SYKES ACADEMY DAY 12

IDIOM OF THE DAY: Move the goalposts

During the course of action, if someone moves the goalposts, they change the rules or conditions.
Examples: “The customer was complaining because the company changed the goalposts, and he disagrees
with the new conditions.”

/dƷ/ vs. /y/

(Jess vs. Yes)

/dƷ/: To make this sound, practice the previously covered sound /t∫/ (ch) but USE your voice.

/y/: To make this sound, begin to make /i/ (as in the word ‘eat’), but quickly move your tongue to make the
next sound. Do not touch the roof of your mouth with your tongue.

(Illustration taken from Pronunciation Pairs.

Cambridge University Press, 2007.)

Spelling Rules / /Ĵ/

- ALL y at the beginning of words: yellow, you
- Before SOME u at the beginning of words: university, use
- Before SOME /u:/ after some consonants: beautiful, few, argue, queue, music, pure
- Exception: Europe
Spelling Rules / ʤ/
- ALL j: jam, job
- ALL g before e: general, manage
- ALL dge: judge
- SOME g before i: ginger, imagine

Exercise 1: Listen to your teacher read the following sentences. Choose the word you hear. Check with your
teacher once you are done with the exercise.

1. Their son went to jail / Yale.

2. Did you taste the jam / yam.
3. I didn’t get the joke / yolk.
4. I don’t like Jell-O / yellow.
5. What juice / use is that?
6. Jess / Yes, let’s go.
 SYKES ACADEMY DAY 12

Exercise 2: Read the following dialogue with your partner. Make sure you correctly pronounce the sounds
previously covered.

Yoko: Excuse me. You look familiar. Did you use to live in New York?
Jack: Yes.
Yoko: Did you use to work at NYU?
Jack: Yes. I taught yoga there for two years.
Yoko: Did you know John Young? He was a yoga student.
Jack: John Young? Did he use to drive a big jeep?
Yoko: Yes, he did. And he used to play the piano with a jazz group at the university.
Jack: Oh yeah. I remember John. A lot of people thought he was a little…young, no pun intended. Do you know
what he’s doing now?
Yoko: He lives in Europe, and he’s a musician. He’s also an executive with a peculiar computer company. I just saw
an interview with him on TV last year.
Jack: Wow. I guess he’s not so young anymore!

(From: Sounds English: A Pronunciation Practice Book. Longman, 1989)

Yo-Yo Pro
Yesterday when Sawyer was with his dad looking at used cars for sale, he saw one of the salesmen playing with a
yo-yo. The man was performing a lot of unique tricks while Sawyer watched in amazement. He wanted to learn
how do use the yo-yo like that. He asked the salesman how long he had used a yo-yo. The man told him he had
practiced since he was eight years old.

"My first yo-yo was yellow," he recalled. "I bought it at a yard sale with money I made selling homemade yogurt. I
had to save up for a few weeks."

The man went on to tell Sawyer how he grew up in Europe and didn't have much money as a child. His father
worked for a utility company. He and his younger brother sold yogurt and anything else they could to help make
money for their family.

"After I bought my yo-yo and got really good, I started to charge people for lessons. One night my dad yelled at me
because he thought it was unusual and a waste of time. When I showed him how much money I made, he
apologized and happily said, 'You better keep doing that'," the salesman said.

"Can you teach me how to use the yo-yo?" asked Sawyer, "I think your yo-yo tricks are awesome."

"Yes, I would be happy to show you how to become a young yo-yo master," the man said, "If you really want to
perform for others, I'll teach you how to use the yo-yo while riding around on a unicycle."

