SYKES ACADEMY DAY 13

IDIOM OF THE DAY: Red tape

It refers to official rules and bureaucratic paperwork that prevent things from being done
quickly.
EXAMPLE: “If there weren’t so much red tape, the company would be up and running
already.”

Vowels: /ɪ/ & /i/

as in sit and seat

/i:/ (EE)

This is a tense vowel, and requires the following:

 tense (facial) muscles
 lips spread, with a smile
 tongue higher in mouth
 muscles in throat constricted

/ɪ/ (I)

This is a lax vowel, and requires the following:

 relaxed (facial) muscles
 jaw slightly drops (NO smiles)
 tongue relaxed
 muscles in throat are not tense

Exercise

Choose the words which contain the sounds listed. There can be more than one correct
answer.

Find /ɪ/: Find /i/:

A. lick A. lap
B. love B. leap
C. creep C. scene
D. lovely D. mitt
E. meet E. moat
F. king F. meet
G. slip G. figure
H. fill H. greed
I. ease I. flight
J. knight J. peach
K. knit K. airplane
L. kite L. question
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Performance:

Identify the words that contain the sound, copy and paste the paragraph one from “Yo-Yo
Pro” on the text-to-speech tool and record yourself duplicating the pronunciation, make
sure you apply correct intonation and rhythm.

Mary was very hungry, so she decided to treat herself to some sushi. She really liked the
taste of raw fish. She also liked the music that was playing at the restaurant; it was classical
music – her favorite! After dinner, she went to the movie theater to see the latest Brad Pitt
movie. There was a very long line in front of the theater, but she did not mind. Finally, she
was able to go in and take a seat, just as the movie was starting. She enjoyed the movie a
lot, and was really surprised by the ending!

Reference: ht https://engoo.com/app/lessons/pronunciation-pronunciation-vowels-ɪ-i/kGanBimjEeey9-
fNSldgYg?category_id=PLUgsMYZEeiDvOOFE9eOeA&course_id=U8eWXMYZEeix2ce31K82DQ

Count and Non-Count Nouns

Count nouns have two forms: singular and plural. They can be used with numbers and
quantifying expressions such as many, several, and few.

Examples:
One bill two bills several bills few bills

When used as subjects in present tense sentences, count nouns require the -s form of the
verb in the singular and the base form of the verb in the plural.

Examples:
The customer pays. The customers pay. The customer has a few late fees.

Non-count nouns have only one form. When used as subjects in present tense sentences,
non-count nouns require the -s form of the verb.

Examples:
This information contains many mistakes in it. Honesty is the best policy.
 SYKES ACADEMY DAY 13

Some nouns can be either count or non-count.

Job experience is essential. Some experiences can be funny.

Non-count Noun Plural Count Noun

Both count and non-count nouns can be quantified. That is, they can be used with
expressions which divide them into parts or groups which can be counted.

Service A variety of services

Money A lot of money
News A piece of news
Advice A piece of advice

Sometimes a non-count noun is used to indicate a "group" of items, whereas individual items
within the group are countable.

Non-count Count
Money dollars, bills, fives, cents, dimes, coins
Time years, months, days, hours, minutes
Data reports, statistics

Quantifiers

Much vs. Many

Much and Many are used to express that there is a large quantity of something.
Much and Many are used in negative sentences and questions.
Many is used with countable nouns
Much is used with uncountable nouns.

There are many mistakes on my billing statement. (Countable noun)

I don't have much money to pay for that service. (Uncountable noun)
How many callbacks have you gotten from us so far? (Countable noun)
How much data do you download every day? (Uncountable noun)

Note: We almost never use Much and Many in positive sentences, we almost always use a lot of
or lots of.
I have much money. (Incorrect because the sentence is positive / affirmative)
I have a lot of money. (Correct)
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With the word "times" we use many times more than a lot of times / lots of times. It
sometimes means frequently or often.
You need to solve this issue right away. I've already called too many times.
Don't worry, sir; I've done this many times.

Few vs. Little

We use Few and Little to suggest a small quantity.

Few is used with countable nouns
Little is used with uncountable nouns.

 There are only a few questions I’d like to ask you before you hang up, ma’am.
(Countable noun)
 There is little information about this topic. Would you mind holding for a minute
while I research a little further? (Uncountable noun)

While Few and Little usually have positive meanings, very few and very little have negative
meanings.

 I’m not satisfied with your service. It has very few advantages, but too many
disadvantages. (Countable noun)
 Apparently, your company has very little knowledge about this topic. That is
somehow disappointing. (Uncountable noun)
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EXERCISE
Choose the option that best completes the following sentences.

