Exercise 1

Say these years out loud. Now listen and check that you said them correctly.

1879     1952     1539     1800     1978     1760     1913

1817     1901     1970     1929     1899     1908     1066

Exercise 2

When did these famous writers live? Listen and write down when they were born and when they died.

1    Charles Dickens

      born 1812 died 1870

2    D H Lawrence

      born ………. died ……….

3    Jane Austen

      born ………. died ……….

4    Ernest Hemingway

      born ………. died ……….

5    Emily Dickinson

      born ………. died ……….

6    Oscar Wilde

      born ………. died ……….

Answers

1   Charles Dickens: 1812 – 1870

2   D H Lawrence: 1885 – 1930

3   Jane Austen: 1775 – 1817

4   Ernest Hemingway: 1899 – 1961

5   Emily Dickinson: 1830 – 1886

6   Oscar Wild: 1854 – 1900

Audioscripts

1

A   When did Charles Dickens live?

B   Dickens? Well, he was born in 1812 and he died in 1870.

2

A   Do you know when D H Lawrence was born?

B   Yes, he was born in 1885.

A   And when did he die?

B   He died in 1930.

3

A   Do you know when Jane Austen was born?

B   Yes, she lived from 1775 to 1817.

A   1775 to 1817.

B   That’s right.

4

A   Is Ernest Hemingway still alive?

B   No, he died in 1961.

A   Oh. When was he born?

B   He was born in 1899.

5

A   Do you know when Emily Dickinson lived?

B   Yes, she was born in 1830 and she died in 1886.

6

A   When was Oscar Wilde born?

B   Oscar Wilde? Oh, in 1854.

A   And when did he die?

B   In 1900.

Exercise 3

Say these dates out loud. Then listen and check that you said them correctly.

7/6/48     8/2/85     23/3/80     2/1/84     14/11/87

24/12 62     4/9/72     3/10/21     8/7/56     29/2/80

Audioscripts

The seventh of June 1948.

The eighth of February 1985.

The twenty-third of March 1980.

The second of January 1984.

The fourteenth of November 1987.

The twenty-fourth of December 1962.

The fourth of September 1972.

The third of October 1921.

The eight of July 1956.

The twenty-ninth of February 1980.

Exercise 4

Listen to these people saying when they were born. Write down the dates. For example, if you hear, ‘I was born on the 28th of July, 1953.’

1   ……6/6/39……

2   ……………………

3   ……………………

4   ……………………

5   ……………………

6   ……………………

Answers

1 6/6/39   2 6/7/65

3 21/4/56   4 16/2/29

5 2/1/44   6 15/11/71

Audioscripts

1

A   Could you give me the date of your birth?

B   Oh yes, I was born on the 6th of June, 1939.

2

A   When were you born, please?

B   I was born in 1965, on July the 6th.

3

A   I need to know your date of birth, please.

B   It’s April the 21st, 1956.

4

A   What was the date of your birth, please?

B   1929. February the 16th.

5

A   When were you born?

B   I was born in 1944. January the 2nd, 1944.

6

A   Could I have your date of birth, please?

B   November the 15th, 1971.

Exercise 5

When did these visitors arrive in Britain and when will they leave? Listen and circle the day each person arrived and the day they are leaving.

Answers

1 4/20   2 10/22   3 5/19

4 10/20   5 6/25   6 1/20

Audioscripts

1

A   So, how long have you been in Britain?

B   Well, we arrived on the 4th, and we’re staying until the 20th.

2

A   Have you been here long?

B   Just five days. We arrived on the 10th.

A   And how long will you be here?

B   Until the 22nd.

3

A   Have you been here long?

B   Not long. We arrived on the fifth.

A   Will you be staying long?

B   Until the 19th.

4

A   So, when did you get here?

B   Last week. On the 10th.

A   And how long will you be here altogether?

B   We’re staying for ten days.

5

A   Have you just arrived?

B   No, we arrived on the 6th.

A   I see. And how long will you be staying here?

B   We leave on the 25th.

6

A   Are you planning to stay here long?

B   Until the 20th.

A   I see. And when did you get here?

B   We got here on the first of the month.

Exercise 6

How long have these people been in Britain? Listen and write the number of weeks, months, or years they have been here.

1   ……6 ½ weeks……

2   …………………………

3   …………………………

4   …………………………

5   …………………………

6   …………………………

7   …………………………

8   …………………………

Answers

1 6 ½ weeks   2 16 years

3 3 ½ months   4 9 months

5 26 years   6 4 ½ weeks

7 5 years   8 5 weeks

Audioscripts

1

A   How long have you been here.

B   Let’s see. I’ve been here for about six and a half weeks now.

2

A   Have you been living in Britain long?

B   Yes, I came here sixteen years ago.

3

A   Have you lived here long?

B   For about three and a half months now.

4

A   And you’ve been here for about three months?

B   No, I’ve been here for nine months now.

5

A   So, when did you first come to the UK?

B   Oh, let me see now. Mm, it was about 26 years ago.

6

A   Did you arrive in the UK recently?

B   Yes, I’ve only been here four and a half weeks.

7

A   How long have you been living in England?

B   Mm. This is my fifth year now.

8

A   Have you been living here for very long?

B   No, only five weeks.

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