"Wow! Really?" said Sawyer, "That would be great. When can we start?"
 SYKES ACADEMY DAY 12

The Use and Non-Use of Articles

Definition of articles

English has two types of articles: definite (the) and indefinite (a, an.) The use of these articles depends mainly
on whether you are referring to any member of a group, or to a specific member of a group:

1. Indefinite Articles: a and an

A and an signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group. These indefinite articles
are used with singular nouns when the noun is general; the corresponding indefinite quantity word some is used
for plural general nouns. The rule is:

a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy

an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant

If the next word begins with a vowel sound when we say it, for example “hours” then we use an. The h in this case
is a silent sound.

a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo -zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y'
sound, so 'a' is used) Another example is the word “university”

some + plural noun: some girls

* * Some also indicates a nonspecific quantity or amount.

If the noun is modified by an adjective, the choice between a and an depends on the initial sound of the adject ive
that immediately follows the article:

✓ a broken egg
✓ an unusual problem
✓ a European country (sounds like 'yer-o-pi-an,' i.e. begins with consonant 'y' sound)

Note also that in English, the indefinite articles are used to indicate membership in a profes sion, nation, or religion.

✓ I am a teacher.
✓ Brian is an Irishman.
✓ Seiko is a practicing Buddhist.

The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is particular or specific. The signals that
the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a group. Compare the indefinite and definite articles in
the following examples:
 SYKES ACADEMY DAY 12

Indefinite (a or an) Definite (the)

a dog (any dog) the dog (that specific dog)

Singular
an apple (any apple) the apple (that specific apple)

some dogs (any dogs) the dogs (those specific dogs)

Plural
some apples (any apples) the apples (those specific apples)

The is not used with non-countable nouns referring to something in a general sense:

✓ [no article] Coffee is a popular drink.

✓ [no article] Japanese was his native language.
✓ [no article] Intelligence is difficult to quantify.

The is used with non-countable nouns that are made more specific by a limiting modifying phrase or clause:

✓ The coffee in my cup is too hot to drink.

✓ The Japanese he speaks is often heard in the countryside.
✓ The intelligence of animals is variable but undeniable.
✓ The is also used when a noun refers to something unique:
✓ the White House
✓ the theory of relativity
✓ the 1999 federal budget

Note: Geographical uses of the

Do not use the before:

Names of countries (Italy, Mexico, Bolivia) except the Netherlands and the US names of cities, towns, or states
(Seoul, Manitoba, Miami) names of streets (Washington Blvd., Main St.)

Names of lakes and bays (Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie) except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes

Names of mountains (Mount Everest, Mount Fuji) except with ranges of mountains like the Andes or the Rockies or
unusual names like the Matterhorn names of continents (Asia, Europe)

Names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except with island chains like the Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the
Canary Islands
 SYKES ACADEMY DAY 12

Do use the before:

Names of rivers, oceans and seas (the Nile, the Pacific)

Points on the globe (the Equator, the North Pole)

Geographical areas (the Middle East, the West)

Deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas (the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula)

(Taken from: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/lab/lfairushe.html)

Exercise 1. Fill each blank with ‘a', ‘an', ‘the' or leave it blank.

1. He left _____ home without informing anyone.

2. There is _____ box of sweets on _____ table.

3. Do you need _____ degree in Economics or _____ degree in finance to be _______ better manager?

4. When we arrived, she went straight to _____ kitchen and started to prepare _____ meal for us.

5. He has _____ cut on his leg and _____ bruise on _____ chin.

6. _____ Mt. Everest is _____ highest mountain in _____ world.

7. Switch off _____ air-conditioner please. I have _____ cold.

8. We reached _____ top of _____ hill during _____ afternoon.

9. Do you like _____ weather here? Isn't it too hot during _____ day but it is very cold at _____ night?

10. _____ attempt has been made to collect _____ funds to start _____ public library in _____ town
where I live.

