Understanding Numbers and Dates
Recognising numbers, prices, times, and dates in spoken English Topic: Shopping, Appointments & Transport👩🏫 Teacher notes
Teacher Notes
Aim: Students accurately write numbers they hear spoken (cardinal, ordinal, prices, times).
Tip: Drill numbers 1–100 orally before starting. Focus especially on teens vs tens (13 vs 30).
Audio 3A (Café): Prices. Audio 3B (Doctor): Dates and times.
Audio 3C (Transport line): Mixed numbers in a realistic context.
Audio 3D: Statistical report — students must track multiple numbers in sequence.
Aim: Students accurately write numbers they hear spoken (cardinal, ordinal, prices, times).
Tip: Drill numbers 1–100 orally before starting. Focus especially on teens vs tens (13 vs 30).
Audio 3A (Café): Prices. Audio 3B (Doctor): Dates and times.
Audio 3C (Transport line): Mixed numbers in a realistic context.
Audio 3D: Statistical report — students must track multiple numbers in sequence.
Learning Objectives
• Understand cardinal and ordinal numbers in spoken English.
• Recognise prices, times, dates, and statistics in listening texts.
• Write numbers and dates you hear correctly in figures or words.
| Listening Strategy: Catching Numbers and Dates |
| STEP 1 — Before you listen: Look at the task. What type of number do you need? (price, time, date, age?) |
| STEP 2 — Write digits immediately — do not try to write words (write 15, not fifteen). |
| STEP 3 — Listen for the unit after the number: pounds, euros, minutes, kilometres, percent. |
| STEP 4 — Watch for teens vs. tens (13 vs. 30 — the stress is different: thirTEEN vs. THIRty). |
| STEP 5 — After listening: Check that your numbers match the context (e.g. a price should not be huge). |
Key Vocabulary: Numbers in English
| Number Type | Examples in speech |
| Cardinal (1–100) | one, two, three … twenty, thirty, forty, fifty |
| Prices | 'That costs five pounds fifty.' / 'It is twelve euros.' |
| Times | 'Half past nine.' / 'Quarter to three.' / 'Eight fifteen.' |
| Dates (ordinal) | 'The third of April.' / 'See you on the fifteenth.' |
| Large numbers | 'Fifteen million.' / 'Three thousand two hundred pounds.' |
3A
At the Café
Speed:
Audio Script
CUSTOMER:
Excuse me, how much is a coffee?
SERVER:
A coffee is two pounds fifty.
CUSTOMER:
And a sandwich?
SERVER:
A sandwich is four pounds seventy-five.
CUSTOMER:
OK. I'll have one coffee and one sandwich, please.
SERVER:
That's seven pounds twenty-five in total.
CUSTOMER:
Here you are. Thank you!
SERVER:
Thank you! Your order will be ready in about five minutes.
CUSTOMER:
Excuse me, how much is a coffee?
SERVER:
A coffee is two pounds fifty.
CUSTOMER:
And a sandwich?
SERVER:
A sandwich is four pounds seventy-five.
CUSTOMER:
OK. I'll have one coffee and one sandwich, please.
SERVER:
That's seven pounds twenty-five in total.
CUSTOMER:
Here you are. Thank you!
SERVER:
Thank you! Your order will be ready in about five minutes.
Write the correct PRICE you hear.
Write the correct PRICE you hear
1
A coffee costs: £
2
A sandwich costs: £
3
The total is: £
4
The order is ready in minutes
3B
Making a Doctor's Appointment
Speed:
Audio Script
RECEPTIONIST:
Good morning, City Health Clinic. How can I help?
PATIENT:
Hello. I'd like to make an appointment with Dr. Brown, please.
RECEPTIONIST:
Of course. What is your date of birth?
PATIENT:
The fourteenth of March, two thousand and four.
RECEPTIONIST:
Dr. Brown has an opening on the ninth of October at quarter past two.
PATIENT:
Yes, that's perfect.
RECEPTIONIST:
Great. The appointment is forty-five minutes long. Please arrive five minutes early.
RECEPTIONIST:
Good morning, City Health Clinic. How can I help?
PATIENT:
Hello. I'd like to make an appointment with Dr. Brown, please.
RECEPTIONIST:
Of course. What is your date of birth?
PATIENT:
The fourteenth of March, two thousand and four.
RECEPTIONIST:
Dr. Brown has an opening on the ninth of October at quarter past two.
PATIENT:
Yes, that's perfect.
RECEPTIONIST:
Great. The appointment is forty-five minutes long. Please arrive five minutes early.
Exercise 1
Exercise 1. Listen and circle the correct answer.
1
The patient's date of birth is ___.
2
The appointment is on ___.
3
The appointment time is ___.
4
The appointment is ___.
