Practice in Reading and Memory Work
Formal Official
Conversation ♫
Interviewer: Aˈmong the ‘speakers at toˈday’s ↘National ↘Transport ‚Conference 
will be ˈMr. ˈTom \Williams. ˈMr. ‘Williams, ↘I under\stand that, ˈhaving been a ‘keen "not to ˙say fa“natical ˌmotorist for ‘most of your ‚life you’re now ‚having ˌsecond ˆthoughts?
Mr. Williams: ˈThat’s ˈquite cor\rect, ‘yes.
Interviewer: And ˈwhat e˙xactly \is it that you’ll be \\saying to the \conference?
Mr. Williams: It’s a ˈvery ˈsimple ‘message, ‚really. ˈI’m ‚saying we ˙should re‘strict the ˇmanufacture and ‘use ¦ of ‘private ˌmotor ‚cars and er … ˈconcentrate in‚stead on de↘veloping ¦ ef‚ficient and ˈcheap ‘public ˌtransport.
Interviewer: ˈCan you ex‘plain to us ˈwhy you ˈfeel ˙so ‘strongly aˌbout this?
Mr. Williams: ‚Well, I ˈthink ˈfirst and ˇforemost there’s … ¦ there’s what I ˈcall the enˈviron‘mental ˌcase. Er … we ˌall ˈknow that >cars conˈsume ˈvaluable ‘energy ‚sources … re\sources. They proˈduce ˈcarbon ˇdioxide in ‘great ‚quantities and they’re ‘major con‚tributors to ˈenviron‘mental ˌproblems. Er … for ˌinstance, their ˌmanu“facture ˌuses up ˈother ˇscarce, often ˈirreˇplaceable, ˈnatural re“sources, and erm … they’re es>sentially … they’re esˈsentially ˈshort-\lived ˌarticles. They creˈate con>tinuing and ˈever-inˈcreasing ‚problems of dis‘posal ˈwhen they’re ˙no ˈlonger \wanted.
Monologue
1. ♫
Er … good evening. Er … good evening to one and all. Welcome to our February meeting. Erm … and welcome of course to our… to our regular members and attenders and several faces er … I can see out there not too familiar to me and if you’re new and here for the first time a great welcome, and I hope you may consider joining us on a … on a more permanent basis.
Erm … before I introduce tonight’s speaker there’s er … one important reminder. Erm … next month’s meeting at the same time will be our annual general meeting and er … on that occasion we’re hoping for a good and spirited attendance and there are some urgent pieces of business to attend to on that occasion. Er … first and foremost and probably the most important is to elect a new secretary. Er … Jane Parks has served us marvelously for I think it’s about three years now – er … our present secretary – she’s leaving to take up a post in Glasgow. We wish her well, er … and any suggestions for replacing Jane before that meeting would be most welcome.
Erm … several committee members have also expressed a wish to stand down, for one reason or another pressure of business and so on, and will need to be replaced so there’ll be elections for them. Erm … also, and this is rather a sad note the treasurer tells me that me must seriously consider increasing subscriptions – not a … not a happy thing to suggest at this time of the year – but we erm … we are in fact, er … going into red in a rather serious way. So erm … that’s something to bear in mind for next month’s meeting.
2. ♫
Good morning, everyone and and … as the Head Teacher of Cranley Hill Primary School I’m very happy to welcome you to our Open Day. Today the school is open not just to parents of our pupils, but also anyone else interested in seeing the school. I’ll start by telling you about the school, and after that you can walk round and see it for yourselves.
We take most of our pupils from the two nearby villages of Seaborne and Milthorpe. These were once coal mining villages – there have been coal mines here since the eighteenth thirties. When the school was originally established, way back in 1899, almost every child’s father worked in the mines. However, the coal mines were closed in nineteen eighty-three and many people left the area as a result. Nowadays most of the remaining inhabitants tend to commute to work in the city rather than working locally. At present, the number of students on our rolls is just ninety, compared to almost two hundred in nineteen eighty-five, due to the decline in the population of the mining villages, and the staff see this as a big bonus because we know each student personally.
The school is very involved in the local community and we are especially proud of our status as Great Britain’s first school to be entirely powered by wind energy. This project began…
Formal Neutral
Conversation ♫
Bookseller: ‘Good ‚morning. ˈCan I ‚help you?
Customer: I’m ˈlooking for a ‘book by ‘Sutcliffe. It’s A ˈLife of \Arnold.
Bookseller: A "Life of \Arnold. ˈLet me ‘see, ˌnow. Is ˌthat the ˆtitle?
Customer: I ‘think ˌso.
Bookseller: It ↘isn’t the ↘title of a ˆnovel?
Customer: \Well, I ˈdon’t ‘think it ˌis. But the ‘problem is I’m ↘not ↘quite ˇsure.
Bookseller: \I see. You’ve ↘looked in the bi‘ography ‚section?
Customer: Is ˈthat near the ‘maps and ˌthings? ˈOver \there?
Bookseller: ˈThat’s \right.
Customer: ‘Yes, I’ve ‘looked ˌthere. But I ˈcan’t \see it.
