SPEAK ENGLISH FLUENTLY
□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■
+ Boost Your CONFIDENCE
+ Enhance Your CAREER
+ Get AHEAD in LIFE
■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□
E V E R Y D A Y C O N V E R S A T I O N S
=================================
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
“Enuf” is enough?
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
English is not a phonetic language; words are not always spelled the way they sound, so listening while
simultaneously reading will improve your fluency by helping you identify the way written words sound and the way spoken words are written. Listening to news programmes, e-books, recorded speeches, and
lectures while reading the transcripts will also help you acquire the way ideas are organized in English, which is important for being able to follow along and take notes.
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
What is SPEAKING ENGLISH FLUENTLY or rather English fluency? Does it mean to speak English easily and automatically?
My definition is simple-- you speak English automatically when your speech is effortless. You speak fluent English when the words come out of your mouth-- without
TRANSLATION and without HESITATION.
Sometimes this is called “thinking in English”, but truly automatic speech is even faster
than that-- there is no thinking.
That's why they say
■ THINK English
■ Eat English
■ BREATHE English.
When you do that you donʼt think about the language at all- you just speak as easily and effortlessly as you do with your native language.
Why is automatic fluent speech important? Itʼs important because automatic English speaking is the key to getting results with English. Automatic speaking makes it easy
to connect with native speakers. As an automatic English speaker, itʼs easy for you to make friends, participate in business meetings, talk to customers, understand movies, and get better jobs.
To get real results with English, you need to speak easily and automatically.
My name is BKC (You can call me that because I am known by that amongst my students). I am connected with the TEACHING LEARNING PROCESS for 4 decades.
My former students include business professionals, scientists, entrepreneurs, teachers,
professors, graduate students, foreign military personnel, and many other successful adult English learners.
These students were just like you. They were frustrated English learners who could not speak well. But they aren't the same right now.
Each of these students made incredible improvements in a very short span of time. You also
will improve quickly when you use the system that I have been adopting in the class.
When you follow the entire system every day for 6 months, your speaking becomes much faster and much easier. Your spoken grammar improves powerfully- yet you will
never study grammar rules in this system. Your pronunciation improves powerfully- yet
you will not focus on pronunciation.
In creating SPOKEN ENGLISH FLUENTLY, I have assembled the very best English teaching techniques and combined them in a clear, simple, easy to use system. When you follow the system exactly, you cannot fail. You will experience the greatest English speaking improvement of your life.
When a baby takes birth (s)he hears (through her/his EARs) different sounds from mom, dad & others and tries to understand (through her/his BRAIN) each one of them and slowly gets used to and tries to understand more with the exposure of more sounds and start slowly giving out broken sounds (through her/his TONGUE using mouth, vocal cords, and lungs)
like MA...MA....PA...PA...DA...DA....& so on and so forth......So the EARs-TONGUE-BRA
IN cycle of language learning goes on and on till death. So that's the EARs-TONGUE-BRAIN (E-T-B) ever-continuum-till-death-language-learning-cycle is on amongst all of us, even the animals. Let's use that ever useful E-T-B cycle to the fullest. Read aloud English as much as you can with CORRECT PRONUNCIATION. Hear English as much as you can, again with CORRECT PRONUNCIATION. For this everyday you can read daily newspaper aloud, watch favourite TV programmes in English.
TV and video enable you to exploit the visual element that is
essential in face-to-face communication. One way to use the
visual dimension of conversation is to watch TV programmes
involving a group of people in discussion. Look out for things such as the ways in
which the speakers indicate that they want to speak next, or are
about to finish what they are saying. Recognising these 'turn-
taking' signals will help you to participate in English conversations.
Recording spoken English in this way enables you to collect real-
life examples of how people speak that may be much more useful
to you than commercial listening materials. Your own recorded
data will put you in a position to apply.
Use of audio recorder
=================
A digital audio recorder is an excellent resource for getting more
familiar with spoken English. It enables you not only to listen
again to other speakers, but also to record yourself speaking
English.
One suggestion for recording yourself is to use the recorder like a
diary. Fix a regular time each evening to spend a few minutes
talking about the events of your day. It works best if you imagine
you are talking to one particular person, rather than to the
microphone. Don't prepare in advance what you are going to say.
When you have finished, replay and listen to the recording,
stopping at any parts where you had pronunciation difficulties or
couldn't find the exact word. Re-record them.
