Conversation & Dialogue [ 28 ]

28- ] Conversation & Dialogue 

Your Relatives Are Not AT Home .

Neighbor : Hallo !

Shaker : Hallo ! Where are Mr. and Mrs. Said ?They are not t home .

Neighbor : I’m their neighbor . They’re on holiday .

Shaker : At the seaside ?

Neighbor : No , they aren’t at the seaside . They’re in the country.

Shaker : In the country . I see . Oh well , I’ll come back again .

Neighbor : Yes , come back again .

Shaker : Thank you .

Neighbor : Not at all . Goodbye .

Shaker : Goodbye .

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Asking About & Expressing Opinion .

Person : What do you think of the new song ?

Another Person : I like it . It’s a very happy song .

Person : Yes , that’s true , but I don’t like the singer very much . He doesn’t sing , he shouts .

Another Person : And what do you think of the summer resort ?

Person : I think it’s very beautiful . I like the sea .

Another Person : Yes , I agree , but it’s a very rocky beach and the waves are sometimes high .

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Mr. Kazem : What do you think of the new book ?

Mr. Fuad : I think it’s very exciting and interesting . I like the way it begins .

Mr. Kazem : Yes , I agree , but things happen rather slowly . It takes too long to get into the story .

Mr. Fuad : And the new play ?

Mr. Kazem : I like it very much . I think it’s very funny .

Mr. Fuad : I don’t like it at all . I think it’s terrible .

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Teacher : What do you think of the new book by the author [ so and so ] ?

Student 1 : I like it very much .

Student 2: I don’t like it at all .

Teacher : Very good , students . Now what do you think of Alexandria ?

Student 1 : I think it’s very nice .

Student 2 : I think it’s awful in summer . It’s very crowded .

Teacher : Good . What do you think of the new song ?

Student 1 : I like it very much . I think it’s very nice .

Teacher : Very good .

Student 2 : I don’t like it at all . I think it’s awful !

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Tareq : Did you watch the film on television last night ?

Nasr : Yes .

Tareq : What did you think of the actor , Mahmoud Hamdy ?

Nasr : Oh , I thought he was very good . I liked the way he walked into the bank .

Tareq : That’s true , but he didn’t do much and he didn’t say much .

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Shaher : I don’t believe it .

Hala : What do you mean , you don’t believe it ?

Shaher : I don’t think it’s true .

Hala : Of course it’s true .

Shaher : Well , I don’t believe in the Woman’s Liberation Movement .

Hala : Men believe in keeping women at home , with the children and the housework .

Shaher : I don’t believe in that , but I think that women are women , not men . Men are good at some things , women are good at other things .

Hala : Well , I support Women’s Liberation Movement . I think it’s a good thing .

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Worker  1: Are they still on strike in the factory ?

Worker 2 : I don’t know . They’re meeting this morning about it .

Worker 1 : I think the strike is wrong too . I don’t believe in strikes .

Worker  3 : You don’t work in the factory . You’ve got a nice job here .

Worker 1 : But strikes are bad . I think they’re bad for everybody .

Worker 2 : They’re not . I think they’re necessary sometimes .

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Interviewer : A lot of people smoke cigarettes . Ten a day , fifteen a day , twenty a day . A lot of people smoke ten , fifteen , twenty , thirty cigarettes every day . If you ask : “Do you smoke many cigarettes ?” they always say : “No , not many .” But ten , twenty every day : that’s a lot of cigarettes . I’m here in the street asking people about cigarettes . There are a lot of people here . Er , excuse me .

Man 1 : Yes ?

Interviewer : I’m asking people about cigarettes .

Man 1 : Oh yes .

Interviewer : Do you smoke ?

Man 1 : Yes , I do .

Interviewer : Howe many cigarettes do you smoke in a day ?

Man 1 : Oh , not many . Ten ….fifteen … I smoke a lot when I’m working , but not many when I’m not working .

Interviewer : I see . Thank you . Ah, excuse me , madam .

