SPEAK! American English Conversation. 6,000+ Vocabulary Words and Phrases in Dialogues

Yes, and in the daytime, just in case.

Do earthquakes occur in the area?

No, never.

What about the floods?

They take place sometimes. A river is nearby!

* * *

Words

area, crime, daytime, door, earthquake, flood, lock, low, nearby, never, occur, rate, river, safe, sometimes

* * *

Phrases

in a safe area

the crime rate

lock the doors

at night

in the daytime

just in case

earthquakes occur

in the area

take place

be nearby

52. Why are you staring at the printer?

Why are you staring at the printer? Have you encountered a problem?

Yes, the printer does not react to any commands. Why?

It cannot read your thoughts!

No, seriously, what could be the cause?

It can be a combination of causes. Is it connected to the socket with a cable?

Sure. I can check if the connection is secure.

Do it carefully. Don’t risk your life! Don’t grab bare wires!

They are not bare. Don’t worry, I know how to ensure my own safety!

* * *

Words

bare, cable, cannot, carefully, cause, combination, command, connect, connection, encounter, ensure, grab, printer, react, read, risk, secure, seriously, socket, stare, thought, wire

* * *

Phrases

stare at

staring at

encounter a problem

encountered a problem

react to

read thoughts

read your thoughts

a combination of causes

connected to… with

check if

do it

don’t risk = do not risk

don’t grab = do not grab

bare wire (s)

know how (to)

ensure safety

ensure my own safety

53. Have you heard of the recent emergency at the factory?

Have you heard of the recent emergency at the factory?

Yes, there was an extremely powerful explosion two days ago.

Was anybody injured?

There were a few victims. The rescue team pulled them out of the building.

Couldn’t they get out of it themselves?

No, the explosion was completely unexpected. The entry was blocked.

Was there a fire?

Yes, the flames spread quickly. However, the firefighters managed to deal with the fire.

* * *

Words

anybody, block, completely, couldn’t = could not, deal, emergency, entry, explosion, extremely, factory, firefighter, flame, heard (base form: hear), however, injure, powerful, pull, quickly, rescue, spread, team, themselves, unexpected, victim

* * *

Phrases

hear of

heard of

the recent emergency

at the factory

a powerful explosion

two days ago

a few victims

the rescue team

pull out of

pulled them out of

get out of

spread quickly

manage to

managed to

deal with

54. Is there an effective cure for cancer?

Is there an effective cure for cancer?

Not yet, but cancer research continues. The latest findings are likely to make a difference.

What can terminally ill people hope for today? Nothing but magic?

The only real hope is dramatic improvements in drug therapy and surgery.

Is it true that this illness is caused by viruses?

Yes, some types of cancer might be caused by infection.

What is the main difficulty in cancer treatment?

The disease starts without symptoms. Some people find out they are ill when it is too late.

* * *

Words

by, cancer, cure, difficulty, disease, dramatic, drug, effective, find, finding, hope, ill, illness, improvement, infection, late, latest (base form: late), likely, main, make, research, start, surgery, symptom, terminally, therapy, today, treatment, true, type, virus

* * *

Phrases

an effective cure for

cancer research

the latest findings

to make a difference

terminally ill

hope for

nothing but

the only hope

improvements in

drug therapy

Is it true that…

caused by

the main difficulty

without symptoms

find out

too late

55. My eighty-year-old grandma has a fever

My eighty-year-old grandma has a fever. How do we identify its causes?

A fever is a common symptom of the flu virus.

So, she caught the flu from my ninety-year-old grandpa.

Do they have equally high temperature?

He had a fever last week. His temperature decreased to normal recently.

Did he take tablets for fever?

Yes, but she does not want to take them. Her temperature remains high for now.

She must take the medicine to get better. Tell her they are vitamins!

* * *

Words

better, caught (base form: catch), common, decrease, eighty-year-old, equally, fever, flu, grandma, grandpa, high, identify, its, medicine, must, ninety-year-old, normal, remain, tablet, vitamin, week

* * *

Phrases

has a fever

a common symptom of

the flu virus

caught the flu from

equally high

last week

take tablets for

for now

to get better

56. Are patients put to sleep during surgical operations?

Are patients put to sleep during surgical operations?

In some cases, they must be unconscious. In other cases, conscious.

When must a patient be awake? Can you give a fairly common example?

Laser eye surgery. It’s a complex operation to improvevision.

Is it crucial for patients to stay motionless?

No, the complex surgical equipment controls every motion of their eyes.

Is there risk that the vision becomes worse as a result?

The risk is minimal. In most cases, the vision recovers quickly after the operation.

