English for Tour Guides

Vocabulary (nouns)
Word Meaning Example sentence
activities things to do There are lots
of activitiesthat the
whole family will enjoy.
architecture design of a building The architecture of this
building is typical of the
Renaissance age.
art gallery place to look at We are going to visit
professional the art gallery where
paintings and local painters exhibit
drawings their art.
attractions places for tourists The water park is our
to see most recent attraction .
bearings feeling for If you're having trouble
understanding one's getting
location/surroundin your bearings just
gs in an unknown remember that the
area mountains are west.
business district area in a city that Keep in mind that this is
has many offices thebusiness district so
that grocery store may
be expensive.
castle a building for No one has lived in
royalty thiscastle since the last
king died twenty years
ago.
church a place to worship The church is the central
God meeting place in this
town.
conveniences things that make There you will find all of
life easier yourconveniences, from
suntan lotion to
shampoo.
custom something people of It's a custom to hang
a region do often beads in the windows at
this time of year.
en route on the way While we are en route to
the hotel I will point out
the beach and the golf
course.
entertainment a place where there If you want to catch a
district are theatres and movie while you're here,
concert halls theentertainment
district is off to your
left.
exception something/someone With the exception
that does not follow ofJohnson Street, it is
the usual rules or safe to walk around here
expectations at night.
exhibition objects (i.e. art) It may be tough to find
displayed for a parking with the
short time for the carexhibition on this
public to view week.
grocery place to buy food to Since you have a
store/supermark take home kitchenette at your hotel
et you will need to know
where the grocery
store is.
highlight the best part People often say that
thehighlight of their trip
is the botanical gardens.
legend a person or story According to an
known for a long old legend,a sea
time monster lives in this lake.
lobby front entrance We will meet in
the lobby at 8 am sharp.
locals people who live in The locals are usually
an area happy to show tourists
around.
location place where This location is the best
something can be because you don't need
found to bother renting a car.
map shows roads and I'll give you each
directions to places a map so you can follow
along as we walk.
market place to buy fresh Every Sunday there is a
food and farmer's market on
homemade items Wade Street.
monument a statue/structure This monument honours
that honours an the men and women who
event or person died during the war.
museum a place where The museum charges a
historical items are small fee for adults, but
displayed children are free.
necessities things that people We recommend that you
need for every day only carry necessities in
living your purse and leave
everything else at the
hotel.
original state the way something Except for the roof, this
appeared from the home has been left in
beginning itsoriginal state.
photograph picture taken with a You may not
camera takephotographs here,
but you can purchase a
postcard.
postcard a card with a The gift shop has many
picture on one great souvenirs, such
side(usually an aspostcards of the
object or place that beautiful waterfalls.
tourists see) that
can be mailed
without an envelope
questions or things that tourists The plane almost missed
concerns may want to say or therunway because it
ask was such a bad storm.
request something that has The driver has made
been asked for arequest that you throw
politely all of your garbage in the
bin at the front on your
way out.
restaurant part of a town/city You will see there are
district with many places to many more eateries to
eat choose from when we
head to therestaurant
district.
ritual tradition, custom, It is an old
action (religious or native ritual to dance
cultural) that people during the sunrise.
do often
scenery natural beauty to It is impossible to
look at capture the beauty of
this sceneryin pictures.
settlers people who first The
made a home in an original settlers relied
area on oxen to carry their
wares.
shopping district area of town where You may want to save
there are many some spending money
stores because we'll be visiting
theshopping
district this afternoon.
site place,location This is the site of a very
famous battle.
stairway/stairwel steps going up or The stairwell is very
l down steep, so please watch
your step.
street people people who live on You may be surprised
the street, often how many street
begging for money people ask you for
money.
surroundings things that you see I hope you enjoy the
around you castle and
its surroundings,includi
ng the secret garden.
voice the sound you I apologize for
make when my voicetoday as I have
speaking a bit of a cold.
voucher a piece of paper Don't forget to bring
that shows you yourvoucher for a free
have paid coffee in the hotel lobby.
waterfront piece of land next There will be plenty of
to an ocean, lake, live entertainment down
or river at thewaterfront.
window glass that you look We can peer in
out the windowbut I think
they are probably closed
for the day.

