LESSON NOTES

Gengo English S1 #17

Tame Talking on the Big Bad Telephone
in English with These Tips

CONTENTS

Dialogue - English
Main
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 17
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DIALOGUE - ENGLISH
MAIN

1. (Zo calls colleague

#1)

2. Colleague #1 : Hello. This is Tom.

3. Zo : Good morning, it's Zo.

4. Colleague #1 : Zo, where are you?

5. Zo : I don't know.

6. Colleague #1 : We don't see you.

7. Zo : Yes, and I don't see you! [laughs] Where are you?

8. Colleague #1 : We're in front of Madison Square Garden.

9. Zo : Hm... I think I'm somewhere near there.

10. Colleague #1 : Hm…. Okay, what do you see? What buildings, signs or landmarks?

11. Zo : I see Macy's, the department store. And an Old Navy store. There's an AT&T
store.

12. Colleague #1 : Oh! I know where you are. Wait there. We'll come to you.

13. Zo : Thank you...and so sorry!

14. Colleague #1 : No problem! Don't move! [laughs]

15. Colleague #1 : There you are! Ready?

16. Zo : I am! Sorry about that!

VOCABULARY

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Vocabulary English Class

where at, in, or to what place; place in which adverb

to toward a person, place or thing preposition

there in or at that place adverb

to wait to stay in place verb

place location, room, or space noun

sign a display of a message or name noun

big large; not small adjective

landmark an easily located or easily recognized place noun

building a roofed and walled structure made for permanent use noun

a indefinite article adjective, particle

what used as an interrogative about the identity, nature, or value of pronoun, adverb,
something adjective

at shows presence or happening in, on or near preposition

to see to observe with the eyes verb

(American)

we I and the others in a group that includes me pronoun

go to move on a course; to proceed verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Where are you? I threw the ball to my dad.

Let's go to see a movie tonight. Stand over there please.

Let's wait for him here. It was in this place where I watched the sun rise.

When you arrive at the airport, look for the Sometimes I like eating big meals.
"BUSES" sign.

The Altman Building is a local landmark. New York is known for its tall buildings.

Do you have a pet? Have a great trip!

I had a great time. What time is it?

I always go to bed at eleven o'clock. I'm at school.

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 I don't see you. We're from Canada.

Let's go to the movies.

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

"Hello. This is Tom." Tom answers his cell phone using this phrase. Usually people answer the phone
with a simple, "Hello." Sometimes, however, they also say their name, so the person on the other end
knows who is answering the phone. Tom says, "Hello. This is Tom." To use this phrase, say, "Hello. This is
[your name]."

"Where are you?" Tom asks Zo, "Where are you?" The two were supposed to have been meeting at that
time, but Tom and his colleague didn't see Zo from where they were standing. They probably wonder
why. "Where are you?" means, "What place are you standing in right now?"

"We're at [location]." This phrase includes the implied verb, "located." What the phrase means is, "We are
located at [location]," or, "We are now standing in [location].

"What buildings, signs or landmarks?" This phrase includes an implied verb. It's short for, "What
buildings, signs, or landmarks do you see?"

"I know that place." "I know that place" means, "I know the place you're talking about."

"Please wait there." "Please wait there" means, "Stay where you are," or, as Tom says jokingly, "Don't
move!"

"We'll go to you." Tom tells Zo to stay where he is. "Stay there," he says. "We'll come to you." The phrase,
"We'll come to you" means just that—Tom and Zo's other colleague will go to the place where Zo is
waiting and pick him up.

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson is the Verb, "to know," and Negative Statements
"Oh! I know where you are!"
"I don't know."

The Verb, "to know"

The verb, "to know" means to be aware of, to understand, or to recognize. In the dialogue, Zo first uses
it when Tom, his colleague, asks Zo where he is. Zo says, "I don't know." This is a negative statement.
We'll explore negative statements a little bit later in these lesson notes.

The second time the verb, "to know" appears is after Zo describes the place where he is standing. Tom
recognizes the landmarks Zo mentions and says, "Oh! I know where you are!" Tom is familiar with Zo's
location—he knows about the places Zo mentions. He knows where they are. So he goes to find him.

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SINGULAR                           PLURAL
1st person I know                                 We know
2nd person You know                             You know
3rd person He/she knows                      They know

Make note of that pesky "s" in the 3rd person singular.

Here are some sample sentences that include the verb, "to know:"

"I know when your birthday is."

"He knows I'm not a fan."

"We know how to dance."

Negative Statements

We've explored negative statements in the past, but let's review. You make affirmative statements when
you want to say, "yes," or when you want to agree with someone. Use negative statements when you
want to say, "no," or when you want to disagree with someone or something, or show that something is
not true or correct.

"Don't," which is short for, "do not," is an easy way to negate something—to express that something is
not true or correct.

In the dialogue, Tom asks Zo, "Where are you?" Zo responds by saying, "I don't know." Zo does not know
where he is.

I + don't + know.
Subject + DON'T + verb

Then Tom says to Zo, "We don't see you."

We + don't + see + you.

Subject + DON'T + verb + object

In response, Zo says, "And I don't see you!"

I + DON'T + see + you.

Subject + DON'T + verb + object

SINGULAR               PLURAL
1st person       I don't…                   We don't…
2nd person      You don't…                You don't…
3rd person       He/she doesn't…       They don't…

Again, watch out for that pesky 3rd person singular—doesn't.

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"Don't" can also be used to make a negative imperative—a command instructing someone NOT to do
something. At the end of the dialogue, Tom tells Zo, "Don't move!" This means, "Stay where you are."

You can make a negative imperative like this:

DON'T + simple present tense

"Don't shout."
"Don't run."
"Don't sit."

You can make your imperatives more polite by adding, "please:"

"Please don't shout."

"Don't shout, please."

"Please don’t run."

"Don't run, please."

"Please don’t sit."

"Don't sit, please."

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Get Along to a Game
 

Zo has gotten a little lost. He set out to meet his colleagues for a basketball game. He's arrived in New
York in April, at the tailend of the basketball season. The game will be held at the famous sports and
concert venue, Madison Square Garden. The group didn't travel together, so Zo must make his way to
MSG (or, "The Garden") on his own. He finds himself in the area, but not at the meeting spot they had all
planned on, so he phones his colleague, Tom, who is familiar with the area and agrees to find Zo. Zo tells
Tom that he sees "an Old Navy," which is clothing store chain that sells lower-priced apparel, and "an
AT&T store," which sells phones and handles other transactions for the AT&T wireless telephone division.
 
Madison Square Garden, dubbed "the world's most famous arena," is the home arena to the New York
Rangers hockey team, the New York Knicks of the NBA (National Basketball Association), and the New
York Liberty of the WNBA (Womens National Basketball Association). The name is derived from its
original location at Madison Avenue and 26th Street. It was moved to its present location on 7th Avenue
(between 31st and 33rd Streets), just above Pennsylvania Station, in 1968. It holds about 19,000 people
per event, and is host to numerous musical and other special events, including university graduations,
all year round.

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