Arriving late to class

Listen to the conversation between two students to practise and improve your listening skills.

Instructions

Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.

Transcript

Student 1: Sorry. Sorry, excuse me. I'm just … just coming to sit over here. Phew. Hey. How's it going? So, what have I missed?

Student 2: Nothing. He just started around five minutes ago.

Student 1: Did he say anything about the mid-term?

Student 2: What?

Student 1: About the mid-term tests. Did he say anything about when he was going to hand them back?

Student 2: He's almost finished marking them, he said. We get them next Tuesday.

Student 1: I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. When do we get them?

Student 2: Tuesday. Next Tuesday.

Student 1: OK. Got it. Sorry. What page are we meant to be on?

Student 2: Page 34.

Student 1: Page … 34. Oh, wait. I don't have my textbook. Can I … share with you? Wow. This is hard stuff.

Student 2: Mmm.

Student 1: What does SEO mean?

Student 2: What?

Student 1: SEO. This is all about SEO but he hasn't said what it means.

Student 2: Search engine optimisation. How to appear on internet searches.

Student 1: Internet searches. Right. Right. OK.

Student 2: He said what it meant.

Student 1: What?

Student 2: He explained it before you got here.

Student 1: Oh. Right. OK.

Student 2: Can you be quiet? I'm trying to listen to the lecture.

Student 1: So am I. Sorry. Sorry, one more question. What does this have to do with the American Revolution?

Student 2: What?

Student 1: I don't get it. Why is he talking about search engines in a course on the American Revolution?

Student 2: What are you talking about? This is a class on software engineering.

Student 1: You mean, it's not Early American History?

Student 2: You're in the wrong class.

Student 1: Oh, wow. Now it all makes sense. I'm so sorry.

Student 2: It's fine.

Student 1: Here, I'll just … excuse me. I'm in the wrong class. Excuse me. Thanks. Sorry.

Discussion

When you don't understand something in class, what do you do?

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Language level

B1 - Intermediate

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Usually, I ask for help from my colleagues. Or when I can understand the lecture, or I'm not in the mood to be concentrated I record the lecture and then I listen to it at the house. And also I take notes of important things and revise them at home. But most of the time I prefer to study on my own, I can understand lessons better and master them, lectures I see as an obligation, not necessary. My introvert type doesn't allow me to raise my hand and to ask a question in front of other students.

I'm kind of shy, so usually when I don't understand something, I write it down on my notebook with a big exclamation mark and then either at break time or when I'm back home, I go through my notes and if I still can't get it ,I search it on the Internet. Most of the time, I end up understanding it, if not I ask for it in the next class.

If I can't understand what the teacher says, I would ask some friends in the class after the class end.

It's a funny story but I spent over five years in University understanding almost nothing. Still don't know why I chose this specialization. I hadn't any obsession with radio engineering. So, I mostly pretended that I understand what lecturers said and hoped to pass exams. Considering that I graduated from university, I did that successfully. Anyway, it was hard years though. We studied lots of difficult subjects and exams were tough. But, after I finished my study, I realized that I can achieve any goal I want to. That was a fundamental experience that helps me again and again.

Hi everyone, When I didn't catch what teacher said, I asked him say again. Sometimes I couldn't get their words so I asked him help me to make sense for it .

I will ask the student near me to summary in two-line what we are studying. and if I can't I will try to make an effort to understand what the teacher said and guess what the subject.

I think I'll ask then about that to my friends. But if I haven't understood yet, I'll ask to my teacher after the class. When I don't understand something, I cannot rise my hand in the class, because there are a lot of people in the classroom, so I'll ask about that after class.

In this case, I have almost never experienced that I didn't make sense when I was at school or university. I would rather ask questions about something I don't get it at the end of the class. If I get to class and it started before I get to, I prefer to wait and listen to teacher until I make an opportunity to ask about things I don't understand. I think it is so much bad to bother another students. They have to concentrate on what the teacher is going to talk about. Sometimes I realize all things after listening to the whole lecture, especially when teacher is going to summarize his/her lecture at the end of the class. Regards, Tayyebi

i regretfully don´t ask to the teacher because of my embarrassed. But since not for a long time i´ve started to ask, no matter what haha

Arriving late to class

Instructions

Preparation

Transcript

Task 1

Task 2

Discussion

Language level