Joy English · Level C1 · Traveljoy-english.com
A disputed hotel booking
Name:Date:
Follow a polite complaint with reported information and softening phrases.
Listen to each sentence and write what you hear.
Audio and answer checking: https://joy-english.com/listening-lessons/a-disputed-hotel-booking
Words to know
- reservation
- An arrangement to keep a room or seat for you.
- transferred
- Moved from one place or system to another.
- machinery
- Machines, or the moving parts of machines.
- available
- Free to be used or taken.
Answer key
- I booked a quiet room facing the garden, yet the reservation you have found shows a room beside the lift.'Booked a' links as 'booked-a'. 'Yet' here means but. 'Reservation' has the stress on VA: res-er-VA-tion.
- I am very sorry, madam; the system seems to have dropped your request when the booking was transferred.'Seems to have' is said 'seems-ta-v'. 'Dropped your' links as 'dropped-yer'.
- I do not mind waiting, but I would rather not spend three nights listening to doors and machinery.'Would rather' is said 'd-rather'. 'Machinery' begins like 'machine': ma-SHEEN-ery.
- Let me check whether anyone has left early, because a garden room might become available by this evening.'Whether anyone' joins as 'whether-anyone'. 'Available' has the stress on the second syllable: a-VAIL-able.
- In that case, I will leave my bags with you and explore the town while you sort it out.'Sort it out' means solve the problem. It links as 'sor-ti-tout'.