Bookseller: You ↘don’t ˈknow who the ˆpublisher is?
Customer: \Sorry, ‘no.
Bookseller: Would you ˙mind ‘waiting a ˌmoment, while I ↘serve this \lady, and ˈthen I’ll ˈsee what I can \do ˌfor you.
Customer: \Thank you.
Informal Ordinary
Conversation A.
2. ♫
Don: Hi, Craig. Been home long?
Craig: Yeah, quite a time.
Don: Did anyone phone about renting the spare room?
Craig: Yeah, we’ve had … three phone calls about it.
Don: Really?
Craig: Yeah, do you want to hear about them?
Don: Sure.
Craig: Right. The first one was called Phil Parrott.
Don: Uh-huh.
Craig: He’s a teacher; he’s just qualified, and he teaches sports.
Don: OK.
Craig: Actually I’m not sure about him. He certainly sounded energetic, but … he asked lots of questions about whether we smoked, and what sort of food we cooked.
Don: Yeah, I mean we don’t exactly live on pizza and chips and takeaways, well, not quite, but…
Craig: … but he might… be a bit too health-conscious to really fit in with the sort of life we lead. Yeah. And he asked a lot of questions about the room. … He said he needs a big room because he’s got lots of sports equipment.
Don: Well, that’s OK, the room’s quite big but I’m not so sure about him… what about the second one?
Craig: He was called David Spencer.
Don: Spender?
Craig: No, Spencer – cer [si: i: a:]. He works at Cooper-Long – you know, the big company on Broad Street. He said he was a lawyer.
Don: Oh, I’d have thought in that case he’d be earning enough to rent his own place. I wonder why he wants to share a flat.
Craig: Well, he didn’t say. He’s quite a bit older than us. He did say he’s just moved down here from the north of England. He seemed very quiet, actually. Maybe he wants to meet some new people. I got the impression he was a hardworking kind of person who doesn’t go out all that much…
Don: Right.
Craig: But he sounded OK. Oh, one thing though, he said he wouldn’t be staying in the flat at the weekends so he wants to pay reduced costs for gas and electricity … because he’s only here five days out of seven.
Don: Oh, I’m not sure about that … what do you think?
Craig: Well, I suppose it’s fair but it all sounds a bit complicated.
Don: Anyway, there was a third person, Leo Norris.
Craig: Yes.
Don: He’s an engineer.
Craig: Oh, yeah?
Don: And he’s about our age.
Craig: Right. What did he sound like?
Don: Well, actually he was really funny I couldn’t stop laughing when I was talking to him. He said he was very lazy and never got up until noon at weekends and I said that wouldn’t be a problem here…
Craig: No, certainly not.
Don: But actually I suspect he was joking when he said he was lazy… I think he lives life as it comes, he’s certainly not competitive or stressed, but he likes cycling and things like that. He sounds like an outdoor type. Anyway, I thought he sounded as if he’s fit in. He wanted to check if there was somewhere safe for his bicycle … that’s not a problem…
Craig: No, he can leave it in the garage with my car. So did you get his contact details?
Don: Yes, he left his mobile number, it’s 07776872433 (oh triple seven six eight seven two four double three).
Craig: And does he want to move in straight away?
Don: Well, he’s paid his rent in his present place up to the thirty-first of September, but he said that if possible he’d like to move in a bit before then – he said the twenty-eighth of September.
Craig: And he was OK about the rent?
Don: Yeah, he said it was fine.
Craig: Right. So shall we give him a ring and see if he wants to come round and…
B. Just Shopping ♫
Kay: Hi, Sally. Long time to see! What are you doing here?
Sally: Oh, hi, Kay. Same as you, I expect… just shopping.
Kay: Great. Is that a new dress?
Sally: Yes, it is. I got it yesterday. Do you like it?
Kay: Well… it’s very, urn… very short for you, isn’t it, Sally?
Sally: Short is “in” this summer. Didn’t you know?
Kay: Oh, I don’t read any of those fashion magazines.
Sally: I can tell you don’t. Well, this is the latest fashion… from Milan.
Kay: Oh, I know it’s popular, I’ve seen that kind of dress a lot. It seems everyone is wearing it these days. I prefer something more… individual.
Sally: Yes, so I see. What exactly is that you are wearing?
Kay: It’s a pair of shorts, but it looks like a skirt. See?
Sally: Oh, yes! How… original! Did you make it yourself?
Kay: No.
Sally: Marvelous. But, I’m just not sure it’s quite “you”, Kay.
Kay: Oh, really. Sally? Well, never mind. Perhaps it’s too… sophisticated for you.
Sally: Hmm. No, I don’t think it’s that. But you’re right – I can’t see me in it somehow. Anyway, must hurry. I’ve got more shopping to do.
Kay: Well, good luck, Sally. Keep reading those magazines!
Sally: Thanks, Kay. Perhaps you should buy some too!
Informal Familiar
Conversation A.
1. ♫
Sue: ‘Cheers!
Tony: ˈCheers, ‚Sue! >Well, ˈwhat’s the ‘news then? ˈHow ‘is ˌeverybody? I supˈpose ˙old ‘Arthur’s ‚still there. ˈStill˙trying to ˈkeep ˙everyone in ’order.
