upper intermediate conversation...the mechanic asked you to pay $100 for fixing your car. the...

Upper Intermediate

Conversation

1 PROHIBIDA SU REPRODUCCION TOTAL O PARCIAL © TRONWELL SpA

- She is a good nurse. - They said (that) she was good nurse.

- We study. - He said (that) we studied.

- They don’t live in Santiago. - She said (that) they didn’t live in Santiago.

- He can speak French. - He told me (that) he could speak French.

- She will accept the offer. - She said (that) she would accept the offer.

- Bill didn’t listen to what you said. - He said (that) he hadn’t listened to what

you had said.

(*) Note that the use of the word THAT is optional

That-clause (*) original statement

HANDOUT

Upper Intermediate Topic 1(A)

Reported Speech

When we report statements we often use the verbs say or tell followed by a that-clause.

For example:

He told me that Peter was here a minute ago.

He said that he would go.

Generally, the that-clause takes a different verbal tense than the one used in the original state-

ment.

See these examples:

However, if the action reported is a permanent situation or still exists, the verbal tense of the that-

clause may remain in present tense. Examples:

He lives in Santiago. He told me that he lives in Santiago. or

He told me that he lived in Santiago.

She goes jogging on weekends. She told me that she goes jogging on weekends. or

She told me that she went jogging on weekends.

Note that with ‘say’ and other common reporting verbs such as: agree, mention, notice, promise and

think the use of the word THAT is optional.

Examples:

I promise I will pay you a visit. She promised (that) she would pay me a visit.

We think we can go to the ceremony. They thought (that) they could go to the cere-

mony.

She is tired. She said (that) she was tired.

reporting questions

Question reported speech

Where does Peter live? She asked me where Peter lived/lives.

What will you do tomorrow? She asked me what I would do tomorrow.

reporting commands

command reported speech

Sit down. Ann told me to sit down.

Don’t smoke. Lucy told us not to smoke.

Upper Intermediate

Conversation


Hurry up!

Practice

Upper Intermediate Topic 1(b)

Change the following sentences into reported speech

Will you marry me?

Don’t wait for me if I’m late.

What time is it?

Mind your own business.

Can you open your bags?

Activity

Yesterday you met a friend of yours, Noah. Here are some things Noah told you:

1. I’m living in London now.

2. My father isn’t very well.

3. Sharon and Paul are getting married next

month.

4. Margaret has had a baby.

5. I don’t know what Fred is doing.

6. I saw Helen at a party in June and she seemed fine.

7. I haven’t seen Diane recently.

8. I’m not enjoying my job much.

9. You can come and stay at my flat if you are

ever in London.

10. My car was stolen yesterday.

11. I want to go on holiday but I can’t afford it.

12. I’ll tell Ann I saw you.

Report on what Noah told you

Please slow down!


Upper Intermediate

Conversation

HANDOUT

buy spend lose pay cost sell win waste find give

Upper Intermediate Topic 2

$$$ M O N E Y $$$

i. Fill in the gaps using the past tense of verbs from the box. Be careful; most of them are

irregular.

1. My car was ten years old, so I it and a new one.

2. I was very sad when I my watch in the street. It was a present from my

parents and it them a lot of money. Fortunately, I it the next day at the

Police Station.

3. I over $2,000 for my computer, but it isn’t worth very much now.

4. My father me $50 yesterday, but I most of it on a ticket for a

concert this weekend.

5. Last Sunday somebody $1 million in a game on television. It was incredibly

exciting.

6. I’m afraid I my money on those CDs because I never play them.

ii. What can you say in these situations? Do not use the underlined words or phrases.

1. You want to tell a friend that a restaurant wasn’t cheap.

The restaurant was .

2. You want to know the value of a gold ring.

How much is ?

3. A friend wants to go to a fancy restaurant, but you don’t have enough money.

I’m afraid I .

4. You want to borrow some money from a friend.

Could you ?

