Julia M.

Dobson
Editor Dean Curry

DIALOGS FOR EVERYDAY USE

Short Situational Dialogs
for Students of English as a Foreign Language
~ "',
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J- I I

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DIALOGS FOR EVERYDAY USE
Short Situational Dialogs
for Students of English as a Foreign Language

J ULIA M. D OBSON
D EAN C URRY, E DITOR
A NNE C OVELL N EWTON , L ANGUAGE N OTES

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE i

Office of English Language Programs
 DIALOGS FOR EVERYDAY USE
Short Situational Dialogs for Students of English as a Foreign Language
JuliaM.Dobson
DeanCurry,Editor
LanguageNotesbyAnneCovellNewton

Firstpublishedin1980
Secondprinting1994
bytheEnglishLanguageProgramsDivision
oftheUnitedStatesInformationAgency,
Washington,DC.

Thisprintingpublishedin2003
bytheOf ficeofEnglishLanguagePrograms
oftheUnitedStatesDepartmentofState.

PictureCredits: Page2Comstock/Trucking;Page4Comstock/DiversityLifestyles;Page7
Comstock/BusinessTeams;Page2Comstock/Trucking;Page8Comstock/DiversityLifestyles;
Page10Comstock/DiversityLifestyles;Page12Photodisc/Education2;Page13Photodisc/
Education2;Page14Comstock/TeleConnections;Page18Photodisc;Page20Photodisc;
Page22Photodisc;Page26Photodisc;Page28Comstock/DiversityLifestyles;Page30
Photodisc/Education2;Page32Photodisc/BusinessToday;Page34Eyewire/WiredforBusi
ness;Page40JohannaKowitz;Page45Photodisc;Page46Comstock/Pets&Vets;Page
48Photodisc/BusinessToday;Page50Comstock/ConsumerGeneration;Page52Photo
disc;Page53left Photodisc/Festivities;Page53center EyeWire/Celebrations;Page53right
Photodisc/Festivities;Page54Photodisc/Education.

OfficeofEnglishLanguagePrograms

BureauofEducationalandCulturalAffairs

UnitedStatesDepartmentofState

ii Washington, DC 20547

http://exchanges.state.gov/education/engteaching/

CONTENTS

Dialog 1 FormalGreetingsandFarewells ...........3

Dialog 2 InformalGreetingsandFarewells ..........5

Dialog 3 FormalIntroductions .....................6

Dialog 4 InformalIntroductions ....................9

Dialog 5 Time ..................................11

Dialog 6 ATelephoneCall ........................15

Dialog 7 Happiness .............................17

Dialog 8 OrderingaMeal ........................19

Dialog 9 Birthdays ..............................21

Dialog 10 ACrowdedTheater .....................23

Dialog 11 Mistakes ...............................24

Dialog 12 Games ................................25

Dialog 13 Health .................................27

Dialog 14 Sports .................................29

Dialog 15 AskingDirections .......................31

Dialog 16 Coincidences ...........................33

Dialog 17 Safety .................................35

Dialog 18 MusicalInstruments .....................37

Dialog 19 TakingaVacation .......................38

Dialog 20 Recipes ...............................39

Dialog 21 Weather ...............................41

Dialog 22 HavingThingsDone .....................43

Dialog 23 MailingLetters .........................44

Dialog 24 Animals ...............................46

Dialog 25 Shopping ..............................47

Dialog 26 Transportation ..........................49

Dialog 27 Comparing .............................51

Dialog 28 Pastimes ..............................52

Dialog 29 Weddings ..............................53

Dialog 30 Effort .................................54

iii
FOREWORD
he 30 dialogs included in this booklet appeared originally in
the English Teaching Forum (Vol. 10, MayJune 1972, No. 3)
andarereprintedwithveryslightchanges.
DialogsforEverydayUse aresituationbased,theemphasisbeing
on realism and naturalness to the extent that these are possible
within the limitations imposed by a short, selfcontained text.
The speakers express themselves naturally in the way native
American speakers might speak in certain everyday situations.
Speech is at normal speed and with standard pronunciation
andintonation.
The Language Notes provide information on grammar and
intonation patterns, give crossreferences to similar patterns in
otherdialogs,andsuggestadditionalexamplesthatcanbeused
fordrillsonthestructureinquestion.
Anaudiocassetteisavailablewiththebookletandisanecessary
componentoftheaudiostudyunit.

1
2
DIALOG 1

FormalGreetingsandFarewells
Paul: Hello.Howareyou?

Don: Fine,thankyou.Howareyou?

Paul: Fine,thanks.(bussoundeffect) Oh,excusemeheresmy

bus.Goodbye.
Don: Goodbye.

Language Notes
Hello. Goodmorning orgoodafternoon mightalsobeused.
Theyaresomewhatmoreformal.Howareyou? Noticetheinto
nation.Thishowquestionisoneofthefewinstancesinwhicha
formofBEreceivestheprimarysentencestress.(Thisphenome
nonnormallyoccursinquestionwordquestionsinwhichthe
formofBEstandsattheendorisfollowedbyanondemonstra
tivepronoun:WhatISit?WhereIShe?WhenWASit?Wherewill
itBE?WherehaveyouBEEN?) Sometimes,however,speakers
stresstheyou,sothattheintonationisidenticaltotheresponse
questiondescribedbelow.
Howareyou? Noticethattherespondingspeakerusesadiffer
entintonationforthisquestionthanthefirstspeakerused.The
shiftofstressontoyou pointstothatwordascarryingthenewor
changedbitofmeaninginthisquestion,whichisotherwiseiden
ticaltothequestioninthefirstlinefornowtheyou referstoa
differentpersonthanitdidintheoriginalquestion.(Sometimes
therespondingspeakerwillanswersimply,Fine,thankyouand
you?omittingallthewordsoftheunderstoodquestionexcept
theonewordyou,which,utteredwithastrongstress,carriesthe
newmeaning.Foranexample,seeDialog2.)
Thanks isslightlylessformalthanthankyou. Noticethecontrac
tionheres(=hereis).

3
4
DIALOG 2

InformalGreetingsandFarewells
Dick: Hi!Howareyou?

Helen: Fine,thanksandyou?

Dick: Justfine.Whereareyougoing?

Helen: Tothelibrary.

Dick: O.K.Illseeyoulater.Solong

Helen: Solong.

