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Complete the questions using the words in the box. start learning
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Can you explain the meaning of the phrases in bold?
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Why do you think English has become a "lingua franca", used by people around the world to communicate? What factors contributed to its rise as a (?) language? command, mind, dead, offensive, everyday, global, barrier, official start learning
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Why do you think English has become a "lingua franca", used by people around the world to communicate? What factors contributed to its rise as a global language? global language: a language used all around the world
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Think of three ways to improve your (?) of a language command, mind, dead, offensive, everyday, global, barrier, official start learning
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Think of three ways to improve your command of a language command of a language: ability to use;
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and one situation where you need to (?) your language. command, mind, dead, offensive, everyday, global, barrier, official start learning
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and one situation where you need to mind your language. mind your language: pay attention to the words that you use, e.g. in order not to appear rude
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What happens when you experience a language (?)? Do you think these will still exist in the future? Why? Why not? command, mind, dead, offensive, everyday, global, barrier, official start learning
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What happens when you experience a language barrier? Do you think these will still exist in the future? Why? Why not? language barrier: a breakdown in communication as a result of people not having a common language in which to communicate
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Can you name an ancient or (?) language? command, mind, dead, offensive, everyday, global, barrier, official start learning
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Can you name an ancient or dead language? dead language: a language which is no longer in use, for example Latin or ancient Greek;
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Can you name a country where the (?) language used for legal purposes is different from the language spoken on the street? command, mind, dead, offensive, everyday, global, barrier, official start learning
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Can you name a country where the official language used for legal purposes is different from the language spoken on the street? official language: the language which is used for official (e.g. legal) purposes in a country
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Can you name a country where the official language used for legal purposes is different from the (?) language spoken on the street? Do you think this is a problem? command, mind, dead, offensive, everyday, global, barrier, official start learning
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Can you name a country where the official language used for legal purposes is different from the everyday language spoken on the street? Do you think this is a problem? everyday language: the language used to communicate on a day-to-day basis
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Would you ever use (?) language? In what kinds of situations? command, mind, dead, offensive, everyday, global, barrier, official start learning
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Would you ever use offensive language? In what kinds of situations? offensive language: language which can be used to offend someone, e.g. swearing
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Complete the idioms in bold start learning
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with the words in the box.
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Marise was talking so fast I just couldn't get a (?) in edgeways. good, get, least, catch, cross, tail, run, stick, word, shop start learning
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Marise was talking so fast I just couldn't get a word in edgeways. couldn't get a word in edgeways
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Come on! Try to (?) to the point. good, get, least, catch, cross, tail, run, stick, word, shop start learning
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Come on! Try to get to the point.
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After ten minutes we realised that we were talking at (?) purposes. good, get, least, catch, cross, tail, run, stick, word, shop start learning
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After ten minutes we realised that we were talking at cross purposes. talking at cross purposes
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I'm sorry, I didn't (?) what you said. good, get, least, catch, cross, tail, run, stick, word, shop start learning
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I'm sorry, I didn't catch what you said. I didn't catch what you said
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That kind of behaviour is not acceptable. It sounds to me like she needs a (?) talking to. good, get, least, catch, cross, tail, run, stick, word, shop start learning
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That kind of behaviour is not acceptable. It sounds to me like she needs a good talking to.
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I'm sorry. We've been talking (?) all evening. Let's stop talking about work now. good, get, least, catch, cross, tail, run, stick, word, shop start learning
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I'm sorry. We've been talking shop all evening. Let's stop talking about work now.
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Could you (?) that by me one more time? good, get, least, catch, cross, tail, run, stick, word, shop start learning
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Could you run that by me one more time?
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I couldn't make head or (?) of what she was saying. good, get, least, catch, cross, tail, run, stick, word, shop start learning
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I couldn't make head or tail of what she was saying. I couldn't make head or tail of
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That's an understatement to say the (?). good, get, least, catch, cross, tail, run, stick, word, shop start learning
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That's an understatement to say the least.
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Unfortunately, I think he got the wrong end of the (?). good, get, least, catch, cross, tail, run, stick, word, shop start learning
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Unfortunately, I think he got the wrong end of the stick. the wrong end of the stick
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Which idioms in Exercise 1A start learning
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would you use in situations a)-j)?
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Someone has completely misunderstood what you have said (so they do something different). start learning
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he got the wrong end of the stick
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You can't understand anything that someone is trying to say. start learning
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I couldn't make head or tail of what he was saying.
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You can't hear what the other person is saying. start learning
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I didn't catch what you said.
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Someone is talking so much it's hard for you to say anything. start learning
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I couldn't get a word in edgeways.
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Somebody needs to be reprimanded for something. start learning
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He needs a good talking to.
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You need someone to repeat what they said. start learning
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Could you run that by me one more time?
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There has been a misunderstanding on both sides. start learning
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We realised that we were talking at cross purposes.
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Someone should say what they want to say (instead of talking around the subject). start learning
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You think a situation is more serious than someone else suggested. start learning
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That's an understatement to say the least.
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Someone talks about their work. start learning
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Read about the radio programme start learning
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and answer the questions.
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What do Stephen Fry and David Crystal discuss in the programme? start learning
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They discuss the evolution of English, and how it might change in the future.
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What are the two main reasons given for why English is changing? start learning
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the fact that far more people speak English as a second language than a first; the influence of computers and automatic translators.
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What kinds of changes are mentioned? start learning
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changes in pronunciation and vocabulary
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What do they say about each point? start learning
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new Englishes; culture and identity; local languages/brands of English; English as a mother tongue; English as a foreign language
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start learning
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there are now many different types of English, for example Nigerian English, Ghanaian English, Singaporian English, etc.
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start learning
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different countries have adapted English to express their own culture and identity
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local languages/brands of English start learning
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when English is adopted by people, it changes according to how they use it, for example to describe local places and things that are important to them (it becomes their own local brand of English)
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English as a mother tongue start learning
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there are about 400 million people for whom English is their mother tongue
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English as a foreign language start learning
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there are two billion people who speak English as a second or foreign language (five times more than the number of people who speak it as their mother tongue).
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Correct the sentence: English has been adopted by more than sixty countries around the world. start learning
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English has been adopted by more than seventy countries around the world.
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Correct the sentence: Around the world, one fifth of the population speaks English as a second or foreign language. start learning
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Around the world, one third of the population speaks English as a second or foreign language.
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