LEARNING OBJECTIVES Top Notch 2 learning objectives are designed for false beginners.

They offer a rigorous review and

an expansion of key beginning concepts as well as a wealth of new and challenging material.

COMMUNICATION GOALS VOCABULARY GRAMMAR

Get reacquainted with someone Tourist activities The present perfect

1
UNIT
Greet a visitor to your country Participial adjectives Statements and yes / no questions
Discuss gestures and customs The hand Form and usage
Describe an interesting experience Past participles of irregular verbs
Getting With already, yet, ever, before, and never
Acquainted GRAMMAR BOOSTER
PAGE 2 The present perfect
Information questions
Yet and already: expansion, common errors
Ever, never, and before: use and placement
Apologize for being late Explanations for being late The present perfect

2
UNIT
Discuss preferences for movie Movie genres With for and since
genres Adjectives to describe movies Other uses
Describe and recommend movies Wants and preferences: would like and would rather
Discuss effects of movie violence
Going to the on viewers Form and usage
Movies Statements, questions, and answers
PAGE 14 GRAMMAR BOOSTER
The present perfect continuous
The present participle: spelling
Expressing preferences: review, expansion, and
common errors

Check into a hotel Hotel room types and kinds The future with will

3
UNIT of beds
Leave and take a message Form and usage
Request housekeeping services Hotel room amenities and Statements and questions
services
Choose a hotel Contractions
Staying in The real conditional
Hotels Form and usage
Statements and questions
PAGE 26
GRAMMAR BOOSTER
Will: expansion
Can, should, and have to: future meaning
The real conditinal: factual and future; usage and
common errors

Describe a car accident Bad driving habits The past continuous

4
UNIT
Describe a car problem Car parts Form and usage
Rent a car Ways to respond (with concern / Vs. the simple past tense
Discuss good and bad driving relief) Direct objects with phrasal verbs
Phrasal verbs for talking
Cars and about cars GRAMMAR BOOSTER
Driving Car types The past continuous: other uses
PAGE 38 Driving behavior Nouns and pronouns: review

Ask for something in a store Salon services Indefinite quantities and amounts

5
UNIT
Make an appointment at a salon Personal care products Some and any
or spa Discussing beauty A lot of / lots of, many, and much
Discuss ways to improve Indefinite pronouns: someone /
appearance no one / anyone
Personal Define the meaning of beauty
Care and GRAMMAR BOOSTER
Appearance Some and any: indefiniteness
PAGE 50 Too many, too much, and enough
Comparative quantifiers fewer and less
Indefinite pronouns: something, anything,
and nothing

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 CONVERSATION STRATEGIES LISTENING / PRONUNCIATION READING
Use I dont think so. to soften a
negative answer
Say I know! to exclaim that
youve discovered an answer
Use Welcome to . to greet
someone in a new place
Say Thats great. to
acknowledge someones positive
experience
WRITING
Listening Skills Texts Task
Listen to classify A poster about world customs Write a description of an interesting
Listen for details A magazine article about non- experience
verbal communication
Pronunciation WRITING BOOSTER
Sound reduction in the present A travel poster
Avoiding run-on sentences
perfect A photo story
Skills/strategies
Identify supporting details
Relate to personal experience

Apologize and provide a reason Listening Skills Texts Task

when late Listen for main ideas A movie website Write an essay about violence in
Say Thats fine. to reassure Listen to infer Movie reviews movies and on TV
Offer to repay someone with Dictation A textbook excerpt about violence WRITING BOOSTER
How much do I owe? in movies
Pronunciation Paragraphs
Use What would you rather Reduction of h A photo story
do . . . ? to ask about preference Topic sentences
Skills/strategies
Soften a negative response with Understand from context
To tell you the truth, . . .
Confirm content
Evaluate ideas

Say Would you like to leave Listening Skills Texts Task

a message? if someone isnt
available
Say Lets see. to indicate youre
checking information
Make a formal, polite request
with May I ? Contractions with will
Say Here you go. when handing
someone something
Use By the way, . . . to
introduce new information
Listen to take phone messages Phone message slips Write a paragraph explaining the
Listen for main ideas A hotel website reasons for choosing a hotel
Listen for details A city map
WRITING BOOSTER
Pronunciation A photo story Avoiding sentence fragments
Skills/strategies with because or since
Draw conclusions
Identify supporting details
Interpret a map

Express concern about anothers Listening Skills Texts Task

condition after an accident
Express relief when hearing all
is OK
Use only to minimize the
seriousness of a situation
Use actually to soften negative
information
Empathize with Im sorry to
hear that.
Listen for details A questionnaire about bad driving Write a paragraph comparing good
Listen to summarize habits and bad drivers
Rental car customer profiles
Pronunciation WRITING BOOSTER
Stress of particles in phrasal verbs A feature article about defensive
driving Connecting words and sentences:
and, in addition, furthermore,
A driving behavior survey and therefore
A photo story
Skills/strategies
Understand from context
Critical thinking

Use Excuse me. to initiate a Listening Skills Texts Task

conversation with a salesperson Listen to recognize someones point A spa and fitness center Write a letter on how to improve
Confirm information by repeating of view advertisement appearance
it with rising intonation Listen to take notes A health advice column
WRITING BOOSTER
Use No problem. to show you Pronunciation A photo story
dont mind an inconvenience Writing a formal letter
Pronunciation of unstressed vowels Skills/strategies
Use Let me check to ask Predict
someone to wait while you
confirm information Paraphrase
Understand from context
Confirm content
Apply information

