Giving Directions

GIVING DIRECTIONS

Giving directions is one of the methods of transferring information. While asking or writing the directions, we should be clear in our symbols words and phrases.

The following words and phrases are important in showing the directions

Ex.        North                       South               East                 West

 To our left, to our right,   in front of, opposite beside, Behind,  adjacent to, thirty yards away etc.,

In giving the directions, if we use the pointer symbols, they will be of more help to the strangers.

• Go straight ahead
• Go straight on
• Go straight (American Usage)

• Turn left
• Take a left (American)

• Turn right
• Take a right (American)

• Go past
• Go past the hunuman temple

Keep going until you get to the syndicate bank

Take the first/ second turn on your left / right

U shape curve

Indicating specific landmarks are also important, such as

At the right corner you find a green two storied – building, near the electric transformer; beside the head post office; at the cross roads etc.,

Distances in time:

Ten minutes walk; two minutes ride on a scooter, five minutes drive etc.,

Example

Directions

A:        Excuse me, how do I get to the Post Office? B:         Yes, sure. Go straight on and keep going until you get to the Syndicate bank. Then turn left, go a few yards and you will see the post office on the right. A:        Thank you very much

Introduction to Giving and Asking for Directions

Direction is the information contained in the relative position of one point with respect to another point without the distance information.

How to give Directions

There are basically two ways to give directions, the “route perspective” characterized by landmarks, and the “survey perspective” characterized by references to cardinal directions (north, south, west, east).   Which system you use depends on where you are, and who you’re giving directions to, and most of the time it’s best to use a combination.   The most important thing is to be brief and clear.

Street Name and nearby Landmark

Perhaps, the easiest way to give directions is just to say what street it is on.   Granted, it’s not so easy in some countries where there are no street names, but even there it can be modified to fit.   For countries that don’t use street names you can give an area and a landmark. 

Giving directions

The person who helps you often says how near or far the place is:

"It's about five minutes from here."
"It's about a ten-minute walk."
"It's easier if I can show you on the map…"

Specific instructions

Here are some useful words and phrases for giving street instructions.

"Turn left / right."

"Go straight on at the lights / when you come to the crossroads." (Lights = traffic lights; crossroads = where two roads cross)

"Go across the roundabout." (Roundabout = where all the cars go round a circle in the middle of the road)

"Take the first turning / road / street on your left / right." (Turning = road that goes left or right)

"You'll see / You'll come to a (bank). Then …"

"Don't take the first road."

"Go on for about (2 minutes / 100 metres)."

Landmarks

We often make reference to landmarks when we give directions to help the other person. These can be places in a town, such as cinema, bank, bus stop, etc. They can also be parts of the road system. Here are some common terms:

taxi rank = a place where taxis queue for passengers

level crossing = where the road and railway meet. There are barriers that go up and down to signal when a train is coming

underpass = a walkway that goes under a busy road so pedestrians can get to the other side safely

overpass / flyover = a road that goes over another road (or railway)

zebra crossing = black and white markings in the road for pedestrians to cross the road (the markings look like a zebra's stripes)

pedestrian crossing = a place in the road where pedestrians can cross. Often there are traffic lights.

tunnel = a road under (or through) mountains

crossroads = where two roads cross each other

junction = where one road meets another, and you can either go left or right

fork in the road = where the road divides, and you decide to go left or right

turning = a road off to your left or right

main road = a big road where there is lots of traffic

lane = a small road, or a part of a road (the left-hand lane / the right-hand lane; the bus lane)

Use prepositions of direction

Go past = continue past something so that is is now behind you

Go across = cross something, like a road or crossroads

Go along = continue down a road

Go straight on = don't turn left or right

Go up = walk / drive up a hill

Go down = walk or drive down a hill or a road

Go through = pass through something, such as a tunnel or a town

Go out of = exit (i.e. a railway station)

It's in front of you = you can see it facing you

It's opposite the bank = it faces the bank

It's on the corner = it's where two roads meet at a 90° angle