Undiplomatic orders.doc
Undiplomatic orders Try making these ‘undiplomatic orders a little more politely, if you can Get me that file! I want that report on my desk yesterday! You must arrange everything before the meeting Part two of the document is pathetic. Why aren’t you watching the workers more closely? It’s time you started looking for another job. That’s not good enough! You’re late again! You’re spending too much. That’s a stupid idea. Stop talking to the newspapers! I have decided to close down this project. I don’t think you’re the right person for the new job. You’re causing trouble in the company with the things you say. Where are the receipts for the things you bought? Shape up or ship out!
C:\Mike PC\my docs\2006\HANDOUTS\A-D\CONDITIONALS\3RD CONDITIONAL.doc When the time is past and the condition cannot be fulfilled because the action in the 'if' clause didn't happen. [past perfect + perfect conditional]
Past perfect = past of the auxiliary 'to have' (had) + past participle of the verb (Had known, had believed, had seen, had imagined, had thought, had eaten, had drunk) These go in the 'if' clause.
Perfect conditional = would have + past participle of the verb (Would have thought, would have believed, w h bought, w h asked, w h offered, w h helped) These go in the 'condition' clause.
If I had known you were coming I would have met you at the airport. (I didn’t know, so I didn’t come to meet you) If I had known he was going to resign I would have advised him to reconsider. (I didn’t know, so I couldn’t advise him)
There is a variation on this which omits the 'if and reverses the order in the 'if' condition clause does not change.
Had I known it was your birthday I would have bought you a present. Had he tried harder he would have passed the exam.
In all three conditional types we can reverse the order of the 'if' and the 'condition' clause'.
I will tell him / if I see him
I would fly to Africa / if I were a bird
I would have asked him to reconsider / if I had known he was going to resign.
Exercise 1. Complete these sentences using the third conditional.
If I ...............(know) you were going to drink whiskey I ................. (not allow) you to take the car If I ...............(think) you were serious, I ........................................ (listen) more carefully. if I ...............(see) the car in time, I ............................................... (not crash) into it. I ..................(stop) if I ................................................................... (see) the policeman. I ..................(take) an umbrella if I ................................................ (think) it was going to rain. I ..................(stop smoking) if I ..................................................... (know) about lung cancer.
Verbs: Infinitive
at this moment / now
Picture 1 – to ski,
he is skiing
Picture 2 – to play tennis,
she is playing tennis
Picture 3 – to dance,
they are dancing
Picture 4 – to use,
he’s using the / a computer
Picture 5 – to run,
she is running
Picture 6 – to drive,
he’s driving
Picture 7 – to swim,
he’s swimming
Picture 8 – to cook,
he’s cooking
Picture 9 – to make,
he’s making a pizza
Picture 10 – to play (the guitar etc), he’s playing the guitar Picture 11 – to read
she’s reading a magazine
Picture 12 – to take an aspirin
he’s taking an aspirin
Picture 13 – to buy a newspaper
he’s buying a newspaper
Picture 14 – to watch a film
he’s watching a film
Picture 15 – to read a story
he’s reading a story (for his daughter)
Picture 16 – to spend money
he’s spending a lot of money
Picture 17 – to write a letter
he’s writing a letter
Picture 18 – to meet somebody
she’s meeting her friend
Picture 19 – to do homework
he’s doing his homework
Picture 20 – to sleep
he’s sleeping
Picture 21 – to wait (for a bus)
she’s waiting for a bus
Picture 22 – to relax