Say, “Yes!” to subtitles
===================
Television services offer subtitle options as well as programming in
various languages. Watching programmes in English and referring to subtitles in your first language to maintain the show’s context or clarify a new word can improve your listening skills and show you how English speakers use gestures to construct meaning.
Watching a programme in your native language and then watching it in English will also promote greater fluency. Since you will already have knowledge about the subject, you can compare the different ways
speakers of English and speakers of your first language present the
same content. Awareness of the differences can reduce the tendency to translate what you hear into your native language to understand.
Instead, you will begin thinking in English to understand, and that is a
true sign of fluency development.
Developing Conversation Skills:
==========================
Let’s talk!
==========
The best way to acquire a language is by engaging in conversation with an English-speaking peer,
colleague, or friend who is patient and willing to help you along. Conversations complete the circle of communication: you listen, speak, give back feedback, and listen again. Gestures can also help you convey your meaning and ask for clarification. In fact, being able to stop the conversation and start again to get clarification or feedback is the reason that conversation is the most useful technique for acquiring a new language. If your circle of native English speakers is limited and you enjoy going to church or the movies or if you practice sports, do so in an English-only environment.
For CORRECT PRONUNCIATION you can watch BBC, CNN, DISCOVERY, TLC, ANIMAL PLANET,.........channels. For kids, cartoon channels are the best,......even rhymes CDs/tube channels will do.....but the languge of your set top box must be set English. That's all you are on your way to learn English and that too very EFFECTIVELY and in no time as well. Only one request, each day write a page in English.....may be in daily diary form......And you are on your way to learning English!!!!!
ALL THE BEST!
HAPPY JOURNEY!!
When we speak fluently, the choice of our WORD/PHRASE/SENTENCE/
CONSTRUCTION/EXPRESSION tells others how much capable/incapable we are in that language!
Nothing to worry.....to be an effective communicator in English you got to listen to & understand....nay try to understand initially...as to how native speakers go with their day to day conversations & you need to practise these conversations day in & day out to master them to your liking & to the liking of others till you reach a stage where you are confident enough to use them as your own!
All the BEST! Happy reading!!
____________________________________
Dialogue 1.1: Formal Greetings
____________________________________
JOHN: Good evening, Professor Gate, how are you doing?
PROFESSOR GATE: Good evening , John. I am doing well. And you?
JOHN: I’m great, Sir, thank you. This is my friend Lina. She
is thinking about applying to this college. She has a
few questions. Would you mind telling us about the
process, please?
PROFESSOR GATE: Hello, Lina! It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m more
than happy to speak with you. Please stop by my office
next week.
LINA: It’s a pleasure to meet you, professor. Thank you so
much for helping us.
PROFESSOR GATE: Don’t mention it. Hopefully, I will be able to answer
your questions!
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
LANGUAGE NOTES
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
• The greetings good morning/good afternoon/good evening are used at different times
of the day to greet people. “Good evening” is often used after 6 p.m. or generally when
the sun has set.
• “Good night” is not a greeting: It is used when leaving a place or group of people.
Thank you and good night!/Good night, and see you tomorrow.
• When people meet in the UK/USA/West, it is customary for them to shake hands. A
handshake should be firm and usually lasts for about two to three seconds — which
allows enough time to say “Nice to meet you.”
• “Don’t mention it” is another way of saying “You’re welcome.” The phrase “You are
welcome” is more formal. However, responses such as Don’t mention it./No problem./
Happy to help. are informal ways of responding to a thank you.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
Dialogue1.2: Informal Conversations
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
JOAN: Hi, Helina! How’s it going?
HELINA: Fine, thanks — and you?
JOAN: Just fine. Where are you off to?
HELINA: To the library. I’ve got a history exam next week
and need to start studying. Ugh.
JOAN: Oh, no. Well, I’ll see you later then. Good luck!
HELINA: Thanks. See you later.
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
LANGUAGE NOTES
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
• “Hi” is an informal way of saying “hello.” Notice that the “i” sound in “hi” is extended, to
show that Jane is very pleased to see Helen.
• “How’s it going?” is an informal way of saying “How are you?”
• “Fine, thanks—and you?” Notice the rising intonation on “and you?” This shows that
Helen is interested in what Jane has to say.
• “Where are you off to?” is an informal way of saying “Where are you going?” Notice the
falling intonation since this is an information question, not a “yes/no” question.
