-
ENGLISH COURSE ONE
Preface
An ideal system of
instruction for the learning of
a
foreign language should fulfill
the
following essential conditions:
?
It should be
suitable for private or self-tuition as well as
for class-work, and
should conform to
the best methods of
modern language
instruction.
?
It should impart a practical
conversational knowledge of
everyday
subjects,
while at the same time it
should also convey
, in a clear and
concise manner
, the
essentials of
grammar and
syntax.
?
It should enable the learner to think
in the foreign language, without any
process of
translation, by
training him from the very outset to associate the
foreign words he encounters with the
objects or actions they denote. He will
thus acquire the ability to speak the
language naturally and
instinctively
—
in the
same way as he learned his own language
when a child.
?
Finally
, the learner should
be taught to speak the foreign language with
correct
accent and intonation.
The Linguaphone Method
of
teaching languages fulfils all these
requirements.
Linguaphone
Courses are now published in more than twenty
languages and are in
use in practically
every country
, while leading
Universities, Colleges and Schools
throughout the world have incorporated
them as a regular feature of
their
language
tuition.
The English course
The
Linguaphone English Course is equally suitable for
children and adults, for
entire
beginners and for those who have a theoretical
knowledge of
the language
and wish to become proficient in the
spoken language.
The Course
consists of
descriptive talks and
conversations. The text is in
easy-
flowing and perfectly natural idiomatic language,
which would be used by
educated people
under similar circumstances.
Practical
grammar is introduced into the text of
each lesson and is absorbed by the
student as he goes along.
The illustrations in the main textbook,
which have been specially drawn by the
artists William Stobbs, Jean Graziani
and Suzanne Hall, form an integral part
of
the
Course and perform an
important function in it.
The other books which are included in
the Course give the meaning of
the
text,
detailed explanations
of
grammatical points, idioms and so
on.
There is also a special
recording of
the Sounds of
the language, spoken by Peter
A.D.
MacCarthy
, M.A., Head of
the
Department of
Phonetics of
Leeds University
and author
of
English
Pronunciation
.
Advice on how to make the best use
of
the Course is given in the booklet
of
Instructions which is
supplied with it.
Speakers
In order to enable the student to
follow the spoken text easily
, the
first lessons are
spoken very slowly
and distinctly
, the rate of
speech increasing as the Course
progresses, so that in the more
advanced lessons a perfectly natural rate
of
speech is
heard.
Ten speakers have taken
part in the recording of
the English
Course, namely:
Sir IFOR
EVANS, M.A., D
.LIT
., Provost
of
University College, University
of
London;
……
……
……
……
The first few lessons are
spoken by the same two speakers, so that the
student may
concentrate on the new
sounds of
the language without being
confused by the
introduction
of
too many different voices. Once he
has become familiar with the
sounds, he
will find it pleasing and stimulating to hear new
voices.
As no two speakers
of
a language speak exactly alike,
differences will be found in the
pronunciation of
the
speakers, but every one of
them can be
accepted as a safe model
for the
general student, while for those who make a
special study of
phonetics, the
various differences o detail will
provide ample scope for study
.
Extra reading practice
Supplementary Reading
will
be found at the end of
the illustrated
textbook. These
passages will show the
student how,
without going beyond the
scope of
the lessons
, he
can adapt the material he has learned,
to form quite different sentences and describe
a wide variety of
events and
circumstances. They are also an excellent revision
test,
because, if
the
student has really mastered the lessons, he should
be able to read the
Supplementary
Exercises without difficulty and without having to
consult the
vocabulary
.
The student who masters
this Course will have acquired a thoroughly
practical
knowledge of
the
English language, both written and spoken. Not
only will he have
a good grasp
of
the grammar, but he will also have
at his command a store of
useful
words (The vocabulary has been based
primarily on standard word-frequency
counts.), colloquial expressions and
idiomatic sentences, which will enable him to
enjoy to the full his contacts with
English people. At the same time, he will be able
to
understand and appreciate English
thought as expressed in the literature
of
the
country
.
The Spoken Word
Language is primarily Speech, and
speech is dependent ultimately upon one and only
one sense
organ
—
the Ear. Those parts
of
the human mechanism that are so
regularly mis-
termed the
―Organs of
Speech‖ are seldom, in books
upon language,
made to include the Ear,
which is, in fact, the most import of
all, for without the Ear,
audible
speech would have been impossible. Speech is
acquired through the Ear and
through
the Ear alone, for it is through the Ear that the
mind looks out, so to speak,
upon the
world of
Sound. Sound is, in fact,
nothing more than the feature in the
world around us of
which we
become conscious through the Ear
. The
Eye plays
some part in the acquisition
of
Speech, but its special realm is
that aspect of
Language
which has been designed to approach the mind
through the medium of
the
Eye alone, i.e. the written or printed word. At
the root of
all practical study
of
language lies the simple
truth that the Ear is in absolute domination, and
as a
necessary corollary it follows
that at least one very important road towards the
learning of
a foreign
language is to hear the language spoken as often
as possible,
knowing at the same time
the meaning of
what is being said, and
realizing the
circumstances that call
for it. This means of
approach is
better provided by the
intelligent use
of
a well constructed course on
gramophone records or tape than by
the
living teacher.
