I NTR O D U C TI O N
American English File Starter is for true beginners who need
a slower, more supportive approach. It gives you and your
students the complete American English File package, with all
the in-class and out-of-class components your students need
to learn successfully, and with all the teacher support that
accompanies other levels of the series.
The aim of every level of American English File is to get students
talking and Starter is no exception. To achieve this, beginners
need two things above all else: motivation and support.
Beginners’ language level is low, but they need interesting topics
and texts just as much as intermediate or advanced students.
Support is also vital – beginners need clear aims, clear material,
and clear reference. We’ve also incorporated new Student
Book features, including “listen and repeat” in the Grammar
Banks and Vocabulary Banks so that students get plenty of
opportunity to pronounce new language.
Students who complete American English File Starter could
go on to study American English File 1 with real confidence,
knowing that they have a solid grounding in the basics of
English. We very much hope that you enjoy using it.
What do Beginner students need?
Grammar, Vocabulary, and Pronunciation
If we want students to speak English with confidence, we need
to give them the tools they need – Grammar, Vocabulary,
and Pronunciation (G, V, P). We believe that “G + V + P =
confident speaking,” and in American English File Starter
all three elements are given equal importance. Each lesson
has clearly stated grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation
aims. This keeps lessons focused and gives students concrete
learning objectives and a sense of progress.
Grammar
Beginner students need
● clear and memorable presentations of basic structures.
● plenty of regular and varied practice.
● student-friendly reference material.
We have tried to provide memorable contexts for new
language that will engage students, using real-life stories and
situations, humor, and suspense.
The Grammar Bank gives students a single, easy-to-access
grammar reference section, with clear rules, example
sentences, and common errors. The example sentences are all
on the Class Audio CD so that students can listen and repeat,
and practice the pronunciation of the new structures. There
are then two practice exercises for each grammar point.
Student Book page 88.
The photocopiable Grammar activities in the Teacher’s
Book can be used for practice in class or for self-study,
especially with slower classes.
Teacher’s Book page 121.
When explaining grammar rules to students, and sometimes
when setting up complicated activities, teachers who know
their students’ mother tongue may wish to use it. Although
you should try to keep these occasions to a minimum, we
believe that very judicious use of students’ L1 can save time
and help build good teacher–class rapport. Contrasting how
English grammar works with the rules in students’ L1 can
also help students to assimilate the rules more easily.
8
Vocabulary
Beginner students need
● to expand their knowledge of high-frequency words and
phrases rapidly.
● to use new vocabulary in personalized contexts.
● accessible reference material to help them review and
consolidate their vocabulary.
Every lesson in American English File Starter focuses on high-
frequency vocabulary and common lexical areas, but keeps
the language load realistic. Many lessons are linked to the
Vocabulary Banks, which contain pictures to help present and
practice the vocabulary in class, and provide a clear reference
bank to enable students to review and test themselves in their
own time. As students are beginners, they are not asked to
match words and pictures (as in higher levels of American
English File) but simply to listen and repeat the words and
phrases. All the lexis in the Vocabulary Banks is on the Class
Audio CD to make it easier to drill the pronunciation. Where
we think the pronunciation of a word may be especially
problematic, we have provided the phonetic script.
Student Book page 102.
Students can practice the pronunciation of all the words
from the Vocabulary Banks using the MultiROM.
Photocopiable Vocabulary activities can be found in the
Teacher’s Book.
Teacher’s Book page 191.
Pronunciation
Beginner students need
● to learn the English vowel and consonant sounds and
practice them intensively.
● to see where there are rules and patterns in sound–
spelling relationships.
● systematic practice of other aspects of pronunciation, e.g.,
stress and sentence rhythm.
American English File has its own unique system of teaching
the sounds of English, through simple memorable pictures of
key words that illustrate the sound and also incorporate the
phonetic symbol. Students visualize and remember the words
and sounds together, and the word is then used as a reference
point when learning the pronunciation of other words with
the same sound. It is up to you to decide whether you wish
your students to use phonetic symbols actively, or simply to
become familiar with the symbols through the pictures.
American English File Starter has a pronunciation focus in
every lesson that focuses on either sounds, word stress, or
sentence stress.
Student Book page 5.
In the Review & Check sections, students are sent to
the Sound Bank, a reference section where they can see
common sound–spelling patterns for the sounds which they
have practiced in the File.
Student Book page 117.
Speaking
Beginner students need
● regular opportunities to use new language orally.
● topics that will arouse their interest and prompt them to
express their own experiences and ideas in English.
● realistic and achievable tasks.
The ultimate aim of most students is to be able to
communicate in English. Every lesson in American English
File Starter has a carefully controlled speaking activity that
activates new grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, giving
students the chance to “personalize” the target language.
Student Book page 5.
The Communication section of the Student Book provides
“information gap” activities to give students a reason to
communicate.
Student Book page 76.
Photocopiable Communicative activities can be found
in the Teacher’s Book. These include pairwork activities,
mingles, and games.
Teacher’s Book page 160.
Listening
Beginner students need
● to be exposed to as much aural English as possible.
● to build their confidence by listening to short and simple
utterances.
● to learn to get the gist of what is being said by focusing on
the key words in an utterance.
Most students at the beginner level need to start by
listening with the audioscript in front of them and progress
to listening to simple exchanges from which they can
extract the key information. Most lessons have a listening
comprehension task, and these become increasingly
challenging as the course progresses. After students have
listened two or three times without an audioscript, they are
sometimes asked to listen one final time with the audioscript
at the back of the Student Book. This helps build students’
confidence and shows them that they do not need to
understand every word to get the message of what was said.
Each File also contains an authentic listening task in the
Practical English lesson where students listen to mini-
interviews with members of the public. This task is carefully
staged so that students know exactly what information they
have to listen for.
Student Book page 11.
American English File Starter also contains seven songs that
we hope students will find enjoyable and motivating. For
copyright reasons, these are mainly cover versions.
Reading
Beginner students need
● engaging topics and stimulating texts that will motivate
them to read in English.
● manageable tasks that help them to read.
● to learn how to deal with unknown words in a text.
Many students need to read in English for their work or
studies, and reading is also important in helping students
build vocabulary and consolidate grammar. The key to
encouraging students to read is to give them motivating but
accessible materials and manageable tasks. American English
File Starter reading texts are staged so that they progress
from one-line sentences to short articles adapted from
a variety of real sources (the press, magazines, and news
websites). These articles have been chosen for their intrinsic
interest. Students are frequently encouraged to guess the
meaning of new words from their context.
Student Book page 29.
The Review & Check sections also include a short text where
students develop their reading skills and measure their
progress in this area.
Student Book page 33.
Practical English
Beginner students need
● to learn high-frequency functional phrases.
● to know what to say in common situations, e.g., buying a
coffee.
The Practical English lessons introduce students to areas
like spelling their names, asking and answering personal
questions, telling time and saying dates, asking about prices,
asking and giving opinions, and understanding simple
directions. The lessons build up to a speaking activity where
students practice the language learned in the lesson and
listen to authentic mini-interviews in the People on the
street section.
These short interviews are also on the American English File
Starter Video, which teachers can use instead of the class audio.
Using the Video will make the lessons more enjoyable and
will help students understand faster speech with the help of
paralinguistic features. On the MultiROM students have the
opportunity to watch and listen to more street interviews.
Review
Beginner students need
● regular recycling of grammar, vocabulary, and
pronunciation.
● motivating reference and practice material.
● a sense of progress.
However clearly structures or vocabulary are presented,
students will usually only assimilate and remember new
language if they have the chance to see it and use it several
times. Grammar, Vocabulary, and Pronunciation are
recycled throughout American English File Starter.
At the end of each File there is a Review & Check section.
What do you remember? reviews the Grammar, Vocabulary,
and Pronunciation of each File. What can you do? provides a
series of skills-based challenges, including Writing tasks, and
helps students to measure their increasing competence. These
pages are designed to be used flexibly according to the needs
of your students.
Student Book page 12.
The photocopiable Grammar, Communicative, and Vocabulary
activities also provide many opportunities for recycling.
Teacher’s Book page 121, 160, and 191.
Study Link
The Study Link feature in American English File Starter is
designed to help you and your students use the course more
effectively. It shows what resources are available, where they
can be found, and when to use them.
The Student Book has these Study Link references:
● from the Grammar Bank MultiROM and Website.
● from the Vocabulary Bank MultiROM and Website.
● from the Sound Bank MultiROM and Website.
These references lead students to extra activities and
exercises that link with what they have just studied.
The Workbook has these Study Link references:
the Student Book Grammar and Vocabulary Banks.
the MultiROM.
the Student Website.
The Teacher’s Book has Study Link references to remind you
where there is extra material available to your students.
9
Student Book organization 6
G review of simple past; object pronouns: me, him, etc.
V common verbs 3
P sentence stress I saw her on the platform.
She sat down next to me.
b

