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SPEAKING PRACTICE EXERCISES

By Steven L. Rosen

Faculty of Human Culture and Science

Dept. of Intercultural Studies

Mail: rosen@pu-hiroshima.ac.jp

Mt. Rainier, Washington State

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Speaking Practice

Unit 1

1. Is this a [crayon]? -No, ………. –What………? -It’s a……

2. Are there a lot of ………….. in ………………? [Are there any…..?]

3. Is there a ………….in ……………………?

4. Where are most of the students in your class from?

5. What’s your name? What’s your pet’s name? Where do you come from?

6. Have you ever heard of …………..?

7. Where do you work?

8. Would you like a new…….?

Unit 3

1. How many ……. do you have?

2. Which is ..................... X or Y? heavy ------ heavier expensive--- more expensive

big----- bigger good--- better bad--- worse

tall short beautiful hot dry clean

dirty difficult crowded easy fast

interesting modern

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3. What’s the difference between ……. and …….?

4. Q: “ going to …”

Are you going to play/ eat/ make/ use/ study/ go to/ buy/

Sell/ take/ wash/ read/ call/ ……….

5. What's the biggest/ best/worst/ coldest/ most exciting......…. in

Japan?

Unit 4

1. Are you going to ..................... after school today?

- No, ............. What/going/do?

- I'm ..........................

2. What are you doing ? [What am I doing/What is she doing?]

3. Have you .................... today/this week/this month/this year?

Unit 4 (continued)....................................................................

SPORTS

1. What sports do you like? 2. What sports are you doing these days?

3. Have you ever done any traditional Japanese sports?

(When? Where?)

4. What sports did you like in high school? 5. What sports do you dislike now?

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Big wave tube surfing, North shore, Oahu, Hawaii

6. What professional sporting events have you been to?

7. Would you like to try:

- weight training -tube surfing - aerobics

- mountain climbing - scuba diving - ...................?

7. Do you jog/swim/ride a bike/ /do yoga /skate………?

[any question about doing or watching sports.]

Unit 5

1. A: What’s the matter? B [I have a stomachache]:

2. Were you here yesterday?

Was your mother here for [the Entrance Ceremony]?

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{Unit 5}

3. Will you be here after 5:00 today? What time will you be here tomorrow?

4. A: “Will you be on the train at 7:00 this evening?”

B: “No, I …………….” A: “Where will you be?”

B: ”I’ll ……………………..”

5. A:“I missed the last train. Can I stay at your place tonight?”

B: “Yes, sure.” Or:

B: “No way. You eat all my food, make a mess, and snore loudly. Please

find a hotel.”

6. A: “Have you met………..” B: “No, I haven’t, but I’ve heard so much

about him/her?” [A: “Oh really? What have you heard?”]

7. A: “Let’s get some chicken and hot dogs and have an outdoor barbecue.”

B: “OK., but I also want to have [corn, a salad, hamburgers……etc.]”

8. A: “Do you want to get something to eat/drink?”

B: “No, I’ve just eaten/drunk [my lunch, a chocolate shake…etc.]

9. Will anyone be home if I drop by your house at around [8:30]

- Yes, I’ll be there/ my roommate will be there/ -No, no one will be there.

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New York Chinatown

Unit 6

1. What time will you ………..go home today?

…………eat dinner tonight/ go to your part-time job tomorrow/ wake up

tomorrow…..etc.

………………………………………………………………………………

2. Who will you meet [tomorrow]?

3. What will you do [after school today]?

4. Where will you go [on Sunday]?

5. How will you [come to school tomorrow]?

6. When will you [get married]?

………………………………………………………………………………

7. Will you buy……/eat…/go to …….../ meet…../play…../….?

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UNIT 8

A SHORT FLIGHT

Last year I had to …………. to London for business. I can’t sleep on

airplanes, so my doctor gave me some sleeping ………… I got onto the plane,

sat down and ………. two pills. We took ………and a few minutes later I was

asleep. When I woke, the …………… attendant was shaking my arm. I was the

only ………………… on the plane. “Those pills were strong,” I thought. I went to

the baggage claim ……….. I couldn’t see my bags anywhere. I went to the

information desk, and asked about my bags. “Which flight were you on?” asked

the desk ………….