Sue: Oh, \yeah. ↘He’ll go ˙on for ˇever. ↘Nothing ˙changes for ‘Arthur. ¯Or if it ‘does, ‘he doesn’t \notice. ¯You reˈmember that ˆfriend of his ˌthough, the ˈguy who ˈcame from \Liverpool… He ˈalways ˙came on \Friday, and ˈnobody ˈquite ˙knew \why.
Tony: ‘Oh that ‘tall ˌguy, ‘yeah. ˈHad an ˙old ‘Bentley or ‚something, ’didn’t he? ¯We ˌused to ˈsay he was –
Sue: \Yes. \Well, ˈnobody ˈknows ˈwhat \happened, but ¯he had a ‚nasty ˆaccident ¦ of ˈsome \sort.
Tony: An ˆaccident?
Sue: In his “car. ¯But you ↘know ‘Arthur – ¯he ‚never ‘tells you ˌmuch. \So ¯we ‚don’t ˌreally ˌknow “what it ˌwas.
Tony: \Oh, ˌdear.
Sue: ‘Anyway, ¯he ˈsuddenly ’stopped ˆcoming. ¯Rather \sad, ‚really.
Tony: ˈWhat about ˈJane and ‘Ted, up‘stairs?
Sue: ‘Ah, ˌwell ¦ ‘Ted’s still ‚there. He’s ↘not very ‘happy aˌbout it, ‚though. He’d ↘like a ‘move if he could ˇget one, ¦ but he ˈsort of ˈseems to be \\stuck. And ˇJane – ‘she ‚went ¦ about a ‚couple of ‘years a‚go.
Tony: ˇReally?
Sue: ˈI haven’t ˙seen her for ‘ages, ¦ ˌso I ˈdon’t ˙know what she’s \doing. ‘Nobody ˌseems to be in ˇtouch with her. ¯Had ˆMary ‚come be˙fore you ˙left?
Tony: ˌMary \who?
Sue: ˈMary in \Accounts. She’s \Irish.
Tony: I ↘don’t ˇthink so, ˇno. I ↘knew ˇSarah. I reˈmember ‘she was in Ac‚counts. >And ˈthen there was that ‘other ˌJane, ˈJane ‘Harrison. And ˈthen there was ‘Angela, ¯of \course, a ˈrather ‘serious one. But I ↘don’t re↘call a ˇMary.
Sue: >Well, ‘she must have ‘been after you ‘left, ˌthen.
2. ♫
***
So I say to Claire ‘Where’s David, Claire?’ and she says ‘Oh, he’s staying at home to do his homework,’ and of course I thought ‘Oh no, he’s not!’ Because I saw him, you see, going into the café with Lorraine and I said, ‘Hi, David!’ and he went completely red, and Lorraine said, ‘We’re doing school project together,’ and I thought, ‘Oh, yes, I know what kind of project that is!’
***
A:I said to terry, I said ‘Can you open the door for me?’ and he says, ‘Open it yourself!’ Can you believe it!
B:I know. That boy’s so rude! I said to his father, I said ‘you should do something about that boy,’ and do you know what he said to me? He said, ‘It’s none of your business.’
A: Oh, he’s just as bad as Terry. ‘Like father like son’ as they say.
***
A: Ugh! This coffee is really horrible!
B: Yea, I know. Machine coffee, I mean, why do we drink the stuff?
A: It’s sort of like… someone puts the contents of an ashtray in water and… ehm … like, heats it up or something, you know.
A: Yeah, that’s what it tastes like … and… I mean, having you tried the … ehm… the tea?
B: Ah yeah, the tea! That’s even worse!
A: I mean the plastic cups don’t help, do they?
B: No, I know … plastic cups! … We like even had champagne in plastic cups, you know, at what’s-her-name’s leaving party…
A: Jenny. Jenny. Glen. Yeah, I remember that, last January it was … I … kind of … liked Jenny. I wonder what she’s doing now…
PRACTICAL MATERIAL
An extract from “Hamlet”♫
To >be, | or \not to be | – ˈthat is the \question; ||
ˈWhether ‘tis ˈnobler in the ˇmind ¦ to ‘suffer |
The \slings and ˆarrows ¦ of outˈrageous \fortune |
Or to ˈtake ˆarms aˌgainst a "sea of ˇtroubles, |
And ˈby opˇposing, ˆend them? || To ˇdie, to ˆsleep | –
ˈNo ‘more; | and ˈby a ‘sleep ¦ to ˈsay we ‘end |
The ‘heartache and the "thousand ˈnatural \shocks
That ˈflesh is \heir to || ‘Tis a ˈconsumˇmation
Deˇvoutly ¦ to be ‘wish’d. || To ˇdie, | to \sleep;
To ′sleep, | per↘chance to ‘dream. || ‘Ay, ↘there’s the ‘rub, |
For ˈin that ˙sleep of ˇdeath | ˈwhat ‘dreams may \come,
When ˈwe have >shuffled \off ¦ this ˈmortal \coil, |
ˈMust >give us ¦ \pause.
W. Shakespeare (1564-1616)