Chapter 1

What’s the occasion?

Topics Speaking Goals Grammar
Special occasions Talk about special occasions Passive: The party will be held on
Invitations Extend and respond to July 4th.
Attire invitations Reported speech: Julie said she
Compliments Give and respond to had a previous engagement.
compliments Present conditional with modals:
If the invitation says casual, you
can dress comfortably.

In this chapter,
you will …

■ Talk about
special occasions

What special occasions do you celebrate with friends? With colleagues?

The Children’s Hospital

is pleased to invite you to our dinner
■ Extend and and dance in celebration
respond to of our 100th anniversary.
invitations
Saturday, July 30 6 p.m. to midnight
Continental Hotel Black tie
RSVP - July 15

— I like your watch. — That’s a beautiful gown.

■ Give and respond
— Thank you. It was a gift from You look wonderful.
to compliments
my grandparents. — Thank you. So do you.

©2013 Berlitz Languages, Inc. Level 4 • Chapter 1

 Talk about special occasions

1 Let’s celebrate!

wedding surprise party housewarming party

baby shower class reunion anniversary party

1 . Tony is turning 25 next week. We’re planning a ____________________ for his birthday.
2. I graduated from college 10 years ago. Our ten-year ____________________ will be in June.
3. Jenny’s going to have a baby soon. We’re organizing a ____________________ for her.
4. Tina and Ben are getting married. I just received an invitation to their ____________________ .
5. The Vales have been married 50 years. Their family is arranging a big ____________________ .
6. We’ve just recently moved into our new home and are planning a ____________________ .

2 Where will it be held?

We will hold the party at Dave’s house. R The party will be held at Dave’s house.
We won’t tell Tony about the party. Tony won’t be told about the party.

Will they cancel the wedding? R Will the wedding be canceled?

When will they serve dinner? When will dinner be served?

— Have the invitations been sent out yet? — Will the flowers be delivered on Friday?
— Not yet. They’ll be sent out tomorrow. — No, they won’t be delivered until Saturday.

3 Special occasions

— What lovely flowers. Who are they from?

— They’re from my husband. Today’s our anniversary.
— Congratulations. Are you going anywhere special to celebrate?
— We’re going out to dinner. Every year on our anniversary
we go to the place we went to on our first date.

— Are you doing anything special for Thanksgiving?

— My whole family is coming to our place to celebrate. My parents,
my brother and his family, and my sister and her boyfriend.
— That sounds wonderful. Will you be serving a traditional turkey
dinner?
— Oh, yes. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without it.

What special occasions do you celebrate? How do you celebrate them? Who do you celebrate with?

Level 4 • Chapter 1 ©2013 Berlitz Languages, Inc.

 Extend invitations

4 Will you be able to attend?

You are cordiallY invited to

attend the 29th annual
It’s time again
for our annual
Legal Society Banquet Company Picnic!
to be held on September 10th Where: Greenview Park
at the Stanton hotel When: Saturday, July 7
From: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
at 8 p.m.
Food and drink provided
Families welcome!
rSvp September 1St

Formal Informal
Would you care to join us …? Do you want to come to …?
I’d like to invite you to … Are you free …?

We’d be delighted to come. We’d love to come.

With pleasure! I’d be happy to!

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend. I’m sorry. I can’t make it.

I’m afraid I have a previous engagement. Sorry. I’m busy that day.

Tip!

RSVP is the French abbreviation for Répondez, s’il vous plaît.

It means: Please respond. = Tell us if you are coming or not.

5 Your turn!
A. You’d like to have a dinner party at your home next Friday.
1 . Invite your new neighbor. (You haven’t met her / him yet.)
2. Invite one of your good friends.

B. It’s been a good year. Your department at work is having a celebration at a nearby restaurant.
1 . Invite a new colleague to join you.
2. Invite the company CEO.

©2013 Berlitz Languages, Inc. Level 4 • Chapter 1

 Respond to invitations

6 He said he had other plans

“Do you want to come to our party?” I asked Roy if he wanted to come to our party.
“I have a previous engagement.” Mark said he had a previous engagement.
“I’m afraid I don’t have time.” Julie said she didn’t have time.
“My mother’s having a picnic that day.” Tom said his mother was having a picnic that day.
“We’re not going to be in town.” The Olsons said they weren’t going to be in town.

— That was Emily. She won’t be able to make it on Sunday.

— Why not?
— She said she was leaving town on Monday and she had to pack.

7 1-3 Why can’t they come?

