Following directions in town: learn

In this lesson you will

Understand common direction phrases such as “take the second turning on the left”
Understand prepositions of place such as opposite, between and on the corner
Follow a route on a street plan by listening for actions and landmarks

Before you start

Think about these questions, or answer them aloud.

→How do you usually find your way in a new town: a map app, signs or asking people?
→Think of a building near your home. How would you tell a visitor to get there?

Directions are a list of actions

Spoken directions are a list of actions in order. Each action usually has two parts:

What to do: go, turn, cross, go past, keep going.
Where: at the traffic lights, into High Street, until you reach the bridge.

The speaker also uses landmarks: places that are easy to see, like a bank, a church or a bridge. Landmarks tell you when to do the next action. Follow the route with your finger on the map as you listen.

Direction phrases
You hear …	It means …
Go straight on. / Go straight ahead.	Keep walking in the same direction.
Turn left into Park Lane.	Turn left and walk along Park Lane.
Take the second turning on the right.	Don't turn at the first road on the right. Turn at the next one.
Go past the church.	Walk beside the church and keep going.
Cross the road. / Cross over.	Go to the other side of the road.
Keep going until you reach / get to the bridge.	Don't stop or turn before the bridge.
At the roundabout, go straight over.	Don't turn. Continue across to the other side.
at the end of the road	where the road stops

Where is it? Prepositions of place
You hear …	Picture it
The bank is next to the café.	side by side
The bank is opposite the café. (US: across from)	on the other side of the road, facing it
The bank is between the café and the hotel.	café, bank, hotel in a line
It's on the corner of Mill Road and High Street.	where the two streets meet
It's in front of / behind the museum.	on the side facing the street / at the back
It's on your left / on your right.	from the direction you are walking

Listen for the checking and the changes

In conversations, the person asking for directions often repeats them to check: “So I turn left at the bank?” Listen to the reply. If it is “No, right at the bank”, change your route.

Speakers also give extra help at the end: “It's opposite the station. You can't miss it.” This last landmark is often the best way to check your answer.

Street plan of Hillford town centre. North is at the top. Two roads run from west to east: Station Road at the top and High Street in the middle. Two roads run from south to north: Mill Road on the left and Park Lane on the right. There are traffic lights where Mill Road crosses High Street, and a roundabout where Park Lane crosses High Street. The start point, marked “You are here (facing north)”, is at the bottom of Mill Road. Walking north up Mill Road from the start, building B is the first building on the left and building A is the first building on the right. Further up, just before the traffic lights, the Bank is on the left and the Cinema is on the right. North of High Street, building C is on the north-west corner of Mill Road and High Street, opposite the Bank, and building D is on the north-east corner, opposite the Cinema. Building E is next to D, further east along the north side of High Street. Building F is on the south side of High Street, next to the Cinema and opposite E. East of the roundabout, building G is on the north side of High Street, and the Park fills the area on the south side. The Church is on Park Lane, north of G, near Station Road. At the north end of Mill Road, building H is on the east corner where Mill Road meets Station Road. The Train station is on the other side of Station Road, opposite H. — Hillford town centre. You start at the bottom of Mill Road, facing north. Use this plan for the model and Practice 1.

Audio

Model conversation: finding the post office

In the exam you usually hear it once.

Try the questions first.

How a strong listener does it

A strong listener puts a finger on “You are here” and moves it with each action.

“Go straight up Mill Road, past the cinema” → walk north. The cinema is on the right.
“Do I turn at the traffic lights?” “No, go straight on, across High Street” → don't turn.
“keep going to the end of Mill Road … on the corner, on your right” → the building at the top of Mill Road on the right is H.
Check with the last landmark: “opposite the train station”. H is opposite the station, so the answer is H.

Notice the trap: D is also “on the corner, on your right”, but it is on the corner of High Street, not at the end of Mill Road. The visitor's question about turning helps you, because the answer is no.

Audio

Practice audio 1: an information point

In the exam you usually hear it once.

Try the questions first.

Matching

Label the street plan

Look at the Hillford street plan. Listen and match each place with the correct letter, A–H, on the plan. There are three extra letters.

ABuilding A
BBuilding B
CBuilding C
DBuilding D
EBuilding E
FBuilding F
GBuilding G
HBuilding H

1.Pharmacy
2.Library
3.Bookshop
4.Supermarket
5.Grand Hotel

Audio

Practice audio 2: directions on the phone

In the exam you usually hear it once.

Try the questions first.

Gap fill

Note completion: how to get to the office

Listen to the phone call and complete Sam's notes. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Directions to Maya's office Leave the bus station by the main exit and turn . Walk along the until you reach a bridge. Don't cross. Turn right into Street. Go past a big . Take the turning on the left (Hope Street). The building is between a bakery and a . Floor: On Saturdays, use the entrance. Walking time: about minutes

Save words to review them later with flashcards.

turning
a road that goes off another road (UK English)
“Take the first turning on the right.”
traffic lights
red, yellow and green lights that control traffic at a junction
“Turn left at the traffic lights.”
roundabout
a round place where several roads meet and cars drive around in a circle
“Go straight over the roundabout.”
opposite
on the other side of the road or room, facing something
“The library is opposite the bank.”
landmark
a building or place that is easy to see and helps you know where you are
“The church is a useful landmark.”
on the corner
at the place where two streets meet
“There's a café on the corner of Mill Road.”
halfway along
in the middle of a street, between the two ends
“Our building is halfway along Hope Street.”
cloakroom
a room where you can leave coats and bags in a public building
“You can leave your bag in the cloakroom.”
basement
the floor of a building that is below the ground
“The café is in the basement.”
lift
a machine that carries people between floors (elevator in US English)
“Take the lift to the second floor.”

Key points

Directions are a list of actions in order: what to do and where to do it.
Landmarks such as a bank, a church or the traffic lights tell you when to do the next action.
Learn the key prepositions: next to, opposite, between, on the corner of, in front of, behind.
Left and right depend on the direction you are walking, so follow the route with your finger on the map.
Use the last landmark (“It's opposite the station”) to check your answer.

Check your answers in the practice exercises to record a score.

Up next · Listening B1 Foundation

Telephone messages and voicemail

Go to lesson

Warm-up

In this lesson you will

Before you start

Directions are a list of actions

Listen for the checking and the changes

Quick check: what does it mean?

How a strong listener does it

Label the street plan

Note completion: how to get to the office

TOEIC-style talk

Dictation: directions

Key points

Warm-up

In this lesson you will

Before you start

Directions are a list of actions

Listen for the checking and the changes

Quick check: what does it mean?

How a strong listener does it

Label the street plan

Note completion: how to get to the office

TOEIC-style talk

Dictation: directions

Key points