's just too
expensivereally.
B: Well, look,
A: Oh, that'd be great if you could.ld payyou for
it, of course.

2. A: So,John,when are we goingto seeyou next,then?

B: Well,
A: Oh great. Try and make it around twelve or so
and then maybewe could havelunch.

3 . A : So,are you lookingforward to the holidays,thenl

B: W efl, no actu a l l y. ... .
A: Oh well,l'll be thinkingof you while I'm lyingon
the beach.

4. A: So,are you still havingproblemsgefting onlinel

B: Well, actually,thingsare looking up.

143

Secondconditionals
Choose the correct form.
l.

They still haven'tbeen fixing / haven'tfixed ourTV

yeL

2. The restaurantwas redecorated/ was being

redecoratd,so we had to find somewhereelse.
3. Billshaveto pay / haveto be paid within a month,
or elsethey cut your electricityoff.
4. I wish they'll/ theyd do somethingabout all the
stray dogs in the park.
5. I see/ l'll be seeingBill later,so l'll ask him if he got
your e-mail.
6. I thought the film will be / was goingto be grear,
but it wasn't as good as the book.
7. A new stadiumis beingbuilt / is goingto be built
sometime in the next four or five years.
8.

lf everythinggoes / went accordingto plan,we

should be able to move by the end of the month.

9. That bridgeshould'vebeenwidened/ should've

been beingwidened yearsago.
10. l'll be back/ I'm backat universityquite soon,touch
wood!

Multiple choice
Choose the correct alternative.
| . What would be reallygreat is if my parents ... !
a. will buy me a car
b. boughtme a car
2. I'veappliedfor a job in Stockholm,but ... , I might
try Denmark.
a. if that fallsthrough
b. if nothinggoes wrong
3. lf it doesn'tstop raining,I'm goingto end up ... !
a. going mad
b. to go mad
4. ... is get other peopleto do her job for her!
a. All Kate ever does
b. All Kate is ever doing
5. lU like to end up with my own business,
but ... ,
I'll probablyhaveto work in the fami| shop.
a. basically b. hopefully c. realistically
6. What I'd really like ... the guitar.
a. to do this year is learn to play
b. doingthis year is learningto play
7. ... to wait outside till he was ready.
a. He told me
b. He saidme

8. Dont ringbeforenine.
a. We'llbe having
dinner

b. We'llhavedinner

Compare your answers with a partner and discuss

your choices.

1M

Complete these sentences by putting the verbs in

brackets into the correct form.
l. A: Haveyou heardlThey'regoing to knock the
cinemadown and turn it into a car park.

B:
just
better
irthev
i::i':i.'1..
,;ffl1uch
;"."";

2. A: They'regoingto chargepeopleto drive into the

city centre,arent theyl
B: Yeah,but if you ask me, it
. . . . (b") far better

ran
d
:i:i::':':(il;;;;;;['Ji[TflH1'f

3. A: There'sso much litter everywhere.

B: *[T,,":;i
illll
,;;,Ji:["fl''"i;lln;"n"'

4. A: This bus is hardly moving!Thetraffic'sawful.

B : I know ! | thi nk i t ....
(be) a real l ygood idea
if they
. . . . (bring) back the trams.
5. I think it . . . .
(be) a reallygood idea if they
. . .. (not charge)peopleto get into museums.
You .
.. .(get) a lot more peoplegoing.
6. A: They'regoingto open another coffeeshop there.
B: Really?lt . . ..
(be) far more usefulif we
. . . . (have)a decent supermarketinstead.

Speaking
Make a list of things that annoy you about your
town/city. Tell your partner your ideas and
suggest alternatives using the second conditional
structures above.

Conversation
Put the jumbled conversation into the correct
ordea
a. So,how are thingsat work?
b. I think of nothing else,actually!I've got an
appointmentwith Personneltomorrow so that
might make a difference.
c. Dreadful,to be honest! | feel as if I'm goingto
end up havinga nervous breakdown!
d. How will that help?
e. Well, l'll havethe chanceto talk about the
problemsin my department.They might listen.
On the other hand,they might not!
f. ls it as bad as that? Have you had any more
thoughtsabout leavingthem?

-1J
-J
J
J
J
J

R e v i e wU: n i t s1 7 - 2 0

Look back and check:

More expressionswith bother

Collocations

Look back at'More expressions with bothe/ on

page l3l. Tick any of the expressions you can
temembea Ask your partner about anything you
have forgotten.
With a partneq write eight new sentences that
would produce the responses a-h. Compare what
you have written with another paia Did you have
any similar ideas?
Now cover Exercise 6 on page l3l. your partner
will read out your eight new sentences. Can you
remember all the responses?

Match the verbs l-10 to the best collocations a-j.

l.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

deny
see
move
buy
take
deal
tackle
go on
do
sl amon

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.

a flat nearer where I work

house
with all the complaints
a problem
about her problemsall the time
a bit more of my wife and kids
thingsas they come
a casualworker his holidaypay
the brakes
a U-turn

Now match the verbs I l-18 to the best

collocations k-r.

Expressions
Complete the short dialogues below with the
expressions in the box. All the expressions are
fiom units ll-20.
just doingwhat I'm doing
dont let it get you down
wait and see
if everythinggoes accordingto plan
I know what you mean

get
messup
shrink
do up
bottl e up
see
dread
avoid

k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
q.
r.

in the wash
my flat
myselflivingabroad
made redundant
the issue
going to the dentist's
my exam
your feelings

Now discuss these questions with a partner.

l . A : I'm gettingtired of Mr Owens complaining

about our departmentall the time.
B: Look,
. There's
nothingyou can do about it. Forget him!

2. A: I just can't believethat all the bankshere shut

at four! How can I get to one if I'm working!

B: Yes,..
It'd be far better if they were open in the
evening.

19. Haveyou ever messedup any examslWhat

happenedl
20. Do you know anyonewho really bottles up their
feelings?
2l'. Do you know anyonewho's alwaysgoing on about
how awful their life is?

English
Match the questions l-6 to the responses a-f.

3 . A : So,what excitingplanshaveyou got?

B: Nothing,really.To be honest,I'm quite h.ppy

l. So,when will you be ableto go backto work?

2. Haveyou seen Emma'snew hairdo?
3. I wish he'd stop coughing!lt's really buggingme.

for the time being.

4. A: So,you're going to be in Nepal next year,then,

J am es l

B: Y e s , . .
5. A: So,did you get that job you appliedfor?
B: I haven'theard yet. I'll just haveto

I l.
12.
13.
14.
15.
| 6.
17.
18.

. . . . .!

4. Haveyou tried talkingabout working in Wales

with your girlfriend?
5. I'm sorry to bore you with my problems.
6. So,what happenednextl Did they fine youl
a. Really?
Thingslike that don't reallybother me.

Can you think of three other situations when you

might say:'Don't let it get you down'to someone?
Can you think of three other questions you coutd
answer by saying:'l'll just have to wait and see'?

_J
-J
J
J
J
J

b. That'sOK. lts good to get these thingsoffyour

chesqisn't it.
c. Yeah,five hundredpounds- and six penaltypoints
on my licenceas well!
d. No, not yet, but I heard she'shad it bleached
bl onde.
e. In a week or two, I think - touch wood!
f . Of course I have.I mean,that was the first thing
I actuallydid.But she just won't talk about it.
Whenever I mentionit, she changesthe subject!

145

R e v i e wU: n i t s1 7 * 2 0

ldioms

Vocabulary

Make sentences with idioms by matching the

beginnings l- 10 to th e e n d i n g s a -i .
l.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

That bar hasgone

He let the cat
I'm the blacksheep
lt's a vicious
I've been rushed
lt's good to get things
...and to top
I changed
lt's a bit of a mixed
That'sjust the tip

of the family.
off my feet all week!
off your chest.
my mind.
out of the bag!
blessing.
to the dogs.
th e w h o l e th i ngoff...
of the iceberg.
circle.

remember?
With a partneri note down as much as you can
remember about the two texts you read in units
18and 20.

Answer these questions with a partner. Then

compare your answers with another pair. Who
got most answers right?
l. lf I sendyou on a wild goosechase,what do you
come backwith?
2. Apart from people,what else might need a facelift?
3. Are shantytowns nice placesto live or notl
4. What is the differencebetweenworking flexi-time,
ful l -ti meand part-ti mel

5 . lf you find your bossdomineering,

does it meanyou
get on with him/heror not?

6.
7.
8.
9.
t0.

ls an optimistafraidof the future?

ls it only bosseswho can be bossy?
When would a woman get maternityleavel
lf women get maternity leave,what do men getl
lf you find your bossapproachable,
does it meanyou
get on with him/heror notl

i l . Name one other thing apart from water that an

office can be flooded with.

A sticky problem

12. lf someoneis in chargeof all the complaints,

do they
makecomplaintsor dealwith them?
13. What is the capitalof the counrryyou'restudying
in?And what'sthe capitalof AustralialBulgaria?
Chile?SouthAfrica?
14. Gi vean exampl eof a vi ci ousci rcl e.
15. Give one reasonwhy you might appealto a tribunal.
16. Where mightyou pull over?Why?
17. lf you do most of the hard work on a job, does
this meanyou havedone the rat work, the dog
work, or the donkeyworkl
18. lf I tell you that they'vebannedall on-streetparking,
w ho are' they' l
19. Can you think of two thingsyou sometimesjust
haveto put up withl
20. What's the difference between the inner city and
the city centre?

Now compare what you remember with another

pair. Who remembers more?
Which text did you enjoy more? Why?

146

Review:
Units17-20

Ifscuss these questions with a partner.

l- Are you h"ppy with your Englishat the momentlWhy/why notl
L How much better do you think you can getl
3- How are you goingto improve your Englishafter this coursel
l|.ow read this text and underline anything you strongly agree or disagree with.

Compare what you've underlined with a partner. Are there any other ways of
improving your English in future that you can think of?

147

*rrlt -*
Kirsty
Kirsty?She'sreallyinteresting.
She'squite sporty and
musicalas well.Sheplaysthe pianoa lot. She'sactually
quite good.She'sin her twentiesand hasgot lovely
shoulder-length
blondehair.
Nick
You'dlil<eNick. He's reallynice.He'svery easy-going.
He's got a great senseof humour.He's only thirty-five.
He'sgot reallyshort hair - shaved,I thinl<.He'svery
interestedin photographyand arty things.
Jenny
Jennyis in her forties.She'sa reallyenergeticsort of
person- alwaysdoingthings"She'sgot a very warm
personalityand enjoyshelpingother people.Shehas
short,dark hair and darl<eyes"
Matt
Matt is still at university.
He's reallyfriendlyand is one of
the most popr.rlarpeople I know. He's very hard-working
and serious,but he'salsoa lot of fun. He'sgot fair hair
and he wearsglasses.

Simon:

I don't l<now.I've neverthought about it,

I suppose.
Melanie: So,what about you? Haveyou got any brothers
or sistersyourself?
Simon: Yes,I've got one of each,actually.
Melanie: Oh right.Older or younger?
Simon: My sister'stwo or three yearsyoungerthan
me, but my brother'squite a lot older.He's
about forty now
Melanie: Do you get on with them all right?Youhavent
reallytalkedabout them very much.
Simon: Well, my brother,not that well,actually.
He's
differentfrom me, a bit old-fashioned,
a bit
traditional.Well, actually,
he'sa bit, how can I
put it, right-wing.You l<now- things aren't
what they usedto be,more police,death
penalty- that lcindof thing.He's a bit of a fool,
actually.
Melanie: Oh, well,it tal<esall sorts,I suppose.
Simon: But my sister,she'sgreat.We get on really
well.We'vegot the samekind of senseof
humour"
Melanie: Justa pity about the brother from hell,eh?
Simon: Yes.Oh, but he'snot that bad.We get on all
right,as long as you steer clearof certain
topics.Anyway,youwere tellingme about your
Parents.
Melanie: Oh, there'snot much to tell,actually.

.;i:{ J
f

M e l a n i e :I cant remember"Do you take millcl

S i m o n : Please,
but no sugar.Thanks.lt's weird,you
l<now,but I'vebeento your housethree times
new,and I still haven'tmet your parents.
M e l a n i e :Yes,they're out a lot. My dad worlcs for the
BBC and my mum'sa, she does sort of temping
work for a company.You l<now,like an
advertisingagency.They're both really busy.
S i m o n : Oh, they soundreallyinteresting.
M e l a n i e :Do you thinl<so?| find my dad a bit dull,to be
honest.He works late every day,evenworl<s
sorneweel<ends,
doesn'tread,doesn'tgo out.
I mean,don't get me wrong,he'squite nice,but
I don't know, I just dont haveanythingto say
to him.I think the thing is,we just dont spend
enoughtime together.
S i m o n : H o w o l d i s h e ,t h e n ?
M e l a n i e :About fifty-five,I thinl<.I can never really
rememDer.
S i m o n : Oh, yeah.
M e l a n i e :But my mum'slovely.She'sreallynice,a bit too
nicethough,sometimes,
alwaystrying to look
after me. Sheworries about me leavinghome.
She'sa bit over-protective,if you know what I
m e a n I. ' m a n o n l y c h i l d s, o . . .
S i m o n : Oh, I didn't know that.
M e l a n i e :What?Youmeanyou cant tell!

