Hotel-tefl
An English Language site
dedicated to the hotel industry
|
|
Hotel-tefl An English Language site dedicated to the hotel industry |
|
 |
|
|
|
Click on the Module Activities button for student activities. |
||
Days and timeHave you ever been on vacation and lost total track of time, forgetting not only the date, but the day. That's a sign of people truly getting away from it all. Hopefully guests will be having such a great time that they may on occasion ask a staff the day or date. Most of the time, however, the guest may be just asking when specific restaurants or facilities open or close within the hotel complex. Bellow are some common expressions used when talking about days and time. The date is (... January first) Today's date is ( the first of January) It's 12:45 PM The time is a quarter to two.
Parson me, do you have the time? What’s the date today? Is today the (12th or 13th)? What times does the (... bus leave)? What time would you like (.... the reservation)? What time will you be (... checking in)? I would like to stay from (... Monday through Thursday).
Days of the week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Months of the year January February March April May June July August September October November December.
Seasons Spring Summer Autumn (fall) Winter
Other expressions used with time dawn sunrise morning breakfast noon midday lunch afternoon evening sunset twilight night midnight morning shift day shift graveyard shift
When giving dates use ordinal numbers
Point to remember There are two ways to give time. You can tell the hour and minutes (12:25) or you can tell the minutes after the hour or before the next hour. For example, 12:25 can be expressed as twelve twenty five or twenty five after twelve. 11:40 can be expressed as eleven forty or twenty to twelve.
Fifteen minutes after the hour can be expressed as a quarter past or a quarter after. Fifteen minutes before the hour can be expressed as a quarter to or a quarter till the hour.
Dialogue
Guest: Could you tell me the time please? Staff: It's twenty after two.
Guest: What's today's date? Staff: It's March third.
Guest: What time is check out? Staff: Check out is at 12:00 PM.
Staff: Good afternoon sir. How can I help you? Guest: I would like to schedule an appointment a tennis game. Staff: Certainly, what day and time would you like that for? Guest: Do you have time available on Friday morning? About 11:00. Staff: I’m sorry, we don’t have any openings at 11:00, but there is time between 9 and 10:30. Guest: How about 10:30. Staff: Yes sir, could I have your name please. Guest: It’s Howard Johnson, room 1555. Staff: OK Mr. Johnson, we have you scheduled for Friday at 10:30. See you then. Guest: Thanks you, bye.
Practice
Practice using the above expressions by having a dialogue similar to the ones above with a partner, one partner taking the role of the guest and the other the role of the staff. For additional practice, switch roles. Practice the dialogue several times, trying to use all of the expressions noted above.
More Practice
Talking About Daily Routines
When people are talking about their daily or weekly routines they will be using time expressions. Guest may sometimes ask hotel staff the general routine of the location they are visiting (for example when do local shops usually open and close, or the months of high or low season, or what time it gets dark and light out side, or the times that local people usually eat meals). When talking about daily schedules and routines adverbs of frequency are used to indicate how frequently you do things.
100% 80% 50% 20% 0% always usually sometimes seldom never all the time most of occasionally rarely not at all the time
Dialogue
Guest: What time do the local shops usually open? Staff: They usually open between 9:00 and 10:00. Guest: Do they usually open at the same time on Saturdays and Sundays as well? Staff: Yes, most of the shops open at the same time on the weekends.
Guest: When do Thai people usually eat dinner? Staff: Most people eat dinner between 6 and 7 PM. Guest: Is lunch usually between noon and 1:00 PM or between 1:00 and 2:00. Staff: Lunch is usually between noon and 1:00.
Guest: How often do they change movies at the local cinema? Staff: Movies are usually changed once a week. Guest: Do they show a lot of English language movies? Staff: Many of the movies are the latest Hollywood block busters, which are captioned in Thai.
Guest: How many times a week does the hotel clean the pool? Staff: The pool is clean every day, sometimes twice a day, depending on the circumstances. Guest: What time are they usually cleaned. Staff: Usually early in the morning, before the guests wake up.
Practice
Practice using the above expressions by having a dialogue similar to the ones above with a partner, one partner taking the role of the guest and the other the role of the staff. For additional practice, switch roles. Practice the dialogue several times, trying to use all of the expressions noted above.
More Practice Using the adverbs of frequency above, tell your partner what your daily schedule is like. Be specific and detailed. Discuss what you do from the time you wake up until you go to bed, both during the week and on weekends (or your days off).
Still More Practice Do you ever play tennis? Ask your partner if they ever do any of the activities listed below. Ask other questions to get more information about when and, what time, where, how often, with who, cost, etc.
Swim in the ocean Go on double dates Write poetry Study all night Ride a motorcycle Go camping Sing karaoke Wake up late Cook pizza Sky or scuba dive Ride the subway Go bowling Watch foreign movies Play board games Lift weights Argue with parents Buy expensive clothes Knit Ride a roller coaster Go to the theater Go to zoo |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Other Useful TEFL Links
An English conversation language site for students and teachers focusing on English expressions used for various functions and situations. A site on English pronunciation with a listing of all vowel and consonants sounds n English, there are sections on syllables and stress, intonation, i rhythm, sound changes as a result of reductions and linking, contractions, ending sounds, and consonant clusters.
Frank and friendly advice written by an experienced
Free Online TEFL Training What you need to know to startTeaching English Overseas
TEFL Temp is your short-term EFL jobs directory:Short-term English Teaching Jobs around the World
TEFL-ebooks TEFL eBooks featuring Country Guides, ESP Manuals and other publications written by experienced teachers who have spent significant time overseas.
A guide for people living or planning to move to Peru
The Latin American Job ListFind work as an English teacher in the Caribbean,Central America and South America. With TheLA Job List you’re given access to hundreds ofLatin American schools, institutes and universitiesthat need English teachers like you.
Check out TEFL related websites
Training Courses
Job Listings
Teacher Resources |
