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Learn how to talk to a professor during office hours about missed class work in English. Dialogue/Story [A knock on the door.] Jeff: Come in. Julie: Hi, Dr. McQuillan, I'm Julie Taylor. I'm in your two o'clock class on Thursdays. Jeff: Hi, Julie. Have a seat. What can I do for you? Julie: I wanted to come see you during your office hours because I missed class last week. I had a family emergency. Jeff: I'm sorry to hear that. We went over a lot of material, so make sure you get the notes from another student in class. Julie: Thanks, I will. Did you give any assignments? Jeff: Yes, I assigned an essay on the topics in chapter three of your textbook. Julie: Oh, I see. Are there guidelines for the essay? Jeff: Yes, it should be 8 to 10 pages, and it's due in two weeks. Take a look at your syllabus. It has more details. Julie: I will. Thanks a lot. I've also been meaning to talk to you about the trouble I'm having keeping up in class. I'm having trouble understanding the lectures. Is there anything you would suggest? Jeff: Some students tape-record the lectures and listen to them afterwards. That seems to help. Julie: That's a great idea. I'll definitely try that. I'm wondering if you give extra credit in your class. Jeff: No, I don't give extra credit assignments. But if you're worried about passing, there are still two more tests to pull up your grade. Julie: Yes, I'll study hard for those. Thanks a lot for your time. Jeff: No problem. See you in class. Julie: Okay, Professor McQuillan. See you Thursday.

Learn how to cash a check and make a deposit at the bank in English. Dialogue/Story The local branch of my bank is located just a few blocks from where I live. It's very convenient, since it has four ATMs open 24/7. Today I had to go make a deposit, but because I wanted to cash a check as well, I needed to go inside to talk to a teller. Inside the bank, I got in line for the tellers. All of the tellers are behind a large piece of bulletproof glass, so you have to speak up when you are talking to them. When I got to the head of the line, the cashier asked, "How may I help you?" I said, "I'd like to deposit this payroll check into my checking account and cash this cashier's check." "Certainly," she said, "just endorse the back of both checks and put them in the tray." I said, "Sure. And can I get that in small bills - tens and twenties?" I waited for her to process my checks. Then she said, "Here you are," and counted out the cash and put it in an envelope. "Thank you," I said, and walked away. Now that I have some money burning a hole in my pocket, I guess I'd better spend it!

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Learn how to write a polite, formal email to someone you do not know well in English. Dialogue/Story Dear Dr. Lee: I don't know if you'll remember me, but I introduced myself to you after your keynote at last week's conference. As I mentioned to you, I have read all of your work and I am a great admirer of your research. Your article in the top journal Language Learning was groundbreaking. The reason I am contacting you is that I would like to come to your university to study with you. I met some of your students at the conference and they couldn't stop singing your praises as a professor. I don't know if you are accepting any new students for the next year, but if so, I hope you will consider me. I have included two attachments to this email. I am sending a copy of my CV, and I am also including a research paper I completed earlier this year. I hope that these will give you an idea of my qualifications and experience. Please let me know if you need more information or more samples of my academic work. It was a pleasure and a privilege to meet you at the conference, and I hope to hear more about your research at a future conference. Sincerely, Lucy Hocevar

Learn how to talk about your clothes and how you dress in English. Dialogue/Story I'm one of those people who don't have much of a fashion sense. I mean, I know that I shouldn't wear a pink shirt with green pants, but beyond that I'm pretty much a basket case when it comes to picking my wardrobe. I have plenty of short-sleeve and long-sleeve dress shirts; some have a button-down collar and some have a shirt pocket in them. I also own some more casual shirts with a collar, and a ton of T-shirts with just about every logo you can think of. I have a couple of good pairs of black slacks for formal occasions, along with khakis and jeans for more informal events. Naturally, I have one nice suit to wear to weddings, funerals, and job interviews, with a suit coat, tie, a belt with a nice-looking buckle, and pants. I also own a sports coat, but I don't use it much. Well, I better stop talking and start dressing. I'm late for work!

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Learn how to talk about heavy traffic and being stuck on the road in English. Dialogue/Story I was on my way to a restaurant to meet my date for dinner when I hit a traffic jam. I saw that the road was congested, but since I had to take the bridge to reach downtown, I had no choice but to stay on that road. The traffic was bumper-to-bumper. One crazy driver even tried to drive on the shoulder to get around the backup. But as it turns out, there wasn't any way to bypass it because the backup wasn't due to an accident, a stalled car or some rubberneckers. It was because of road construction and only one lane was open. After 25 minutes of stop-and-go traffic, I was at my wit's end. My date was sitting at the restaurant waiting for me and I didn't have her cell phone number. What's more, I was really hungry. Finally, I got past the road construction and was on my way again. I drove a little recklessly, but I had to make up for lost time. I really liked this girl. The last thing I wanted was to make her think that I stood her up!

Learn how to talk about crime and the legal system in English. Jeff reads a newspaper story about a student arrested for burglary and assault. Dialogue/Story I was reading the newspaper this morning and saw a story about a university student arrested and charged with burglary and assault. Last Monday, this student hit a security guard over the head, broke into his professor's office and stole the professor's computer. He wasn't doing well in the class and thought that he could steal the exam. When he was arraigned in court, the prosecutor said that the charges were very serious felonies, and not simple misdemeanors. He also said that because the student was a flight risk, the bail should be set at $2 million dollars. The judge agreed. If the student is found guilty of all the charges, he could be sentenced to up to 15 years in jail. When I read this story, I thought, wouldn't it have been easier for him to just study?