Please join us for Please join us for

Join us for a cookout! a bridal shower honoring a dinner Party
Join us for a cookout!
Su nday, August 2
Sunday, August 2
4 - 9 p. m.
4 -at9 Kp.m.
evin a nd Sa ndy’s
Paula Logan
at Kevin
255 Caandctus
Sandy’s
La ne Friday, June 12th
Saturday, May 10th
255 Cactus Lane from 7 to 10 p.m. at the
2 – 5 p.m.
Abernathy residence
RSVby
RSVP P July
by July
2525 778 Park Ave., Apt. 37 65 Roundtree Road
RSVP [email protected]
RSVP to 555-6687 June 1st

Conversation ____ Conversation ____ Conversation ____

1 . Stephen said he couldn’t go to the __________________________ , because _________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________ .

2. Marta said she and Jack couldn’t go to the ________________________ , because ___________

_____________________________________________________________________________________ .

3. Mrs. Baker said she might be late for the _________________________ , because ____________

_____________________________________________________________________________________ .

FYI: Baby and bridal showers

The terms baby shower and bridal shower come from the expression “to shower
someone with gifts,” which means to give someone a lot of gifts.

Level 4 • Chapter 1 ©2013 Berlitz Languages, Inc.

 Give and respond to compliments

8 If it says black tie, you have to wear a tux

If the invitation says black tie, men must wear Tip!

tuxedos, and ladies should wear evening gowns.

If it says casual attire, you don’t have to wear tuxedo, tux

anything dressy.
dinner suit, dinner jacket
If you don’t receive an invitation, you can’t go.

9 What should I wear?

___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

— What should we wear to the dance?

— What does the invitation say?
— It says semi-formal. How different is that from formal?
— If the dance is semi-formal, then you don’t have to wear an evening gown. You could wear a
long, dressy skirt and top or a cocktail dress. And your husband could wear a dark suit.

10 You look fantastic!

GREAT BEAUTIFUL / HANDSOME EXCELLENT
wonderful gorgeous outstanding
fantastic stunning marvelous
magnificent striking first-rate
fabulous pretty / attractive brilliant

You look stunning in that dress! You look fabulous.

That’s a gorgeous outfit. That was a wonderful dinner!

That’s a striking necklace! Your ring is magnificent.

©2013 Berlitz Languages, Inc. Level 4 • Chapter 1

 Respond to invitations

11 RSVP

You are invited to our Housewarming Party!

Where: 128 Lakeview Drive We hope you can make it!

When: Sat., July 15 Vince & Regina
Time: 2 pm RSVP: [email protected]

From [email protected]
Subject Annual Luncheon

You are cordially invited to

attend the Annual Chamber of Commerce Luncheon
The guest speakers will be:

Janice M. Sumner, Chief Commercial Officer, Dept. of Commerce

Thomas B. Harrington, CEO of Dataware International
J.D. McWilliams, Senior Partner, Waterford Investments
Date: Saturday, July 15
Time: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Location: Wyeth Regency Hotel, Blue Room
RSVP: [email protected]

Culture Corner: Party Etiquette

According to Emily Post, an expert on etiquette in the U.S., a gift for your hosts is a
good way to thank them for their hospitality and is always appreciated. The kind of gift
you bring depends on the occasion and on how well you know your hosts. For example,
if they’re good friends and you are invited to a housewarming party, you can give them
a picture frame with a photo of you together. On the other hand, if you don’t know them
very well, you can give them a small houseplant. You can’t go wrong with gifts such as
a bottle of wine, a box of chocolates, or a flower arrangement.

When you are invited to a large formal dinner, a gift for your hosts is not necessary.
In other cases, too, such as a bridal shower or other party honoring someone else, you
aren’t expected to bring a gift for the hosts. But you should bring a gift for the person
being honored.

Level 4 • Chapter 1 ©2013 Berlitz Languages, Inc.

 Chapter Summary

Vocabulary & Expressions

to have a party to attend dressy, casual
wedding formal / informal appropriate
special occasion previous engagement necklace, bracelet
turn (… years old) cookout earrings
housewarming residence ring, diamond ~
baby / bridal shower attire jewelry
opening, grand ~ (evening) gown fabulous, gorgeous, etc.
reception tuxedo, bow tie luncheon
to hold outfit What’s the occasion?
to let … know, RSVP compliment Would you care to …?
annual host I’d be delighted.

Grammar
• When will the ceremony be held? • Will the invitations be sent next week?
— It will be held at 10:00 a.m. on May 22. — Yes, they will. / No, they won’t.