Language Notes
Hi isaninformalequivalentofhello. FortheintonationofHow
areyou? seeDialog1.
Fine,thanksandyou? SeeDialog1.Noticetherisingintona
tiononandyou?
NoticethatthenormalresponsetoWhereareyougoing? is
simplyTothelibrarynotImgoingtothelibrary. Itisunnat
uralandunusualtorepeattheinformationalreadysuppliedby
thequestion.

O.K. isalessformalequivalentofallright. Thecommonsaying

Illseeyoulater isoftenshortenedtoSeeyoulater (withtheIll
understood).Solong isaninformalequivalentofgoodbye.

5
 DIALOG 3

FormalIntroductions

Margaret: Mr.Wilson,IdlikeyoutomeetDr.EdwardSmith.

Mr.Wilson: Howdoyoudo,Dr.Smith.

Dr.Smith: Howdoyoudo.

Margaret: Dr.Smithisaneconomist.Hesjustfinishedwritinga

bookoninternationaltrade.
Mr.Wilson: Oh?Thatsmyfield,too.IworkfortheUnitedNations.
Dr.Smith: IntheDevelopmentProgram,byanychance?
Mr.Wilson: Yes.Howdidyouguess?
Dr.Smith: Ivereadyourarticlesontechnicalassistance.
Theyreexcellent.

Language Notes
Notice the rising intonation on the words Mr. Wilson. A falling
intonationonanameusedindirectaddressisunusualinAmeri
canEnglishandtendstosoundbrusqueandimpolite.Listenfor
thed inId.Itisimportanttoincludethed inthisexpressionin
ordertodifferentiateitfromIlike, whichhasadifferentmeaning.
(Idlike =Iwouldlike =Iwant.)
Howdoyoudo hastheformofaquestion(andissometimesfol
lowedbyaquestionmark),butitisnotaquestioninmeaning.It
issimplyapoliteformulausedinformalintroductions.
The response to How do you do is simply the same phrase
utteredwiththesameintonationbytheotherspeaker.Infact,
lines2and3arenotstrictlystatementandresponsebutrather
statementsutteredbythetwospeakersindependentlyand,
possibly,simultaneously.
Hesjustfinishedwriting Ausefulpatternindicatinganaction
recentlycompleted.(Just isfrequentlyusedwiththepresentper
fect tense.) You may find it helpful to conduct a drill on this pat
tern inconjunctionwiththeteachingofthepresentperfect,using
variationsofthissentence,suchasIvejustfinishedreading,
Ive just finished cleaning, Shes just finished correcting,

6
 Theyvejustfinishedputting, Thesamepattern,withstart or
begin, iscommonlyusedforanactionrecentlyinitiated:Hesjust
startedwriting,Ivejuststartedreading,Shesjuststarted
correcting, etc.Asomewhatsimplerformofthispattern(just +
presentperfect),toindicateanactionrecentlycompleted,isofeven
broaderusefulness:Hesjustwritten,Ivejustread,Weve
justeaten,Ivejustheard,Theyvejustreturned, etc.
Developmentprogram. Sincethesetwowordsconstituteacom
poundnoun,theprincipalstressfallsonthefirstword.
Iveread Listenforthe/v/inIve. Itisimportanttoincludethe
/v/inthisexpressioninordertodifferentiateitfromIread, which
hasadifferentmeaning.
Byanychance? =possibly. Usedinquestionstoconfirmsome
thingyouthinkmightbetrueactuallyis.

7
8
DIALOG 4

InformalIntroductions

(Soundofbackgroundconversation)
Jim: WhosthetallgirlnexttoBarbara?

Charles: ThatsMaryAnderson.Didntyoumeetherat

Stevesparty?
Jim: No,IwasntatStevesparty.
Charles: Oh!Thenletmeintroduceyoutohernow.Mary,
thisismycousinJim.
Mary: Hi,Jim.Imgladtomeetyou.
Jim: Imgladtomeetyou.Cantwesitdownsomewhere
andtalk?
Mary: Sure,letssitoverthere.

Language Notes
Whos isthecontractedformofwhois. Itshouldnotbecon
fusedwiththepossessivewhose, which,althoughpronounced
thesame(/huwz/),hasadifferentmeaning.
Didntyoumeether? Noticetheuseofthenegativequestion.
Whilegenerallyusedtoindicatetheexpectationofanaffirmative
answer,hereitexpressessurprisethattheanswertothequestion
willprobablyandunexpectedlybenegative.
Noticethatinthissentence,thestrongeststress,andthehigh
pointoftheintonation,fallsonatalthoughprepositionsnormal
lyreceiveweakstress.Itisasifat, inthiscase,wereequivalent
topresent orthere, asinIwasntpresent orIwasnttherein
whichtheadjectiveandadverb,respectively,wouldnormally
receivethestrongestsentencestress.
Mary,thisismycousinJim. Noticethattheintroducermentions
thegirlsnamefirst,andintroducestheyoungmantoher(not
viceversa).Thisisthenormal,courteousmannerofintroduction
amongspeakersofAmericanEnglish.Noticetherisingintonation
onMary, anameusedindirectaddress.SeenoteinDialog3.
Hi. SeenoteinDialog2.

9
 Imgladtomeetyou. Noticethatthesecondspeakersaysthis
sentencewithadifferentintonationthanthefirstspeakerused.
Thesecondspeakeremphasizesyou. (Compare1b.Howare
you?) Cantwesitdown? =Wouldyouliketositdown?
Sure isoftenusedininformalconversationasastrongaffirmative
responseequivalenttoyes,certainly,ofcourse, etc.

10
DIALOG 5

Time
Margaret: Whattimeisit?

Toni: Itsaquartertofive.

Margaret: ArentwesupposedtobeatJimshousebyfiveoclock?

Toni: Fiveorfivethirty.Hesaiditdidntmakeanydifference.

Margaret: Thenmaybewecouldpickyoursuitupatthecleaners.

Toni: Sure,wehaveplentyoftime.