148

,4: Can you give me a lift home?

B: I'm sorry,I'm afraidI can't.I lost my licencelast
weel<* had a bit too much to drink and got
stoppedby the police!
r\r Do you thinl<| could get that camerabackoff you
sometimesoon?
B: I don't know how to put this,but i thinl<| lost it
last nightwhile I was out. I'rn reallysorry,but I've
searchedeverywhereand I can'tfind it. l'll get you
anotherone. I'm extremelysorry.

3 . A: Haveyou heard from Jan recently?

E: Well, actually,I haven't- not for abor-ltsix months

- we had a bit of an argumentlast year.

Al ls your grandfatherany better?

B: I'm afraidnot.We'revery worried about him.But
then,he is ninety.

5. ,\; So,has Peter had his resultsyet?

E: Well,yes,I'm afraidhe has.He didn't pass- so he's
got to re-sit part of his examsin July.
"A:Are you feelingall right,Stevel
B: Well, actually,
no. I'vejust had some very bad news.

Tapescripl

7. A: Hello,how are you?

B: Oh, fine thanks.Well, actually,
I think I'm gettingthe
flu, so I'd stay awayif I were you.
A: I thought you had a dog.
B: We did. But unfortunately,it ran out into the street
and was run over.I'm afraidwe had to haveit out
down.

i.Jr;irr
S
Not as often as I used to (page2t)
Interview with June, the bus driver.
l. A; How often do you work in the evenings?
B: Not all that often, actually,just when I haveto.
Some people lil<ethe extra money,but I prefer to
be at home with my kids.
2. A: How often do you get up early on Saturdays?
B: Oh, all the time! My boys playfootballevery
Saturdaymorning,so I've got to be up by eight.
3. A: How often do you see your parents?
B: Well,they live in Wales,so,not as often as ld like
to. I supposeI see mum and dad two or three
times a year.
4. A: How often do you haveyour hair done?
B: Oh, about everyfortnight.lt dependsreally.lf I'm
goingout somewhere,I might haveit done
specially.
5. A: How often do you seeyour best friend?
B: Whenever I can.She livesquite near me, but shet
a nurse,so she'sgot to worl< at weekendsquite a
lot.
6. A: How often do you go awayfor the weekend?
B: Oh, only a coupleof times a year.lt's difficultwhen
you'vegot children.
7. A.; How often do you go to the cinema?
B: Oh, hardlyever.I usuallywait till films come out
on video and then get them for an evening.
8. A: How often do you go clubbing?
B: Nlot as often as I used to. Before I got married,
I usedto go out every weekend.

Dan:

So what do you feel like doingtonight?Any

ideasl
Helena: Well, I'd quite like ro see a film,or, I dont know,
see if there'sanygood bandsaround,if you're
into bands.
Dan:
Yes,that's an idea.What lcindof music do you
lil<e,
then?
Helena: Oh, all sorts,really,you know,a lot of pop ano
I quite like bluesand iazz andthingslil<ethat.
Dan:
Oh, really?I'm more into dancemusicmyself,
s o m a y b e. . .

H e l e n a :Well, if you'd rather,we could alwaysgo and

see a film.I lilcereallyscarythings.
Dan:
What?You mean like Halloween?
Helena: Yes,that kind of thing,and I also quite like
action movies,you l<now,car chases,guns,
bombs,anythingthat's fast and exciting.
Dan:
Oh, right. To be honest with you, I'm not really
that keenon violentfilms.
H e l e n a :You'rekidding!And I thoughtrhis was goingto
be the perfectrelationship!
Dan:
So did l! But it doesn'tsound like we'vegot all
that much in common,really,does it?
Helena: Oh come on, there must be somethingwe can
do!
Dan:
Let me think. Well, I supposewe could always
go clubbing.
Helena: What? Somewherelike Paradox?
Dan:
ls that the new placethat'sjust opened?
Helena: Yes,just lastweek.Right,so how about going
clubbing,
then?
Dan:
OK. Why not? Do you go much yourself?
Helena: No, not all that often,actually.A coupleof
t i m e s a y e a rl ,g u e s s .
Dan:
Oh, me too now but I usedto go a lot more
when I was younger- almost every weekend.
The thing was,though,it iust got to me after a
while,stayingout dancintall nightand then
havingto go to work first thing in the morning.
I'm getting a bit too old for it now.
Helena: Oh, well,that'sthat off the menu,then! So,what
shallwe do then?
Dan:
I don't know.Couldn'twe iust get a video,and a
curry,and havea nice quiet eveningin in front
of the telly?
Helena: Oh, you'vegot to be joking!We're not in our
gravesyet. I mean,that's the kind of thing my
parentsare probablydoing right now! Look,
it's not what ld normallydo on a Monday
night,but let'sgive clubbinga go! lt might be
a laugh.

Not really keen (page23)

A: I love nearlyall winter sports.
B: Really?I'm not reallyvery keen on them, myself.
I once broke my leg skiingand it put me off - for
life!
2. A: Going out with a crowd of friendsand having
fun, that's what I really like doing.
B: Do you?lt's not reallymy kind of thing,I'm afraid.
I prefer to go out with just one or maybetwo
pebple.I hate crowds.
3 . A: I'm reallyinterestedin politics.
B: Oh, it's not reallymy l<indof thing,I'm afraic.
I dont reallyunderstandwhat makesall the
partiesdifferent.They all seemthe sameto me!
4. A: I'm reallyinto older music,you know,before 1967.
B: Are you?I'm not reallythat l<eenon anythint
before | 980.

149

5. A: My favouritelcindof thingsare comicsand

cartoons.
B: I don't reallylike thingslike that myself.I don't see
the point of them. I prefer a good novel- the
longerthe better!
6. ,4r I'm reallyinto roller-blading.
lt's a bit lilce
roller-sl<ating.
B: Are you? lt's not really my lcindof thing. I'm always
worried I mightget hurt.

Phil:
Jason:

Phil:

Jason:
-J..-

.".

Phil:

Wh* did wrhat?{pase36}

Jason:
Speaker l: lt was total chaos.We had all our things
lyingaroundall over the place,makingit impossibleto
get in or out of the house.lt tool< forever to get
everythingall boxed up and into the van. We had to
makefive trips just to shift everything- and then there
was the unpacking!
What a nightmare!

Jason:
Phil:
Jason:

Speaker 2: lt was a realweight off my shoulders.Things

had been bad for a while and I'd iust got to the point
where I just couldn'tstandit any more. Everydaythere
was hell,but then once I'd handedin my notice,I felt free
again,and the future suddenlylooked a lot brighter.

Phil:

Speaker 3: I had my lastone and stubbedit out, and

then I felt reallypleasedwith myself,but a coupleof
hours later the cravingreallystartedand I found myself
absolutelydyingfor one. I was so tempted duringthe
lunchbreal<,
but I managedto get throughthe whole day
without one,and after that it was plainsailing.

l. l\: How come you drive with your bral<eson?

B: I want to be ready in casethere's an accident!

I Fcr4r a day! {pase4CI}

Phil:

Justtime for a quicl<smoke.Oh sorry,do you

want one?
Jason: No, thanks.I gaveup years ago.
Phil:
Good for youl I'vegivenup eventrying to give
uP!
Jason: Yeah,it! a nightmare,isn't it?
Tell ryreabout it! | don't know how you managed
Phil:
it.
J a s o n : Well, it's funny,but it was my job that did it.
I mean,l'd beensmoN<ing
for years,and you
lcnowit's destroyingyour lungs,don't you,and
I knew I wouldn't be ableto becomea fireman
if I didn't give up.
Phit: So,what's becominga firemangot to do with it?
ls it the fire risl<or something?
Jason: No, it's just that I knew l'd haveto passa
physicalto get in,and I wouldn't be ableto do
that if I was smol<ingforty a day.
Phit: Forty a day!Justas well you tave up! So,how
eome you decidedto become a fireman anywayl
Jason: Mm, I'd haveto thinl<about that. I supposeit all
goesbackto when I got out of college.I wanted
to do somethingexcitingand different,you
know,and a friend of my dad'swas in the local
fire brigade.

1sCI

Phil:

Oh, right.So,he helpedyou, did hel

Yes,he helpedme get the iob. I mean,I knew
I didn't want to speridmy life sittingin an office
pushingbits of paperround a deskor stucl<in
front of a computerscreen!
Yeah,I know exactlywhat you mean.I'm halfblind already!So,whydid you decideto move
to London,then?Was it for work or becauseof
a relationshipor what?
Well, it was mainlyworl<,but also becauseI
was just realiyfed up with where I was livingat
the time.
lt was down in Crawley,wasn't it? lt's pretty
quiet down there,isn't itl
it's dead.There'sabsolutelynothing
Quiet?Yeah,
to do there.
So,was it the right deeision,
then?
What? Becominga fireman?
No, no, movingto London,I mean.
Oh yeah,definitely.
I love it. I don't think I could
live anywhereelse now.
No, it's the samefor me. lt gets you after a
while,doesnt it? lt's like a drug.

Jmkes{page4t}

2.

fo.:How come you were born in New Zealand?

B: I wantedto be near my mum!

3. A; I wish I'd broughtthe pianowith me.
E; How come?
rtl BecauseI left the planeticlcetson it!

4. ,$,;When I was a kid, I ran awayfrom home. lt took

them six monthsto find me.
B: Six months!How come it tool<them so long?
Ar They didn't look!

*r:,i'i S
Fiyingjoke {paEe
aai
Alfred had never flown before and was extremely
nervous.He was flyingacrossthe Atlanticto visit his
sister,who had emigratedto Canada.When he got on
the planehe found he was sittingin a window seat.After
a few minutes,the personnext to him arrived- an
enormouslyfat American.Not long after the planetook
off,the Americanfell asleepand beganto snore loudly.lt
was obvious to Alfred there was no way he could get
out, even to get to the toilet, without wal<ingthe man up.
After the in-flightmeal had beenserved,theplane
enteredan areaof severeturbulence.The
American
continuedto snore.Alfred,however.startedto feel sick.
He was desperateto tet to the toilet. Finally,
he was sick
- all over the man'strousers.The Americandidn't walce
up,but he just continuedto snore.Alfred didn't know
what to do.
As the planetoucheddown,the Americanfinallywol<e
up and saw his trousers.Alfred turned to him and said.
'Are
you feelingbetter now?'

Tapescr'ipt

Steve: Yes,we're going to this little Frenchplace near

l. r\: lt must'vebeen reallyhot in Greece.

B: Hot? lt was boiling!That'swhy we made sure the
hotel had air-conditioning.
2. ,41Oh, you're from 56o Paulooriginally,are you?
It's a pretty big city,rightl
B: Big?lt's enormous!That'swhy I moved to a small
town out in the country.
3. A; How'syour flat?lt must be a bit cold with all this
snow we're having.
B: Cold? lt's freezing!That'swhy I've decidedto have
centralheatingput in.
4. /\; lt's pretty quiet down in Devon,isnt it?
B: Quiet? lt's dead!That'swhy I decidedto move to
the city!
5. A; You must'vebeen pretty surprisedwhen you read
the report in the papers.
B: Surprised?| was shocked!That'swhy I contacted
my solicitor straightaway.
5. A; lt's a bit smallin here,isnt it?
B: Small?lt's tiny!You can hardlyswinga cat in here!
7. A: So,is he good-looking,
then,your new boyfriend?
B: Good-looking?
He'sgorgeous!You'll
die when you
s e eh i m !
8. A; lt must'vebeen a bit scary,going so high up like
that.
B: Scary?lt was terrifying!There's no way you'll catch
me doingthat again!