* * *

Words

awake, become, complex, conscious, control, crucial, during, equipment, every, example, fairly, improve, laser, minimal, motion, motionless, operation, patient, recover, result, surgical, unconscious, vision, worse

* * *

Phrases

put to sleep

in some cases

in other cases

be awake

a common example

eye surgery

a complex operation

to improve vision

Is there risk that…

becomes worse

as a result

in most cases

57. My fingers and toes are aching

My fingers and toes are aching. Besides, I have knee pain. What doctor should I see?

An orthopedist.

I also feel pain in the lungs and other internal organs.

Visit an internist. I know a good one, but she is pregnant and on maternity leave now.

In addition, I have nightmares. I dream that a hospital nurse drops poison on my tongue by mistake. This causes throat spasm!

That is likely a mental problem. Does anyone get on your nerves in reality?

Yeah, poisonous snakes do. They are hard of hearing but see well up close. Their venom can cause shock!

There are no venomous snakes in our area. Start with consulting a psychiatrist!

* * *

Words

ache, aching, also, besides, close, consult, consulting, dream, drop, feel, hearing, internal, internist, knee, leave, lung, maternity, mental, mistake, nerve, nightmare, nurse, organ, orthopedist, our, poison, poisonous, pregnant, psychiatrist, reality, shock, snake, spasm, throat, toe, tongue, venom, venomous, visit

* * *

Phrases

knee pain

feel pain in

internal organs

visit an internist

on maternity leave

have nightmares

dream that

by mistake

throat spasm

a mental problem

get on your nerves

in reality

poisonous snakes

hard of hearing

see well

up close

start with

Going on Foot

58. Excuse me, how do we get to the city center?

Excuse me, how do we get to the city center?

It’s on the opposite side of the river. You need to go across the river.

Is there a bridge nearby?

Yes, walk along the riverbank until you see it.

Is that far from here?

Yes, it’s a long walk. It takes about an hour to get there.

Is there a shorter path?

No, unless you take a boat.

* * *

Words

boat, bridge, center, excuse, foot, opposite, path, riverbank, shorter (base form: short), unless, until

* * *

Phrases

Excuse me…

how do we get to

city center

on the opposite side of

walk along

a long walk

It takes…

to get there

a shorter path

take a boat

59. Excuse me, where is the nearest supermarket?

Excuse me, where is the nearest supermarket?

Walk straight three blocks.

Is that far away?

It’s a fifteen minute walk.

Is it open now?

It must be.

Thank you!

My pleasure.

* * *

Words

fifteen, minute, nearest (base form: near), open, pleasure, straight, supermarket

* * *

Phrases

the nearest supermarket

walk straight

a fifteen minute walk

my pleasure

60. Excuse me, where is the restroom here?

Excuse me, where is the restroom here?

Follow the wide corridor to the end.

We were at the end of it but didn’t find the door.

Turn right into a narrow passage.

Okay, right. Where to next?

Go down the passage. The bathroom should be on the left.

Thank you very much!

You are welcome.

* * *

Words

corridor, follow, into, narrow, passage, restroom, wide

* * *

Phrases

follow the corridor

to the end

at the end of

find the door

turn right

a narrow passage

down the passage

Thank you very much

61. Shall we go up the stairs?

Shall we go up the stairs?

No, my legs hurt. Let’s take the escalator.

Aren’t you afraid of falling?

No, I’ll hold on to the handrails.

There’s also an elevator.

I don’t want to use the elevator.

Are you afraid of confined spaces?

No, but the elevator can get stuck!

* * *

Words

confine, elevator, escalator, falling, handrail, hold, leg, space, stair, stick, stuck (base form: stick)

* * *

Phrases

go up the stairs

take the escalator

afraid of falling

hold on to

confined spaces

get stuck

62. Excuse me, are you from here?

Excuse me, are you from here?

Yes. How can I help you?

Could you tell me where the pharmacy is?

Go down this street. The pharmacy is around the corner.

Is there a grocery store?

Yes, to the left of the pharmacy.

And the market?

No, the market is far away. You had better get a cab!

* * *

Words

cab, corner, grocery, market, pharmacy, store

* * *

Phrases

from here

Could you tell me…

around the corner

a grocery store

to the left of

You had better…

63. I want to take a walk

I want to take a walk. Let’s go to the central park!

It is too far from here. We could just walk back and forth on this road or elsewhere.

This road is rough. We will have to move slowly. I want to go at a fast pace!

If you’re afraid of stumbling, mind your step.

Road repairs are ahead. It leads nowhere! Why don’t we change direction?

Fine, let’s go directly to the park.

Thank you! Where is the shortest way there?

Down this lane. Follow me!