Language Notes
Itsaquartertofive. Thisisprobablythemostcommonwayof
statingthistime.OtherpossibilitiesareItsaquarteroffive orIts
fifteentillfive. (Itsfourfortyfive israrelyheardincasualconver
sation.)Fifteenminutesafterthehourwouldusuallybeexpressed
thus:Itsaquarterafterfive orItsaquarterpastfive. Wealso
hearItsfivefifteen (thoughthisislessfrequentincasualconver
sation).Analternativeformforfivethirty ishalfpastfive. For
timesotherthanthequarterhoursorhalfhour,numbersare
used:twentypastfive ortwentyafterfive,tentofive ortentill
five, etc.FrequentlythespeakerwillomittheIts orItsa and
answersimplyAquartertofive or Quartertofive. Somespeak
ersomitorobscurethea:Its(a)quartertofive.
Arentwesupposedtobe? Noticethatthenegativequestion
hereindicates,asitusuallydoes,thespeakersbeliefthathisas
sumptionistrue.Heexpectsanaffirmativeresponse,aconfirma
tion of his assumption. Supposed to = expected to; obliged to
(not as strong as required to). This meaning of suppose occurs
only in the passive. Other examples: Im supposed to prepare
aprogramforourEnglishClubmeetingnextweek.Theywere
supposedtobehereanhouragoIdontknowwheretheycan
be.Weresupposedtopracticethedialoguesathome,too.Chil
drenare supposed to obey their parents. Notice the difference
inintonationbetweentheyesnoquestioninlinec (risingintona
tion) and the whquestion in line a (falling intonation). By five
oclock =nolaterthanfiveoclock.

11
12
DIALOG 1

Hesaiditdidnt Inconversationtheconjunctionthat(Hesaid
thatitdidnt) isgenerallyomittedinreportedspeech,ashere.
Noticethesequenceoftenses:saiddidnt. Wheretheverbin
directspeechwouldbeinthepresenttense(Shallwecomeat
fiveorfivethirty?Eitherone.Itdoesnt makeanydifference.),
itispasttense(didnt) afterapasttenseintroductoryverb(said):
Hesaiditdidntmakeanydifference.

13
14
DIALOG 6

A TelephoneCall
(Phonerings)
Barbara: Hello.

Fred: Hello.MayIspeaktoAliceWeaver,please?

Barbara: JustaminuteAlice,itsforyou.

Alice: Hello.
Fred: Hi,Alice.ThisisFred.Wouldyouliketogotoa
movietonight?
Alice: Thanks,Idloveto.Ihaventbeentoamoviefor
alongtime.
Fred: Good.Illpickyouuparoundseventhirty,then.
Themoviestartsateight.
Alice: Fine,Illbeready.
(Phoneclicksdown)

Language Notes
AsimpleHello istheusualwayofansweringthetelephone.Busi
nessfirms,however,frequentlyidentifythemselveswhenanswer
ingthetelephone:JonesConstructionCompany, orGoodmorn
ing,JonesConstructionCompany, or,possibly,Jones
ConstructionCompany,Mr.Smithspeaking.
MayIspeaktoAliceWeaver,please? Apossiblealternativeis
IdliketospeaktoAliceWeaver. Orthepersoncallingmayiden
tifyhimself:Hello.ThisisFredYoung.MayIspeaktoAlice
Weaver,please?
Wouldyouliketo...? Thisisapoliteformofdoyouwantto?
Itshouldbecarefullydifferentiatedfromdoyouliketo? which
hasquiteadifferentmeaning.
Id love to = I would love to, a somewhat more enthusiastic
responsethanIdliketo. (Allofthesearepoliteequivalentsof
Iwantto.) Careshouldbetakentoincludedintheseexpres
sionsinbothspeechandwriting,todifferentiatethemfromIlove

15
 to andIliketo, whichdifferfromtheminmeaningaswellasin

form.Ihaventbeento =Ihaventgoneto. Otherexamples:

IhaventbeentoEnglandyet,butIhopetogotheresoon.

Haveyoubeenouttoday?Wevebeentothetheaterthree

timesthisweek.Wehadntbeenthereatalluntillastweekend.

ThisuseofBEisratherstrictlycolloquialandisgenerallylimited
totheperfecttenses.
Illpickyouup =Illcometoyourhousesothatwecango
together. Pickup isaseparabletwowordverb.Aroundseven
thirty =aboutseventhirtyperhapsafewminutesbeforeorafter
7:30.Toindicateamoreprecisetime,thespeakerwouldsayat
seventhirty.Toemphasizepunctualityortheexactnessofthe
appointedtime,aspeakermightsayatseventhirtysharp,at
eightoclocksharp,etc.(Noticethatoclock isoftenomittedin
theseexpressions.)
AlthoughthisdialogueendswiththelineFine,Illbeready, a
telephoneconversationusuallyendswitheachspeakersaying
goodbye. Whenyourstudentsperformthisdialogue,itwould
probablybeuseful,therefore,tohaveeachofthemsaygoodbye
attheendoftheconversation.

16
DIALOG 7

Happiness
Linda: Youlookhappytoday!

Frank: Iamhappy.IjustheardIpassedmyphysicsexam.

Linda: Congratulations!Imgladsomebodyshappy.

Frank: Why?Whatsthematter?

Linda: Oh,Imjustworried,IguessIhavetotakeahistory

examnextweek.

Language Notes
Notice the intonation of I am happy. This intonation, with the
strongeststressonam, istheemphatic,confirmatoryformnor
mallyusedinresponseposition(ashere).Itissimilar,inmeaning
andintonation,totheshortanswerform,Iamwhichmight,infact,
beusedhere,withtheweakstressedhappy simplydroppingoff.
IjustheardIpassed Noticethatthethat isomittedinthisbit
ofreportedspeech.Exam =examination. Physicsexam, acom
poundnoun,hastheprincipalstressonthefirstword.
Imgladsomebodyshappy. Notetheomissionofthat inreport
edspeech,andthestrongcontrastivestressonSOMEbody
(implyingthatthespeakerherselfisnot happy).
Whatsthematter? AcommonidiommeaningWhatistroubling
you?Whatiswrong?
Imjustworried. Herejust meansmerely,only. Inlineb(Ijust
heard...) itisusedinitsmeaningofveryrecently. Haveto =
must. Noticethe/f/inthepronunciationofthisidiom:/haefte/.
Historyexam. Seenoteonphysicsexam above.
Iguess =Ithink(that).

17
18
DIALOG 8

OrderingAMeal
(Restaurantsounds)
Waiter: Areyoureadytoordernow,sir?
Ralph: Yes.Illhavetomatosoup,roastbeef,mashedpotatoes,
andpeas.
Waiter: Thatstomatosouproastbeefmashedpotatoesandpeas.
Howdoyouwantthebeefrare,medium,orwelldone?
Ralph: Welldone,please.
Waiter: Anythingtodrink?
Ralph: Hmmmjustwater.Illhavecoffeewithmydessert.