she’s relaxing
Picture 23 – to call (a taxi)
he’s calling a taxi
Picture 24 – to listen to (music)
she’s listening to music
Picture 25 – to study
he’s studying English
Picture 26 – to watch television
he’s watching television
Picture 27 – to work
he’s working
Picture 28 – to smoke
he’s smoking a cigarette
Picture 29 – to clean
he’s cleaning the house
Picture 30 – to wash your hair
she’s washing her hair
Write comparative sentences using the information in parentheses (‘more’, ‘less’ , ‘equal’, ‘not equal’; some type of adjective). Examples Paris, Palamos (more, big) Paris is bigger than Palamos (Palamos is smaller than Paris) Soria, Sevilla, (more, cold) Soria is colder than Sevilla (Sevilla is hotter than Soria) George and Laura Bush, Tony and Cherie Blair (more, old) George and Laura Bush are older than Tony and Cherie Blair Pere (1.66 metres), Pau (1.66 metres) (equal, tall) Pere is as tall as Pau Paco (1.63 metres), Pep (1.66 metres) (not equal, tall) Paco is not as tall as Pep Practice: write the ‘comparative elements’ in the [ ] parentheses Barcelona, Madrid (more, beautiful) Barcelona [
] Madrid
Madrid, Barcelona (more, big) Madrid [
] Barcelona
Switzerland, Spain (more, clean) Switzerland [
] Spain
Three weeks holiday, three days holiday (more, good) Three weeks holiday [ ] three days holiday Good health, money (more, important) Good health [
] money
The Ritz Hotel, Hotel Peninsular (not equal, expensive) The Hotel Peninsular [
] The Ritz Hotel
English grammar, German grammar (less, complicated) English grammar [ ] German grammar Relaxing, Working (more, good) Relaxing [
] working
Pre-Intermediate Exam 2005 Name: ………………………. Exercise 1. Answers: 1 - b
2-b
3-a
4-a
Exercise 2. Answers: 5 - a
6-a
7-b
8-a
Exercise 3. Answers
Exercise 4. Answers
11 - in 15 - at
12 - on 16 - to
19 - some 23 - any
13 - in 17 – at/in
20 - many 24 - much
9b
10 - b
14 - at 18 - at
21 - any
22 - some
Exercise 5. answers
25: How old is he? 26: What is he like? / What does he look like? 27: What is his hair like? / What hair does he have? 28: What does she look like? 29: What does he look like? 30: Who is she like? Exercise 6. 31 - like 32 - ?
33 - like
Exercise 7. 39 - taller
40 - the tallest
41- clean
42 - cleaner
43 - good
44 – the best
45 - friendlier
46 – the friendliest
47 – more expensive
48 – the most expensive
49 - prettier
50 – the prettiest
34 - like
35 - like
Exercise 8. 50 - B
51 - D
52 - A
53 - C
Exercise 9. 54 - did
55 - have
56 - has
57 - has
Exercise 10. 59 – Who broke his KL recently? 60 – What did XH break recently? 61 – Whose new film is called MP? 62 – What is WA’s new film called? 63 – What does BS want to manage? 64 – Who played a sax…? 65 – Where did LF play a sax last Monday ?
36 - ?
58 - Did
37 - like
38 - like
Pre-Intermediate Exam 2005 Name: ………………………. Exercise 1. Answers: 1 - b
2-b
3-a
4-a
Exercise 2. Answers: 5 - a
6-a
7-b
8-a
Exercise 3. Answers
Exercise 4. Answers
11 - in 15 - at
12 - on 16 - to
19 - some 23 - any
13 - in 17 – at/in
20 - many 24 - much
9b
10 - b
14 - at 18 - at
21 - any
22 - some
Exercise 5. answers
25: How old is he? 26: What is he like? / What does he look like? 27: What is his hair like? / What hair does he have? 28: What does she look like? 29: What does he look like? 30: Who is she like? Exercise 6. 31 - like 32 - ?
33 - like
Exercise 7. 39 - taller
40 - the tallest
41- clean
42 - cleaner
43 - good
44 – the best
45 - friendlier
46 – the friendliest
47 – more expensive
48 – the most expensive
49 - prettier
50 – the prettiest
34 - like
35 - like
Exercise 8. 50 - B
51 - D
52 - A
53 - C
Exercise 9. 54 - did
55 - have
56 - has
57 - has
Exercise 10. 59 – Who broke his KL recently? 60 – What did XH break recently? 61 – Whose new film is called MP? 62 – What is WA’s new film called? 63 – What does BS want to manage? 64 – Who played a sax…? 65 – Where did LF play a sax last Monday ?
