Phonetics: English Intonation

Lexical topic: My Town

Grammar themes: The Imperative Mood,
Interrogative Words, Special Questions

Lesson

I PHONETICS
English Intonation: Foreword
Every language has its own intonation, or speech melody. Intonation helps to
recognize the language that you hear. Linguists distinguish several main types of English
intonation, where falling intonation and rising intonation are the two basic types. Other
main types of intonation include high fall, low fall, fall-rise, high rise, midlevel rise, low rise.
They are variations of the two basic types of intonation.
Intonation is based on several key components, such as pitch, sentence stress and
rhythm.
Pitch is the degree of height of our voice in speech. Normal speaking pitch is at
midlevel. Intonation is formed by certain pitch changes, characteristic of a given
language, for example, falling intonation is formed by pitch changes from high to low,
and rising intonation is formed by pitch changes from low to high.
Sentence stress makes the utterance understandable to the listener by making the
important words in the sentence stressed, clear and higher in pitch and by shortening
and obscuring the unstressed words. Sentence stress provides rhythm in connected
speech. Developing the ability to hear, understand and reproduce sentence stress is the
main prerequisite to mastering English intonation.
Intonation performs several important functions in English. The first function is
uniting separate words into sentences in oral speech. The second function of intonation
is distinguishing between types of sentences: statements, questions, commands,
requests, exclamations, etc. Also, intonation allows us to express emotions: finality,
confidence, interest, surprise, doubt, joy, pain, irony, etc.

Falling Intonation
Falling intonation is the most common type of standard unemphatic intonation in
English. It is used on the last stressed syllable of the sentence in statements (declarative
sentences), special questions, commands (imperative sentences), exclamatory sentences
and in the last part of alternative questions (after or).
Statements
We live in \MOScow.
She is ten years \OLD.
They left for London \YESterday.

He doesnt have a \CAR.

I dont want to \CALL her.
Id like a sandwich and a cup of \COFfee, please.

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Special questions
Where do you \LIVE?
When did you \CALL him?

How much \IS it?

What time does he get \UP?

Commands
\STOP it! Sit \DOWN.

Close your books and \LISten.

Exclamatory sentences
How \NICE of you!
Hel\LO! Good \MORNing!

What a wonderful sur\PRISE!

Alternative questions
Do you want /TEA or \COFfee? Would you like to go for a /WALK or would you rather
stay \HOME?
Falling intonation is used for asking and giving information in normal, quiet,
unemphatic style. At the same time, falling intonation conveys certain emotions, such as
completion, finality, confidence. Falling intonation sounds more categorical, confident
and convincing than rising intonation.
High fall
High fall is a variation of standard falling intonation. It is used for extra emphasis in
informal situations to show lively interest and friendliness in statements, for example,
in greetings, exclamatory sentences, etc. High fall starts higher than standard falling
intonation, the stress in it is stronger, and the stressed syllable is louder. Though this
type of intonation is common in everyday speech, language learners should use it with
caution and not too often because it is rather expressive and emphatic.
Oh \HI! Im very glad to \SEE you!
Oh, come \ON! Its very \EASy!
Rising Intonation
Rising intonation in English is a pretty complicated phenomenon. It can express
a number of various emotions, such as non-finality, incompleteness, surprise, doubt,
interest, suggestion, politeness, readiness to continue the conversation, lack of
confidence and even insecurity.
For the purpose of studying, we can say that rising intonation is used for the
emotions mentioned above, but you should understand that rising intonation in
different situations may sound differently, for example, the rising tone expressing
surprise may sound a little different from the rising tone expressing polite interest or
the rising tone asking to repeat.
Rising intonation is used in general questions, in dependent or introductory parts
of sentences, in the first part of alternative questions (before or), in direct address and
in enumerating items in a list.

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General questions
Do you go there /OFten?
Would you please pass the /PEPper?

Was she glad to /SEE him?

Are you ready to /START?

Dependent parts of sentences

When I was walking in the /PARK, I saw a
couple of interesting \BIRDS.
If he /CALLS, ask him to \COME.

According to his /WORDS, he met that girl

at the \TENnis club.
All of a /SUDden, the girl started to \CRY.

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Alternative questions
Would you like an /APple or a \PEAR?

