Capitals of Their Countries and Tourist Attractions

Konu Anlatımı

Every Country Has a Capital

The capital of a country is the city where the government and the main official institutions work. Every country has one capital, and this is one of the first things you learn about a country. The word capital has two meanings: it is the political centre of a country, and it is also the upper letter in a word, for example the capital G in the word garden. In this unit we use the first meaning. The two most common patterns are the capital of a country is a city and a city is the capital of a country, and both of them take the definite article the before the name of the country and before the name of the city.

A capital is normally the biggest city of a country, but this is not always true, so never guess in a test. The word located is very common in texts about places. It is used after the form of be and it is followed by a preposition of place: Ankara is located in the centre of Turkey, The Acropolis is located on a high hill in Athens, Red Square is located in central Moscow. The verb is passive, because the place is the subject and it does not do the action of being placed.

Famous Places and Famous For

A tourist attraction is a place that many visitors want to see. Every country is famous for something, and the phrase be famous for is the standard way of saying it. Remember that for is always used with this phrase: Italy is famous for its old cities, Japan is famous for Mount Fuji, the UK is famous for its green countryside. The word attraction is followed by of when you say what it belongs to: the tourist attractions of Rome.

Notice that some of these places are in the capital and some of them are elsewhere in the country. The Great Wall is not in central Beijing, and Mount Fuji is not in Tokyo, so a careful student says China is famous for the Great Wall and does not say that it is in the middle of the capital. When you describe a place, always separate the two facts: the attraction and the country it belongs to.

Prepositions of Place in a City

English uses in for a city or a country, on for a surface or an island, at for a point or a specific place, and between, in front of and behind for relative positions. Special phrases must be learned as whole units: in the north of, on the coast, at the top of, in the middle of, on the left of, next to. For example: The British Museum is in London, and it is next to a busy square. The temple is at the top of the hill, and there is a small village at the foot of it.

• in for a city, a country or a district: The Colosseum is in Rome.
• on for a surface, a street or an island: There is a big clock tower on the bridge.
• at for a point or an entrance: You buy a ticket at the entrance of the museum.
• between / next to / behind / opposite for relative position: The hotel is between the station and the park.

Planning a Visit

Talking about a visit needs a small set of very frequent structures. Use It takes... to... for the length of a journey: It takes about two hours to get to the city centre. Use how long to ask the same idea and how much for the price of a ticket. Use It is worth seeing or You should visit to give advice, and must and must not for rules in places such as museums. A guide shows visitors the important places and explains the history of a building, while a ticket is the paper that gives you the right to enter. The word sightseeing names the activity of visiting famous places, and it is normally used as a gerund: We went sightseeing in the old town.

• It takes + time + to + verb: — It takes ten minutes to walk to the station.
• worth + gerund: — The old market is worth visiting.
• You should / You must + base verb: — You should book the tickets online.
• One of the + plural noun + of/in: — The Acropolis is one of the most important places in Greece.
• spend + time + on/at + gerund: — We spent the whole day in the museum.

Sample Question and Solution

Read the short guide and answer the questions.

Three days in Rome. The Colosseum is in the centre of the city and it is open from nine to six. A single ticket costs eighteen euros. The best time to visit the old town is in the afternoon, because the streets are quiet then. In summer the city is very crowded, so arrive early. A guide tour takes about two hours and costs twenty-five euros.

Question: When is the best time to walk around the old town, and why?

Solution: Step 1: Find the time signal in the text; it says the best time is the afternoon. Step 2: Find the reason; the streets are quiet then. Step 3: Notice the contrast with summer, when the city is crowded. Step 4: Answer in a full sentence with because. Answer: The best time to walk around the old town is in the afternoon, because the streets are quiet then.

Common Mistakes

Four mistakes are very common in this unit. Students write X is famous of or famous with, but the only correct preposition after this adjective is for. Students also write in the top of the hill and forget the fixed phrase at the top of. Some learners say How much is the distance when they want to ask about a length, and the correct word is how long. Finally, do not forget that the verb locate is passive, so a place is located in a country and never locates in.

Summary

Every country has a capital, and the two useful patterns are the capital of a country is a city and a city is the capital of a country. The phrase be located in is passive and it is followed by a preposition of place. Every country is famous for something, and the preposition after famous is always for. In a city description use in for a city, on for a surface or an island, at for a point and at the top of for height. To talk about a visit, use it takes two hours to get to, worth visiting, a guide, a ticket and sightseeing, which is always followed by a gerund.

