General English Lower Intermediate Level
Lesson 4

Places

1. Watch the video, pay attention on the expressions


Expressions to work on

A busy and exciting part of London

My flat is small, but I like living here, because it is near the river, there are lots of shops and cafes

I live in North London

I live in the center of Berlin

I live in suburbs; it is 10 kilometers from the city, very leafy, a lot of trees

Do you live in a house or a flat?

I live in a brick built house, 3 bedrooms

It is a wide house, it is quite quiet

I live in a house, that is a 4 bedrooms house

It is a modern space, one bedroom, quite small, but very nice

What do you like about where you live?

I like the garden

I can catch a bus from anywhere from home and I feel comfortable walking at night, because I see people around

Two flats in a house, I have only one neighbor, It is very sweet and fun as well, I don’t have too many neighbors to worry about

We have parks, we have a special French, Italian restaurants, a small church

It looks like a small valley, it is in suburbs, you can see the houses around and the trees

I am close to the museums, universities, teaching hospitals, it is easy to get about, because there are many underground stations and it is very friendly.

Everyone says hello in the morning, and good evening in the afternoon and it is a pleasant place to live.

What don’t you like about where you live?

What I don’t like about it, is that I have to get to the Northern Ireland on the tube and it takes me 50 (fifty) minutes to get to work

It is quite noisy on the streets

Well, it is quite crowded there is quite a lot of rubbish on the streets; there are too many cars and no place for children to play

It is always busy

There isn’t actually anything I don’t like about it

Sometimes because it is in the middle of the city, it can be very dusty and polluted

There are no cheap stations to get a bus on time

2. Activity 1

Emma's commute

We'll find out about people's journeys to work

Let's catch up with Emma and Rob as they make their way to work. Listen out for the words and phrases they use to describe their journeys. Then see how much you can remember in the memory test!

Watch the video and complete the activity


Emma

Hi again. It's me, Emma. It's 8:30 in the morning and I've just arrived at work. I often get the Tube to work but today I took the bus. And I always use my Oyster Card.

V/O

It usually takes about 40 minutes to get to the BBC building. But when the traffic's bad, it can sometimes be an hour or more. And you rarely get a seat in the rush hour. Ha! That's London.

Emma

Still, here I am at the BBC office. Let's see who else is in. Morning Rob. Did you come on your bike today?

Rob

Oh yes. I always come to work on my bike. When I say always… I get the train to Waterloo and then I nearly always cycle to the office. But not when the weather's bad. Then I get the bus. But that doesn't happen often.

Emma

Well that's good. Do we have a busy day today?

Rob

Yes, we've got to do some vox pops, but first I need to get some breakfast.

Emma

Rob, you came all this way on an empty stomach? That's really unhealthy. You should always have breakfast.

Rob

Well, that's true but I never have breakfast at home on a weekday. I like to come here. I can always get a breakfast at the BBC canteen. It's delicious! In fact, I'm going to get some now. Bye bye.

Emma

Bye! Well, while Rob's getting breakfast, let's play a memory game. We're going to see some sentences from this video. Can you remember who said them? Let's find out.


  • I often get the Tube to work
  • I nearly always cycle
  • I always use my Oyster card.
  • I’m always on my bike
  • that doesn’t often happen
  • I never eat breakfast at home
  • You should always have breakfast!
  • I can always get a lovely breakfast in the BBC canteen
Emma Rob

Activity 2

Vocabulary test

Emma and Rob used a few different words and phrases to talk about their commute to work - the journeys they both make every day from home to work and back again. But do you know what they all mean?

To do

Let’s find out whether you know what some of the travel vocabulary means.

Oyster card the time of day when the traffic is very busy
Commuting (to do something) without eating food first
the rush hour audio or video clips of people talking about everyday topics
the tube a bicycle that folds up so it can be carried easily
back in a bit! see you soon!
a full English breakfast an informal name for the London Underground train system
(to do something) on an empty stomach travelling from home to work and back again
vox pops a large hot meal that some British people eat in the mornings, usually including eggs and bacon
a folding bike an electronic ticket that you can use on any train or bus within London

Activity 3

Activity 4

Vocabulary practice

Can you use the words from this session in sentences? Try this activity.

Can you tell me the way to the tube station, please?
I always go running on a full English breakfast. I hate exercising when I'm hungry.
When the weather's fine, I go to work on my folding bike.
I hate travelling by Oyster card when I'm travelling in London.
I always use my rush hour and get a good seat on the train.
If you leave work early, you'll miss the tube. It's too crowded down in those tunnels.
Grammar Reference

Adverbs of frequency

Adverbs of frequency

Meaning and use

Adverbs give us more information about a verb. Adverbs of frequency tell us how often an activity happens. There are many adverbs to choose from. Here are some of the most common ones, listed from most frequent to least frequent

  • always walk to work..
  • They usually arrive late.
  • My father often forgets his birthday.
  • He sometimes wakes up early.
  • rarely drink tea in the morning.
  • You hardly ever say you love me.
  • Jenny never drinks coffee in the evening.