Does he speak /ENGlish or \GERman?

Direct address
/TOM, could you /HELP me, please?
/SIR, you dropped your \NOTEbook.
Note: If direct address is at the end of the sentence, it may be pronounced with a rise or
just a stress on it:
Good \MORNing, /JANE.

Good-\BYE, Tom.

Enumerating
/One, /two, /three, /four, \five. She bought / bread, / cheese and to\MAtoes.
Tag questions
The choice of rising or falling intonation in tag questions depends on whether the
speaker is sure in getting an affirmative answer, for example:
Its a beautiful \TOWN, /ISNT it? (The speaker
thinks that the town is beautiful but asks for
your opinion and confirmation.)

Its a beautiful \TOWN, \ISNT it?

(The speaker is sure that the town is
beautiful and expects you to agree.)

You dont speak \FRENCH, /DO you? (The

speaker thinks that you dont speak French
but is not completely sure and asks for
confirmation.)

You dont speak \FRENCH, \DO you?

(The speaker is sure that you dont
speak French and expects you to
agree.)

Pay attention that falling intonation is always used in the first part of tag questions.
Also note that despite the fact that tag questions are asked to get confirmation and
agreement, the answer may be affirmative or negative.
High rise
High rise is a variation of standard rising intonation. It is used to express stronger
surprise or disbelief. High rise starts higher and ends higher than standard rising
intonation. High rise is rather expressive and emphatic and language learners should
use it with caution and not too often.
1. Im extremely sorry, but I probably lost the book you gave me.
/WHAT? You lost my /BOOK? (Meaning: I cant believe it.)
2. Wheres my purse? You were here.
Ex/CUSE me? (Meaning: I cant believe you said it and ask you to repeat it.)
Fall-rise
Fall-rise is often used instead of standard rising intonation in dependent or introductory
parts of sentences and signals non-finality and continuation of the utterance. The voice
first falls down and then goes up within one word, for example:
If we dont act very \ /FAST, we may lose \EVErything.
The article said that Dr. Alan \ /SMITH was the only person who saw the \KILLer.

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II VOCABULARY
Topical words and word combinations

Parts and Areas of Communities: area/ region, business area/ downtown, centre/ the
middle of an area, city centre/ the middle of a city, country area, outskirts, residential
area/district, rural area, seafront/ waterfront, suburb, town centre/ the middle of a town,
urban area, territory.
Shops and Stores: shop/store, bakers/bakery, bookstore, butchers, chemists/ drugstore/ pharmacy, department store, diarys, dry cleaners/laundry/washhouse, fishmongers /fish-shop, florists, greengrocers, grocers, ironmongers, jewellers, stationers,
sweetshop, tobacconists.
Various Types of Buildings: caf, car park, castle, cathedral, church, cinema, factory/
plant, fire station, hairdressers, hospital, library, market/open-air market, museum,
office, office block, police station, post office, pub, railway station, recreation centre,
school, theatre, skyscraper, town hall, stadium, station/ base, university.
Means of transport: airplane, bus, metro/tube/underground/subway, minibus, motorbike, trolleybus, tram, ship, car, taxi, bicycle/bike.
Miscellaneous: airport, amusement park, alley, avenue, boulevard, bus station, crossing/zebra crossing, crossroad, gas station, inhabitant/resident, lane, main street, park/
public garden/play area, pavement/side-walk/footpath, play ground, side street, square,
street corner, street light, traffic lights, zoo.
NOTE:
Village = a small group of houses in the country, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town.
Town = a centre of population which is larger than a village and smaller than a city.
City = a large important town; strictly a town created a city by proclamation, on reaching
a certain size.
Capital = a large important town; strictly a town created a city by the chief city of a
country; seat of government.
Metropolis = the chief city of a country, usually, but not always the capital; a centre of
population,civilization, commerce, etc.
Megapolis/megalopolis = an urban complex, usually comprising several large towns.
Vocabulary exercises
Exercise 1 a) Write the following names under each of these pictures: park, amusement
park, theatre, restaurant, supermarket, library, police station, hospital, skyscraper, fire station

