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Likelihood Based on Conditions 1 – Lead In

A. Context Speaking

  1. What will you do if you win the lottery?
  2. If you inherit money, will you help others?
  3. Will you donate some of the money?
  4. Will you prefer spending the money on gadgets, vehicles, or vacations?

B. Context Listening

Simon Brown has just inherited $10,000 from his grandfather and is talking to his father about what to do with it. Look at these pictures. What would you do with the money?

Listen to the recording. Which of the things in the pictures do Simon and his father talk about? Do you agree with Simon or his father?

Match the first and second halves of these sentences from the recording. Listen again and check your answers.

  1. Unless you invest it properly, …
  2. If I invest it, …
  3. If I went travelling, …
  4. If you were to spend a year travelling around the world, …
  5. If you own a car, …
  6. It would be great …
  7. You won’t lose any money …
  8. As long as you get a second-hand one, …
a. you’d probably need an awful lot more money than this!
b. if I could drive to work instead of travelling on the bus.
c. you won’t earn much interest.
d. provided that you think of it as a long-term investment.
e. you should still be able to invest some money as well.
f. I’d lose a year of study.
g. you also have to pay for insurance and road tax every year.
h. I won’t be able to access the money quickly.

Look at the sentences in Exercise 3 above. Which words or phrases have a similar meaning to if? Do any of the sentences talk about events in the past?

Show Answer Key and Audio Transcript

Answer Key

2 They talk about a car, travelling and investing the money.
3 1 c 2 h 3 f 4 a 5 g 6 b 7 d 8 e
4 provided that; unless; as long as None of the sentences refer to events in the past.

Transcript

Father: Simon, do you have time for a little chat?

Simon: Sure, Dad.

Father: I just wondered if you’d thought about what you were going to do with the money your grandfather left you?

Simon: Well, I have started to give it some thought. It’s quite a lot of money so I want to make sure I don’t just waste it. I had thought about leaving it in the bank for a while.

Father: Well, unless you invest it properly, you won’t earn much interest and it may lose value over time.

Simon: Yes, but if I invest it, I won’t be able to access the money quickly when I’ve decided what to do with it, will I?

Father: Well, what sort of thing would you like to do?

Simon: Well, at first I thought about taking a trip around the world, but if I went travelling, I’d lose a year of study and I wouldn’t have any money left over for anything else.

Father: Very true. If you were to spend a year travelling around the world, you’d probably need an awful lot more money than this!

Simon: Right, so the other thing I wanted to do was buy a car.

Father: Do you think that’s a good idea? It’s not just the initial cost of the car you have to consider, you know. If you own a car, you also have to pay for insurance and road tax every year and then there’s the petrol …

Simon: Yes, Dad, but I’m planning to get a part-time job as well and it would be great if I could drive to work instead of travelling on the bus, especially if I have to work late at night.

Father: I still think you should think about investing some of your money for the future.

Simon: But I’m scared that if I invest it, I might lose it all when the stock market goes down.

Father: Well, it’s best not to look at it like that. You won’t lose any money provided that you think of it as a long-term investment. Now, I know you want to buy a car but as long as you get a second-hand one, you should still be able to invest some of the money as well. That’s what I would do if I were you.

Simon: But Dad, there’s this fantastic new car that I’ve seen …

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