Handouts 4 Upper-Intermediate

1. Before the 19th century people couldn’t go on holiday because there were no trains. False. Of course people went on holiday. The train meant people could go further and get there faster.
2. Wealthy people took holidays for their health. True. Doctors recommended walks in the sea air.
3. The government introduced Bank Holidays so people could go to the seaside. False. No government is that nice!
4. Factory workers would go on holiday together. True. They often went to Brighton or Blackpool for a day out.
5. Train fares were reduced in the late eighteen hundreds. True. More line, more competition and more people travelling made it possible to travel more cheaply.
6. Holiday makers enjoyed eating ice cream in the sea. False. Although it is probably a very nice thing to try.
7. The theatre was very popular for evening entertainment. True. Theatre on the beach, like punch and judy, and also many piers have a theatre at the end.
8. The English seaside is not as popular today. False. The Seaside is more popular than ever before. 20 million visitors every year
9. Foreign learners come to the seaside to learn English. True. Several seaside towns are very popular destinations for language learning holidays.
10. Bournemouth is a popular destination for learning English. True. There are more than twenty language schools in Bournemouth.

The British tradition of the seaside holiday began in the middle of the 19th century. The invention of trains and railways made it possible for people to go further, faster.

The first holidaymakers were quite wealthy and they took holidays for health reasons. Doctors recommended bathing in the sea and taking healthy walks in the sea air.

Working class people had very little time off work until in 1871 the government introduced four national holiday days called bank holidays. This enabled people to have a day out and in some cases whole factories would go for a day trip to Blackpool or Brighton.

By the late eighteen hundreds people were earning more money and this meant that ordinary people could afford to take a whole week off to take a holiday and at this time the seaside holiday really took off. Train fares were reduced and cheap hotels were built for them to stay in.

Holidaymakers enjoyed sitting on the beach, bathing in the sea, eating ice cream and walking along the promenade or to the end of the pier.In the evening public houses, restaurants and theatres provided cheap entertainment and holiday makers had fun.

The English seaside is more popular than ever with more than twenty million visitors to English seaside town each year. Many of these towns are now also popular destinations for people visiting Britain and especially for learning English with Brighton, Bournemouth and Hastings together welcoming thousands of language learners each week during the summer months