Woman : Yes ?

Interviewer : Do you smoke ?

Woman : Well , sometimes . Two or three a day .

Interviewer : That’s not many , is it ? Excuse me sir .

Man 2 : Yes ?

Interviewer : Do you smoke ?

Man 2 : Well , I don’t smoke many cigarettes . I smoke a lot of cigars .

Interviewer : Thank you . Ah , here’s a young couple . Excuse me , do you smoke ?

Man 3 : Twenty , twenty five a day . Not many .

Girl : Not many ! Ah ! Do you know , he’s always tired , because he smokes such a lot of cigarettes .

Man3 : I don’t .

Girl : You do .

Interviewer : Hmm . You sir , do you smoke ?

Man 4 : Yes , I smoke quite a lot . Forty a day . And look at me . I’m very well .

Interviewer : This is Mr. Galal Hassan , last November .

Mr. Galal : My name is Mr. Galal Hassan . I smoke sixty cigarettes every day . That’s a lot , so I haven’t got a very good appetite . I eat some bread and butter sometimes . But I can’t eat much . I haven’t got much money , because I spend a lot on cigarettes .

Interviewer : And this is Mr. Galal Hassan today .

Mr. Galal : Hallo !

Interviewer : Hallo ! How are you ?

Mr. Galal : Oh , I’m very well , and I’m very happy , now that I don’t smoke .

Interviewer : How’s your appetite ?

Mr. Galal : Fine . I eat a lot , and I drink a lot of juice and milk . I’m very well .

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Interviewer : I’m outside the gates of the factory, where workers have been picketing it since 8 o’clock this morning . Mr. Khaled , you are the union shop steward . Why have you announced that you’re going on strike ?

Shop Steward : Er ! It’s simple . Our jobs are at stake .

Interviewer : Oh ! But surely . Mr. Khaled , you’re not personally threatened with redundancy .

Shop Steward : Nay , but thirty of our lads are going to be laid off . My union’s job is to protect our interests .

Interviewer : So , what’s the next step ? Are you going to continue with the stoppage , or go back to work ?

Shop Steward : I can’t announce anything yet . It depends on the management and on the decision of the branch meeting this evening .

Son : Dad , did you hear that radio ? The factory’s going to go on strike .

Manager : Yes . We’d better get down to the factory fast and fins out what it’s all about . Why didn’t anyone warn me ?

[ The manager and the shop steward are at the factory ]

Manager : What I object to Mr. Khaled is that your union gave me no warning of your action .

Shop Steward : Well .There was no warning to give . Look . You can’t announce that you’re going to lay off people just because you’re going through a sticky patch .

Manager : I don’t think you understand how serious this is . Let me explain . We have a cash flow problem ……and…..

Shop Steward : We should be working flat out to produce our products for the winter season .

Manager : Precisely . And we’re not doing so because we haven’t been able to sell off our summer stocks due to the hot weather . If we keep producing our products at tis rate , we’ll …..

Shop Steward : You produce no products at all , unless you keep a full work force .

Manager : And keep half our workers hanging around doing nothing and getting paid for it . Look , I insist on settling this dispute as soon as possible . We’ve always had excellent industrial relations up to now . Suddenly we have a strike on our hands and someone mentions the matter to the press . I suspect someone of trying to make trouble.

Shop Steward : What do you mean by that ? Are you trying to suggest there are agitators in this factory ?

Son : Can I suggest a way out of the problem ? We keep on the full work force and er use the redundant workers to develop my protector . That way everyone’s fully employed .

Manager : Hm . Yes , I must admit that it’s a possibility . But – I still think the protector needs more testing .

Shop Steward : Well , what do I tell the branch meeting tonight ?

Manager : We’ll go ahead as my son suggests . I’ll have to persuade the board of directors , of course , but I think I can assure you that they’ll agree . In that case we can see about training up workers and going into production .

Son : That’s what I call thinking positively !

Manager : Let’s just hope we won’t be disappointed .

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