36 - ?
58 - Did
37 - like
38 - like
Pre-Intermediate Exam 2005
Please write the answers to all questions on the separate answer page. Exercise 1. Choose the correct verb form, ‘a’ or ‘b’ in sentences 1 to 4. 1. He has got a ticket. He [ (a) would like to see / (b) is going to see] Madonna on Saturday. 2. She has bought a map of Lisbon. She [ (a) would like to visit / (b) is going to visit] this city. 3. He [ (a) would like to buy / (b) is going to buy] a new house, but it’s too expensive. 4. I [ (a) would like to visit / (b) am going to visit] Japan, but I’m afraid of flying. Answers: 1 - …,
2 - …,
3 - …,
4-…
Exercise 1. Choose the correct verb form, ‘a’ or ‘b’ in sentences 5 to 10. 5. I can’t do all this work. Don’t worry, I [ (a) will help / (b) am going to help ] you if you want. 6. You look tired. I [ (a) will / (b) am going to ] drive you home. 7. Did you know Bill was ill in hospital? Yes, I did. I [ (a) will / (b) am going to ] visit him tonight. 8. Did you know Bill was ill in hospital? No. I [ (a) will / (b) am going to ] visit him tonight. 9. Where will you spend the Christmas holidays? We have not decided yet. Perhaps we [(a) are going to / (b) will ] ski in Andorra. 10. Look at those black clouds. I am sure [ (a) it will / (b) it is going to ] rain very soon. Answers: 5 - …,
6 - …,
7 - …,
8-…
9 …,
10 - …,
Exercise 3. Write the missing prepositions for these sentences, in the answer list. 11. Mike was born …. December. 12. Mike was born …. December 14th. 13. Mike was born …. the winter. 14. Mike was born …. home. 15. Mike was born …. night. 16. I am going …. meet Mike tonight. 17. I am meeting Mike …. the Teatre Nacional tonight. 18. I am meeting Mike …. 7 o’clock. Answers
11 - …, 15 - …,
12 - …, 16 - …,
13 - …, 17 - …,
14 - … 18 - …
Exercise 4. Complete the dialogue with some, any, much or many. A: We need (19) …….. water. How (20) ….. bottles do we need? B: Two bottles. And we haven’t got (21) …. fruit. Shall we get (22) …… peaches? A: OK. Have we got (23) …… coffee? B: No, how (24) …… do we need? A: One packet is enough.
Answers
19 - …, 23 - …,
20 - …, 24 - …,
21 - …,
22 - …
Exercise 5. Write the correct questions for these answers, use the example to help you. Example.
Answer: About one metre fifty-nine. Question: How tall is she?
25. Middle-aged, I would say. 26. Like a typical teenager. 27. It was black when he was younger but he’s bald now. 28. Tall, slim and blond, like her mother. 29. Quite good looking, with a beard and glasses. 30. Like her brother, shy and sensitive answers 25: …………………………………………………… 26: …………………………………………………… 27: …………………………………………………… 28: …………………………………………………… 29: …………………………………………………… 30: …………………………………………………… Exercise 6. Complete the sentences. If the word ‘like’ is necessary, write it next to the answer number. If it is not necessary, write Ø next to the answer numbers at the end. What does she look (31) ……. ? She looks (32) ………. very kind. Who is she (33) ……? She’s (34) ……… her mother. What’s he (35) …….? He’s (36) …… wonderful! Who does he look (37) …….? He looks (38) …… his brother. 31 - ……, 32 - ……, 33 - ……, 34 - ……, 35 - ……, 36 - ……, 37 - ……, 38 - ……, Exercise 7. Complete the table below and write the answers in the answer line below. You have an example to help you. Adjective
Comparative
Superlative
Bad Tall (41) ………. (43) ………. friendly expensive pretty
worse (39) ………. (42) ………. Better (45) ………. (47) ………. (49) ………
the worst (40) ………… the cleanest (44) ………. (46) ………. (48) ……… (50) ………
answers: 39 - ………….…………. 42 - ………….…………. 45 - ………….…………. 48 - ………….………….