Articles Exercise: A, An, or (Nothing)

1. There were many dogs in the park. One dog was _______ Dalmatian.

2. Pandas and _______ tigers are both endangered animals.

3. She is wearing _______ blue dress with red earrings.

4. Hawaii is _______ island in the Pacific Ocean.

5. Christmas comes once _______ year.

 SYKES ACADEMY DAY 12

Exercise 2. Complete with a, an or the

_______ raging pipeline fire in Jesse, Delta State which killed over 700 people last weekend was yesterday
extinguished by _______ United States fire-fighting company by suffocating _______ flames with _______
thick nitrogen-rich layer of foam. Workmen from _______ Houston, Texas-based Company BJ Services spent
less than _______ hour shooting nitrogen-rich foam from hoses onto _______ pipeline before finally choking
out _______ fire which raged on for days. A company official said they had extensive experience in oil fires,
and approached _______ government about putting out _______ blaze.

The explosion and fire erupted while over 1,000 people were trying to collect gasoline spilling from the
damaged government-owned pipeline. Hundreds of people were believed to have been injured, but many
have refused medical care or fled from hospitals, fearing they might be arrested for either causing _______
fire or scavenging gas.

Further Practice: Check the websites and take the quizzes.

http://perso.wanadoo.es/autoenglish/gr.an.i.htm

Regular Comparatives and Superlatives

Comparatives and Superlatives are special forms of adjectives. They are used to compare two or more things.
Generally, comparatives are formed using -er and superlatives are formed using -est. This page will explain the
rules for forming regular comparatives and superlatives, and also show some basic ways of using them.

Forming regular comparatives and superlatives

How these forms are created depends on how many syllables there are in the adjective. Syllables are like
"sound beats". For instance, "sing" contains one syllable, but "singing" contains two -- sing and ing. Here are
the rules:
SYKES ACADEMY DAY 12
 SYKES ACADEMY DAY 12
Exercise

Read the following passage. Write the correct comparative and superlative forms of the adjectives in
parentheses in the blank spaces.

Hi Jenny, my name is Cathy and I’m calling from Technoglobics, we are a computer repair business located in your
local area of Crows Nest. The reason for my call today Jenny is that a friend of yours, Marcia, recently had us repair
her desktop and she kindly passed on your details. She was _______ (happier) with us than any other company.

Can I ask Jenny, how many PC’s do you have at home? And how are they working out for you in terms of speed and
storage? Which one is the _________ (fast)? How have you found your current PC repairer to be?

Jenny, we specialize in repairs to home PC’s and we’re known widely in the area because we are the
_______________ (efficient) and the one with the _____________ (quality) of our work – in fact you may have
seen us in the local paper only last month when we won the small business award in our category.

Now Jenny, you said earlier that your children’s’ computer is the _ _______ (slow) and we understand how
frustrating that can be when they have homework and assignments to complete. We currently have an offer where
we fully service your machine and increase its memory. We also give you a free storage card for free! We do a ll of
this for only $149 which saves you over $100, which I’m sure you’d agree is __________ (cheap) for families like
yours than other offers.

Jenny this offer is only valid for another 10 days and if you take advantage of it now, I will also give you a 30 day
free wireless internet trial. I can fit you in for that on Thursday or Saturday. Which is a ________ (good) day for you
to bring that in?

Choose the correct answer

1. Of all the clients I’ve seen so far, this one is 4. Samantha is just as patient _____ David.
______ A. to
A. nicest B. than
B. the nicest C. as
C. the nice D. that
D. most nice
5. Jorge was the _______ agent that year.
2. I’m not short. I’m just ______ smart as Hans A. better
A. than B. best
B. to C. boring
C. that D. worse
D. as
6. This building is a long way away but Heredia is
3. Cisco is big but AT&T is ______ . even _______ .
A. biger A. more far
B. bigger B. farther
C. cold C. father
D. biggest D. further
 SYKES ACADEMY DAY 12
7. She’s beautiful I agree, but her Mother is ______
. 9. This one is better _____ that one.
A. a problem A. like
B. more beautiful B. as
C. most beautiful C. than
D. beautifuller D. to

8. Canada was much colder _______ Costa Rica. 10. This account is bad, but that one is _____ .
A. than A. wurst
B. as B. badder
C. like C. worse
D. to D. worst

EXERCISE: Choose the best phrasal verb to complete each of the following sentences

