Anti-Social Behaviour
Senior 1 · English
Anti-Social Behaviour
Lesson 2 of 5
25 min
Let's begin
A public place belongs to nobody and to everybody: a bus, a market, a stadium, a road, a clinic waiting room. Because we share it, the way one person behaves there affects dozens of strangers. In this lesson you listen to two friends on a journey across Kigali and notice what people do well and badly. You also learn the three little words that tell us where everything happens: at, in and on.
Before you listen: Think of the last time you travelled by bus or moto, or went to a market. Did you see anyone behave badly? Did anyone do something kind?
On a Saturday morning, Iranzi and his cousin Mutoni are going from Kimironko to the city centre to buy a birthday present for their grandmother.
Mutoni: Look at the queue at the bus stop! It goes all the way to the pharmacy.
Iranzi: It's Saturday. Everyone is going to town. Have you got your card?
Mutoni: It's in my bag. Hey, that man in the blue jacket has just pushed in at the front!
Iranzi: And look, the lady behind him is telling him to go to the back of the line. Good for her. He's going… slowly.
Ten minutes later, on the bus.
Mutoni: There are two seats in the back row. Quick!
Iranzi: Wait. There's an old woman standing near the door with a heavy basket. Madam, please take my seat.
Old woman: Thank you, my son. May God bless you.
Mutoni: (quietly) That was kind. But listen to that boy on the seat in front of us. His music is so loud that the whole bus can hear it.
Iranzi: He's not the only one. The man next to him is shouting on his phone about money. I don't want to know about his business!
Mutoni: Oh no, did you see that? The girl by the window has just thrown a juice bottle out onto the road.
Iranzi: That's how the gutters get blocked in the rainy season. There's a bin right there, on the wall of the bus.
Mutoni: Should we say something?
Iranzi: Let's ask the driver to remind everyone. Drivers do it all the time.
Driver: (on the speaker) Passengers, please keep this bus clean. Put your rubbish in the bin, and use headphones for your music. Thank you, and welcome to the city centre.
Mutoni: It worked! The boy has turned his music off.
Iranzi: Come on, this is our stop. The shop is on the second floor of the building on the corner.
| Person | Where | What did he or she do? | Good or anti-social? |
|---|---|---|---|
| the man in the blue jacket | … | … | … |
| the lady behind him | … | … | … |
| Iranzi | … | … | … |
| the boy on the seat in front | … | … | … |
| the girl by the window | … | … | … |
| the driver | … | … | … |
| Person | Where | What did he or she do? | Good or anti-social? |
|---|---|---|---|
| the man in the blue jacket | at the bus stop, at the front of the queue | pushed into the queue | anti-social |
| the lady behind him | in the queue | told him to go to the back | good |
| Iranzi | on the bus | gave his seat to an old woman | good |
| the boy on the seat in front | on the bus | played loud music | anti-social |
| the girl by the window | on the bus | threw a bottle out onto the road | anti-social |
| the driver | on the bus (on the speaker) | reminded passengers to use the bin and headphones | good |
| Word or phrase | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| public place | a place that everyone can use | A bus is a public place. |
| passenger | a person travelling in a vehicle who is not the driver | The passengers waited at the stop. |
| push in | go in front of people who are already waiting | He pushed in at the front of the queue. |
| give up your seat | stand so that someone else can sit | Iranzi gave up his seat. |
| considerate | thinking about other people's needs and feelings | Using headphones is considerate. |
| rude | not polite | Shouting on the phone is rude. |
| gutter | a channel at the side of a road that carries away rainwater | Bottles block the gutters. |
| headphones | small speakers worn on or in the ears | Use headphones on the bus. |
| remind | help someone remember | The driver reminded everyone. |
| pavement | the path for people at the side of a road | Motos must not ride on the pavement. |
Definition
Preposition of place: a word that shows where something or someone is. The three most common are at, in and on.
A preposition is followed by a noun or a noun phrase: at the bus stop, in my bag, on the second floor.
| Word | Use it for | Examples from the conversation |
|---|---|---|
| at | a point or a place where something happens; addresses with a number | at the bus stop, at the front, at the back, at school, at home, at 12 KN 5 Road |
| in | inside a space with limits: a room, a container, a town, a country; rows | in my bag, in the back row, in the queue, in Kigali, in Rwanda |
| on | a surface or a line; floors of a building; most public transport | on the wall, on the road, on the second floor, on the corner, on the bus |
| in (you sit inside and cannot stand up and walk around) | on (you can stand or walk, or you sit on top) |
|---|---|
| in a car, in a taxi, in a small boat | on a bus, on a train, on a plane, on a big boat, on a moto, on a bicycle |
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mutoni is at the market. | She is there to shop; we think of the market as a place where something happens. |
| Mutoni is in the market. | She is inside the market building. |
| The shop is on the corner. | It stands where the two roads meet. |
| The shop is in the corner of the room. | It is inside the room, where two walls meet. |
Worked example
Choose the prepositions: The girl ___ the window threw a bottle ___ the road, although there was a bin ___ the wall ___ the bus.
Warning
Tip
Point, box, table. Think of at as a point on a map, in as inside a box, and on as sitting on top of a table.
Prepositions of place: in, at, on, from BBC Learning English's English In A Minute (1 minute). Write down one new example for each preposition and compare it with the picture above.
In pairs, choose a public place: a market, a stadium, a clinic waiting room, a church or mosque, or the school refectory. Agree on five rules for good behaviour there, each with a preposition of place (Don't eat in the waiting room. Queue at the counter.). Present your rules to another pair, who must add one more.
Rules for Amahoro Stadium: Show your ticket at the gate. Sit in your own seat, not on the steps. Put rubbish in the bins at the end of each row. Don't stand on the seats, because the people behind you can't see. And cheer for your team, but don't throw anything onto the pitch!
Write a notice of 60 to 80 words for the bus stop near your school. It should ask people to behave well, give four clear instructions with prepositions of place, and say who wrote it.
PLEASE HELP US KEEP THIS BUS STOP SAFE AND CLEAN
Thank you!
The Wellbeing Club, Groupe Scolaire Kimironko
Practice
Sources and credits