Useful language
| Dates: | the first / second / third / fourth … of January, February, March … |
| Times: | quarter past, half past, quarter to, o'clock … |
| Clinic names: | City Health, Green Park, Sunshine, Riverside … |
Exercise 2
Exercise 2. Work in pairs. Student A is the receptionist; Student B is the patient. Complete the dialogue with your own information, then practise it aloud. Swap roles and try again with different information.
| RECEPTIONIST: | Good (morning / afternoon), Clinic. How can I help you? |
| PATIENT: | Hello. I'd like to make an appointment with Dr. , please. |
| RECEPTIONIST: | Of course. What is your date of birth? |
| PATIENT: | The of , . |
| RECEPTIONIST: | Dr. has an opening on the of at . |
| PATIENT: | Yes, that's perfect. |
| RECEPTIONIST: | Great. The appointment is minutes long. Please arrive minutes early. |
| PATIENT: | Thank you. Goodbye. |
| RECEPTIONIST: | Goodbye. |
3C
Transport Information Line
Speed:
Audio Script 3C
OPERATOR:
Good afternoon, City Transport. How can I help you?
CALLER:
Hi, I need to get from Central Station to the airport. What are my options?
OPERATOR:
You can take the Airport Express train. It leaves Central Station at five past seven, seven thirty-five, and eight ten in the morning.
CALLER:
How long does it take?
OPERATOR:
The journey is thirty-eight minutes.
CALLER:
And how much is it?
OPERATOR:
A single ticket is fourteen pounds fifty. A return is twenty-two pounds.
CALLER:
Is there a bus option?
OPERATOR:
Yes, the number 57 bus also goes to the airport. The fare is only four pounds seventy, but the journey takes about one hour and fifteen minutes.
CALLER:
I need to catch a flight at nine forty-five. Which train should I take?
OPERATOR:
I'd recommend the seven thirty-five. You'll arrive at approximately eight thirteen, which gives you plenty of time.
OPERATOR:
Good afternoon, City Transport. How can I help you?
CALLER:
Hi, I need to get from Central Station to the airport. What are my options?
OPERATOR:
You can take the Airport Express train. It leaves Central Station at five past seven, seven thirty-five, and eight ten in the morning.
CALLER:
How long does it take?
OPERATOR:
The journey is thirty-eight minutes.
CALLER:
And how much is it?
OPERATOR:
A single ticket is fourteen pounds fifty. A return is twenty-two pounds.
CALLER:
Is there a bus option?
OPERATOR:
Yes, the number 57 bus also goes to the airport. The fare is only four pounds seventy, but the journey takes about one hour and fifteen minutes.
CALLER:
I need to catch a flight at nine forty-five. Which train should I take?
OPERATOR:
I'd recommend the seven thirty-five. You'll arrive at approximately eight thirteen, which gives you plenty of time.
Complete the travel notes. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS OR A NUMBER.
Complete the travel notes. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS OR A
| AIRPORT TRAVEL OPTIONS |
| Option 1: Airport Express Train Morning departures: 7:05 / / 8:10 Journey time: minutes Single fare: (3) £ |
| Option 2: Bus number Fare: £ Journey time: approx. hour(s) and 15 min RECOMMENDATION for 9:45 flight: Take the train. |
3D
A News Report on Commuting
Speed:
Audio Script 3D
REPORTER: A new survey has revealed some interesting statistics about commuting in the UK. The average British worker spends approximately fifty-nine minutes commuting every day — that is nearly five hours a week. For commuters in London, the figure is even higher: an average of eighty-three minutes per day. The survey, which questioned six thousand people across the country, found that thirty-eight percent of commuters use public transport, while forty-seven percent travel by car. Only eleven percent said they walk or cycle to work. Commute times have increased by twelve percent since two thousand and fifteen. The average annual cost of commuting is now three thousand two hundred pounds — up from two thousand eight hundred pounds just three years ago. Most commuters say the biggest problems are delays, overcrowding, and the high cost of tickets.
REPORTER: A new survey has revealed some interesting statistics about commuting in the UK. The average British worker spends approximately fifty-nine minutes commuting every day — that is nearly five hours a week. For commuters in London, the figure is even higher: an average of eighty-three minutes per day. The survey, which questioned six thousand people across the country, found that thirty-eight percent of commuters use public transport, while forty-seven percent travel by car. Only eleven percent said they walk or cycle to work. Commute times have increased by twelve percent since two thousand and fifteen. The average annual cost of commuting is now three thousand two hundred pounds — up from two thousand eight hundred pounds just three years ago. Most commuters say the biggest problems are delays, overcrowding, and the high cost of tickets.
Exercise 1
Exercise 1. Choose the correct answer A, B, or C.
1
The average UK worker commutes for ___.
2
London commuters travel for an average of ___.
3
How many people were surveyed?
4
What percentage travel by car?
5
The average annual commuting cost is now ___.
Exercise 2
Exercise 2. Answer using numbers or short phrases.
1
What percentage of commuters walk or cycle?
2
By how much have commute times increased since 2015?
3
Name TWO problems commuters mentioned: and