40 - ………….…………., 43 - ………….…………., 46 - ………….…………., 49 - ………….………….,
41- ………….…………. 44 - ………….…………. 47 - ………….…………. 49 - ………….………….
Exercise 8: Match the questions and answers: Only one answer is correct to each question. 50. Could you help me please? 51. Would you like to go to the cinema with me? 52. This problem is too difficult for me! 53. Shall I help you carry that suitcase?
A) Can I help you? B) Of course I can. C) No thanks, it’s OK. D) I’d love to.
50 - ……, 51 - ……, 52 - ……, 53 - …… Exercise 9: Complete these sentences with did, have, or has. 54 - …………. you study French at school? 55 - …………. you ever lived in an attic? 56 - …………. the football match finished yet? 57 - …………. she seen Isabel Coixet’s new film? 58 - …………. you see Isabel Coixet’s new film? 54 - ……, 55 - ……, 56 - ……, 57 - ……, 58 - ……, Exercise 10: Look at these sentences and write complete questions for the answers in brackets. Example: Lee Harvey Oswald shot John Kennedy (Lee Harvey Oswald) Who shot John Kennedy? (John Kennedy) Who did Lee Harvey Oswald shoot? Xavi Hernández broke his knee ligaments recently. 59 – (Xavi Hernández) …………………………..……………………… 60 – (his knee ligaments) …………………………..……………………… Woody Allen’s new film is called ‘Match Point’. 61 – (Woody Allen) …………………………..……………………… 62 – (‘Match Point’) …………………………..……………………… Berndt Schuster wants to manage the Real Madrid football team. 63 – (the Real Madrid football team) …………………………..……………………… Llibert Fortuny played a saxophone at the Teatre Nacional last Monday. 64 – (played a saxophone) 65 – (at the Teatre Nacional)
…………………………..……………………… …………………………..………………………
Exceptions to the ‘normal’ question forms 1. Subject questions: Where the information we need is about the subject of the sentence. Ex – John loves Mary (S+V+O) If we know that somebody loves Mary but want to know that person’s name, it is a subject question and all we do change the subject word for ‘what’, or more usually ‘who’. Who loves Mary? John loves Mary. What is the capital of Ireland? Dublin is the capital of Ireland. You can see here that only the interrogative pronoun has changed. There is no change in the verb or complement of the sentence. Compare ‘John loves …..’. Here the information we need is about the object of the sentence and therefore we need to use the ‘normal’ question form, Wh + Aux + S + Vinf Who does John love? 2. Perfect tenses: Because the perfect tenses use the past participle and NOT the infinitive, we cannot use the ‘normal’ question form with perfect tenses, although it is almost the same. Compare I saw the film What film did you see? WhAux S Vinf I have seen the film …. What film Wh-
Who Wh-
have Aux
you S
seen Vpp
She should have phoned her mother should she have phoned? Aux S Vpp
3. ‘To Be’ questions: Because ‘to be’ is a lexical verb as well as an auxiliary verb we do not need the infinitive in the question. Mike’s house is in Sant Antoni Where is Mike’s house? Wh + Aux + S
(‘to be’ question)
Mike lives in Sant Antoni Where does Mike live? Wh + Aux + S + V
(‘normal’ question)
GIVING SUGGESTIONS Lo sugiero que lo haga cuanto antes. I suggest that Yo propongo que se tome una decisión inmediata. I suggest that No se olvide de avisarme en cuanto llegue. don't forget to ... En vez de volver a salir, podríamos cenar en casa. we could ¿Qué le parecería que fuésemos mañana? what (would you say) if Yo sugeriría que le escribieran con una respuesta concreta. I would like to suggest that Si me permite una sugerencia: podríamos recibirle el martes por la tarde. I'll make a suggestion, if I may Lo mejor sería que nos avisasen antes. it would be best if Creo que convendría sacarlo de aquí. I think it would be a good idea to ... Quizás seria conveniente llamar antes por