Learning English as a Foreign Language For Dummies庐 1
Contents at a Glance 10
Table of Contents 11
Introduction 19
What\u2019s Special about English? 19
About This Book 20
Conventions Used in This Book 20
Foolish Assumptions 21
How This Book Is Organised 21
Icons Used in This Book 22
Where to Go from Here 23
Part I: Getting Started 25
Chapter 1: You Already Know a Little English 27
Realising that You Already Know Some English 27
Avoiding False Friends across the Languages 28
Meeting Some Differences between British and American English 29
Using International Words in English 31
Perfecting Pronunciation and Stress 32
Investigating Intonation 36
Chapter 2: Basic English Grammar 39
Constructing Simple Sentences 40
Working on More Complex Sentences 41
Forming Questions 41
Using Verbs and Tenses 47
Using Conditionals 56
Chapter 3: Getting to Know People 59
Chatting with Strangers 59
Talking about the Weather 61
My Family and Other Animals 63
Telling Jokes and Anecdotes 64
Part II: English in Action 71
Chapter 4: Shopping and Numbers 73
Shopping in the High Street 73
Going to the Supermarket 82
Visiting the Market 84
Practising Your Numbers 87
Chapter 5: Eating In and Out 93
Taking a Look at British Meals 93
Eating In 95
Going Out to Eat 98
Chapter 6: Out on the Town 117
Asking Someone Out 117
Arranging to Meet 119
Deciding Where to Go 122
Visiting Friends 128
Knowing What to Talk About 130
Chapter 7: Hobbies and Free Time 133
Talking about Your Hobbies 133
Enjoying Yourself Indoors 137
Heading Outside 142
Getting Involved in Sports 142
Chapter 8: Talking on the Phone 149
Making Different Sorts of Phone Call 149
Getting the Message 160
Dealing with Communication Problems 166
Chapter 9: At the Office and Around the House 171
Working in an Office 171
Looking at Housing in the UK 178
Finding Somewhere to Live 185
Chapter 10: Written English 195
Looking at Newspapers and Magazines 195
Deciphering Signs 202
Filling in Forms 205
Writing Letters 207
Communicating Electronically 208
Differentiating between Spoken and Written English 209
Part III: English on the Go 213
Chapter 11: Money, Money, Money 215
Splashing the Cash: Coins and Notes 215
Getting Your Money from a Cash Machine 216
Using Your Credit Card 218
Using a Bank 221
Changing Money 222
Sending and Receiving Money to and from Another Country 225
Chapter 12: Finding a Place to Stay 229
Finding Accommodation 229
Booking Your Accommodation 233
Checking In 237
Complaining about the Accommodation 238
Checking Out 239
Chapter 13: On the Move 243
Making Travel Plans 243
Booking a Flight 248
Getting Around 256
Renting a Car 261
Asking for Directions 263
Describing Towns and Cities 266
Chapter 14: Handling Emergencies 271
Getting Help Quickly 271
Dealing with Health Problems 272
Coping with Crime and Legal Problems 276
Visa and Residency Problems 281
Part IV: The Part of Tens 285
Chapter 15: Ten Ways to Learn 287
Spending Time in the UK 287
Travelling to English-Speaking Countries 288
Tuning In to Radio and TV 288
Listening to Music and Podcasts 289
Watching Movies and DVDs 290
Surfing the Web 291
Chatting with a Keypal 291
Getting a Second Life 292
Reading Books 293
Playing Games 293
Chapter 16: Ten Favourite English Expressions 295
A Bit Much 295
At the End of the Day 296
Fancy a Drink? 296
Fingers Crossed 297
Good Weekend? 298
How\u2019s It Going? 298
See You Later 298
Tell Me About It! 299
Text Me 299
You Must Be Joking! 300
Chapter 17: Ten (Actually 11) Holidays 301
Multicultural Celebrations 302
Public (or Bank) Holidays 303
New Year (1 January) 303
Chinese New Year (January or February) 304
Valentine\u2019s Day (14 February) 304
St Patrick\u2019s Day (17 March) 304
Mother\u2019s Day (March) and Father\u2019s Day (June) 305
Notting Hill Carnival (London, August) 306
Halloween (31 October) 306
Bonfire Night (5 November) 307
Armistice Day (11 November) 307
Chapter 18: Ten Phrases That Make You 309
Actually 309
Bless You! 310
Bon App茅tit! 310
Come to Think of It . . . 311
Do You See What I Mean? 312
Hang on a Minute 312
Lovely Day! 313
Not Being Funny, But . . . 314
The Thing Is . . . 315
You Know What? 315
Part V: Appendices 317
Appendix A: Phrasal Verbs 319
Defining Phrasal Verbs 319
Seeing Why Phrasal Verbs Are Special 321
Practising Phrasal Verbs 322
Meeting the Most Common Phrasal Verbs 323
Appendix B: Common and Irregular Verbs 327
Considering Common Verbs in English 327
Investigating Irregular Verbs in English 336
Meeting Modal Verbs 338
Appendix C: On the CD 341
Index 345