*r,ix d
(page48)
Flanningexpress;CIns
Gavin: Well,tonighti guessl'lf probablyjust stayin and
havea quiet night in front of the telly.I'm a bit too tired
to do anything.really.Then on Saturdaymorning,I'm
going to try to get up really early and go off and play
footballwith some matesof mine in the park,which
should be fun. Then Saturdayafternoon,unfortunately,
I'vegot to do some thingsaroundthe house,becausethe
place is a tip at the moment. Then,Saturdaynight,I've
got a big night becausea friend's havinga party at her
placeand Karen'sgoingto be there. And Sunday
morningI imaginel'll needto havea lie-injust to
recover,really,and then in the afternoon,I've got a friend
comingover.And then,finally,Sundaynight,I guessl'll
probablyjust stay in and havean early night.

where I live. The food's great there, and then

tomorrow I've got to get up really early - at
leastfor me! - and do some cooking,because
I'vegot some peoplecomingover in the
afternoon. And l'll havero give the placea
reallygood cleanas well. And, I'm not sure,but
I think we'll probablybe goingout after rhat to see a film or somethint.We havent really
plannedanything.What about yourself?
Ken: Well,tonight I'm supposedto be goingout with
some peoplefrom my old job, but I don't really
feel like it any more. I'm feelingreallytired.
Steve: So,you're just going to stay in, then?
Ken: Yes,becausetomorrow night I've got a big night.
I'm goingto my friends Pete and Rachel'sparty.
It's on a boat.
Steve: Oh, that soundsgreat. Whereaboutsl
Ken: Down by the river. You know, in the docks.
Steve: Oh yes,I know where you mean.I went to a
party there myselfa while ago.
Ken: Right.lsit OK down there?
Steve: Yes,it's great,but it's not all that big. There's not
that much room on the ooat.
Ken: Mm, soundscosy!
Steve: Oh, yes,you can get really close to people! Lots
of sweaty bodies!
Ken: I dont think it's going to be that sort of party!
Steve: Well, you never know. lf you're lucky,it might
becomeone! No, I'm only joking,it's actually
a great placefor a party.
Ken: Good. I'm reallylookingforward ro it. But then
on Sunday,unfortunately,I've got to do some
thingsfor work.
Steve: No rest for the wicked!Well, listen,I mlght give
you a ring on Sunday,
then,just to hear all about
your quiet nightout down on the river!

*v,l'x&i
l-ifestyie{page64}
l. I hategoingthere,but I'd run out of thingsto wear
and,to be honest,some of my clothes were a bit well, you know,so I thought I'd better havesome
cleanshirts before work on Monday.
2. ltt not somethingI normallydo but I just felt like a
bit of freshair and it was a nice summer'sevening
and quite a few shopswere open so,yes,it was really
ntce.

3 . Not.much really.I was quite tired when I got in from

Thank gsodnessitk Friday!{page50}

Steve: Thank goodnessitt Friday!This week's been
dratging on forever.
Ken: Tell me about it! So,what are you up to this
weekend?
Steve: Oh, nothingspecial,really.This evening,I'm just
going out for dinner with my parents.
Ken: Oh, that shouldbe nice.

work, so I iust got myselfsomethingto eat and then

wrote a couple of letters,read a bit, watched a bit of
TV and before I knew it, it was nearly midnight.
Sorry I couldn'tring you last night,butWednesdays
are my eveningsfor Art History.lt's somethingI've
alwaysbeen interested in, so I thought I'd try this tenweek coursethat the university's
runningthis
autumn.

'!51

Tapescript

2. I was so exhausted,I just went straightto bed as

soon as I got in.
Lucy: Hey,Rose,there's a letter for you.
Rose: Thanks.You must'vegot in late last night.I didn't
evenhearyou come in - and I went to bed after
one.
Lucy: I did,actually,
yes.I went and met some old
friends from collegethat I hadn't seenfor ages.
Rose: Oh, did youlThat must'vebeennice.
Lucy: Yes,we had a drink and a chat and caughtup
with all the gossip.You know what it's like.
Rose: U h - h u h .
Lucy: Then we had somethingto eat and then another
drink and then we endedup goingon to this
awful disco in town.
Rose: Oh, did you?Which one?Not Stardust.No,
surelynot Stardust?
Lucy: I'm afraidit was,actually- and it was really
terrible,just full of lcidsand the musicwas so
loud I could hardlyhear myselfthinl<.lt was like
beingbackat schoolall over again.Kids of
fourteen actingas if they were eighteen!
Rose: I could'vetold you that!
Lucy: This boy came up to me - you know, bottle of
beer in his hand,actingall macho,and askedme
to dance!| bet he hadn'tevenstartedshaving!
Rose: And did you?
Lucy: What? Dancewith him?Of courseI did!Then I
told him I was thirty-five!
Rose: You'reso cruel.
Lucy: Well, I just figuredit was better he found out
sooner rather than later that I was old enoughto
be his n-rum!
Rose: I thoughtyou were supposedto be there talking
to old friends.
Lucy: I was,but there was so much noise,you couldn't
reallyhavea proper conversation.
And then to
top it all,I missedthe lasttrain home and had to
get a cab and didn'tget in untii three!
Rose: Didn't you?Youmust be feelingexhaustedthis
morning,then.
Lucy: Yeah,I could do with anotherhour or two in
bed,that's for sure. ,Anyway,
what about you?
How was your night?
Rose: Oh, it was OK. I just did a bit of shoppingon my
way home,cool<edmyselfsome ramen noodles.
Lucy: Cooked yourselfsome what?
Rose: Ramennoodles,you know,just Japanese
noodles.
Lucy: Oh, OK.
Rose: They'rereallyquick and easy,and then I just did a
bit of tidying-up,
you l<now,nothingamazingor
anything,read for a bit, watched a bit of telly some film * you know the kind of thing that'son
late on Channel4. Actually,I was so tired, I fell
asleeoin the middleof itl
Lucy: Oh, dont! You'remakingme feel evenmore
exhausted!

Linking ldeas(pase6e)
l. lt was so cold,my handsfelt like they were going to
fall off.

152

3. I was so hungry,I could'vecarriedon eatingall night!

4. lt was so hot, I could hardlybreathe.
5. His conversationwas so dull,I could hardlystop
myselffrom yawning.
6. I was so angry,I could'vel<illedhim!
7. I was so worried,I rangthe police.
8. The film was so bad,I wall<edout halfwaythrough.

-,': ; I

'; ";

Cathy: So,we've got to take this one and then change

at CannonStreet,right?
Diane: Yes,that's ir. Hey,did I tell you about what
happenedwith me and my dad on the
undergroundlastyear?
Cathy: No, go on, what?
Diane: Weil, about a year and a halfago,I decidedto
get all my hair cut off, right?I alwaysused ro
havereally,reallylong hair - ever sinceI was
about fourteen or fifteen,you know - way down
pastmy shoulders- parted in the middlelilce
curtains.So,anyway,about a week after I had it
all cut off, you know - really short - and I looked
ouite different.
Cathy: Yeah,I bet.
Diane: So,anyway,
I was goinghome on the tube,and
I was halfasleepbecauseit was five or six
o'clocl<and I was just standingthere,mindingmy
- and little did I know that my dad
own business
was actuallycomingbacl<from a business
trip
abroad,passingthrough Londonon the
undergroundto get his train bacl<to Durham.
And guesswhat?He got into the samecarriage
as me!The doors closedbehindhim.So there I
am, standingthere face-to-facewith my own
father! | don't recognisehim at first,but then I
think,'Ah,that'smy dad,'and,of course,he's
obviouslyonly seenme with reallylong hair for
the lastten years,and so l'm standingthere,
staringat him and he l<eepson glancingat me
nervously,
thinking,'Who'sthis lunaticstaring
at me?'and I'm thinking- you know,it's the
strangestfeelingnot beingrecognisedby your
own dad - so I just stood there thinlcing,'Well,
shall I just get off at the next stop without
tellinghim,or shalli risk givinghim a nervous
breakdownand a heart attacl<by saying,'Hello
dad'l But,anyway,
eventuallyI went,'Hello
dad' and he went,'Diane!'and then saidnow
he was tetting reallyworried becausehe
thought I was a pick-pocketor a drug addictor
somethingwho'd beengettingreadyto pinch
his wallet or something- and,um,yeah,that
was a pretty strangeand funny thing.
Cathy: Yeah,reollystrange.

Taoescriot

Story-tellingexpressions(page78)
A,: Did I tell you about what happenedto me in France
last year?

B: No, I dont think you did.Go on.

l{:

B:
A:

B:
A;

Well, I was on holidaywith my parentsin this little

villagenear the sea,and we ran out of money.
Really?
That'sawful.
Yes,so we went into town to find a cashmachinewhich we did,no trouble.Anyway,when we put
the card in the machine,it iust startedspittingout
loadsand loadsof money.
You'rejoking!So did you keep it?
Of coursewe did!Wouldn'tyou?

*,r:i"l i X

Sharon:Yeah,it's great. And then I spent the eveningat

my mum's,which was nice.

Barry: Oh, that soundsgood.

Sharon:Yeah,and apart from that, I've been doing
thingsfor college,really.
Barry: Uh-huh,still beinga good student,then.
Oh look, there's my bus into town. I'd best be off.
l'll see you soon,then.Bye.
Sharon:Yeah,OK, bye.

I sometimeswish ld known my grandfatheron my

mum'sside.He was supposedto havebeena really
interestingguy.

2. I wish I hadnt eatenso much earlier.I feel reallysick!

3 . I often wish I had travelledmore when I was young6r.
I iust don't havethe time to do it now.

Sharon: Barry! Hi, how are you?| haventseenyou for

ases.
Barry: Hello,Sharon.Longtime, no see.
Sharon: I l<now.So how're you doing?
Barry: I'm all right,thanks.And you?
Sharon: Yeah,not too bad.So,what've you been up to
sinceI lastsaw you?
Barry: Not a lot - working mostly- I've beenworking
really long hours this week,getting reallyfed up
with it, you l<now
Sharon: Really?
Barry: Yeah,but I went down to Kent last weekend,
for my grandma'sbirthday party.
Sharon:Oh, how old was she?
Barry: Eighty-five.lt was reallygreat. We went for this
lovelymealand then we went for a walk along
the beach.lt was good ro get out of the city.
Sharon: I bet. I l<eepmeaningto havea weekend away
myself.
Barry: I know. You get to the point where you really
need it, don't you? lf you don't get out of
London from time to time, it starts driving you
crazy,you l<now.Anyway,what about you?
What've you been up tol
Sharon:Well,on SundaymorningI went and sawthat
exhibition at the RoyalAcademy.
Barry: Oh yes,the one there'sbeenall that fussabout
- deadsheepand picturesof toilet rolls and
things.
Sharon: Yeah,my friend Angela- she'sat art school she kept naggingme to go and see it, so I went.
Barry: And what did you think of it?Was it any good?
Sharon: Oh, I actuallythought it was excellent,really
good and challenging.
There'sonly one thing
that madeyou go'yuk!'- the deadsheep.
I think it! meantto shockyou,though.
Anyway,after that, I popped round and saw a
friend of mine,Richard,for a bit and then we
went uD to Camden market to do a bit of
shopping.
Barry: Oh yeah,it's nice up there on a Sunday,
isn't
it?

I reallywish I had gone to see the doctor about it

earlier.lt wouldn't havegot so bad if I had.
I sometimeswish I hadn'twastedso much time wnen
I was at university.
I wouldnt be working here if I'd
got a better degree.
I wish I hadnt spent so much moneywhile I was on
holiday.I wouldn't be so badlyin debt if I hadn't.

7. I wish I'd met her earlier.I wouldn't havehad to

spend so manyyears of my life on my own!

8. I reallywish I hadn'tlost my addressbool<.I'm going

to losetouch with loadsof peoplenow

*s;i'*- * * :
Recommending {page99)
Conversation I
A: I went and saw an exhibitionat the HaywardGallery
earlierin the week.
B: Oh, did you? What was it?
A: lt was a collectionof photosfrom the first lunar
landing.
B: Oh, really?lt soundsquire interesting.What was it
like?
A.; Quite good, actually,thephotos were reallygreat,
quite amazing- some of them.
B: So,you'drecommendit,thenl
S,: Yes,you should go and see it.
Conversation 2
y'\: I went and saw that new exhibition at the National
Gallerythe other day.
B: Oh, did you?Which one'sthat again?
A: Oh, it was this collectionof Flemishpaintingsfrom
the seventeenthcentury.
B: Oh really?Whatwas it like?
A; Well, I didnt think much of it myself.lt was all a bit
dull,you l..now
B: So,you wouldn't recommendit, then?
A: No, I'd give it a miss,if I were you - unlessyou really
lil<ethat sort of thing,of course.

153

Tapescripl

Reeclrfr
mxendFr"rg
expresslons{page99i
l.
2.
3.
4.
5.
5.
7.

lt's OK if you're into that sort of thing.

lt's a must.
I reallyrecommendit.
I'd give it a missif I were you.
lt's well worth a visit.
lt's not worth the entrancefee.
lt's not really my cup of tea.

Conversation 3
.s': Didn't you go to see Mocbethlast week?
B: Yeah,it was brilliant.I've beento it a few times
before,but I think this was the best productionI've
ever seen.
,*",;Yeah,someone I worl< with went and said it was
wonderful.I wish I'd beenableto get a ticl<et.

Asking linked Errestiems

{page105}
#h, that remind$rncF(page1s2)
t . "4,;I visitedAlan in hospitallast Fridayto see how he
was gettrngon.
B: Oh, did you?| l<eepmeaningto go and see him
myself.How was he?

2. A,:I spentall day Sundaycatchingup on all my mail.

B: Oh, that remindsme. I must sendin my passport
application.

