UNIT 2:

TRAVELLING

OBJECTIVE: IN THIS UNIT, YOU WILL LEARN

HOW TO DESCRIBE CITIES AND COUNTRIES IN
ORAL AND WRITTEN INTERACTIONS USING
APPROPIATE LEXICAL AND GRAMMATICAL
STRUCTURES.
 Warm up
Watch the following video and then answer and discuss the
questions with a partner:

Watch the
video.
Listen and
Repeat
 Think about this:

Where would you like to travel?

Do you have a dream vacation?
Have you visited foreign countries?
Have you ever met people from abroad?
What is the importance of learning foreign languages?
 Holidays and vacations

A holiday is a day considered for commemoration, celebration, and

observance of a religious or national event; while, a vacation is a day or
a number of days for the purpose of recreation and rest.
Therefore, a holiday is a short period of time that you spend away from
work, but a vacation can be shorter or longer depending on the
availability of time. In the UK, Canada, and Australia, a holiday has the
same meaning as a vacation, but in the US and other parts of the world
a holiday and a vacation can refer to two different things. A holiday
usually involves celebrations and feasts; vacation does not.

What has been the best vacation you’ve taken in your life?
 Around the World
There are a number of expressions we can use when asking for places
in English. The choice of one or another depends on the context. Here
are some of the most common ones:
❑ Could you tell me...? ❑ Could you find out...?
❑ Do you know...? ❑ I'm interested in...
❑ Do you happen to know...? ❑ I'm looking for…
❑ I would like to know...

E.g.:
Could you tell me where the museum is?
Do you know a beautiful place in this city?
Do you happen to know where the theater is?
I would like to know what time the cafe opens.
Could you find out how to get to the docks?
I'm interested in visiting the waterfalls.
I'm looking for a bank near here.
 Activity
Drag and drop the names of the places under the right pictures
Paris, France Beijing, China Miami, USA

Venice, Italy Giza, Egypt London, England

Examples of adjectives to describe places

Mystical Evocative Enchanted

Colorful Deserted Magnificent

Creepy Impressive Ancient

Study these short conversation describing places:

1. A: What do you think about that new bar?

B: I actually think it’s kind of creepy.

2. A: What is your opinion about Venice?

B: It’s ancient but magnificent!
3. A: How would you describe Torres del Paine?
B: I’d say they are impressive and evocative.

4. A: Can you describe Thailand?

B: It’s mystical and colorful!
 Activity:
Describe the following pics in 5 words minimum using 2
adjectives.

1.___________________________________________
____________________________________________

2.__________________________________________
____________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________
_____________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________
_____________________________________________
 At the moment of travelling.

As the formulas used to ask for information, there are some

other structures used to indicate advice, requests or
recommendations to other people.
Some useful expressions to learn are:
1. (I think / I really think) you need to / must / should...
2. It is usually a good idea to...
3. My suggestion / advice is (to)...
4. You could (try)...
5. You probably / definitely / really should...
However, the expressions you will probably hear more often
include the Modal Verbs: “SHOULD / CAN / WOULD”
Modals Expressing Examples
Can/Can’t Ability I can swim
Permission Can I use your phone?

Possibility Rafting can be dangerous

Should/Shouldn’t Advice / You should buy tickets

recommendations What do you think I should do there?

Would/wouldn’t Recommendations/ What would you recommend doing

Requests there?
What do you suggest doing there?
What would you like to drink?
 Study these examples:
1. I really think you should make a reservation in
advance.
2. I think she must wear warm clothes before travelling.
3. I think we need to buy the tickets as soon as possible.
4. It is usually a good idea to check the weather forecast
before taking off.
5. Her suggestion was to cancel the flight.
6. His advice is to stay in a hotel and buy food in the
market.
7. You could try Thai food here in Chile first.
8. You definitely should book a table 3 days before to eat
at that restaurant.
Giving a recommendation
I’d recommend going…
I’d suggest going …
I think you should go …
 Activity:
Watch the video and choose the right alternative.
What time is the lady calling?
a) in the morning
b) in the afternoon
c) in the evening

What is the lady asking for?

a) table
b) a room
c) laundry service

What’s the minimum price for a room?

a) $50
b) $60
c) $80

What does the price include?

a) a Continental breakfast
b) a limousine
c) dinner

When would she like to check in?

a) 2nd of March
b) June 2nd
c) 2nd of July
 Having fun on vacation

Depending on the type of sport or activity we do, we use the

action words PLAY or GO. Everything will depend the activity
you are doing.
● We use play with ball sports or competitive games where
people play against others.
● We use go with sports that end –ing. People go
somewhere to do something. They can be practiced
individually and involve some type of movement towards
a goal. E.g.:
They play soccer and go bike riding.
My friends and I usually play baseball on weekends.
My children always go swimming.
Sports and hobbies
 Think about this:

1. What is your favorite sport?

2. Do you have any favorite activity or hobby?
3. What do you do on vacations?
4. What do you and your friends do in your free time?
5. Do you practice any sports?
Talking about your experiences.
In English , there is a specific form to refer to facts, activities and experiences
that people have lived in a period of time, but they continue having
relevance at present. This form is called Present Perfect. E.g.:

• We have enjoyed this place these days.

• Our family has visited these beaches for years.
• I have practiced rafting since I was twelve.

These sentences mean that the activities of enjoying, visiting and practicing
rafting started time ago, but people continue doing them now.