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b) Say whether there are or not such buildings in your native town following the model:
Model: There is a cinema in my native town. / There are no cinemas in my native town.
Exercise 2 Make up as many words as possible using the letters from the following
words: supermarket, skyscraper, crossroad?
Exercise 3
a) Select the word which does not go with the rest of the list. Explain your choice.
1. Theatre, cinema, amusement park, museum
2. Bakers, florists, butchers, greengrocers
3. Pub, caf, sweetshop, restaurant
4. Town hall, cathedral, hospital, post office
5. Crossroad, traffic lights, pavement, pedestrian
b) Write a word or a word combination that you would associate with each group
of words below:
1. District, suburb, seafront, outskirts
2. Department store, grocers, jewellers, stationers
3. An avenue, a lane, a crossroad, a square
4. Car, ship, tram, airplane
5. Fire station, police station, post office, hospital
Exercise 4 Read the sentences and use the words to fill in the gaps:
sweetshop
greengrocers
department store
chemists
shops
pavement
town hall
post office
station
zoo
hospital
bookstore
skyscrapers
cathedral
park
1. Mayorsoffice isinthe
2. There are tall withmanyfloors in bigcities.
3. Thereisa public withlovelycherrytreesin the centre of the town.
4. Excuseme,canyoutellmewherethenearest is? I need some aspirin.
5. This isthe ofSaintPeter?It is a Catholic one.
6. Ourtownhasanew forillpeople.
7. Tourists canbuythingsinmany inthistown.
8. Youmustwalkonlyon inthispark.
9. Take the letters down to the and mail them immediately.
10. Go to go to the to catch the bus.
11. There are a number of departments in our local .
12. There is a large witha lot of exotic animals onthathill.
13. You can buy books and magazines in the bookstore over there.
14. There are a lot of fresh vegetables at the
15. The ... is childrens favourite one.
Exercise 5 Match the words and the definitions:
a) Shops and Stores
1. bakers
a) a shop which sells materials and equipment for building
2. fishmongers b) a shop which sells various types of meat
3. jewellers
c) a shop which sells tobacco goods such as cigarettes and cigars
4. butchers
d) a shop which sells fruit and vegetables
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5. tobacconists
6. greengrocers
7. sweetshop
8. ironmongers
9. florists
10. stationers

e) a shop which sells candies and various sweet goods

f ) a shop which sells bread and pastries
g) a shop which sells paper, pens and pencils and other writing materials
h) a shop which sells fish
i) a shop that sells rings, necklaces, earrings
j) a shop that sells flowers, plants

b) Various Types of Buildings

1. church
a) a public office responsible for sending letters by mail
2. fire station
b) extremely tall building, usually in the city centre
3. office
c) a base for the police department
4. town hall
d) a stop for transportation by train
5. cinema
e) a workplace in a building
6. post office
f) a base for the fire department where fire engines and firemen work
7. police station
g) a place or building where objects of historical, artistic, or scientific interest are exhibited
8. skyscraper
h) a place of worship for Christians
9. museum
i) the building which houses a communitys governmental agencies
10. railway station j) a place designed for the exhibition of films
Exercise 6 Find in the word search puzzle the following words:
AIRPORT, BANK, FACTORY, FIRE STATION, STADIUM, GAS STATION, HOSPITAL, LIBRARY,
THEATER, MUSEUM, PARK, PHARMACY, PLAYGROUND, POLICE DEPARTMENT, POST OFFICE,
RESTRAUNT, ROAD, SCHOOL, SKYSCRAPER, STREETLIGHT, SUBURB, SUPERMARKET, TAXI
M
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M D J T E G P T P
H G I L T E E R T
T N A L P R E W O
B A N K X J W B R
B U L A T I P S O
E K R A M R E P U
V M B B B G S W T
A O T F S P S O S
I V N R N S P M M
T I F O A S D B W
Y E W F I P Q A Q
Q T R G R T E F O
R H N Y P M A D U
R E B D O R R T E
V A O C R V H H S
X T E J T M E H H
W E L T B I Z U I
S R E S T R A U N
I V A W W L Y R O
M B E C I F F O T

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S M S N
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M Y A R
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III GRAMMAR
IMPERATIVE SENTENCES
(Dont)

Lets (=let+us)
Lets not

Wash
Put
Take
Buy
Close
go
visit
cross

your hands.
the book on the table.
the map.
this book.
the door.
to the cinema.
him.
the street at the zebra crossing.