teléfono. It might be a good idea to ... Sería buena idea mandar un télex. I think it would be a good idea to ... Lo que sugiero es lo siguiente or Mi sugerencia es la siguiente: por ahora no cambiemos de planes. what I suggest is that… ¿Le parece a usted bien que vayamos esta tarde? may we Lo que podríamos hacer es hablar con él antes de que se marche a Italia. what we could do is to ... ¿Les importaría que fuésemos antes al hotel? would you mind if… ¿Qué los parecería encargárselo a Comercial Hispana? what about ¿Le parecería bien or ¿Estaría de acuerdo en volver a este mismo lugar el año que viene? would you agree to... Si le parece bien, llegaremos el día 5 a Madrid. if you agree, we shall... Quizás habría que ser un poco más firmes con ellos. we might have to ... ¿Por qué no se lo dice usted directamente? why don't you ¿No le atrae la idea de ser libre? doesn't the idea of ... attract you? Debía usted comprar más. you should Si yo estuviera en su lugar or Yo, en su lugar, if I were you De estar en su lugar no lo dudaría. if I were you Yo que tú no haría nada por ahora. if I were you ¿Le puedo hacer una propuesta que quizás le parezca interesante? may I make a suggestion? ¿Le puedo proponer algo? may I make a suggestion? No seria mala idea ampliarlo todo. It mightn't be a bad idea to ... Convendría salir cuanto antes. we should Permítame usted recordarle que el plazo vence mañana. may I remind you that Sería preferible llamarle por teléfono. it would be better to ... Quizás lo mejor sería comunicárselo por escrito. perhaps it would be best to ... Quizás lo que debíamos hacer es no preocuparnos demasiado de los demás. perhaps we shouldn't ¿Le importaría a usted explicármelo todo otra vez? would you mind… ASKING FOR SUGGESTIONS ¿Qué (lo parece que) es puede hacer? what (do you think) can be done? ¿Quizás es lo ocurre algo mejor? perhaps you have a better suggestion? ¿Qué sugiero usted que haga? what do you suggest I do? ¿Tiene usted alguna sugerencia? do you have any suggestions? ¿Se los ocurra a ustedes algo sobre el asunto? do you have any ideas on ¿Qué piensa usted que debería decir? what do you suggest I should...
As you may know, there are no classes next week (Sept 19-23) and so I would like you to use the class time to write a composition for me. It is not very urgent, but I would like you to write a long composition in the next 2 or 3 weeks. The idea is to discuss the matters mentioned below in class on Friday, to make brief notes about what is discussed, to use these notes as the basis for a ‘finished’ text with an introduction, arguments, counter arguments, a conclusion and a summary. You may send me the finished text in October, if you need more time, or sooner if possible. See you on Friday. mike
This week the children of Spain returned to school. Maybe you, or your family, have children in school. If not, I’m sure you work with people who do. This week I would like you to discuss some matters about school. Here are some examples, but feel free to add new questions.
1. Is the school today better or worse than when you went to school? In what way are things better or worse? Which things are better and which things are worse? 2. Are the school holidays too long, too short, or correct? What changes would you like to see about the holidays? 3. Do children study the same things now as when you were in school? What things do they have that you didn’t have? Does this make things easier or more difficult? 4. Language? Class size? Violence? Drugs? Uniforms? Exams? Meals? Extra-curricular activities? Teachers – men are better than women? Single-sex classes are better? 5. Should school be private or public? Which is ‘better’? 6. Is school to prepare a person for life, or for work?