Ne Öğreneceğiz

Capitals, famous places and the language of travel: how to say where a city is, what a country is famous for, and how to plan a visit to the places that everybody wants to see. Bu konuda ögrenme çıktıları:

• Names the capital of a country and says which country a capital belongs to.
• Uses be located in, be famous for and prepositions of place to describe a place.
• Presents famous tourist attractions and says what each one is known for.
• Talks about a visit: tickets, opening hours, guides, transport and how long a journey takes.
• Compares two capitals or two attractions and gives a personal recommendation.
• Finds and corrects mistakes with articles, prepositions and singular and plural verbs.

Ön Bilgi

Bu konuya başlamadan önce temel kavram ve ön koşulları kavramanız yardımcı olacaktır. Konunun çerçevesinde şu kavramlar dikkat ister:

• Every country has one capital, and both the country name and the city name normally take the definite article in this structure.
• A capital is often the largest city of a country, but this is not always true, so you must never guess in a test.
• The verb locate is passive, and a place is located in a city or a country; it never locates somewhere.
• The preposition after the phrase be famous for is always for, and this is one of the most frequently tested points in texts about places.
• In a city description use in for a city or a country, on for a surface or an island, and at for a point such as an entrance or a position.
• Expressions of height and position are fixed phrases: at the top of, at the foot of, in the middle of, next to and opposite.
• An attraction and the country it belongs to are two different facts, and a careful student never puts a remote monument in the middle of a capital.
• A guide explains the history of a building, a ticket gives the right to enter, and sightseeing is the activity of visiting famous places.

Basit Örnek ve Günlük Yaşam

Günlük yaşamda ve mesleki bağlamda bir uygulama:

Soru: You want to know the capital of Greece. Which question do you ask?

1. Step 1: Decide what kind of information you need; you need the name of the capital city.
2. Step 2: Use the pattern a city is the capital of a country, so the question must contain both words.
3. Step 3: Use the word order of a normal English question, with the auxiliary is before the subject.
4. Step 4: Remember that the country name usually takes the definite article in this question.

Sonuç/cevap: What is the capital of Greece?

İleri Örnek

Daha ileri bir uygulama:

Soru: Read: 'A single ticket costs eighteen euros and the museum is open from nine to six. A guide tour takes two hours.' Answer: How much is a ticket, and how long does the guided tour last?

1. Step 1: Look for the price word in the text; the ticket costs eighteen euros.
2. Step 2: Look for the length of time; the guide tour takes two hours.
3. Step 3: Answer each question in a full sentence with the information from the text.
4. Step 4: Do not add any information that is not in the text, such as the price of a second ticket.

Sonuç/cevap: A ticket costs eighteen euros, and the guided tour lasts two hours.

Adım Adım Çözülmüş Örnek

Example 1: Asking for a Capital konusunun adımları:

1. Step 1: Decide what kind of information you need; you need the name of the capital city.
2. Step 2: Use the pattern a city is the capital of a country, so the question must contain both words.
3. Step 3: Use the word order of a normal English question, with the auxiliary is before the subject.
4. Step 4: Remember that the country name usually takes the definite article in this question.

Karşılaştırma Tablosu

Sık Yapılan Hatalar

Writing famous of or famous with: The phrase is always be famous for, and no other preposition is correct after this very common adjective pair.

Using in with a fixed position phrase: Say at the top of the hill and not in the top of it, because these expressions must be learned as whole units.

Using the active form of locate: A place is located in a city; write the passive with the form of be, because the place is the object of the action.

Asking how much for a length of time: How much is only for a price or an amount, and the correct question for a journey is how long it takes.

Adding the definite article in the wrong place: Say the capital of Italy and the capital city of Italy, but do not write the capital of the Italy.

Confusing a city with its country: Do not say that a remote monument is in the middle of a capital; say that the country is famous for that monument instead.

Özet

Every country has a capital, and the two useful patterns are the capital of a country is a city and a city is the capital of a country. The phrase be located in is passive and it is followed by a preposition of place. Every country is famous for something, and the preposition after famous is always for. In a city description use in for a city, on for a surface, and at for a point. To talk about a visit, use it takes two hours to get to, worth visiting, a guide, a ticket and sightseeing.

Kendini Dene

Soru: Choose a capital city you would like to visit and write a paragraph of 80-110 words. Say which country it is the capital of, give two famous places with their prepositions of place, say what the country is famous for, and finish with your reason for choosing this city.

Örnek cevap: Marking key: the capital named and matched with the correct country (4 points); two famous places with a correct preposition of place such as in, on or at the top of (6 points); one sentence with the phrase be famous for (3 points); a recommendation with a reason (4 points); grammar, spelling and punctuation (3 points). Total 20 points.