3 . A,: I went and saw that musical,Chicogo,last

week.
B: Oh, I've been meaningto go and see that for ages.
Was it as good as everybodysays?

4. l\l I went round to Mike and Sue'sthe other dayto

seethat new car they'vebeentellingeveryone
aDout.
B: Oh, that remindsme. I must givethem a call.
I havent spokento them for ages.

5 . /-h.rI went down to Bristol for the weekenda couDte

of weel<sago.
B: Oh, really.I'vebeenthinl<ing
about havinga
weekend awaymyself.Were you campingor what?
6. lc: I just stayedin last night and watchedTV. There'sa
greatthing on on Fridaysat the moment about
Antarctica.
B: Oh,that remindsme. I must record that new thing
on ChannelFour tonight.lt's meantto be really
funny.

.-'," I

5o what rruas like? {pagef 0a}

Conversation I
,&: Mm,this fish is reallynice.What's yours like?
B: Well, I'm beginningto wish I'd had the sameas
you.I usuallylove chicl<en,
but,to be honest,this is
a bit bland.The waiter saidit was in a delicious
mushroomsauce,but it doesnt taste of anything.
Conversation 2
.&: So,is the wine all right?
B: Mm,yeah,it's all right,but it's nothint special.
,A^rI seewhat you mean.f l5 for this! lt reallyis very
ordinary.
B: Yes,it's a bit disappointing,
to saythe least.Shall
we sendit bacl<l
A; No, I cant be bothered.lt's not that bad.

154

t . A; What's his houselil<e?ls it big?

B: Yes,it's huge.lt's got four bedrooms and an
enormousgarden.

2. ,4,:What was that book like?Wasit interesting?

B: No, it wasnt, actually.lt was really boring.In fact,
I didn't evenfinishreadingit.

3 . /4: What's your new job lil<e?Are you enjoyingit?

B: Yes,very much.My bossis reallynice and it's
quite well paid,really.

4. A.rWhat wasTunisialikelWas it warm?

B: Yes,it wos quite warm, but not as hot as the last
time we went.

5 . ,4: What's this CD like?ls it any good?

B: Yes,I think it's treat. The third track is brilliant.
6. l.\: How was the match?Did you win?
E: No, we lost three - one.lt was just terrible.I cant
believeit.

Nct exaetlyS$rakespeare
{paget11i
Paul: Guesswhat I went and saw last night - Titonic
- it's on againthis week at the Duke of York's.
Mick Oh, yeah.I saw that when it first cameout.
What did you thinl<of it? Did you lil<eit?
Paul: Oh, it was great.I reallyenjoyedit. I thoughtthe
specialeffectswere amazing,and the actingwas
brilliant.lt's one of those filmswhere,you know,
when I first heardabout how much money
they'dspenton it, I just couldn'tbelieveit, but it
was reallygreat.lt was a bit like one of those old
disastermovies,you know, like lowering
lnfernoor Earthquoke,
oniy better.
Mick Really?I'm surprised.I thoughtthe actingwas a
bit wooden myself,and the dialoguewas just
awful.I can't believeyou actuallythought it was
worth the moneytheyd spent on it. I mean,
didn't you find the whole thing just a little bit
over-the-toP?
Paul: Oh, no. l.{ot at all.I thought it was brilliant.
Miclc But the actingwas horrendous!
Paul: Well, I know it's not exactly Shakespeare,
but it's
not meantto be, is it? l'll tell you something
weird though,there was this guy sittingnext to
us who snoredall the way throughthe film!
Mick ReallylThatmust'vebeen reallyannoying.
How
could anybodyactuallysleepthroughall that
noise!

Tapescripl

Paul: I dont know - just deadtired, I suppose.

Mick Yeah,I guessso,but really,though,didnt you
think it was all iust a bit roo sentimental?
Paul: I know what you mean,but I honestlydidn't.I
reallythought it was all done just right.lt was
so romantic.
Mick Oh well,eachto his own. Haveyou seenBomb
Alert2 yett
Paul: No, I haven'teven heard of it.Who's in it?
Mick Um,Jean-Paul
van Klam,he'sgreat in it and,
um, that woman from Kamikqze,you know
who I mean.RememberlShewasTurtle-woman
too, althoughI must admit she wasnt very good
in that.
Paul: Oh, her.So what'sit like?Any good?
Mick Yeah,it's great - if you like blood all over the
placeand that sort of thing.
Paul: Oh, it doesnt reallysound like my sort of thing,
actually.
I think l'll give it a miss.

*:,:':

'j

Chris: No. A hundredand fifty poundsit cost me! A

fine ond six penaltypoints!
Claire: Oh. that'sterrible!
Chris: Yeah,but it was my own sillyfault.I mean,I
should'vel<nownbetter,but going bacl<to what
you were sayingabout the crossing,you're
right. lt would be far safer if it was closer to the
shops,becausethat's where everybodycrosses,
you l<now That'swhere most kids cross,so it'd
be more sensibleif it was moveddown.
Claire: Yes,I think that'sthe root of the problem.
I mean,it does seema funny placefor a crossing.
And I would'vesaidthe other problemwith ir
is the fact that lots of cars park all round there.
Chris: Yes,that does makeit difficultto see,I suppose.
r-i'
Apparently,the car that hit that kid had just
driven off from there.
Claire: Oh, really?Had it?Well,you seewhat I mean,
then.

Disagreeing

l. Sorry,my mind'sgone completelyblank.

2. Wait, it'll come to me in a minute.
3. Wait, it's on the tip of my tongue.

Well, I agreeup to a point, but (it'snot os simp/eos

you think.)
Yes,I know what you mean,but (it's time we did
somethingobout it.)
c . Yes,but dont you think that (we shouldwait till later?)
c . Yes,but dont forget that (everythingcostsmoney)

4. Sorry,I cant remember off the top of my head.

.j

*s,i.': 3

Lir.:i-:.i*
Complainingabout things ( paget2e)

MloresleepinEpolicemen!{page121)

Complaining about a meal

Chris: Did you hear about that l<idwho was knocked
down on JunctionRoadthe other day?
Claire: Yes,it was awful,wasntit? Still,it's hardly
surprising,
,'
is it?
Chris: What do you mean?
Claire: Well,there are alwaysaccidentsdown there,
aren'tthere,especially
with the speedcarsgo
at. And, well,basically,
the crossing's
in the
wrong place,isn't itl I don't know why they've
never moved it. I mean,it'd be better if it was
exactlyoppositethe shops,wouldn't it?
Chris: Yes,I know what you mean.They could do
somethingto slow the trafficdown,couldn't
they?Maybethey could put sleepingpolicemen
there or somethinglil<ethat.
Claire: Yeah,maybe- maybeone every so often would
help,but what would be reallygreat is if they
had one of those soeedcameras.
Chris: Big Brother,you mean!
Claire: No, they reallymal<ea difference.You should
see how they've slowed the traffic down where
my parents live.
Chris: Yeah,I supposeyou're right"I'm only against
them becauseI got caughtby one last month.
Claire: You'rekidding!

Joan:
Mike:

How was the meal last night?

Oh, it was awful!Thefood wasn'tvery good.
It would'vebeen OK if that was the only
problem,but the waiterswere reallyrude as
well. And then,to top the whole thing off,they
tried to overchargeus. Then when we
complainedabout it, they made it soundas if it
was our fault!

Complaining about a situation

Terry: How's collegegoing?
Not very well,actually.
I'vegot a bit of a
problemwith my timetablethis term. I mean,
the lastthing I need is three lectureson a
Friday.I wish they wouldn't changethe
timetable every term. Last term was much
better.

Julie:

l. A: Doesn'tit bug you the way shopsalwayscharge

f9.99 when you l<nowir's really{ l0?
B: I must admit,thingslikethat don't reallybother
me.
2. A: Look, I'm really sorry. There's no way I can come
to your party tomorrow night.I've got to work
late.

155

pt
Taoescri

B: Oh, well,don't worry. lt's not the end of the

world.
3. A: I reallythought I'd got the job. I mean,my
interviewwent reallywell,and then they tell me
I'm not evenshort-listed!
B: Oh. well.Don't let it get you down.
4. A: I'vegot about five billsI'm supposedto pay by the
end of the month. What do they think I am?
Madeof money?
B: Oh well,there'snothingyou can do about it.
-

i.

N o w y o u ' r e ta l ki n g ! (p a g e 't3 3 )
Rachel: So,haveyou had any more thoughtsabout
what you're going to do next year,then?
Mm. I don't l<now,really.I mean,I was thinking
that it might be a good ideato do that art
course I was tellingyou about,but it all depends
on my resutts.

Rachel: So what about France?Werentyou talking

about goingto Parisa while back?
Nick

Oh, for that Frenchcourse?Well, I would still

like to do it, but I just dont know if I can
afford it.

Rachel: Oh, I know what you mean.Money'salwaysa

problem,isnt it? | mean,what I'd reallylil<eto
do next year is learnto drive and buy a car,but
I'm not sure if l'll havethe cash.The thing is,
I'm just so sicl<of havingto get buses
everyvvnere.
Nick

Dreadful,aren'tthey?You wait halfan hour

and then three come alongat the sametime.
So,you're basicallyjust going to be staying
around here,just trying to saveup some
money,then?
Rachel: Yes,I supposeso.lt depends,really.I mean,if I
can find a good job,then l'll stick around,but
otherwisewhat I was thinl<ingof doing
eventuallyis goingbacl<to Glasgow
Nick

Oh right,becauseyou grew up there,didn't

you?

Rachel: Yes,that'sright,yes,so I supposeI do see

myselfendingup there eventually.
Nick

Yeah.

Rachel: So,assurning
you do this art course,what do
you seeyourselfdoingafter that,in the long
term?
Nick

155

work abroadfor six monthsl

Nick

What?Youmeanpicl<ing
grapesin France?
That kind of thing?
Rachel: Yeah,or, I don't know - working in a hotel in
S p a i no,r . . .
Nick

Or goingto Australia.lf the Aussiescan work

over here,why can'twe go and get a job over
there?

,f

*1".{ "*

Niclc

Rachel: Just listento us,Nick!We just soundso boring!

Why don't we go off somewheretogether this
summer,you know,maybe- | don't know -

Oh, I don't l<now.No idea really.I haven't

thoughtthat far ahead.l'll just take it as it
comesand see what happens.

Rachel: Yeah,l'd love to do that. Where'sthe paper?

What's the cheapestflight to Sydney?
Nick

Now you'retallcing!

'*ir:1d;
-.

First job
.4: So,what exactlydoesyour job involvethen?
B: Well, basically,
I prepareall the prescriptionsand
keepa checl<on all the drugswe havein stock.I also
giveadviceto peoplewho come in with minor
problems.You l<nowthe sort of thing - what
cream to use for a rash,what to tal<efor an upset
tummy - that sort of thing.Sometimes,
I'm just like
a shop assistant,
sellingthingsover the counter;
other times I feel lil<eI'm a doctor.
Second job
A: So,how long haveyou been doingthis,thenl
B: All my life- sinceI left school.I worked with my
father,and now I've got my son working with me.
I reallyenjoyworking with wood. I love takinga
pieceof wood and turning it into somethinguseful.
I learnedeverythingI know from watchingmy
father and the older men at work. Now, itt great
passingon my skillsto youngerguys.
Third job
A,: So,do you enjoy doingwhat you'redoing?
B: Yeah,well, I mean,somebody'sgot to do it, haven't
they?Justthinl<,if nobodydid it, what would the
placebe like?| mean,when I was a boy,if you
droppedsomething,thepolicewould be after you,
but these dayspeopledon't care.They just drop
everything- coke cans,cigarettepackets,
newspapers,
everything,
you nameit, I've pickedit
up.Mind you, I'vefound the odd f20 note. I'd never
worl< indoors.I just couldn'tstandit.

N*xg*fum$x*
: ,ac*,**s*$g
*g*#
'xxp,*$*x*'*$*r;,s
You alreadyknow a lot of Englishgrammar,and you
probablykeepa vocabularynotebool<,
so it is easyto
think that the two best ways to improve your Englishare
to improveyour grammarand learn new words.But
there is anotherthing you can do which is evenmore
helpful,especially
now you alreadyknow quite a lot of
English.You needto notice collocations and record
them in your notebooks.So,what are collocations?
We hardlyever use one word on its own. You will
usuallymeet a new word in a text, where it is usedwith
other words. So,it is alwaysbetter to learn groups of
words which are often used together. These groups
of words are calledcollocations.
Completeeachsentencewith one word.
lmust've
H a v ey o u
H e ' sa r e a l l y
S h aw
lle

...amistake.
...your homeworl<l
" . . s m o l < e r - a t l e a s t t w e n t ya d a y ,

" . . a ." . . . . . . " . b r e a l < i

You alreadyknow'chunl<s'
of language.
For example:
mal<ea nristake
heavysmoi<er

do your homework
havea short break

Theseare all collocations.

lf you learnwords one by one, it is easyto mal<e
mistakeswhen you use the words later.You might,for
example,say:I think I did o mistoke,
or I haven'tmade my
homework.
lf you learnwords in groups,you will not
make as many mistakes.
There are lots of differentkindsof collocations.
lt is a
good ideato havea differentsectionin your notebool<
for collocationsof differentkinds.Here are some of the
most imDortantkinds:

meol is a heovymeal.You cannot translate/ightinto your

own languageuntil you know what word is usedwith it.
That is why collocationis so important.lf you write
collocationsin your notebool<,
mal<esure you translate
the collocationas a single chunk.