5. You want to know how much a friend paid for a dress.

How much ?

6. The mechanic asked you to pay $100 for fixing your car.

The mechanic .

iii. How quickly can you answer these questions?

1. What do you call the currency in the US?

2. If you lend something to someone, do they borrow it?

3. If you waste money, do you use it well?

4. If you buy something on credit, do you save money?

5. If you ‘can’t afford’ something', do you have enough money for it?

6. Does ‘cost of living’ mean the same as ‘standard of living’?

7. If someone tells you a hotel is reasonable, is it very expensive?


Upper Intermediate

Conversation

HANDOUT

Upper Intermediate Topic

4(A) Traveling

For each of the specific requests listed below, a tourist planning a trip would ask “What do you re-

commend/suggest?” Provide a recommendation from one of the places in the pictures. Use all the

pictures.

Example:

A: I’m interested in nightlife. What do you suggest?

b: Well, why don’t you go to the Starlight dance club? They play great music!

- I like lively, crowded places.

- I just want to relax.

- I want excellent service.

- I need peaceful places.

- I want to be near the beach.

- I want to go somewhere cold.

- I’m here to see some ancient ruins.

- I’m interested in night life.


Upper Intermediate

Conversation

................................................................................

................................................................................

................................................................................

................................................................................

................................................................................

................................................................................

................................................................................

....................................... Exp. Date ....................

................................................................................

................................................................................

Name

Arrival date

Nº of nights

Room type

Company/Individual

Return guest?

Method of payment

Credit card nº

Address

Reservation nº

Reservation Card


i. A guest is phoning the Rex Hotel to book a room. Number the dialog in the right order (1-14).

The first one has been done for you.

American Express. The number’s 7662 368 127 44 38. Will you need a deposit?

Hello, I’d like to book a room, please.

Yes, it’s Harry Stevens, and the address is 30 Lime Walk, Slough.

Certainly, sir. When would you like to come?

An individual booking - it’s for our wedding anniversary.

No, but you’ve been recommended to us by friends.

I’lljustcheckavailability.Yes, that’s fine.Is this a company booking or an individual booking,

sir?

OK, 30 Lime Walk. May I ask if you’ve stayed with us before?

No, a deposit won’t be necessary. If you’d like to make a note of your reservation number,

it’s R 116.

1 Rex Hotel, Reservations. Scott Thompson speaking.

That’s nice to hear. How will you be paying?

Right, in that case we’ll provide complimentary flowers and champagne. May I have your

name, please?

On May 11, for two nights. A double room for myself and my wife.

Thank you very much. Goodbye.

ii. Use the information from the dialog above to fill in this reservation card.


Upper Intermediate

Conversation

HANDOUT

Compare

in the same way

also

like

as

similarly

Clarify that

is to say in

other words

for instance

on the other hand truly

on the contrary

though

although

even though

otherwise

Emphasize

again

indeed

with this in mind

for this reason

in fact

Contrast

however

yet

in spite of

despite

nevertheless

Add Data

additionally

also

in addition

besides

for instance

furthermore

moreover

further

as well

together with

along with

Conclude

as a result

finally

in conclusion

consequently

thus

therefore

accordingly

due to

in summary

in short

to sum up

all in all

Time

before

during

prior to

until

meanwhile

later

afterwards

then

in the meantime

as soon as


Connectors

Connectors are words or groups of words which link two or more sentences or ideas adapting their

meaning according to the context, e.g.:

i. Fill in the blanks with a suitable connector from above.

a. The goods were of the best quality and satisfactory.

b. He wrote many best-selling books and became rich.

c. She arrived at school on time the snowstorm.

d. Mr. Jones is resting in his room; , he left orders not to be disturbed.

e. she was young, she couldn’t stand her husband’s death.

f. It is late, and you must go.

g. We have not won; we shall keep trying.

h. She insisted on having her hair cut, dyed and done, and on a manicure .

i. “ I think;

j. The bill cannot be paid;

I am”. the work is not completed.

k. The delay was heavy traffic.

ii. Make up a short story using as many connectors as you can.