• “To the library.” Notice that Helen does not say “I’m going” here because that
information was already established in the question “Where are you off to?”
• “Oh, no” is a way of saying “I sympathize with you” or “I understand you are not happy.”
• “See you later” is an informal way of saying “goodbye.”
◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
Dialogue 1-3: Formal Introductions
◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
MARY: Mr. Watson, I’d like you to meet Dr. Smith.
MR. WATSON: It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Smith.
DR. SMITH: Pleasure to meet you, too.
MARY: Dr. Smith is an economist. He just finished
writing a book on international trade.
MR. WATSON: Oh? That’s my field, too. I work for the United Nations.
DR. SMITH: In the Development Program, by any chance?
MR. WATSON: Yes. How did you guess?
DR. SMITH: I’ve read your articles on technical assistance.
They’re excellent.
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
LANGUAGE NOTES
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
• Mr. Wilson, I’d like you … Notice the rising intonation on “Mr. Wilson,” which is used
to address someone. Listen for the “d” in “I’d like.” This means I would like, which is
very different from I like. (“I’d like” means the same as “I would like” or “I want.”)
• Dr. Smith is an economist. Notice the stress on “economist.” This content word has
new information, so it is emphasized. There are four syllables in “economist,” with the
stress on the second syllable (e-CON-o-mist).
• He just finished writing … “just” means the very recent past. “Just” is usually used
with a simple past verb because the action is complete. However, it can also be used
with the present perfect (He’s just finished writing …).
• Development program. Since these two words make a compound noun, the main
stress falls on “development.”
• By any chance? Means the same as “possibly.” Notice the rising intonation, which is
used in yes/no questions to confirm that something is true.
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
Dialogue 1-4: Informal Introductions
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
JIMMY: Who’s the tall lady next to Sujan?
CORY: That’s her friend Maria. Didn’t you meet her at John’s party?
JIMMMY: No, I wasn’t at John’s party.
CORY: Oh! Then let me introduce you to her now. Maria, this is
my friend Jimmy.
MARIA: Hi, Jimmy. Nice to meet you.
JIMMY: Me, too. Would you like a drink?
MARIA: Sure, let’s go get one.
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
LANGUAGE NOTES
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
• “Who’s” is the contracted form of who is. It is pronounced the same way as “whose” (/
huwz/), but the meaning is different.
• Didn’t you meet her …? Notice that this is a negative question. Cory thought that Jimmy
had met Maria before. He is now surprised that Jimmy does not know Maria, and so he uses a
negative question to show his surprise.
• I wasn’t at John’s party. Notice that the emphasis here is on “at” although prepositions
normally have weak stress. In this case, “at” means “there” (I wasn’t there).
• Maria, this is my friend Jimmy. This is a friendly way to introduce two people. It’s
common to follow this with “Jimmy, this is Maria.” In this case, Maria says “Hi, Jimmy” first.
• Nice to meet you. This is a typical response after you’ve been introduced to someone.
• “Sure” is often used in informal conversation to mean “yes.”
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
Dialogue 1-5: What Time Is It?
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
NISHA: What time is it? We’re going to be late!
TOM: It’s a quarter after seven. We’re on time. Don’t panic.
NISHA: But I thought we had to be at the restaurant by 7:30 for
the surprise party. We’ll never make it there with all this
evening traffic.
TOM: Sure we will. Rush hour is almost over. Anyway, the party
starts at 8:00. But I do need help with directions. Can you
call the restaurant and ask them as to where we could park our car?
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
LANGUAGE NOTES
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
• It’s a quarter after seven. This phrase is one of the most common ways of stating this time. It means: “It’s 15 minutes past 7:00.” Another possibility here is to simply say: “It’s seven fifteen.” In general you can say: “It’s a quarter past the hour.” How do we know the time of day? Look for context clues: “evening traffic.”
• In the dialog, Nisha and Tony are going to a surprise party. They need to be on time.
Therefore there is an element of stress and urgency. When someone is stressed for time you can use expressions like: Don’t worry. / Don’t stress. / We’re fine. / We will
be on time.
• Nisha thinks the surprise party begins at 7:30. There are two different ways to
express this time. You may say simply “seven thirty” or “half past seven.”
• Rush hour is the time of day—usually in the morning and evening—when traffic is
heavy because of people commuting to and from their workplace by bus, by car, by
subway, on foot, etc.
