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Speaking English Course A
Lesson A2

At Work
Click and listen to each sentence as many times as you like
Say each sentence as many times as you like
Practise saying each sentence until it sounds right
Hello! I'm Michael.I work in an office which belongs to an insurance company. On my desk I have a computer and a telephone. There is also a tray on which I keep my pencils, pens and paper clips.
I start work at nine o'clock in the morning. At eleven o'clock, I have a coffee break and at one o'clock I go for lunch in the canteen. In the afternoon I go to see clients. Sometimes they have had a car accident or their house may have been burgled.
Answer these questions yourself and then click to hear if you were right.
What is on Michael's desk?
Answer:- There is a c . . . . . and a t . . . . .on Michael's desk.What does he keep on the tray?
Answer:- He keeps p . . . . . , p . . . . . and p . . . . . c . . . . . on the tray.At what time does he start work?
Answer:- He starts work at n . . . . . o'clock in the morning.Where does Michael have his lunch?
Answer:- He has his lunch in the C . . . . .Who does he see in the afternoon?
Answer:- He sees his c . . . . .
Can I help you? My name's Rosemary.I'm the owner of a shop that sells fruit and vegetables. It is sometimes called a 'greengrocers'. I have four assistants who help me fill the shelves with fresh produce and also take money from the customers. On Saturdays we have a student who comes in to help us with the extra customers.
Every year, I have two weeks off work for my holidays. Last year I went to Cyprus. This year I have booked to go to Spain.
Answer these questions yourself and then click to hear if you were right.
What is sold in Rosemary's shop?
Answer:- F . . . . . and V . . . . . are sold in Rosemary's shop.What kind of shop is this?
Answer:- It is a g . . . . . .How many assistants does she have?
Answer:- She has f . . . . . assistants.Who comes in on Saturdays?
Answer:- A s . . . . comes in on Saturdays.Where is Rosemary going for her holidays this year?
Answer:- She is going to S . . . . . .
Hello! My name's Paul.I work in a factory which makes washing machines. I start work at eight o'clock in the morning. I have to check that the machinery is working properly.
We stop for a cup of tea and a snack at half-past ten and later we have our dinner hour from half-past twelve until half-past one. We finish work at half-past five, when I get the bus home.
Answer these questions yourself and then click to hear if you were right.
Answer:- Paul works in a f . . . . .What does he have to check?
Answer:- He has to check that the m . . . . is working p . . . . .What does he have at half-past ten ?
Answer:- He has a c . . of t . . . and a s . . . .When is his dinner hour?
Answer:- His dinner hour is from h . . . . .-past t . . . until h . . . .-past . . . . .How does he travel home?
Answer:- He travels home by b . . . . .
Hello! I'm LilianI am a school helper. Sometimes I work in the school office and sometimes I look after the children who have fallen over in the playground. I also type up the letters which the headteacher has written and I order new books for the classroom.
I leave school half an hour after the children have gone home. My seven year old daughter comes into the office and waits for me.
Answer these questions yourself and then click to hear if you were right.
What is Lilian's job?
Answer:- Lilian is a . . . . s . . . . . h . . . . .When she is not in the office, what may she be doing?
Answer:- She may be l . . . . . a . . . . . the children who have f . . . . . o . . . . .What does she do with the letters that the headteacher has written?
Answer:- She t . . . . . them up.How long does she stay in school after the children have gone home?
Answer:- She stays for h . . . . .an h . . . . .Who waits after school for Lilian?
Answer:- Her d . . . . . waits for her after school.
on the desk
Many English words have spellings that are different from how we say them.Listen to the words below and notice the difference between the spelling and the speech.
| Spelling | Speech |
|---|---|
| greengrocers | "s" |
| burgled | "ul" |
| accident | "ks" |
| machines | "sh" |
| snack | "k" |
| office | "s" |
| school | "k" |
| insurance | "sh" |
When you learn new words, remember that how you say them might be different from how you spell them. Below are some more words with strange spellings.
Practise them until they sound right.
| Spelling | Speech |
|---|---|
| middle | "ul" |
| bicycle | "si" |
| laugh | "f" |
| enough | "f" |
| cereals | "s" |
| Europe | "yu" |
| foreign | "un" |
| friend | "e" |
| minute | "it" |
When a word has several syllables, one or more of the syllables is spoken with more emphasis or 'stress' than the others.
Practise saying the following words with the correct pronunciation and stress.Place the emphasis on that part of the word which is THIS colour.
Be careful of differences between spelling and speech.
insurance afternoon sometimes greengrocers Saturdays
prepositions extra machinery fallen assistants
started accident vegetables customers flowers
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Course A End of Lesson A2 |
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