Vocabulary (verbs)
Word Meaning Example sentence
arrive reach a I am glad to see you
destination all arrived safely.
close to finish We will close the tour with
a view of the city at sunset.
continue on keep going If you're all finished looking
here, we willcontinue
on with the tour.
depart leave The last ferry departs at
4pm, so make sure you
don't miss it.
enjoy have a good I have enjoyed meeting all
experience of you today.
expect think that You probably
something will weren't expecting to see
be/happen a snow.
certain way
permit allow You are permitted to have
a beverage on the bus, but
please do not eat any food.
proceed go forward Please proceed all the way
to the back of the bus.
raise (a hand) lift If you have any questions
during the tour,
please raise your hand.
recommend suggest We recommend that you
only keep a small amount of
cash in your wallet.
refer suggest I will gladly refer you to my
favourite restaurants, if you
are interested.
relax sit back and Tomorrow you will have a
enjoy time in day to justrelax on the
peace beach.
showsomeonearound take people to When we get to the
see an area museum someone else
will show us around.
sit back relax in a Please sit back and enjoy
seated the bus tour.
position
speak up talk louder If you need me to speak
up or slow down, please let
me know.

Vocabulary (adjectives)
Word Meaning Example sentence
ancient very old The ancient village has
been left untouched.
beautiful/gorgeous very nice You will
looking find beautiful homemade
jewellery in that shop.
breathtaking when a view is Under the starlight the
very impressive waterfall is
simply breathtaking.
customary traditional It is customary to shake
hands and bow as you
enter.
dangerous not safe It is dangerous to accept a
ride from a local.
devastating very sad, The tsunami
unfortunate was devastating for local
hotels.
elegant attractive, yet There is an elegant dining
simple room for guests to eat in.
enormous very large This enormous sculpture
stands one-hundred feet
high.
exciting makes one feel It's so exciting to see new
very places, isn't it?
happy/energeti
c
extensive covers a lot This house has
an extensive history, and
you can read more in the
brochures.
fascinating very interesting It is fascinating to know
to learn how people lived back then.
about/see
haunted believed to The house is said to
have ghosts be haunted and no one has
living there lived in it for fifty years or
more.
heritage of historical The government named this
importance school as aheritage site last
year.
international around the Every year it is
world an internationalcelebration
 , with people coming from
as far away as Africa.
lovely very nice This is a lovely place to sit
(appearance or and watch the local birds.
personality)
magnificent amazing This part of town is known
for itsmagnificent wall
murals.
popular liked by many June is the
most popular time for
tourists to come here.
prevalent very noticeable Crime is prevalent in the
old parts of town.
reconstructed built again The village
was reconstructed after
the major fire in 1910.
restored returned to its All of the antique furniture
original state has been
professionally restored.
safe not dangerous The water is safe to drink
here.
scenic nice to look at We will go up to the balcony
(nature) for ascenic view of the
grounds.
superb very good (i.e. The children put on
service, food, a superb concert at
entertainment) Christmas time.
thrilling exciting Cliff jumping is
a thrilling experience for
those of you who aren't
afraid of heights.
unbelievable too It is unbelievable what
amazing/strang some of these street
e to seem true entertainers can do.
visible able to be seen The top of the tower may
not be visible because of
the fog.

Answering Questions
As a tour guide you will face new challenges every
day. One of the hardest parts of your job may be
answering questions. Unlike a speech that you can
memorize, you won't always know what questions
people will ask. However, you can anticipate
certain types of questions and certain ways that
questions will be asked. You should also learn how
to use variety when you answer questions or
respond to comments. You may lose interest in
your job if you say the same thing each time.
Finally, it is important to know how to politely
explain that you don't understand a question.

Tour Guide
Do you have a question, Sir?
Yes? (if you see a hand raised)
Is there something I can help you with?
I'll try my best to answer your questions.
I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that. (Sorry I don't know.)
That's an interesting question.
I wish I knew the answer. (Sorry, I don't know.)
Hmm.That's a tough (difficult) question.
I'll have to look into that further.
I'll have to ask someone about that.
Hmm. I've never been asked that before.
Pardon my English; I don't quite understand your question.
I'm not sure, but I can find out for you.