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■
+ Boost Your CONFIDENCE
+ Enhance Your CAREER
+ Get AHEAD in LIFE
■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□
E V E R Y D A Y C O N V E R S A T I O N S
=================================
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
“Enuf” is enough?
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
English is not a phonetic language; words are not always spelled the way they sound, so listening while
simultaneously reading will improve your fluency by helping you identify the way written words sound and the way spoken words are written. Listening to news programmes, e-books, recorded speeches, and
lectures while reading the transcripts will also help you acquire the way ideas are organized in English, which is important for being able to follow along and take notes.
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
What is SPEAKING ENGLISH FLUENTLY or rather English fluency? Does it mean to speak English easily and automatically?
My definition is simple-- you speak English automatically when your speech is effortless. You speak fluent English when the words come out of your mouth-- without
TRANSLATION and without HESITATION.
Sometimes this is called “thinking in English”, but truly automatic speech is even faster
than that-- there is no thinking.
That's why they say
■ THINK English
■ Eat English
■ BREATHE English.
When you do that you donʼt think about the language at all- you just speak as easily and effortlessly as you do with your native language.
Why is automatic fluent speech important? Itʼs important because automatic English speaking is the key to getting results with English. Automatic speaking makes it easy
to connect with native speakers. As an automatic English speaker, itʼs easy for you to make friends, participate in business meetings, talk to customers, understand movies, and get better jobs.
To get real results with English, you need to speak easily and automatically.
My name is BKC (You can call me that because I am known by that amongst my students). I am connected with the TEACHING LEARNING PROCESS for 4 decades.
My former students include business professionals, scientists, entrepreneurs, teachers,
professors, graduate students, foreign military personnel, and many other successful adult English learners.
These students were just like you. They were frustrated English learners who could not speak well. But they aren't the same right now.
Each of these students made incredible improvements in a very short span of time. You also
will improve quickly when you use the system that I have been adopting in the class.
When you follow the entire system every day for 6 months, your speaking becomes much faster and much easier. Your spoken grammar improves powerfully- yet you will
never study grammar rules in this system. Your pronunciation improves powerfully- yet
you will not focus on pronunciation.
In creating SPOKEN ENGLISH FLUENTLY, I have assembled the very best English teaching techniques and combined them in a clear, simple, easy to use system. When you follow the system exactly, you cannot fail. You will experience the greatest English speaking improvement of your life.
When a baby takes birth (s)he hears (through her/his EARs) different sounds from mom, dad & others and tries to understand (through her/his BRAIN) each one of them and slowly gets used to and tries to understand more with the exposure of more sounds and start slowly giving out broken sounds (through her/his TONGUE using mouth, vocal cords, and lungs)
like MA...MA....PA...PA...DA...DA....& so on and so forth......So the EARs-TONGUE-BRA
IN cycle of language learning goes on and on till death. So that's the EARs-TONGUE-BRAIN (E-T-B) ever-continuum-till-death-language-learning-cycle is on amongst all of us, even the animals. Let's use that ever useful E-T-B cycle to the fullest. Read aloud English as much as you can with CORRECT PRONUNCIATION. Hear English as much as you can, again with CORRECT PRONUNCIATION. For this everyday you can read daily newspaper aloud, watch favourite TV programmes in English.
TV and video enable you to exploit the visual element that is
essential in face-to-face communication. One way to use the
visual dimension of conversation is to watch TV programmes
involving a group of people in discussion. Look out for things such as the ways in
which the speakers indicate that they want to speak next, or are
about to finish what they are saying. Recognising these 'turn-
taking' signals will help you to participate in English conversations.
Recording spoken English in this way enables you to collect real-
life examples of how people speak that may be much more useful
to you than commercial listening materials. Your own recorded
data will put you in a position to apply.
Use of audio recorder
=================
A digital audio recorder is an excellent resource for getting more
familiar with spoken English. It enables you not only to listen
again to other speakers, but also to record yourself speaking
English.
One suggestion for recording yourself is to use the recorder like a
diary. Fix a regular time each evening to spend a few minutes
talking about the events of your day. It works best if you imagine
you are talking to one particular person, rather than to the
microphone. Don't prepare in advance what you are going to say.
When you have finished, replay and listen to the recording,
stopping at any parts where you had pronunciation difficulties or
couldn't find the exact word. Re-record them.