We can use adverbs of frequency with the verb to be.

  • We are never unhappy.
  • This time of year is usually the coldest.

We can use modal verbs with adverbs of frequency. For example, we can use the auxiliary verbs can, should and might, which express ability (can), obligation (should), and possibility (might).

  • Laura can sometimes hold her breath for over a minute.
  • You should always put on suncream when it’s very sunny.
  • We might never see each other again.

Form

Adverbs of frequency go before the main verb.
subject + adverb + main verb

  • I always eat breakfast.
  • They sometimes take a taxi.

They go after the verb ‘to be’.
subject + to be + adverb + main verb

  • am always late for work.
  • He is often ready for work at 6 am.
  • We aren’t usually hungry in the morning.

They go between a modal and the main verb.
subject + modal + adverb + main verb

  • You should always wear a helmet.
  • can sometimes hear my neighbour’s TV.
Positive
  • always take the bus into town.
  • Jenny is often late for work.
Negative

The adverb of frequency goes between the auxiliary and the main verb.

  • We don’t usually watch TV after lunch.
  • They can’t always wait for you.

It goes after ‘to be’.

  • am not always this organised.
  • They aren’t usually late.
Question

For questions, the order is auxiliary + subject + adverb of frequency + verb.

  • Do you always eat here?
  • Does he usually do that?

Take note: negative adverbs

Negative adverbs such as never, seldom, rarely and hardly ever cannot be used in negative sentences. The following sentence is incorrect, because it has a double negative.

  • WRONGThe weather isn’t never sunny.
  • CORRECTThe weather is never sunny.

Take note: sometimes

Sometimes can go before the subject, before the main verb, and after the main verb.

  • Sometimes we go fishing.
  • We sometimes go fishing.
  • We go fishing sometimes.

Take note: adverbs of frequency and the present continuous

We usually use adverbs of frequency with the present simple, but they can also be used with the present continuous. The adverb comes between the auxiliary and the main verb.

  • She’s always losing her phone.

Spoken English

Some people pronounce the /t/ sound in often; other people pronounce often with a 'silent t'. Both are acceptable.

Homework

1. Learn the topic vocabulary

2. Chunks of language

In this session, you've seen folding bike and Oyster card - we can think of these as chunks of language because their exact meaning depends on all their words.

Do you always learn English expressions word by word? There may be a better way, one that will help you when you're studying vocabulary.

Listen to this week's 6 Minute Vocabulary and find out how you can sound much more natural by learning and using chunks of language. And here's a question for while you listen: in English do we say 'a complete English breakfast' or 'a full English breakfast'?


Vocabulary
  • to do something on an empty stomach
    to do something without eating first
  • a full English breakfast
    a cooked breakfast, usually with bacon, sausage, eggs, mushrooms, beans, tomatoes, toast and tea
  • to take a long time
    to happen slowly
  • the rush hour
    the period of time in the morning and evening when the traffic is very busy with people going to and from work
  • a lot of fun
    very enjoyable
  • all over the world
    everywhere around the earth
  • (I'll be) back in a bit
    (I'll) return soon

 3. To do

How often do these things happen? Here are some sentences from Session 1. Have a look at the game and see if you can match these sentences with a percentage to say how frequently they happen.

But remember, it isn't an exact science! Adverbs of frequency may be used by different people to mean slightly different things.

I never eat breakfast at home. 0% of the time
I always use my Oyster card. 10-20% of the time
You rarely get a seat during the rush hour. 65-85% of the time
I often get the Underground to work. 100% of the time
I nearly always cycle to work. 40-60% of the time
It can sometimes be an hour. 85-100% of the time

4. Adverbs of frequency: Practice

  1. ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
    • his
    • He
    • again.
    • daughter
    • never
    • see
    • might
  2. ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
    • to
    • what
    • They
    • eat.
    • can
    • never
    • decide
  3. ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
    • isn’t
    • for
    • Lucas
    • often
    • early
    • work.
  4. ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
    • We
    • ever
    • winter.
    • holiday
    • go
    • on
    • hardly
    • in
  5. ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
    • remember
    • never
    • Helen
    • can
    • anything.
  6. ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
    • you
    • go
    • work
    • by
    • Do
    • usually
    • to
    • bus?
  7. ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
    • should
    • drink
    • You
    • never
    • and
    • drive.
  8. ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
    • early?
    • Does
    • leave
    • work
    • your
    • boss
    • you
    • let
    • often