Language Notes
Illhavetomatosoup,roastbeef,mashedpotatoes,andpeas.
Notice how the intonation rises on the last syllable of each item
intheseries.Notice,too,thattheverbinthisidiomishave, not
takeoreat.
Thewaiterpausesbrieflyashewriteseachiteminhisorderbook.
Rare, medium, or welldone? Notice the slightly rising intona
tion on the first two items of the series. Rare = slightly cooked.
Welldone,please. Noticethatthesubjectandverbareomitted
intheresponse;onlythenecessaryinformationisgiven.
Anythingtodrink? Noticethatthesubjectandverbareomitted.
The question is understood to mean something like Do you
wantanythingtodrink?Wouldyoulikeanythingtodrink?Will
youhaveanythingtodrink?
Hmmm isapausesound,usedwhilethespeakeristhinkingof
whathewantstosay.Justwater. Again,theresponseomitsthe
subjectandverbinfact,allthewordsexceptthoseneededto
supplythenecessary(new)information.Therestaresuppliedby
thecontext.Afullsentenceequivalentwouldbesomethinglike
Illjusthavewatertodrink. (Americanrestaurantscustomarily
servewaterwiththemeal,withoutrequest.)Illhavecoffee
Noticethattheverbinthisidiomishave (nottake ordrink):Ill
havecoffee(tea,milk,acoke,etc.).

19
20
DIALOG 9

Birthdays
Patty: Howoldareyou?

Susan: Nine...butIllbetenonMaysixteenth.

Patty: Imolderthanyou!IllbetenonMayfourteenth.

Susan: Areyougoingtohaveabirthdayparty?

Patty: Maybe.Illhavetoaskmymother.

Language Notes
Nine. AshortformequivalenttoImnineyearsold. Sixteenth.
Notice that the strongest stress in this word is on the second
syllable.(Thestresspattern,aswellasthefinal/n/,differentiates
sixTEEN fromSIXty.) Somespeakersinsertthe betweenthemonth
andthenumeral: Maythesixteenth,Maythefourteenth.
IllbetenonMayfourteenth. Noticethecontrastivestresson
the first syllable of FOURteenth. Normally, the stronger stress
falls on the second syllable of this word: fourTEENTH (like six
TEENTH inthelineabove).However,tobringoutthecontrast,
thespeakeremphasizesthecontrastingelement,four.
Goingto. TherhythmpatternofEnglishrequiresthatthisweak
stressed,potentiallythreesyllable,elementbereducedinlength.
In the process of reduction some of the consonants are lost or
modifiedandthevowelschangedtomorecentralized,laxforms.
Birthday party. Notice that the normal stress for a compound
nounfallsonthefirstelementofthecompound.
Maybe. Noticethattheintonationfallsonlyslightlyindicating
doubt,indecision,orlackofcompletion.Haveto. SeeDialog7.

21
22
DIALOG 10

A CrowdedTheater

(Theatermurmur)
Bob: Excuseme,isthisseattaken?

Larry: No.itisnt.

Bob: Wouldyoumindmovingoverone,somyfriendandI

cansittogether?
Larry: No,notatall.
Bob: Thanksalot.

Language Notes
Would you mind moving over one? Would you mind is a
polite request form meaning Are you willing to. Literally, it is
roughlyequivalenttoDoyouobjectto orDoyoudislike. There
fore,toindicatethatheiswillingtocomplywiththerequest,the
personansweringwilluseanegativeform,suchas No,notatall
orNo,ofcoursenot. BythishemeansNo,Idontmind =Iwill
be glad to. Moving. Notice that the verb following Would you
mind is in the ing form. Other examples: Would you mind
opening a window? Would you mind waiting a few minutes?
Wouldyoumindspeakingalittlemoreslowly? So =sothat
=inorderthat.
No,notatall =No,Iwouldntmindatall orNo,ofcoursenot.

23
 DIALOG 11

Mistakes

Bruce: WheredidJohngo?

Laura: Hewenttothedrugstore. (Pause)

Bruce: Tothebookstore?

Laura: No,Isaidhewenttothedrugstore.

Bruce: Oh,Imisunderstoodyou.Ithoughtyousaidbookstore.

Laura: Howcouldyoumakeamistakelikethat?Werentyou

payingattention?

Language Notes
Drugstore. Sincethisisacompoundnoun,theprincipalstressis
onthefirstsyllable.
Tothebookstore? ThisisanormallyshortenedformforDidyou
sayhewenttothebookstore?withtheomittedwordsunder
stood.Bookstore. Thisword,acompoundnoun,hastheprinci
palstressonthefirstsyllable.
Drugstore. Noticetheheavystressandslightlyhigherthanusual
intonationondrug, toemphasizethissyllable,ascontrastedwith
book inthelineabove.
Noticethedifferenceinintonationbetweenthehow question
andtheyesno question.

24
DIALOG 12

Games

George: Say,Joe,doyouplaybridge?

Joe: No,Idontplayanycardgames.ButIknowhowtoplay

chess.Howaboutyou,George?
George: Well,Ihappentobeoneofthebestchessplayersaround.
Joe: 0.K.Letsplay,then.Wellseewhosthebest

Language Notes
Say. Aninterjection,usedveryinformallyasanattentiongetter.
Idontplayanycardgames. Noticethestrongstressoncard.
Itisnormalforthiswordtobestressed,asitisthefirstelement
ofthecompoundnounCARDgames. Theunusuallystrongstress
hereimpliesthat,althoughthespeakerdoesntplaycardgames,
he does play other kinds of games (as, for instance, chess). I
know how to play chess. The idiom know how to, meaning to
be capable of, to have the skill to do something, is widely used.
Forexample:Doyouknowhowtoswim?Heknowshowtodrive
acar.Idontknowhowtowrite. Howaboutyou,George? inthis
casemeansDoyouplaychess,George?
Oneofthebestchessplayersaround =oneofthebestchess
playersinthisvicinity.Chessplayers isacompoundnoun,and
thereforehastheprincipalstressonchess.

