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Lesson 20 / Walking & exploring
5 phrases · 12 minutes · Look, listen and try.
When encountering something unexpected, observe your surroundings and adjust your pace.
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I came across an old friend in the bookshop.
I came across an old friend in the bookshop.
We came across a lovely cafe while walking.
We came across a lovely cafe while walking.
You are not actively looking; meeting or discovery that happens by chance.
Cambridge Dictionary · come across
We have an hour to look around the market.
We have an hour to look around the market.
Would you like to look around before choosing a table?
Would you like to look around before choosing a table?
Used when looking at or exploring a place; may not have an object.
Cambridge Dictionary · look around
We are going for a walk. Would you like to come along?
We are going for a walk. Would you like to come along?
My cousin came along with us to the museum.
My cousin came along with us to the museum.
The meaning in the lesson is to accompany, different from asking how something is progressing.
Hurry up! The bus leaves in five minutes.
Hurry up! The bus leaves in five minutes.
We need to hurry up or we will miss the tour.
We need to hurry up or we will miss the tour.
Often used to urge someone to be faster. A direct command can sound impatient or abrupt.
Cambridge Dictionary · hurry up
Please slow down. I cannot walk that fast.
Please slow down. I cannot walk that fast.
The driver slowed down near the school.
The driver slowed down near the school.
Can talk about movement or work rhythm. The antonym in this situation is to do it faster.
The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 23, 81, 24, 64, 119. A2–B1 is the course’s intended level.
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OBSERVE · UNDERSTAND · MATCH
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Read the picture descriptions for more context. Similar expressions are accepted when they fit the particular scene.
Hạ unexpectedly met an old friend in a bookstore.
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Hạ looking at shops and buildings in a new neighborhood.
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Hạ and her friend walked out the door to walk together.
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Hạ walked quickly to the bus stop because she was about to be late.
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Hạ slowed down so her friend could keep up.
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Read the conversation and find the expressions you have learned.
I came across a tiny bookshop near the bridge.
I came across a tiny bookshop near the bridge.
Can I come along when you look around it?
Can I come along when you look around it?
Certainly. We can slow down and explore that street.
Certainly. We can slow down and explore that street.
“Come across” describes an unexpected meeting or discovery; “look around” describes deliberately exploring. You can look around a place and come across something by chance.
Try answering before revealing the suggested answer. This practice is not scored.
The answers below are models. Other answers can also work if they preserve the facts, meaning and structure requested in the task.
During an unplanned walk, friends discover a small repair café. They decide to explore it tomorrow.
Describe the unexpected discovery.
They came across a small repair café.
The walk did not involve searching for the café, so the unexpected discovery is “came across”.
Complete: May I come ___ when you visit it?
along
“Come along” means accompany the others on the café visit; “along” completes the request to join them.
Suggest a slower visit to explore the area.
Let us slow down and look around the neighbourhood tomorrow.
“Slow down” reduces the walking pace; “look around” allows time to explore the neighbourhood tomorrow.
The usage comparisons are checked against the Cambridge Dictionary entries linked beside the compared expressions. The additional conversations and exercises are written for this course.
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