HOL-BHolidaying, Travel and the Arts

Language of Travel: Used to, Parallelism and Booking Words

Idée directrice

Holiday modules recycle grammar that fits travel stories: used to for past holiday habits, parallel structure in lists of activities, and booking vocabulary (book, reserve, check in/out, package tour, destination). Language items stay inside tourism situations.

Signature de reconnaissance — l'énoncé se trahit ainsi

book

package tour

used to

parallelism

destination

trip

Sujet principal

Language: holiday habits and travel forms

9 questionsCorrigé masqué

Part 1 — Cloze. ONE word from the box (one extra).

`book · destination · package · trip · travel · admission`

We need to __________ seats on the morning flight before prices rise.
The brochure describes a __________ tour that includes hotel and guided visits.
Our final __________ is a small island famous for its beaches.
Free __________ to the museum is included in the price of the holiday.
The whole __________ was spoilt when the coach broke down for six hours.

Part 2 — Past habits. Rewrite with used to + bare infinitive.

When I was a child, my family spent every summer holiday in my grandparents’ village.
In the past, tourists did not buy tickets on the internet; they visited a travel agency.

Part 3 — Parallelism. Correct the faulty list so all items match grammatically.

On holiday she likes swimming, to hike, and sightseeing.
The agency promised a clean room, serving fresh food, and friendly guides.

Voir la correction commentéeAprès avoir posé votre démarche

Part 1: 1. book · 2. package · 3. destination · 4. admission · 5. trip · (extra: travel)

Part 2:
1. When I was a child, my family used to spend every summer holiday in my grandparents’ village.
2. In the past, tourists did not use to buy / used not to buy tickets on the internet; they used to visit a travel agency.
(Accept a clear used to rewrite that keeps the past-habit meaning.)

Part 3 (model fixes):
1. On holiday she likes swimming, hiking, and sightseeing. (all -ing)
or she likes to swim, to hike, and to go sightseeing.
2. The agency promised a clean room, fresh food, and friendly guides. (all noun phrases)

Traps: Used to takes a bare infinitive (used to spend, not used to spending for this past-habit meaning). Parallel lists must keep one pattern.

Exercices d'entraînement — une nuance à la fois

Entraînement 01 / 02

Drill: booking a trip — short transformations

1 questionCorrigé masqué

Language. Complete and rewrite. Keep a clear travel / holiday meaning.

`agency · tourists · vacation · discount · complain`

Many (1) __________ prefer a travel (2) __________ because staff can find a (3) __________ on ferry tickets. If the hotel is dirty during the (4) __________, customers should (5) __________ in writing and ask for compensation.

Rewrite: The tickets are so expensive that students cannot travel. → too + adjective + to.

Voir la correction commentéeAprès avoir posé votre démarche

Gaps: (1) tourists · (2) agency · (3) discount · (4) vacation · (5) complain

Rewrite: The tickets are too expensive for students to travel.

How to work: Many tourists prefer a travel agency is a module collocation (agent = person, agency = office). Find a discount matches price reductions on ferry tickets. During the vacation/holiday names the stay. Complain in writing is the formal customer action before asking for compensation. For too…to, pack so expensive that…cannot into one structure without so…that.

Trap: Do not write travel agent in blank (2) — the pattern is travel agency. Also avoid Unless structures here; the rewrite asks only for too + adjective + to.

Entraînement 02 / 02

Reading: a letter of complaint about a holiday

3 questionsCorrigé masqué

Reading. Read the email extract, then answer.

Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to complain about my family holiday in Sousse from 10 to 17 July. We booked a package through your travel agency. The brochure promised a quiet room, air-conditioning, and a two-minute walk to the beach. When we checked in, the room was noisy, the air-conditioning did not work, and the hotel was a long walk from the sea under the hot sun. The food was not as advertised, so we had to eat out and pay extra money. I expect a partial refund and a written apology. Tourism depends on trust; your trip failed to keep its promises.
Yours faithfully,
Karim J.

1. True or false? Justify.

Karim organised every detail himself without an agency.
The real hotel location did not match the brochure.
He asks only for an apology and refuses any money back.

2. List three problems mentioned about the holiday accommodation or food.

Voir la correction commentéeAprès avoir posé votre démarche

1. F — He booked a package through your travel agency.
2. T — brochure: two-minute walk; reality: long walk from the sea.
3. F — He expects a partial refund and a written apology.

2. Any three: noisy room; broken air-conditioning; far from beach; food not as advertised / extra cost.

Method: Complaint letters recycle brochure language against reality — quote both sides when you can.

Méthode / Automatismes

For used to, ask: is this a repeated past action or state that no longer holds? For parallelism, line up the list items and force the same form.

Pièges classiques

Mixing used to (past habit) with be used to + -ing (be accustomed) is a classic holiday-module error. Here Part 2 wants the past-habit form.