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Reading: notes, signs and messages
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Reading is everywhere
- Outcome: find who, where, when and the required action in a short sign or message. Start with place words. The existing read-aloud clips are optional support; the fresh tasks below test written reading.
- OPEN 9:00–21:00 · NO PARKING · OUT OF ORDER · SALE: Friday to Sunday
- A sign says a lot in very few words. OUT OF ORDER = broken, not working.
Sign: rule or information?
Sort these examples by their main job: a prohibition or information. A sign can combine jobs in a different context.
Match each sign to its meaning.
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Signs use very few words — learn the fixed phrases.
A note at home
- Tom — Milk is in the fridge. Eggs are on the table. Bread is in the cupboard. See you at six. — Mum
- Find the facts: what is it about, where is each thing?
- A return time is explicit in “I will be back at six”. By itself, “See you at six” can be a meeting plan; it does not state when Mum returns.
Read the fridge note. Where are the eggs?
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“Eggs are on the table.”
Read the home note. Where is the bread?
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Bread is in the cupboard gives both the item and its place. The table is for the eggs in this note.
A text message
- Hi Ann, class is at 4 today, not 5. Room 203, second floor. Bring your book. — Mr. Lee
- Messages often change a plan: at 4, not 5.
True or false? Class is at 5 today.
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“Class is at 4 today, not 5.”
Where is the classroom?
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“Room 203, second floor.”
Read the class message. Which word rejects the old time?
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not rejects 5. Keep the complete contrast at 4 today, not 5; copying a number alone can reverse the message.
An invitation
- Dear Wang Fang, Please come to my birthday party on Saturday at 3 pm. 25 Garden Road. Bring a friend! Love, Anna
- Start with who, what, where, when, then check the required action and any conditions.
Complete with the full English day name: The birthday party is on ___ at 3 pm.
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“Please come to my birthday party on Saturday at 3 pm.”
Who is the invitation for?
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It begins “Dear Wang Fang” — the party is Anna's, but the invitation is to Wang Fang.
Translate into English: 请周六来我的生日聚会。
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come to + event + on + day.
The invitation says Bring a friend! Which claim is supported?
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It welcomes a friend. It does not say everyone must come or publish a complete guest-limit rule; ask the host if you need to bring more people.
Read for the answer, not every word
- You do not need to translate every word. Ask: who is it for? what must I do? where? when?
- Find the names, times and places, then check words that change the action, such as not, only and if. A small word can matter as much as a number.
- Use the surrounding words as clues. If an unknown word changes what you need to do, check its meaning or ask for help; the sentence may not explain it.
- READING CLUB — Tuesday at 3, not Thursday. Bring a pencil only. The day is Tuesday; not rejects Thursday. Only limits what to bring in this short instruction.
- Reading just the names and numbers misses the correction and the limit. First find the detail, then read the words attached to it.
A word you do not know changes what a sign asks you to do. What is the useful next step?
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When a word changes the required action, guessing can give the wrong instruction. Use context as a clue, then check an important uncertainty.
Common traps
- ❌ OUT OF ORDER = "out of the order" → ✓ not working / broken — a fixed phrase.
- ❌ Sale: Friday to Sunday ends on Friday → ✓ it runs Friday to Sunday — Sunday is the last day.
- Bring a friend! welcomes a friend. It does not say every friend must come or publish a complete maximum-guest rule. Ask the host if you need to bring more people.
Write a short English fridge note to your family: say where two things are and state when you will be back. Aim for 2–3 short sentences.
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One possible note: Milk is in the fridge. Bread is on the table. I will be back at seven.
Your turn
- Read the fridge note again. Say three facts without looking: where is the milk? the eggs? the bread?
- Write your own short fridge note in English: tell your family where two things are and explicitly state when you will be back.
Keep the reading working
- Read for who, what, where, when — not every word.
- Fixed phrases mean more than their words: OUT OF ORDER = broken.
- Messages often change a plan: listen for not.
- Tomorrow, before you reopen this page: find one sign or label in English (a packet, a door, an app) and read it out loud.
- Useful sound support: word stress and rhythm. Listening practice: names, numbers and introductions.
Three fresh notices and messages
- Read each English text for its own facts. The next questions concern the pool, Rui’s meeting and the shop; keep the texts available rather than trying to remember unrelated details.
- POOL — Closed Monday. Tuesday–Friday: 4–7 pm. Saturday and Sunday: 10 am–6 pm. Children must come with an adult.
- Hi Leo, meet me at the library door at 2 pm on Sunday. The cafe is closed. Bring the blue folder, not the red one. — Rui
- GREEN SHOP — Sale ends Monday at 5 pm. New collection arrives Tuesday. Keep your receipt if you want to exchange an item.
Read the pool notice. When is the pool closed?