1. There are not _______________ options. 4. We’re close to the deadline, but we still have
_______________ time left.
a) much b) many c) some d) few
a) some b) many c) a lot d) a few

2. How _________________ money are you

willing to pay for that service? 5. Although ______________ many benefits for
me as a customer, I think I do not want to
a) much b) many c) some d) any upgrade my account yet.

a) is b) are c) there is d) there are

3. I’m having _______________ trouble getting
my phone to work. Could you help me with
that? 6. _______________ information seemed to be
outdated.
a) many b) a few c) a lot of d) any
a) Many b) Some c) A few d) Several

ANOTHER VS OTHER

Another is used with singular nouns. Another is used to refer to:

-an additional person or thing of the same kind.

EXAMPLE: You can have another phone if you don’t like the one you have.
- a different person or thing
EXAMPLE: if this doesn't work, you have to find another method for resolving the disputes.

Other is used to refer to:

-all people or things that are not the particular one being mentioned.
EXAMPLE: The meeting may be postponed, but the other events are taking place.
-more people or things in addition to the one being mentioned.
EXAMPLE: You have bought this type of device, but there are at least three other devices.
-people or things which are different from the ones being mentioned.
EXAMPLE: Accepting the credit card is just one way to get rid of them, but there are other
ways.

PERFORMANCE:

Work in pairs, each pair has two pictures. The pictures contain both count and non-count
items. Each person gets one picture and cannot let their partner see it. Ask each other
questions about the objects in their partner’s picture to see what the differences between
the two are. For example, one student might ask if there is any rice in the picture and the
other student might answer there are three bowls of rice.
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VOCABULARY – USING AIRBNB

1. Housing 9. Evict
2. Rent out 10. Low-income housing
3. Condominiums 11. Government
4. Turn into 12. Subsidized
5. Tenants 13. Profit
6. Intruding 14. Debatable
7. Advantages 15. Double dipping
8. Squatters 16. Reviews

USING AIR B&B1

Todd: Okay. So we’re talking about housing Meg. You know, these days, a lot of people can
actually stay in houses when they travel. Like they don’t stay in hotels, they stay in a house.
Have you heard about Airbnb?

Meg: Yeah, I have heard of it. I’ve looked at the website a couple of times. Do they have
Airbnb where you’re from?

Todd: They do. They actually do have Airbnb in San Francisco but I have not used it in San
Francisco, I’ve only used it actually traveling in other countries. I used it Thailand and I was
going to use it in Japan but I ended up – I couldn’t use it because of the travel problems but
yeah.

Meg: So how does it work?

Todd: Basically, what it works is if somebody owns a house, they can rent out a room. And
so, you find a house online and then you book it with the scheduling system online. And
then you pay Airbnb the money and then the people let you stay in their house.

Meg: What are the cost usually? Is it expensive?

Todd: It can be really cheap or really expensive. You have both ends. I mean, sometimes
you can just rent a room and sometimes, you can actually rent the whole house.

So, you know – and now, in places like Thailand or other places in Southeast Asia, what they
do is a lot of condominiums now are kind of turning into mini-hotels. So rather than try to
find long-term tenants, they just search for – or they just rent out their apartments on
Airbnb.

Meg: Right. Well, it sounds like a good way to stay some place you haven’t been before.

Todd: It is good. I mean, when I used it in Thailand, what I liked about it was you feel like
you have a real, you know, you have real roots there. You’re not in the hotel so nobody is
kind of intruding on you or nobody is coming to clean your room everyday. So you feel like
1
http://www.elllo.org/english/1351/T1390-Meg-06-AirBNB.htm
 SYKES ACADEMY DAY 13
you have more privacy and you feel like you really live in the place. And usually, the
apartments are in real neighborhoods so they’re not in touristy areas. So there are
definitely some advantages.

Meg: Would you say that it’s safe?

Todd: Yeah. I guess that’s the biggest concern. It seems to be safe. I mean, from what I see
– although there was an interesting case recently in California where they’ve had problems
of squatters. And a squatter…

Meg: What are squatters?

Todd: A squatter is somebody who, they take the Airbnb house and then they just never
leave.

Meg: Oh.

Todd: Yeah. And then they’re hard to evict. So that was one interesting thing. And then
also, recently, the company has been in the news because people that have low-income
housing, like government subsidized housing, they’ve been trying to rent out their
apartments on Airbnb.

Meg: On Airbnb.

Todd: And then the city or the government said, “Hey, you can’t do that because we give
you this house at a discount to help you because you’re low income. So you can’t use it to
make a profit.” So it’s been a very debatable situation.

Meg: Yeah. I guess it’s kind of like double dipping.

Todd: Yeah.

Meg: You’re getting discount or paid in a way to live there and then you want to get paid
more. So it sounds like a problem.

Todd: Yeah. So what do you think? Would you be interested in doing something like
Airbnb?

Meg: Yeah. I definitely think so. After researching a place, maybe if I have a lot of pictures
and it seemed clear that it would be safe, yeah, I think I’d like to do it.