Upper Intermediate

Conversation

HANDOUT

Conclude

as a result

finally

in conclusion

consequently

thus

therefore

accordingly

due to

in summary

in short

to sum up

all in all

Clarify Emphasize


Linking Expressions & Useful Transitions

again

to repeat

indeed

with this in mind

for this reason

in fact truly

to emphasize

that is

in other words

put another way

stated differently

to clarify

for instance

ADD Information

additionally

again

also

in addition

another

and besides

equally important

for example

for instance

furthermore

likewise

moreover

further

next

finally

as well

together with

along with Compare

in the same way

also likewise

like

as

similarly

but

however

even so

yet

in spite of

despite nevertheless

while

identical to

on the other hand

still

on the contrary

although

even though

otherwise

hence

about

after

at

before

during

prior to

till

until meanwhile

today

tomorrow

yesterday

last week

soon

later

afterwards

immediately

finally

then

next in the meantime

as soon as

when

Contrast Time


Upper Intermediate

Conversation

HANDOUT

investment cash loan check interest savings balance


Basic Banking

i. Match the words with their definitions.

Money paid as charges on the money you borrow

Money saved, especially in a bank or credit union account

Money in coins and notes

Amount of money in a bank account at a particular time

Money you borrow from a bank

Money used in order to earn interest, bring profit or improve the quality of

something

Order to a bank to pay money

ii. Fill in the blanks using some of the following verbs:

subtract help lend withdraw borrow deposit receive add manage

Banks both money to customers who need it and also

money from those who have a lot and therefore want to it in the bank.

Banks can sometimes customers in other ways. For example, if the

customer holds shares in a company, the bank may them for him. Whenever

you need money from your bank, you simply it. This leaves less money in

your account, because the amount must be from the total. The bank’s

job is to obey the instructions it from the customer.

iii. Opening a checking account, a savings account, depositing money to your account, and with-

drawing money from an automatic teller are some of the things you can do in a bank. Put the

procedures in the right sequence and then compare your answers with someone else. Use the

following expressions: First ..., Second ..., Next ..., After that ...,Then ..., Finally ...

iv. Follow up: Express your thoughts, in English, about technology applied on banking today. (au-

tomatic tellers, other services, the use of the telephone, fax, internet, etc.)


Upper Intermediate

Conversation

HANDOUT

subject

Somebody

object

this house

factory

employed

that

in are

people

five hundred

was

written

Don Quixote

Cervantes

by

invented

was

the

telephone

when

?

London

born

was

she

in

money

How much

stolen

?

was

milk

cheese

made

is

of

taken

my

camera

hotel room

was

from

produced

cotton

in the South

is

the


Passive Voice

built in 1930. (active)

was built in 1930. (passive)

We use an active construction to say what the subject does:

My grandfather was a builder. He built this house in 1940.

We use a passive construction to say what happens to the subject:

This house is quite old. It was built in 1940.

When we use the passive, who or what causes the action is often unknown or unimportant.

Is this room cleaned every day (does somebody clean it? - it’s not important who)

If we want to say who does or what causes the action, we use by...:

This house was built by my grandfather.

i. Make meaningful sentences using these jumbled words:

This house

subject

Upper Intermediate


RAISE GROW MINE PRODUCE MANUFACTURE


Conversation

Study the map of the United States. Create questions beginning with is or Are and then questions

beginning with Where and What.

Example: Are apples grown in South Dakota? Where is cheese produced? What is produced in

...?


Upper Intermediate

Conversation

HANDOUT


Idioms & Fixed Expressions

i. Can you guess the meaning of the idioms below?

