Talking about Places

Spoken English IFujian Normal University

Jazz Chant: “Banker’s Wife’s Blues”

Where does John live?

He lives near the bank.

Where does he work?

He works at the bank.

When does he work?

He works all day

and he works all night,

at the bank,

at the bank,

at the great, big bank.

Where does he study?

He studies at the bank.

Where does he sleep?

He sleeps at the bank.

Why does he spend

all day, all night,

all day, all night,

at the bank,

at the bank?

Because he loves his bank

more than his wife,and he loves his money

more than his life.

RL pronunciation and practice

• gill girl• will whirl• hill hurl

• twill twirl• wool world• cull curl

1. He was able to hurl the shot-put further than everyone else.2. Those are some funny girls.3. We sure live in an interesting world.4. The cheerleaders enjoy twirling their batons high in the air.5 That company finds some of the biggest pearls.6. The wind was so loud it sounded like a whirlwind.

RL listening exercise

Which do you hear?a. twirl b. twilla. wool b. worlda.girl b. gilla. hurl b. hill

Dialogue: Talking About PlacesKelly Jones, a Canadian student, is talking with her Chinese friend, Lisa Li, about the city of Beijing.

Kelly: I’m thinking of going to Beijing. Have you ever been there?

Lisa: Yeah, I’ve been there a few times.

Kelly: Really? (falling/rising tone) What did you think of it?

Lisa: Well, the downtown is very clean and attractive, but very crowded.

Kelly: What’s the food like?

Lisa: The food is delicious! You can find restaurants that serve all kinds of Chinese and international food.

Dialogue: Talking About Places

Kelly: How about the weather?

Lisa: It’s cold and dry in the winter, but hot and humid in the summer. I think October is the best time there. It’s usually mild and sunny.

Kelly: Hmm. Maybe I should go there for the National Day holiday. What’s there to see?

Lisa: There are lots of historical sites like the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and the Great Wall.

There are also some beautiful parks. If you want to buy some good souvenirs, go to the Friendship Store or the department stores on Wangfujing Street, too.

Sentence Pattern

 POSITIVE ANSWERS

Yes, I have.

Yes, I went there once.

Yes, I’ve been there a few times.

Yes, I was there (time).

NEGATIVE ANSWERS

No, I haven’t.

No, never

No, I’ve never been there.

QUESTIONHave you ever been to (city)?

Adjectives to Describe PlacesFood Downtown/

CountrysideWeather Transportation

tasty/ deliciousspicyblandinterestingsweet/soursalty/bitter

noisyquiet(un)attractivecleanpollutedcrowded

hot/coldwarm/coolhumid/drycloudysunnyrainysnowy

cheap/ expensive(in)convenient(un)comfortablecleandirty

Houses/Buildings

Roads Restaurants/Hotels

People

prettyuglysmall/quainttallmodernclassical

wide/narrowin good conditionin poor conditionbusy/crowdedsmooth/bumpystraight/curvy

(in)expensivecleandirtyluxuriousgrand

(un)friendly(un)helpfulwelcomingwarm-heartedkindenthusiastic

Sentence Patterns

QUESTIONS

 

What did you think of (city)?

How is/was the (noncount noun)?

What is/was the (noncount noun) like?

How are/were the (countable noun)?

What are/were the (countable noun) like?

ANSWERS

It’s/It was _____.

They are/were _____.

C: Roads, Houses, buildings, restaurants, peopleNC: Food, downtown, weather, transportation

Practice

In pairs, ask and answer questions about the eight topics regarding your hometowns.

Talking about Places

1. Pick a well known city in China. Write it down. Do not show your classmates

2. Write a list of words describing the food, weather and places to visit in this city.

3. Stand up, find a partner and share the description of your city.

4. Your partner must guess the city in three tries. You have 1 minute to discuss.

5. Change partners after 1 minute.

Kinds of Places to Visit

Homework

1. Practice RL sentences

2. Practice saying places to visit aloud

3. Review directions