c
6.15 Why didn’t Olivia come to the theater? What do you
think? Now listen to the end of the story. What happened?
6.16 Find the simple past of these irregular verbs. Then
3 G R AM MAR object pronouns: me, him, etc.
a Look at these sentences from the story.
Complete them with a pronoun from the list.

C Strangers on a train listen and repeat. her me them you

The Student Book has seven Files. Each File is organized like this:
Part 1 see leave think
Part 2 drink tell 1 She sat down next to .
G there was / there were

6 Part 3 drive give 2 “I can drive home,” she said.

V places
There was a beautiful beach. Part 4 read S&E send 3 I have two tickets for Chicago. Can you get
P the letters ea 3 GRAMMAR 5 LISTENING
1 V O C A B U L A R Y common verbs 3 2 R E A D I N There
G & weren’t
L I S T Eany
N Ihotels.
NG from the box office at 7:15?
there was / thered werep.116 Vocabulary Bank a Irregular
6.12 Jeffverbs. 4 I called , but her phone was off.

B a Can you remember? Complete the a 6.14 Read and listen to the story. Answer the questions and Kelly are from
Dream town?
questions with a verb from the list. after each part. a Look at the sentences in Benidorm
today and Benidorm in the 1950s
the United States. They are on
vacation in the UK. Listen
Strangers to Kelly
on a train
b Complete the chart with the pronouns in a.
arrive buy learn meet rent say stay talking to an English friend. Subject pronoun Object pronoun
G there is / there are Strangers on a train on page 56. What is the past of there

6 V hotels; in, on, under

P &S and *S
1 V O C A B U L A R Y places
1 Do you want to
Which language?
2 When do you usually
Benidorm inThere
your
another language?
isn’t a TV, but there are some books.
the 1950s
Part 1
When the train stopped, I opened my eyes and looked out of the
window. I saw her on the platform. A tall, blonda woman
Look at
withphotos
4 READING
of threeb unusual
dark blue p.98hotels.
there aren’t?
It was an Audi TT.
Grammar“Nice 6B.I said.
Bankcar,”
Partthere
is and there are, and

Read the
3 isn’t and
Her car was in the parking lot.

answer, a or b.
Did they have a good weekend?
b Listen again. Circle the right
he him
I
you

