Learn how to use the prepositions "along" and "through"
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| INTRODUCTION |
| John: Losing Your Way in the United States. John Here. |
| Becky: Hey I'm Becky. |
| John: In this lesson, you’ll learn the prepositions “along” and “through”. The conversation takes place in a car. |
| Becky: It's between Rachel and Sean. |
| John: The speakers are co-workers, so they will use both formal and informal English. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Sean: I'm driving to the second appointment but I'm lost. |
| Rachel: Where are you? |
| Sean: I'm driving along the interstate. |
| Rachel: Go through the tunnel and drive for another few miles. |
| Sean: Can I check the exit that I need? |
| Rachel: It's exit 2 for Downtown. |
| John: Listen to the conversation one time slowly. |
| Sean: I'm driving to the second appointment but I'm lost. |
| Rachel: Where are you? |
| Sean: I'm driving along the interstate. |
| Rachel: Go through the tunnel and drive for another few miles. |
| Sean: Can I check the exit that I need? |
| Rachel: It's exit 2 for Downtown. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| John: Sean was driving in this lesson, and it sounds like he was lost. |
| Becky: I hope he wasn’t calling while driving! |
| John: I’m sure he wasn’t! |
| Becky: Driving is very popular in the US. You have to be 16 to drive, but can get a learner’s permit at an earlier age. |
| John: The age varies from state to state. |
| Becky: If you are a teenager, you might need to take a Driver’s Ed class, but again this also varies from state to state. |
| John: America is a huge country, so driving is a necessity in some places. |
| Becky: Yeah, it’s hard to get around without a car. |
| John: Cities are connected by highways, and some interstates have toll charges, so you have to pay to use them. |
| Becky: But long journeys between states and lots of space means that the roads are big and wide. |
| John: And the cars are big and wide too. |
| Becky: That’s right. Americans usually drive cars that are bigger than in a lot of other countries. |
| John: Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| John: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is... |
| Becky: to drive [natural native speed] |
| John: to travel by car |
| Becky: to drive[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: to drive [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Becky: second [natural native speed] |
| John: the number 2 item or person in a line-up |
| Becky: second[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: second [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Becky: appointment [natural native speed] |
| John: a booking or reservation |
| Becky: appointment[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: appointment [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Becky: interstate [natural native speed] |
| John: a network of fast roads that connects cities in the US |
| Becky: interstate[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: interstate [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Becky: tunnel [natural native speed] |
| John: a passage that passes through or under things like water or a mountain |
| Becky: tunnel[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: tunnel [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Becky: another [natural native speed] |
| John: one in addition |
| Becky: another[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: another [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Becky: miles [natural native speed] |
| John: an imperial measure of distance equal to 1.6 kilometers |
| Becky: miles[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: miles [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Becky: to check [natural native speed] |
| John: to confirm, to look at |
| Becky: to check[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: to check [natural native speed] |
| John: And lastly... |
| Becky: exit [natural native speed] |
| John: leading road off the highway |
| Becky: exit[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: exit [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| John: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is.. |
| Becky: to drive |
| John: ...meaning "to travel by car." What can you tell us about this word? |
| Becky: This is the verb used for operating a car. |
| John: You can also use it with other vehicles, such as trucks and trains. |
| Becky: But it shouldn’t be used with two-wheeled vehicles such as bikes. You don’t “drive” bikes, you “ride” bikes. |
| John: And also you use “fly” for planes and “sail” for boats. |
| Becky: Wow, so many verbs. |
| John: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| Becky: Sure. For example, you can say, “I hate driving to work every morning.” |
| John: ...which means "I hate operating a car to get to work every morning." Okay, what's the next word? |
| Becky: Appointment |
| John: ...meaning "a booking or reservation." How do you use this word? |
| Becky: You can use this to describe an arrangement for a meeting, a visit for a service, or when meeting a person. |
| John: It’s a slightly formal term. |
| Becky: Yes, you’d use it to describe meeting a person for business, but not meeting a friend for a coffee. |
| John: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| Becky: Sure. For example, you can say, “Hello, I have an appointment with Mr. Synder at 3pm.” |
| John: .. which means "Hello, I have a previously arranged meeting with Mr. Synder at 3pm.” Okay, what's the next word? |
| Becky: To check |
| John: ...meaning "to confirm, to look at." What can you tell us about this word? |
| Becky: You use this verb when you want to confirm that some information is correct. |
| John: “Check” can also be a noun. |
| Becky: That’s right. It can mean an exam or test to confirm the quality or condition of some content. |
| John: Like a “health check.” |
| Becky: Or “quality check.” |
| John: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| Becky: Sure. For example, you can say, “Before we leave, I want to check that I have everything.” |
| John: ... which means "Before we leave, I want to confirm that I have everything." Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| John: In this lesson, you'll learn about the prepositions “along” and “through”. First up for this lesson, is “along.” |
| Becky: You can use this as a preposition of movement. |
| John: You can use it for moving down something that is long and open. |
| Becky: Such as a road, or line. |
| John: Let’s hear some examples. |
| Becky: “We walked along the river.” |
| John: “There are many stores along the avenue.” |
| Becky: “The marathon was tough, so he was glad for the many water stations along the route.” |
| John: Are there any idioms with “along?” |
| Becky: Yes, there is “along the way.” |
| John: How do you use this? |
| Becky: You use this for an action that happens during the time you’re doing something else. |
| John: For example, “I’ve lived here for 30 years and have made some good friends along the way.” |
| Becky: That means that during the time of living there, he’s made good friends. |
| John: Okay, let’s move onto “through.” |
| Becky: This is also a preposition of movement, but you use it for moving down things that are enclosed. |
| John: So, it’s things that have walls and a roof, such as a tunnel. |
| Becky: It can also be used for 3D environments such as a jungle. |
| John: Let’s hear some examples. |
| Becky: “The train passed through the tunnel.” |
| John: “He ran through the rain.” |
| Becky: In that case, we’re treating rain as a 3D environment as it surrounds you from the sides and above. |
| John: Any idioms for this? |
| Becky: Hmm, you can say “through the roof,” to mean something that is at a very high level. It’s often used for things that are too expensive. |
| John: “I bought this for $10 but now the price is through the roof.” |
Outro |
| John: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| Becky: Bye! |
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