1. Though it's a little hard to _____________ ( =

decipher), the artist's signature is right there. 6. My colleague will _______________. = My colleague
make out will give you a tour.
put out take you out
see out show you around
cheer you up
2. You can try the hat ______________ to see if it fits.
in 7. The war _______________ ( = started) soon after
on the archduke was assassinated.
up broke out
broke off
broke up
3. The king then _______________ ( = summoned) the
army in order to crush the rebellion. 8. They _______________ destroying most of the
called out historic buildings. = In time, they destroyed most of the
called off historic buildings.
called in came up
ended up
4. _______________ ( = take a look at) this yellow put off
building on the right.
Check out 9. You can use the metro to _______________. ( = to
Check up travel from place to place)
Check off run around
get around
5. This was built to ______________ the enemy out of come around
the city. ( = to make sure that the enemy didn't enter
the city) 10. Let's _______________ ( = review) your itinerary.
take go around
out go away to
keep go over
 SYKES ACADEMY DAY 12

VOCABULARY - RESERVATIONS, CHECK-IN, CHECK-OUT

1. Vacancies 9. Along
2. Several 10. Bottom
3. Arrival 11. Business
4. To list under (somebody) 12. Flight
5. Cardholder 13. Approximately
6. Hesitate 14. Settle
7. Pleasure 15. Bill
8. Receipt 16. Guestbook

Role-play Shanghai trip:

Scenario: The Smith Family is planning to travel from New York to Shanghai next week. M r. and Mrs. Smith
have received the e-tickets. They have been using Hotel Beds to make all the flight and hotel bookings. They
discovered that one of their children has no flight ticket at all and the other child has been booked as an adult.
They are also vegetarian and need special food on the flight. The family needs visas, but the travel agency has
not provided any information or assistance with this. Make sure you use articles and comparative and
superlative adjectives correctly during your performance.

Caller Role-card Agent Role-card

You are feeling fed up as the travel agency has
provided very little efficient service so far, and the
vacation is supposed to start next week. There are
three main things to sort out during this call:
1. The children’s bookings need to be corrected
2. Check vegetarian meals ordered
3. Find out what needs to be done to secure the
tourist visa for China
Make a list of other things that you are worried
about.
You have a customer who is feeling fed up because
there are problems with the bookings and Express
Chinese visas are required. The colleague who took
the original call has now left Hotel Beds. He/she was
a bit lazy, and you now have to work very hard to
assist this family.
Write down ideas/expressions you may want to use
with this caller.
 SYKES ACADEMY DAY 12
READINGS

Making Reservations

Receptionist: Good morning. Welcome to The Grand Woodward Hotel.

Client: Hi, good morning. I'd like to make a reservation for the third weekend in September. Do you have any
vacancies?
R: Yes sir, we have several rooms available for that particular weekend. And what is the exact date of your
arrival?
C: The 24th.
R: How long will you be staying?
C: I'll be staying for two nights.
R: How many people is the reservation for?
C: There will be two of us.
R: And would you like a room with twin beds or a double bed?
C: A double bed, please.
R: Great. And would you prefer to have a room with a view of the ocean?
C: If that type of room is available, I would love to have an ocean view. What's the rate for the r oom?
R: Your room is five hundred and ninety dollars per night. Now what name will the reservation be listed under?
C: Charles Hannighan.
R: Could you spell your last name for me, please?
C: Sure. H-A-N-N-I-G-H-A-N
R: And is there a phone number where you can be contacted?
C: Yes, my cell phone number is 555-26386.
R: Great. Now I'll need your credit card information to reserve the room for you. What type of card is it?
C: Visa. The number is 987654321.
R: And what is the name of the cardholder?
C: Charles H. Hannighan.
R: Alright, Mr. Hannighan, your reservation has been made for the twenty-fourth of September for a room
with a double bed and view of the ocean. Check-in is at 2 o'clock. If you have any other questions, please do
not hesitate to call us.
C: Great, thank you so much.
R: My pleasure. We'll see you in September, Mr. Hannighan. Have a nice day.