A a Can you remember? Do the quiz with she

Ona partner.
an island3 friends?
intimeWhat
What Alaska
do you do?
do you usually at work
eyes. The train left the station. As usual, the 6:20 was
“Excuse me. Can I sit here?” I opened my eyes
full. the photos and information.
Match rules and do the She drove fast. Very fast.
exercises.
She stopped outside my apartment.
1 a They went to Benidorm.
2 a They went in April.
b They went
it to Blackpool.
b They went
we in May.
it
us
/ school? again. It was the tall, blond woman. b Read the information about the We said good-bye, and I gave her
4 Pthe R Oboxes.
N U N C I AT
myI O N number. they
Places quiz “Sure,” I said. She sat down next to me. There three hotels. Check () phone 3 a Some restaurants weren’t open. b Some restaurants were very expensive.
4 How do you Nice to meet you in
your language? was a nice smell. Chanel Number 5, I thought. the letters
A B Cea The next morning there was a text4 a Jeff wanted to stay in a hotel. b Jeff wanted to stay in a bed and breakfast.
Where do you go…?
5 Do youor1 dinner
your house3/ apartment?
I opened my book and started to read.
1 You can go with children.
message from Olivia. 5 a They wanted cereal. b They p.98eggs,
c wanted Grammar
sausage, and6toast.
Bank C. Read the rules and
1 VOCABULARY 1 hotels
when you want to have lunch2 4 5 6 7 a 6.10 Put  the words in want
the right
6 Did you in a hotel on your last
“I loved that book.” I really
2 There’s a swimming pool. column. Listen and check.
to c u again! Friday?6 a There wasn’t any coffee. b Theredo the exercises.
wasn’t any tea.
2 when you have an accident “Excuse me?” I said. On Friday morning, she called me.
a Look at these things from 1 vacation? Was it good? 3 There is only one restaurant.
3 when you want to It’s
park your car
a chair. “I said I loved that book.” “I have two tickets for Chicago
a hotel room. What are they? 7 Do
4 when you want to buy you
something things on the Internet? beach
4 You can’t stay only one night. bread please breakfast
tonight at the Colonial Theater!6Can S Pyou
E Aget
KIthem
N G from
& WtheR ITI
box N G 4 P R O N U N C I AT I O N sentence stress
We chatted about books until the train arrived
What? 5 You arrive by boat or plane. eat east speakoffice at 7:15? We can meet in the theater cafe at 7:30. The show
b p.114 Vocabulary Bank Hotels.
5 when you want to learn something at South Station. a Communication Good or bad vacation? a Match
A p.78 Bquestions 1–5 with
p.80. Role-play a answers a–e.
6 You can see fish from your room. starts at 8:00.”
6 when you want tobstay
Answer the
the night in questions with a partner. “Coffee?” she said. conversation about a vacation. 1 Did you see the movie?
7 You can have a massage there.

A, B, and C lessons Three two-page lessons that form the core material of the
another town I looked at my watch. “OK,” I said.
9 What kind of car does Olivia have? 2 Did you buy the books?
2 GRAMMAR there is / there are c p.113 Vocabulary Bank Common verbs 3. 8 You can have a meal in your
b Imagine you stayed in a hotel last weekend. It was
1 Where did the man first see the woman? room when you want. 10 What did she write in the text message? 3 Did you ameet
disaster.
Ana? Write
Do part B. an e-mail to a friend. Use the information
a 6.3 Listen to two people who arrive at a hotel
b p.115 Vocabulary Bank Places. 2 What was the woman’s perfume? 11 What show did she have tickets for? 4 in
Didthe feedback
John form.
call you?
on an island in Alaska. Are they happydwith the
Complete with the opposite verbs. c Do you like the hotels? Which
dream one weather 5 Did Silvia tell you about the party?
12 Where did she want to meet him? What time?
hotel and with their room? Why (not)? 1 The plane arrives at 6:00.
2 READING & LISTENING
3 What did they talk about? do you prefer?
4 What did they do when the train arrived?
Beach Hotel FEEDBACK FORM
a Yes, I bought them yesterday.
b Listen again and read the dialogue. The plane at 6:00. Part 4 room hotel b Yes, I met her yesterday.
a Read about Benidorm and answer
Complete the missing words. 2 Did you lose your bag? One man’s dream Hotels with a difference Icafe. small and
arrived at the theater at 7:00. I got the tickets, andcold
I waited in the receptionist not very
c Yes, she friendly
told us yesterday.
the questions. I read a newspaper. Olivia didn’t come. I looked at my watch. It
no TV no restaurant
Part 2Spain was a small fishing village. But the