Say, “Yes!” to subtitles
===================
Television services offer subtitle options as well as programming in
various languages. Watching programmes in English and referring to subtitles in your first language to maintain the show’s context or clarify a new word can improve your listening skills and show you how English speakers use gestures to construct meaning.
Watching a programme in your native language and then watching it in English will also promote greater fluency. Since you will already have knowledge about the subject, you can compare the different ways
speakers of English and speakers of your first language present the
same content. Awareness of the differences can reduce the tendency to translate what you hear into your native language to understand.
Instead, you will begin thinking in English to understand, and that is a
true sign of fluency development.
Developing Conversation Skills:
==========================
Let’s talk!
==========
The best way to acquire a language is by engaging in conversation with an English-speaking peer,
colleague, or friend who is patient and willing to help you along. Conversations complete the circle of communication: you listen, speak, give back feedback, and listen again. Gestures can also help you convey your meaning and ask for clarification. In fact, being able to stop the conversation and start again to get clarification or feedback is the reason that conversation is the most useful technique for acquiring a new language. If your circle of native English speakers is limited and you enjoy going to church or the movies or if you practice sports, do so in an English-only environment.
For CORRECT PRONUNCIATION you can watch BBC, CNN, DISCOVERY, TLC, ANIMAL PLANET,.........channels. For kids, cartoon channels are the best,......even rhymes CDs/tube channels will do.....but the languge of your set top box must be set English. That's all you are on your way to learn English and that too very EFFECTIVELY and in no time as well. Only one request, each day write a page in English.....may be in daily diary form......And you are on your way to learning English!!!!!
ALL THE BEST!
HAPPY JOURNEY!!
When we speak fluently, the choice of our WORD/PHRASE/SENTENCE/
CONSTRUCTION/EXPRESSION tells others how much capable/incapable we are in that language!
Nothing to worry.....to be an effective communicator in English you got to listen to & understand....nay try to understand initially...as to how native speakers go with their day to day conversations & you need to practise these conversations day in & day out to master them to your liking & to the liking of others till you reach a stage where you are confident enough to use them as your own!
All the BEST! Happy reading!!
____________________________________
Dialogue 1.1: Formal Greetings
____________________________________
JOHN: Good evening, Professor Gate, how are you doing?
PROFESSOR GATE: Good evening , John. I am doing well. And you?
JOHN: I’m great, Sir, thank you. This is my friend Lina. She
is thinking about applying to this college. She has a
few questions. Would you mind telling us about the
process, please?
PROFESSOR GATE: Hello, Lina! It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m more
than happy to speak with you. Please stop by my office
next week.
LINA: It’s a pleasure to meet you, professor. Thank you so
much for helping us.
PROFESSOR GATE: Don’t mention it. Hopefully, I will be able to answer
your questions!
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
LANGUAGE NOTES
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
• The greetings good morning/good afternoon/good evening are used at different times
of the day to greet people. “Good evening” is often used after 6 p.m. or generally when
the sun has set.
• “Good night” is not a greeting: It is used when leaving a place or group of people.
Thank you and good night!/Good night, and see you tomorrow.
• When people meet in the UK/USA/West, it is customary for them to shake hands. A
handshake should be firm and usually lasts for about two to three seconds — which
allows enough time to say “Nice to meet you.”
• “Don’t mention it” is another way of saying “You’re welcome.” The phrase “You are
welcome” is more formal. However, responses such as Don’t mention it./No problem./
Happy to help. are informal ways of responding to a thank you.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
Dialogue1.2: Informal Conversations
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
JOAN: Hi, Helina! How’s it going?
HELINA: Fine, thanks — and you?
JOAN: Just fine. Where are you off to?
HELINA: To the library. I’ve got a history exam next week
and need to start studying. Ugh.
JOAN: Oh, no. Well, I’ll see you later then. Good luck!
HELINA: Thanks. See you later.
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
LANGUAGE NOTES
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
• “Hi” is an informal way of saying “hello.” Notice that the “i” sound in “hi” is extended, to
show that Jane is very pleased to see Helen.
• “How’s it going?” is an informal way of saying “How are you?”
• “Fine, thanks—and you?” Notice the rising intonation on “and you?” This shows that
Helen is interested in what Jane has to say.
• “Where are you off to?” is an informal way of saying “Where are you going?” Notice the
falling intonation since this is an information question, not a “yes/no” question.
