VOCABULARY PRACTICE

3. Explain the meaning of the following words and collocations.

to do the shopping	to go to shops in order to but the things that you need regularly such as food
to go shopping	to go to shops to look at and buy things, often for enjoyment
to shop around	to go to several different shops comparing goods and their prices before deciding which ones to buy
to get	to get something by buying it, especially ordinary things such as food, clothes, or things for your house
shopping centre / mall	a specially-built large covered area where there are a lot of shops
department store	a large shop which is divided into several parts, each of which sells one type of thing, for example men’s clothes, children’s toys, or kitchen equipment
supermarket; grocery store	a large shop that sells food and other things that people regularly need
goods	movable articles (e.g. clothes, food, etc.) which can be owned, bought, or sold
customer	someone who buys goods or services
purchase	1) buying; 2) an act of buying; 3) an article that has just been bought
bargain	something bought or offered cheaply
refund	repayment

4. Express the following in one word.

stall, shop/store, chemist’s/drugstore, market, kiosk, greengrocer’s, baker’s, butcher’s

 

1 a building where goods are sold to the public

2 a place outside where you can go to buy things

3 a table, especially outdoors, where goods are sold

4 a small hut on a street that sells things such as newspapers, cigarettes, and drinks

5 a shop selling vegetables and fruit

6 a shop where medical goods are sold

7 a shop where meat is sold

8 a shop where bread is sold

5. Fill in the correct word from the list below. Some words may be used more than once.

stall, buying, shopping, goods, shopping mall, shelves, markets

 

1. On Saturdays we usually do the... and clean the car.
2. Renaissance Centre is a huge steel and glass... in downtown Detroit.
3. This shop sells a variety of....
4. I really like that tie – I was thinking of... it for my husband for his birthday.
5. The... tend to be cheaper, especially for fruit and vegetables.
6. Janet has a fruit and veg... on the market.
7. There’s an ever greater variety of goods to be found on supermarket....
8. I’m just going.... Do you want anything?
9. I did all my... yesterday.
10. You’ve been... a lot of clothes recently. Have you decided to change your image?

 

6. Act out the following dialogues.

A. Gifts

Jonathan:	Dorothy, what are your plans for Christmas?
Dorothy:	Oh yes, it’s almost Christmas, isn’t it. I’m not sure what I’ll be doing then.
Jonathan:	Well, if you don’t have any plans, you family could have dinner at my house.
Dorothy:	That’s very nice of you, thanks. Have you finished your shopping yet?
Jonathan:	No, I still have to do that. I think I’ll go to the mall this weekend.
Dorothy:	It’s going to be really crowded at the mall. You should shop online.
Jonathan:	You’re right. My family loves to read, so I can probably get them all presents from Amazon.com.
Dorothy:	What do you think you’ll get for your wife?
Jonathan:	Probably, a romance novel. It seems like she’s always reading one of those.
Dorothy:	Don’t you think you should get her something a little more expensive, like jewelry or maybe a new computer?
Jonathan:	Maybe you’re right. It’s hard buying gifts. I think my wife has everything she wants. Maybe I should just ask her.

 

B. Buying a shirt

Dan:	Excuse me.
Maria:	Hello sir, may I help you?
Dan:	Yes. Can I see that shirt on the top shelf, please?
Maria:	Sure. Here it is.
Dan:	How much does it cost?
Maria:	50 dollars.
Dan:	50 dollars. That’s too much.
Maria:	Howabout this one? It’s on sale for only 35 dollars.
Dan:	I don’t like that one.
Maria:	How about the one next to the black gloves? It’s very similar to the one you like.
Dan:	That’s nice. How much is it?
Maria:	30 dollars.
Dan:	That’ll be fine.
Maria:	Is this color OK, or would you like a different color?
Dan:	That blue one’s fine.
Maria:	Do you need any more of these shirts?
Dan:	Yes.
Maria:	How many do you want?
Dan:	I’ll take two more, a red one and a white one.

7. Study the following quotes about shopping and discuss which ones you most, or least, agree with.

1. The odds of going to the store for a loaf of bread and coming out with only a loaf of bread are three billion to one. (Erma Bombeck)
2. When women are depressed, they eat or go shopping. Men invade another country. It’s a whole different way of thinking. (Elayne Boosler)
3. Shopping is a woman thing. It’s a contact sport like football. Women enjoy the scrimmage, the noisy crowds, the danger of being trampled to death, and the ecstasy of the purchase. (Erma Bombeck)
4. The quickest way to know a woman is to go shopping with her. (Marcelene Cox)
5. A bargain is something you can’t use at a price you can’t resist. (Franklin P. Jones)
6. The only reason a great many American families don’t own an elephant is that they have never been offered an elephant for a dollar down and easy weekly payments. (Mad Magazine)
7. Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination. (Oscar Wilde)
8. We used to build civilizations. Now we build shopping malls. (Bill Bryson)