book. Each lesson presents and practices Grammar and Vocabulary and has a
Did you your bag? d Yes,
c Read the dialogue again. Underline examples In the 1950s, Benidorm in southeast
We sat at athe station
was 7:45. I looked at my phone. There was no atowels
text message.
in the bathroom a gym but closedhe called me yesterday.
big or3 small
I send
in athe
lot1950s?
of e-mails. mayor of Benidorm, Pedro Zaragoza, had dream. Hecafe, and Benidorm
wanted we drank coffee
to be and
A talked.
UNDERHer name Poseidon Resort, Fiji
the water: B IN a mountain: Elkep Evi, Turkey C ON an island: Kamalame Cay, eBahamas Yes, I saw it yesterday.
of there is / are + , – 1, and
Was ?Benidorm
. was Olivia. She told me that she worked in Boston. Sorry! In a meeting. See you in
I a big tourist town. He started to build hotels. In the 1950s, women couldn’t
a lot of e-mails. the
A resort island in the Pacific Ocean. You arrive theater.
Ancient Leave
caves in myofticket
the side at now hotel
a mountain, Luxury private island with three miles of
2 Who was Pedro Zaragoza? “What do you do?” I asked.
d p.98 Grammar Bank 6A. Read the rules4 I get a lot wear a bikini on the beach in Spain. Mayor Zaragoza changed the bikini rule in by private boat or plane. Stay in6.11 the box office. b the6.19
islandListen and check. Then listen and repeat a–e.
3 What did he want Benidorm toof birthday presents.
be? “I work in real estate – apartments and houses. What do you do?” b a room on
Listen. rooms
Practice with
the modern facilities. Most rooms have a
sentences. beautiful beach. You can only get to
and do the exercises. I Benidorm.
a lot of birthday In 1959, the first tourists from Northern Europe started to arrive…
presents. the island, or take an elevator down and stay Iprivate
left her ticketwith
terrace at fantastic
the boxviews office
of Cappadocia. Copy the rhythm.
by our private boat or seaplane. Fantastic
4 What did he build? ‘“I work for Citibank.”
in a room 40 feet underwater.My You dream is to speak
can watch and perfect
found
Turkish myEnglish.
breakfast seat.
servedThe show
in the garden. Caribbean cuisine, a perfect relaxing vacation.
e Practice the dialogue5inWhat
2b inrule
groups 5 Please turn
of three.
did he change? Man on the TV. Hello. We have a reservation. “That’s interesting!” said Olivia. “Do you live in Boston?” started, but Olivia didn’t arrive. c Practice with a partner. A ask 1–5 in a different
and feed fish from your room!Please eat your breakfast.
There are Location: Ürgüp, Cappadocia, Central Turkey Location: Kamalame Cay, Andros, Bahamas
Please ReceptionisttheLet’sTV. see, yes, Mr. and Mrs. Robson. “Yes. I have an apartment near the river.” I told her the street.
activities on the island for children and adults. At intermission, I called her, but Chris@talktalk.com order. B answer from memory. Then change roles.
The weather at the Numberbeach was terrible.
of rooms: 21 Number of rooms: 16

Pronunciation focus. There is a balance of reading and listening activities, and

f 6.5 Listen to what happens next. Do they Welcome to the island. Your “Wow! That’s an expensive part ofPoseidon
Boston!”Mystery Island, Fiji her phone was off.
b 6.8 Listen to a journalist talking Benidorm today Location: Price: Under $225 Price: $840 – $3,900
1 room’s upstairs, number seven. Last weekend!
leave? Why (not)? Do you like this hotel? I looked at my watch. “It’s late. Time
Number to go.”73
of rooms: IsSPAWITHMASSAGESANDTREATMENTS
sent her another text: sGOURMETRESTAURANT 5 6.20 S O N G I’m a believer
to a local historian. CompleteWoman the Is there an 2 ?
Why (not)? “I can drive you home,” she
Price:said. “I live– $30,000
$15,000 near per week Where r u?
s HOURROOMSERVICE Hi Chriss HOURROOMSERVICE
information about Benidorm.Receptionist No, I’m sorry, there isn’t. But I can you.” She smiled. Her eyes were very blue.
sRESTAURANTS Welcome to IsRESTAURANT
was angry. I left the theater and
How are sSWIMMINGPOOL
you? WORDS AND PHRASES TO LEARN
help you with your suitcases. went home. I opened the door of
3 N &Stoday
P R O N U N C I AT I OBenidorm
There arewords
and *S
65,000and people
Benidorm in the 1950s
Receptionist This is your room.
living in Benidorm. There were only 3,000.
sSWIMMINGPOOL
5 What does OliviasSPAANDGYM
do? Benidorm sCHILDRENWELCOME
my apartment and turned on the
light…
sFAMILYBEDROOMS
Last weekend I went to the Beach Hotel. full
sCHILDRENWELCOME
It was
disaster! The room … There wasn’t a … And it wasn’t only
a complete
(opposite = empty) That’s interesting.
a 6.6 Listen and repeat the sounds. 6 What does the man do? next to me a text (message)
Woman It’s very small. the room! The receptionist …
There are four million a year. There were 300. 7 Where does he live?
Receptionist Yes, but there’s a platform a show

many opportunities for spoken practice. These lessons have clear references to
13 What time did he arrive at the theater?
There’s an 35 miles There
3 wasn’t one.
view. 8 Where does Olivia5 S live?
PEAKING
where therefromairport 14 What happened at 7:45? What did the man do? seat angry
Benidorm.upstairs Man There are 4
There are 128 . . We wanted
There were three. a Write in, on, or under for pictures 1–3. 15 What did the man do at Communication Is thereWORDS
c intermission? AND is
a TV? Where it?Time toTO
PHRASES go.LEARN

There are 264 . a double

There bed.
weren’t any. 1 2 316 What did he do after that?
A p.77 B p.80. Draw thingshave in the hotel rooms.
an accident
near here year we’re 6C 59
Receptionist I’m sorry, there aren’t any build (simple past built)
58 rooms with a double bed.
wear (simple past wore)
c Do you prefer Benidorm today or in
Woman Where’s the TV?
b the 1950s? Why? Are there any
Make true + or – sentences. places There isn’t one. There are WORDS AND PHRASES How was your weekend?
TO LEARN
Receptionist

the Grammar Bank and Vocabulary Bank at the back of the book.
some 5 b Ask and answer in pairs about the remote control. A complete disaster!
in your classroom in your country like Benidorm? over there. Welcome to the island.
Woman Books! typically English
a board windows a table a TV 1 2 3 4 5 6 on the first floor
Receptionist This is the bathroom. a bed and breakfast
chairs a lamp pictures computers upstairs / downstairs
Woman There isn’t a 6 .
in your school Enjoy your stay.
56 Receptionist No, there’s a 7 .
a library a cafe bathrooms a parking lot It uses less water. in the cabinet 6B 57
Man Can I use the Internet here? on the bed
There’s a board. Receptionist No, I’m sorry you can’t. under the chair
There aren’t any windows.
Woman Are there any 8 near here? There’s a beautiful view.
Receptionist No, ma’am, there aren’t. Where’s the remote control? It’s on the TV.
a boat
Enjoy your stay.
54 6A 55

