14 Dec

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At the airport

If you take a flight from an airport in an English-speaking country, you're likely to hear some of these phrases.

Checking in

Did you pack these bags yourself?
Have you left these bags unattended?
Does the luggage belong to you?
Have you been with your bags the whole time?
Has anyone given you anything to take on the flight?
How many bags do you have to check in?
Do you have any hand luggage?
Are you carrying any restricted items?

Can I see your passport?
Would you like an aisle seat or a window seat? (aisle = next to the corridor)
Your gate number is … and your flight boards at …. (gate number = the numbered area of the airport where your flight leaves from)

Going through security

You need to put your hand luggage through the x-ray machine. Some items cannot be taken on board as hand luggage (such as knives, aerosol cans etc.) As you pass through security, you may set off the alarm. When this happens, the airport personnel search you.

In the departure lounge

When you pass through security, and before you board your flight, you can wait in the departure lounge. At international airports there is duty free shopping, where you can buy goods without paying taxes.

Airport announcements

Please proceed to gate number… (proceed = go to)
In a few moments we will be calling all passengers with priority boarding.
Please have your boarding card ready for inspection

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http://www.english-at-home.com/real-life-english/at-the-airport/
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A useful skill in English is to be able to tell a story or an anecdote. Anecdotes are short stories about something that happened to you or to someone you know.

How to start

Traditional stories often start with the phrase "Once upon a time". However, if you are going to tell your story after someone else has already spoken, you can say something like:

That reminds me!
Funny you should say that. Did I ever tell you about…
Hearing your story reminds me of when…
Something similar happened to me….

How to tell your story

First of all, your story should be quite short. Try to keep it grammatically simple as well, so that it is easy to follow.

Make it easy for the listener to understand by using sequencing and linking words:

Sequencing words
These words show the chronological sequence of events.

First of all, I (packed my suitcase)
Secondly, I …. (made sure I had all my documents)
Previously (before that) ….. I changed some money.
Then… I (called a taxi for the airport)
Later (on)… (when we were stuck in traffic, I realised…)
But before al that… (I had double checked my reservation)
Finally… (I arrived at the wrong check-in desk at the wrong airport for a flight that didn't go until the next day)

Linking words
Use these words to link your ideas for the listener. Linking words can be used to show reason, result, contrasting information, additional information, and to summarise.

I booked a flight because….
As a result, I was late…
Although I had a reservation, I hadn't checked the airport name.
I made sure I had an up-to-date passport and I also took along my driving licence.
In short, I had made a complete mess of the holiday.

Tenses

We can use a variety of tenses to tell stories and anecdotes. Jokes are often in the present tense:

A man walks into a bar and orders a beer.

We also use the present tense to give a dramatic narrative effect:

The year is 1066. In medieval England people are worried that the king, Harold, is not strong enough to fight off a Norman invasion.

However, we generally use past forms to talk about past events. If you tell your story in chronological order, you can use the past simple:

I double checked my reservation. I packed my suitcase, and then I called a taxi.

Use the past continuous to describe activities in progress at the time of your story, or to describe the background.

The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. We were driving along the motorway quite steadily until we suddenly saw in front of us the warning lights to slow down. We were heading towards a huge tailback.

Sometimes, you might want to avoid telling your story as one chronological event after the other. You can use the past perfect (simple and continuous) to add more interest to your story by talking about events that happened before the events in your story:

I double checked my reservation, which I had made three days previously.

I wanted to visit some friends who had been living in France for the last five years.

Vocabulary

Try to use a wide range of words to make your story more interesting. Remember that you can "exaggerate" when you tell a story, so instead of using words like "nice" or "bad", experiment with more interesting words, such as "beautiful", "fabulous", "wonderful", "horrible", "awful" or "terrible".

Finally – remember that you are telling a story – not giving a lecture. Look at the people listening, and try to "involve" them in the story or anecdote. Keep eye contact, use the right intonation and try to make your face expressive. You might also want to try practising a few anecdotes in the mirror before "going live". Have fun!

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http://www.english-at-home.com/grammar/linking-words/*

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IS IT GETTING BETTER
OR DO YOU FEEL THE SAME
WILL IT MAKE IT EASIER ON YOU
NOW YOU GOT SOMEONE TO BLAME

YOU SAY
ONE LOVE
ONE LIFE
WHEN IT´S ONE NEED
IN THE NIGHT
IT´S ONE LOVE
WE GET TO SHARE IT
IT LEAVES YOU BABY
IF YOU DON´T CARE FOR IT

DID I DISAPPOINT YOU?
OR LEAVE A BAD TASTE IN YOUR MOUTH?
YOU ACT LIKE YOU NEVER HAD LOVE
AND YOU WANT ME TO GO WITHOUT

WELL IT´S TOO LATE
TONIGHT
TO DRAG THA PAST OUT
INTO THE LIGHT
WE´RE ONE
BUT WE´RE NOT THE SAME
WE GET TO CARRY EACH OTHER
CARRY EACH OTHER
ONE

HAVE YOU COME HERE FOR FORGIVENESS
HAVE YOU COME TOR RAISE THE DEAD
HAVEW YOU COME HERE TO PLAY JESUS
TO THE LEPERS IN YOUR HEAD
DID I ASK TOO MUCH
Letras4U.com » letras traducidas al español
MORE THAN A LOT
YOU GAVE ME NOTHING
NOW IT´S ALL I GOT
WE´RE ONE
BUT WE´RE NOT THE SAME
WE HURT EACH OTHER
THEN WE DO IT AGAIN

YOU SAY
LOVE IS A TEMPLE
LOVE A HIGHER LAW
LOVE IS A TEMPLE
LOVE THE HIGHER LAW
YOU ASK ME TO ENTER
BUT THEN YOU MAKE ME CRAWL
AND I CAN´T BE HOLDING ON
TO WHAT YOU GOT
WHEN ALL YOU GOT IS HURT

ONE LOVE
ONE BLOOD
ONE LIFE
YOU GOT TO DO WHAT YOU SHOULD

ONE LIFE
WITH EACH OTHER
SISTERS
BROTHERS

ONE LIFE
BUT WE´RE NOT THE SAME
WE GET TO CARRY EACH OTHER
CARRY EACH OTHER

ONE

ONE.

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