A: Are you hungry? B: No, but I feel like having a drink. A: Do you think they’ll ever come back? B: No, they’ve gone for good. A: Do you have a lot of clients to see? B: Yes, I’m tied-up all day. A: Did she tell you there were no bathrooms in the hotel? B: Yes, I think she was pulling my leg when she said that. A: Do you really need a large apartment? B: Well, I can probably make do with a smaller one.

ii. Replace the underlined words in each dialogue with a suitable idiomatic expression.

A: Is Reed here?

B: Yes, wait a minute I’ll get him. A: Does it take long to get there?

B: No, I know a quick way. A: Could I borrow this for a minute?

B: Yes, take it. A: Sorry I can’t come on Saturday.

B: That’s OK. Don’t worry. A: What’s the matter?

B: Nothing. Why?

A: Can you look after my things for a minute?

B: Yeah, sure. A: Do we have to go now?

B: Yes, hurry up, otherwise we’ll be late. A: You’ll have to decide soon.

B: Yes I know, but it’s very difficult.

iii. Complete the expressions in these sentences using the following words.

HAND SMALL TERM IT DUMPS TURNS START

1. What a vacation! For a the beach was a long way from our hotel.

2. To make worse, the car broke down and we had to walk to the beach.

3. Fortunately, we took looking after the children.

4. I asked about the times of buses but nobody could tell me off-

5. Hitch-hiking! forget it. I don’t enjoy making talk with strangers.

6. After failing the exam she was down in the


Upper Intermediate

Conversation

HANDOUT


The "Business" Of Idioms

Get down to business : Get serious about something.

Let’s get down to business and decide what alternative is

the most sensible for us to follow.

mind your own business : Pay attention to your own work; don’t interfere with other

people’s lives.

When I asked Mary about her new boyfriend, she told me

to mind my own business.

Drum up business : To influence others to buy one’s products or services.

If the furniture store wants to survive this recession, it will

have to drum up a lot more business.

To mean business : To be serious about something.

Let them know you mean business and make them a new

offer.

Do a land-office business : To be highly successful; to do a large amount of business

in a very short time.

Since hiring the new cook from Bangkok, the restaurant is

doing a land-office business.

Time is money : The belief that time is as valuable as money.

Don’t spend so much time on that project. Remember, time

is money.

A run for the money : A challenge.

Acme is giving the competition a run for the money since

it introduced its new product.

put money on-the-line : To be willing to make a commitment and assume risk.

Richard said he would put his money on-the-line to show

his good faith.

in cold cash : Direct payment in currency.

I paid for the car in cold cash.

The bottom line : The heart of a matter, the fundamental issue.

The bottom line is if we don’t cut personnel, we’ll go

bankrupt.

To bottom out : Reach the lowest point.

The stock market seems to have bottomed-out, so I plan to

make more investments.


Upper Intermediate

Conversation

Upper Intermediate Topic 13(c)


High roller : One who takes high risks or spends large sums of money

(refers to rolling dice).

To see big gains, Bill knew he would have to be a high-

roller.

On a roll : In the midst of a series of successes.

With five of the top TV programs airing on their channel,

the station is on a roll and plans to introduce a new

hospital drama.

To zero-in on : To focus attention upon a specific item.

If the board doesn’t zero-in on the spiraling production

costs, the company is going to have big losses to

report.

in-the-red : In debt; owing money.

I heard that Acme is in-the-red forty million dollars.

A run on : A huge trend to buy or sell a particular product.

After the movie “E.T.-The Extraterrestrial, ”there was a

run on Reese’s Pieces because that was the candy that

E.T. ate.

stand up and be counted : To openly state one’s support for something.

If you think the proposal has merit, stand up and be coun-

ted!

stand one’s ground : Stand up for one’s rights or beliefs; resist attack or criti-

cism. Questioned relentlessly by the board members, the

company director stood his ground and made no

concessions.

To tighten one’s belt : Spend less money; work with a smaller budget.

Since our office budget was dropped 3%, we have to tighten

our belts and reduce the number of our programs.

Lean and mean : Capable; ready for efficient work.