Past Present (Now) Future

1 year

I´ve (have) grown one

millimeter in one year.
 Present perfect simple structure
Interrogative form

(Question word) + have/has + subject + past participle + rest + ?

● Where have you been all these years?

● Has she ever taken a driving course?
● Have they finished the job yet?
Affirmative form

Subject + has/have + past participle + rest

● I have been in Europe for 10 years

● She has taken a 3 month driving course
● They have already finished the job

Negative form

Subject + has/have + not + past participle + rest

● She hasn’t been in there for years

● I haven’t taken any course yet
● He hasn’t finished it yet
 Most common past participles

Irregular forms Regular forms

Be - been Play - played

Go - gone Study - Studied
Sleep - slept Participate - participated
Do - done Arrive - arrived
Make - made Listen - listened
Drive - driven Rent - rented
Fly - flown Book - booked
Have - had Ask - asked
Eat - eaten Phone - phoned
See - seen Watch - watched
 Activity
Match the questions with suitable answers:

1. What kind of food has she eaten so I have gone 3 times this week.
far?_______

2. Who have you lived with all this She has eaten only Thai food.
time?_______

3. How many times have you gone I have tried to do it many times.
swimming?______

4. How much water have they I have lived with friends so far.
drunk?______

5. Why has she said that?______ They have drunk at least 3 liters.

6. When have you tried to

apologize?______ She has said it because she was angry.
 Superlative adjectives

In order to complement a description of a place, city or anything else to

give more detailed opinion, you may use a structure called Superlatives.
They work expressing that something or someone possesses the
maximum degree in a determined quality, or to show emphasis. Its
structure is very similar to comparisons, and they can be used together in
the same sentence, e.g.:
Describing a place using Present perfect and Superlatives:
The coolest place I have ever visited is Petra. This city is located in Jordan
and I love it because it is a city surrounded by rocks and water. I think it’s
one of the most interesting places you can visit.
My friend is an architect and he was the happiest guy, learning everything
about the way people from this civilization used the technique of carving
rocks to build the city. It’s just the most amazing place I have ever been
to.
 Structure of the superlatives

Adjective with one or two vowel Add – est

sound syllables My house is the smallest in this 1
city.
This Television is the cheapest in 2
the store.
Adjective with one or two vowel Add – iest
sound syllables ending “y” I am the shiest of all my class. 3
Atacama is the driest dessert in the
world. 4
Adjective with three or more vowel The most
sound syllables Calculus is the most difficult 5
subject this semester.
Irregular Adjectives Good = the best
Bad = the worst
Far = the furthest
1

3 4

5
 Activity:
Write the superlative forms of the adjectives

1. Siberia is the coldest place in the world (cold).

2. Atacama desert is the driest place in the world (dry).

3. Monica Belucci is the most beautiful girl in the film

industry (beautiful).

4. The Maybach Exelero is the most expensive car around

the world (expensive).

5. The Blobfish is actually the ugliest animal in the world

(ugly).
Reading comprehension activity

The Rodriguez Brothers Circus is in town! Every year, the circus arrives
and stays for a week. Then they go to the next town. There are not many
animals in the circus. People told the circus that they didn't like seeing
animals performing. There is an elephant called Jacob and two old lions,
Hattie and Meg.

Most of the performers are human! Leopold, The Strongest Man In The
World. His father also worked in the circus, but Leopold is stronger than
him, he has bigger arms and bigger legs too! Leopold performs his act
every night for the town's people who come to watch. Another
performer is Clara. She says she has the longest hair in the world. It's
about 4 metres long! She also has a daughter who works in the circus. Her
name is Sue-Ellen. Her hair is a lot shorter, but she wants to grow it as
long as her mother's. Sue-Ellen helps look after the animals and she's
also learning how to juggle.
The highlight of the circus are the three clowns, Pit, Pot and Pat.
They all wear long red shoes, but Pat's shoes are the longest and
sometimes, he falls over because they're so long! They perform
for about twenty minutes and they are always the most popular
act with the audience, especially the children. Many people think
Pit, Pot and Pat are three brothers, but Pat is older than the other
two - he's their father! He's the oldest clown in the country, but he
has a lot of energy. Tomorrow will be the longest day because the
circus is leaving town and everything must be packed away into
big trucks.
Read the text and answer the questions in a
separate document

1. How many animals are there in the circus? Why?

2. What are the biggest attractions in the circus?
3. Are there any clowns in the circus?
4. Who is Sue-Ellen?
5. What’s the name of the circus?
ANSWER KEYS
 Activity
Drag and drop the names of the places under the right
pictures

London, England Miami, USA Beijing, China

Venice, Italy Giza, Egypt Paris, France

What time is the lady calling?
a) in the morning
b) in the afternoon
c) in the evening

What is the lady asking for?

a) table
b) a room
c) laundry service

What’s the minimum price for a room?

a) $50
b) $60
c) $80

What does the price include?

a) a Continental breakfast
b) a limousine
c) dinner

When would she like to check in?

a) 2nd of March
b) June 2nd
c) 2nd of July
 Activity
Match the questions with suitable answers:

1. What kind of food has she eaten so She has eaten only Thai food.
far?_______

2. Who have you lived with all this I have lived with friends so far.
time?_______

3. How many times have you gone I have gone 3 times this week.
swimming?______

4. How much water have they They have drunk at least 3 liters.
drunk?______

5. Why has she said that?______ She has said it because she was angry.

6. When have you tried to I have tried to do it many times.

apologize?______