• Did Brian say he was going to be here today? • What time did Jill say she was leaving?
— No, he didn’t. He said he was going to be home. — She said she was leaving at 7:15.
— Did he say why? — What time is her first appointment?
— He said he had a doctor’s appointment at 11:00. — She said she didn’t have any appointments.
— Did you ask him if he was OK? — Did you ask her if she wanted to schedule one?
— Yes, I did. He said he was going for a check-up. — She said she wanted to schedule them herself.

• If the invitation says the party starts at 8:00, • Can I still come to the party if I can’t make
what time should we arrive? it before 10 o’clock?
— If it says 8:00, we should arrive by 8:30. — If you can make it by 11, you can still come.

— Do I have to wear a gown to a formal party? — Do I have to wear a tie if I work on Saturday?
— If it’s formal, you must wear something dressy. — You have to wear a tie if you see customers.

Use Your English!

• Search for The Emily Post Institute online and see what information you can find out about
weddings and other occasions. Write down two or three things that you read about for your
next lesson.
• Select two or three of the adjectives you learned in this chapter and think of who you could
pay a compliment to using them. Write the compliments down and try to use them each day.
• Record and listen to a news story in English. Play back small parts of the story and write
what the person said, using reported speech. Read and record your report.

©2013 Berlitz Languages, Inc. Level 4 • Chapter 1

 Chapter Summary

Reading: Advice on gift-giving etiquette

Match the questions with the responses
_____ 1 . A friend gave me an expensive gift. Do I have to give her one that is equally expensive?
_____ 2. We’ll be having an office party soon. Last year I got a gift from a colleague, but I didn’t
have one for him and I felt embarrassed. The next day I bought a gift for him. What
should I do if something like this happens again? I can’t afford to buy gifts for everyone
in the office.
_____ 3. When I was a child, my mother had me send thank you notes every time I received a gift.
Is this still true? Should I send thank you notes to everyone —— even to people I thanked
in person?
_____ 4. When I’m having a party at my place and someone brings a bottle of wine, am I supposed
to open it and share it with everyone at the party?
_____ 5. Is it OK to give gift cards and gift certificates?

a. If the gift-giver was there when you opened the gift and you thanked him or her in person, then
you don’t need to send a thank you note. If the gift-giver was not there, however, you should
send a hand-written thank you note.
b. If this happens again, you should just say “thank you.” You don’t need to make excuses, and
you do not have to buy a gift for that person.
c. No, you don’t have to. If something is brought as a gift, you do not have to share it at the
gathering. It’s your choice.
d. No, you don’t. You should give the nicest thing you can within your budget.
e. These days, it is acceptable to give gift cards, especially if they’re from a store the receiver
particularly likes. Of course, a personal gift is nicer, but a gift card is preferable to cash.

Writing: Write a short paragraph about gift-giving customs in your country. What advice would
you give to a visitor? What are some things a person should / shouldn’t do when giving gifts?
__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

check it out! www.berlitzenglish.com

Level 4 • Chapter 1 ©2013 Berlitz Languages, Inc.

 Audio Script 1

CHAPTER 1
TRACK 1 | ACTIVITY 7 | One
Hi, you’ve reached the Abernathy residence.
We’re unable to answer your call right now, so
please leave a message after the beep.

Hello, Julie. This is Stephen Carter. I’m calling to

thank you for inviting me to dinner next Friday.
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend, because
I’ll be away on business over the weekend. Thank
you again for the kind invitation. I hope to see you
and Charles very soon. Good-bye.
TRACK 2 | Two
— Hi, Marta. It’s Kevin.
— Hi, Kevin. What’s up?
— Sandy and I’d like to invite you and Jack to a
cookout this Sunday.
— This Sunday? Oh, we’d love to be there, but
we’re going to a wedding.
— That’s too bad. Sandy’s going to be
disappointed not to have you there.
— I’m disappointed, too. Well, I hope you all have a
wonderful time.
— Thank you, Marta. Say hi to Jack, OK?
— I will. Give my best to Sandy.
— Will do. Talk to you soon. Bye.
TRACK 3 | Three
— Hello, Mrs. Baker, this is Claire Taylor. I’m calling
to invite you to a bridal shower we’re holding for
Paula Logan.
— How wonderful! When is it?
— It will be on Saturday, May 10th at 2 o’clock.
— Let me check my calendar. Oh, I have a
hairdresser’s appointment at 1:00, so I couldn’t
be there until later. Would that be a problem?
— Not at all.
— Then I’d be delighted to come! Could you give
me all the details of the event?

Level 4 • Audio Script ©2013 Berlitz Languages, Inc.