At the staff meeting, the store manager said that we had to

get lean and mean if we were to stay in competition.

Trim the fat : Eliminate wasteful spending.

One way of dealing with the budget cut is to trim the fat.

Taken from English Teaching Forum . April 1995


Upper Intermediate

Conversation

Upper Intermediate Topic 13(D)

The «Business» Of Idioms

Free enterprise : Economic system based on private ownership, competition,

and the profit motive; a market economy.

Free enterprise characterizes the economy of the United

States.

Entrepreneur : A person who assumes risks and creates and/or manages a

business in hopes of earning a profit.

Donald Trump and Ted Turner are entrepreneurs in the

tradition of Carnegie and Rockefeller.

Economic indicator : A statistical measurement of the economy such as unem-

ployment figures, housing starts, store sales, etc.

With retail sales up and unemployment figures down, the

economic indicators give us reason to be optimistic.

Command economy : Economic system in which the national government makes

all major decisions about what goods and services will be

produced.

In a command economy, economic planners develop a

national strategy guiding production, wages, prices, and

services.

GNp : An abbreviation for "Gross National Product", an annual

measurement of a nation’s total output of goods and

services. With a GNP that large, that country has

outstanding investment potential.

CEO : Abbreviation for "chief executive officer,» the director-in-

chief of the entire organization.

The CEO of a large company may make as much

money as a pop star.

Profit Margin : The earnings remaining after all costs have been paid.

With this kind of profit margin, the company can expand

into new product lines.

Nics : Acronym for "Newly Industrializing Countries".

Among the NICs in South East Asia we can include

Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.


Upper Intermediate

Conversation

Upper Intermediate Topic 13(e)


GATT : An acronym for "General Agreement on Tariffs and

Trade", a multilateral agreement among nations aimed at

expanding international trade as a means of raising

world welfare. The GATT treaty has been under

negotiation for years.

Bull (market) : Referring to investors who expect higher stock prices at a

time of accelerating growth.

I am a real bull about today’s stock market. You can’t

lose on your investment!

Bear (market) : Investors who expect the stock market to experience a

drop in prices; a bear market is one with decreasing stock

values.

Watch out! We could be sinking into a bear market if

shares go any lower.

Level playing field : An equitable competitive situation.

With those trade barriers in place against foreign imports,

we don’t have a level playing field for our products in that

country.

LDcs : Abbreviation for "lesser developed countries" with a per ca-

pita real income that is lower than that of the industrialized

countries.

Because they lack in come-producing resources, some

LDCs are unable to payback loans that they have

received from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Overhead : The fixed costs related to operating any business, such

as office space, furniture, equipment, and personnel.

The corporation was so much in debt that it couldn’t even

meet its overhead.

Downsize : To make smaller; reduce the number of employees and/or

activities.

In today’s competitive economy, many companies are

downsizing in order to survive.

Taken from English Teaching Forum . April 1995


Upper Intermediate

Conversation

HANDOUT


Technology

Discussion

a. What machines are important in your life?

Put the inventions in order. Which do you think is the most important? What changed the world the most? Mark them 1 for the most important down to 10 for the least important.

the telephone the atom bomb

the car the space rocket

the television the computer

the plane the fax machine

the space satellite the washing machine

b. Prepare a short talk to persuade others that your order is the right one!

c. What other machines would you add to the list?

d. What would your life have been like without the machines you usually use or work with?

Use your imagination Make up a name and purpose for each item.

What would you have used these for in the last century?


Upper Intermediate

Conversation

HANDOUT


Expressing Emotions and Feelings

i. What would you say in these situations?

Case 1: at a students’ awards ceremony

Announcer: ... and Susie is top of her class, and has won the annual prize for the most

popular student of the year ... again.

Case 2: at the cinema

Woman: Honey... I don’t feel comfortable here.

Man: Sorry, hon, but there’re no other seats available.

