Basic Shopping

Part 1

Shopkeeper: ‘Afternoon. Can I help you?
Samantha: Yes. I’d like 200g of tomatoes, and 1kg of potatoes please.
Shopkeeper: Sure. Anything else?
Samantha: Yes. Can I get a box of apples and a bag of grapes too?
Shopkeeper: Ok. Anything else?
Samantha: No, that’s all.
Shopkeeper: Right, that’ll be $4.50 please.
Samantha: Here’s 5.
Shopkeeper: And 50¢ change. Have a nice day.

Notes
1. ‘Afternoon = short for ‘Good Afternoon’. Can also be used for ‘Morning’, ‘Evening’, and ‘Night’
2. g = grammes/grams (UK spelling/US spelling)
3. kg = kilogrammes/kilograms (UK spelling/US spelling). Kilo = 1000
4. that’ll be – in English it is more polite to say ‘that will be…’, rather than ‘that is…’. ‘That’ll be…’ sounds like a choice (that’ll be…, if you want to buy it)

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Part 2

Shop Assistant: Good morning Miss. How can I help you?
Anna: I’m looking for a new shirt.
Shop Assistant: OK. The shirts are just over here. What size are you looking for?
Anna: A medium, please.
Shop Assistant: And what colour would you like?
Anna: Do you have anything in blue?
Shop Assistant: I’m afraid the blue ones have sold out.
Anna: Ok. Do you have any in dark green?
Shop Assistant: Sure, we have this one for $80.
Anna: Hmm. I like the style, but it’s too expensive. Do you have anything cheaper?
Shop Assistant: I’m afraid not.
Anna: Oh dear. I guess I will try somewhere else. Thanks.
Shop Assistant: Sorry about that. Bye.
Anna: (to herself) $80 for a shirt! What a rip-off! I’m never going back there.

Notes
1. ‘Do you have anything …er?’ – a common way to say you don’t like this
2. rip off = (n.) and (v.) Far too expensive. Like they are trying to steal your money.

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Part 3

Ten years ago there used to be a lot of shops in my neighbourhood: a bakery that sold fresh bread; a butcher that sold fresh meat; a greengrocers that sold a large variety of vegetables; and a deli that sold cheese and meat from around the world. These shops have all closed now, and there is just one supermarket. The supermarket is cheaper than the old shops, but I don’t think the food is as good. The assistants at the supermarket can’t remember my name; the shopkeepers in the old shops all knew me.
It makes me sad to think all those shops have closed. However, we can’t cry over spilt milk: the present is the present, and the past is the past.

Notes
1. ; – if a list has long items, use a semi-colon (;), not a comma (,)
2. It makes me…to …
It makes me happy to see you two get together
It makes me angry to know you would cheat me
3. cry over spilt/spilled milk – (idiom) get angry about something that can’t be changed

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Part 4

A baker works in a bakery. His/her job is to bake and sell bread. Bakers must wake up early in order to make the first bread of the morning.
A butcher works in a butcher’s shop. His/her job is to cut and sell meat. Butchers must have strong arms so they can carry and chop the meat.
A fishmonger works in a fishmongers. His/her job is to sell fish. A fishmonger mustn’t mind the smell of fish, because fish can smell terrible!
A florist works in a florists. His/her job is to sell flowers. A florist must know which flowers are best for special events in order to help the customers make the right choice.
A chemist works in a chemists. His/her job is to sell medicine. A chemist must be careful: they must give people the right medicine.

Notes
1. ‘in order to’ = so
2. : – in English writing a semi-colon (:) can be used to replace ‘because’

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