After many
years of
experience in the University
of
London in teaching English
pronunciation to foreigners, I advise
all students of
our language to pay the
utmost
attention to two features
of
spoken English that are often
imperfectly understood
even by those
native English people who attempt without special
training to teach
their language to
foreigners. These two features are Rhythm and
Intonation, two
features of
pronunciation upon which intelligibility largely
rests. The surest way to
become
unintelligible in a language is to distort its
natural rhythm.
And finally
I commend as worthy of
special
attention the use and function of
emphatic stress in modern English;
abundant examples will be found in the
recordings.
A. LLOYD JAMES
Introduction
Let’s speak
English
Good morning!
Listen, please.
I am the
teacher.
Y
ou are the
student.
I am English.
Y
ou are not English.
An Englishman speaks English.
Englishmen speak English.
I
am speaking English now
.
This is a table.
This is a
gramophone.
This is a record.
The record is on the gramophone.
The gramophone is on the table.
Y
ou are sitting at the
table.
Y
ou are holding a
book in you hand.
The book is open.
Y
ou are looking at the book.
Y
ou are listening to the
record.
Y
ou are hearing my
voice.
Y
ou are learning to
speak, to understand, to read and to write
English.
I am speaking
slowly
.
When I speak
slowly
, you understand me.
When I speak quickly
, you
don’t understand me.
Good afternoon. How are you?
Quite well, thank you.
Now
please, answer my questions. Am I the teacher?
Y
es, you are.
Are
you the student?
Y
es, I am.
Am I English?
Y
es, you are.
Are
you English?
No, I’m not.
Who is the teacher, you or I?
Y
ou are.
And who
is the student?
I am.
Do I
speak English?
Y
es, you do.
Am I speaking English now?
Y
es, you are.
Do
you speak English?
Y
es, I
do, but only a little.
What is this?
It’s a record.
Where is it?
It’s on the
gramophone.
Is this a book?
Y
es, it is.
Is
this a book?
No, it isn’t, it’s a
record.
Where are you
sitting?
I’m sitting at the
table.
What are you
listening to?
I’m listening
to the record.
Whose voice
are you hearing?
I’m hearing your
voice.
What are you looking
at?
I’m looking at my book.
Is the book open or closed?
Open, of
course.
What are you learning?
I’m
learning English.
Do you
understand me when I speak slowly?
Y
es, I do.
And
when I speak quickly?
No, I
don’t.
Lesson one
My Family
This is my family:
my wife, my son, my daughter and I. I am Mr.
Black. My wife is
Mrs. Black. I am Mrs.
Black’s husband. I am a man. My wife is a
woman.
W
e have
two children, a boy and a girl.
The
boy’s name is John. He’s twelve years
old. The girl’s name is
Mary
. She’s still quite young. She’s
only eight. She’s four
years younger
than John, and John is four years older than she
is. Mary is the
youngest in the family
and I am the oldest.
John i
s
Mary’s brother. Mary is John’s sister. John is my
son. I am his father. My wife
is his
mother. Mary is my daughter. I am her father. My
wife is her mother
. John and
Mary are our children. I am their
father; my wife is their mother; we are their
parents. W
e love our
children.
My wife is sitting in an
armchair, reading a book. I am standing by the
window,
smoking a pipe. Mary is writing
a letter. John is kneeling on the floor and
playing
with his train. The dog and the
cat are lying under the table.
Lesson two
Questions and answers
Who am
I?
Y
ou are Mr. Black.
Whose husband am I?
Mrs. Black
’
s
husband.
What
’
s my
son
’
s name?
His
name is John.
What is your name?
My name is Peter Jones.
Have
I got one child or two?
Y
ou
have two children.
Is Mary my daughter?
Y
es, she is.
How
old is she?
She
’
s
eight.
What is she doing?
She
’
s writing a
letter.
Is she standing or
sitting?
She
’
s
sitting.
What is John playing with?
He
’
s playing with
his train.
Has John any brothers?
No, he hasn
’
t.
Have you any brothers?
Y
es, I have.
How
many?
One.
Who is smoking a
pipe?
Y
ou are.
Do
you smoke?
No, I
don
’
t.
Does your father smoke?
Y
es, he does.
Does your mother smoke?
No,
she doesn
’
t.
Do
women smoke?
Some do and some
don
’
t.