Todd: And actually their website is fantastic. Like if you go to their website, you can, let’s
say, choose a house in Paris or Madrid or whatever. And then they often have like the
Google street cam thing so you can see what the house looks like on the inside. And then
you could actually do the rotating camera and see what the neighborhood looks like.
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And then everybody leaves reviews about the owner and about their stay there, so you’d
get a good feel about what the place is like. So it’s kind of a new way to travel, and it’s kind
of cool.

Meg: Yeah. It sounds interesting especially the reviews. I think knowing someone else has
had a good experience, I would definitely be interested in doing it.

Todd: Yeah, definitely.

EXERCISE: Choose the best phrasal verb to complete each of the following sentences:

1. _____________ ( = be vigilant of) pickpockets

when you're in the metro. 6. The driver will ______________ ( = leave you)
Look out for at the airport.
Look out into take you out
Look after pick you up
drop you off
2. This is my colleague. He'll ______________
you. ( = he'll take care of you) 7. You don't have to _______________ ( = wear
look after fancy clothes) to go to this restaurant. Most
look up to people there dress quite casually.
look up to dress up
dress down
3. I'm sorry, we've __________the free maps. crack up
But, you may use our app. ( = we no longer have
any) 8. You dropped this. = This _______________
run out of your pocket.
run into came up from
run up to fell out of
fell into
4. This is a great neighborhood to
_______________ in. There are a lot of bars, 9. You'll have to _______________ ( = retrieve,
cafes, and restaurants. get) the tickets at the train station.
make out pick out
go out pick off
get around pick up

5. The driver will ______________ ( = come get 10. We're _______________ ( = letting people
you) at the airport. have) free tickets to the opera.
take you out giving away
drop you off getting away
pick you up taking out

EXERCISE 2. Choose the best answer for the given question.2

2
https://www.englishformyjob.com/english-practice-travel-agency2.html
 SYKES ACADEMY DAY 13
1. Will I be able to go into the city while I'm waiting for my connecting flight?
No, you won't have enough time.
The airport is not too far from the city.
You will make you connecting flight.

2. What are the visa requirements for American citizens.

You will need your passport.
You don't need a visa. Just your passport.
We accept all major credit cards.

3. Can you specify that I would like a room overlooking the ocean?
For how many people?
Many of the rooms overlook the ocean. What did you have in mind?
I'll try, but all of those rooms might already be booked.

4. Which airline are we flying?

Singapore Airlines.
Boeing 767.
Singapore International Airport.

5. How are we going to get from the airport to the hotel?

It's about 30 kilometers.
The hotel is in the city. It's about 30 kilometers away.
The hotel will have a shuttle bus waiting for you upon arrival.

6. What's "Agritourism"?
It's related to farms.
It's a term that refers to traveling and staying in rustic places, like on a farm, etc., and
sometimes helping the local farmers.
Farm workers get involved in the tourist industry. They will help you find a hotel.

7. How hot is it going to be there?

The average temperature in July is about 35 degrees c.
Yes, it is.
Last year's temperatures were a departure from the norm.

8. Who are these tours organized by?

I will make all the arrangements for you.
A local company called "Costa Rica Vacations".
It's part of the tourism industry.

9. We just want to make sure that the rooms will be clean.

Yes, the rooms are cleaned.
From what other travelers have told me, the rooms are very clean.
It's too far from the city, so it's a little inconvenient.

10. We want to be close to all the attractions.

Many the attractions are in the center of the city.
 SYKES ACADEMY DAY 13
The city has a great public transportation system.
Then I recommend that we book a central hotel, even though it might be a little more
expensive.

LISTENING

Listen carefully to “Travel Log Level” audio and answer the following questions:

1. What word describes the man's feelings at the beginning of the conversation about
traveling overseas?
a. Relaxed
b. Apprehensive
c. Anxious

2. What one thing surprised him in the marketplace?

a. The quality of merchandise seemed to vary widely from place to place.
b. Shop owners would raise the price of goods if they saw you were a foreigner.
c. You could bargain over the price with shopkeepers to get the best deal.

3. What did the man NOT mention about the way people looked at him during his visit?
a. People started at him out of a distrust of foreigners.
b. People were just inquisitive at his presence there.
c. Such situations gave him opportunities to interact with others.

4. What does the man say about the traffic conditions?

a. The people seem to pass through traffic as if unaffected by everything around
them.
b. Buses and taxis are the main models of transportation in many parts of the country.
c. The flow of traffic, at times, remains constant due to an intricate road system.

5. What is one conclusion the man states at the end of the travel log?
a. Discovery of different cultures through direct experience is key to cultural
adaptation.
b. Miscommunication is a natural event in the process of bridging cultural boundaries.
c. All countries share some similar characteristics that blind them together.