Daily Activities

A. Daily Activity: Dialogue

 

• What time do you get up?
• I get up at about six.
• What time is breakfast at your house?
• Breakfast is always at a quarter to seven.
• What do you usually do in the afternoon?
• We usually study or read.
• What do you generally do over the weekend?
• We generally enjoy sports and visit friends.
• Do you ever go to museums?
• I go every now and then.
• What kinds of things do you like to see?
• I enjoy seeing statues and old paintings.
• Do you watch television very often?
• Well, I sometimes watch it in the evening.
• Did you watch television last night?
• Yes, I did. I saw several good programs.
• Do you ever listen to the radio?
• Certainly. In fact, I listen practically every night.

B. When did you have lunch today?

 

• I ate at noon.
• Where did you have your lunch?
• I had it at Koshy’s Restaurant today.
• Did you have a good time at the party?
• We had a wonderful time.
• It was really a lot of fun.
• We ought to have another party like that soon.
• Did you work at home last night?
• Yes. I washed the dishes and cleaned the house.
• Did you do anything else?
• Yes. I listened to the radio for a while.
• Did you have a good time last night?
• Yes. I had a wonderful time.
• You’ll probably have fund tomorrow too.
• I’m sure I’ll have an excellent time.
• Where did you go?
• We went to a beautiful beach.
• Did you swim in the ocean?
• Yes, but we swam close to the shore!

C. What did you do?

 

• Where did you go after lunch?
• I went to the public library.
• Which one did you go to?
• I went to the one at 42^nd Street.
• What did you do last night?
• I watched television.
• Where did you watch it?
• I watched it here in the recreation room.
• Was the television program interesting?
• I thought it was very boring.
• What did your friends think of it?
• They were bored too.
• I went to a lecture last night.
• What was it about?
• Society and modern art.
• I wish I’d gone with you.
• We went to the movies the night before last.
• What did you see?

D. Where have you been?

 

• I've been to the movies.
• What did you see?
• I saw an Italian movie about life in Sicily.
• What places have you seen so far?
• I've been to almost all the museums.
• Have you gone to any parks yet?
• No, I haven’t. I haven’t had enough time for that.
• Let’s meet at your house tonight.
• O.K. That sounds fine.
• Let’s watch television for a while.
• All right, but let’s finish this work first.
• Oh, let’s not do the work right now.
• You’re just lazy, in my opinion.
• I can’t hear the television set.
• Why don’t you sit closer?
• I’m right beside it now.
• Why don’t you turn up the volume?

E. Evening Activities

 

• Let’s go the movies tonight.
• Fine. I don’t have anything else to do.
• What would you like to see?
• Why don’t we look in the movie section of the newspaper?
• Where are you going tonight?
• I’m joining to the political rally for Senator Smith.
• Sounds interesting. Can we go with you?
• Certainly. Meet me here at eight fifteen.
• Would you like to go to the concert with me tonight?
• Yes. Thank you very much.
• Would you like to go at about eight o’clock?
• That would be fine.
• What are you going to do tonight?
• I haven’t decided yet.
• Would you like to go to the movies?
• Can I call you and tell you later?
• Would you like to go to the movies tonight?
• I’d rather stay home and watch television.
• Are there going to be any good play on channel 4.

Living in an Apartment / a House

A. Talking About Home

 

• It’s in the city/the town/the country.
• I live in the suburbs/at the seaside.
• It’s near (Houston).
• It’s in a quiet area/a busy district.
• I live near a park/in Central street.
• It’s not very far from (the city centre).
• It’s near (the football stadium).
• Where do you live?
• What sort of area is it?
• Is it near (Milan)?

B. Describing the type of home

 

• We have a flat/a house/a room.
• It’s a (three-) room flat.
• It’s a flat/apartment is on the (third) floor.
• We rent a house/own our house.
• It’s got (three) bedrooms.
• It’s got (three) floors.
• There’s a (garden).
• It has a (garage)
• Do you live in a flat?
• Do you rent it?
• Have you bought it?
• Is it your own?
• How big is it?

C. Living in an Apartment: Dialogue

 

• Do you like your new apartment?
• Yes. I like the service in the building, too.
• Are there doormen and guards?
• Yes and the building is close to the shopping areas.
• What floor is your apartment on?
• It’s on the third floor.
• Is the building a walk – up?
• No. It has a small elevator.
• How large is your apartment?
• It has four and a half rooms
• Then you have two bedrooms.
• Right. A living room, a kitchen, two bedrooms, and a bath.
• Is this your apartment?
• Yes, it is.
• How many bedrooms do you have ?
• Two big ones and a small one.
• What’s co-operative apartment?
• In a co-operative, you actually buy the apartment.
• Just as you would buy a house?
• Yes. Then you only pay maintenance costs each month.

