Have you ever had any problems similar to those in Ex. 2b while on holiday? Use the language in the box to discuss them.

Describing a bad experience

• I once went on a package holiday to Italy and our flight was delayed by ten hours.
• You'll never guess what happened (to me/us)...
• Did you hear/Did I tell you what happened...?
• I/We had a(n) (really) awful/terrible experience... and then to make matters worse...

Sympathising

• Oh dear!/Oh no!/What a shame!
• How awful/terrible/disappointing!
• What a(n) terrible experience/absolute nightmare!
• Oh, I'm (really) sorry to hear that. You must be/feel really disappointed/angry etc.

Example dialogue:

A: I once went on a package holiday to Italy and our flight was delayed by ten hours.

B: Oh dear, that's awful! How terrible/disappointing!

A: I/We had a really awful experience and then to make matters worse, the hotel was terrible too!

B: Oh, I'm really sorry to hear that. You must feel really disappointed/angry etc.