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Lesson 1 «Immigration and Customs»

Vocabulary

a (indef. art.)

The indefinite article "a" is used in front of words that begin with a consonant sound; "an" is used in front of words that begin with a vowel or vowel sounds (as in "an apple," "an hour," etc.).

agent (noun)

airport (noun)

alcohol (noun)

all right (adv. phrase)

American (noun)

All countries, nationalities, and names of languages are capitalized in English. (E.g.: "Jean is from Canada." "Paul is British." "Andrei speaks Russian.")

anything (pron.)

are about to, you ( to be about to... )

"To be about to" is a useful way to express that one "is ready to" do something. Another way to express the same idea is to use the expression "to be close to" as in "Scott is close to finishing his book."

area (noun)

arrive, you (to arrive)

at all (adv. exp.)

Atlanta's (poss., prop. noun)

You can make the possessive form of any singular noun simply by adding apostrophe (') and "s" ("Jeff's book"). For plural nouns that end in "-s," simply add an apostrophe ("my parents' car"). For plural nouns that do not end in "-s" simply add apostrophe and "s" ("the children's toys").

baggage (noun as adj.)

Although the word "baggage" is considered a noun, it functions as an adjective in the expression "baggage claim." This is quite frequent in English and will be noted in the vocabulary section throughout the course as a "noun as adj." Remember to click "HEAR IN CONTEXT" to see and hear how the word is used in the context of a sentence.

can, you (modal aux., can/to be able)

Modal auxiliaries are extremely useful components of verbal expressions which you will practice throughout this course. They readily take on infinitives as in the following examples: "I can speak English." "You cannot understand." etc.

card (noun)

citizens (noun, pl.)

claim (noun as adj.)

conversation (noun)

The following words can be used in reference to "conversation": "chat," "discussion," "talk," etc.

customs (noun)

The word "customs" not only refers to a place where issues of nationality are discussed (such as in an "international airport"), but also refers to the "traditions" of a people or culture. (E.g.: "Americans make a custom of preparing turkey at Thanksgiving.")

declare (inf., to declare)

English (noun)

To distinguish the dialect of English spoken in the United States from that of Great Britain, one often refers to "American English" and "British English." Besides slight differences in vocabulary, accent and intonation, there are also some slight spelling differences as well ("center" [U.S.] vs. "centre" [G.B.], "realize" vs. "realise," "color" vs. "colour," etc.).

enjoy! (imp., to enjoy)

enter, you (to enter)

excuse! (imp., to excuse)

The imperative form (imp.) of a verb is also known as the "command" form. You'll learn how to form commands in Chapter 4 of this course.

finally (adv.)

Words ending in "-ly" are, in many cases, adverbs (a part of speech which modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb). Adverbs are marked "adv." in the vocabulary lists.

first (adj.)

"First" is an ordinal number which corresponds to "one." It is commonly abbreviated as "1st." You'll study the ordinals in Chapter 4 of this course.

flight (noun)

follow, you (to follow)

gave, he (past, to give)

gives, he (to give)

go ahead (inf., to go ahead)

Many verbs in English are two-word verbs, composed of a verbal element and a particle. In many cases, two-word verbs are idiomatic.

go, you (to go)

An easy way to talk about the future, especially an event in the near future, is to use a form of the verb "to go" plus an infinitive (E.g.: "We're going to open our luggage" and "I'm going to visit New York.")

going (pres. part., to go)

good afternoon (salutation)

Other similar salutations include "good morning," "good evening," "good night," "hello," "good-bye," "How are you?," "How's it going?".

Hartsfield (prop. noun)

The name of Atlanta's International Airport, one of the busiest in the world.

have (inf., to have)

here's (contr., "here is")

In order to point out something nearby, usually within reach, use the expressions "here is" (sing.) and "here are" (plur.). (E.g.: "Here is my passport"; "Here are your keys.")

hi (salutation)

When you greet people in the U.S., it is customary to use "Hello," which is more formal than "hi." However, "hi" is frequently used, even when meeting someone for the first time. At the end of a conversation, a simple "good-bye" or "bye" will suffice.

hope, you (to hope)

I (subj. pron., 1st. pers. sg.)

I'm (contr., "I am")

Noted as a contraction (contr.) of "I am," "am" is the first person singular form of "to be" ("I am, he/she/it is, we are, you are, they are").

immigration (noun/noun as adj.)

Similar words include "immigrant" (noun, i.e., a person) and the verb "to immigrate" (to come to a country). "To emigrate," on the other hand, means to leave your current country, to settle in another.

international (adj.)

is, it (to be)

it (neut. pron., 3rd. pers. sg.)

it's (contr., "it is")

large (adj.)

Synonyms include "big," "huge," "immense," "enormous" and "grand." The opposite of "large" is "small."

leave, you (to leave)

line (noun)

long (adj.)

The opposite of "long" is "short," as in "a short flight." "Long" and "short" may refer to both time and space.

lot (noun, colloq.)

Another way to express the idea of a great quantity is to use the word "many," "several," or "lots of" (slang) followed by a noun. (E.g.: "Many people," "several flights," "lots of cars," etc.)

luggage (noun)

"Luggage" refers to a set of "suitcases" and "bags" with which one travels.

may (modal aux.)

There are many polite expressions that you will frequently hear and use such as "May I?" ("Can I?,") "I would like...," and "Would you...?" ("Could you...?"). A handy phrase to remember when making a request is "May I?" "May I" can be followed by many different infinitives, as in "May I have something to drink?" and "May I use your telephone?"

me (obj. pron., 1st pers. sg.)

"Me" is the object pronoun form of the subject pronoun "I."

months (noun)

must (modal aux.)

my (poss. pron., 1st. pers. sg.)

narrator (noun)

no (adv.)

Instead of answering a question with a simple "no," some people will use the slang "nah," "nope," or "uh-uh" (this last one should not be confused with "uh-huh," an affirmative response).

non (particle)

A negative particle used before many words (nouns and adjectives), "non-" signifies "not" or "the opposite of" as in "non-American" and "nonconformist."

nothing (noun)

O.K.! (interj.)

Also "ok, OK, okay." Other expressions used to show one's agreement include "all right," "absolutely," "sure," "certainly" and "of course." A fun (and somewhat common) slang expression is "okie-dokie."

of (prep.)

other (adj.)

The different uses of the adjectives "other" and "another" are presented in the Grammar section of Chapter 12.

passport (noun)

people (noun., sg.)

This noun is considered plural in English in terms of subject-verb agreement, even though it is singular.

pick up, you (to pick up)

plan, I (to plan)

plane (noun)

"Plane" is a shortened form of "airplane," and is commonly used in reference to large "jets" as well as smaller "aircraft."

please! (imp., to please)

A polite way to form a command is to use the word "please" followed by the command form, as in "Please go!" "Please stay!" "Please sit down."

present, you (to present)

In "You present the card the Immigration Agent gave to you." Another way to express the same idea is to use the verb "to show," "to give," or "to hand over."

right (adj.)

In "Yes, that's right." "Right," in this instance, means "correct." "Right" also refers to the direction opposite of "left."

room (noun)

"Room" can refer to a specific place in a structure or building. It can also refer to "space" in general.

says, he (to say)

see (inf., to see)

Besides having to do with one's vision, "to see" may also be used to express the idea of understanding, as in "I see the difference."

signs (noun, pl.)

smiles, he (to smile)

some (adj.)

Uses of the word "some" are presented in Chapters 1 and 2.

speaking (pres. part., to speak)

spend (inf., to spend)

"To spend" may be used in the sense of "passing time" somewhere doing something (e.g., "I usually spend three hours studying in the afternoon"). "Spend" may also refer to the quantity of money one must pay someone for something (e.g., "I usually spend five dollars a day on lunch.")

stand, you (to stand)

In "You stand in line." In this case, "stand" may refer not only to your physical state ("standing in line"), but may also convey the idea of "waiting." "To take a stand" implies choosing a position with regard to a "controversial issue."

stay (noun)

terminal (noun)

thank, [I] (to thank)

In "Thank you." Another way to "give one's thanks" is to say "thanks" or "thank you very much." You may also say "I appreciate it" ("it" refers to "your help").

that (demon. pron.)

that (subord. conj.)

In the expression "after that." A demonstrative pronoun, "that" refers to "after spending some time in Atlanta."

that's (contr., "that is")

the (def. art.)

A definite article (def. art., as opposed to the indefinite "a, an"), "the" refers to specific nouns, as in "The Immigration Agent gives you a card." (a specific agent give a non-specified card).

them (obj. pron., 3rd. pers. pl.)

"Them" is the object pronoun form of the subject pronoun "they."

there are (subj. expletive)

"There are" (followed by plural nouns)" and "there is" (followed by sing. nouns) appear frequently in English. These expressions point out things or people (as in "There is my friend, Nancy.") or simply to indicate -- or question -- the existence of something (e.g., "Is there any money in the bank?"/"There are too many people here.").

through (prep.)

time (noun)

tourist (adj.)

Used as an adjective modifying "visa" in "tourist visa," "tourist" is also a noun referring to people who visit or tour an area for pleasure.

travel (inf., to travel)

Other ways to express "to travel" include "to take a trip" and "to go on a trip."

turn (noun)

U.S. (abbr.)

The United States of America is often referred to as "the U.S.," "the U.S.A.," "the good ol' U.S. of A.," "the States," and "America."

understand (inf., to understand)

valuables (noun, pl.)

More frequently, you will encounter the adjective "valuable" as in "He has a valuable watch."

visa (noun)

which (rel. pron.)

Often, you will use "which" as an interrogative (interr.) as in "Which shirt do you like?"

yes (adv.)

Instead of simply saying "yes" to a question, some people will say "yeah," "yep," or "uh-huh."

Story

You arrive at Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport after a long flight. You leave the plane and enter the airport terminal. There are a lot of people speaking English. You hope you can understand them and that they can also understand you. You follow the signs to U.S. Immigration and Customs and go into a large room. You stand in line with other non-U.S. citizens. Finally, it's your turn; you are about to have your first conversation with an American.

Cultural notes

As in most countries, going through customs in the U.S. is a two-part process. First, you will encounter an agent of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), who will want to see your passport and visa. At some airports, especially New York, Miami, and Los Angeles, these agents are multi-lingual. However, you should be prepared to use English as much as possible.

Travelers from most countries (Western Europe, Canada, Japan) can pick up a visa at the border when they reach the U.S. If you are unsure about this, it is a good idea to check with your U.S. Consulate. Your visa will be valid for 90 days and cannot be extended. Shortly before you arrive in the U.S., you will be given a small white I-94 card on board the plane. After you fill out the card, you will give it to the INS agent at the airport. He will keep one copy and the other copy will be stapled in your passport. The I-94 card is a record of your arrival and departure dates. The date of your departure is the date when the card expires. You will give up the I-94 when you leave the U.S.

If you anticipate spending more than 90 days in the United States, you should apply for B-1/B-2 visa. This visa can be extended for up to one year. It is primarily intended for business persons and tourists.

You'll soon discover that the United States, while racially and ethnically diverse, is basically a monolingual country. If you plan to travel in the U.S. or to interact extensively with Americans, you will want to know as much English as possible. Most Americans are friendly and outgoing. They will usually go out of their way to help you if you have a question or a problem.

When going though U.S. Customs, be calm and patient. Try your best to communicate with the agents. Don't be concerned if you are asked to open your suitcases.

Action

IMMIGRATION AGENT: Good afternoon. May I see your passport please?

YOU: Yes, here it is, and here's my visa.

IMMIGRATION AGENT: Thank you. You have a tourist visa for three months.

YOU: Yes, that's right. I plan to travel some in the U.S.

IMMIGRATION AGENT: Where are you going?

YOU: I'm going to spend some time in Atlanta. After that, I'm going to Washington, Chicago, and California.

IMMIGRATION AGENT: All right. Enjoy your stay!

NARRATOR: The Immigration Agent gives you a card. You must now go through U.S. Customs with your luggage which you pick up in the Baggage Claim area. You present the card the Immigration Agent gave you. The Customs Agent smiles and says:

CUSTOMS AGENT: Hi! Anything to declare?

YOU: Excuse me? I don't understand.

CUSTOMS AGENT: Do you have any valuables or alcohol to declare?

YOU: No, nothing at all.

CUSTOMS AGENT: O.K. You can go ahead.

YOU: Thank you.

Lesson 2 «Changing Money»