Speaking Boost · A1 · Lesson 44 of 50
Speaking Boost A1 · Block 9: Shopping and Clothes

Why is the number 7 lucky?

Many people think that 7 is a lucky number. In this lesson you say big numbers and ordinal numbers (first, second, third). You also say dates and floors.

1

Warm-up

5 min
1.1

Numbers and luck

Answer each question with 2–3 sentences.

  1. What is your lucky number?
  2. What is your favourite number?
  3. What is the date today?
  4. When is your birthday?
  5. Which floor do you live on?
  6. How many days are there in a week?
2

Words and phrases

12 min
2.1

New words

Read each word and the example. Then say one sentence with the word.

2.2

Which word?

Choose the word that fits.

  1. Seven, ten and twenty are each a .
  2. A person with good luck is .
  3. A person with bad luck is .
  4. Seven days make a .
  5. A very special thing that people admire, for example the Pyramids, is a .
  6. Asia, Africa and Europe are each a .
  7. The day, the month and the year together make a .
  8. Ten times ten is a .
2.3

Opposites and pairs

Choose the right answer, then press Check answers.

  1. lucky = having
  2. unlucky = having
  3. a week has got
  4. a continent is a
  5. a date shows the day, the month and the
  6. a hundred is
2.4

Useful phrases

Use these phrases to say numbers, dates and floors.

  • My lucky number is...Моє щасливе число...My lucky number is seven.
  • What is the date today?Яке сьогодні число?What is the date today?
  • It's the seventh of May.Сьогодні сьоме травня.It's the seventh of May.
  • My birthday is on the...Мій день народження...My birthday is on the third of June.
  • I live on the... floor.Я живу на... поверсі.I live on the fifth floor.
  • There are seven days.Є сім днів.There are seven days in a week.
  • It costs a hundred...Це коштує сто...It costs a hundred hryvnias.
  • Good luck!Удачі!Good luck with your exam!
3

Read and react

8 min
3.1

Lucky numbers

Read the text. Hover over the dotted words for help.

Why is the number 7 lucky?

Why is the number 7 lucky? Many people say that seven is a lucky number, but the reason is not one single thing. One reason is that seven appears in many important places. There are seven days in a week. People often say that there are seven colours in a rainbow, and many old stories talk about seven wonders and seven seas. In school, we often learn that there are seven continents, but some people count them in a different way.

In many cultures, other numbers are lucky too. In China, the number eight is lucky, because in Chinese it sounds like the word for "wealth". On the other side, the number four sounds like the word for "death", so many people think that it is unlucky. In some Western countries, 13 is an unlucky number, and some buildings do not have a thirteenth floor.

Is a lucky number real? Scientists say that numbers do not give luck. But many people like to have a lucky number, because it makes them feel good. Sports players wear a lucky number on their shirt, and some people choose the same number in a lottery.

Do you have a lucky number? Maybe it is the number of your birthday, for example the seventh of May, or the number of your home.

What is your lucky number?

3.2

True or false?

  1. There are seven days in a week.
  2. In China, the number eight is lucky.
  3. Scientists say that numbers give luck.
  4. Every country thinks that 13 is lucky.
  5. Some buildings do not have a thirteenth floor.
3.3

What do you think?

  1. Do you believe in lucky numbers?
  2. Is it fun to have a lucky number?
  3. Why do people like numbers?
  4. What is your favourite date?
4

Grammar for speaking

10 min
4.1

Grammar for speaking

Numbers

Learn the numbers: 21 twenty-one, 50 fifty, 100 a hundred, 1,000 a thousand. Say a hundred / a thousand (not hundred). Use are with a plural number: There are seven days.

21 twenty-one. 99 ninety-nine. It costs a hundred hryvnias. A thousand people are here. There are seven days in a week.

Ordinal numbers

Use ordinal numbers for order and dates: first, second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh, twentieth. Use the with ordinal numbers.

January is the first month. My birthday is on the third of June. I live on the fifth floor. Today is the seventh of May.

Block 9 review

Use the grammar from this block.

how much and prices (L41) · this / that / these / those (L42) · Can I have...? I'd like... (L43)

Common mistakes: say a hundred (not hundred), seventh, third and fifth with the, and are with plural numbers. ✗ It costs hundred hryvnias → It costs a hundred hryvnias. ✗ The three month → The third month. ✗ There is seven days in a week → There are seven days in a week.

4.2

Choose the right form

  1. is 15.
  2. The
    month is March.
  3. My birthday is on the
    of May.
  4. It costs
    hryvnias.
  5. He is
    years old.
  6. The
    day is Tuesday.
  7. There
    seven days in a week.
  8. I live on the
    floor.
4.3

Fix the mistake

Each sentence has one mistake. Type the correct words.