Lesson three
Our house
Many families in London live in flats,
but most people live in their own houses in the
suburbs. W
e too have a house
in a London suburb. I bought it about fifteen
years ago,
when I got married. Like
most of
London
’
s
suburban houses, it consists of
only
two
floors, the ground floor and the
first floor.
On the ground floor
there
’
s the dining-room, the
lounge or sitting-room, the kitchen
and
the hall. In the hall we see a stand for hats,
coats and umbrellas. A staircase leads
from the hall to the landing on the
first floor. On this floor there are four
bedrooms,
a bathroom and a
lavatory
. On top of
the
roof
there are three chimneys.
In front of
the house we
have a small garden, in which we grow flowers:
roses, tulips,
and so on. At the back
of
the house
there
’
s a much larger garden
with a lawn and
some fruit-trees.
There
’
s also a vegetable
garden where we grow all kinds of
vegetables, such as potatoes, cabbages,
cauliflowers, onions and tomatoes.
At
the side of
the house is a garage,
where I keep my car. The garden is enclosed by
a fence, with gate in it.
Lesson four
Conversation
Now, let
’
s have
talk about our house.
…
. Can
you tell me where we live?
Y
es, I can; you live I in a
house in the suburbs of
London.
Quite right. Now tell me, is it a large
house or a small one?
W
ell,
it
’
s neither very large nor
very small.
When did I buy it?
Y
ou bought it about fifteen
years ago.
Is there a garage?
Y
es, there is.
How many rooms are there in the house?
Let me see
…
. One,
two, three, four, five, six, seven.
Y
es, seven, including the kitchen.
Are the bedrooms upstairs or
downstairs?
Upstairs, on the first
floor.
Which rooms are on the ground
floor?
The dining-room, the lounge and
the kitchen.
Have we got a garden?
Y
es, you have.
Where do the flowers grow?
In the front garden.
Are
there any fruit-trees there?
No, there
aren
’
t,
they
’
re in the back garden.
Have we got many fruit-trees?
No, not many
, just a
few
.
Do you like fruit?
Y
es, I do, very much,
especially pears and apples.
Lesson five
Our sitting-room
Let
’
s have a look
at this picture of
our sitting-room. As
you come into the room, you
notice a
piano, with a low music-stool in front
of
it. Next to the piano is a tall
bookcase, standing against the wall. On
the left is a large window
. Under the
window
there
’
s a
radiator, but you can
’
t see
it, because it
’
s behind the
settee. On the settee
there are two
cushions.
The fireplace is at the other
end of
the room. On each side
of
the fireplace
there
’
s an
armchair. An old lady is sitting in one
of
the chairs, but
nobody
’
s sitting in the
other
one; it
’
s
empty
. In the centre of
the
mantelpiece there
’
s a clock,
and above it an oval
mirror. On the
right you can see a standard lamp.
Opposite the fireplace you can see a
small table with an ash-tray and some
newspapers on it. By the table
there
’
s a small chair. On
the extreme right, there
’
s a
radiogram. The floor is covered with a
beautiful thick carpet. An electric light is
hanging from the middle of
the ceiling. At night, when it gets dark, we
switch on
the light and draw the
curtains. During the day
, the light
comes in through the
window
.
Lesson six
Conversation between teacher and
student
Is there a bookcase in our
sitting-room?
Y
es, there is.
Are there any books in it?
Y
es, quite a lot.
How many are there?
I
don
’
t know. I
haven
’
t counted them.
Where
’
s the window?
On the left of
the piano.
What is there under the window?
A radiator.
Can you see it?
No, I can
’
t. Why
not?
Because it
’
s
behind the settee.
Is the mirror round
or square?
Neither
,
it
’
s oval.
Is
there anything on top of
the radiogram?
No, nothing at all.
There
’
s something
on the small table, isn
’
t
there?
Y
es,
there
’
s an ash-
tray
.
Isn
’
t there
anything else on it?
Y
es,
there are some newspapers.
Are there
any armchairs in the room?
Y
es, there are two.
Y
ou can see somebody sitting
in one of
them,
can
’
t you?
Y
es, an old lady
.
Is anybody sitting in the other chair?
No, nobody
. There
isn
’
t anybody sitting on the
settee, either.
Do you like our
sitting-room?
Y
es, I do,
very much.
I
’
m so
glad. Everybody does.
Lesson seven
Comparisons
Now let
’
s compare
our sitting-room with the
Bakers
’
. The Bakers are
friends of
ours.
They live
next door to us. Our room is a little larger than
theirs and it has more
furniture in it.
As you see, there
’
s no
wireless set in Mr. Baker
’
s
room. There isn
’
t a
bookcase either. Mine is in my sitting-
room, but his is in his study
.