.n'

*flS.t:;'it*i. l"n'f;,rtfi
You havemet lots of Englishtenses- the present
continuous,
the presentperfect,the presentperfect
continuousand so on. You mightthinl<the systemis
very complicated.
In fact,it is fairlysimple.There are
only three reallyimportantpatternsthat you needto
understand.
Continuous forms
Here are some examoles:
The presentcontinuous:
O h n o ,i t s r a i n i n ga g a i n .
The pastcontinuous:
I was working all lastweel<end.
The presentperfectcontinuous:
There you arel * I've beentrying to ring you all
morntng.
In every examplethe speal<er
seesthe actionas
extendedbetweentwo pointsin time. so a continuous
form is used.Thisis alsotrue for eventsorganisedbefore
now which will happenafter now:
We're havinga few friends round on Friday.Would you
Iiketo come?
The game is being playednextTuesday.
The continuousalwaysemphasises
that the speaker
thinlcsthe eventis extendedover a period:
Next weel<l'll be lyingon the beachin rhe sun"
Perfect forms

curiy hair
i:aythe bill
tf';enreparl<
highlyei{f*nsive

(adjective+ noun)
(verb + noun)
(noun + noun)

(adverb+ adiective)
*n either sideof
(prepositional
phrase)
ofi the other hand
(adverbphrase)
ta.fking
ts s#m old friends (verb + adjective+ noun)

The most importantkind of collocationyou needto

+ nsun.For example:
learn is verb+ (odjective)
applyfor a new job
Notice that you may know all the words in a phrase,but
not recognisethe phraseas a single chunk. Learning
it as a chunk is very important. Notice the opposite
of o lightcolouris a dork colour,but the opposite ol o light

The presentperfect:
Oh, you've changedyour hair.I prefer it that way.
The past perfect:
Stevetoid me, but ld alreadyheardfrom Amanda.
The presentperfectcontinuous:
There it is! I've been loolcingfon that everywhere.
In every casethe speakeris lookingbackon an earlier
event.In spol<enEnglishwe often notice somethingnow
which makesus commenton what happenedearlier.The
sentenceoften linksthe causeof the presentsituation,
or the resultof what happenedearlier:
The journeyonly takesme twenty minutesnow
becausethey've opened the new road at last.
Vy'e'vemoved,you lcnow,so I haveto come on the
train nowadays.

157

Grammar
introduction

Simple forms
Theseare usedif the speal<er
is givinga summary,or
overviewof the whole situation.Differentkindsof
overviewall use the simpleform:
i seewhat you mean.
I never eat meat.
I promise Nwont saya word to anybody"
I playtennisat leastsnee a week all year round.
It tal<esabout two hours,dependingan the traffic.
lf you use anotherform, it addsextra meaning,
so the
simpleform is the basicform. lt is the most common
form of the verb in English.

i , f . . , : : . : :, . : : ' . : - . : - :
;#

There is only one reallyimportantgrammarpatternwith

Englishnouns- the differencebetweencountoble
and
uncountable
nouns.
Countablenounsare thingswhich exist in units:
books,days,children
or which we thinl<of in units:
ideas,plans,opporrunities
Becausecountablenounsare about units,you can have
one - a book, an opportunity (the singulor).
Or you can
havemore than one - six days,threechildren(the plurol).
Uncountablenounsare thingswhich we do not usually
thinl<of in units:
krcl<,
happiness,
water,sand
Somewords havetwo differentmeanings,
one countable,
a n do n e u n c o u n t a b l e :
l" Do you thinl<there is life out rhere in spacel
2. There'sa free spacenext to that redVolvo.
I n ( l ) s p a c e= t h e s i n g l eg, r e a tc o s m o s .
In (2) space= the marl<edareawhere you can leavea
car in the car park. You can count the spacesin the car
oark.
So,it is not words which are countableor uncountableit is the particularmeaning of the word. Somewords
havetwo very similarmeanings,
but the grammaris
different:
l. I'veonly playedtwo sr ehreerimes befq:re.
?. l-{urryup - we haven'tmuch time" The train leaves
at twenty Past.
In (l) times = occasions"
You can count how manytimes

Camembert,Roquefort,Brie,etc.
In (3) you are contrastingone kind of cheese- strongwith another.
.
'I

"::
q d

- r

1}' I
. r .

o".j I
w
f,

..f:*

l;','n1^:

i.-"in
. r i

i..,t
- r / i J f # . '

:**
^ . -

" o .

Two things are very important if you want to improve.

Firstly,you needto hear and reada lot of English.
lt
doesn'tmatter if you don't understandeverything;
if you
understandpart of what you hear or read,that is enough
to help you improve.Secondly,you need to noticethe
language
you meet.lf your teachersays,'You
modeo
mistoke,'you
needto noticethat the expressionis mode
o mistcke,not did o mistoke.lfyou do not notice
somethint,you will not rememberit.
With grammar,it is alsovery importantto noticethe
examplesyou meet. Again,you needto noticewhole
expressions,
and record them in your notebool<exactly
as you find them. Recordexamplesyou meet lil<ethis:
It's tirne yr:u stood on your own two feet"
I searchedhighand lsw for ir.
CK, I can tal<ea hint,
Not lilcethis:
te stand on your own twO feet
highand low
take the hint
Do not changethem so that they lool<lilcea dictionary.
Changingthem makesthem more difficultto rememoer,
and when you usethem later,there is more chancethat
you will makea mistal<e.
lf you write a translation,
translatethe phraseas a singleexpression.
Slowly,you will beginto seegroupsof exampleswhich
are similarin some way.lf you can see a pattern,and you
c a n d e s c r i b ei t ,t h e d e s c r i p t i o n
i s a ' r u l e ' .A ' r u l e ' i s
nothingmore than a descriptionof some examples
which are similarin some way.
But rememberthat exampleswhich are similarin one
way may be differentin other ways,so your'rule' may be
only partlytrue. Eventhe rules in grammarbooks are
often only partlytrue.
The real examplescome first;rulescome later,so the
examplesare more important.

you havedone something.

In (2) time = the abstractideaof time. You can measure

With vocabulary,
noticeand record words in chunl<s
collocationsand exoressions.

it, but you can'rcounr ir.

With grammar,notice and record the examplesin

context, exactly as you find them.

l. I'm very fond of cheese.

2. Franceis sometimesdescril:edas rhe land of 200
eneeses"
3. You need a very srrongcheesefor this recipe.

158

In ( l) you are talkingabout cheesein general.

In (2) cheese= differentlcindsof cheese.You can count

Noticingand recordinglanguage
in chunl<s
will help you
learn more quickly,and make fewer mistalceswhen you
use Englishyourself.

*l**: xp
ffi1

(page 9)

Modifiersare words such as very,really,and quite.They

are usedto'modify' - strengthenor weaken- adjectives.
Really, very
She'svery nice.

He's really bossy"

These two modifiersare usedto mal<epositiveor

negativeadjectivesstronger.However,with 'extreme'
adjectives- boiling,fantostic,delicious,huge,tiny,freezing,
etc.- you can only use reolly.lt's very hugeor Itwos very
fantosticsound very strange.
It's reallyboilingtoday,isn't itl
It's reallydelicious,
rhis soup.
Quite
The meaningof quitedependsboth on the way it is
stressedand on the context you hear it in.
john's quite creative- he paintsand draws.
fn the sentenceabove,creativewould be stressedand the
sentencemeansyou thinl<that John reallyis creative.
However,in the sentencebelow,quitewould be stressed
and the sentencenow meansyou thinl<Peteis creative,
but not particularlycreative.
Pete'squite creative,but he's notVan Goghl
a bit too
She'sa bit too nice,if you lcnowwhat I mean.
The structure a bit too + positiveadjectiveis usuallyused
either to disagreeslightlywith what hasjust been said,as
in this example:
,fr,:She'svery good'lool<ing,don't you thinl<l
B: Yes,a bit too good-looking,
if you ask me. I mean,
she'svery big-headed
about rt.
or to add an extra comment to a statementwe nave
alreadymade.For example:
She'sreallytall<ative
. . . actually,
she can sometimesbe
a bit too tallqative,
now I come to thinl<of it! | mean,
she just nevershutsup once she getsgoing!

Presentsimpleand present
eoiltinuoug
The presentsimpleis the most common tense in English.
The presentsimplehere is usedto talk about thingsthat
the speakerseesas facts about life - thingsthat are
always,normallyor usuallytrue:

The presentcontinuous,however,is usedwhen tne

speakerseesthe actionor eventdescribedas only being
temporary,as somethingalreadyin the processof being
completed.
She'sbeingreallynice at the momenr.
(This is strange,becausenormallyshe'shorrible!)
He'sworking this weel<end.
(But he doesn'tusually,
it's only a temporary
arrangement.)
Rememberthat the differencebetweenthe oresenr
simpleand presentcontinuousis about how we see an
event.Both forms can be used about the sameevent.for
examPte:
j a n e ' sl i v i n gi n G r e e c e .
M a r i el i v e sl n G r e e c e "
The differenceis probablythatJanehasa job in Greece
for ayear,but Marie is marriedand hasa familythere.
The fact that the two peoplelivethere is the same,out
thdway the speakerseesthe situationis different.

You probablyknow the basicrulesfor how to make

comparisonsusingadjectivesalready:we generallyuse
adjective+ -er or more * adjective.
For example:
/4: Shallwe take the busi
B: No, letk walk.lt'li be nicer,
Everything's
so much cheaperhere than it is in rhe UK.
Most of the other peoplethere seemeda lst more
experiencedrhan I was"
I found this booh a iot mcre interestingthan the cither
thingsI've had to readfor the course.
Note: ln eonversation,
the two thingsyou are comparing
are usuallyobviousto the personyou'retallcingto. As a
result,we tend not to comparethem both within the
samesentence.This is why we don't say:Nq lett wolk.
It'll be nicerthon tokingthe bus in the first exampleabove.
The rules for when to add -er and when to add more are
quite complex,Generally,
words of three syllables
take
more,and most shorter adjectivesof one or two syllables
take -er, but this is not alwaystrue. Participleadjectives
(ones which end in -ing and -ed), for example,always
tal<emore.- even if they havea short sound (e.g., bored,
crowded)- and so do adjectivesendingin -ful and -less
(e.9. helpful).Thereare also two very common irregulars:
betterand worse.

I find my dad a bit dul,.

(always,not iust at the moment)
Do you get on with thern all right?
(generally)

1s9

Grammar
commentary

Rememberthat as well as makingadjectivesinto

comDaratives.
we can also use adverbsand advero
phrasesto comparehow thingsare done.For example:
N-lefinishedit mueh more quicklythan I thought he
would.
I get on with him,much,much better than I usedto"
To comparethe first thing we are talkingabout
netativelywith the secondthint we are tallcingabout,we
use not os ... os for adjectives:
He's not as old as most peoplethinl<he is.
It's not as expensivehere as it is baclshome.
To do the samewith adverbs,we use don't + yerb + cs +
odverb+ os.
I don't lil<ethis as much as I thought I would.
Shedoesn'tcome over as often as she usedto.
I don't get on with him as well as I did when we
were younger.
There are lots of common fixed phrasesfor making
comparisons.
We often usethem when we are
answeringquestions.
lt's a good ideato lceepa record of
these everytime you meet a new one. Here are some
typicalexamples:
not as often as I used to
not as often as I'd like to
not as much as I usedto
not as good as I thought it would be
not as difficultas I thought it would be

U s i n ga u xi l i a ri e s{p a g e2 3 )
lf an auxiliaryverb is usedin the initialstatement,the
responsewill usethe sameauxiliary:
So+auxiliary+l
,4: I'm goingto stayin tonight and do norhing"
B: Oh,so am l"
A: l've just bool<edmy summerholidays.
B: Oh, that's funny,becauseso havel.
lf we want to atree with a negativestatement,however,
the pattern is:
Neither + positive form of the auxiliary + |
A; I don't like thingsthat are too sweet"
B: lrlo,neitherdo L
F,l I can't stand sea wafer.
B: Ch no,neither can l.
lf no auxiliaryverb is presentin the initialcomment,we
agreeby addinga'dummy auxiliary'do;
So+do+l
A: I prefer coffeewithour nrill<.
B: Oh,so do l.
A: I nevergo abroad.
B: No, neitherdo l.
Notice,that if the initialcommenthasmore than one
auxiliaryverb,we agreeby usingthe frst of the two
auxiliaries:

160

A:
B:
A;
B:

I've beenthinlcingabout movinghouse.

