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Warm Up

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Work with a partner.

How do you travel to work? How long does the journey take?

Vocabulary #1

Match the meanings.

1)

an agenda

not often

2)

state-of-the-art

amazing

3)

breathtaking

list of topics for a meeting

4)

a stone's throw from

near

5)

infrequent

a different choice

6)

an alternative

very modern

Conversation

Read and fill in the spaces.

Sarah

So, the next item on the agenda is the location for the new office. Jim 1
what do you think of the ..................... in Pine Street?

Jim

Well, I visited it last week, but I don't think it will be very popular with our
employees.

Sarah

Why not? It's a state-of-the-art building and the view from the tenth floor is
breathtaking!

Jim

Well, yes. But everyone comes to work by train. And it's a fifteen-minute
2
walk from the nearest ..................... . That's a lot.

Sarah

How about the bus? There's a bus stop just a stone's throw from the
building.

Choose From
station
owner
traffic

Jim

I know, but it's a ten-minute ride. The ..................... is terrible and the
buses are really infrequent.

Sarah

Well, are there any good alternatives?

Jim

Well, the office in Main Street is just a five-minute walk from the station.
Why not move there?

Sarah

Mmm. All right, I will check with the building ................ . Moving on then....

Your Turn

Make notes in the boxes below.

Advantages of the Pine Street Office

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building

Disadvantages of the Pine Street Office

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Language Work #1

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Fill in the spaces.

Adjectives using Numbers

It takes twenty minutes on foot to my house.
> My house is

walk.
a + number + noun

I have a brother who is 25 years old.

> I have

Language Work #2

brother.

Rewrite the sentences using the pattern in exercise five.

1)

It takes fifteen minutes on foot to the office.

2)

New York is six hours by plane from Los Angeles.

3)

Angela is on a business trip for five days.

4)

I have a cat. It's eighteen years old!

5)

Tom bought a watch. It cost two thousand dollars.

Role-play

Have a meeting with a partner.

So, the next
item on the
agenda is...

Location 1: Oak Street

Advantages

Disadvantages

cheap rent

20 minutes from the station

quiet location

10 minutes by bus

near shops and restaurants

old building

Location 2: Main Street

Advantages

Disadvantages

2 minutes from the station

the rent is very high

5 minutes from restaurants

only fast-food restaurants

fantastic view

very slow elevator

Moving on...

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Target Structure:

Adjectives using Numbers

Vocabulary:

General / Business

Level:

Intermediate

Time:

45 minutes

Preparation:

None

Suggested Teaching Method

The first exercise introduces the topic. Elicit some answers from your students.

Students can work alone and check in pairs. Go through the answers with the group.

Direct students' attention to the words in the box. Students can read the conversation, filling in the blanks. Have
students check with a partner, and practice the conversation twice, switching roles.

Students can work in pairs, making notes in the boxes. Go through the answers with the group.

You might like to present the target language on the board. Point out the pattern. Pay particular attention to the
number clause, which is singular. (a 25-year old brother, not 25-years) Also point out the use of the hyphen.

Students can work with a partner. Go through the answers with the group.

Set up the role-play. It will follow the pattern of the original conversation, so you could have students read that
once more to refresh their memories. Encourage the use of 'the language of meetings'. Two ideas are highlighted
in the speech bubbles.
Remind students that they need to use the target structure when talking about distances and time.
Students can work in pairs. Monitor, but try not to interrupt the role-plays. Make a note of errors as you monitor.
After the role-plays have finished, write some of the errors on the board, and elicit correction.

The answer key can be found on the next page.

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Answer key (Other answers may be possible.)

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)

an agenda
state-of-the-art
breathtaking
a stone's throw from
infrequent
an alternative

1)
2)
3)
4)

building
station
traffic
owner

list of topics for a meeting

very modern
amazing
near
not often
a different choice

Advantages
- a state-of-the-art building
- the view is breathtaking
- near a bus stop
Disadvantages
- a 15-minute walk from the station
- a 10-minute bus ride (infrequent service)
- the traffic is terrible

My house is a twenty-minute walk.

I have a twenty-five-year old brother.

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

The office is a fifteen-minute walk.

New York is a six-hour flight from Los Angeles.
Angela is on a five-day business trip.
I have an eighteen-year old cat.
Tom bought a two thousand-dollar watch.

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