Traveller (Standard American accent)

Hello, I’d like a ticket to Highgate, please.

Ticket booth attendant (Standard British accent)

Certainly, madam. Travelcard, single or return?

Traveller:

Return, please.

Ticket booth attendant:

If you can wait until after 9.30am, you can get an off-peak ticket. The fare is much cheaper.

Traveller:

Oh, yes, I can wait. I’ll have an off-peak ticket, thanks!

Ticket booth attendant:

Here you go. That will be £6.60, please.

Traveller:

Can I pay by credit card?

Ticket booth attendant:

Yes, of course. No problem at all.

Traveller:

Here’s my card. Can you tell me where to go?

Ticket booth attendant:

Thank you, madam. And here’s your ticket. Just follow the signs for North-bound trains.

Speaker: Sarah Davison (Standard British accent)

NOW LET’S REVIEW THE VOCABULARY!

A Travelcard on the London Underground (also known as the ‘Tube’) is a ticket which allows unlimited travel for a whole day.

A single ticket is used to make a one-way journey.

A return ticket is used to travel to a single destination and back again.

An off-peak ticket is valid after the morning rush hour, which is considered to be the peak travelling time, when commuters travel to work.

The price of a journey on public transport is called a fare. It can apply to various modes of transports, including buses, trams, trains and taxis.

The phrase ‘Here you go’ is used when you give something to someone.

To pay is followed by the adjective ‘by’, when given the choice of payment methods. For example, you can pay by cash or pay by cheque or pay by credit card.

Train lines at Tube stations are indicated according to their direction. North-bound means that the trains from that platform go north. ‘Bound’ here, used as an adjective, means ‘going in a particular direction’. Tube stations can also have signs that show South-, East- and West-bound trains.