Missing a class

Missing a class

Listen to a student explain why she can't come to class to practise and improve your listening skills.

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

Transcript

Student: Excuse me, Ms Henderson?

Teacher: Yes, Diana. How can I help you?

Student: I'm sorry, but I can't come to class next Wednesday. I have a doctor's appointment.

Teacher: OK. Thanks for letting me know.

Student: Is there anything to do at home?

Teacher: Let me just check my notebook. OK, first of all … you need to read chapters 17, 19 and 20 in the book. There are also some articles and a video to watch – those are online. I'll post the links online in the usual place.

Student: Chapters 17 to 20.

Teacher: Yes, except chapter 18. Chapters 17, 19 and 20.

Student: Ah, OK. Um ... is there a deadline?

Teacher: Yes, this Friday. But there's something else. I was going to give you all a practice test.

Student: A practice test?

Teacher: Yes, to help people prepare for the mid-term exam.

Student: Ah. All right.

Teacher: Don't worry, I can send you the practice test by email on Wednesday. Can you send it to me before Friday?

Student: Sure, no problem.

Teacher: And don't forget to bring a certificate from the doctor to the office.

Student: Thanks, Ms Henderson! I'll do that.

Teacher: You're welcome, Diana. Take care.

Task 1

Task 2

Discussion

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Average: 4.1 (87 votes)
Profile picture for user Eskafeca

Submitted by Eskafeca on Fri, 13/02/2026 - 13:49

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No, I don't have a lot of homework. I like to read essays and analyze them.

Submitted by fullempty on Wed, 28/01/2026 - 14:54

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Teacher: Yes, this Friday. But there's something else. I was going to give you all a practice test.

If we change the sentence "i was going to give you all a practice test" to "i am going to give you all a practice test", will it change the meaning of the context?

Hello fullempty,

We use the form was/were going to to describe plans which are no longer true or possible. In this case, the teacher says I was going to give... because the plan is no longer possible as the student has a doctor's appointment and will be absent.

The teacher would use am going to if the plan were still true.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Sinatra_Junior on Thu, 22/01/2026 - 21:08

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I love homework assignments because they help me understand a lesson better. I like practice tests too. I don’t get nervous during tests; I think they’re a good moment to study. You can always learn something new from them.

Submitted by moaz_shamekh on Thu, 18/12/2025 - 12:27

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Yes, I do, we need to do a lot of homework assignments to get good classwork grades and improve our skills, but sometimes it is a terrible thing to have a lot of assignments before mid-term or final exams, because you have no time to prepare to the exam.

 

Submitted by Mutlu A. on Wed, 03/12/2025 - 08:26

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I did a lot of homework when l was at university. l did really important projects. But now my university is finished and l have been working for six years. So sometimes l miss my university days

Submitted by amir.masoud on Sun, 26/10/2025 - 03:08

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When I was a student I had a lot of homework after school but I don't like that because I got tried after class and I wanted rest. I more like homework that didn't calculate and had creavity.

Submitted by Gadmedia on Fri, 27/06/2025 - 14:15

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Honestly, I have a lot of homework. The largest one is on communication technology and its role in our lives. No doubt that media technology has several benefits to boost people's participation. 

Profile picture for user Shrouk999

Submitted by Shrouk999 on Tue, 08/04/2025 - 16:50

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 This record are very easy for aND l need more homework ❤️    

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