Learn how to use the prepositions "by," "around," and "near"
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| INTRODUCTION |
| John: Let's Check Out that New American Bar! John Here. |
| Becky: Hey I'm Becky. |
| John: In this lesson, you’ll learn the prepositions “by”, “around” and “near”. The conversation takes place at work. |
| Becky: It's between Rachel and Sean. |
| John: The speakers are co-workers, so they will use informal English. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Rachel: I heard that a new bar is opening somewhere around the train station. |
| Sean: That's right. It should be near 6th Avenue. |
| Rachel: Oh, there's an empty building near there. Is that it? |
| Sean: Where is it? |
| Rachel: It's by the library. |
| Sean: I think that's it. |
| John: Listen to the conversation one time slowly. |
| Rachel: I heard that a new bar is opening somewhere around the train station. |
| Sean: That's right. It should be near 6th Avenue. |
| Rachel: Oh, there's an empty building near there. Is that it? |
| Sean: Where is it? |
| Rachel: It's by the library. |
| Sean: I think that's it. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| John: Bars are good places to socialize. |
| Becky: I think bars and clubs are the most popular places to meet friends in the evening. |
| John: If I meet my friends during the day, we usually just go to a coffee shop. |
| Becky: Me too. I usually hang out at a Starbucks. |
| John: What about meeting new people? |
| Becky: I’ve met people just by starting conversations in bars, but that can be a little difficult sometimes. |
| John: I’ve met new people by joining meet-up groups. |
| Becky: Really? I hear groups like that are becoming popular. How did you find the group? |
| John: They advertise on Facebook, but there are websites too. It’s a good way to find people with similar interests, or to learn something new. |
| Becky: There are lots of groups for language learning, aren’t there? |
| John: Yes, you can practice your English at one! Let’s go together! |
| Becky: Ehhh, I don’t really socialize with work colleagues. |
| John: Harsh! Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| John: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is.. |
| Becky: to hear [natural native speed] |
| John: to perceive with the ears, to learn |
| Becky: to hear[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: to hear [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Becky: bar [natural native speed] |
| John: a place to purchase and drink alcoholic beverages |
| Becky: bar[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: bar [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Becky: somewhere [natural native speed] |
| John: some unspecified place |
| Becky: somewhere[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: somewhere [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Becky: right [natural native speed] |
| John: correct, true |
| Becky: right[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: right [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Becky: train [natural native speed] |
| John: a line of cars connected together and running on tracks used for the shipment of goods or transportation |
| Becky: train[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: train [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Becky: should [natural native speed] |
| John: used to indicate responsibility |
| Becky: should[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: should [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Becky: oh [natural native speed] |
| John: expression to show surprise, anger, or joy |
| Becky: oh[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: oh [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Becky: empty [natural native speed] |
| John: no contents, nothing inside |
| Becky: empty[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: empty [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Becky: building [natural native speed] |
| John: a structure with a roof and walls |
| Becky: building[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: building [natural native speed] |
| John: And last.. |
| Becky: library [natural native speed] |
| John: a place where books are kept for use but not for sale |
| Becky: library[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: library [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| John: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is... |
| Becky: somewhere... |
| John: meaning "some unspecified place." What can you tell us about this? |
| Becky: This is a pronoun. You use it talk about a place that hasn’t been decided or named. |
| John: For example, if you want to go on a vacation but haven’t decided where yet, you could say... |
| Becky: “Somewhere in the mountains.” This means that the actual location isn’t decided yet; it just has to be around mountains. |
| John: You can also use this word for directions, when you're not sure of the precise location. |
| Becky: Yes, an example of that is “somewhere near the train station.” |
| John: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| Becky: Sure. For example, you can say, “I want to go somewhere hot for Christmas.” |
| John: Which means "I want to go to a place that is hot for Christmas." Okay, what's the next word? |
| Becky: Right... |
| John: ...meaning "correct." What can you tell us about this? |
| Becky: This is an adjective. You use it to describe things that are correct. And of course, the opposite of “right” is “wrong” or “incorrect.” |
| John: “Correct” sounds more formal than “right.” |
| Becky: It does. “Right” has many meanings, such as direction, but “correct” doesn’t. |
| John: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| Becky: Sure. For example, you can say, “If he gives one more right answer, he will win the prize!” |
| John: Okay, what's the next word? |
| Becky: Empty... |
| John: ...meaning "no contents, nothing inside." What can you tell us about this? |
| Becky: This can be used as an adjective to say that there is nothing inside a container. |
| John: It can be used for physical containers, like a cup or a bag. |
| Becky: Yes, you can say “empty cup” or “empty bag.” You can also use it for words or gestures, too. |
| John: What does it mean in this case? |
| Becky: It means that the feelings aren’t real. For example, “an empty promise.” |
| John: Can you give us one last example using this word? |
| Becky: Sure. For example, you can say, “She drank until her glass was empty.” |
| John: .. which means "she drank until her glass had nothing left in it." Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| John: In this lesson, you'll learn about the prepositions “by”, “around” and “near”. Okay, let’s get started! |
| Becky: I like the positive attitude. |
| John: Thanks! First up is “by.” |
| Becky: This is for place and position - you can use it for things that are beside something. |
| John: Let’s have some examples. |
| Becky: “Put the couch by the wall.” It can also be used for things that you keep in a handy position. |
| John: Like, “I keep a pen by me.” |
| Becky: Yes. You have a pen near you in case you need it. It’s in easy reach. |
| John: Next is “around.” |
| Becky: You can use “around” to say that something is in the area. |
| John: Such as “There are several convenience stores around the park.” |
| Becky: Yes. That means that there are several convenience stores in the park area. |
| John: It can also be used to say that something is surrounding something. |
| Becky: Yes, such as “There is a fence around this building.” |
| John: There’s an idiom using “around” that I like. |
| Becky: Oh, what idiom is that? |
| John: “Around the clock.” “The supermarket is open around the clock.” |
| Becky: Yeah, that’s a good one! It means “all day and night.” So in this case the supermarket would be open 24 hours - all the way around the clock! |
| John: And finally for this lesson, is “near.” |
| Becky: You use this for something that is close. |
| John: “The restaurant is near the river.” |
| Becky: Yes, this means that the restaurant is close to the river, but we’re not being specific on how close it is. |
| John: What about the word “nearby?” Can you use that in place of “near?” |
| Becky: You might hear “nearby” in conversation, but that’s actually wrong. “Nearby” is an adverb, so it shouldn’t be used in that sentence. |
| John: I’ll keep that in mind! |
Outro |
| John: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| Becky: Bye |
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