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 COMMUNICATION GOALS VOCABULARY GRAMMAR
Talk about food passions Nutrition terminology Use to / used to

6
UNIT
Make an excuse to decline food Food passions Negative yes / no questions
Discuss lifestyle changes Excuses for not eating something
GRAMMAR BOOSTER
Describe local dishes Food descriptions
Use to / used to: use and form, common errors
Eating Well Be used to vs. get used to
PAGE 62 Repeated actions in the past: would + base form,
common errors
Negative yes / no questions: short answers

Get to know a new friend Positive and negative adjectives Gerunds and infinitives

7
UNIT
Cheer someone up Terms to discuss psychology and Gerunds as objects of prepositions
Discuss personality and its origin personality
GRAMMAR BOOSTER
Examine the impact of birth order
on personality Gerunds and infinitives: other uses
About Negative gerunds
Personality
PAGE 74

Recommend a museum Kinds of art The passive voice

8
UNIT
Ask about and describe objects Adjectives to describe art Form, meaning, and usage
Talk about artistic talent Objects, handicrafts, and Statements and questions
Discuss your favorite artists materials
Passive participial adjectives GRAMMAR BOOSTER
The Arts Transitive and intransitive verbs
PAGE 86 The passive voice: other tenses
Yes / no questions in the passive voice: other tenses

Troubleshoot a problem Ways to reassure someone The infinitive of purpose

9
UNIT
Compare product features The computer screen, Comparisons with as . . . as
Describe how you use components, and commands Meaning and usage
the Internet Internet activities Just, almost, quite, nearly
Discuss the impact of the Internet
Living in GRAMMAR BOOSTER
Cyberspace Expressing purpose with
PAGE 98 in order to and for
As . . . as to compare adverbs
Comparatives / superlatives: review
Comparison with adverbs

Discuss ethical choices Idioms The unreal conditional

10
UNIT
Return someone elses property Situations that require an ethical Form, usage, common errors
Express personal values choice Possessive pronouns / Whose
Discuss acts of kindness and Acknowledging thanks Form, usage, common errors
honesty Personal values
Ethics and GRAMMAR BOOSTER
Values should, ought to, had better
PAGE 110 have to, must, be supposed to
Possessive nouns: review and expansion
Pronouns: summary

Grammar Readiness Self-Check page x

Grammar Booster page 126
Writing Booster page 143
Top Notch Pop Lyrics page 153

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 CONVERSATION STRATEGIES LISTENING / PRONUNCIATION READING WRITING
Offer food with Please help Listening Skills Texts Task
yourself. Listen for details A food guide Write a persuasive paragraph about
Acknowledge someones efforts Listen to personalize Descriptions of types of diets the differences in present-day and
by saying something positive past diets
Pronunciation A magazine article about eating
Soften the rejection of an offer Sound reduction: used to habits WRITING BOOSTER
with Ill pass on the . A lifestyle survey Connecting ideas: subordinating
Use a negative question to Menu ingredients conjunctions
express surprise A photo story
Use Its not a problem. to
downplay inconvenience Skills/strategies
Understand from context
Summarize
Compare and contrast

Clarify an earlier question with Listening Skills Texts Task

Well, for example, . . .
Buy time to think with Lets see.
Use auxiliary do to emphasize a
verb
Offer empathy with I know what
you mean.
Listen for main ideas
Listen for specific information
Classify information
Infer information
Pronunciation
Reduction of to in infinitives
A pop psychology website Write an essay describing
A textbook excerpt about the someones personality
nature / nurture controversy
WRITING BOOSTER
Personality surveys
Parallel structure
A photo story
Skills/strategies
Understand from context
Make personal comparisons

Say Be sure not to miss . to Listening Skills Texts Task

emphasize the importance of Understand from context Museum descriptions Write a detailed description of a
an action Listen to take notes A book excerpt about the origin decorative object
Introduce the first aspect of an Infer point of view of artistic talent
opinion with For one thing, . . . WRITING BOOSTER
An artistic survey
Express enthusiasm for what Pronunciation Providing supporting details
Emphatic stress A photo story
someone has said with No
kidding! Skills/strategies
Invite someones opinion with Recognize the main idea
What do you think of ? Identify supporting details
Paraphrase

Ask for assistance with Could Listening Skills Texts Task

you take a look at ? Listen for the main idea
Introduce an explanation with
Well, . . .
Make a suggestion with Why
dont you try ing?
Express interest informally with
Oh, yeah?
Use Everyone says . . . to
introduce a popular opinion
Say Well, Ive heard . to
support a point of view
Listen for details
Pronunciation
Stress in as . . . as phrases
Skills/strategies
A social network website Write an essay evaluating the
An internet user survey benefits and problems of the
Internet
Newspaper clippings about the
Internet WRITING BOOSTER
A photo story
Organizing ideas
Understand from context
Relate to personal experience

Say You think so? to reconfirm Listening Skills Texts Task

someones opinion
Provide an emphatic affirmative
response with Absolutely.
Acknowledge thanks with Dont
mention it.
Listen to infer information
Listen for main ideas
Understand vocabulary from
context
Listen to apply new vocabulary
Support ideas with details
Pronunciation
Blending of d + y in would you
A personal values self-test Write an essay about someones
Print and online news stories personal choice
about kindness and honesty
WRITING BOOSTER
A photo story
Introducing conflicting
Skills/strategies ideas: On the one hand; On the
Predict other hand
Summarize
Interpret information
Relate to personal experience

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