25
26
DIALOG 13

Health

Jane: Ihearyouvebeenill.
Cathy: Well,Ihadthefluforacoupleofweeks,butIm
finenow.
Jane: Yourelookingwell.Bytheway,didyouhearabout
Mrs.Jackson?
Cathy: No,Whatabouther?
Jane: Shehadsuchabadcaseofthefluthattheyhadto
takehertothehospital.
Cathy: Oh,Imsorrytohearthat!

Language Notes
Ihearyouvebeenill. Noticetheomissionofthat, asisusualin
reportedspeechincasualconversation.
Well. Aninterjection,usedheresimplyasanintroductoryword.
Yourelookingwell. Herewell isanadjectivemeaninghealthy.
Are looking is, in this sentence, a linking verb. By the way =
incidentally.
Such athat is a typical result sentence. They had to take
her Thisisthegeneralthey. Thisclauseisequivalentinmean
ing tothepassiveShehadtobetaken.

27
28
DIALOG 14

Sports
Phil: Say,whatsyourfavoritesport?

Jack: Hmmmitshardtosay.IlikegolfalotbutIguess

Iliketennisbetter.
Phil: Doyouplaymuchtennis?
Jack: Yes,quiteabit.Howaboutagamesometime?
Phil: Sorry.Imstrictlyaspectatorfootball,baseball,basket
ball,golfIwatchthemall.

Language Notes
Say. Aninterjection.Seenote,Dialog12.
Hmmm isapausesound,indicatingthatthespeakeristhinking
aboutwhatheisgoingtosay.Itshardtosay =thatsadifficult
decisiontomake;itsdifficulttomakeaclearcutchoice. Iguess
=Ithink(that).
Quiteabit =alot,rathermuch.Howaboutagamesometime?
=Wouldyouliketoplaysometime?
Sorry. ThisisashortwayofsayingsomethinglikeNo,Imsorry,
butIdontplaytennis. Football,baseball,basketball,golf. Notice
theseriesintonation,withtherisingtonerecurringoneachitem
oftheseries.

29
30
DIALOG 15

AskingDirections
Streetnoises
Marilyn: ExcuseMe.CouldyoutellmewhichwayDobsons
bookstoreis?
Nancy: Yes,itsthatway.Yougotwoblocks,thenturnleft.Itson
thecorneroppositethepostoffice.
Marilyn: ThanksIveonlybeenintownafewdays,soIreallydont
knowmywayaroundyet.
Nancy: Oh,Iknowhowyoufeel.Wemovedhereayearago,andI
stilldontknowwhereeverythingis.

Language Notes
Couldyoutellme? Analternative(andslightlysofter)versionof
Can you tell me? Which way Dobsons bookstore is. Notice
thatintheindirectquestionthesubjectprecedestheverbthe
reverseofthewordorderinthedirectquestion(Whichwayis
Dobsonsbookstore?).
Postoffice. Acompoundnoun,withtheprincipalstressonthe
firstword.
Idontknowmywayaround =Idontknowhowtofind
things orIdontknowhowtogotovariousplaces.
I know how you feel. Notice how the indirect question (how
you feel) differs from the direct question (How do you feel?): it
hasthewordorderofastatementratherthanofaquestionthe
subjectwhollyprecedestheverb,andtheinterrogative do isomit
ted. Idontknowwhereeverythingis. Again,anindirectques
tion(whereeverythingis) hasthewordorderofastatement,
withsubjectprecedingtheverb,ratherthanofthecorresponding
directquestion(Whereiseverything?).

31
32
DIALOG 16

Coincidences

Allen: HaventIseenyousomewherebefore?

Julia: No,Idontthinkso.

Allen: Butyourfaceissofamiliar.WaitasecondIknow

WewereonthesameflighttoNewYorklastmonth.
Julia: Oh,yes.NowIremember.Whatacoincidencetomeet
inSanFrancisco!
Allen: Well,youknowwhattheysayitsasmallworld.

Language Notes
HaventIseenyousomewherebefore? Thenegativequestion
isequivalenttoIveseenyousomewherebefore,haventI? and
expressestheexpectationthatthespeakerssuppositionistrue.
What a! An exclamation denoting a great degree of surprise,
joy,disappointment,etc.Someotherexamplesofitsuse:Whata
surprisetoseeyouhere!Whatajoytohaveyouwithus!What
amisfortune!Whatashamethatyouhavetoleavesosoon!
Whatapityshecouldntcome!Whatawonderfulideathatis!
Youknowwhattheysay =Youknowthesaying Noticethe
wordorderoftheindirectquestionwhattheysay. Thisisan
instanceofthegeneralthey. Itsasmallworld isacommon
saying,orclich,amongnativespeakersofEnglish.

33
34
DIALOG 17

Safety
(Streetnoises)
Peter: Therestheshoestorewevebeenlookingfor.Itsjust
acrossthestreet.
Gail: Wait!Youcantcrossthestreetinthemiddleoftheblock!
Youhavetocrossatthecorner.
Peter: Oh,comeon.Letsgoacrosshere.
(Soundofcarscreeching)
Gail: Lookout!Younearlygothitbythatcar!Nowdoyousee
whyyoushouldcrossatthecorner?
Peter: Iguessyoureright.Illbemorecarefulafterthis.

Language Notes
Theresthe Thisisthepointingoutthere (theadverb,notthe
introductoryfunctionword),andthereforeitreceivesastrongstress.
Shoe store. A compound noun; therefore the first word is singu
larandreceivestheprincipalstress.Theshoestorewevebeen
lookingfor. Thisistheusual,naturalwaytosaythis,omittingthe
relativepronounandputtingtheprepositionattheend. Theshoe
storethatwevebeenlookingfor isalsopossible.However,for
which weve been looking is extremely unlikely in this natural
conversationalcontext.Noticehowthepresentperfectprogres
siveemphasizestheimmediate,continuousnatureoftheactivity.
Justacrossthestreet =directlyacrossthestreet,exactlyacross
thestreet.
Haveto /h<ft/.
Oh,comeon, asusedhere,meanssomethinglikeOh,dontbe
socarefulandscrupulous! Thephrasecomeon isfrequentlyused
tomeanHurryalong.Dontdelay! Noticethatthetwowordverb
comeON hasthestrongerstressontheadverbialelementon.
Lookout! =Becareful!Bealert! ThephraseWatchout means
thesamething.See =understand. Whyyoushouldcross. Notice
thattheindirectquestionhasthenormalwordorderofastatement,

35
 with the subject before the verb. (In the corresponding direct
questionthewordorderwouldbe: Whyshouldyoucross?)
Iguess =Ithink(that).