Case 3: on the street

Son: Oh no! I’ve crashed my father’s car...again!

ii. What would your reaction be?

case 1: jealousy, praise, criticism, anger, happiness

case 2: criticism, anger, fear, embarrassment, annoyance

case 3: sympathy, humour, regret, criticism, relief, anxiety, concern

iii. Find the adjectives that correspond to the reactions above (praise doesn’t have an equivalent

adjective).

Key Check


Upper Intermediate

Conversation

HANDOUT


Health: Illnesses, Diseases and Injuries

i. Discuss and take notes about the main symptoms for these conditions:

1. a bad cold

2. hay fever

3. a hangover

4. diarrhea

ii. Fill in the blanks with a suitable word.

1. I hit my hip on the desk and it really .

2. They say he died of a heart .

3. She ate too much and now she’s got a stomach- .

4. This terrible in my neck is from sleeping in the wrong position.

5. She died of cancer even though she never smoked.

6. The doctor gave me a for some medicine.

7. Pollution makes her worse and it’s difficult for her to breathe.

8. I hurt when I fell off my bicycle.

9. Hepatitis is a very serious .

10. My back is from sitting at that computer all day.

iii. Complete these conversations in a suitable way:

1. A: ...bleeding quite a bit, so I had to put a bandage on it before I could finish.

B: How did you do it, anyway?

A: Oh, I was

2. A: ...the next day the eye was really swollen and he had bruises down his

cheeks.

B: My goodness. What did he tell his parents?

A: More or less the truth. He said .

3. A: ...tried to get up again but I couldn’t move. It was incredibly painful, but

fortunately there were a few people on the sidewalk to help me.

B: That’s lucky. But what were you doing?

A:

iv. Answer these questions about yourself:

Have you ever broken your arm or leg? been unconscious?

needed stitches? had a blood test? had a concussion? been in an ambulance?


Upper Intermediate

Conversation

HANDOUT


Praising and Complaining about Goods and Services

Complaining Politely

Excuse me.

Sorry to bother you, but

I have a problem with

my room.

my seat.

Could you help me?

What can I do for you?

What’s the problem?

I asked for a non-smoking room, and I don’t have one.

I wanted a seat by the window, and I didn’t get it.

Requesting A Solution

Could you change my room, please?

Sure, no problem.

I can change your room tomorrow.

I’d be glad to.

I’m sorry, I can’t.

Accepting an Apology

That’s

It’s

O.K.

all right.

Thanks for your help.

It wasn’t your fault.

Don’t worry about it.

I’m (very) sorry about this.

It’s a pity you can’t. Thanks anyway.


Conversation

HANDOUT


Praising and Complaining about Goods and Services

i. Create a dialog between a hotel guest and the front desk clerk.

Complain about the following:

1. You asked for an ocean view but you can only see the parking lot.

2. You asked for single beds but you got a double bed.

3. You asked for a double room but you got a single room.

Now, create another dialog between a passenger on a long flight and a flight attendant. The

passenger makes the following complaints:

1. He pre-ordered a vegetarian meal and he got chicken.

2. He asked for an aisle seat and he got a window seat.

3. He asked to sit near the front of the plane and he got the rear.

ii. Activity 2: You are staying in a nice hotel, but there are a few things wrong. Identify the problem

and request a solution.

Then, decide how management responds with a solution, including saying when the action can

be taken.

problem solution

1. not enough towels 1. send more towels

2. the air condition doesn’t work 2. send a technician

3. noisy people next door 3. ask them to be quiet

4. the mini bar is locked 4. send someone to open it

iii. Choose one of the following problems, and prepare a conversation. One person will complain,

request a solution and accept an apology. The other person in the conversation will

make an apology and suggest a solution.

1. at Tronwell: you had the same class twice

2. at a supermarket: someone took your cart

3. at a restaurant: the bill was added incorrectly

4. in a hotel: your Room Service order hasn't arrived

Upper Intermediate

upper intermediate conversation...the mechanic asked you to pay $100 for fixing your car. the...

Documents