Vocabulary · Lesson 7

Town & directions: build a route someone can follow

Good directions connect a known start point to a destination. Keep the steps in order, name the exact turn point, use landmarks as checks, and finish with the destination’s side or location relationship.

50–60 min corestart · move · turn · check · arriveask · confirm · repair15–20 min listening and retrieval

NoticeFind six route jobs in one set of directions.

DiscoverSeparate movement from location and viewpoint.

BuildOrder turns, blocks, landmarks, sides, and checks.

UseGuide a fictional visitor and repair one misunderstanding.

Can-do: By the end, you can ask for directions politely; give an ordered walking route from a clear start point; distinguish movement from location; name an exact turn point and landmark; locate the destination from the traveler’s viewpoint; and confirm or repair a misunderstood step.

Two-minute retrieval

Three checks from earlier lessons

Use a there-is question, a street preposition, and a base-verb imperative.

1The visitor asks whether one pharmacy exists nearby: a pharmacy near here?

2Main Street is the street address: The pharmacy is Main Street.

3The speaker gives a direct instruction with no subject: the map, please.

Notice six jobs in one complete route

Cedar Square visitor route

“Start outside Cedar Station, facing Main Street. Walk along Main Street for two blocks. Turn left at the second traffic light onto Pine Avenue. Go past the public library. The museum is on your right, across from the park. If you reach the hospital, you’ve gone one block too far.”

Which phrase fixes the start point and the traveler’s viewpoint?
Which phrases move the traveler, identify the turn point, and provide a landmark check?
Which phrase locates the destination, and which one signals that the traveler passed it?

Discovery check: identify each route job

1Start outside Cedar Station, facing Main Street establishes the .

2Walk along Main Street for two blocks gives the route’s .

3At the second traffic light identifies the .

4Go past the public library uses the library as a .

5On your right, across from the park gives the museum’s .

6If you reach the hospital means the traveler has passed the museum, so the hospital is a .

Get to the root: build from viewpoint to destination

Left and right belong to the traveler’s current viewpoint. A usable route therefore begins at a shared start point, keeps the steps in order, and updates the viewpoint after each turn.

route stage	language job	example
1. establish	name the start point and optional facing direction	Start outside the station, facing Main Street.
2. move	follow a street or cover a distance	Walk along Main Street for two blocks.
3. change direction	name the side, exact point, and new street	Turn left at the second light onto Pine Avenue.
4. verify	pass or notice a landmark	Go past the public library.
5. arrive	give the destination side and relationship	It’s on your right, across from the park.
6. recover	name a too-far landmark or repair	If you reach the hospital, go back one block.

A route is not a bag of interchangeable commands. Changing the order, turn point, or traveler’s viewpoint can change the destination.

Choose a movement or a location relationship

movement instruction	meaning	location relationship
walk along Oak Street	follow the street	on Oak Street
go straight for two blocks	continue without turning	at the end of the block
turn right at the light	change direction at that point	on your right
turn onto Pine Avenue	enter and follow the named street	on the corner of Pine and Oak
go past the bank	continue beyond the bank	next to the bank
cross Pine Avenue	move from one side to the other	across from the park

Past is the correct word after go: Go past the library. Passed is the past-tense verb: We passed the library five minutes ago. Cross the street is movement, while across from the park is a location relationship.

A city block is a section of street between neighboring cross streets. Its length varies, and the count depends on the stated start point. When exact distance matters, add time or distance: about a five-minute walk or about 400 yards.

Drill 1: move or locate?

1The traveler should follow Oak Street without leaving it: Oak Street for one block.

2At the light, the traveler should enter Pine Avenue and follow it: Pine Avenue at the traffic light.

3The library is a check, but the traveler must continue beyond it: the public library and keep walking.

4The traveler must move from one side of Pine Avenue to the other at the marked crosswalk: Pine Avenue at the marked crosswalk when the signal allows.

5After the final turn, the museum is on the traveler’s left side: The museum is after the final turn.

6The museum and park face each other on opposite sides of the street: The museum is the park.

Ask, check, and repair directions politely

Excuse me, where is the museum? and Excuse me, how do I get to the museum? are both natural polite requests. The first asks for location; the second directly asks for a route. A longer option is Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the museum?

communication need	useful question
check the route	Is this the way to the museum?
check distance	How far is it? Is it within walking distance?
request repetition	Could you repeat that more slowly, please?
check one detail	Did you say the first or second traffic light?
confirm a step	So I turn left at the bank, correct?
repair a detail	Pine Avenue, not Pine Street.