Practical English Two-page lessons that teach functional language and

Asking for opinions

6 Giving opinions
Strong stress What do you think of it?
I like it. It’s great.
g Write names in the spaces.
Try to think of songs / people
who are very famous.
2 PEOPLE ON THE STREET
1 What’s the last movie you saw?
P R AC T I C A L 2 What did you think of it?
ENGLISH What do you think of it? 6.25 Listen to Lauren. What was the last movie
female singers a
she saw? Lauren

vocabulary (aspects like telling time or asking directions). The lessons feature 1 ASKING FOR & GIVING OPINIONS
a 6.21 Cover the dialogue and listen. Who likes the music?
A Listen to this. What do you think of it?
B I don’t like it. It’s awful. Who is it?
b
c
6.26 Listen. What did she think of it?
6.27 Listen and answer the questions for the
other five people.

A Lars and the Real Girl D Mamma Mia!

1
2 “I thought it was
.”

A Shakira. I really like her. She’s great.

B WALL.E

interviews with people on the street and link with the American English File
E Wanted
6.22 male singers
b Listen and repeat the dialogue. Which two words have “extra” stress? C The Visitor F Indiana Jones
c 6.23 Listen and repeat the expressions in the chart for giving opinions about music (column 1).
d 6.24 Listen to eight music extracts. What do you think of them?

Giving opinions: What do you think of…?

Starter Video.

1
I really like it.
It’s fantastic / It’s great.
I like it.
It’s OK.
2
I really like her.

I like
fantastic /

OK.
.
great.
3
I really like

I like
fantastic /

OK.
.
.
great.
4
I really like

I like
fantastic /

OK.
.
.
great. groups
1
2 “I
a lot. It was
Dax
1
2 “It was
Paul

.”
1
2 “I
Corinne

it. I
thought it was very
interesting.” .”
I don’t like it. I don’t like . I don’t like . I don’t like .

It’s terrible / It’s awful. terrible / awful. terrible / awful. terrible / awful.

e Complete the expressions for columns 2–4.

What do you think of Rihanna?
f In pairs, ask and answer about the singers and groups in the photos. I really like her. She’s great.
songs
What do you think
of Coldplay? I don’t know them. Anna Joshua
Justin Timberlake Enrique Iglesias 1 1
2 “It was .” 2 “I thought it was
.”
The Rolling Stones
Bob Dylan
d In pairs, ask and answer the questions in the box.

WORDS AND PHRASES TO LEARN

Shakira What do you think of …?
I really like it.
It’s fantastic / great.
Nelly Furtado It’s OK.
I don’t like it.
It’s terrible / awful.
Coldplay
h Ask your partner’s opinion What’s the last movie you saw?
Rihanna of the singers and groups.
Beyoncé 61
60 Avril Lavigne

Review & Check A two-page section – the left and right-hand pages have 6
GRAMMAR
What do you remember?
c Complete with a common verb from the list.
What can you do?

1 CAN YOU UNDERSTAND THIS TEXT?

REVIEW & CHECK

2 C A N YO U W R I T E T H I S I N E N G LI S H?

different functions. The What do you remember? page reviews the Grammar,
Circle the correct answer. call get give leave send turn off a Read about Masami’s vacation. Answer the questions.
Hello, Alex. Paragraph 1
a I b I’m
Did you get an e-mail from the hotel?
1 Where did she go? A Great Vacation
1 What did your sister you for your birthday? I went to Mexico last year with my husband.
1 two beds in the room. 2 When did she go? We went by plane.
2 What time did you home this morning?
a There is b There are 3 How did she travel? First we stayed in Cancún. Our hotel was really
3 Can you me at home tonight? nice, and there was a big swimming pool.
2 There aren’t elevators. Paragraph 2
4 Remember to your cell phone before you There was a beautiful beach, too. We swam
a some b any 4 Where did she stay?

Vocabulary, and Pronunciation of each File. The What can you do? page
go into class. every day, and the ocean was very warm. Then
3 Is there lamp on the table? 5 What did she do? we traveled around the Yucatán Peninsula
5 Did you her an e-mail about the party?
a a b any 6 What did she see? by bus. We saw Chichen Itza. It was fantastic.
4 a lot of tourists in the 1950s. d Write the irregular verbs in the simple past. Paragraph 3 I recommend Mexico. It’s a beautiful country,
a There wasn’t b There weren’t know knew
Our week in 7 Does she recommend
the people are very friendly, and the weather
is great.
5 a gym in the hotel? 1 drink
a treehouse it? Why? Masami Tanaka in Osaka
a There was b Was there 2 take In April last year, we stayed for a week at the
6 There were people on the beach. b Write three paragraphs about a vacation. Answer the questions

provides Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking “Can you…?” challenges

3 tell Safariland Treehouse Resort in southern India. It
a some b any was a wonderful experience! in a for you.
4 say
7 I wrote to John, but didn’t answer. Our room was up in a tree. We climbed stairs to get
5 leave
a he b him to it! The room was very nice. We had a large bed and
pillows. There was a bathroom in the room. There
3 C A N YO U U N D E R S TAN D TH E S E P E O P LE?
8 She was in my class, but I don’t remember . e Complete the phrases.
wasn’t a bathtub, but there was a shower. We even 6.28 Listen to a woman calling Vacation Homes Limited
a she b her Do you prefer tea or coffee? had hot water! It was hot at night, but we slept well. and choose the right answer.
9 A What do you think of the Beatles?
1 Your room’s on the first f . We had breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the resort.
B I don’t like . 1 The village is miles from Bordeaux.

to show students what they can achieve.