Checking-In

Hotel: Good afternoon. Welcome to the Grand Woodward Hotel. How may I help you?
Guest: I have a reservation for today. It's under the name of Hannighan.
Hotel: Can you please spell that for me, sir?
Guest: Sure. H-A-N-N-I-G-H-A-N.
Hotel: Yes, Mr. Hannighan, we've reserved a double room for you with a view of the ocean for two nights. Is
that correct?
Guest: Yes, it is.
Hotel: Excellent. We already have your credit card information on file. If you'll just sign the receipt along the
bottom, please.
Guest: Whoa! Five hundred and ninety dollars a night!
Hotel: Yes, sir. We are a five star hotel after all.
 SYKES ACADEMY DAY 12
Guest: Well, fine. I'm here on business anyway, so at least I'm staying on the company's dime. What's included
in this cost anyway?
Hotel: A full Continental buffet every morning, free airport shuttle service, and use of the hotel's safe are all
included.
Guest: So what's not included in the price?
Hotel: Well, you will find a mini-bar in your room. Use of it will be charged to your account. Also, the hotel
provides room service, at an additional charge of course.
Guest: Hmm. Ok, so what room am I in?
Hotel: Room 487. Here is your key. To get to your room, take the elevator on the right up to the fourth floor.
Turn left once you exit the elevator and your room will be on the left hand side. A bellboy will bring your bags
up shortly.
Guest: Great. Thanks.
Hotel: Should you have any questions or requests, please dial 'O' from your room. Also, there is internet
available in the lobby 24 hours a day.
Guest: Ok, and what time is check-out?
Hotel: At midday, sir.
Guest: Ok, thanks.
Hotel: My pleasure, sir. Have a wonderful stay at the Grand Woodward Hotel.

Check-out / Getting to the airport

Hotel: Did you enjoy your stay with us?

Guest: Yes, very much so. However, I now need to get to the airport. I have a flight that leaves in about two
hours, so what is the quickest way to get there?
Hotel: We do have a free airport shuttle service.
Guest: That sounds great, but will it get me to the airport on time?
Hotel: Yes, it should. The next shuttle leaves in 15 minutes, and it takes approximately 25 minutes to get to the
airport.
Guest: Fantastic. I'll just wait in the lounge area. Will you please let me know when it will be leaving?
Hotel: Of course, sir. Oh, before you go would you be able to settle the mini-bar bill?
Guest: Oh yes certainly. How much will that be?
Hotel: Let's see. The bill comes to $37.50. How would you like to pay for that?

Guest: I'll pay with my Visa thanks, but I'll need a receipt so I can charge it to my company.
Hotel: Absolutely. Here we are sir. If you like you can leave your bags with the porter and he can load them
onto the shuttle for you when it arrives.
Guest: That would be great thank you.
Hotel: Would you like to sign the hotel guestbook too while you wait?
Guest: Sure, I had a really good stay here and I'll tell other people to come here.
Hotel: That's good to hear. Thank you again for staying at The Grand Woodward Hotel.
 SYKES ACADEMY DAY 12
LISTENING

Listen carefully to “Budget Hotel Rooms” audio and answer the following questions:

1. Where is the man's room in the hotel?

a. The first floor
b. The second floor
c. The third floor

2. What time is breakfast served in the morning?

a. 6:00 - 10:30 am
b. 6:30 - 10:30 am
c. 6:30 - 10:00 am

3. Where can the man get free Wireless internet connection?

a. In his hotel room
b. In the restaurant and lobby
c. Outside of the hotel

4. What is the cost for a refrigerator in the man's room?

a. $7.50
b. $10.00
c. It’s free. Of course!

5. What does the man decide to do at the end of the conversation?

a. He accepts the unfortunate circumstances and stays at the hotel.
b. He is really upset and decides to stay at the hotel across the street.
c. He reschedules his hotel reservation for a different day.