20 reasons why English is difficult.doc
20 Reasons Why The English Language Is Hard To Learn:
Can you see/hear the problems here? You may need a dictionary to clarify all the sentences. (Think especially about sound differences to help clarify context, and vice versa)
1. The bandage was wound around the wound. 2. The farm was used to produce produce. 3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse. 4. Polish the Polish furniture! 5. He could lead if he would get the lead out. 6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert. 7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present. 8. A sea bass was painted on the head of the bass drum. 9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes. 10. I did not object to the object. 11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid. 12. They were too close to the door to close it. 13. The buck does funny things when the does are present. 14. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer. 15. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow. 16. The wind was too strong to wind the sail. 17. After a number of injections my jaw got number. 18. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear. 19. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests. 20. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
When the time is past and the condition cannot be fulfilled because the action in the 'if' clause didn't happen. [past perfect + perfect conditional]
Past perfect = past of the auxiliary 'to have' (had) + past participle of the verb (Had known, had believed, had seen, had imagined, had thought, had eaten, had drunk) These go in the 'if' clause.
Perfect conditional = would have + past participle of the verb (Would have thought, would have believed, w h bought, w h asked, w h offered, w h helped) These go in the 'condition' clause.
If I had known you were coming I would have met you at the airport. (I didn’t know, so I didn’t come to meet you) If I had known he was going to resign I would have advised him to reconsider. (I didn’t know, so I couldn’t advise him)
There is a variation on this which omits the 'if and reverses the order in the 'if' condition clause does not change.
Had I known it was your birthday I would have bought you a present. Had he tried harder he would have passed the exam.
In all three conditional types we can reverse the order of the 'if' and the 'condition' clause'.
I will tell him / if I see him
I would fly to Africa / if I were a bird
I would have asked him to reconsider / if I had known he was going to resign.
Exercise 1. Complete these sentences using the third conditional.
If I ...............(know) you were going to drink whiskey I ................. (not allow) you to take the car If I ...............(think) you were serious, I ........................................ (listen) more carefully. if I ...............(see) the car in time, I ............................................... (not crash) into it. I ..................(stop) if I ................................................................... (see) the policeman. I ..................(take) an umbrella if I ................................................ (think) it was going to rain. I ..................(stop smoking) if I ..................................................... (know) about lung cancer.
BBC Learning English 6 Minute English Staycation
Kate:
Hello, I'm Kate Colin and today I'm joined by Jackie Dalton. Hi Jackie.
Jackie:
Hi Kate
Kate:
Jackie, I believe you've just got back from holiday haven't you. How was it?
Jackie:
It was great thank you - I had a very relaxing time. I did lots of reading and some skiing.
Kate:
Sounds wonderful, but these days more and more of us are considering whether we can actually justify the cost of a holiday abroad and the idea of going absolutely nowhere is actually becoming quite appealing. A 'staycation' is a new phrase which is combination of the expressions 'stay' (at home)' and 'vacation'.
Jackie:
Well, yes I have heard of staycations, but to be honest I can't say it is something that really appeals to me because I like going on holiday to see other cultures, to listen to new languages and eat different food. Just to get away from my normal day to day life once in a while. I think that's what holidays are about.
Kate:
Well to some people it is, but before we go any further, I'm going to ask my question for this week. Which country is the top location for British people to go on holiday at the moment? a) Spain b) France c) Turkey
6 Minute English
Š bbclearningenglish.com 2009 Page 1 of 5
Jackie:
answers
Kate:
Good answer; we'll check if you're correct in a few minutes. But first here’s a lady who really likes staycations. Why does she prefer to stay at home?
Clip 1 If you take your 2 weeks off and just stay at home and do what you like, it's so much more liberating than going away somewhere new and not having your own things around and having the pressure to explore all this new stuff. It's just a winner; I don’t understand why more people don't do it.