My wife keeps her music in the music-
stool, but Mrs. Baker keeps hers in a separate
cabinet near the piano. Y
ou
can also see that theirs is a grand piano, whereas
ours is
an upright. Both my wife and
Mrs. Baker are very fond of
music and
both play the
piano very well. But my
wife doesn
’
t play as well as
Mrs. Baker. Mrs. Baker not only
plays
much better than my wife does, but
she
’
s the best pianist in
the district. I don
’
t
play the piano, but I play the violin.
There
’
s no settee
in the Bakers
’
sitting-room,
and there are no small chairs. However,
they have three easy chairs whereas we
have only two. In their room they have an
electric fire, but we, like most
English people, have a coal fire. Sometimes we
burn
logs of
wood instead
of
coal. The Bakers have two vases on
their mantelpiece, as
well as a clock,
and over the mantelpiece
they
’
ve got a beautiful
picture, painted by a
famous artist.
Lesson eight
Another talk
W
ell,
you
’
ve learnt quite a lot
about our sitting-room and the
Bakers
’
, and now
I
’
m
going to ask
you a few questions about them. Tell me, whose
sitting-room do you
like better, the
Bakers
’
or ours?
I don
’
t think
there
’
s much to choose
between the two, but on the whole I prefer
yours.
I
’
m glad to bear
that. Of
course, their furniture is
more modern than ours. Y
ou see,
they haven
’
t been
married as long as we have, so they bought their
furniture more
recently than we
did
…
.
Don
’
t you think
that
’
s a very fine picture
the Bakers have
over their mantelpiece?
Y
es, I
can
’
t help admiring it
whenever I look at it. I should think it must be
very
valuable.
And what do
you think of
the piano?
I
think it
’
s a very fine
instrument indeed.
By the
way
, do you play the piano?
I
’
m sorry to say
I don
’
t.
Does
your wife?
Oh yes, she does, and very
well too.
Lesson nine
Visitors
It
’
s Saturday
afternoon. There
’
s a knock
at the door. Our neighbours, Mr. and Mrs.
White have arrived. The maid opens the
door and lets them in. She shuts the door,
and shows them into the lounge.
W
e greet them, shake hands with them,
and ask
them to sit down.
A
few minutes later we hear a ring at the
door
. It
’
s Betty
Smith, my wife
’
s niece.
She
’
s just
arrived from the country
, and
she
’
s going to stay with us
over the
week-end. She kissed her aunt,
who introduces her to the Whites, and we all sit
down.
The ladies talk about
the weather and the latest fashions. W
e
men discuss politics,
business and the
latest news. Presently the maid brings in the tea
on a trolley: a pot
of
tea,
cups and saucers, hot water
, a jug
of
milk, and sugar; also sandwiches,
bread
and butter, jam, and cakes. My
wife pours out the tea. I hand it round. My niece
passes round the sandwiches and cakes.
W
e all enjoy the tea very much.
Lesson ten
Afternoon tea
Good afternoon, Mrs. White, how are
you?
Very well indeed, thank you, and
how are you?
Quite well, thank you.
W
on
’
t you sit
down
…
.Excuse me, please. I
think that
’
s my
niece at the
door
…
. Hallo, Betty dear!
I
’
m so glad to
see you. Y
ou do look well.
I don
’
t think
you
’
ve met each other
before. Let me introduce you. This is my niece,
Miss Smith. Mrs. White, Mr. White.
How do you do
…
.
How do you do.
And now
let
’
s have some tea. How do
you like your tea, Mrs. White, strong or weak?
Not too strong, please, and one lump
of
sugar, I like my tea rather sweet,
but my
husband prefers his without
sugar
.
W
ell,
what
’
s the news, Mr. White?
How
’
s business?
Pretty good, thank you. And how are
things with you?
W
ell, not
too good, I
’
m afraid, and
going from bad to worse. In fact,
it
’
s the worst
year we
’
ve had
for a long time.
I
’
m sorry to hear
that. I hope things will soon improve.
Y
es,
let
’
s hope for the best. And
how
’
s your nephew Richard
getting on?
Oh,
he
’
s getting on quite well,
thank you. He
’
s staying in
the country just now with
his Uncle
William and his cousins.
How long is he going to stay there?
I don
’
t know
exactly
, but he
’
s
having a very pleasant time and
it
’
s doing him a lot
of
good, so the longer he
stays the better
.
Lesson eleven
The
Browns
’
dining-room
In the dining-room we have our meals:
breakfast in the morning, lunch in the middle
of
the day
, tea
in the afternoon, and supper or dinner in the
evening. Here you see
Mr. and Mrs.
Thompson, who
’
ve just
arrived from abroad and are having dinner
with the Browns. The host, Mr. Brown,
is sitting at the head of
the table,
and the
hostess, Mrs. Brown, is at the
other end. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson are sitting on
either side, facing each other.
The dining-room table is covered with a
white cloth. The maid has laid the table in
the usual way
, and has put
the right number of
knives, forks,
spoons and glasses for
each person.
