Dialogue At The Market

Illustration image

Read dialogue

Janaki : (to her husband Surendra). Why don’t we some to the market more often?

Surendra : I don’t fin it a very enjoyable place.

Janaki : Now, I don’t shout, dear. I didn’t say I will come here every day, I sad want to come here.

Surendra : Let’s not argue any more. Let’s quickly do the shopping and go home. The children must be getting impatient.

Janaki : Ok, here’s the shopping list. We’ll firs buy toiletries and groceries and then go to the vegetable stall.

Surendra : That’s right. Let’s go to department store next door.

Shop Assistant : What can I do for you, madam?

Janaki : We’re new this store and we don’t know where things are. Can you tell us where the groceries are? And the toiletries?

Shop Assistant : For the groceries turn right, madam and then walk straight on until you come to the end of the corridor. And for the toiletries, just turn left and you walk right into them.

Janaki : Thanks.

Surendra : I want these 15 items. Please make me the bill qucikly.

Counter Clerk : I’ll take only a minute, sir. Here’s the bill.

Janaki : Most of the vegetables I wanted ti buy are stale. Some of them are even rotten. You should’ve throwm them away.

Counter Clerk : Sorry, madam. In fact, yesterday the wholesale market was closed and so we couldn’t bring in fresh supplies.

Janaki : But that doesn’t mean you should sell rotten vegetables.

Counter Clerk : Sorry, madam.

Janaki : I won’t come to this place again.

Surendra : not until next week! Bye.

Understanding the conversation

1.  Four people are taking part in this conversation. Who are they?
2. Where does the conversation take place? The second half of the conversation takes palce in one part of the market. Where does it take place?
3. What does Janaki want  to buy at the department store?
4.  Has Janaki  been to this department store before?
5.  Does Janaki like the vegetables in the department store? Why doesn’t she?

Word and Expressions

Do you know the meanings of these words and expressions?

Argue : quarrel

Impatient : unable to wait

Toiletries : articles used in dressing, such as ahair-brush, comb, hand-mirror, talcum powder, etc.

Groceries : food articles and general small household requirements

Department store : a large shop, divided into departments. Each department sells a different kind of goods.

Stale : not fresh.

Communicating

Apologizing
At the market Janaki complainde about the rotten vegetables. The clerk at the counter apologized. She said : (sorry, madam.)

When we have caused trouble to someone, we want to apologized to the person. The most common way of doing this is to say ; (I’m sorry).

Let us study a few expressions that can be used for apologizing.

• Sorry : This is very informal and is used to apologize for small things.
• I’m sorry : This expression can be used in most situations.
• I’m/really/very/so very/ever so/sorry : These expressions shoe the intensity of your apology.
• I just don’t know what to say. I can’t tell you how sorry I am.

These are rather formal expressions of apology.

What does one do when someone apologizes to him? Normally, he accepts the apology and tell the person not to feel sorry about what (s) he has done. The following expressions are used to accept an apology. (Don’t worr, Not to worry, Don’t worry about it, That’s all right, Forget it).

What do you say in the following situations, in order to apologize or to accept an apology?  

• You borrowed a friends radio, but dropped it and it is badly damaged.
• Your brother lost you pen and says he is sorry.
• You have lost the book you borrowed from the local library. You are writting a letter of apology to the librarian. 
• You knoked down an elderly lady, while your were riding a bicycle on a busy road.
• A fellow passenger stepped on your toe in the bus and apologized to you.