When a detail matters, repeating the route is not rude. It is good communication. Confirm the start, ordinal number, street name, side, or landmark before continuing.

Drill 2: choose the useful question or repair

1The visitor wants only the place’s location, not a full route:

2The visitor wants step-by-step directions from the current location:

3The visitor needs to know whether the trip is short or long:

4The speaker’s route was too fast to understand:

5The visitor heard the landmark but is unsure about its ordinal number:

6The listener repeats the destination street as Pine Street, but the correct name is Pine Avenue:

Keep route order and reference precise

Connect steps with first, then, after that, and finally. A pronoun such as it is useful only when its reference is clear: Go past the bank. The museum is next to it. When two landmarks could be it, repeat the place name.

Use at for the turn point and onto for the street entered: Turn right at the bank onto Cedar Street. Use on the corner of A and B to locate a building at an intersection, but turn at the corner to name the movement point.

Drill 3: make the route executable

1The route must establish the shared beginning before any left or right instruction: , facing Main Street.

2The traveler walks two blocks before the next step, so introduce that later action with turn left.

3There are two traffic lights, and the turn happens at number two: Turn left .

4The left turn enters and follows Pine Avenue: Turn left .

5The route mentioned a bank and library, so repeat the intended landmark instead of using ambiguous it: Go past and keep walking.

6After the final turn, the destination appears on the traveler’s right side: The museum is after the final turn.

Sound natural: stress the decision points and chunk the route

The listener needs movement, side, number, street, and landmark. Stress those words: TURN LEFT at the SECOND LIGHT. Go past the LIBRARY. It’s on your RIGHT.

Straight /streɪt/ is one syllable. Keep the opening /str/ together and do not pronounce gh. Finish the consonants in left /lɛft/ and right /raɪt/ so the two sides remain distinct.

In connected U.S. speech, How do I get to the museum? often has weak do and to: /haʊ də aɪ ɡɛt tə ðə mjuˈziəm/. The destination remains strong. Across stresses its second syllable: /əˈkrɔs/.

Pause at route boundaries instead of after every word: Start at the station | walk two blocks | turn left at the second light | and the museum is on your right. Use contrastive stress to repair details: the SECOND light, not the first.

Listen for the route decisions

Tutor-read listening: Keep the transcript closed. Read each item once naturally and once more after the learner chooses. Preserve normal reductions, but keep the decision words clear.

Six route-message decisions

1. Where does the route begin?

2. At which traffic light does the traveler turn?

3. Which street does the traveler enter?

4. Which landmark does the traveler continue beyond?

5. Where is the destination after the final movement?

6. Which detail does the speaker correct?

Read one complete visitor route

Cedar Museum walking directions

Leave Cedar Station through the Main Street exit. Turn right and walk along Main Street for two blocks. At the second traffic light, turn left onto Pine Avenue. Go past the public library. Cross Pine Avenue at the marked crosswalk when the signal allows. The museum is on your right, next to the Bluebird Cafe and across from the park. If you reach Harbor Hospital, you have gone one block too far.

Reading check: use only the visitor route

1. Which station exit establishes the start?

2. Where does the traveler turn left onto Pine Avenue?

3. Which description combines all three destination clues?

4. What does reaching Harbor Hospital mean in this route?

Build the turn and destination checks

Drill 4: build an exact turn

The traveler enters Pine Avenue at traffic light number two. Build the instruction.

Drill 5: build the destination check

After the final movement, the museum is on the traveler’s right and the park is opposite it.

Notice and repair three route errors

Drill 6: remove the extra direction word

The turn happens at the bank: Turn to left at the bank. Tap the unnecessary word.

Drill 7: choose the direction word

The traveler must continue beyond the library: Go passed the public library. Tap the form that belongs to a past-tense sentence instead.

Drill 8: complete the location relationship

The museum and park face each other on opposite sides: The museum is across the park. Tap the incomplete relationship.

Oral transforms: preserve route meaning

Say each complete message before revealing it. Follow the exact communication need.

1 Follow Oak Street for one block. Use walk along.

Walk along Oak Street for one block.