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Closed Monday states the closure. Friday has the weekday opening hours; Saturday has weekend hours.
What time does the pool open on Saturday?
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Saturday uses 10 am–6 pm. Ten is the opening time; six is the closing time. Four belongs to Tuesday–Friday.
What does the pool notice require for children?
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Children must come with an adult states the condition. The notice does not restrict them to one listed day.
Which arrival is during the listed Friday opening hours?
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Friday is in the Tuesday–Friday group, open 4–7 pm. Five is inside that period; eleven in the morning and eight at night are outside it.
Where does Rui ask Leo to meet?
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meet me at the library door names the meeting place. The cafe is mentioned because it is closed.
Write the full English day name for Rui and Leo’s meeting.
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on Sunday supplies the day. The message gives 2 pm as the time.
Which folder should Leo bring?
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Bring the blue folder, not the red one selects blue and rejects red. Do not reverse the correction.
Which claim is stated in Rui’s message?
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The cafe’s closure is explicit. It does not say the library is closed or show a reply from Leo.
Write the full English day name when the Green Shop sale ends.
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Sale ends Monday at 5 pm gives the sale’s final day and time. Tuesday is for the new collection.
What does 5 pm refer to in the shop notice?
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The words Sale ends connect 5 pm to the sale. The notice does not give the shop’s normal opening time.
What should a customer keep for an exchange? Copy one English word from the notice.
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Keep your receipt if you want to exchange an item names the item. The condition does not say an exchange is required.
Which claim does the shop notice support?
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Tuesday is attached to the new collection. The sale ends Monday; no Tuesday discount on every item is promised.
A home note and a club invitation
- Check the named item, action and time separately. A reply deadline is different from the day of an event.
- Dad — Rice is in the cupboard. Soup is in the fridge. Please heat the soup, not the rice. I will be back at seven. — Mo
- Dear Ari, Games Club is on Friday at 4 pm in Room 12. Bring water. One guest only. Please tell me by Wednesday if you can come. — Jo
Where is the soup in Mo’s note?
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Soup is in the fridge gives the location. The cupboard contains the rice.
What does Mo ask Dad to heat? Copy one English food word.
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Please heat the soup, not the rice selects soup. Rice is present but is not the food requested for heating.
Complete with the English number word: Mo will be back at ___.
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I will be back at seven states Mo’s return time. Do not invent a meal time from that statement.
Which sentence matches Mo’s note?
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The note places rice in the cupboard and asks Dad to heat soup instead. Location and requested action are separate facts.
Write the full English day name when Games Club meets.
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Games Club is on Friday names the event day. Wednesday is the reply deadline.
Where does Games Club meet?
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in Room 12 states the place. Four is the start time, not the room number.
What is Wednesday for in the invitation?
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Please tell me by Wednesday if you can come asks for a reply by that day. The meeting is on Friday.
Which guest plan follows the explicit limit?
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One guest only gives an explicit limit in this invitation. That extra word makes this different from an invitation that merely says Bring a friend.
Carry a changed plan into a reply
- The next tasks include their own new messages. Read the complete instruction, then choose a reply that keeps the requested place and time.
- Write an English update before revealing the self-check model. Compare its information with yours; equivalent wording is welcome. This is supported writing, not an automated proficiency result.
MESSAGE — The cafe is closed today. Meet at 3 pm in Room 8, not Room 6. — Jin Which plan follows the message?
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Keep both the time and corrected room: 3 pm in Room 8. Six is the rejected room number, not a new time.
MESSAGE — The cafe is closed today. Meet at 3 pm in Room 8, not Room 6. — Jin Choose a reply that keeps the requested plan.
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The middle reply keeps the room and time. The cafe is closed and Room 6 is rejected; Room 8 does not mean eight o’clock.
SWIM CLASS — Changed from Saturday at 9 to Sunday at 10. Meet in Room 2. Write a two-sentence English message giving the new day, time and room.
Use the model to check the requested information, then revise your own wording if needed. Several answers can fit.
Return to the action words
- Tomorrow, try the standalone review tasks before rereading the worked example. Their short texts remain in each question so the task tests reading rather than memory of unrelated facts.
- Write the new home note, compare it with the model, then look for one real sign whose small words matter. Continue to writing a useful short message.
CLOSED ON WEDNESDAY. OPEN THURSDAY 10 am–4 pm. Which day is explicitly closed?
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Closed on Wednesday answers the day question. Thursday has opening hours; the notice does not say every day is closed.
READING ROOM — NO PHONE CALLS. Which statement matches this sign?
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The rule names phone calls. It does not, by itself, state a ban on every use of a phone or offer free calls.
Write a short English note: the apples are on the table, the milk is in the fridge, and you will return at six. Include all three facts.
Use the model to check the requested information, then revise your own wording if needed. Several answers can fit.