36
DIALOG 18

MusicalInstruments

(Soundofpianoplaying)
Anne: Listen!Somebodysplayingthepiano.

Betty: Yeah,itsoundsnice,doesntit?IwishIcouldplaya

musicalinstrument.
Anne: Dontyouplaytheviolin?
Betty: No,butmysisterdoes.Actually,shesprettygoodatit.
Anne: Itookflutelessonsforacoupleofyears,butIneverlearned
toplayverywell.IguessIdonthaveanymusicaltalent.
Betty: Oh,thatsnottrue.Yousingverywell.Icantevendothat!

Language Notes
Yeah. Aninformalvariantofyes. Doesntit? Thefallingintona
tiononthisquestiontagshowsthatitissimplyaconversational
element not requiring an answer. I wish I could Notice that
could isapasttenseform,asrequiredafterwish.
Dontyouplay? Thenegativequestionimpliesthatthespeaker
expects the answer to be affirmative. It is equivalent to You play
theviolin,dontyou? witharisingintonationonthefinalyou.
Mysisterdoes. Does isaproverb,standinginplaceoftheverb.
ThesentencemeansMysisterplaystheviolin.
Flutelessons. Acompoundnoun,withtheprincipalstresson
thefirstword.

37
 DIALOG 19

TakingAVacation
David: Didyousayyouregoingtotakeavacationnextmonth?
Ruth: Yes,myfamilyandIaregoingtoNewYorkforaweek.We
wanttovisitthemuseumsandseesomeplays.
David: Ienvyyou.Ihaventhadavacationforalongtime.Iwish
Icouldgetawayforawhile.
Ruth: Youcantakeavacationsometimesoon,cantyou?
David: No,therestoomuchworktodo.Maybenextyear,though.

Language Notes
Didyousayyouregoingto? Thiscouldalsobepasttense:
Did you say you were going to? However, the present form
(youre) seemsmorenatural.
MyfamilyandIaregoingtoNewYork. Noticethatthisgoing
to is the verb go followed by the preposition to. The going to in
the line above is the future marker, which is normally said with
weakstress,ashere.
IwishIcould Notetherequiredpasttense(could) afterwish.
Cantyou? Therisingintonationindicatesthatthisisaveritable
question,requiringananswer.
Theres too much work to do. Other examples of this pattern:
Therestoomuchequipmenttocarry.Therearetoomanypapers
tocorrect.Therearetoomanypeopletosee.Theresnotenough
foodtoeat.Thereisntenoughworktodo.Therearentenough
coursestotake.

38
DIALOG 20

Recipes
Shirley: Wouldyoulikesomecookies?Ijustmadethem.

Louise: Thankyou.Yes,Iwould.

Shirley: Thesearechocolate,andthosearealmondflavored.

Louise: IguessIlltryachocolateonefirst.Mmmmthisisdeli

cious.Aretheyhardtomake?
Shirley: No,theyrereallyquiteeasy.Waitaminute,Ivegotthe
reciperighthere.Seethesearetheingredients,andthen
youjustfollowthedirections.
Louise: Thatdoeslookeasy.IthinkIllmakesometonight.

Language Notes
Wouldyoulikesomecookies? isequivalenttoWouldyoulike
tohavesome(ofthese)cookies? Itisamorecourteousform
thanDoyouwantsomecookies? Just =veryrecently.
Achocolateone. Noticethatthestressfallsonchocolate, since
one, whenusedasapronoun,isnormallyunstressed.Mmmm is
asounddenotinggustatoryenjoyment.Aretheyhardtomake?
Ausefulpattern.Someadditionalexamples:Isthathardtodo?
Are these books difficult to read? Is that paper hard to write
on?Mynewcariseasytodrive.Theseshirtsareeasytowash
andiron.
Ivegottherecipe Alternativeform:Ihavetherecipe Just =
simply;only.
Thatdoeslookeasy. TheemphaticformofThatlookseasy.
Noticethestrongstressondoes.

39
40
DIALOG 21

Weather
(Windnoises)
Karen: Brrrr!Imcold.Ithoughtitwassupposedtoget
warmertoday.
Ed: Yeah,Ithoughtso,tooThatswhattheweathermansaid.
Karen: Itmustbethewindthatmakesitsocold.Imfreezing!
Ed: Me,too.Letsgoinside.
Karen: O.K.Itsnofunstandingouthere,evenifthesunisshining.

Language Notes
Brrrr! isasoundmadetoindicatethatthespeakerfeelsverycold.
It is sometimes pronounced with a trilled r or a bilabial trill. Was
supposed to = was expected to. The meaning of supposed to
hereisslightlydifferentthanin5,sincehereitcarriesnosenseof
obligation.Noticethatwassupposedto ispasttenseafterthought.
To get warmer = to become warmer (but become would rarely
beusedinthiscontextincasualconversation).
Yeah is a very informal form of yes. Thats what the weather
man said. A useful pattern. Some other examples: Thats what
theteachertoldus.ThatswhatMr.Johnsonsaid.Thatswhat
myfatheralwayssays.Thatswhatthestudentssay. Weather
man. Noticethatthiswordhasaprimarystressonthefirstsylla
bleandatertiarystressonthethirdsyllable:/werm<n/.Some
otherwordsendinginman thathaveatertiarystressonthefinal
syllablearemilmn,mlkmn,spermnsnwman. Somewords
with the suffix man, however, have an unstressed final syllable
(withaconsequentobscuringofthevowelsound).Amongthese
arefreman,gntleman,pstman,slesman,nglishman. Note
thatpstman andmalman areidenticalinmeaningbutdifferin
stresspattern.

41
 Itmustbethewind Thisisthemust ofprobabilityorsupposi
tion.Otherexamplesofthisusage:Itmustbegoingtorainits
sodarkoutside.Theymustnotbehomeyettheydidntanswer
thetelephone.Thattreemustbethirtyfeettallitshigherthan
theroofofthehouse. Noticethatthetwoits inthissentencehave
nodirectreferenceorantecedent.Thefirstoneisafunctionword
in the idiomatic structure It must be, while the second refers
onlyvaguelytotheweather.

42
DIALOG 22

HavingThingsDone
Steve: Excuseme.Iwonderifyoucanhelpme.

Mike: Sure.Whatisit?