2 Enter Pine Avenue with a left turn. Use turn onto.

Turn left onto Pine Avenue.

3 Continue beyond the bank. Use go past.

Go past the bank and keep walking.

4 The park is on the opposite side from the museum. Locate the park.

The park is across from the museum.

5 You did not hear whether the turn is at light one or two. Ask a focused question.

Did you say the first or second traffic light?

6 The listener says Pine Street, but the correct place is Pine Avenue. Repair it.

Pine Avenue, not Pine Street.

Play and practice

Games and a short reading that recycle this lesson. Use them as a warm-up, a fast finisher, or homework. Each one checks itself.

Read

Your first day: how to find us

Read once for meaning. Then read again and do the tasks below.

Message to a new coworker116 wordsAbout 1 min

Hi Ben, welcome to the team! Here’s how to get from Elm Street Station to our office on your first day.

Leave the station through the Market Street exit. Turn right and walk along Market Street for three blocks. Go past a big pharmacy and a post office. At the second traffic light, turn left onto Hill Avenue. Cross Hill Avenue at the crosswalk when the signal allows.

Our building is on your right, next to a small bakery and across from the city library. The office is on the fourth floor. If you reach the hospital, you’ve gone one block too far. The trip takes about ten minutes, so you have plenty of time. Ana

Find it

Tap the 6 imperative verbs that tell Ben how to move (like Turn). Skip verbs with a subject, like you reach.

Check your understanding

1. Which exit should Ben use?

2. Where does Ben turn left?

3. What does it mean if Ben reaches the hospital?

Match up

Movement or location?

Tap an item on the left, then its partner on the right.

Phrase

Meaning

Unscramble

Build the directions

Tap the words in order to build the sentence. Tap a placed word to send it back.

1. The turn happens at light number two.
2. Give the museum’s location.
3. Ask for a route.
4. The bank is a check, not the turn point.
5. Ask the speaker to slow down.

Word search

Places in town

Find the word for each clue. Words run across, down, or diagonally. Tap the first letter, then the last.

You borrow books here. → ?
You buy medicine here. Another name is drugstore. → ?
You catch a train here. → ?
Doctors and nurses care for sick people here. → ?
You buy fresh bread here. → ?
You see art and history here. → ?
You keep your money here. → ?

Communicate: guide a fictional visitor

You never need to disclose your real home, current location, workplace, school, commute, daily route, neighborhood, favorite places, travel plans, safety habits, schedule, or another person’s address. Use Cedar Square, invent a neutral town, or share personal information only when you freely choose.

Prepare the fictional map: Choose a station or bus stop, two named streets, two turn points, two landmarks, a destination, and one too-far landmark. Decide the traveler’s starting viewpoint.

Final production: give a 45–60 second fictional visitor route. Establish the start, give at least four ordered movement steps, name an exact turn point and street entered, use one passed landmark, locate the destination by side and relationship, and add a too-far check.

Meaning check: The listener repeats the route back and intentionally changes one ordinal, side, street type, or landmark. Correct only that detail with contrastive stress, then confirm the repaired route.

Change the need: Ask for location, a complete route, distance, slower repetition, and one detail confirmation. Choose the shortest question that matches each need.

Final check

Four decisions with one defensible target

1. The bank is a landmark, but the traveler must continue beyond it. Which instruction preserves that role?

2. The museum and park face each other on opposite sides of Pine Avenue. Which sentence gives that location relationship?

3. You heard traffic light but not whether the speaker said number one or two. Which question checks only the uncertain detail?

4. Route card: start at the station; walk two blocks; left at light two; library is passed; museum is on the right. Which summary preserves every step in order?

Reflect and retrieve

Explain the route test without looking back

Where does the traveler start, and which way are they facing? What are the ordered movements? Where exactly does each turn happen? Which street do they enter? Which landmark do they pass? On which side is the destination? What can they say if one detail is unclear or wrong?

Return tomorrow before rereading. Complete the five-minute next-day retrieval, then revisit only the movement, location relationship, or clarification step that still feels slow.

Next-day retrieval

Choose from memory before looking back

1The traveler continues beyond the library: Go the library and keep walking.

2The turn enters and follows Pine Avenue: Turn left Pine Avenue.

3You heard light but not the ordinal number. Ask: