Traveling 

Traveling Options: Keren compares ways to travel, such as travelling alone or with a friend. 

https://elllo.org/english/0701/T736-Keren-Options.htm

Conversation

Phrasal Verbs

Today's lesson reviews and builds on the 7 travel phrasal verbs we studied at a few weeks ago. Look at the these phrasal verbs and their definitions. Fill in the gaps with the correct phrasal verbs so that the text makes sense. (Keep in mind that the main verb changes according to the time and function of the sentence, e.g. drop off in a past passive structure is I was dropped off.

Summer break in the USA

The day I left for the USA my family (1)___ me___. We had breakfast on the airport but we had to (2)___ so that I wouldn't miss my flight. It was a teary goodbye, but I was (3)___ to new experiences in the USA. After I (4)___ the plane I made myself comfortable and sent a few last minute goodbye text messages. I thought of how much I wanted this holiday and that I just needed to (5)___ from it all. A short while later the pilot announced that all electronics were to be switched off, for we were preparing to (6)___. As the plane was (7)___ on the runway I sat back and took pleasure in brute force and strength of the momentum the plane was creating to lift itself up from the ground.

When our plane (8)___ at JFK Airport in New York there was already a taxi waiting to (9)___ me ___. The taxi (10)___ me ___ at the Holiday Inn where I would meet up with my friends. After I (11)___  to the hotel we all went to Time Square, where we (12)___ for the rest of the day. The next day we got up in the early hours of the morning and did some sightseeing. That night we were exhausted and went to bed early. The next morning we (13) ___ after breakfast, rented a car and (14)___ on a cross-country road trip. It would be another 3 months before I would (15)___ home.


Reading - Lost Items.

One of my craziest travel experience stories happened when I was on a gap year in Grenoble, France, and mum and I were invited to Estepona, Spain, by a friend. We had three days of fun and on the fourth day were driven seven hours to Barajas Airport for our flight back to Lyon.

I’m a bookworm and once engrossed in a book, I’m truly lost. This got me in trouble when it was time to check-in and my bag had disappeared.

My bag…with my passport and film camera, gone!

We asked the people around us, but nobody saw anything.

Cue panic, frantic conversations in broken English, and gesticulations to find security to report.

We finally found airport security, filled out a form, and were told that most likely it was a cleaner that stole it when I was occupied as such theft was common there. There was nothing to be done but report it to the U.S. Embassy.

“What’s the embassy address, please?”

“I don’t know.”

Okay then. Looks like we’re in for a long weekend.

This was a Saturday evening.

Stranded in Madrid with not many Euros, my mum’s card only worked in France so we had no way of paying for a hotel until Monday. We dug up some coins to use a payphone to call our host in Estepona to explain the situation, ask for some Euros (to be repaid), and help with rescheduling departure.

Somehow, we got a taxi and had him take us to a cheap hotel which I’m sure was used for “alternative purposes.” Honestly, I felt that people thought that we were onto something bad— from their leers and us not having Euros to pay — since we were Black female travelers.

While there was definitely a language barrier when trying to request a room without putting a deposit down, we somehow got it.

We also asked for Western Union to receive Euros from our host, deciding that if I couldn’t get my passport on Monday, we’d insist on an emergency travel document. So, our host rescheduled tickets back to Lyon for Monday night.

I barely remember Madrid because of the stress; the language barrier, trying to find the U.S. Embassy, and having difficulty finding anybody willing to communicate with us.

Luckily, someone finally took pity on us and provided an information number to call. Thank goodness, because at this point we had little cash to get by until our wire transfer arrived.

On Monday morning, my mum and I got into a cab and gave the driver the address to the embassy. He recognized it immediately, and let us know that it was blocked and he couldn’t drop us at the gate.

This was confusing until we got there and saw these giant rock-like obstructions placed in a maze-like pattern on the walk towards the gate, and it wasn’t a straight walk either. I’m pretty sure we were being monitored via sniper rifles, which was incredibly nerve-wracking!

We reached the gates alive, asked for Consular Services, and headed in. I had no other details or documents to prove citizenship — it was 2002, so we didn’t have smartphones.

Luckily, the Universe and copious tears helped as I remembered I was a dual citizen and they could verify in their database from that. I wasn’t living in the U.S. at that point so double whammy.

I got a new passport in an hour after I cried that I couldn’t stay in Madrid and just wanted to return to France that day.

It probably helped that my mum scolded me again in their presence and they felt I’d suffered enough.

We had checked out and took our luggage to the embassy so they saw that we were serious about leaving. Thankfully, we made it to Lyon and caught a bus to Grenoble.

