AFTER YOU READ
Look at the chart about common excuses for being late.
Answer the questions on a separate piece of paper.
1.
What is the most common excuse for being late?
2.
What percentage of people said they were late
because of bad weather?
3.
What percentage of people said they were late
because of problems with their clothing?
4.
Are more people late because of problems with child care
or pets?
VOCABULARY STUDY
Antonyms
An
antonym
is a word that means the opposite of another word.
For example,
hot
and
cold
are antonyms.
Antonyms
tall – short
up – down
easy – difficult
old – young
true – false
hard – soft
good – bad
top
– bottom
cheap – expensive
Build Your Vocabulary
Read the Build Your Vocabulary note. Then read the sentences.
Find and circle an antonym in the reading for each of the underlined words.
1.
I was early for my appointment with the teacher.
2.
He gave a typical reason for wanting to learn English.
3.
I believe I dialed the correct phone number.
4.
Martin and I have the same teacher this semester.
A
Imagine that you are a manager. Look at the excuses
for being late to work. Decide which ones are
acceptable (
A
) and which ones are not acceptable (
NA
).
1.
I wanted to finish reading a very exciting book.
2.
There was a traffic jam on my way in to work.
3.
I had to drive my spouse to work today.
4.
I had to help my sister with her homework because she forgot to do it last night.
5.
I thought it was a holiday today.
B
PAIRS
Compare your answers in Exercise A. Explain your reasons.
C
GROUPS OF 3
Talk about the most unusual reason you have been late somewhere.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
ON THE WEB
For more information, go online
and search “strange reasons for
being late.” Find three new strange
reasons for being late for work and
report back to the class.
traffic delays 29%
bad weather 18%
child care problems 14%
transportation problems 13%
oversleeping 9%
problems with pets 7%
clothing problems 5%
other 5%
Most Common Excuses
for Being Late to Work
UNIT 2
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