Oh, that's strange,becauseso ha.vel.
I hayen! been feelingall that weli just lately.
There must be somethinggoinground,because
neither havei.

Finally,
note that it is very common in spokenEnglishto
simplyuse Oh,metoo to agreeto a positivestatement
and Nq me neitherto agreewith a negativeone.
A:

I love fish and ehips./ I'vebeenthere loadsof

times now.i I can speal<
a bit of Japanese.
B: Ch. me too.
,f.\: I dont lil<ehim much./ | can'tstandthis l<indof
music.i I haven'tseenher for ages.
B: No, me neither.

ffi5 Wsulld {page31}

Would(or'd) is usedwhen the speal<er
wantsto makea
statementsound more tentativeor hypothetical:
Wor"rldyou mind if I left a bit early todayl I've gor a
doctor's appointn-rent.
(l understandit might not be possible.)
It'd be great if you did come and stay in the sllmmer.
(though,of course,I realiseyou might not be ableto)
I'd quite lil<ethe greenone,if you can find it.
(but dont worry if you can't)
However,there are also lots of usefulexpressions
using
wouldwhich you shouldjust try and learnto use as
w h o l ec h u n k s :
That'd be greac.
I w o u l d n ' tm i n d .
I wouldif I could.
I'd quite like to.
It'd be nice if you could.
I wouldn't do that if I were you.
It is a good ideato listenfor and collectother
expressionsusingwould.

Fast perfect eontinuous(page37)

The pastperfectcontinuousis generallyusedto tall<
about the backgroundto an eventin the pastor to
explainwhy this event happened.
lt usuallydescribesthe
eventsor actionsleadingup to somethingwhich is the
mainfocusof our story or description.
We hadnkbeengettingon for a longtime, so we
decidedto go our separateways.
"A':So how come you didn't haveany money?
B: Well, I hadn'tbeenworl<ingmurch,
and I'd been
havinga lot of problemswith my car.
This contrastswith the pastperfectsimple,which is used
to describea singleeventwhich then had a resultin the
past.Look at these examples:
He looked reallyweird and then I suddenlyrealised
he'd shavedhis beard offl (just once!)

G r a m m caor m m e n i a ' v

I wasnt feelingwell . . . i'd had a ccld for monrns.

(not'ld been havinga cold' - havinga cold is not
somethingyou can do over and over again)
Rememberthat the past perfect is alwaysconnectedto
other eventsin the more recenr Dasr.

Second cmffiditigriaEs
{pageBs}
Secondconditionalsare usedto talk about situations
which the speal<er
seesas unlikelyor hypothetical.
There are severalvery frequently used second
conditionals.
For example:

It is alsoworth rememberingthat there are lots of

adjectiveexpressionswhich are followed by a
prepositionplusgerund;
I'm not very l<eenon eool<ing.
You nrust be rired oL pegple_abg@ys
a5kjlg you where
you're from.
There are two or three common verbswhich can be
followedby gerundsand infinitives.
Look at these
examPtes:
I elearlyremennberswli'nming
in the seanear eur
fl()use.
(it happenedin the past)
I rnustremembertq eailmy mum tonight.
(in the future)

! wouldn't do that if i were you"

I wouldn't bother if I were yoLt.
I would if i eould,but I can't"
It'd be grearif youlcould.
it'd be tennibleif rhey did.
I'd die if that happenedto me!

Haveyou tried askingthe guy next do6r?

(Haveyou alreadytried this method of solvingyour
problem?)
.lust ery_rc_fqrgelabour it.
(in the future)

One thing to rememberis that when we report first

conditionals,
they then havethe sameverb forms as
secondconditionals:

I jr:srtotallyfqrgqr ro payrhe phone bill"

(l should'vedone it, but didnt.)

Fle told rne rhar I could if I wantedto.

(His actualwords: Youcon if you wont to.)

l'li neverforget climbingthat nrountainin peru.

(l still rememberit and I expectro rememberit in the
future.)

I alwaysusedro tlrinl<that if I neededher,she'dbe

there fer me"
(My actualthought:If I needher,she'llbe therefor me.)
We also use the samegrammaticalstructure to talk
about typicalthingsthat happeneda lot in the past.For
example:
When I was a l<id,if lt snornred,
we'd ail gs our and have
hugesnowballfights.
lf my dad eve{-gor reafly angrywirh me, l'd run upstairs
and then l'd hidc under rny bed.

TeEkEng
abeut the fr"rte.lre
{page49}
When you are trying to decidewhich form to useto talk
about the future,the most importantthing to think
about is why you think the actionsyou're talking about
are goingto happen.Here are some guidelines
to help
you:
'll - the
normal, everyday, contracted form of will

Note that in these examples,if meanseverytime or

whenever.

That'sthe phone"!'ll ger it.

I thini<l'li havethe ehieken.

Whether you use a secondconditionalor not is very

much a matter of choice.For example,logically,
you
would expect peopleto use one when talkingabout
winningthe lottery,but actuallyyou often hear people
sayingthingslike this:

'/l

if I win this weel<.,

you wor.l'tsee me baci<at wort{ next
-When I win,
Monday!or - evenmore optimistically!
I'rn goingco tell my bosswhat he can do with his iob!

Goingto is usedwhen there is evidencenow for the

future event- somethingyou can see or feel- or to talk
about a decisionyou havealreadymadeon your own.

Gerund amdiriflnitive {pagerE6}

Sadly,there is no easyway to learn which verbs are
followedby gerundsand which by infinitives.
The best
thing to do is to try to learnusefulchunksthat you can
use a lot.
l'll try to do ir later"
I nranaged
to do it in the end.
I n'lustremembento call her.
i love livinghene.
I'vefinallystoppedsmol<ing.
I started doing it yearsago.

describesa decisionmadeat rhe moment of speaking.

Going to * verb
Ugh! | thinl<my roorh'sgoingto faii ourt.
I'm goingto handin rny notieeat wsrl* next week.

Present continuous
They'releavingnext weelqsomstime.
i'm seeingher for lunchtornorrow.
The presentcontinuousis usedto describeeventsthat
havealreadybeenarrangedwith other people.
Present simple
fl{y classfinishesaround nine.
Shearrivessn 2"dl-4arch.
These eventsare seen as facts,particularlyfacts
connectedto timetables- of movies,lessons,
trains,
boats,planes,etc.

tG I

q l r a r r T n a cr o m m e n l a r y

-"^l Morewaysof talking

utui
st)
aboutthe furture(page
I've got (somebody) (coming round).
This structureis mainlyusedwith the verbs orriving,
visitingand coming.Here are the most normal uses:
I'vegot my murn arrivingtomorrow"
I'vegot some frienelscominground later on-

We use the structure not. . . untilwhen we want to

emphasise
that we did somethinglater than usual.
For examole:
I oversieptthis monning.I didn'twalceup until ten!
I didn't start learningEnglishuntil lastyear!so I'nr quite
pleasedwith how well I'm doing.

I've got to + verb (or I have to + verb).

This structureis usedto talk about thingsyou dont
want to do, but feel are necessary.
I've got to do some things for work.
i've got to cal<emy kids te school tomorrow.
It is also usedto explainwhy you can'tdo something.
For example:
,,s,:Hey,we were wondering if you wanted to come
out with us tonightl
B: Ch, I'd love to, but I'm afraid I've got to worl< late
today.l4aybenext time.
I ' m s u p p o s e dt o b e - i n g , b u t . . .
you
Supposed
to be is usedto describearrangements
havealreadymadewith other peopleand which you
haven'tchangedyet,but which you now feel could be
changed.
The structureis often usedwith a but-clause
explaining
that you no longerfeel like keepingto this plan.
I'm supposedto be meetingsome friendstonight,
but I don't reallyfeel lilcert any rnore.
It is also usedwith a but-clause
sayingthat you haven't
definitelydecidedyet.
l'm supposedto be goinground to see him later,
but I'rn not entirelysure.
You can also say I mightgo roundto seehim loter,or I
might be goinground to seehim loter.

o*'bu
*;th
G1
r i n:;t?Tldins
"'*rri"v
Notice that when no auxiliaryverb is presentin the
initialstatement,we respondusingthe dummyauxiliary
do.lt is alsovery common to add a follow-upquestion
or comment.For examole:
r\r I went off to Margatefor the weel<end"
B: Oh, did youi That rnust'vebeen nice.
"&: Yes,it was lovely.
,s; I speal<pretty good Russian.
ts: Oh, do youlWhere did you learnthat theni
A; At university.
I did French,Russianand Polish.
Be careful not to confusehod as a past tense verb with
the auxiliaryverb hoye.For example:
Ar We had (mainverb) a great mealover atjims.
B: Oh,didyoulWhat did he coolsi
A.; I've (auxiliaryverb) got my new stereo at lastl
B: Oh, haveyou?I'd betier come over tonight,then"

162

ffi13 Linleimgideas {page69}

Lool<at these two ideas:
It was very eold.
We neededtwo pLllloversl
We can linl<thesetwo ideasin one sentenceusinga soc/ouse.
For example:
It was so cold,we neededtwo pullovers!
In spol<enEnglish,
this is a very common way of
explaining
expressing
causeand result,with the so-clause
the cause.Theso-clause
may come first or second:
It was so hot, (that) | was sweatinglil<ea pig!
I was sweatinglil<ea pig (beeause)
it was so hot!
It was so quiet in there,(that)you cor-lld've
hearda pin
drop.
Ycrucould'vehearda pin drop (because)it was so quiet
in there"
Notice that in normal spol<enEnglish,
you do not needto
use the linlcingwords in braclcets,
as they are implicitly
understood.
I

G'l4l Jutdginghlr appearances(pagero)

HelShe/ooksis alwaysfollowed by an adjective:
Shelool<sreallynice and friendly.
He looks a bit stressed-outto rne.
HelShelooks/ikeis followedby a noun or a noun phrase:
Fle lool<sliicea dentistor a doctor or something.
He lool<slil<ethe l<indof personwho'll help
HelShe/ooksos if helsheis followed by a verb clause:
He lool<sas if he'sabout to cry"
Shelool<sas if she'sbeen running.
Note that in everydayspoken English,os if is often
substitutedby like:
Shelooks as ifllil<eshe'sbeenworking all day.
lf someoneseemsa bit depressed,
it is somethingyou feel
through knowingthem,not iust seeingthem.
Daveseemsa bit down at the msment"ls he OK?

ffixpressions
w;th rnodals (page74)
There is a fine line betweenwhat is grammarand what is
vocabulary.
The expressions
here are probablybest
treated as bits of vocabularyand just learnedas whole,
fixed expressions.
are very
Thesekindsof expressions
usefulin everydayEnglish.
Learningthem will help you
understandthe meaninqsof the differentmodats.

Grammarcomnier,ia.

However,here are a few thingsto bear in mind:

l. A4ustis usedto makeguesseswhich the listenerfeels
fairlysure are true, becauseof the evidenceavailable.
You rnustbe jol<ing!d tr00fcrrehatl
You nrustbe A.inericanwith an accentlilEethar"
2. Similarly,
must'veis usedto makeguessesabout the
past,basedon the evidenceavailable.
It must\yebeen nieegeffiingout of the city for a bit.
You must'vebeen neallypieasedto see her again"
Could'veis used to talk about thingsyou now feel
were possiblein the past,evenif they didn't actually
naPPen.
I could'verold you rhat!
I could'vehelpedyou if you'c{aslced.

4. Should've
ls usedto tall<about what we thinl<would
havebeena good ideain the past.lt can be usedto
expressretret or retrospectiveadvice.
You shoukl'vel<nownbetter.
You shourld've
tried to get rhe pric* down"

ffi't6 TeE[6nge stffifly{pageTE}

Notice that when we give backgrounddetailsto our
stories,we usuallyuse the past continuousor usedto f
verb.
A few yearsago,when chisfriend of rnine was ccmi4g
home frorn worl<,. . .
I usedto fivein this flat in down*rownFJewYorl<"
and
one day I was tAlqingthe suhwayLiprowrr. . .
N-astThulrsday
I was ridinghome on nry bike ...
When we introducethe problem in a story,it is very
common to switchto Dresenttenses.This makesthis
part of the story soundmore dramaticand immediate.
When all of a sudden,this big,scary-looking
guy runs
uF t0 me and tries to pinch rny bag.
Then suddenNy
this girl apparsfrsrn nowhere,ann
she'.qcrfi11gand screaming,so I asi<her whatis up.

paflttaipFes{pageTs}
G T 7 Fr"esemt
It is very common to join two ideastogether by using
clausesusingthe presentparticiple(-ingclauses).
It is
possibleto add more than one clause,but we do not
normallyadd more than three clausesat any one time:
I was iust standingthere,.g4a!g!ng
for rny bus,rninding
my own business.
Shewas drivingal*ng quite normally,singingalongro
this songon the radio,feelinpretry good,when all of
a s u d d e n. - .

