Gareth King - Colloquial English - A Complete English Language Course

The cheaper optionis a takeaway – going to a shop or restaurant and bringing the food back home to eat. In the big cities there are almost endless possibilities, but even in small towns you probably find examples of these:

a fish-and-chip shop

an Indian restaurant

a Chinese restaurant

a pizza house

a kebab house

If you want something typically British, why not go for fish and chips? You don’t need to order ahead– simply go to the shop, ask for what you want and they’ll cook it for you there and then. There are usually various kinds of friedfish available – cod is very popular, and so is plaice. Fish-and-chip shops usually sell other types of food as well: pies, sausages – in fact, anything that goes well with chips!

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Indian food – curry – is now the most popular food in the UK, and you’ll find Indian restaurants everywhere. You can order ahead by phone and then collect it, but if you are new to Indian cuisineit’s probably better, and more fun, to decide on what to have once you have arrived at the restaurant. This way, you can ask the restaurant staffabout different dishesas you look at the menu – it might be rather confusing as there are always a lot of different dishes available, and they all have exoticnames! Also, some Indian dishes are very hot (spicy), so be sure to ask about this as well!

You’ll have to wait a while for the food, but this is all part of the experience.

Chinese takeaways are usually very quickly prepared – there is no real need to order in advance, as the food takes only a minute or two to arrive. Pizzas and kebabs take a little longer – order by phone about fifteen minutes ahead if you don’t want to wait at the shop.

Glossary

eating out– going to a restaurant and eating there takeaway– a meal bought at a restaurant and taken home to eat; also means the shop

option– choice

chips– potatoes cut up and cooked in oil

order ahead– use the phone to tell the restaurant your order before you go and collect it

there and then– at once; immediately

fried– cooked in oil

cuisine– style of cooking

restaurant staff– the people who work in the restaurant dishes– items on a menu

exotic– unusual and from far away

experience– how it feels to do something

order in advance– order before you get to the restaurant

6 Hello, could I

speak to Vicki?

In this unit you will learn how to:

• talk on the phone

• ask for permission to do things

• use pronoun indirect objects

• make gentle suggestions

• use time expressions

Dialogue 1

Dave phones Vicki’s number to see if Nigel’s there.

DAVE:

Hello, could I speak to Vicki?

VICKI:

Speaking.

DAVE:

Oh, hello Vicki – I didn’t recognise your voice. It’s Dave.

VICKI:

Hi, Dave. How’s things?

DAVE:

Not bad, thanks. Listen, I don’t suppose Nigel’s there, is he?

VICKI:

No – but I’m expecting him round later on.

DAVE:

OK – could you get him to ring me back?

VICKI:

Of course. Can you give me your number?

DAVE:

I think he’s got it, but let me give you it now just in case.

VICKI:

Hang on – let me get a pen . . . OK.

DAVE:

Six-seven-nine-oh-four-oh-four. Got that?

VICKI:

Got it!

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Idioms

• I don’t supposeis used with a TAG to make a question sound less direct, especially questions where you expect the answer to be ‘no’: I don’t suppose you’ve got any money, have you?

= ‘Have you got any money?’

I don’t suppose Brian can drive a lorry, can he?

= ‘Can Brian drive a lorry?’

I don’t suppose anyone here speaks Turkish, do they?

= ‘Does anyone here speak Turkish?’

•

Got that?means ‘Did you hear that OK?’

Dialogue 2

Julie’s phone rings, and she answers.

JULIE:

247649.

TERRY:

Ah, hello. Could I speak to Jim, please?

JULIE:

Jim?

TERRY:

Yes, Jim Fife. Is he there?

JULIE:

I’m afraid there

isn’t anyone here

by that name.

Who am I

speaking to?

TERRY:

This is Terry

Smith. Isn’t that

Marilyn’s house?

JULIE:

No – you’ve got

the wrong

number.

TERRY:

Ah – I’m sorry.

JULIE:

Quite all right.

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Idiom

• by that namemeans ‘with that name’

Language point 35 – phone language

Speaking on the phone in English is easy once you have learnt a few important phrases:

• Use hello/ hə`lυ/ to greet the other person – this is okay on the phone even in more formal situations.

• Use Is that . . .?to make sure you’re talking to the right person.

You can use a name or a job title:

Is that John Smith?

– Yes, it is.

Is that the manager?

– No, it isn’t . . . it’s the caretaker.

Be careful!We don’t use Are you . . . ?to find out who is on

the other end of the phone:

Is that Dave Rogers?

Yes, it is.

not ‘Are you Dave Rogers?’

‘Yes, I am.’

Is that James?

No, it isn’t . . . it’s Gerry

not ‘Are you James?’

‘No, I’m not . . . I’m Gerry.’

If you don’t recognise the voice, either say

Who is that?

or

Who am I speaking to?

Remember that in British English on the phone ‘that’ refers to the person on the other end of the phone, and thisrefers to yourself.

So, for example, if Sue phones Maria, she will say: This is Sue . . . is that Maria?

or if she doesn’t recognise the voice at all:

This is Sue . . . who is that?

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(In American English people use thisfor both people, and say Who is this?)

If the phone is answered by someone other than the person you want to speak to, say:

Could I speak to . . . ?

or

Is . . . there, please?

To tell the other person who you are, say: It’s . . .

or

It’s . . . speaking

If the person you want to speak to isn’t there, you can say either: OK, I’ll phone again later

or

Could you get him/her to phone me back?

You can use ringinstead of phonein these two sentences as well.

If someone phones you and asks to talk to someone else, they might say:

Is . . . there?

or

Could I speak to . . . ?