В. INFORMAL TELEPHONE COVERSATIONS
1. An Advertisement
Charles: Two-six-two four-three-double four. Charles Farmer speaking.
Joan: Hello, Charles, it’s Joan — Joan Cook.
Charles: Hello, Joan, how are you?
Joan: I’m very well, thanks[59]. How are you?
Charles: Oh, not so bad, you know.
Joan: Good. I rang to ask if you know anything about hotels in Brighton.
Charles: No, I’m afraid[60] I can’t be very much help to you there[61].
Joan: Well, it’s just that we’ve been thinking of taking the family to the south this summer and at this rather late stage we’re trying to organize[62]ourselves a suitable hotel. But I thought that you’d been to Brighton;
Charles: I have. Several times. But I’ve always taken a tent and done it the hard way[63].
Joan: Oh, I see. I didn’t realize that.
Charles: Yes. Great one for the open air[64], you know.
Joan: Oh, it must be nice, but we could never contemplate it with our lot[65]. We’re terribly disorganized as a family, you know, and we’d be in chaos in no time. And in any case the car isn’t big enough to get all of us in and camping equipment as well, so we simply must find ourselves a nice hotel where they’ll put up with[66] noisy kids.
Charles: Mm. You have got a problem. And it’s certainly a bit late. But there are masses of adverts. Have you looked at those?
Joan: Well, yes. As a matter of fact I was reading one advert only this morning in the Sunday paper which sounded marvellous.
Charles: For a hotel?
Joan: Yes. Just outside Brighton. And I thought to myself “I’ll give Charles a ring[67]. He may know it”.
Charles: Oh, dear I am a dead loss[68], aren’t I. But tell me about the advert.
Joan: It said that this hotel was right on the beach, and that’s essential as far as we’re concerned, because the kids are really only interested in scrabbling[69] in the sand and popping into[70] the sea every five minutes, so we must be close to it-the closer the better.
Charles: I know just how it is[71].
Joan: And all the rooms have balconies facing the sea and overlooking the beach so it should be possible for mum and dad[72] to keep half an eye on[73] the kids while they’re playing and manage a quiet snooze at the same time occasionally.
Charles: Sounds too good to be true[74]. Expensive?
Joan: Rather. But still the prices were a bit lower than in any of the other adverts I’ve seen, and yet the facilities were as good or even better. You know, even allowing for[75]