Fast slrnp$eand pasqe#mtis"ruieius

The pastcontinuousis only usedif the speakerwishesto
emphasise
that the actiondescribedwas extendedover
a period of time. As a result,the pastcontinuousis often

usedto describean actionwhich was alreadyin progress

when it was in some way'interrupted':
I was clrivil'lgthrough tawn when I gor stopped by this
ppliceean
I was just gettistgreaciytn leavewhen this br-iei<
came
flvingthreiughmy winelow!
I met nryfirst wife while I vuaslivingin Far-is.
Notice that the clauseshere are linl<edusingwhenor
while.lncertaincontexts,verbs do not get extendedin
tirne - they just happenonce.For example,it is correct
to say:
I was findingthe i*crure realiyinrer*stingunril he
sta!'tedtall<ing
abeut bio-physics!
but not:
*qcra**adlnthe diamond when we were cleaningthe
flat.
You can only find a diamondonce!The differencern
grammaris becausethe meaningof fnd changesslightly
in these different contexts.
The pastsimpleis usedto tall<about thingsthe speat<er
seesas complete,finishedfacts.Thesemight be things
that only happenedonce:
! found the diamondon the flosr!
i crashedstraighuthrough the newsagent's
rsindow"
I broke my leg playingiootball.
Or they might be thingsthat happenedover a long
period of time but which the speakerwantsto tall<
about by givingan overview of the facts.
! iivedin l*rlicanagua
fcr six y*ars In the *igirties"
I worlcecion a fa-rmfor a few years after I left sehs,el"

GB"
smrnething/ er anldthins{pageE6}
Or something
is addedto positivesentencesand
questionsto mean or something
e/se/ikethat.Or anything
is addedto negativesentencesor negativequestions.
i thinl<he'sa lawyeror a ludgeor somerhing"
Flaveyourgor a screwctrriven
on somethingi
! didri'tevenl<issher or anyrhing!
Didn't he evenphoneyorr or anytliingi
This featureof spokenEnglishis not slangor'bad
English'.
lt is one of the wayswe express'vagueness'
when we do not know precisedetails.

Frcsemtpcrfeet simrpieaffidBrestrrnt
The presentperfectsimpleis a bit lilcethe pastsimplein
that both tensesare usedto talk about thingsthat
happenedin the past.The differenceis,however,that we
usethe presentperfectsimpleif we seethese eventsas
somehowconnectedto the present;perhapswe see a
presentresultof theseactions,as in the examples.
Ch, you'vehad your hair cut! lt letolcs
great,much
better than ie did.

r63

Grammarcommentary

I cant play basketballtoday.I've twisted my ankle.

ls biacktea OK?We\e run out of mill<"
We can also use the present perfect simpleto stressthat
we havehad an experienceand can talk about it now if
the listenerwants us to.
Well, I'veworked in pubsbe{one,and I'vedone plenty
of washingup in restaurantsand things.
Oh, you piaythe piano!I'vejust started learningmyself!
e.g.lost
Note:When we use a finishedtime reference,
Friday,in I 99 I , two weeksog4 when I wos ot high school,
the presentperfectis never used.
The present perfect continuousis used when we want to
show that an action that started in the past is continuing
now.
I've beentrying t find a job for rnonthsnow!
(And I still haven'tfound one.)
My leg'sbeen feelingweird {or the last few daysnow.
(And it's still feelingpainful.)
The presentperfectcontinuousis also usedwhen we
want to stressthat we see the Dastaction describedas
havingbeen extended over a period of time, that we see
it as havinghappenedagainand againand again.Notice
that there is a presentresult.
i've been waiting here for you fon hours - you eould at
leastsayyou'resorry or something!
Haveyou b,eendrinkinglYourbreathsmeilsvery odd!
With certain verbs,there's often only a very subtle
differencebetweenthe presentperfectsimpleand
presentperfectcontinuous.
l've been working here for about twenty years ilow.
(But maybeI'm ready for a changenow I see my iob as
only temporary.)
!'ve worked here for twenty years now.
(lt's just a fact about my life.I se my iob as permanent.)

I wish you hadn'ttold me about it. I can'tstop thinking

about it now.
I wish I'd seenit while it was out. l'll haveto wait till it
comes out on DVD now.
I wish ld beena bit more honestabout things.Things
might'veworked olrt hetween us if I had been.
When we talk about thingswe feel bad about or
disappointedabout in the present,we use wish+ post
simpleverb.
I wish I could drive. I hate havingto rely sn my mum
and dad to take me everywhere.
I wish I was a bit slirnmer.I can'tget into my old
summerclothesanyffiore.
I wish i didn? haveto get up so early every day.I eould
realNy
do with a lie-int
We also use wish+ youlhelshe+ wouldlwouldn'tto
complainabout other people'sannoyinghabits.
I wish you wouldn't smol<ein here!
(You do it a lot and you're doing it now and it's driving
me mad!)
I wish it'd stop raining!
(lt rains a lot and it's rainingnow and I hate it!)
Note : Don't get wishmixed up with hope.We usually
use hopeto talk about thingswe would like to happenor that we dont want to happen- in the future. lt's also
got differentword grammar.Usuallyit's followed by the
presentsimple,evenif we're talkingabout the future.
I hope it stops raininglater.
I hope she comesto the gametomorrow"
I hope the exam next weel<isn't too hard.

Reletives elaLlses{page1CIZ}
It is common to commenton the eventsdescribedin a
sentenceby addingwhichwos + o desui|tive
nounlodjective:
It was freezingin Chile,whiqhwas a bit unexpected.

Notice that lots of verbs don't work well with the

presentperfectcontinuous.
I've alwaysliked this kind of foad./
I've alwaysbeen lil<ingthis kind of food. X
You either like somethingor you don't. You can't like it
over ano over.

I finallymanagedto asi<for a pay rise,whiehwas a real

rveiehg_qffnny_shouldcrs.
We can also add which meont + subject+ verb + object:
It rainedthe whole time we were inThailand,which
meaiil-J-didnlCe! nluch -hance to go
I failedthree out of four o{ my tests that year,which
meant I had tq re-take the whole vear'scourses.

\fifish {pasee7}
We usuallyuse wishto talk about thingswe regret doing
- or not doing- in the pastor to talk about waysin
which we would lil<ethe presentto be different.When
we are talking about thingswe regret about the past,we
use wish + the post perfect.We often add a reason
explaining
why we feel like this.
I feel dreadful
I wish I hadnkeatenso much eanlier.
now.

164

eoniunetisns(page105)
Although
ln spoken English,olthoughis followed by a main clause
and usuallyintroducesa clausethat reducesthe strength
of the statementwhich comes before it.

Grammarcommentary

I do like vegetables,
aithoughI must admit that I'm
really more of a meat person myself.
It was lovely in Saudi,althoughthe heat did get a bit
much sometimes.
I reallylike my iob, althougha little bit more money
wouldnt go amiss!
Considering
Considering
is often followed by a how-clauseand adds
the meaningwhich is strongewhen you think obout it:
The food there was reallygreat,consideringhow
cheapit wasl
The party was pretty good, actually,consideringthere
were only about twenty people there!

The past perfect simple is generallyused to tall<about

the backgroundto an event in the past or to explainwhy
this event happened.
It is usuallyusedwith other pasttenses,and allowsus to
jump further backinto the pastfrom the main point in
time that we're talking about.
My ieg was killingme, becauselU twisted it at the gym
the day before"
I had a dreadfulheadache,becauselU had a bit too
much to drink the night before.
I'd never done anythinglilcethat before so I was really
nervousabout it. (Seealso G6.)

In spite of
/n spiteof is followedby a gerundor a noun clauseand
introducesan ideawhich has beenthoughtabout,but
which doesnt affectthe statementthat comes before or
after it.
Shegot great gradesall through coilege,in spite of
havingto dealwith all kindsof familyproblems.
Pete'sSpanishaccentis almostunintelligible,
in
spite of havinglivedin Madridfor three yearsl

C o m pa ri n g
Notice that in everydayspoken English,it is now very
common to hear pluralnounsand pluraluncountable
nouns precededby there'sinsteadof thereore. Evenwelleducated,carefulspeakerswill saythings like:
It's a bit lilceCairo or somewhere,only there's a lot
more cars on the road there.
There'shundredsof sheepblockingthe road down by
the farm.
Business
is OK, but there'snot as manytourists
coming this year as there were last year.
Thereare is also correct in these situations.
.

We often make guessesabout things we think are true

basedon the evidenceavailableto us,and use mustto
show we are fairly sure,but not 100%certain that what
we are sayingis true.
It must be nice havinga bit more spacenow that
you'vemoved house.
It must'vebeen reallygreat in NewYork.
Rememberthat the oppositeof mustfor guessingis not
mustn't but con't:
You can'tbe seriousl
You cant earn much working in a burgerbar.
It can't havebeen very well made if it only lastedthree
weeks beforefallingto bits! (Seealso G 15.)

conditionals
We use secondconditionalsto talk about waysin which
we imaginethe present or future could be different.
lf I had a bit more time, ld starr goingto rhe gym
more often.
lf I were you,I'd just tell her what happenedand hope
she understands!
We use third conditionalsto talk about imaginarypastsways in which the past could havebeen different,if the
situation had been different.
lf I'd known, I would've tried to talk to hirn about it.
(But I didnt know,so I didnt talk to him.)
lf she hadn'tbeenthere,I might'vedied!
(But she was there and she helpedme.)
However,past eventsdont only havepast results;they
also often havepresent results.lf we want to talk about
the imaginarypresent resultsof a past event,we haveto
use a mixed conditional.
Often,this is halfof a third
conditional- to talk about the past- and halfa second
conditional- to talk about the imaginarypresent:
lf she hadnt encouragedme, I wouldn't be a teacher
now.
lf my mum hadnt been hitch-hiking
that day,she and
my dad wouldn't be marriednow
lf I hadn'tmovedto Brightonwhen I did, I'd probably
still be working in that factory"
lf it hadnt beenfor him, we'd still be livingunder
militaryrule today.
Did you noticethat in the secondconditionalpart of the
sentence,
we often usethe continuousform?We do this
when we want to talk about an imaginaryaction that we
think might alreadybe in progressif the first half of the
sentencehad actuallybeentrue.
Mixedconditionalsare very common in both spokenand
written English.The best way to deal with them when
you meet them in future is to try to understandwhen
each half of the sentenceis referringto and to try and
work out if it's talking about an imaginaryor a real
condition.(Seealso G7.)

165

[ r r A m m A rC O m r n e n t A r y

Secondconditisnalsfor nnaking
."ol
***i suggestions
(page
122)
Notice that the iF sentencestartershere are all second
- the structurewe useto talk about things
conditionals
we see as beinghypotheticalor imaginaryat the time of
speal<ing:
It'd be great if the shops stayedopen a bit longer^,
It'd be much better if there was agynp
It'd be lovely if I didn't haveto set up so early!
It is very common to find secondconditionalsbeginning
with the sentencestartersgivenhere,so try and
rememberthe whole phrasein eachcase.
I

Do you want to come over later and eat

sornething?
B: Well, I was goin&ro suy in and rry and ger some
worl<done,but i guessI could alwaysdo that
tomorrow instead.

Oh, it's funnyyou shouidcalll I was goingto call

you later,but you beat rne to it!
One of the most common usesof this structureis when
you phonesomeoneand they answer:
Oh, I was just goingto ring you.
Have you noticed that certain people alwayssaythis?

G?91
The passive(pasetzs)

ffisr StartlnE with wfiat {pagetBa}

It is not helpfulto think of the passiveas being'the

opposite' of the active.We alwaysuse the passivefor a
very specificreason.Eitherwe don't know who the doer
of the actionwas:

When we want to emphasise

what we are goingto say
by addingwhotat the beginningof a sentence,
the
grammar of the statementchanges.Weoften use do as a
dummyauxiliaryand we also add the verb is/wos.

lYy brother was l<illedduringthe civilwar.

