A short invitation email in four parts
Give the event, the date, one reason and a plan to meet, in that order:
- “Hi Sam,” – greeting; no “Dear” for a friend
- “There’s a jazz concert at the Riverside Café on Saturday the twenty-second.” – event and date
- “I want to go because the saxophonist is fantastic.” – one reason, with “because”
- “Would you like to come with us? We can meet at the entrance at seven.” – invitation and meeting plan
- “See you, Ana” – friendly ending
Saying and writing dates: ordinal numbers
English dates use ordinal numbers. Most add -th; after twenty, the last number decides: “twenty-first”, “twenty-second”, “twenty-third”.
- “first” (1st), “second” (2nd), “third” (3rd) – irregular
- “fifth” (5th), “eighth” (8th), “ninth” (9th) – watch the spelling
- “eleventh” (11th), “twelfth” (12th), “thirteenth” (13th) – always -th, never 11st or 12nd
- “twentieth” (20th), “twenty-first” (21st), “twenty-second” (22nd), “twenty-third” (23rd) – the last number decides
- “thirtieth” (30th), “thirty-first” (31st) – -ty becomes -tieth
- Say “the twenty-first of June” (more British) or “June twenty-first” (more American). Write 21 June or June 21.
- “On” for days and dates, “in” for months, “at” for clock times: “on the twenty-first”, “in June”, “at seven”.
Talking about what you like: like, love, don’t mind, hate + -ing
Use the -ing form after these verbs. For kinds of music, a noun is enough: “I like jazz.”
- “I love dancing.” – very positive
- “I really like listening to live music.” – positive
- “I don’t mind travelling on a Friday.” – it’s OK for me
- “I don’t like waiting.” – negative
- “I hate being late.” – very negative
- You will also hear “I like to dance”; both are correct. After “enjoy” and “don’t mind”, use only -ing.
- “Would you like to come?” is an invitation; “Do you like jazz?” asks about your taste in general.
Questions with be and do
Use “be” (is, are) before a noun, an adjective or a place, and “do” or “does” before an action verb.
- “Is she a musician?” – “Yes, she is.”
- “Are you free on Saturday?” – “Yes, I am.”
- “Does she play jazz?” – “No, she doesn’t.”
- “What time does the concert start?” – “At eight.”
- “What kind of music do you like?” – “I really like jazz. It’s fantastic.”
A short exchange: “I can’t go then”
Maya likes folk music, but the date doesn’t work, so she suggests another event. “I can’t go then” is about time, not taste. Listen, then say her lines with your own dates.
Owen Do you like listening to folk music?
Maya Yes, and I love dancing.
Owen The folk night is on Friday the twenty-first.
Maya I can't go then. What about jazz on the twenty-third?
Owen Perfect. The saxophonist is fantastic.
Music words: kinds of music, instruments and musicians
Kinds of music take no article: “I like jazz.” Instruments usually take “the”: “She plays the violin.”
- “jazz”, “folk”, “pop”, “hip hop”, “reggae”, “classical music” – no “the”
- “guitar” → “guitarist”, “piano” → “pianist”, “violin” → “violinist” – add -ist
- “saxophone” → “saxophonist” – in British English the stress moves: SAX-o-phone, sax-OPH-o-nist
- “drums” → “drummer”, “trumpet” → “trumpeter” – add -er
- “bass” → “bass player”, “keyboard” → “keyboard player” – use “player”
- In “folk”, the l is silent.
Common mistakes
Each is easy to fix:
- “the twenty-one of June” → “the twenty-first of June”
- “21th”, “11st” → 21st, but 11th, 12th, 13th
- “in Friday” → “on Friday”
- “I like listen to jazz.” “I don’t mind to travel.” → “I like listening to jazz.” “I don’t mind travelling.”
- “Do you are free?” “Is she play jazz?” → “Are you free?” “Does she play jazz?”
- “Come with we.” “I like she.” → “Come with us.” “I like her.” After a verb or “with”, use me, him, her, it, us, them.
- “I don’t like folk” when the problem is the date. Say “I can’t go then”.
A 10-minute daily practice routine
Say everything out loud.
- 2 minutes: play the exchange and repeat each line.
- 2 minutes: read five dates from your calendar aloud: “My birthday is on the twelfth of May.”
- 3 minutes: write a four-part email about a real event near you.
- 3 minutes: answer aloud: “What kind of music do you like?” “Are you free on the twenty-first?”
What comes next
Next, move to the past: tell a friend about a memorable evening in order, with “first”, “then” and “after that”.