Exercise 1 Make up positive imperative sentences. Ask your friend:

1. to go to the butchers.
6. to send a telegram to your sister today.
2. to show you the way to the theatre.
7. to buy you a souvenir.
3. to take bus number 9.
8. to wake up.
4. to leave for New York with you.
9. to open the window.
5. to tell you the way to the nearest post-office.
10. to hurry up.
Exercise 2 Make up negative imperative sentences. Ask your friend:
1. not to go sightseeing alone.
6. not to meet you at the hotel.
2. not to be late for the train next time. 7. not to cross the street.
3. not to smoke at the bus station.
8. not to walk on the lawn.
4. not to go there alone.
9. not to take photographs in the Hermitage.
5. not to park in front of the museum.
10. not to play football in the street.
Exercise 3 Translate the following imperative sentences:
1. Mergi de-a lungul strzii. / .
2. Cotete la dreapta i mergi n jos pe strada Pukin. /
.
3. Nu traversa strada lng farmacie. / .
4. Mergi pe lng parc pn la strada Green./ .
5. Haide s mergem la menajerie. / .
6. Nu te grbi, ateapt-m./ , .
7. Hai s-i scriem o scrisoare bunicii. / .
8. Ajut-o pe btrn s gseasc gara de autobuze. / .
9. Roag-o s te ntlneasc la colul strzii. / .
10. Cotete la stnga, mergi 50 de metri de-a lungul strzii pn la prima farmacie. /
, 50 .
Exercise 4 Write 20 affirmative and 20 negative imperative sentences using the
verbs given below:
To ask
to bring
to look (for)
to meet
to get off
to cross
to stand
to go
to miss
to walk
to turn
to give sb a lift
to catch
to show
to hurry
to get on
to wait
to come
to take
to run
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Exercise 5 Work on the model:

Model: to read this letter/I
Let me read this letter.
1. to tell you the way to the airport/I.
2. to go to the butchers at once/we.
3. to help you to find the drugstores/I.
4. to explain you the map of the town/we.
5. to find a good hotel/I.

6. to see you off to the railway station/we.

7. to meet you at the entrance to the theatre/I.
8. to wait for you around the corner/we.
9. to take you to the zoo/I.
10. to play hide and seek in the yard/we.

INTERROGATIVE WORDS
people

jobs/things/
animals/actions

place

Who

What

Where When

Whose

Which (one of )

Which
(one of )

time
How long

quantity

manner

How much How

reason
Why

How many

What time
How often

Exercise 1 Fill in the interrogative words:

1. paintings have you got?
2. are you? I am fine, thank you.
3. cousins have you got? Two.
4. is your sister? She is 15 years old.
5. is it by your watch? Its half past four.
6. sweets would you like? These ones,
please.

7. are they going? To the

cinema.
8. is she? She is ill.
9. is your mother? She is a
teacher.
10. is he usually back from
work? 5 oclock p.m.

Exercise 2 Make questions for the following sentences:

1. Jane is at home
... is at home?
2. Robert has got five pets.
... pets has Robert got?
3.Jack is ready to go to the cinema at 6 p.m.
... is Jack ready to go to the
cinema?
4. My full name is Diane Rose.
... Is your full name?
5. We are at the bus station.
... are we?
6. There are a lot of magnificent edifices in our town.
... edifices in our town?
7. This coat is Mr. Sanfords.
... coat is this?
8. Mr. Black is busy tonight.
... is Mr. Black tonight?
9. The sights of London are magnificent.
... is magnificent?
10. The main street is paved with stones.
... is the main street paved with?
Exercise 3 Write questions to which the bold type words are the answers:
Her name is Sandra Dubois. She is from Paris, France. She is a sales manager. She is
33 years old. She is married. Her husband is an accountant. They have got only one
daughter. Sandra is fond of reading books and listening to classical music. She is a
very pretty, smart and responsible person.
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Exercise 4 Choose the right variant:

1. ... your birthday? 9th May.
a) How
b) when
c) why
2. ... that man? Our teacher of English?
a) Who
b) whose
c) which
3. ... is this suitcase? Sondras.
a) Whose
b) which
c) where
4. ... is this dress?
a) How many
b) how much
c) how often
5. ... is your uncles name? John.
a) How
b) why
c) what
6. ... is your house? The one with the grey door.
a) Which
b) where
c) when
7. ... is it? Its an animal.
a) Who
b) what
c) what kind of
8. ... is it? Its 10 oclock.
a) How much
b) how many
c) what time
9. ... is the cheese? Its in the fridge.
a) What
b) where
c) how long
10. ... cars are there in the street? Twelve.
a)How many
b)how much
c) when
Exercise 5 Put the words in the correct word order:
1. Are / football / these / whose / boots?
2. Got / you / how / money / much / have?
3. Books / how / got / many / have / you?
4. Umbrella / is / whose / this?
5. Sisters / your / what / is / name?
6. Children / there / park / the / how / in / many / are?
7. You / why / always / are / late?
8. Pedestrians / how / are / many / traffic / there / lights / at / the?
9. Is / how / to / far / amusement / from / here / park / it / the?
10. Is / way / to / what / art / best / get / to / the / gallery/ the?

PREPOSITIONS OF TIME
IN
in the morning
in the afternoon
in the evening
in August (months)
in summer (seasons)
in 2010 (years)
in the 21st century

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AT
at 8 oclock
at noon
at night
at midnight
at Easter
at Christmas
at the weekend

ON
on Fridays
on Wednesday
on Thursday (days)
on January 7th (dates)
on Monday morning
on a cold day
on a summer night

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Exercise 1 Fill in at, on or in:

1. The Browns live ... a beautiful cottage.
2. ... the weekend Peter is always busy.
3. Christmas is ... the 25th of December.
4. My nephew always has a nap ... the afternoon.
5. Its very hot ... summer.
6. Its windy ... autumn.
7. My sister is ... the airport.
8. There is a shop ... the block of flats.
9. Every block of flats ... this district has a lift.
10. The air is clean ... the park.
Exercise 2 Choose the right variant:
1. Look ... that new block of flats.
a) in
b) at
c) on
2. Pushkin Street is ... the centre of our town.
a) in
b) at
c) on
3. There is a lift ... our block of flats.
a) in
b) at
c) on
4. His car is ... the corner of the street.
a) in
b) at
c) on
5. There are a lot of people ... the bus station.
a) in
b) at
c) on
6. There is a monument to Gorky ... the square.
a) in
b) at
c) on
7. There are few big offices ... our street.
a) in
b) at
c) on
8. There are al lot of nice flower-beds ... the middle of the park.
a) in
b) at
c) on
9. Mr. White and his son are workers ... the same plant.
a) in
b) at
c) on
10. There is a shop ... the ground floor of that block of flats.
a) in
b) at
c) on
Exercise 3 Complete the sentences with in, on or at:
1. Susan is ... the airport.
2. St. Valentines Day is ... February.
3. The party is ... Saturday.
4. Call me ... eight oclock.
5. We have lunch ... noon.
6. George is ... bed ... hospital.
7. There are pretty flowers ... the vase.
8. The market is open until 2 oclock ... Tuesday.
9. Our wedding anniversary is ... August.
10. ... Mondays Freddie is very busy.