My car was stolenfrclrnright outsidemy house!
or the actionwas done by a largegroup of people:
The stadiumwas built in the thirties"
(obviouslyby worl<men)
At leastthree versiansof this songhavebeen
recorded.
(obviouslyby musicians
and singers)
Note that the activeecuivalentsof these sentencesuse
theyas a'dummy subject':
They built this stadiumhacl<in the thirties.
They'verecordedat leastthree versionsof this song.
We also use the passivewhen the doer of the actionis
l<nown,but not relevantor importantat the moment of
speaking:
My ear'sbeingrepairedat the moment.
Three of my teeth were lcnocl(edout last year when I
was playingrugby.
This model was developedin our Seoulteam.
Passives
are more common in formal,written English.
I

Eoi'ls
_ryqryqllrygfe
This structureis often thought of as the'future in the
past'and is commonlyusedto report our pastthoughts
or words,particularlywhen they provedto be inaccurate
rn some way:
I theught it was gqingto rain,so i broughtrhe washing
in - just in case.
TheyU told me lwas gBrng_lq._be_lransfe_n:ed
to
lvlexico,but nothing ever came of it.
However,it doesnt alwayshaveto havea past time
reference.lt can be usedto tall<about thingsin the
future that we've alreadydecidedto do, but now
suddenlydecidewe might not do after all.

166

A;

I reallyneedto tal<ea holidaysoon.

\I/hat I reallyneedto do is take a holidaysoon.
I was thinl<ingof goingto Chinanext year,if I can
afford it.
What I was thinl<ingof doing next year is goingto
China,if I ean afford it.
There are lots of quite common sentencestarters that
usethis structure.Try to learnthem and use them as
whole phrases.
V/hat I found reallyinterestingabout it was . " .
What reallyannoysme about him is rhe way " . .
What worries me most about the idea is . . .
What I still don't understandis why . . "

GS3Fr,rturccontinuous{page143}
This structureis often usedto tall<about an event in the
future that we see as alreadyarrangedbut which now,
becauseof what hascome up in the conversation,
we
also see as the baclground to another newer event,
describedin the so-clause:
A; We've run out of nrilk.
B: Oh well,lool<,l'll be goingshoppinglater (l've
alreadydecidedthis),so l'll get some,if you want.
(new decision/offer)
,4,: I really love proper pesto sauce.
B: Oh, do youl Well, lool<,i'll be goingbackto ltaly
for a weelcin March(l've alreadydecidedthis),so
l'll bringyou bacl<some of my mum'sspecial!
(new decision/offer)

This sectionhelpsyou to record and translatesome of the most importantexpressions

from eachunit.lt is alwaysbest to record words in phrases,
rather than individualwords.
Sometimesyou can translatevery easily.
Sometimesyou will needto thinl<of the equivalent
expressionin your own language.
In eachsection,there is spacefor you to add any
connectedexpressions
or collocationsyou want to remember.
.ll*.*, .i
"J;." *
"
He'sgot a reallygood senseof humour.
Hel quite conservative.
He'sa bit of a worl<aholic.
Shesa bit on the plumpside.
Het quiteelderlynow
Shecanbe a bit too nicesomeumes.
He looks reallyinteresting.
Hei a roral painin the neck.
She'sextremelyambitious.
He runshis own business.
Sheworl<sin advertising.
He'sunemployedat the moment.
My brother works in lI
Shet a retired doctor.
I do a bir of tempingworl<somecimes.

L J J " ;: d
He'sinfamous.
It cost me an arm anda leg.
We just dont see eyeto eye.
l'm up to my eyesin work.
It's on its last legs.
not as often as lU liketo
not as muchas I usedto
It's better than my lastone.
It wasn'tas good as I remembered.
Cheer up! lt's not the end of the world.
Haven'tyou heard?
It's done a lot of damage.
Oh, I am sorry to hearthat
I'm afraidnot.
smashed
to pieces.

167

Expression
organiser

, '#m$-*
ffi
I work out a lot.
I reallylovegoinground junk shops.
A coupleof times a year.
How long did it take you to learn?
How much does it usuallycost you?
The thingis,...
pop and R'n'Band that kind of thrng
It's not reallymy cup of tea.
I'm not reallythat keenon clubbing.
What do you feel like doingtonight?
She'sreally into keepingfit.
I usedto, but I grew out of it.
I just lost interestin it after a while.
Oh well,eachto their own.
Itl just one of those things.

Ur,*'td5
I spendmy weekendsmountaineering.
Shespendsa lot of time helpingthe homeless.
ls everythingall rightl
I go ridingwheneverI can.
He committedsuicide.
There'sstill a lot of discrimination.
It's male-dominated.
You'retakinga real risk.
Therersa lot of oppositionto the plan.
I would if I could,but I cant.
I'd quite like to go to the cinematonight.
lf youd rather,wecould always...
I can giveyou a lift, if you want.
I wouldnt do that,if you paid me!
That'd be great.

Expression
organiser

tu$m$rl.*
S
Why did you decideto do that,then?
How come you decidedto go there,then?
It was a realweightoff my shoulders.
It was total chaos.
I d beenthinkingabout it for ages.
Why on earth did he saythat?
It's a piece of cake.
Itl like gettingblood out of a stone.
It's easiersaidthan done.
I work as a bouncerat weekends.
job.
It'sa very demanding
It was a mutualdecision.
It was a very unpopulardecision.
A friend of mine recommendedit.
Good for you!

iS
fu$r*$r*
It's not allowed.
He wasfined a thousanddollars.
He cant handlethe pressure.
I'm expectinga phonecall.
I didnt want to makea fuss.
It looksfine to me.
Can you watch my bagfor a minute?
I cant see it anywhere.
It was great,much better than I'd expected.
Quiet?lt's dead!
That'sa good question.
I haventreallythoughtabout it.
I'd haveto think aboutthat.
He'sfinallygivenup smoking.
I fed up with doingthe samething everyday.

16ei

Expression
organiser

,i-*$ri',i
3
What're you up to this weekendl
I will if I get the chance.
l've got to do somethingsfor school.
It'll be niceto havea lie-in.
I'vegot to catchup with my e-mails.
l'll do it later,I promise.
Tell me about it!
I'm supposedto be goingout tonight, but I
dont reallyfeel like it.
I'vegot somefriendscomingover tonight.
He'sstayingat a friend's.
I'm goingawayfor the weekend.
I'm goingon a guidedwalk.
Ratheryou than me!
Oh well,beggarscant be choosers!

*rri',t*
We're havinga house-warming
party this Friday.
I went to a rave last weekeno.
Theytried to gatecrashour party.
l'll sort out the musicif you sort out the food.
Did you havea hen night?
It reallyruinedthe night.
It led to callsfor tighter laws.
I just couldnt believemy eyes.
I just couldnt makeup my mind.
It nearlyendedin tragedy.
They'revery right-wing.
They cameto power in the last election.
They oughtto ban it.
They reallyneedto crack down on it.
They'verelaxedthe laws a bit.

Expression
organiser

*s,i'i k
I just had an earlynight.
I didnt know a singlepersonthere.
We had absolutelynothingin common.
I was on the edgeof my seat.
I fell asleephalfwaythrough.
Shegetsvery well-paid.
l'll haveto havea word with my boss.
I bet he doesnt.
Oh, did you?That must'vebeennice.
Oh, are you?Anywhereparticularin mind?
I was so angry,I could'vekilled him!
I was so bored,I walkedout!
You did whct last nightl
You went wherelast night?
I didnt get in until three last night.

'i
*rr,:': *
He lookslike'abit of a nero.
Shelooksa bit dull.
You lool<a bit down.Are you OK?
He! a machoidiot!
I bet he still liveswith his mum.
Shecan be quite unpredictable.
Thatl the worst chat-upline ever.
My parentsdont reallyapproveof her.
How long'veyou two beengoingoutl
Are you pullingmy leg?
It tool<me agesto come to terms with it.
Their marriageis on the rocl<s.
I tend to eat out most nights.
I could'vetold you that.
You should'veknown beccer.

171

Expression
organiser

'&$s*$"*
$.$
Did I ever tell you aboutthe time | . .
I wasjust mindingmy own business,.
..
when all of a sudden
Well,what happenedin the end was . . .
It seemsfunnynow,but it wasnt at the time.
Sorry.I didn't recogniseyou.
I think it's dyed.
He seemslike a reallynice bloke.
It's anotherone of his tall stones.
He smokeslike a chimney.
He was drivinglike a lunatic.
I was so tired, I slept like a log.
I'm dyingfor a coffee.
I'm sickto deathof it.
SheSetsawaywith murder.

#g*$l*-*k
What was I thinkingofl
They must havemoneyto burn.
My dad groundedme for a week.
We stopped off to get somethingto eat.
We broke down on the way there.
We took a wrong turn.
I bumpedinto an old friend of mine.
What a horriblejourney!
I went travellinground Indiafor a year.
I like to travel light.
Shelooks aboutthirty-ish.
It'sjust an urbanmyth.
She'sgot reddish-brownhair.
He was sort of smilingat me.
a hammeror somethinglike that.

Expression
organiser

'#g*$K
$S
Hello.Longtime,no See!
I haventseenyou for ages.
You haventchangeda bit.
What'veyou beenup to sinceI last sawyou.
He just doesnt get the message.
It was a very controversialfilm.
l've completelyforgottenyour name.
I'vejust had an idea.
Get to the ooint!
I just dont seethe point.
It was the high point of our trip.
I wish youd told me earlier.
I wish I hadnt saidthat.
They hate each other's guts.
We just hit it off at once.

-$&
ffis*${*
I went and sawthis great exhibition.
I prefersculptureto paintings.
It's OK if you'reinto that kind of thing.
It's not worth the entrancefee.
It's a bit too abstractfor me.
I prefer his portraitsto his landscapes.
Would you recommenditl
It causesa lot of problems.
I went to the opera,which was nice.
I've beenmeaningto seethat for ages.
Oh. that remindsme.
ld liketo do that myself.
It'swell worth a visit.
I think it's reallyoffensive.
I

It causedoutragein the media.

I
I

173

Expression
organiser

'i
*s;i'rl *
What did you think of it?Was it anygood?
It was horrendous!
It was a bit disappointing,
to be honest.
It was nothingspecial.
Didn't you find it a bit over the topl
I foundit a bit bland.
It was reallygood,consideringhow cheapit was.
He'snot exactlyEinstein,
is hel
Dont you think it's a bit over-rated?
I was just deadtired.
It's a bit like skiing,only not as difficult.
It was a bit like his other book,only better.
That must'vebeendreadful.
You must'vebeenreallyannoyed.
You must be exhausted.

*r:i'i I {.,
It'sa cult movie.
It's a typicalHollywoodblockbuster.
some ltalianguy
I cant rememberoff the top of my head.
It's on the tip of my tongue.
It'll cometo me in a minute.
It'sgot subtitles.
They dubbedit into French.
The dialoguewas brilliant.
Whos in it?
The specialeffectswere amazing!
ld neverbeenthere before.
It was the first time lU seenthat kind of thing.
It's meantto be incredible.
I wouldn't have,if it hadnt beenfor you.

l
l
I

Expression
organiser

*y;i't .; y
Itd be reallygood if they . . .
What would be reallygreatis if they ...
I dont reallyhaveany strongviewson that.
That'sa difficultauestionto answer.
Well, I agreeup to a point,but
It's hardlysurprising,
is itl
They'vepedestrianised
the town centre.
There'sa one-waysystem.
I hadto do a U-turn.
The traffic is a nightmare.
Personally,
I thinl<it's ridiculous.
It's reallygoneto the dogs.
He'sthe blacksheepof the family.
It's a very industrialplace.
i

The shantytowns are awful!

I
I

I
it
I
I

i
I

i'

'l

i.*, i;

"J#;:

"# i.F

; T;

I dont l<nowhow you put up with it.

They completelymessedit up.
I wish you'd stop goingon about it!
It'sa reallyawfulhairdo.
and then to top the whole thing off
Thatt the lastthing I need!
It'sgood to get thingsoff your chest.
Thingslikethat don't reallybother me.
Oh well,dont let it get you down.
It reallybugsme.
Its a Catch22 situation.
Its just the tip of rhe iceberg.
i

Its a bit of a mixedblessing.

I

I cant be bothered.
It's no bother at all.Honestly.

175

Expression
organiser

-$#
&Jr*Ftr
You'resucha pessimist!
That'sa bit optimistic,isnt it?
on the sour of the moment
We're doingour flat up at the moment.
He got reallybadlybeatenup.
Itl badto bottle up your feelings.
What ld reallyliketo do next yearrs...
What I was thinkingof doingis.
l'm happydoingwhat I'm doing.
I just take thingsas they come.
I cant reallysayyet. lt all depends.
I can see myselfgoingabroadone day.
They'vegot reallyhighexpectations.
l'm reallydreadingit.
I wish I didnt haveto. but I do.

'fu$s*$.x
s*'#
I'd hateto be stuck behinda deskall day.
I get a companycar.
I got six months'maternityleave.
I haven'thad a proper contractyet.
At leastyou know your job is secure.
Do you belongto a trade union?
They'vemadea reallygood job of it.
Itt beenreallyhard work.
I've beenrushedoff my feet all week.
It's slave-labour!
He's awful,a real slave-driver.
She'svery domineering.
He's not the most intelligentguy I've ever met.
She'sa reallygood personto work for.
He'salwayson the phoneto his girlfriend..

174 fl6

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