• “To the library.” Notice that Helen does not say “I’m going” here because that
information was already established in the question “Where are you off to?”
• “Oh, no” is a way of saying “I sympathize with you” or “I understand you are not happy.”
• “See you later” is an informal way of saying “goodbye.”
◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
Dialogue 1-3: Formal Introductions
◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
MARY: Mr. Watson, I’d like you to meet Dr. Smith.
MR. WATSON: It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Smith.
DR. SMITH: Pleasure to meet you, too.
MARY: Dr. Smith is an economist. He just finished
writing a book on international trade.
MR. WATSON: Oh? That’s my field, too. I work for the United Nations.
DR. SMITH: In the Development Program, by any chance?
MR. WATSON: Yes. How did you guess?
DR. SMITH: I’ve read your articles on technical assistance.
They’re excellent.
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
LANGUAGE NOTES
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
• Mr. Wilson, I’d like you … Notice the rising intonation on “Mr. Wilson,” which is used
to address someone. Listen for the “d” in “I’d like.” This means I would like, which is
very different from I like. (“I’d like” means the same as “I would like” or “I want.”)
• Dr. Smith is an economist. Notice the stress on “economist.” This content word has
new information, so it is emphasized. There are four syllables in “economist,” with the
stress on the second syllable (e-CON-o-mist).
• He just finished writing … “just” means the very recent past. “Just” is usually used
with a simple past verb because the action is complete. However, it can also be used
with the present perfect (He’s just finished writing …).
• Development program. Since these two words make a compound noun, the main
stress falls on “development.”
• By any chance? Means the same as “possibly.” Notice the rising intonation, which is
used in yes/no questions to confirm that something is true.
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Dialogue 1-4: Informal Introductions
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JIMMY: Who’s the tall lady next to Sujan?
CORY: That’s her friend Maria. Didn’t you meet her at John’s party?
JIMMMY: No, I wasn’t at John’s party.
CORY: Oh! Then let me introduce you to her now. Maria, this is
my friend Jimmy.
MARIA: Hi, Jimmy. Nice to meet you.
JIMMY: Me, too. Would you like a drink?
MARIA: Sure, let’s go get one.
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LANGUAGE NOTES
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• “Who’s” is the contracted form of who is. It is pronounced the same way as “whose” (/
huwz/), but the meaning is different.
• Didn’t you meet her …? Notice that this is a negative question. Cory thought that Jimmy
had met Maria before. He is now surprised that Jimmy does not know Maria, and so he uses a
negative question to show his surprise.
• I wasn’t at John’s party. Notice that the emphasis here is on “at” although prepositions
normally have weak stress. In this case, “at” means “there” (I wasn’t there).
• Maria, this is my friend Jimmy. This is a friendly way to introduce two people. It’s
common to follow this with “Jimmy, this is Maria.” In this case, Maria says “Hi, Jimmy” first.
• Nice to meet you. This is a typical response after you’ve been introduced to someone.
• “Sure” is often used in informal conversation to mean “yes.”
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Dialogue 1-5: What Time Is It?
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NISHA: What time is it? We’re going to be late!
TOM: It’s a quarter after seven. We’re on time. Don’t panic.
NISHA: But I thought we had to be at the restaurant by 7:30 for
the surprise party. We’ll never make it there with all this
evening traffic.
TOM: Sure we will. Rush hour is almost over. Anyway, the party
starts at 8:00. But I do need help with directions. Can you
call the restaurant and ask them as to where we could park our car?
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LANGUAGE NOTES
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• It’s a quarter after seven. This phrase is one of the most common ways of stating this time. It means: “It’s 15 minutes past 7:00.” Another possibility here is to simply say: “It’s seven fifteen.” In general you can say: “It’s a quarter past the hour.” How do we know the time of day? Look for context clues: “evening traffic.”
• In the dialog, Nisha and Tony are going to a surprise party. They need to be on time.
Therefore there is an element of stress and urgency. When someone is stressed for time you can use expressions like: Don’t worry. / Don’t stress. / We’re fine. / We will
be on time.
• Nisha thinks the surprise party begins at 7:30. There are two different ways to
express this time. You may say simply “seven thirty” or “half past seven.”
• Rush hour is the time of day—usually in the morning and evening—when traffic is
heavy because of people commuting to and from their workplace by bus, by car, by
subway, on foot, etc.
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