Spotlight - 14.2019

54 Spotlight 14/2019 EVERYDAY ENGLISH

Foto: iStockphoto/iStock.com

EVERYDAY ENGLISH

Keeping in touch

DAGMAR TAYLOR presents dialogues about staying

in contact with friends. Read them carefully and look

at our tips to brush up on your everyday English.

MEDIUM AUDIO PLUS

1. It’s me!
   Elaine is at home watching television when she gets a surprise phone call.


2. Great to see you!
   Elaine and Flo have arranged to have dinner together in a restaurant in York.

Elaine: (phone rings) Hello?

Flo: Hi! Is that Elaine?

Elaine: Speaking. Who’s this?

Flo: It’s Flo.

Elaine: Flo? Oh, my goodness. How

lovely to hear from you!

How are you?

Flo: I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m sorry I

haven’t been in touch for so

long. You know how it is...

work, kids, life. And time just

seems to fly. How are you?

Elaine: I’m fine. We’re all well.

Where are you? Are you still

in London?

Flo: No, actually, we moved to

Manchester last year. I’m

calling because I’m going to

be in York for a conference

in a couple of weeks’ time

and I thought it might be an

opportunity to meet up. If

you’d like to, and if you have

time, that is.

Elaine: Are you kidding? I’d love to

meet up!

Flo: Elaine! Oh, you haven’t

changed a bit!

Elaine: You’re too kind. You look

fabulous! Younger than the

last time I saw you.

Flo: (laughs) If only that were true.

How long has it been? Five

years?

Elaine: At least. I think the last time

I saw you was in London at

Brenda’s wedding. Is that

right?

Flo: Yes, that’s right. Was that

five years ago? My goodness,

where does the time go? I

remember promising to be

better at staying in touch, but

that obviously hasn’t gone so

well.

Elaine: (laughs) I’m no better. I think

we both know that we can

pick up where we left off

regardless of how much time

passes.

Flo: And that’s lovely, isn’t it? It’s

so good to see you.

Tips

⋅ Speaking is^ used to tell someone who

has called you on the telephone, and

has asked to talk to you, that they are

speaking to the right person.

⋅ The expression How lovely to^ hear

from you can be used to respond

when someone you haven’t talked to

in a while calls you.

⋅ In the sentence I haven’t been in

touch, the present perfect tense is

used because a situation that began

in the past has continued until the

moment of speaking.

⋅ To ask for understanding about a

situation, you can say you know how

it is.

⋅ When you meet up with someone

(ifml.), you meet them, especially by

arrangement.

Tips

⋅ To compliment someone on how well

or young they look, you can say Yo u

haven’t changed a bit.

⋅ You can ask How long has it been?

if you want to know how much time

has passed since the last time you saw

that person.

⋅ Where does the time go? is another

way of saying “time flies”.

⋅ I’m no better is used to express

understanding and means “I’m just as

bad as you are”.

⋅ When you pick up where you left off^

(ifml.), you start again or continue.

fabulous [(fÄbjUlEs] ifml.

, fabelhaft

kid [kId]

, Witze machen

regardless of sth.

[ri(gA:dlEs Ev]

, unabhängig davon, egal