2 My room has a beautiful v of the But there was a problem. You couldn’t bring any
a him b them a 13 b 30
mountains. food to the resort. The meals were at the same
VACATION HOMES LIMITED
10 I really like Mike, but I don’t think he likes . time every day. I was hungry late at night, but there 2 The village is .
3 We can’t w jeans at my school.
a my b me wasn’t any food! a near the beach b in the mountains Large house to rent
4 It’s t to go. Bye.
What is there to do at the resort? There aren’t any 3 There are bedrooms. with pool in beautiful
5 What did you think o the movie?
VOCABULARY TVs or computers, but there is a lot to do outside. a three b four French village. For
You can walk in the forest or climb a mountain. You more information
4 One of the bedrooms is .
a Write the missing hotel words. P R O N U N C I AT I O N can play sports at the resort, too. They have soccer, CALL 
a very small b very big
I want to exercise. Is there a gym in this hotel? tennis, and volleyball games. There’s a park for reference 4795
a Can you remember these words and sounds?

After File 7, a two-page board game provides review of the language

children at the resort. My daughter loved it! 5 a There’s one bathroom.
1 I can’t turn on the TV. I can’t find the r c .
vowels We had a great time at the resort, but one week
b There are two bathrooms.
2 There isn’t a p on my bed.
was enough! 6 The woman wants to go on vacation from September .
3 We want a room with a d bed.
Neil Friedman a 10th–20th b 12th–22nd
4 Excuse me. There aren’t any t , and I want
7 She can meet the man from Vacation Homes on .
to take a shower.
consonants
a Read about a tourist’s experience at a resort. a Tuesday b Thursday
5 You can leave your car in the p l .
Mark the sentences T (true) or F (false). 8 Vacation Homes is at number Cowley Road.

covered in the book. This gives students a chance to review what they have
b Write the places.
a place where people can look at
old or interesting things
1 a place where you can get gas
2 a small place with only 1,000 people
living there
3 the place where you go when you want
1 There was a shower and a bathtub in the bathroom. a 86 b 68
2 It wasn’t cold at night.
museum 3 It was difficult to sleep at night. 4 C A N YO U SAY T H I S I N E N G LI S H?
b p.117 / 119 Sound Bank. Check the words and 4 Neil didn’t bring food to the resort.
sounds, and practice saying the example words. Check () the boxes.
5 You can’t watch TV at the resort.
Can you…?
c Underline the stressed syllable. 6 Neil’s daughter liked the park.
identify things in a hotel room Yes, I can.
Italian 7 Neil wanted to stay another week.

learned and assess what they can now do in English.

to travel by plane ask about facilities in a hotel Yes, I can.
4 a place where you can send letters bedroom restaurant museum airport fantastic b Look at the highlighted words and phrases and say what there is in your town Yes, I can.
5 a place where you can buy different guess their meaning. Check with your teacher describe how your town was in the past Yes, I can.
kinds of food or a dictionary. give your opinion about people and things Yes, I can.
62 63

The back of the Student Book

In the back of the Student Book you’ll find these three Banks of material:
Grammar Bank (pages 88–101) 6
6A there is / there are 6A
GRAMMAR BANK

Two pages for each File, divided into 6.4 Listen and repeat the examples. Then read the rules. a Complete with a, some, or any. b Complete with the right form of there is or there are.
Are there any elevators? There aren’t any sodas in the kitchen.
Singular Plural
1 There aren’t cars in the parking lot. 1 any free tables in the restaurant?
+ There’s a TV. + There are two beds.
There’s a bathtub. There are some pictures. 2 There are pillows on the bed. 2 any elevators in the hotel.
3 There’s sauna in the spa. 3 a bathtub in the bathroom. It’s very big.
– There isn’t a phone. – There aren’t any towels.
There isn’t a lamp. There aren’t any pillows. 4 Are there chairs in the room? 4 a swimming pool in the hotel?

A–C to reflect the three main lessons.

5 Is there TV in the restaurant? 5 a remote control for the TV.
Singular Plural 6 There isn’t table in the bedroom. 6 any pictures in the room.
? Is there a parking lot?  Yes, there is. ? Are there any elevators?  Yes, there are. 7 There aren’t windows in my room. 7 a meeting room in the hotel?
8 There are stores in the hotel. 8 some towels on the floor.
? Is there a gym?  No, there isn’t. ? Are there any cabinets?  No, there aren’t.

t
There’s a TV in my hotel room. = the room has a TV 6B

t
6TF
some and any + plural nouns.
a Write the sentences in the past. b Complete the dialogue with the right form

The left-hand page has the grammar

t
some = you don’t say how many.
t
some changes to any for – and ? . There’s a big parking lot. There was a big parking lot. of there was or there were.
t

%POU
DPOUSBDU
there is in short answers, e.g., Yes, there is. NOT Yes, there’s. 1 Is there an airport? A Hi, Jack. How was the hotel?
2 There aren’t any restaurants. B It was awful.
6B there was / there were 3 There are a lot of stores. A Why?
4 There aren’t any cafes. B Well, 1 there wasn’t an elevator, and our room
6.9 Listen and repeat the examples. Then read the rules. was on the third floor. The room was big, but
5 Are there any tourists?
Singular Plural it was cold and dark, and 2 any

rules and the right-hand page has two

6 There isn’t a spa. windows.
+ There was a train station. + There were some hotels. 7 Is there a bank?
There was a road. There were ten cafes. A 3 a restaurant?
8 There’s a hospital. B No, 4 .5 only a cafe.
– There wasn’t an airport. – There weren’t any big stores.
There wasn’t a swimming pool. There weren’t any tall buildings. A 6 a lot of people in the hotel?
B No. And I’m not surprised.
Singular Plural A 7 a swimming pool?
B Yes, 8 , but it wasn’t very clean.