Tourist
Where is the ______ from here?
 How long has _______ been here?
Where are we headed (going)now?
What time does _______ stay open until?
What else is there to do here?
Which _________ do you recommend?
Are we allowed to take pictures?
What's that over there? (tourist points)
Where's the best place to buy _______?
My son wants to know if _________? (parent asking a question
for shy child)
Do you know where the nearest washroom is?
Could you tell us where the nearest bank is?
You don't happen to have a first-aid kit, do you?

Sample Conversation
If you have any questions while we're going along, please
Guide:
don't hesitate to ask.

Man: I have a question actually.

Guide: Sure, what's that?

Man: Where's the best place to have dinner around here?

Well, that's a tough question. There are so many good

Guide:
restaurants. My personal favorite is Spaghetti Alley.

Man: How do we get there?

I'll point it out when we pass it. It's going to come up on

Guide:
your right in a few minutes.

My daughter wants to know if we're going to be be passing

Woman:
any castles today?

Guide: Castles. No I'm afraid all of the castles are further into the
city. We're going to be staying near the coast today. I can
 give you a map of the city, though. It shows where all of
the castles are.

Man: Sorry, I have another question.

Guide: No problem. That's what I'm here for.

Are we allowed to take pictures once we get inside the

Man:
museum?

Oh, I'm glad you asked that. I forgot to mention that

taking photographs inside the art gallery and the museum
Guide: is prohibited. However, you can take pictures of the
grounds and the outside of the buildings. The architecture
is beautiful.

Woman: Oh, and what time will we be stopping for lunch?

We'll break around noon and meet back at the bus at

Guide:
12:45 sharp.

Showing Places of Interest

Silence can be uncomfortable during a tour.
While you can't talk the whole time, you
should try to know as much about the
history, scenery, and culture (in English) for
the places where you are giving tours so
that you can keep the tourists interested. If
you ever run out of something to say, you
can always point out something such as a
landmark or a type of tree or flower. Here
are some different ways you can point out
interest points during the tour.
Tour Guide
In front of you is...
On your right/left you will see...
Up ahead...
On your left you will see...
As we turn the corner here, you will see...
In the distance...
If you look up you will notice...
Off to the north...
Look to the east...
To your west...
In a few minutes we'll be passing...
We are now coming up to...
As you will see...
You may have noticed...
Take a good look at...
I'd like to point out...
Keep your eyes open for...

Tourist Questions
Is that the...you were talking about?
Are we going to pass the...?
Are we going to see any...?
Is it on the right or the left?
I don't see it. Can you point it out again?
Did I miss it?
Will we see it on the way back?

Sample Conversation
It's about a three minute ride up to the top of the
Guide: mountain. As we pass the two towers the gondolla may
sway a little.

Man: This thing is safe, right?

 Yes, you don't have anything to worry about. We do about
100 trips a day up the mountain, and these tours have
Guide: been going on for over ten years without any accidents.
Keep your eyes open for wildlife as we ascend. It isn't
uncommon to see deer and even bears.

Woman: What's that mountain to the left called?

That's Mount Karen. And to the right of that with the three
small points is Mount Brown. Now, if you look up straight
Guide:
ahead, you should be able to see a large eagle's nest. Does
everyone see it there?

Man: Are there any baby birds?

That's a good question. I haven't seen any yet, but we

Guide:
usually see them around this time of year.

What's that lake down there, to the right of the green

Woman:
meadow?

I'm glad you asked. That's John Lake. It's actually a man
made pond that was built as part of a conservation effort
over twenty years ago. During the 70's there was a lot of
Guide:
clearcutting of forests in the area, and much of the wildlife
was lost. Since John Lake was built, ducks, swans, and
geese have returned to the area.

Man: Is this the highest mountain in this region?

No, actually, Mount Heather, which you we will be able to

see in just a minute or so has the highest peak. But, this is
Guide:
the highest mountain for recreational purposes like skiing
and guided tours.

Woman: Can you ski throughout the year?

 No, it warms up enough to actually suntan up there in the
Guide: summer. Oh, look everyone. There are two deer feeding in
the clearing right below us.

Thanks, that should be a great photo. So... what is there to

Man:
do besides ski at the top of the hill at this time of year?

Oh, there's plenty to do. We have horseback riding,

snowmobile tours, and a petting zoo for children. If you
Guide:
look to your left you'll see the snowmobile trail going
through the mountain.