Jackie:
She said that staying at home is much more liberating than going away. If something is 'liberating' it makes you feel free and able to do what you like. She goes on to say that going on holiday means that you don't have your own things around you and there's lots of pressure to explore. She says that staying at home is a 'winner' (which means a very good thing) and she can't understand why more people don't do it!
Kate:
Now we're going to hear from someone with the opposite point of view. She uses the phrase 'contradiction in terms' which means to say a combination of things which don't make sense as they often have opposite meanings. She also uses the term 'same old, same old' which you often hear when people talk about always doing the same thing. Listen out for it in the following extract…
Clip 2 Well to me, holidaying at home is a complete contradiction in terms. When you stay at home you know it's the same old, same old and it just underpins the whole beauty of having that energizing break and doing something entirely different.
6 Minute English
© bbclearningenglish.com 2009 Page 2 of 5
Jackie:
Well, she said that she thinks holidaying at home is a contradiction in terms – it doesn't make sense. She thinks that taking a holiday is about getting away from your usual routine of being at home which she describes as 'the same old, same old'. I suppose she's referring to the everyday jobs of housework and shopping and things like that. She says this underpins the whole beauty of going away. Underpins means to give strength or support to something, so here the fact that there's always so much to do when you stay at home, supports or underpins her argument that we need to go away on holiday once in a while.
Kate:
Let's go back to the first lady we heard from. Here she gives some other reasons why she prefers not to go away. She uses the term 'peace of mind'. What does this mean?
Jackie:
'peace of mind' is when you can relax because you don’t have to worry about anything.
Clip 3 On the rare occasions that I have gone on a proper holiday, the amount of work you have to do to go away and enjoy peace of mind, totally negates the benefit of the holiday to me.
Jackie:
She says that all the effort you have to go to make sure you can enjoy peace of mind, negates the benefit of the holiday. I suppose she means that she spends a lot of time making sure her house is locked properly and things to make sure that she won't have to worry about anything going wrong while she's away. She says this negates the benefit of a holiday. To negate means to cancel out the effect of something, so all the worry related to going on holiday negates the good things about holidays.
Kate:
Let's hear what the second lady has to say in reply…she uses the word 'anticipation'. What does this mean?
6 Minute English
© bbclearningenglish.com 2009 Page 3 of 5
Jackie:
'anticipation' means to look forward to something. You'll also hear the expression 'Groundhog Day'. In this context, this is a term which we sometimes use when referring to doing the same thing over and over again. It comes from a film called 'Groundhog Day' starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, and the film features a man who finds himself living the same day over and over again. Now the expression has made its way into the English language to describe something which is the same everyday. So if you had a job where it seems you're doing the same thing day after day, you could say it was like 'Groundhog Day'.
Clip 4 It's like anything in life you either approach it positively or negatively. I think part of the beauty of a holiday is the anticipation. I know it's stressful preparing for a holiday but it's quite exciting too and I think we need it because when we do the same things day after day, life becomes like Groundhog Day and one of the great beauties underpinning that is to go on holiday.
Kate:
What do you think Jackie? Are you tempted to have a 'staycation' next time you want a holiday?
Jackie:
Well, having heard both sides of the argument, I can understand the reasons for staying at home but I'm afraid I like to travel too much and I don't think I'll be taking a staycation this year.
Kate:
So let's have a look the words we came across earlier in the programme: We had: staycation liberating a contradiction in terms same old, same old to underpin
6 Minute English
Š bbclearningenglish.com 2009 Page 4 of 5
peace of mind negates anticipation Groundhog Day
Kate:
Finally to the question I asked earlier. I asked you which county is the top European location for British people to go on holiday at the moment.
Jackie:
‌and I said Spain.
Kate:
I'm afraid you were wrong. You were nearly right, but it is in fact Turkey.
Both:
That's all for this week. Goodbye!
6 Minute English
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