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IV READING
A Town
A town is a densely populated urban area, typically smaller than a city and larger
than a village. It has some local powers of government and a fixed boundary. There
are numerous blocks of flats, houses, schools, kindergartens, shops on both sides of
the streets. Some of them have even numbers and others have odd numbers.
Narrow roads or ways between buildings, hedges and fences are called lanes.
The main streets of a town are long, broad, straight and lined with trees. They are
surfaced with asphalt or concrete. The public transport: buses, trolley-buses, minibuses run along the streets. People walk on hard-surfaced paths a little higher than
the road meant for pedestrians, called pavements. There are traffic-lights at crossings
where people cross the streets.
Most of the towns have residential, industrial and business areas. The residential
area is dedicated to buildings for living purposes. There are numerous plants and a
factory in the industrial area. The business area is full of banks and office centres. The
life in the business area is in full swing. People are in a hurry and always busy.
Every town has both modern and old districts. The houses that are situated in the
old districts are not multi-storied. They are old-fashioned models of traditional architecture. The buildings from the modern districts are new and up to date. Most of them
are multi-storied. In big towns or cities there are very high buildings, called skyscrapers.
The main attraction of any town is its centre. The most beautiful and important
edifices are here: the town hall, churches, cathedrals, universities, libraries, museums, art galleries, hotels. All of them are unique sights of any town.
Shops of all types and an open air-market are often placed in the town centre.
There are squares, gardens, parks in the downtown. That is why the whole area is
mostly free of traffic.
Today towns are very interesting places to live. There is a wide choice of entertainment such as theatres, cinemas, restaurants, amusement parks, and all kinds of sport
facilities. Every person has the opportunity to choose something to his or her liking.
Active Vocabulary
Densely adv des; , e.g. His house is in a densely populated area.
Opp. sparsely, e.g. The traffic is not so heavy in sparsely populated regions.
Powers of government -
organ de conducere; , e.g. The powers of
government are located in the townhall.
Boundary n grani, hotar; , eg. The fence is the boundary between my
property and hers.
Even number cifr par; , e.g. 4, 6, 8,10 are all even numbers.
Odd number cifr impar; , e.g. 3, 5, 7, 9 are all odd numbers.
Narrow adj ngust; , e.g. There are many narrow streets in our town.
Opp. broad, wide
Hedge n gard viu; , e.g. There is a very dense hedge around Johns house.
Fence n gard (n special de lemn); , e.g. The Smiths fence is very high.
Straight adj drept, direct;
Opp. curved
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To be surfaced with a fi acoperit cu; , e.g. The front yard is surfaced

with asphalt.
Syn. to be paved with
Asphalt n asphalt;
Concrete n beton;
Plant n uzin; , e.g. My grandfather is the head of the plant.
In full swing n plin activitate; , e.g. The party is in full swing.
Old-fashioned adj demodat; , e.g. There are a lot of old-fashioned
clothes in my grannys wardrobe.
Syn. outdated,
Ant. up to date, e.g. The equipment in schools is up to date.
Edifice n cldire; , e.g. This museum is an imposing edifice from the 19th century.
Syn. building
Unique adj unic;
Syn. exclusive
Sight n biectiv turistic; , e.g. The sights of Paris are unique.
Downtown n centru oraului; , e.g. There is a magnificent monument in
the downtown.
To sbs liking pe gust; , e.g. I hope the meal is to your liking.
Exercise 1 Transcribe the following words and pronounce them:
Area n.
sky-scraper n.
sight n.
urban adj.
powers n.
edifice n.
square n.
numerous adj.
government n.
church n.
theatres n.
narrow adj.
boundary n.
library n.
cinemas n.
broad adj.
kindergarten n.
pavement n.
restaurant n.
straight adj.
hedge n.
asphalt n.
sport facility n.
old-fashioned adj.
Exercise 2 Transcribe and pronounce the following words, paying attention to the stress:
Pedestrian, cathedral, museum, architecture, university, hotel, entertainment, amusement park, opportunity, industrial, traditional, unique.
Exercise 3 True or False? Correct the wrong sentences:
1. A town is a sparsely populated area.
2. Narrow roads or ways between buildings are called lanes.
3. The main streets of a town are long, narrow, winding and lined with trees.
4. The streets of the town are surfaced with wood and stones.
5. There are traffic-lights at the street corners where people cross the streets.
6. The residential area is dedicated to business buildings.
7. The business area is always very noisy.
8. A very tall multi-storey building is called town hall.
9. There are many banks and hotels in the industrial area of the town.
10. There are no factories in the industrial area of the town.
11. There are old-fashioned and modern buildings in every town.
12. The main touristic attractions of any town are its outskirts.
13. All important edifices of a town are unique sights.
14. The downtown is mostly free of traffic.
15. It is very boring to live in towns nowadays.
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Exercise 4 Answer the following questions:

1. Is a town larger or smaller than a city?
2. What kind of roads are called lanes?
3. How are the main streets of a town?
4. What are the streets surfaced with?
5. What public transport runs along the streets?
6. Who are the pavements meant for?
7. What is there at the crossings?
8. What are residential, business and industrial areas dedicated to?
9. How is life in the business area? Why?
10. How is life in the residential area? Why?
11. What is the main attraction of any town? Why?
12. What edifices are situated in the centre of the town?
13. How are the buildings in the old districts?
14. How are the buildings in the modern districts?
15. Are towns interesting places to live today? Why?
Exercise 5 Paraphrase the sentences writing the words that mean a) the same,
b) the opposite to the underlined words:
a) 1. There is a town hall in every centre of the town.
2. The pedestrians walk safely on the pavements.
3. The streets are not paved with asphalt in all villages.
4. The building of the commercial centre is a real attraction of our town.
5. They have an exclusive opportunity to visit Great Britain.
b) 1
 . There are many wide lanes in the historical parts of the town.
2. The towns are sparsely populated nowadays.
3. Lets drive on the side street of the city. It is so beautiful!
4. There is a modern hotel on the outskirts of our town.
5. Dont buy this house! It is an up to date model of architecture!
Exercise 6 Make up as many word combinations as you can and use them in
sentences of your own:
Busy
Dirty
Street
Clean
Area
Overcrowded
Town hall
Modern
Park
Wonderful
Shop
Quiet
Exercise 7 Janet is fond of travelling. In Janets letter to her penfriend Vicky about
Glasgow, some words are missing.
a) Read the letter and supply the missing words:
Parks
museums
periods
stadium
galleries
shops
theaters
collections
amusement

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Dear Vicki,

You know that I am fond of travelling. Let me tell you about one of my favourite cities,
Glasgow. It is Scotlands largest city. There is plenty to see and to do here.
Art and culture are important in Glasgow life where and are in abundance - most with
free admission. But Glasgows favourite building is Kelvingrove, the magnificent Glasgow Art
Gallery and Museum. The internationally significant ... are wide-ranging, covering natural
history, arms, art from a variety of ... and much more.
The city centre ... are a big attraction. Well known streets are full of pedestrian arcades
where shopping is a real pleasure.
There is a wide choice of ... in Glasgow. There are many nightclubs, cinemas, in Glasgow.
The city has a big football . The major events in the football season are the games between
the two clubs: Celtic and Rangers.
For a large city, Glasgow has a great number of and green spaces. The most famous of
these is Glasgow Green.
In fact Glasgow has something to suit people of all tastes and ages.
I want you to visit Glasgow once.
Sincerely yours,
Janet.
b) Write your own letter in the same way about your favourite town and address it
to your friend.
Exercise 8 Translate the following sentences into English using the Vocabulary of
the lesson:
1. China este o ar des populat. / .
2. Havuzul din centrul oraului nostru este foarte frumos. /
.
3. Turitii sunt pasionai de vederile Londrei. / .
4. Construcia noii coli este n plin activitate. /
.
5. Din pcate, nu tote strzile oraului nostru sunt acoperite cu asfalt. / ,
.
6. Strzile Romei vechi sunt nguste, iar cele ale Romei moderne sunt largi. /
, .
7. Mnstirile Moldovei sunt obiective turistice unice din toat lumea. /

.
8. Faleza oraului Los Angeles este aglomerat anul ntreg. / .
9. Familia Grey are o vil de un design modern n suburbia oraului. /
.
10. Pe strada Oxford snt multe magazine: florrie, tutungerie, papetrie, cofetrie,
patiserie i lptrie. / : , , , , .
11. colile i universitile snt centre educaionale a oricrui ora. / .

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12. Snt muli lucrtori noi la staia de pompieri i oficiul potal. / .

13. n parcul de distracii al oraului sunt multe posibiliti de recreere. / .
14. Pietonii snt foarte ateni la semafor cnd trec strada. / .
15. Oraele mari nu snt pe placul meu. / .

V CONVERSATION
Asking directions
Excuse me, is this the right way to
Excuse me, where is (the) . . . ?
Is there a ... nearby?
How do you get to (the) . . . (from here)?
How do I get to (the) . . . ?

Can you tell me how to get to (the) . . . ?

Can you give me directions to (the) . . . ?
Whats the best way to get to (the) . . . ?
Is it far from here to ?

Giving directions
(First) go down this street (for ...) blocks.
It is (four) blocks away.
Cross the street and turn right at the corner.
It is about (two) miles.
Go straight as far as the traffic lights.
(Then) turn left/right at the traffic light.
(After that) go straight on Street until you get to the
Go straight on as far as the crossroads.
Keep walking until you get to ...
Its on the left / on your left.
Its at the end of the street.
I think it must be somewhere round here.
Get on / Get off...
You have to change (buses/trams) at...
Is the far from here?

