1.3. Unit Three. Conversation “ Does this train…”

Phase A. Conversation

Arthur’s on train. He’s going to London. He’s talking to an old friend.

(Noise of train.)

Friend: Does this train usually arrive on time, Arthur?

Arthur: Yes, it does. But it didn’t yesterday. It arrived late.

Friend: Oh? (yawns)

Arthur: Tired?

Friend: Yes, I am. I watched television last night and I got to bed very late.

Arthur: Oh? What did you watch?

Friend: The big football match between Liverpool and Manchester.

Arthur: Liverpool and Manchester! That’s usually a good match.

Friend: Yes, it is, and it was very good last night. Manchester won. Why didn’t

you watch it ?

Arthur: Well... um... I went to the opera with Deborah.

Friend: The opera? What was it like?

Arthur: Oh, it wasn’t bad. But there was a man in front of us. He fell asleep and started to snore.

Friend: Did he really? In the opera?

Arthur: Yes, he did. He disturbed everybody. The people behind us were very angry. So was Deborah. And, you know, he was still asleep when the

opera ended!

Phase B. Pronunciation

Regular verbs in the past tense end in “ed”, like this. Repeat.

Arthur: arrive // arrived // live // lived //

But there are three pronunciations of that ending. The first is the hard ending...“d”. Repeat again.

Arthur: arrived // It arrived // It arrived late. //

The second is the soft ending... “t”. Repeat again.

Friend: watched // watched television // I watched television. //

And now listen to the third. It happens when the word already has a “d” sound or a soft “t” sound at the end.

Like this. Listen and repeat.

Arthur: start // started // started to snore // He started to snore. //

end // ended // when the opera ended // He was still asleep when the opera ended. //

Now you’ll hear the word the ending. Say it with ending!

Like this. Listen.

arrive – arrived

watch – watched

Now you do it.

arrive – arrived

watch – watched

start – started

want – wanted

disturb – disturbed

talk – talked

phone – phoned

work – worked

listen – listened

stay – stayed

wash – washed

land – landed

mend – mended

Phase C. Repetition.

Now take Arthur’s part. Repeat everything Arthur says.

Friend: Does this train usually arrive on time, Arthur?

Arthur: Yes, it does // but it didn’t yesterday. // It arrived late. //

Friend: Oh? (yawns)

Arthur: Tired? //

Friend: Yes, I am. I watched television last night and I got to bed very late.

Arthur: Oh? // What did you watch? //

Friend: The big football match between Liverpool and Manchester.

Arthur: Liverpool and Manchester! // That’s usually a good match. //

Friend: Yes, it is, and it was very good last night. Manchester won. Why didn’t

you watch it ?

Arthur: Well... um // I went to the opera with Deborah. //

Friend: The opera? What was it like?

Arthur: Oh, it wasn’t bad. // But there was a man in front of us. // He fell asleep // and started to snore. //

Friend: Did he really? In the opera?

Arthur: Yes, he did. // He disturbed everybody. // The people behind us were

very angry. // So was Deborah. // And, you know // he was still asleep //

when the opera ended! //

Phase D. Fluency Practice

DRILL 1

Listen. Imagine you’re having a conversation with Arthur’s friend, like this.

Friend: This train often arrives late. I know. It arrived late yesterday.

Friend: That man always listens to the radio. I know. He listened the radio yesterday.

Now you do it. Listen to what Arthur’s friend says and then make a sentence with “yesterday” in it. Are you ready?

Friend: One. Julia often watches television.

I know. She watched television yesterday.

Friend: Two. This train often arrives on time.

I know. It arrived on time yesterday.

Friend: Three. Deborah’s maid always washes the dishes.

I know. She washed the dishes yesterday.

Friend: Four. That boy always wants something.

I know. He wanted something yesterday.

Friend: Five. Arthur often works late.

I know. He worked late yesterday.

Friend: Six. Deborah often phones him.

I know. She phoned him yesterday.

Friend: Seven. (yawning) Ahh... work always starts early.

I know. It started early yesterday.

DRILL 2. Questions

Now ask questions like this, with the words, “What” or “When”; like this. Listen.

Friend: That man always listen to something on the radio.

What did he listen to yesterday?

Now you do it. Ask question with “What” or “When”. Are you ready?

Friend: I always watch something on television... at least one programme

every day.

What did you watch yesterday?

Friend: My wife always phones me at work. She usually phones me around 9 or 9.30

When did she phone you yesterday?

Friend: She always wants something... more money... or something from the

shops... always something.

What did she want yesterday?

Friend: I’ve got a lot of work every day, so I always start early... around 8 or

8.30.

When did you start yesterday?

Friend: My secretary’s a very stupid girl! She always ask something stupid...

some stupid questions or other... every day!

What did she ask yesterday?

DRILL 3 Irregular Verbs

Remember the difference between the present and past forms of verbs like this; listen!

Arthur often goes to opera.

Yes, he went to the opera yesterday.

Now you do it. Make sentences in the past like that. Are you ready?

One. Julia often gets here late.

Yes, she got here late yesterday.

Two. Arthur often drinks champagne.

Yes, he drank champagne yesterday.

Three. Julia always has a light breakfast.

Yes, she had a light breakfast yesterday.

Four. She always makes it in the kitchen.

Yes, she made it in the kitchen yesterday.

Five. Arthur often sees his friend.

Yes, he saw his friend yesterday

DRILL 4

Do you remember this?

Arthur: Liverpool and Manchester. That’s usually a good match.

Friend: Yes, it is, and it was very good last night.

Repeat what Arthur’s friend says.

Friend: is // Yes, it is // w’s // And it was very good last night // Yes, it is, and it

was very good last night! //

Now make more sentences like that. For example, Arthur says:

Arthur: Tyler and Moore. They’re usually good players.

And you say:

Friend: Yes, they are, and they were very good last night.

Now you do it. Are you ready?

Arthur: One. Liverpool and Manchester. They are usually good teams.

Friend: Yes, they are, and they were very good last night.

Arthur: Two. Frank Moore. He’s usually a good player.

Friend: Yes, he is, and he was very good last night!

Arthur: Three. Late Night News. That’s usually an interesting programme.

Friend: Yes, it is, and it was very interesting last night.

Arthur: Four. And the young woman on the programme... what’s her name... Jane Greer, she’s usually good.

Friend: Yes, she is, and she was very good last night.

Arthur: Five. And all those reports from different parts of the world. They’re usually very interesting.

Friend: Yes, they are, and they were very interesting last night.

DRILL 5

Arthur says something and his friend asks him a question about it. Listen carefully to the question and repeat it.

Arthur: I went to the opera last night with Deborah.

Friend: The opera? // What was it like? //

Notice again the intonation of the first part of the question. Repeat again.

Friend: The opera? //

The voice goes up. In the next part of the question it goes down. Repeat again.

Friend: What was it like? //

And now ask the same sort of question with the same intonation. Only now you have to change some of the words. Ready?

Arthur: One. Last winter I went to Switzerland for my holiday.

Friend: Switzerland? What was it like?

Arthur: Two. And while we were there, Deborah and I saw the Alps.

Friend: The Alps? What were they like?

Arthur: Three. Do you know where I had lunch yesterday? The factory canteen.

Friend: The factory canteen? What was it like?

Arthur: Four. And do you know what I had for lunch? Fish and chips.

Friend: Fish and chips? What were they like?

And that is the end of this unit. Thank you.