There
’
s also pepper and
salt, oil and vinegar, and mustard. On the left
of
each person is a table-
napkin and a plate with a roll on it. In front
of
the host
there
’
s a
carving-knife and fork.
On the
sideboard the Browns usually have a bowl
of
fruit: apples, pears, plums,
cherries, grapes, oranges or bananas
according to the season. The mistress
of
the
house has just served
the soup. After this
there
’
ll be fish, meat or
poultry with
vegetables, then a sweet,
and perhaps cheese and biscuits to finish with.
Lesson twelve
Dinner-table talk
Good
evening. I
’
m so glad you
were able to come
…
.
Dinner
’
s ready
.
Let
’
s go into the
dining-room. Mrs. Thompson, will you
sit here on my left, and you, Mr. Thompson,
there
…
.
How long have you been in London?
Oh, only a few days; since last
Monday
, to be exact, and
I
’
m sorry to say we have to
return tomorrow week.
Is
this your first visit?
It
’
s my
wife
’
s first visit, but
I
’
ve been here several times
before, I have to come over
at least
once a year on business, and I feel quite at home
in London.
And what do you
think of
London, Mrs. Thompson?
Er
—
I beg your
pardon, I didn
’
t quite catch
what you said.
I was asking what you
thought of
London.
Oh, I think it
’
s
a wonderful place. There always seems to be
something interesting to
do.
And how do you like our weather?
W
ell,
it
’
s rather changeable,
isn
’
t it?
Y
es, it is, but on the whole
it
’
s not so bad, once you
get used to it
…
. Will you
have
some more chicken?
No,
thank you.
What about you, Mr.
Thompson?
Y
es, please, just
a little. It
’
s delicious.
I
’
m
so glad you like it
…
.
And now what sweet will you have, Mrs.
Thompson? There
’
s apple tart
and cream,
or chocolate trifle.
Er
—
trifle for me,
please.
And you,
Mr
. Thompson?
Trifle for me,
too, please.
Lesson
thirteen
My bedroom
At
night, when I feel tired and sleepy
, I
go up to my bedroom and switch on the
electric light. I take off
my shoes, undress and put on my pyjamas, Then I
get into
bed and switch off
the light. After a few minutes I fall asleep. I
sleep the whole night
through.
Punctually at seven-thirty in the
morning, the alarm clock rings and wakes me up. I
get out of
bed, put on my
dressing-gown and slippers, and go into the
bathroom,
where I turn on the hot and
cold taps. While the water
’
s
running into the bath, I
wash my face
and neck, clean my teeth, and shave. My shaving
things are on the
shelf
above the basin. Then I turn off
the
taps and have my bath. Sometimes I have
a shower. When
I
’
ve dried myself
with a towel, I get dressed.
On the
dressing-table, in front of
the
looking-glass, you
’
ll see a
hair-brush and comb,
a hand mirror, a
bottle of
scent and a powder-box.
These, of
course,
don
’
t belong to
me, but to my wife. In the chest
of
drawers I keep clean linen, such as
shirts, collars
and handkerchiefs,
besides things like socks and ties. The dirty
linen is put in linen
basket and sent
to the laundry
. In the wardrobe I keep
my suits and other clothes,
which I
hang on coat-hangers.
Lesson fourteen
Morning and
evening
What time do you get up as a
rule?
Generally about half-past seven.
Why so early?
Because I
usually catch an early train up to town.
When do you get to the office?
Normally
, about nine
o
’
clock.
Do you
stay in town all day?
Sometimes I do,
and sometimes I don
’
t.
What do you usually do in the evenings?
W
e generally stay at home.
Once or twice a week we go to a theatre or to the
pictures. W
e went to the
pictures last night and saw a very interesting
film.
Occasionally we go to a dance.
Do you like dancing?
Y
es, very much. Do you
dance?
I used to when I was younger,
but not very often now
.
I
’
m getting too old.
Too old! Nonsense, you
don
’
t look more than
fifty
.
As a matter
of
fact, I
’
m
nearly sixty
.
Really!
Y
ou certainly
don
’
t look it.
I
’
m glad to hear
it
…
. Are you doing anything
special tonight? If
not, what about
coming with me to my club?
Y
ou
’
d get to know
quite a lot of
interesting people
there.
I should love to, but
today happens to be our wedding anniversary and
we
’
re going
out
tonight to celebrate.
W
ell,
my heartiest congratulations.
Thank you
very much. I could manage to come along tomorrow
night, if
that would
suit
you.
Y
es,
excellent. Let
’
s make it
round about eight o
’
clock.
Very well. Thanks.
Lesson fifteen
The hotel
There are plenty
of
good hotels in London and
you
’
re nearly always sure
of
finding
room in one or
other of
them. Still, if
you
don
’
t want to be
disappointed, especially
during the
holiday season, it
’
s better
to engage a room beforehand.