exercises for each lesson. Students are

? Was there a park?  Yes, there was. ? Were there any hotels?  Yes, there were.
? Was there a shopping mall?  No, there wasn’t. ? Were there any restaurants? 
No, there weren’t.
6C
t
there was / there were is the past tense of there is / there are
t
some / any
4FF
6A there is / there are) a Change the highlighted words to one pronoun. b $PNQMFUF
UIF
TFOUFODFT
XJUI
BO
PCKFDU
QSPOPVO
I didn’t see Maria in class yesterday. You speak very fast. I can’t understand you .
6C object pronouns I didn’t see her in class yesterday. 1 I bought a camera, but I left in the store.
1 I never talk to Tom.

referred to the Grammar Bank when

CVU
TIF
EPFTOU
MJLF

6.18 Listen and repeat the examples. Then read the rule. 
+JN
MJLFT
4BSBI
.
2 We’re lost! Can you help my friend and me?
3 My children love stories. I read to every night.
Subject pronoun Object pronoun 3 I call my mother and father every weekend.
I’m your teacher. Do you want to talk to me? 4 Emma said good-bye to Jack, and he kissed .
4 I read this book last year.
You’re lost. Can I help you? 5 Can’t you find your keys? 5 I’m hungry. Can you make a sandwich, please?
He was at the party. I saw him. 6 I don’t like Jack Nicholson in that movie. 6 We saw them at the airport, but they didn’t see .
She never listens. Don’t talk to her.
7 Do you love your wife? 7 I don’t have my car today. Can I go with ?
It’s a beautiful coat! I want it for my birthday.

they do the grammar in each main A, B,

We aren’t friends. They don’t speak to us. 8 Wait for Jane and me!
They’re good books. Why don’t you read them? 9 I don’t know his phone number.
10 Did you tell Luisa about the meeting?
t
6TF
PCKFDU
QSPOPVOT
me, him
FUD

BT
UIF
PCKFDU
PG
B
WFSC
PS
BGUFS
QSFQPTJUJPOT

98 Study Link MultiROM www.oup.com/elt/americanenglishfile/starter 99

and C lesson.

Numbers Countries and nationalities VOCABULARY BANK

A N u m b e r s 0– 10 B N u m b ers 11– 20 C Nu m b e r s 21– 100 A Countries B Nationalities

a 1.7 Listen and repeat a 1.34 Listen and repeat a 2.31 Listen and repeat the numbers. a 1.13 Listen and repeat the countries. a 1.24 Listen and repeat the countries and

21
the numbers. the numbers. nationalities.

Vocabulary Bank (pages 102–116)

twenty-one 1 2 3

0 11
Country Nationality
zero eleven
22 twenty-two
1 one X7O 12 twelve
Brazil Brazilian

30 thirty
2 two UV 13 thirteen 5!SUJO
China Chinese

33 thirty-three
3 14
Brazil China England */HM!OE England English

An active picture dictionary to help

three fourteen
40 forty 4 5 6

4 15
Italy Italian
four fifteen
44 forty-four
5 16
Japan Japanese
five sixteen
50 fifty Korea Korean
6 six
17 seventeen
55
students learn, practice, and revise 7
8
9
seven

eight F*U

nine
18
19
20
eighteen

nineteen

twenty
60
66
fifty-five

sixty

sixty-six
7
Italy

8
Japan

9
Korea Mexico

Peru

Russia
Mexican

Peruvian

Russian

70 Spain Spanish

key words. Students are referred to

seventy
10 ten
77
b Cover the words. Say Turkey Turkish
the numbers. seventy-seven Mexico Peru Russia S74!

80
0 = oh P6 in room numbers, the United States American
p.9 eighty 10 11 12
e.g., room 207 (two oh seven).

88
the UK British
eighty-eight
b Cover the words. Say the

the Vocabulary Bank from the main 90

numbers. b Cover the words. Look at the flags. Say the
ninety country and nationality.
p.5

99 ninety-nine Spain Turkey U!SLJ the United States

Brazil
Brazilian

100 a/one hundred the US = the United States

the UK = the United Kingdom
c Write your nationality:
Practice saying it.
.

lessons. The Vocabulary Bank includes b Cover

p.20
30 thirty
40 forty
13 thirteen
14 fourteen etc.

the words. Say the numbers. b Cover

Country names begin with a CAPITAL letter,
e.g., Brazil NOT brazil.

c Write your country:

Practice saying it.
the words. Look at the pictures. Say the countries.
.
English, Spanish, etc. = nationality and
language. They begin with a CAPITAL
letter, e.g., English NOT english.

d Complete the sentences about you.

I’m , and I’m . (name, nationality)

an irregular verb list (page 116). 102 Study Link MultiROM www.oup.com/elt/americanenglishfile/starter
p.6

Study Link MultiROM www.oup.com/elt/americanenglishfile/starter

I’m from
p.8
in . (town / city, country)

103

Sounds and spelling – vowels

usual spelling ! but also usual spelling ! ! but also

Sounds and spelling – consonants

usual spelling ! but also usual spelling

SOUND BANK

! but also
You’ll also find:
Communication activities
p paper pillow th thing think

●
ee three meet people key u full sugar woman could
ea please read piece oo good book sleep top tenth birthday
e she we look cook pp stopped happen thumb month Thursday
tree bull parrot

i Italy six English women A very unusual sound. b board British th the father
is it gym euro Europe sure plural remember job weather their
bb rubber brother they

Sound Bank (pages 117–119) A three-

big window bag mother
fish tourist

ear
eer cheer
ere here we’re
ear near year

a bag thanks
black man
up
u umbrella number son brother
bus husband
but

Many different spellings.