I’ve never been to Spain since then as that was a traumatic experience. I know it doesn’t represent the country as a whole, but it definitely soured my appeal for Madrid, at least.

– Ena from Musings and Adventures

Answer the following questions:

1) Where did Ena go?

2) What problem did she have?

3) What did she have to go through?

4) How did she solve it?

5) Has something like this happened to you?

Vocabulary 



Hokkaido: Adventure Travel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s3BqbkPEfQ&t=8s

Part 1 - Watch until 5:12.

Listen and find this information about Hokkaido.

1) What is Hokkaido?

2) What places can you visit in Hokkaido?

3) What dishes can you find in Hokkaido?

4) What activities can you do in Hokkaido?

5) What is special about Hokkaido's landscape?


Part 2 - Watch until the end

Describe some characteristics of these places.

1) Shichigku Gardens:__________________________________________

2) Lake Shikaribetsu:___________________________________________

3) Ginga Waterfall:_____________________________________________

4) Kamikawa Ice Pavilion:_______________________________________

5) Ueno Farm:_________________________________________________

6) Sapporo City:_______________________________________________ 

Talking about the future


Originally from: https://www.inenglishwithlove.com/blog/future-tenses-in-english

1. The Present Continuous for Plans 

We can use the present continuous with a time in the future when we want to talk about plans that we’ve already made. 

We often add a future time marker so that it’s clear that we’re talking about the future.

Examples

Sometimes the future is already implied, in this case we don’t need to add a future time marker. 

Examples

Commands and refusals

When we want to insist that people do or not do things, we can use the present continuous.

Examples

We can also use this when someone invites us to do something, and we have to say no because of our plans.

Examples


2. Be going to

We can also use going to to talk about future plans. But there’s a slight difference between going to and the present continuous tense.

Talking about an intention or general plan

The main difference between going to and the present continuous  is: have you made a specific arrangement yet?

So, we can use the present continuous when we have plans that we’ve already arranged. We don’t use it if we haven’t made a definite arrangement yet.

But we use going to when we have already made the decision or have the intention to do something, but we might not have made the plans or arrangements yet.

Compare

Making a prediction based on evidence

We can also use going to when we predict what is going to happen based on evidence that we have right now. We don’t use the present continuous in this context.

Examples

We often use going to when something is about to happen right now, especially if the situation is dangerous. In this case, we often use the more informal gonna instead of going to.

Examples

You should also read 5 Simple Grammar Changes for More Natural English to see how you can use these and other tenses to sound more fluent in English.

3. The Simple Future – Will

Will is a modal verb that we can use in a few different situations. But let’s talk about how we can use it to talk about the future, and how it differs from the previous two future forms.

Making a spontaneous decision

Just like going to and the present continuous structures, we can use will to talk about future plans and decisions. 

But, unlike the other two, we use will when we’re making a quick decision, usually at the same moment that we’re speaking.

Compare

Remember, we don’t use will to talk about future events that have already been planned or decided.

Examples

Quick decisions and offers

We can also use will when we make quick decisions about something we want to do right now, or when we're making offers or suggestions.

Examples

When it comes to making decisions, we can use going to and will with the word “just” to emphasize our decision, especially if we’re tired of trying to decide.

Common structures

Just + going to → I’m just going to wait until next week.

Will + just → I’ll just make a sandwich.

Showing that we’re willing or ready to do something

We can use will to talk about things that we are able or free to do in the very near future.

In this situation, we usually use will instead of going to to show that we’re willing to do something right away or as soon as we can. If we use going to in this context, it sounds more like we plan to do it, but not urgently, and maybe after we’ve finished something else.

Compare

Examples

Making a prediction based on an opinion, feeling, or belief

And, just like going to, we can use will to make predictions. 

But the difference between making predictions with going to and will is that we usually use will to predict things based on a feeling we have, on a belief, or based on previous knowledge that we have about something.

Examples

NOTE: It’s okay to make predictions with either will or going to. There’s not a big difference in meaning. So, if you decide to use one or another, the meaning of your sentence won’t change very much.

Tenses after if and when

We normally use present tenses after if and when (not will) to talk about the future.

Examples



Pronunciation Time!

When we are talking about the future, some pronunciations tend to appear in videos and listening.

Going to - gonna

Used for "going to" in informal speech and in representations of such speech "It's not gonna be easy."They're gonna get married in July."I felt like something bad was gonna happen." 

I am going to - I'mma

Used for "I am going to" in  informal speech and in representations of such speech "I am going to join the party.""I am taking an English course." "I am going to play now" 


Will not - Won't

Used for "Will not" in informal speech and in representations of such speech "I will not participate". "She will not take over the company . "They will not come". 

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