Steve: Iwanttohavemyhaircut,butIcantfinda

barbershop.
Mike: Iknowwhereoneis.ComeonIllshowyou.

Language Notes
Iwonderif... Apoliteintroductiontoarequestforassistance.
Someotherexamples:Iwonderifyoucouldshowushowtoget
there.Iwonderifyouwouldmindmovingoverone,somy
friendandIcansittogether.IwonderifyoucantellmewhereI
canfindabarbershop.
Sure. See4.Whatisit? =Whatisityouwouldlikemetodo?
Noticethestressonis.
Havemyhaircut =havesomeonecutmyhair. Otherexamples
ofthecausativehave: IhadmyshoesshinedjustbeforeIcame.
Were going to have our house painted next year. You should
have that window repaired before the rainy season begins.
Barbershop. Acompoundnoun,withtheprincipalstressonthe
firstword.
Iknowwhereoneis. Noticethewordorderoftheindirectques
tion:thesubjectprecedestheverb.Noticethatthepronounone
isweaklystressed,andthestrongerstressisonis. See20.

43
 DIALOG 23

MailingLetters
Dean: Doyoumindifwestopbythepostoffice?1havetomail
theselettersandIdonthaveanystamps.
Carol: Oh,Ihavesome.Wedontneedtogoallthewayto
thepostoffice.
Dean: Thatwouldsavetime.Canyouletmehavetwoairmail
stampsandoneregularone?
Carol: Hereyouare.Areyousurethatsenough?
Dean: Yes,thatsfine.Nowallwehavetodoisfindamailbox.

Language Notes
Doyoumind? =Isitallrightwithyou? orDoyouhaveany
objection? This phrase is similar to, but somewhat more direct
than,Wouldyoumind? (see10).Itisfollowedbyanifclauseto
provideforthechangeofsubjectfromyou towe: Doyoumindif
westop? However,ifthespeakerwishessimplytorequestthe
hearertostopbythepostoffice(inwhichcasethereisnowein
volved,hencenochangeofsubject),hewilluseaning formcom
plement:Doyoumindstoppingbythepostoffice? Someaddi
tional examples of the if type: Do you mind if Mary and Fred
comewithus?Doyoumindifwetalkaboutthatlater,whenwe
havemoretime?DoyoumindverymuchifIdontcometosee
youtoday? Someexamplesoftheingtype:Doyoumindask
ing MaryandFredtocomewithus?Doyouminddiscussingthat
later, when we have more time? Do you mind very much post
poning ourvisituntiltomorrow? Postoffice. Acompoundnoun,
withtheprincipalstressonthefirstword.Haveto /h<ft/.
Thatwouldsavetime. Thestrongstressonwould andthefact
thattheintonationfallsonlypartiallyattheendindicateathought
ful,hesitantattitude.Canyouletmehave =Canyougiveme
Twoairmailstampsandoneregularone. Noticethecontrastive
stressonairmail andregular andontwo andone. Noticealsothe
weakstressonstamps andonthecorrespondingpronounone.

44
DIALOG 1

Mailbox isacompoundnoun,withthestressonthefirstpart.
Allwehavetodois =Theonlythingthatwemustdois,
Theonethingthatremainstobedoneis Someotherexam
ples:Ivefinishedwritingthestory;nowallIhavetodoisthink
ofatitle.Hesfinishedallhiscourses;nowallhehastodois
passtheexamination.Wevegotthedecorationsallreadyfor
theparty;nowallwehavetodoispreparethefood.

45
 DIALOG 24

Animals

Connie: Thatsabeautifulcat.Iwonderwhoitbelongsto.
Gary: ItbelongstotheBrowns.Theyliveacrossthestreetfrom
us.Theyhavethreecats,twodogs,andacanary.
Connie: Theycertainlymustlikepets!Buthowdoallthoseanimals
getalongwitheachother?
Gary: Dontaskme.AsktheBrowns!

Language Notes
Whoitbelongsto. Noticethewordorderofthisindirectquestion.
Theprepositionnaturallyfallsattheend.(Iwonderwhomitbelongs
to andIwondertowhomitbelongs arealsogrammaticallycor
rectbutsoundawkwardandinappropriateinthiscontext.)
Threecats,twodogs,andacanary. Noticetherisingintonation
onthefirsttwoelementsoftheseries.
Theycertainlymustlikepets. Thisisthemust ofsuppositionor
logicalinference(see21).Getalongwitheachother =livehar
moniouslyandcompatibly.

46
DIALOG 25

Shopping
Saleslady: CanIhelpyou?
Gloria: Yes,Imlookingforapairofwhitegloves.IthinkI
wearsizesix.
Saleslady: Thewhiteglovesareonthiscounter.Letsseeheres
asizesix.Theseareverynice,andtheyrewashable,too.
Gloria: Oh,Illtrythemon.Hmmmtheyseemtofit.How
mucharethey?
Saleslady: Fivedollars.
Gloria: Allright.Illtakethem.
Saleslady: Thatllbefivetwentywiththetax.

Language Notes
CanIhelpyou? orMayIhelpyou? isthewayasalesclerk
normallyapproachesacustomerwithanofferofassistance.
Sizesix. Womensglovesareusuallyavailableinquartersizes(6,
61/4,61/2,63/4,etc.).Mostwomenwearasizebetween6and8.
Thewhiteglovesareonthiscounter. Noticetheemphaticstress
onwhite andthis, whichthesalesladyiscontrastingmentallywith
othercolored glovesonother counters.Letssee Anexpression
usedwhenapersonwantstothinksomethingover,toponder,to
makeachoiceordecision,ortolookforsomething.
Illtrythemon. Tryon isaseparabletwowordverbmeaningto
testthefitorappearanceofagarmentbyputtingiton.See5.
Howmucharethey? =Howmuchdotheycost? Noticethat
theprimarysentencestressfallsonare inthisquestion(see 1).
Fivetwenty =fivedollarsandtwentycents($5.20).

47
48
DIALOG 26

Transportation
(Streetnoise)
Joyce: Shallwetakeataxiorabustothemeeting?

Bill: Wedbettertakeabus.Itsalmostimpossibletofindataxi

duringrushhour.
Joyce: Isntthatabusstopoverthere?
Bill: Yes...Oh,oh!Theresabusnow.Wellhavetoruntocatchit.
Joyce: 0.K.Oh,no!Wejustmissedit.
Bill: Nevermind.Therellbeanotheroneintenminutes.