! is always unstressed.
double
keys
c
k
ck

g
come cold
ski take
back clock

go green
big blog
school

chess
ch
tch
children lunch
watch kitchen
t (+ure) picture

j Japan juice
job
gym page
(pages 76–81)
page section with the American English
gg eggs dge bridge

Information gap activities and

bad that pocket seven famous about children girl jazz
cat computer

e spell ten friend breakfast er person verb work word f fifteen Friday wife l lamp listen
seven twenty bread ir first third world ph photo phone plan table
Mexico ur nurse Turkey ff office coffee ll small umbrella
egg bird flower leg

air airport upstairs their there ou out house v TV very of r red rice write wrong

File sounds chart and typical spellings

haircut where pound sound have live problem children

role plays.
are careful ow town down seven five rr terrible married
chair owl vase right

o not hot what watch o* open close window t time tell liked finished w watch twenty one
stop hospital want no hello start late word we
oa coat tt letter butter wh what white where
clock phone tie witch

al talk walk water bought ar are park heart d did drink played cried y yellow your

for all sounds. Students are referred aw saw draw daughter start far study good yes you
dd address middle before u music university

Audioscripts
awful dog yacht
saw car

horse
or short important four board
door
train
a*
ai
ay
name late
e-mail Spain
day say
eight they
great
snake
s
ss
small fast
stress waitress
nice city

monkey
m

mm
mountain Monday
September come
summer swimming ●
to the Sound Bank from the Review & oo too food two you oi coin noise z zero Brazil n nine never know
oy boyfriend enjoy s bags cars men piano

(pages 82–87)
u* excuse blue juice
ew new husband easy nn sunny dinner
boot boy zebra nose

sh shop she sugar sure ng thing long think thank

i* I Hi nice buy
Spanish finish doing going
y bye my
ti information playing wrong
* especially before consonant + e igh night flight singer
bike shower (+ vowel) reservation

Check lessons. 118 Study Link MultiROM www.oup.com/elt/americanenglishfile/starter

television

Study Link
An unusual sound.
usually usual

MultiROM www.oup.com/elt/americanenglishfile/starter
house
h hello hi
how hotel
have hurry
who

119 Scripts of key listenings.

10
More for students
American English File Starter gives
your students everything they need
for successful learning and motivating
home study.
Workbook Each A–C lesson in the
Student Book has a two-page section
in the Workbook. This provides
all the grammar, vocabulary, and
pronunciation practice and review
students need. Each section also has:
● Words and phrases to learn, which
reviews vocabulary from the lesson
that is not in the Vocabulary Bank.
● Listen and repeat, where students
listen and repeat dialogues that
incorporate key language from the
lesson. (The audio for these is on the
MultiROM.)
Each Practical English lesson also has a
two-page section in the Workbook and
includes full practice of the functional
language students have learned.
MultiROM
The MultiROM has two functions:
● It’s a CD-ROM, containing
review of Grammar, Vocabulary,
Pronunciation, Words and phrases
to learn, and Practical English (with
more video interviews).
● It’s an audio CD for students to use in
a CD player. It has the audio material
for the Workbook “Listen and repeat”
activities.
Student Website
www.oup.com/elt/americanenglishfile/
starter
Extra learning resources including:
● grammar exercises
● vocabulary activities
● pronunciation practice
● Practical English activities
● a vocabulary calendar
● the Study Link learning record
More for teachers
American English File Starter gives you everything you need to teach motivating,
enjoyable lessons, to save you time, and to make your life easier.
Teacher’s Book The Teacher’s Book has detailed lesson plans for all the lessons.
These include:
● an optional “books-closed” lead-in for every lesson.
● Extra idea suggestions for optional extra activities.
● Extra challenge suggestions for ways of exploiting the Student Book material
in a more challenging way if you have a stronger class.
● Extra support suggestions for ways of adapting activities or exercises to make
them more accessible for weaker students.
All lesson plans include keys and complete audioscripts. Extra activities are color
coded in purple so you can see extra material at a glance when you’re planning
your classes.
You’ll also find over 70 pages of photocopiable materials in the Teacher’s Book:
Photocopiable Grammar activities see pages 119–150
There is a photocopiable Grammar activity for each A, B, and C lesson and a
review activity for each File. These provide extra grammar practice and can be
used either in class or for self-study.
Photocopiable Communicative activities see pages 151–188
There is a photocopiable Communicative activity for each A, B, C, and Practical
English lesson. These give students extra speaking practice.
Photocopiable Vocabulary activities see pages 189–197
There is a photocopiable Vocabulary activity for each File. These provide extra
practice using new vocabulary and can be used either in class or for self-study.
Photocopiable Song activities see pages 198–206
American English File Starter has a song for every File in the Teacher’s Book.
All the photocopiable material is accompanied by clear instructions and keys.
Video The Video contains short
interviews with members of the
public answering questions from the
Practical English section of each File.
All the interviews are unscripted and
provide an opportunity for students
to practice listening to English spoken
at a natural speed. Each episode
can be used with the tasks in the
Student Book People on the street sections of the Practical English lessons as an
alternative to the Class CD.
The American English File Starter package also includes:
Class Audio CDs These contain all the listening materials for the Student Book.
Test Generator This CD-ROM includes over a thousand questions organized
both in ready-to-print tests (in PDF format) and in question banks, where they
can be selected and edited into tests customized to your students’ needs. The
CD-ROM also includes the audio for the listening sections of the tests.
Teacher Website www.oup.com/elt/teacher/americanenglishfile this gives you
extra teaching resources, syllabus information, etc.
11