Y
ou
’
ll find
London hotels just the same as hotels
in all large cities. As a rule, you go into a
large
entrance-hall or lounge, where
visitors are constantly coming and going.
The porter takes your luggage, and you
go to the reception desk to see about your
room and get your key
. Then
the page takes you up to your room in lift. The
people
in the office will always help
you if
you don
’
t
know your way about the town.
They
’
ll
tell you
where to go and what to see.
They
’
ll book seats for you
at the theatre and do
all they can to
make your stay a pleasant one.
If
you want a guide to show
you round, or an interpreter for a business
interview,
they
’
ll get you
one. If
you have to write business
letters and can type,
they
’
ll provide
you with a typewriter
. If,
on the other hand, you prefer to dictate your
letters, they
’
ll
get you a shorthand-typist.
If
your wife is going to be with you,
she
’
ll find plenty to
amuse her. She
’
ll
be able to spend her time looking at the shops
while you
’
re
busy
.
Lesson
sixteen
Booking rooms
Here we are! This is our hotel,
isn
’
t it?
Y
es,
there
’
s the name:
Prince
’
s Court Hotel. Shall
I look after the luggage or will
you?
W
ell, if
you
’
ll see to the luggage
and pay the driver, I
’
ll go
in and see about rooms.
All right.
Where shall I find you?
I
’
ll wait for you
in the ball. Don
’
t be long.
I
’
ll come as soon as I can.
Good morning. Can you let me have a
double room with a bathroom? Or if
you
have
two single rooms, so much the
better.
W
e
’
re
practically full up, but
I
’
ll see. How long do you
intend to stay?
I expect we shall be
here for a week at least, perhaps a fortnight.
Y
es, you can have two rooms
with a bathroom on the first floor.
I hope they
’
re
quiet. I hate a noise at night.
I think you
’
ll
find they are, sir. They face the courtyard.
How much are they?
Forty-five shillings (45/-) a night,
including breakfast.
All right,
we
’
ll take those.
Will you fill up this form, please.
Surname. Christian name.
Nationality
. Permanent address. Place
and date of
birth.
Signature. Is that all right?
Y
es,
that
’
s all, thank you. And
here are your keys. The page will show you up to
your
rooms and your luggage will be
brought up straight away
.
Lesson seventeen
At the restaurant
In all
large towns there are plenty of
restaurants, cafes, tea-rooms, and inns or
public-houses. All the large hotels
have dining-rooms or restaurants, like the one in
the picture. Each little party
of
guests have their own table, and
every table, as you
see, has its own
lamp. Many of
the guests are in evening
dress, which is usual at
fashionable
restaurants, At some it
’
s
compulsory
.
In the picture
you can see several couples dancing at the far end
of
the room, near
the
orchestra. One of
the waiters is
standing near the buffet, where there are cold
dishes of
various kinds;
another
’
s carrying a
tray
, with a bottle of
wine
and two
wine-glasses on it.
He
’
ll put the bottle
of
wine into the ice-bucket to keep it
cool.
Meals in England are much the
same as in other countries, with the exception
of
breakfast. I expect
you
’
ve heard all about the
English breakfast, with its porridge or
cereal, bacon and eggs, toast,
marmalade, and tea or coffee. Very few people like
chocolate or cocoa for breakfast. In
the afternoon, about four
o
’
clock or half-past,
nearly everybody has tea. The two main
meals of
the day
, lunch and
dinner, are both
more or less alike.
Most people have lunch about one
o
’
clock and dinner at half-
past
seven, or later.
Lesson eighteen
Ordering a
meal
Is this table free, waiter?
I
’
m
sorry
, sir, these two tables have just
been reserved by telephone, but that one
over there
’
s
free.
What a pity! W
e wanted
to be near the dance-floor. Still, it
doesn
’
t matter,
we
’
ll take
it
…
.The menu,
please.
Here you are, sir. Will you
dine
à
la carte
or take
the table d’h?te
?
W
ell,
let
’
s see. What do you
think, darling?
Oh, I
don
’
t want much to eat,
I
’
m not very
hungry
…
I think
I
’
ll have
–
er
—
some
oxtail soup and fried plaice with
chips.
Hm, I
’
m
rather hungry
.
I
’
ll start with some hors
d’?uvre
.
And to
follow?
A grilled steak with baked
potatoes and peas.
Will you have
anything to drink, sir?
W
ell, I am rather
thirsty
. Bring me half
a
pint of
bitter. What about you,
darling?
W
ell, I
don
’
t care for
beer
, but I will have a glass
of
sherry
.
Very
good
…
. What sweet would you
like? I
’
ll have fruit salad.
So will I. And
we
’
ll have two coffees,
please.
Black or white?
White, please. Oh, and two liqueur
brandies.
