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Speaking English Course A
Free Lesson A
Getting to know one another
Check that everything in this free lesson works on your computer
before deciding to buy other Speaking English lessons
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
Good morning!
What is your name?
My name is . . . .
Good afternoon!In the evening you say "Good evening".
Good evening!Now let me introduce you to Paul.
Alice, this is Paul.When you meet someone you know, you can say,
Hello.Then ask them how they are, like this.
Hello Paul, how are you today?Or Paul could say,Very well thank you, and how are you?
I’m fine thanks, and you?When you leave someone, you say "Goodbye".
Goodbye.When it is late at night you say, "Goodnight".
Goodnight.![]()
Now we will talk about our jobs.
I am an engineer.Or you could say:-What is your occupation?Or,What is your profession?Or,What do you do for a living?We will now ask Paul what he does for a living.What is your occupation Paul?
What is your job?
I am a . . . .
We will now talk about where we live.
Alice, where do you live?I live in Chichester, a town on the south coast of England.
Where do you live?
I live in . . . .
I would like to live by the seaside.
Where would you like to live?I would like to live in . . . .
We will now talk about whether we are married or single.
Are you married Andrew?Yes. My wife’s name is Angela.
Yes. My husband’s name is John.
No. I am single but I have a girlfriend called Jenny.
Are you married or single?
I am . . . .If you are married, tell us your husband’s/wife’s name.
My husband’s/wife’s name is . . . .Alice, do you have any children?
Yes, I have one son and one daughter.Now that we know one another, how about a nice cup of tea?My daughter’s name is Elizabeth.
Their names are Gemma, Katie and Emily.
If you have any children, tell us what they are and what their names are.
I have . . sons and . . daughters.
Their names are . . . . . .
The Seasons and the Weather
It is usually warm in Spring.We need sunglasses when it is sunny.
We need an umbrella when it rains.
But an umbrella is no good when it is windy.
We need warm clothing when it snows.
What is the weather like today?
Today it is sunny but yesterday was windy.
I hope it is warm tomorrow because my children are going to the seaside.
I got soaked to the skin last week because the rain was so heavy.
What is the weather like today?
The weather today is . . . .
NOTE: All the Speaking English lessons use the words 'practice' and 'practise'. Practice with a 'c' is the noun. Practise with an 's' is the verb. They both sound the same
Practise saying each sentence until it sounds right.
Repeat each sentence out loud before going on to the next one.
This morning I met Paul in town.The words which were underlined are used again here to give you more practice.He was with Jenny his girlfriend.
They are going for a picnic in the countryside today.
She was on her way to the coast.
It’s lovely weather for a day out.
What does Susan do for a living?
She is a secretary for an engineering company at the moment.
My daughter Katie would like to be a secretary when she leaves school.
I thought she wanted to go to university?
Same with my daughter Elizabeth, but she has applied to a university near where her grandparents live.
Repeat each sentence out loud before going on to the next one.
The children are going to the countryside today to meet their grandparents.
They always have a lovely time there.Now go back and click on as many sentences as you like - then say them out loud.They will stop somewhere for lunch on the way.
My friend has just finished his education and has applied for a new job.
Susan thought I wanted to go to the shops too.
I’m fed up with the rain, although the weather is fine at the moment.
My son at university is being sponsored by a company.
My daughter has finished studying for her final exams and will leave school this summer.
I have applied for a new job with a big company.
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| The English Alphabet is : | |
| a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z |
NumbersDatesListen to the numbers below and then practise saying them.
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120
100 1,000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000
We use commas (,) to separate numbers.
We use a decimal point (•) to separate numbers less than one.
The words 'zero' 'nought' and 'O' all mean the same thing.
We say 'and' after the word 'hundred'.
For telephone numbers we say each number separately.
When two of the same number are together we often say 'double'.
12,356 23 • 07 453 020 932 1005
In Britain, we usually say dates as day, month then year.We talk about dates in three different ways.
| Day/month/year | Month/day/year | |
|---|---|---|
| 21/6/63 | The 21st of June 1963 | June the 21st 1963 |
| 1/11/2000 | The first of November 2000 | November the 1st 2000 |
You can talk about time in two different ways:-
1. Using only numbers.
2. Using the words "past" or "to" the hour and "quarter" "half" and "o'clock".
| Past/to/quarter/half/o'clock | |
|---|---|
| 3.10 | ten past three |
| 2.30 | half past two |
| 12.40 | twenty to one |
| 4.45 | quarter to five |
| 4.00 | four o'clock |
For example:
08.00 is eight o'clock in the morning.17.30 is half past five in the afternoon.
Look at the numbers, dates and times below.Practise saying them and then listen to see if you were right.
Don't forget that you can say the number 0, dates and times in more than one way.
$300.67 £1.50 10,000 francs €170 1,453 •71
0 • 25% 01123 746 591 44 0121 7653 21/2/198011/11/2000 15/2/2000 6.45 am 12.12 pm 9.30
In English it is important to raise or lower your voice correctly at the end of a sentence. This is called 'sentence intonation'.Below are some common intonation patterns although you may hear people use different intonation.
Throughout our lessons try to listen for sentence intonation.
In this lesson, raise the voice for THIS colour and lower the voice for THIS colour.
Raise your voice at the end of real questions that start with, for example,
Do - Have - Can - Are - Is - Will.![]()
Alice, do you have any children?Lower your voice at the end of real questions that start with
What - When - Why - How - Which - Where.
What is the weather like today?Lower your voice at the end of questions you ask as part of the conversation when you expect a 'yes' answer.
How about a nice cup of tea?Lower your voice at the end of statement sentences.You were late yesterday, weren't you?
Now let me introduce you to Paul.Very well thank you, and how are you?
No, I am single but I have a girlfriend called Jenny.
I live in Chichester, a town on the south coast of England.
English sentences have a rhythm, like the beats in music.In each Speaking English lesson, listen and practise the rhythm of the sentences.
What is the weather like today?All these sentences have 4 'beats'.I would like to live by the seaside.
My daughter's name is Elizabeth.
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.
Be careful of differences between spelling and speech.question introduce someone countryside engineer
occupation company lovely emphasis pronunciation.![]()
I will speak. I am speaking. I have spoken.
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Course A End of Free Lesson A |
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