Page 125 - Starting Strong: English Essentials

1. Listening

Pay Attention to Numbers

Tips to listen to numbers

To effectively listen to and understand numbers, practice with diverse number

formats (phone numbers, dates), pay attention to pronunciation and accent, and

focus on identifying key numbers within conversations or recordings.
Pay attention to → Practice distinguishing between similar-sounding numbers, like
pronunciation "thirteen" and "thirty", "fifteen" and "fifty". Note how the stress and
intonation can change the meaning.
Listen for → In English, numbers are often grouped into chunks of two or three
chunking digits. Be aware of how the speaker's intonation indicates the end of a
chunk.
Write down →As you listen, try to write down the numbers you hear. This helps with
number both listening comprehension and accuracy.

a. Listen to the responses given by Linda in the audio and complete the missing parts of the

dialogue.

Leo : "Hey Linda, how was your trip around the world with your sister? I heard you came
back with some incredible gifts."

Linda : "I did! The most unique gift I got was a replica of a Faberge egg from Russia. It wasn't
Audio
as much as you'd think, though. It was handcrafted and came with a certificate—
No.1
one of only 1) _______made. It cost around 2) $_______ at the time. The
craftsmanship was incredible!"

Leo : "That's so cool! Did you get anything for your family?"

Linda : "Yeah, I got a few things, but the most special one was a painting I bought in Paris. I
only bought two gifts in total, but this one was unique because the artist painted it Audio
right in front of me. I paid 3) _______ euros for it, which was a little over 4) $_______. No.2
He even gave me a discount since I bought another painting from him."

Leo : "That's an amazing story. After that, you went to Japan, right? What was your
favourite part?"

Linda : "Japan was fantastic! I brought back a huge box of Japanese snacks for my family.
Audio
The box had about 5) _______different kinds of Kit Kats! They had all these unique
No.3
flavours like matcha and wasabi. It came out to 6) _______yen, or around
7) _______."

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