What a lovely
waltz they
’
re playing. Shall
we dance?
Y
es,
I
’
d love
to
…
.
W
aiter! The bill, please.
Very good, sir.
Here you
are.
Thank you very much, sir.
Lesson nineteen
Numerals: times and dates
If
I want to know the time I
look at my watch. I
’
ve got a
gold wrist-watch with a
leather strap.
It keeps fairly good time, but occasionally it
goes wrong. When it does
that, I take
it to a watchmaker, and have it repaired, cleaned
and regulated.
I
don
’
t think
you
’
ll find it very
difficult to tell the time in English. First
of
all, let
’
s
deal with the hours: we say
,
it
’
s one
o
’
clock, two
o
’
clock, three
o
’
clock, and so on.
Twelve o
’
clock
may refer to midnight, or to midday
.
Then for the quarters we say
, for
instance, it
’
s a
quarter past eight (8:15), half-past eight (8:30),
a quarter to nine (8:45).
Sometimes
people just say eight-fifteen instead
of
a quarter past eight, and
eight-thirty instead of
half-past eight. W
e say other times as
follows: five minutes
past eight
(8:05), or simply
, five past eight.
Similarly
, ten past eight (8:10),
twenty
past eight (8:20), twenty-five
past eight (8:25), twenty-five to nine (8:35),
twenty to
nine (8:40), ten to nine
(8:50), five to nine (8:55).
Referring
to dates, we say
, for instance: Henry
VIII (the eighth) was born on the
twenty-eighth of
June,
fourteen ninety-one (28
th
June 1491), and died on the
twenty-
eighth of
January
, fifteen
forty-seven (28
th
January
1547). Be careful to
pronounce
distinctly thirteen, thirty; fourteen, forty;
fifteen, fifty; sixteen, sixty; and
so
on. Then learn: a hundred (100), a hundred and one
(101), two hundred and
seventy-six
(276), a thousand (1,000), three thousand three
hundred and
eighty-seven (3,387).
Lesson twenty
Days and months. Asking the time.
Do you know the days of
the
week?
Y
es,
Sunday
, Monday
,
Tuesday
,
W
ednesday
,
Thursday
, Friday
,
Saturday
.
Now,
let
’
s assume that today is
W
ednesday
. What day will
tomorrow be?
Thursday
.
And the day after tomorrow?
Friday
.
What day was yesterday?
Tuesday
.
And the
day before yesterday?
Monday
.
As it
happens, last Monday was my birthday
.
Is that so? W
ell, many happy
returns of
the day
.
Thank you. And now
,
let
’
s have the names
of
the months.
Certainly
.
January
, February
, March,
April, May
, June, July
,
August, September,
October
,
November
, December.
Good
…
.Oh! Can you
tell me the right time, please?
W
ell, my watch says five
past two, but it
’
s no use
relying on it, because sometimes
it
’
s fast and
sometimes it
’
s slow.
Lesson twenty-one
English money
If
you
’
re going to England
you
’
ll naturally want to
know something about English
money
. I expect
you
’
ve been used to the
decimal system, so English money will
probably seem very strange to you at
first, but you
’
ll soon get
used to it.
There are three copper
coins, the penny
, the
halfpenny
, and the farthing. Then
there
’
s the
threepenny bit. The other coins are the sixpence,
the shilling, the
two-shilling piece,
and the half-crown, which is worth two shillings
and sixpence, or
as we say
,
two and six. Then there
’
s a
ten-shilling note and a pound note in common
use, and for larger sums there are
five-pound notes, ten-pound notes, and so on.
There
’
s no gold
in circulation, so you hardly ever see a sovereign
or half-sovereign.
Y
ou may
often hear the term
―
guinea<
/p>
‖
, which stands for twenty-
one shillings,
although
there
’
s no actual coin
of
this value.
There are
four farthings in a penny
, twelve pence
in a shilling an twenty shillings in
a
pound. If
the price of
a
reel of
cotton is fourpence, you hand
over four pennies for
it.
Similarly
, you say twopence,
Threepence, and so on. If
a stamp costs
three-halfpence, you hand the clerk a
penny and a halfpenny or three halfpennies,
and he gives you a three-halfpenny
stamp.
Lesson twenty-two
At the bank
Can you change
me some money
, please?
Certainly
. What is it you
wish to change?
Here it is: some French
francs, Swiss francs, American dollars and a few
Dutch
guilders.
Y
ou
’
d better
count them.
If
you’ll wait a moment I’ll
find out the
rates of
exchange. Here we are. Let me
see
—
er
—that’ll make ?41.12.6. (forty
-one
pounds, twelve shillings and sixpence)
altogether. How would you like it?
W
ould you please give me
seven five-pound notes, four pound notes and four
ten-shilling notes, and the rest in
small change.
Certainly
.
Here you are. Will that do?