* * *

Words

ahead, central, direction, directly, elsewhere, forth, lane, lead, mind, move, nowhere, pace, park, repair, rough, shortest (base form: short), slowly, step, stumble, way

* * *

Phrases

take a walk

the central park

too far from here

back and forth

on this road

move slowly

at a fast pace

afraid of stumbling

mind your step

road repairs

lead nowhere

change direction

go directly to

the shortest way

follow me

64. Do you see the castle beyond the wall?

Do you see the castle beyond the wall?

Yes, there are several towers made of gray stone.

It was built in the Middle Ages mainly from local materials.

Why here? I mean, what was the advantage of this place?

It’s on the hill next to the river. Going upward would have been harder than downward.

An enemy army could surround the castle. Defenders would have to surrender.

Not necessarily. They could escape through a secret tunnel!

Thank God those days are gone!

* * *

Words

advantage, age, army, beyond, built (base form: build), castle, defender, downward, escape, god, gone, gray, harder (base form: hard), hill, local, mainly, material, mean, middle, necessarily, secret, stone, surrender, surround, through, tower, tunnel, upward, wall

* * *

Phrases

beyond the wall

made of

in the Middle Ages

the advantage of

next to

going upward/downward

not necessarily

escape through

a secret tunnel

thank God

those days are gone

Transportation

65. Where’s the bus stop?

Where’s the bus stop?

I have no idea.

Somebody must know. Let’s ask around.

There’s no one around.

Let’s look for a bus stop sign then.

Look over there. There it is!

I can’t see it without glasses.

Wear them, or you’ll get lost in the city!

* * *

Words

ask, bus, glasses, lost (base form: lose), somebody, transportation, you’ll = you will

* * *

Phrases

bus stop

no idea

ask around

no one around

a bus stop sign

get lost

66. Is the bus fare expensive?

Is the bus fare expensive?

No, it’s cheap.

How about a taxi?

It’s expensive.

What are the other means of transport here?

Tram and subway.

Where can I buy subway tickets?

At the station, I think.

* * *

Words

cheap, expensive, fare, means, station, subway, taxi, ticket, tram, transport

* * *

Phrases

bus fare

it’s (= it is) cheap

it’s expensive

means of transport

subway tickets

67. How do we get to the park?

How do we get to the park?

It’s a couple of tram stops from here. We can ask the driver where to get off the tram.

Where can I buy tickets?

From the ticket machines.

How do I pay for them?

By card or in cash.

Can we get on the tram and pay the driver?

No, you need to have a ticket before boarding.

* * *

Words

before, boarding, card, cash, machine

* * *

Phrases

tram stops

get off the tram

buy tickets

ticket machines

by card

in cash

get on the tram

pay the driver

before boarding

68. How do we get to the airport?

How do we get to the airport?

By bus or taxi.

Are we going to buy tickets at the box office?

No, I’ve already bought them online.

Awesome! Did you print them out?

This is not required. All we need is passports.

How do you know all this?

I’ve already flown abroad a few times.

* * *

Words

abroad, airport, awesome, bought (base form: buy), box, flown, fly, office, online, passport, print, require

* * *

Phrases

at the box office

print them out

All we need is…

a few times

69. Look at the signs. Are we going to the Arrivals area?

Look at the signs. Are we going to the Arrivals area?

No, the Departures.

Domestic Departures?

No, International Departures.

How about Transfers?

This is not for us. We don’t change planes. We have a direct flight.

Is our flight on time?

Let’s check the board. Sometimes flights are delayed or canceled.

* * *

Words

arrival, board, cancel, delay, departure, direct, domestic, flight, international, plane, transfer

* * *

Phrases

Arrivals area

Domestic Departures

International Departures

not for us

change planes

direct flight

on time

check the board

flights are delayed/canceled

70. Where can we check in?

Where can we check in?

At the check-in desk.

Do we have to register the baggage?

Yes, except for the hand baggage.

What do we do after that?

We have to go through border control.

What documents do we need?

Passports and boarding passes.

* * *

Words

baggage, border, check-in, desk, document, except, pass, register

* * *

Phrases

check in

register the baggage

except for

hand baggage

after that

go through

border control

boarding pass

71. Where do we wait to board the plane?

Where do we wait to board the plane?

In the departure lounge of Terminal A.

When can we get on the plane?

As soon as we are called to board.

How long does it take to board a plane?

About half an hour.

How do we find our plane?

We must know our gate number.

* * *

Words

half, lounge, terminal

* * *

Phrases

board the plane

departure lounge

get on the plane

as soon as

call to board

half an hour

gate number

72. Is there a railway station in this town?

Is there a railway station in this town?