“The flight from New York----- 743,” I said.

“But you didn’t go anywhere, ma’am. Your aircraft had a problem with

the ……………… and it came back. This is New York!”

SLEEPWALKER

My kid sister ……………. walked in her sleep. One night I woke up

…………….. My sister was walking out of our room with her ………….. closed.

I got up and ………………. her to the kitchen. She opened the fridge and took

……….. some chocolate cheese cake. Her eyes never opened. She ate it, then

went back to ………….. room. I told her in the morning but she didn’t believe me.

“Look in the mirror,” I said. There was chocolate all …………… her mouth and

nose!

WHAT A NIGHMARE!

I once had a ………… nightmare. I dreamed I was in a hotel room on the

40th floor. The hotel was ………. fire. Smoke was coming under the door. I

couldn’t open the window. I …….. it with a chair, but I couldn’t ………… it. The

room got hotter and hotter and the smoke got …………….. and …………..

“This is the end,” I thought. Then I ……………. a crash. Right then, I woke up. I

was at home, in my …………. bed in my own room and the room really was

………… of smoke. The window was open, and a fire fighter was

……………..into the room. He rescued me. My apartment was ……….fire!

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Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Unit 9

How long have you had your………?

Could I have/see/use/borrow/……..?

Could you show me/lend me/ tell me/………..?

How long will it take to ……………..?

Should I ………now or later?

UNIT 10

1. Where do you want to work?

2. What classes do you want to take next year?

3. What countries do you want to visit?

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4. When do you want to get married?

5. Do you want to become a (……………)/

6. What did you want to become when you were a child?

7. What college did you want to go to most?

8. What college did your parents want you to go to?

9. What do you want to do this summer?

10. What do you parents want you to do this summer?

11. What do you want your parents to do for you?

………………………………

12. Do you want me to (…………………….) for you?

“Yes, that would be very nice.”

Or

“No, thanks. That’s too much trouble for you.”

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, Ca.

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Unit 12 A SCIENCE-FICTION STORY

The spaceship around the planet several times. The planet

was and green. They see the ……….. of the planet because

there were too white clouds. Then the spaceship descended slowly

the clouds and in the middle of a green . The two

astronauts put on their space suits, opened the , climbed carefully

down the , and stepped the planet.

The woman looked at a small unit on her arm. “It’s OK,” she said

to the man. “We can the air. It’s a of oxygen and nitrogen.”

of them took their helmets and breathed .

They looked at everything . All the and animals

looked new and . They couldn’t any intelligent life.

After hours, they returned to spaceship. Everything

looked . the man turned on the controls, but nothing .

“Something’s wrong,” he said. “I don’t understand. The aren’t

working.” He on the computer, but that didn’t work .

“Eve,” he said, “we’re here. We can’t off!”

“Don’t worry, Adam,” she replied. “They’ll us soon.”

Unit 13

1. A: Can you walk to [Osaka]? […buy a Rolls Royce/ understand engineering/ live in Africa/ ride a bicycle with one hand/ carry a refrigerator/ ….

B: No, I can’t. A: Why not? B: Because it’s too ……

2. Are you strong enough to ….. (tall enough/ smart enough/ old enough/ rich enough…)

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North American Moose

UNIT 14 Where were you last night (at 8:00)? What dishes could you make in junior high school? What did you have to do last night? A: Why didn’t you call me last night? B: I wanted to call you but ………. What things did you have to do when you were in high school?

6．What are you going to do after school today?

Unit 15

1. What would you like to be when you are older? What kinds of jobs would you

like to do?

---Would you like to become a …………

2. Why do you want to be a ……………….?

3. Have you ever had to wear ……………?

4. If I become a ……………what will I have to do?

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5. Would you like to join the army?

6. Will you have to ……………this summer? Unit 16 All cities have problems. Toronto has too many and not enough parking in the city center. Traffic slowly downtown and parking costs are high. The Department wanted to change the traffic system, so they a traffic survey. They interviewed a of people in downtown Toronto. 1. David Chang is fifty-eight. He to drive when he was He’s been able to drive for years. He lives about miles away. He always downtown by car. 2. Layla Patel is twenty-five. She’s been able to drive for years, but she doesn’t a car. She been able to save enough money. She lives about miles away. She always comes into town by . 3. Douglas MacKenzie is . He’s had a lot of driving . He’s the driving test three times, but he hasn’t been able to the test yet. He lives the city center, and in a downtown. He usually to work. 4. Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins are over sixty-five. They’ve been able to drive. They’ve never learned. They don’t live from downtown, and they come downtown by streetcar.