Er
—
would you mind
giving me the sixpence in coppers. I want to make
a phone-call
and I
haven
’
t any
change
…
. Thank
you
…
. By the way
,
can I open an account here?
Y
ou
’
ll
have to see the Manager about that. If
you
’
ll kindly go through
that door
marked
―
Private
‖
he
’
ll attend to you.
Good afternoon, sir. My name is
Anderson. I should like to open an account with
you.
A deposit
or current account?
W
ell, I
want to be able to pay for things by cheque.
Then you want a current account. How
much money do you want placed to your
credit?
Here
’
s L.200 (two
hundred pounds). I think that ought to last me for
some time.
I take it you
can supply references?
Certainly
.
Right.
Here
’
s a cheque book. When
you send a cheque by post be careful to cross it,
but if
you wish to cash a
cheque yourself, you must leave it
―
open
‖
.
Lesson twenty-
three
Postal services
There
are Post Offices in every town and nearly every
village in the country
. If
you
want to post an ordinary letter, a
postcard or a small parcel, you
needn
’
t go to the
Post Office, you can drop it into the
nearest pillar-box. Y
ou can recognize
these
easily in England, because
they
’
re painted red.
If
you want to send a telegram, you
can either take it to the nearest Post
Office or dictate it over the telephone.
Pillar-boxes are emptied several times
a day
. If
you want your
letter to arrive more
quickly than by
ordinary post, you can send it by Air Mail.
Letters are delivered to
your home or
office by a postman, and telegrams by a telegraph-
boy
. Here you can
see what
the inside of
a Post Office looks like.
On one side of
the counter you see
several customers, on the other side,
the clerks.
One of
the
people in the picture is buying postage-stamps,
another is registering a
letter, the
third is writing out a cable. If
you
want to buy stamps, you must go to the
right counter; if
you go to
the wrong one, you
’
ll only
waste your time. Ask for a
halfpenny
stamp, a penny stamp, a three-halfpenny stamp, a
threepenny stamp and
so on.
If
you want to send parcel, you hand it
to the assistant, who weighs it on
scales and gives you the necessary
stamps. The amount you have to pay depends on
the weight of
the parcel.
In most Post Offices and also in many
streets, there are public telephone-boxes from
which you can telephone. All you have
to do is lift the receiver, put into the slot the
pennies due for the call, and dial the
first three letters of
the exchange you
want,
followed by the
number
.
Lesson
twenty-four
At the post office
Excuse me, can you tell me where the
nearest Post Office is?
I
’
m
sorry
, I can
’
t.
I
’
m a stranger here myself.
Perhaps that gentleman over there will
be able to help you.
Thank
you
…
.
I
’
m sorry to trouble you,
but can you direct me to the nearest Post
Office?
Y
es,
it
’
s in the High Street. As
a matter of
fact,
I
’
m going in the same
direction
myself
so
if
you come with me,
I
’
ll show you.
That
’
s very kind
of
you.
There it is, that
building over there.
Thanks very much.
Don
’
t mention it.
I want to send a telegram. Where can I
get a form?
Y
ou
’
ll
find some over there
…
. Will
you put your name and address on the back?
That will be 3/6 (three and six).
Do you mind telling me where I can get
stamps and a registered envelope?
At
the next counter.
A five-shilling book
of
stamps, please, and a large
registered envelope.
Will this size do?
Y
es, thank you,
that
’
s just
right
…
W
ould you
mind telling me what the postage on
this letter will be?
Threepence by ordinary post, or
sixpence, if
you want to register it.
Lesson Twenty-
five
Travelling
Those who
wish to travel, either for pleasure or on
business, have at their disposal
various means of
transport.
There is, for instance, the humble, inexpensive
bicycle.
Then
there
’
s the motor-cycle,
with which you can travel quickly and
cheaply
, but for
long
journeys it
’
s rather tiring.
With a motor-car, one can travel comfortably for
long distances without getting too
tired.
Luxurious ships
cross seas and oceans from one continent to
another.
Aeroplanes carry passengers to
various parts of
the world in almost as
many hours
as it takes days to do the
journey by other means. But most of
us
still have to use
trains. Look at this
picture of
a busy railway station. A
train is standing at one of
the platforms ready to leave. Some
of
the passengers are looking out
of
the windows
watching the
late-comers who are hurrying along looking for
empty seats.
The engine is ready to
draw the train out of
the station. On
another platform a train
has just come
in; some passengers are getting out, others are
getting in. Those
who
’
ve not taken
the precaution of
getting their tickets
beforehand are waiting in
queues at the
booking-office. At the bookstalls people are
choosing books, magazines
or newspapers
for the journey
. At the cloakroom
others are depositing or
withdrawing
their luggage. Further along there are refreshment
rooms crowded
with people snatching a
hasty meal, while those with time to spare are
sitting in the
waiting rooms.
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