Language Notes
Shallwe? =Doyouthinkweshould? (Will isneverusedfor
thismeaning.)Takeataxiorabus? Noticetherisingintonation
ontaxi andfallingintonationonbus inthisorsentence.
Wed better = We ought to; It would be wise to. Rush
hour = the time of day when most people are going to or from
workandthereforethetrafficisheaviest.InmostAmericancities,
rush hour is from seventhirty to nine in the morning and from
aboutfivetosixthirtyintheevening.NoticethatRushhour is
acompoundnoun,withtheprincipalstressonthefirstword.
Isntthat? Thenegativequestionexpressesanexpectationof
anaffirmativeanswer.Busstop isacompoundnoun,withtheprin
cipal stressonthefirstword.
Oh,oh! Anexclamationexpressingalarmorsuddencaution.
Noticethehightolowintonation.
Oh,no! Anexclamationexpressingsuddendisappointment,shock,
ordiscouragement.Noticetheemphaticstressandintonation. We
justmissedit =Wearrivedamomenttoolatetocatchthebus.
Nevermind =Itdoesntmatter;dontconcernyourself.

49
50
DIALOG 27

Comparing
Jean: Ithinkthismaterialismuchprettierthanthat,dontyou?
Lois: Well,Idontknow.Ilikethemboth.Whydoyoulikethat
onebetter?
Jean: Well,thedesignismoreinterestingandthecolorsare
brighter.Anditsnotasexpensive,either.
Lois: Oh,Iseewhatyoumean.Andbesides,thesecolorsaremore
becomingtoyou.
Jean: Doyoureallythinkso?Illbuyit,then.

Language Notes
Ithinkthismaterial Noticethattheconjunctionthatintroduc
inganindirectstatementisoftenomittedincasualconversation.
Muchprettier. Much isacommonintensifierforcomparative
adjectivesandadverbs:muchharder,muchmoredifficult,much
lessuseful, etc.Alot isalsousedforthispurpose:alotprettier,
alotmorepractical,alotmoreexpensive. That =thatmaterial.
Dontyou? Therisingintonationindicatesatruequestion,requir
ingananswer.
Ilikethemboth =Ilikebothofthem. Thatone referstoapiece
ofmaterialapparentlynearthefirstspeaker,whoreferredtoitas
this material.
I see what you mean = I understand (why you like it). These
colors aremorebecomingtoyou. Thestrongstressonare indi
cates,inthiscase,somethinglike: NowthatIhavereallythought
aboutit,orTakingeverythingintoconsideration Becoming
toyou. Becoming isanadjectivemeaningsuitableinappearance;
havinganattractiveeffect.
Then =inthatcase;sincethatisso.

51
 DIALOG 28

Pastimes

Roger: Whatdoyoudoinyoursparetime?

Barry: Oh,nothingspecial.IreadwatchTVgotothemovies.

Roger: Dontyouhaveanyhobbies,likestampcollectingorthings

likethat?
Barry: No,Idonthaveanyhobbies.Howaboutyou?
Roger: Ihavejustonephotography.Itsexpensive,butitsa
lotoffun.

Language Notes
Sparetime =leisure;extratime;freetime.
Nothingspecial =noparticularthing. Iread...watchTV...
gotothemovies. Noticetherisingintonationonthefirsttwo
elementsoftheseries.
Stampcollecting. Acompoundnoun.Thereforetheprincipal
stressfallsonthefirstword.
Howaboutyou? =Doyouhaveanyhobbies? Thisquestion
Howaboutyou? hastheeffectofdirectingtheoriginalquestion
backtotheotherspeaker.
Just =only.

52
DIALOG 29

Weddings
Bonnie: Guesswhat!PaulandSusanareengaged!

Janice: Really?Whendidthathappen?

Bonnie: Aweekago.Theymetlastsummerandnow,justthink

theyllbemarriedsoon.
Janice: Havetheysetadateforthewedding?
Bonnie: No,notyet.ButSusansaystheydliketogetmarriedin
NovemberorDecember.ThentheyllgotoHawaiifortheir
honeymoon.

Language Notes
Guesswhat! =Ihavesomethingimportanttotellyou.
Really? ThisisarejoindermeaningOh,thatsinteresting! Itis
frequentlyusedinconversationinthisway.Inthisusage,really
simplyexpressesananimatedinterestinthepreviousspeakers
remark,itdoesnotquestionthetruthfulnessoftheremark.
Justthink Thisphraseindicatesthatthespeakerisreflecting
withinterestonwhathasjustbeensaidor(asinthiscase)on
whatheisgoingtosaynext.
Setadate =decidedonadaywhenitwilltakeplace.
Theydlike =theywouldlike =theywant. Theydlike isalittle
softer,alittlelesspositive,thantheywant.

53
 DIALOG 30

Effort
Debbie: Igiveup!IsimplycantlearnFrench!
Helen: Whydoyousaythat?Ithinkyouremakingalot
ofprogress.
Debbie: No,Imnot.ItryandtryandIstillcantspeakit
verywell.
Helen: Learninganylanguagetakesalotofeffort.Butdont
giveup.Whydontwepracticethosedialogstogether?
Debbie: Goodidea.Thatjustmighthelp.

Language Notes
Giveup =stoptrying;abandoneffort. Simply =absolutely,
completely,clearly.
Itryandtry =Itryagainandagain. Otherexamplesofrepetition
oftheverbtoexpresscontinuousorrepeatedactivity:Ireadand
read,andIstillcantunderstandit.Hewritesandwrites,buthe
neverproducesaworthwhilecomposition.Thechildrenplay
andplaythatgameandneverseemtogettiredofit.
Goodidea =Thatsagoodidea. Thatjustmighthelp =That
might,infact,beahelpfulthingtodo.

54
 ~ "' ,..
~

J
II""" -

- II
 DIALOGS FOR EVERYDAY USE
Short Situational Dialogs
for Students of English as a Foreign Language

J ULIA M. D OBSON / D EAN C URRY, E DITOR

This is a collection of 30 situational dialogs which focus on a

wide variety of communicative and natural encounters in Eng-
lish. Each dialog is accompanied by language notes that pro-
vide useful information on grammar and intonation patterns.
Also available with this book and More Dialogs for Everyday
Use is an audiocassette of all the dialogs which allow for stu-
dents to use this book for self-directed study programs.

04159

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of English Language Programs