CHAPTER 8

ASKING AND GIVING DIRECTION

Elicitation
Look at the illustration before studying the dialogues below. Try to guess what the people are
talking about!

Well, in this chapter, you will study how to ask and give direction. You will practice asking and
telling location, distance and direction.

General Instructional Objective.

After completing this lesson, students should be able to ask and give direction fluently and
accurately

Specific instructional objectives:

• Ask the location of a place

• Tell the location of a place
• Ask about the distance of a place
 • Answer question about distance
• Ask for direction
• Give directions
• Follow the direction given

Dialogue 1

Stranger : “Do you know where the nearest post office is?”

Maria : “Yes, I do”

Stranger : “Is it to far to walk?”

Maria : “No it isn’t. Just walk along this street. Turn right at the intersection. You

can see the post office on your left”

Stranger : “How far is it from the intersection?”

Maria : “It is only 200 meters”

Stranger : “Thank you”

Maria : “You’re welcome”

Questions.

1. Who wants to go to post office?

2. Does Maria know where the post office is?
3. How does the stranger go to post office?
4. Is the post office far from the intersection?
5. Where is the post office exactly?

Dialogue 2

Sari : “So, you want to come to my house?”

Antoni : “Yes, I do”

Sari : “It’s very far. It’s on the other side of the town”

Antoni : “No problem. Just tell me how to get there by public transport”
Sari : “Okay. From here, walk cross the street and take a bus number 15”

Antoni : “Then what?”

Sari : “Then get of in front of Horizon hotel”

Antoni : “Then?”

Sari : “Then cross the street and take another bus number 20 and get of at the
intersection of Jl. Murni and Jl. Suci”

Antoni : “So where is your house?”

Sari : “From the intersection, walk a along Jl. Suci for about 300 meters. My house is
on the left hand side opposite a computer college”

Antoni : “All right. Thank you”

Questions

1. Who wants to come to Sari’s house?

2. Where does Sari live?
3. How does she go home?
4. How many times does she have to change buses?
5. Where does she take the second bus?

From dialogue 1 and 2, you can learn how to ask and tell the location of a place, ask and answer
the distance of a place, ask and give direction. In dialogue 1, the stranger ask the location of the
nearest post office by using embedded question “Do you know where the nearest post office
is?”, ask the distance of the post office by using yes/no-question “Is it too far too walk to the
post office?”. And Maria answer the first question by saying “Yes, I do” and “No, it is not” for
the second question. Maria also gives the direction to post office by saying “Turn right at the
intersection.”

In dialogue 2, Antoni uses “Just tell me how to get there by public transport” to ask direction
using public transport. And Sari answers the question by saying “From here, walk across the
street and take a bus number 15, then get off in front of Horizon hotel, then cross the street
and take another bus number 20 and get off at the intersection of Jl. Murni and Jl. Suci, from
the intersection, walk a along Jl. Suci for about 300 meters”. She also indentifies her house by
saying “My house is on the left hand side opposite a computer college” The detail expressions
used to ask and give directions can be learnt as follows:

Asking and giving location of a place.

• Do you know where …………………………is? Yes, I do. It is ………………..

• Could you tell me where……………….is, please? Certainly. It is………………..
• Can
• would

Asking for a direction:

• Can you tell me how to get to…………….?

• Could you tell me how to get to…………..?
• Would you tell me how to get to………….?

Answering questions about direction:

• Yes, I can/Sure/Certainly
• (just) walk along this street/Jl. Suci
• Turn left at the intersection
• Turn right the second intersection
• Walk across the street/road
• Cross the street/Bridge

Giving directions using public transport:

• Take a bus number 15/a bus that goes to the city center
• Get off in front of hotel Horizon/at the intersection of Jl. Suci and Jl. Murni.

Identify the position of a place:

• My house is on the left

• The left hand side
 • Opposite the computer college
• Between the computer college and the supermarket

Asking about the distance of a place:

• How far is it from the intersection?

• How far is it from the intersection to your house?
• How far is it from here to your house?

Answering about the distance of a place:

• It’s about 200 (two hundred) meters

• It is about 200 meters from here
• It is about 25 kilometers from here to my house.

Practice 1

Fill in the blank with the following words.

far here cross right

street there go intersection

how turn along bus

direction walk off take

My campus is very …………. 1 …………….. from here. It’s about twenty seven kilometers from …….
2 …………….. I go ………….. 3 ………….. by ………… 4 …………….. Do you want to known …….. 5 …………
to get there? It’s not difficult if you follow my ……….. 6 ………. after you ……….. 7 …………. out of
this building, just ……….. 8 Combine the two sentences below so that they form an embedded
question. For example

Where is the post office?

……………… the street, then ………… 9 ………….. a public transport number 20. Get ………….. 10
………… at the …………….. 11 …………… of Jl. Medan and Jl. Palembang. Then, ………….. 12
……………… 13 …………… Jl. Medan …………. 14 …………. left to Jl. Sukabumi. You can find my
campus on that ……………….. 15 …………… number 21 on your …………… 16 ………….

Practice 2
Combine the two sentences below so that they form an embedded question. For example:

Where is the post office? Can you tell me that

Becomes: can you tell me where the post office is?

1. How far is your house from here? I don’t know that.

…………………………………………………..

2. How can I get to the university? Please tell me that.

………………………………………………….

3. How much is the fare? Why don’t you tell me that?

…………………………………………………

4. Where do I turn left? Do you know that?

………………………………………………..

5. Is it too far to walk? I wonder about it.

……………………………………………….

6. Where does he live? Would you tell me that?

……………………………………………….

7. Do they go there by bus? Can you tell me that?

……………………………………………….

8. Where is the bus stop? I want to know that.

……………………………………………….
 9. What public transport can take me to the station? Please tell me that.

………………………………………………..

10. Does that bus go to the city? I wonder about that.

…………………………………………………

Practice 3. (Pair work)

Summary.

To ask location of a place, you can say:

• Where is the Accounting office?

• Do you know where the nearest post office is?
• Could you tell me where the BNI is, please?
• Can you tell me where the room number 125 is, please?
• Would you tell me where Bali State Polytechnic is, please?

To answer questions about the location of a place, you can say:

• It is at Dewi Sartika Street No 27 Denpasar

• Yes, I do. It is at Dewi Sartika Street No 27 Denpasar
• Yes, certainly. It is at Dewi Sartika Street No 27 Denpasar

To ask for a direction, you can say:

• Can you tell me the way to Bali Beach Hotel please?

• Could you tell me how I can get to Bali Beach Hotel please?
• Would you tell me how to get to Bali State Polytechnic please?

To answer questions about direction, you can say:

• Yes, Sure. From here, go straight ahead to the intersection, then….

• (just) walk along this street
• Turn left at the intersection
• Turn right at the second intersection
• Walk across the street/road
• Cross the street/Bridge

To give directions using public transport, you can say:

• Take a bus number 15/a bus that goes to the city center
• Get off in front of hotel Horizon/at the intersection of Jl. Suci and Jl. Murni.
To identify the position of a place, you can say:

• My house is on the left

• The left hand side
• Opposite the computer college
• Between the computer college and the supermarket

To ask about the distance of a place, you can say:

• How far is it from the intersection?

• How far is it from the intersection to your house?
• How far is it from here to your house?

To answer about the distance of a place, you can say:

• It’s about 200 (two hundred) meters

• It is about 200 meters from here
• It is about 25 kilometers from here to my house.

Formative Test.

Complete the following dialogues by crossing the best option A, B, C or D!

1. X : Excuse me. …………………………………………………………

Y : Your room is on the second floor, No 425.

A. Where my room?
B. Where is your room?
C. How can I get to my room?
D. is my room?
2. X : …………………………………………………………………………………………………

Y : Certainly. From here, go straight ahead for about 200 m to the intersection and you

will find it on your left side.

A. Could you show me the way to Mr. Robert’s house, please?

 B. Could you tell me which bus can I take to Mr. Robert’s house, please?
C. Could you told me the way to Mr. Robert’s house, please?
D. Could you show me where is Mr. Robert’s house, please?
3. X : Excuse me. ………………….you know where this bank is?

Y : Yes, I do. It is at Sudirman Street No 36 B

A. Can
B. Do
C. Could
D. Would
4. X : Would you tell me …………………… of the BRI from here please?

Y : Certainly, madam. It is about 500 m.

A. The distance
B. How far
C. How long
D. Location
5. X : ……………. is it from the intersection to your house?

Y : It is about one km

A. How distance
B. How far
C. How long
D. How much km
6. X : Could you tell me how I can get to Rama Tour please?

Y : Yes, sir. ………………………………………….

A. take a Sarbagita bus that goes to Nusa Dua

B. Go straight ahead
C. Keep going until you come to Nusa Dua
D. Go along this way
7. X : Do you know where the Camplung Restaurant is around here?

Y : Yes, I do. ………………………………………..

A. It is on your left hand

B. It is opposite the computer college
C. It is between the computer college
D. It is among the computer college and the supermarket
8. X : ………………………………………..

Y : It is about 3 kilometers from here to Ubud

A. How far Ubud from here?

B. How many kilometer is Ubud from here?
C. How is far Ubud from here?
D. How many kilometers is Ubud from here
9. X : Can you tell me where your house is please?

Y : Go ahead to the cross road. turn left and go ahead for 100 m. My house is the

………building on your right side.

A. Three
B. Third
C. Number three
D. Number third
10. X : I think I am lost. Would you tell me where Hotel Garuda is?

Y : ………………….. That will get you to Hotel Garuda

A. Yes sure. It is over there

B. I see the Hotel Garuda
C. It is not so far from here
D. Take the first turning left
Use the key to formative test 10 given at the end of this book to check your answer. Calculate
your correct answers and then use the formula below to see the degree of your comprehension
to the material of chapter10.

The total of correct answers

The degree of comprehension = ---------------------------------------- X 100 %
The total of items

Note: 90 – 100 % = very good

80 – 89 % = good

70 -79 % = Ok

< 70 % = bad

If your comprehension is ≥ 80 %, you can continue to chapter 8. It is good. However, if it is < 80

%, you have to read chpter8 again especially the materials that you do not understand well yet.

Glossary

Can could

Would do

Know where

How go

Get far

Near turn left

Turn right keep going

Take go ahead

Follow in front

Next to between

Opposite before
After behind

The first the second

Building left side

Right side way

Tell show

Lost look for

Get off get in

Public transport bus

Taxi bemo