  1. He is twenty-one years. →
  2. The three month is March. →
  3. My birthday is on the seven of May. →
  4. It costs hundred hryvnias. →
  5. I live on the five floor. →
  6. There is seven days in a week. →
4.4

Talk about it

Answer with full sentences. Use numbers and ordinal numbers.

  1. What is your lucky number?
  2. What is the date today?
  3. When is your birthday?
  4. Which floor do you live on?
  5. How many days are there in a week?
  6. What is the first month of the year?
5

Three people and lucky numbers, and a short talk

8 min
5.1

Three people and lucky numbers

Three people tell about their lucky numbers. Compare them. Who has got a lucky number? Who thinks a number is unlucky? What is your lucky number?

Person 1

Li, 30

  • Is from China
  • Thinks eight is lucky
  • Doesn't like the number four
  • Lives on the eighth floor
Person 2

Tom, 20

  • Is from the UK
  • Thinks seven is lucky
  • Wears number seven on his shirt
  • Has his birthday on the seventh
Person 3

Nina, 50

  • Is from Ukraine
  • Has no lucky number
  • Says luck is about work
  • Lives on the fifth floor
5.2

Mini-talk: numbers and dates

Your teacher will time you.

  1. Plan for one minute, then speak for one or two minutes.
  2. Part 1: say what your lucky number is and why.
  3. Part 2: say the date of your birthday and the floor where you live.
  4. Part 3: say some numbers and prices (for example, 20, 50, 100).
2:00
6

Personal questions

10 min
6.1

Part I: Me

  1. What is your lucky number?
  2. What is the date today?
  3. When is your birthday?
  4. Which floor do you live on?
  5. How many days are there in a week?
  6. How many months are there in a year?
  7. Do you like the number thirteen?
  8. What is the first month of the year?
6.2

Part II: Other people

  1. Who in your family has a lucky number?
  2. Whose birthday is in January?
  3. Who lives on the first floor?
  4. Who is the oldest in your family?
  5. Who counts money fast?
  6. Who plays the lottery?
6.3

Part III: A bit deeper

  1. Is there a lucky number?
  2. Is 13 unlucky?
  3. Is luck important?
  4. Do you believe in luck?
  5. Why do people like numbers?
7

Roleplay

12 min
7.1

Talking about dates

You

Speaker

A friend (your teacher) asks about dates and numbers:
  • say your birthday date
  • say the date today
  • say your lucky number
  • ask your friend a question
Speak for at least 1 minute. Use ordinal numbers and numbers.
Your teacher

Friend

Says things like:
  1. When is your birthday?
  2. What is the date today?
  3. What is your lucky number?
  4. Mine is seven.
7.2

At a hotel

You

Guest

You come to a hotel (your teacher is the receptionist):
  • say your name
  • ask for a room on the fifth floor
  • ask how much it is a night
  • say thank you
You do most of the talking. Use: I'd like a room... · How much is it? · fifth floor
Your teacher

Receptionist

Says things like:
  1. What is your name?
  2. Yes, of course.
  3. It's a hundred euros.
  4. Welcome!
8

Homework

at home

Your homework score

Do all four exercises, then press Check all homework. Correct answers will appear next to your mistakes.

– / 30
H1

Complete with a word

numberluckyunluckyweekwondercontinentdatehundred
  1. Seven, ten and twenty are each a .
  2. A person with good luck is .
  3. A person with bad luck is .
  4. Seven days make a .
  5. A very special thing that people admire, for example the Pyramids, is a .
  6. Asia, Africa and Europe are each a .
  7. The day, the month and the year together make a .
  8. Ten times ten is a .
H2

Choose the correct word

  1. The month is March.
  2. My birthday is on the of May.
  3. It costs hryvnias.
  4. He is years old.
  5. The day is Tuesday.
  6. There seven days in a week.
  7. I live on the floor.
  8. is the first month.
H3

Correct or incorrect?

Decide if each sentence is grammatically correct.

  1. The third month is March.
  2. The three month is March.
  3. It costs a hundred hryvnias.
  4. It costs hundred hryvnias.
  5. There are seven days in a week.
  6. There is seven days in a week.
  7. I live on the fifth floor.
H4

Match the two halves

  1. My lucky number
  2. What is
  3. It's
  4. My birthday
  5. I live
  6. There are
  7. It costs

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© Yevheniia Kolesnykova, Academy of Languages. All rights reserved. No copying or reuse without written permission.