speakout Intermediate

8 COMMUNITIES
UNIT 8

Overview
Watch the video podcast. Which opinions do you most agree with?
1 Read and complete Val’s introduction with the words from the box. Val
Then watch the video podcast from 0:10-0:26 and check your answers.

block     well     neighbours     quite     a few     similar

Hi. I live in a 1 block of flats and I know 2 of my neighbours really

3
. We like 4
things so we socialise 5 a lot. Today,
I’m going to ask people about their 6 . How well do you know your neighbours?

Glossary: socialise = spend free time with

2 How well do you know your neighbours? Look at the people below and read the questions. Then
watch the video podcast from 0:26-1:22 and match the people to the questions. There are TWO
questions for two of the people.

A B C D E
Jane James Rosie Eddie Dawn

Who
1 ...knows one or two of his neighbours really quite well? B
2 ... doesn’t get on with all of his neighbours?
3 ... shares a garden with the neighbours who live in the flats above and below?
4 ... doesn’t even know what some of his neighbours look like?
5 ... has never even seen her neighbours?
6 ... moved in to a flat about six months ago but hardly knows her neighbours at all?
7 ... lives in a house which has been divided into three flats?

3 What makes a good neighbour? Look at the people in Ex. 2 again and read the list of their responses
in the table 1-10. Then watch the video podcast from 1:22-2:05 and tick the responses given by each
person. Some speakers have more than one response.

Jane James Rosie Eddie Dawn

1 feeds your cat
2 is considerate
3 isn’t noisy
4 doesn’t cause you grief
5 looks out for you ✓
6 keeps up their property
7 you can leave your key with them
8 isn’t intrusive
9 you can trust them
10 doesn’t leave trash around

Glossary: considerate = always thinking of what other people need or want; look out for someone = make
sure someone is safe/treated well; keep up (your) property = keep (your) house/home clean inside and out;
trash = rubbish (Am. Eng); cause (you) grief = cause problems for (you)

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 speakout Intermediate
8 COMMUNITIES
UNIT 8
4 What makes a bad neighbour? Look at the people and read their answers. Then watch the video
podcast from 2:05-2:41 and underline the words you hear.
A bad neighbour is someone that 1forgot/forgets that you exist 2also/as well, and has
loud music until 3 six a.m./ six o’clock.

Rosie

Not respecting privacy, 4intruding/interfering. Not understanding what your neighbour

wants and not 5just/ only in that sense, but in the sense of not 6caring/participating,
not doing things when a neighbour needs help.

James
Someone who is not considerate, who, whether it’s a lot of 7noise/noisy or a lot of
trash, doesn’t 8upkeep/keep up their property, who’s not really 9 a friend/friendly.

Dawn

5 Who’s the best or worst neighbour you’ve ever had? Look at the people and read the statements
about Dawn, Jane and James’ neighbours. Then watch the video podcast from 2:41-3:36 and tick (✓)
the correct option, a, b or c.

A B C
Dawn Jane James
1 Dawn’s neighbour 3 The worst neighbour Jane 5 One night, James
a) lived downstairs ever had a) heard a noise outside.
b) wasn’t very nice. a) was a woman.  b) opened the door.
c) was very quiet. ✓ b) was very noisy. c) saw a policeman outside.
c) lived in the last house in
2 The neighbour the street. 6 The policeman wanted James
a) often went to see if Dawn to
a) was OK.  4 Jane a) shoot three people.
b) didn’t chat much. a) was scared of her b) stay in the garden. 
neighbour.
c) was very pretty. c) crouch down. 
b) argued with her
neighbour. 7 The man next door was
c) could hear her neighbour a) the number 1 in a criminal
c) all the time. a) gang.
b) arrested and taken away.
c) shot by a policeman.

Glossary: oftentimes = often (Am. Eng); chat = have a light conversation; crouch down = bend your knees
and almost sit on the ground; to shoot/shot = shoot a gun;

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 speakout Intermediate
8 COMMUNITIES
UNIT 8
The way we speak
6 The people below tell us how well they know their neighbours. Read what they say and complete
their responses with the phrases from the box. Then watch the video podcast from 0:26-1:22 and check
your answers.

quite well     even seen     not     look like

very typical     varies     at all     really quite

I know my neighbours 1quite well.

Rosie

It 2 enormously. One or two 3 well; some very close, I don’t even

know what they 4
. And that is very typical of this area. I live just round the
corner from here, 5 of inner city, urban London.

James
6
at all. I’ve never 7 them. No, I don’t know them 8 , quite
honestly.

Dawn

Glossary: vary = not all the same; enormously = a great deal; inner city = the middle of the city

Personalisation
7 Write your answers to the questions.
1 How well do you know your neighbours?
______________________________________________________________________________________
2 What makes a good/ bad neighbour?
______________________________________________________________________________________
3 Who’s the best or worst neighbour you’ve ever had?
______________________________________________________________________________________

BBC LINK
A man has won an award for bravery after saving his neighbour’s children from
a house fire.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-11384244

© Pearson Education Limited 2011 page 3