D. Living in a House: Dialogue

 

• Do you prefer a one-stair or a two-stair’s house?
• One –story, I think.
• I do too, because there are no stairs to climb.
• But one – stair houses take more land.
• Your house is very large.
• Yes. We have enough room for guests now.
• Our house is too small.
• You don’t have enough room, do you?
• Where’s the bathroom?
• The bathroom is opposite that big bedroom.
• Is this the kitchen?
• Yes. It’s a big kitchen, isn't it?
• I enjoy having a house in the suburbs.
• It’s wonderful to have trees and a big yard.
• The children can play outside most of the time.
• And it’s so much cleaner here than in the city.
• How much did you pay for your house?
• It cost eighteen thousand dollars and we've spent another two thousand on repairs.
• Did you have trouble getting a mortgage?
• No. We paid four thousand dollars, and the bank lent us the rest.

Talking About Cooking & Dieting

A. Describing a dish

 

To describe a dish, use:

• It’s (sweet/cold).
• It’s a (meat) dish.
• It’s cooked in (sauce).
• It tastes very good / spicy / rich
• Is it (fried)?
• How is it cooked?
• What does it taste like?

B. Describing cooking processes

 

• It’s (not) very easy / simple.
• You need (about a kilo of chicken).
• You cook it slowly, for about (forty) minutes.
• It takes (about an hour).
• You  put it in the oven/in the fridge.
• You fry it in a little oil or fat.
• After that, you add (pepper).
• The recipe says (two glasses of wine).
• What’s the recipe?
• How do you make (this)?
• How long do you (bake) it?
• Do you use (milk)?

C. Describing types of cooking

 

• It’s (French/Italian).
• It’s a typical (Indian) dish.
• The recipe comes from (Mexico)
• Where is this from?
• Is this a (Spanish) dish?
• What do you think of (Indian) food?
• Do you like (it)?
• What’s (Lebanese) food like?
• What’s a typical (Lebanese) dish?
• I don’t like (Japanese) food.
• I prefer (western) to (eastern) food.
• My favourite dish is (Chicken Manjurian)

D. Asking about daily diet

 

• _______________ Do you eat (eggs)?
• _______________ What do you have for (breakfast)?
• _______________ What’s a normal (lunch) for you?
• _______________ What do you normally do for (dinner)?
• _______________ Do you eat a lot of (pasta)?

E. Describing normal diet

 

• We usually have (three meals a day).
• We often have (eggs for breakfast).
• I don’t eat much (meat).
• They eat a lot of (fruit).
• They don’t eat a lot in the (evening).

F. Asking about dieting

 

• Are you on diet?
• Can you eat anything?
• Do you eat anything?
• Are you dieting?
• What are you allowed to eat?

G. Talking about dieting

 

• I’m on a diet.
• The doctor’s put me on a diet.
• I’m dieting.
• I’m trying to lose weight.
• I have to be careful of what I eat.
• I’m not allowed to (eat bread).
• I can’t (drink coffee).
• Is there any (salt) in this?
• I’m not allowed to have (salt)
• Does this have (alcohol) in it?
• I have to restrict myself to (600) calories a day
• How many calories are you allowed a day?
• How many calories are there in (this)?

Dealing with the Police / Fire / Ambulance

A. Telephoning emergency services

 

• When you phone emergency, they ask:
• Where are you?
• Where is it?
• What’s happened?
• Can you give me an idea about the correct location?
• Your reply:
• Fire/Police/Ambulance.
• I’m at/It’s at (the corner of South Street)
• It’s on the main road.
• It’s about two kilometers north of Mg road.
• There’s an accident/a fire.
• There are (several) people injured.
• There’s a fire/an accident.
• There’s someone very ill/badly hurt.
• There are (two) people in the water.
• Someone’s been badly hurt / injured.

B. Stating the case

 

• I’d like to report (an accident/a robbery).
• I want to report (a crime/an attack).
• I’m reporting a (missing passport).
• I've lost (my bag).
• My (wife) has been robbed.
• My (car) has been stolen.
• There’s been (an accident).
• I've been (robbed).

C. Giving the circumstances

 

• We were walking along the street.
• We were asleep.
• I was working/having dinner.
• I was shopping / stepping into the bank.
• It was at about (ten o’clock).
• It was yesterday evening/last night.
• It was in the hotel/in the street.
• This was on the beach/in the car park
• Two men took away (my wife’s handbag).
• A man/A woman came up to me.
• Someone picked my pocket.
• They ran away / They drove off.
• I didn’t see anyone.
• I didn’t see / hear / notice anything.

D. Describing

 

• He/She was about (25).
• They were (quite young).
• They were (tall).
• She had a (light build).
• He/She had (short dark hair).
• They were driving a (cab).

E. Notifying a Loss

 

• I've lost my (passport).
• I can’t find my (Money)?
• I think I've lost my (driving license).
• I've lost a (new Canon camera).
• What have you lost?
• What was it like?
• What does it look like?
• Can you describe it?

F. Describing when & where

 

• I know I had it (this morning)
• I must have lost it (last night)
• I last saw it (yesterday morning)
• How long has it been lost?
• When did you last see it?
• I lost it (on the beach).
• I left it behind (on the train).
• It was (in my room).
• I may have left it (in the bank).
• I must have lost it (at the theatre).
• Where did you last see it?
• Where was it?

G. Leaving personal details

 

• My name is…
• My address is…
• Here is my card.
• Here is my name and address.
• Please ring me at (this number) if you find it.
• Please write to (this address)
• Can you return it to me at (this address)?
• What is your name and address?
• Could I have your name and address?

H. Stating urgency

 

• This is (very) urgent.
• It’s an emergency.
• There’s an emergency (here).
• It’s very serious.
• It looks very serious.
• We need help urgently.
• We need a police car/an ambulance,
• We need a police car/ an ambulance immediately
• Call the fire brigade/the hospital at once.
• Get a doctor/policeman straight away.
• We urgently need a rescue boat/an ambulance.

Asking for Facilities Toilet / Washing / Luggage

A. Asking for the Toilet

In a private house, use:

• May I use your lavatory?
• Where is the lavatory?

In public place, use:

• Where are the toilets?

For a man, use:

• Where is the gents’?
• I need to use the gents’?

For a Woman, use:

• Where is the ladies’?
• I need to use the ladies’

To be informal in America, use:

• Where is the john?
• I want to meet john.

To be informal in Britain, use:

• Where is the loo?
• I want to use the loo.

B. Asking for a bathroom

In a private house, use:

• May I have a wash?
• I’m rather dirty.
• I’m feeling a bit dirty
• Could I use your bathroom?
• I’d like to wash my hands.

In a public place, use:

• Is there a washroom/bathroom here?
• Is there somewhere here I can clean up?
• I want to wash my hands.

In a hotel or guest house, you may need:

• Where is the shower?
• Where is the bathroom?

C. Washing clothes

To find out where to wash clothes, use:

• Is there a launderette near here?
• Where is the nearest launderette/Laundromat?
• I need to wash/dry clean some clothes.

To get someone else to do the washing, use:

• Is there a laundry here?
• Is there a laundry service here?
• I want to have some clothes washed.
• I want to have some clothes dry cleaned.

D. To ask about left-luggage facilities.

 

• Is there anywhere here I can leave my bags?
• Is there a left-luggage place near here?
• Can I leave my luggage place near here?
• Can I leave my luggage anywhere here?
• Where are the nearest left-luggage lockers?
• I don’t want to carry this around with me.
• Can I leave these here until four o’clock?
• Will your office be open after six o’clock?
• Do I pay now, or when I collect?
• Please be careful with the brown bag.

E. At the lockers

 

To ask someone for change, use:

• Excuse me; have you got change for a pound?
• Have you got any change for this?

To ask someone for help, use:

• Do you know how to work these things?
• Could you give me a hand with this?

If something goes wrong, use:

• Excuse me, are you in charge of the left-luggage lockers?
• My (case) is too big/it won’t fit in.
• I put the money in/I put my luggage in.
• I can’t open it/I can’t make it work.
• I can’t get my luggage out.
• I can’t get my money back.

F. To ask if you can leave bags somewhere

• Would it be possible for me to leave there?
• Can I leave these here (until about six)?
• Could you (please) look after (this) for me?
• I’ll pick it/them up (at six o’clock)
• Could I leave (my luggage) here (for an hour)?
• I’ll be back (in a few hours)

To identify your baggage, use:

• The (green) one is mine.
• Mine is (brown).
• I left (two suitcases) here.