Dialogue A Read, translate and act the dialogues:

Asking the Way
A: Excuse me, could you tell me the way to the Grand hotel? Is it anywhere over here?
B: Yes, sure. Go down this street three blocks straight ahead. There is a hospital at the
corner. Turn right at the traffic lights.
A: Is it far from the hospital?
B: Not very far. Just go straight and then take the third turn to the left. There is a
supermarket there.
A: Thanks a lot. Is there a bus?
B: No, there is a trolley-bus. But go there on foot. All the trolley-buses are packed. Its
rush hour.
A: Thank you. I can get on the trolley-bus on my way back. Is there a trolley-bus going
to the centre from there?

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B: Sure. Its a number 5 trolley-bus. The stop

is just in front of the hotel entrance. It will
take you a quarter of an hour to get to the
centre from there.
A: Thank you. Its very nice of you to help me.
B: No thanks at all.
A: Good luck.
Looking for the Art Museum
A: Excuse me.
B: Yes, Ms.
A: Do you know the area?
B: Yes, quite well.
A: Am I going the right way to the Art Museum? I am a stranger here.
B: I am afraid not. You are going in the wrong direction. It is on Regent Street
A: What street is this?
B: It is Baker Street.
A: How far is Regent Street from here?
B: It is completely in the other part of the city.
A: Oh, dear!
B: Dont worry. Take it easy. I will show it to you on the map.
A: Oh, how kind of you.
B: Take Bus 10 and get off on Main Street. Go straight as far as the traffic lights and
then turn to the left.
C: All right.
A: Cross the street and keep walking until you get to the National Bank. You cant miss
it as it is a very imposing edifice.
A: How far is the museum from the bank?
B: Its a few minutes walk. Reach the corner of the bank and you will see the Art
Museum on your right.
A: You have helped me so much. Thanks a lot.
B: Most willingly. Take care.

Dialogue B a) Write the boxed sentences to complete the dialogue:

Could you tell me how to get to the nearest florists? Are the flowers always fresh there?
Thanks a lot. Excuse, are you local?
A: ...
B: Yes, why?
A:
B: There is a flower shop in King Street. Go straight on, turn right outside the hotel,
then continue along the street.
A:
B: Yes, certainly.
A:
B: Good luck.
b) Write a similar dialogue.
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Dialogue C Put the sentences in order. Read and reproduce the dialogue:
A: As I am keen on religion Id like to see the cathedrals and the churches.
B: I am afraid we have lost our way. Lets ask somebody to help us.
A: Thank you.
B: What would you like to see above all?
A: I hope so.
B: Oh, here it is.
C: Oh, yes, its just off the square.
A: This is an ancient city. There are many places worth seeing here.
B: I wonder if it is possible to take photographs.
A: Excuse me, sir. We are going to St. Nicolas cathedral. Is it the right way to it?

VI CREATIVE WORK
Exercise 1 Make up dialogues on the following situations:
1. You are in a foreign city. You have lost your way and you are asking for directions to
go the airport.
2. Your friend has just arrived to your native town. He is calling you to ask the way to
your place. Explain it to him.
3. Remember a sight that you once visited in a foreign country. Advertise that place to
your friend giving concrete directions how to reach it
Exercise 2 Translate into Romanian/Russian the following quotations and try to
interpret some of them:
1. City wits, country humorists. Mason Cooley
2. Todays city is the most vulnerable social structure ever conceived by man. Martin
Oppenheimer
3. No city should be too large for a man to walk out of in a morning. Cyril Connolly
4. Knowledge and power in the city; peace and decency in the country. Mason Cooley
5. The city is not a concrete jungle, it is a human zoo. Desmond Morris
6. A great city is not to be confounded with a populous one. Aristole
7. This City is what it is because our citizens are what they are. Plato
8. A great city is that which has the greatest men and women. Walt Whitman
9. The life of our city is rich in poetic and marvelous subjects. We are enveloped and
steeped as though in an atmosphere of the marvelous; but we do not notice it.
Charles Baudelaire
10. A city becomes a world when one loves one of its inhabitants. Laurence Durrell

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