Learn how to accept an invitation
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Becky: Offering an Invitation. Becky here. |
| John: Hi, I'm John. |
| Becky: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to accept an invitation. The conversation takes place in an office lounge. |
| John: It's between Linda and Thomas Gray. |
| Becky: The speakers are co-workers, therefore, they will speak informal English. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Linda: Do you have any plans for tomorrow night? |
| Thomas Gray: No, I'm free. |
| Linda: After work, all of our co-workers will have dinner at a new restaurant. Do you want to join us? |
| Thomas Gray: Sure, I'd love to. |
| Linda: Good! I'll send you a message with the address and other details. |
| Thomas Gray: That would be great, thanks. |
| Linda: You're welcome! |
| Becky: Listen to the conversation one more time, slowly. |
| Linda: Do you have any plans for tomorrow night? |
| Thomas Gray: No, I'm free. |
| Linda: After work, all of our co-workers will have dinner at a new restaurant. Do you want to join us? |
| Thomas Gray: Sure, I'd love to. |
| Linda: Good! I'll send you a message with the address and other details. |
| Thomas Gray: That would be great, thanks. |
| Linda: You're welcome! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Becky: So Thomas was invited to an after-work gathering with his co-workers. |
| John: Yeah, things like this aren’t as common in America as in some other countries, but they still happen pretty frequently. |
| Becky: What kinds of work parties and events happen in the US? |
| John: It’s usually big organized events for things like Christmas or New Year’s. |
| Becky: Since they’re organized, are they formal events? |
| John: They can be, it depends on the company. Some might have black tie events at posh hotels, others might have a casual dinner in local restaurants. |
| Becky: There may also be events in the year. |
| John: Yes, companies might have an event to mark their anniversaries or success, or even one at the end of the financial year. |
| Becky: Financial years run from April to April in America. |
| John: Also, there might be informal events that aren’t company wide. |
| Becky: Yes, if you’re good friends with your co-workers you might get invited to things such as birthday parties and weddings. |
| John: Some co-workers might even go out for drinks on a Friday night to celebrate the end of the work week. |
| Becky: Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Becky: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is... |
| John: plans [natural native speed] |
| Becky: something you intend to do |
| John: plans [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: plans [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next, we have... |
| John: free [natural native speed] |
| Becky: having no commitments or plans |
| John: free [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: free [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next up is... |
| John: co-workers [natural native speed] |
| Becky: the people you work with in your company |
| John: co-workers [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: co-workers [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next, there’s... |
| John: to join [natural native speed] |
| Becky: to connect, become a part of |
| John: to join [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: to join [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Then, we have... |
| John: sure [natural native speed] |
| Becky: having no doubt about something |
| John: sure [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: sure [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next, we have... |
| John: address [natural native speed] |
| Becky: a description of the location of a place |
| John: address [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: address [natural native speed] |
| Becky: And lastly... |
| John: other [natural native speed] |
| Becky: not the specified object, a different one |
| John: other [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: other [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Becky: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is... |
| John: plans |
| Becky: ...meaning "something you intend to do." |
| Becky: This is a noun. |
| John: It’s used to talk about a proposal for doing something. |
| Becky: You can use this with anyone, such as friends or co-workers, to see if they are doing anything at a certain time. |
| John: “Plans” is the plural form of “plan,” and in most cases, we usually say “plans.” |
| Becky: Yes, even if only one thing is scheduled, we still say “plans.” Can you give us an example using this word? |
| John: Sure. For example, you can say “I'm not free on Sunday; I have plans.” |
| Becky: Okay, what's the next word? |
| John: free |
| Becky: ...meaning "having no commitment or plans." |
| Becky: This is an adjective. |
| John: It kind of links to the last word we heard, “plans.” |
| Becky: Yes, it does. Neat link! |
| John: We use “free” to say that we have no plans. |
| Becky: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| John: Sure. For example, you can say “Let's meet for lunch tomorrow, as I'm free all day.” |
| Becky: Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Becky: In this lesson, you'll learn about how to accept an invitation. Earlier in this lesson, we spoke about formal work parties, such as for Christmas and New Year’s. |
| John: And also informal events, such as a co-worker's birthday party or after-work drinks. |
| Becky: Invitations depend on how formal the event is. For a formal event, invitations are usually in writing. |
| John: When you accept or decline the invitation, you should also do it in writing by the deadline. |
| Becky: If you have invited someone and they haven’t replied, you can politely remind them. |
| John: Yes, you can say something like “Have you received my wedding invitation?” or “Did you get the invite to the company party?” |
| Becky: Asking if they have received the invitation instead of asking if they are coming is more polite. |
| John: If it is an informal party, you don’t need to invite people in writing. |
| Becky: No, you can just ask them using phrases such as “I’m having…” or “I’m holding…” |
| John: “I’m having a birthday party” or “I’m holding a housewarming party.” |
| Becky: If it is a work party that you have organized or are telling people about, you can use “There is…” |
| John: “There is a New Year’s party.” |
| Becky: To add in extra information about time and date, you need to use prepositions. |
| John: Use the preposition “on” for days - “on Monday.” For time and place, you use “at” - “at 3pm,” “at the Italian restaurant.” |
| Becky: In really informal invites, these prepositions are often dropped. Let’s hear some examples. |
| John: “I’m having a birthday party on Saturday at seven p.m. at the Italian restaurant across the street.” and “I’m holding a housewarming party, Saturday, seven p.m., my place.” |
| Becky: To accept an informal invitation, you can just reply verbally. |
| John: “Sure, sounds great! Thank you” |
| Becky: “I’d love to, thanks.” |
| John: “Thanks for inviting me. I’d love to come.” |
| Becky: And if you want to know how to decline... |
| John: ...that will be in a later lesson! |
Outro |
| Becky: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| John: See you! |
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