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UNIT 18 Checks and Money

I.

A: Next! Good ……………..

B: Good ……………I’d like to cash this check, please.

A: OK, $……………Oh! You …………….signed it.

B: Really? Oh, I’m sorry. There you go.

A: How would you ………….the money?

B: ………………., please.

A: Sure. …………….

II.

C: I’d/get this, but/don’t/enough cash/me. Do/take traveler’s checks?

D：Yes, ………..course.

C: Good. Here/are.

D: Thank you. ………..need ……….identification too.

C: Sure. ……………………..all right?

D: …………………

III.

E: Hello. Can/help you?

F: Thank you. My name is ……………I’m expecting/transfer/my

bank/Hiroshima.

E: Let/see. Here/is. Miss………………$2,000 from the ……………bank in

Hiroshima. Do/your driver’s license/you?

F: No, but/my passport. Will/all right?

E: Yes, ……..course.

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Unit 20

1. Does ……….speak better English than you?

2. Does ………….. walk more quickly than you?

3. Does ………….study harder than you?

4. Who better than you?

5. Who studies more carefully, you or me?

6. Do you ride a bicycle carefully or carelessly?

7. Do you write well or badly?

8. Who works harder, X or Y?

Unit 22

Example: “You can make steamed dumplings, can’t you?”

1. You haven’t been to the bank today, ………………….?

2. You work at Mister Donuts, ………………………..?

3. You aren’t Vietnamese, ……………………………?

4. You came to school yesterday, ……………………….?

5. You didn’t come to the school festival, …………………?

6. You can’t read French, ………………………………?

7. You’re hungry, …………………………………….?

8. You’re going to Mister Donuts today, …………………..?

9. You don’t like sea cucumber, …………………..?

10. You have been to Kobe, …………………………..?

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Napa Valley vineyard, Ca.

Unit 23

Good evening. Our tonight is about disasters. This year there have

been , earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. All guests tonight

have survived disasters.

Hello. I’m Susan Fisher-Diaz. I live in Chicago. I was in my office

on the 28th floor of a skyscraper. I was dictating some to my secretary

when the fire rang. I rushed to the elevator, but it

wasn’t . The were full of thick smoke. We couldn’t

go down, so we to go up to the roof. When we there some people

were waiting calmly. Others were and screaming wildly. A

helicopter managed to on the roof and rescued …………… of us before

the roof collapsed.

My name’s Linda Reed. I was on at the Med Club on Patapita, a

small island in the South Pacific. I was taking a nap when the …………….

erupted. The noise woke me up. I looked of the window. Everybody was

toward the harbor too. I managed to on a cruise ship. It was leaving

when the lava town.

Hi. My name’s Richard Ching. My wife and I were staying with friends in Santa

Librada Los Angeles. We were having dinner when the

earthquake . Everything shook. All the and food fell on

the floor. We were picking everything up when the ceiling in.

Fortunately we were the table and survived. We had to wait for

……………before help arrived.

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Unit 24

1. A: “I’m afraid that I broke your…………..”

B: Don’t worry about it. [“You always break my things. I will never lend you

anything again!”]

2. Are you still -----ing…………?

3. Are you glad that………………..?

4. How have things changed in this city since you were a child?

5. Will you be able to [meet/ make/ go to/…..]…….?

6. “I’m sorry to hear that you won’t be……….”

B: “Yes, it’s too bad.”

7. A: Will you be too tired to ………… tonight?

8. Have you ever been able to [learn/ meet/ study/ go to….]?

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

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Unit 25

1. A: Do I check in here for the flight to ……..

B: Do/already/your ticket?

A: Yes/do.

B: Thank you. May/see/passport?

A: There/go.

B: Can/put/luggage up here, please?

A: Sure.

2. Are there any ……………….in your [bag/house/town]?

3. A: Would you like a window or aisle seat?

B: I’d like…..

4. A: May I see your……………..

The Kentucky Derby