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Turn left on 42nd Street: giving directions with imperatives

This A1 ESL lesson plan teaches asking and giving directions in English.

Grammar
Imperatives, positive and negative (Go straight. Don't turn here.), ordinal numbers for counting streets, on your left for where a place is, and the polite question How do I get to…?
Topic
Finding the way in a city, on a real walk along 42nd Street in New York, with ten words such as block, corner, crosswalk and traffic light.
Activities
A walking map to read, a phone call and a voice message to follow, self-checking drills with arrows, a chat role-play and directions on maps students draw.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Taxi! Where to?

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the new wordsVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: the Manhattan grid

    • Look at the photo: the library lionsPictureUnlock
    • Read the walking mapReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: Mia, go west!

    • Listen to Mia and TundeListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to Sam's voice messageListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen to Sam and choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: turn left, go straight

    • Study the scheme: directionsGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock
    • Look at the arrows and numbers and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsTry it
    • Drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
    • Look at the arrows and choose the right directionsQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: show the way

    • Choose the right replies: help LiamChatTry it
    • Open a box and give directionsOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Write a message: the way to your homeWriting, checked by the teacherUnlock
    • Record a voice message: directions on 42nd StreetSpeaking, checked by the teacherUnlock

25 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Giving directions vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • avenue
  • block
  • corner
  • sidewalk
  • crosswalk
  • traffic light
  • map

Grammar: imperatives for giving directions

Directions are the first real job for imperative sentences: someone asks the way, and the answer is a few short commands. Following routes in Manhattan and Brooklyn, learners practice giving directions that start with the verb, count streets with first, second and third, say which side a place is on, and ask the way politely.

Turn left, go straight

Excuse me, how do I get to the library? – Go straight. Then turn left.

Directions start with the verb

An imperative is the verb alone, with no you: Go straight. Walk two blocks. Cross the street at the crosswalk. For what not to do, put don't in front, with no to: Don't turn here.

VerbExample
goGo straight. ⬆️
turnTurn left ⬅️ at the corner. Turn right ➡️ at the traffic light.
takeTake the first street on the left.
walkWalk two blocks.
crossCross the street at the crosswalk.
don't + verbDon't turn here. Don't go east!

First, second, third: counting streets

Streets in order take ordinal numbers: Take the second street on the left, never the two street. The written form keeps the word's last two letters: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, so 42nd Street is forty-second Street.

First, second, third

NumberSayExample
1stfirstTake the first street on the right.
2ndsecondTake the second street on the left.
3rdthirdIt's the third street on the right.
4th, 5th, 6th, 7thfourth, fifth, sixth, seventhFifth Avenue, Seventh Avenue
42ndforty-secondWalk west on 42nd Street.

1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th…

Write the number and the last two letters of the word: 1st = first, 2nd = second, 3rd = third, 4th = fourth, 5th = fifth. Big numbers too: 42nd = forty-second, 23rd = twenty-third.

On your left, on your right

To say where the place is, use on: It's on your left. It's on the corner. After turn, though, left and right stand alone: Turn left, not Turn on the left.

  • It's on your left. ⬅️
  • It's on your right. ➡️
  • It's on the corner.
  • It's near the park.
  • Bryant Park is behind the library.

Asking for directions

A request for the way starts with Excuse me, then Where's…? or How do I get to…? The examples below put a whole exchange together, from Excuse me, how do I get to the library? to It's on your left.

Ask the way

  • Excuse me, where's the station?
  • How do I get to Times Square?

Put it together

  • Excuse me, how do I get to the library?
  • Go straight. Take the second street on the right.
  • Walk two blocks. Turn left at the traffic light.
  • It's on your left.

Common mistakes

  • Turn on the left.

    Turn left.

    no on the

  • Take the two street on the right.

    Take the second street on the right.

    2 → second

  • Don't to turn here.

    Don't turn here.

    no to after don't

  • It's in your left.

    It's on your left.

    on your left / right

Try the giving directions exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 10 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 games
  • 2 teacher-checked tasks
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • give directions with imperatives: Go straight. Turn right at the traffic light.
  • say what not to do with don't and the verb: Don't turn here.
  • count streets with first, second and third, and read 42nd Street as forty-second Street
  • ask the way and say where a place is: Excuse me, how do I get to Times Square? It's on your left.

Lesson 27 of English A1.1 · Hello, World comes in the unit My town. It builds on the places in town and prepositions of place from lesson 25, and lesson 28 reviews places and directions together. The reading and the phone call follow a real walk along 42nd Street in Manhattan, where even the street names are ordinal numbers.

Students learn ten words for finding the way, from turn and cross to crosswalk and traffic light, with pictures and audio. They read a walking map of 42nd Street, with Grand Central Terminal, the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue, Bryant Park behind it and Times Square, then listen to Mia and Tunde (an AI-voiced dialogue) and to Sam's voice message with the way to the pie shop. The grammar chapter opens with the scheme and goes on to four exercises, checked as students answer, from turning arrows and numbers into words to a drag-and-drop of directions. In the speaking chapter, students guide Liam to a café in a chat, then open boxes that ask them to draw a map and give directions on it.

Homework starts with two self-checking games, directions to put in order and street words to unscramble. Then students write a friend the way from the bus stop to their home and record a voice message from Grand Central to Times Square, two tasks that go to the teacher for review.

Grammar:
imperatives · don't + verb · first, second, third · on your left / right · How do I get to…?
Topic:
New York · Manhattan · directions · streets · maps

Teaching tips

  • Walk Tunde's directions around the classroom: read them aloud from the transcript while a student follows between the desks, turning left and right.
  • Before the reading, draw a simple grid on the board, streets across and avenues up and down, and ask which way the numbers go up. The walking map has the answer.
  • Warm up for the drills with arrows on the board: draw two or three, and students call out Go straight, then turn left.
  • Give each pair a different open-box map task: one student draws a map and gives directions without naming the place, the partner follows and guesses it, then they swap.

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The whole course: English A1.1 · Hello, World

32 lessons for complete beginners in simple American English, from the verb to be to can and can't. Eight units cover greetings, family, numbers, home, food, daily routines, the town and free time, and each ends with a review lesson. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Hello!

    greetings, the verb to be, countries and nationalities, yes/no questions

    1. Lesson 1Hi, hey, howdy or aloha?The verb to be with I and you
    2. Lesson 2Ellis Island: where are they from?He's, she's, they're: the verb to be
    3. Lesson 3Six languages at the UNYes/no questions with be and short answers
    4. Lesson 4Review: hello from the Statue of LibertyThe verb to be and yes/no questions, reviewed

  2. Unit 2 My people

    family members, possessive adjectives, have got, describing people

    1. Lesson 5Why is Mother's Day in May?Possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her
    2. Lesson 6Best in show!Have got and the possessive 's
    3. Lesson 7National Best Friends DaySubject pronouns, possessives and describing people
    4. Lesson 8Review: Bobbie the Wonder DogPossessives, have got and 's, reviewed

  3. Unit 3 Numbers all around

    numbers and dates, a/an and plurals, phone numbers and prices

    1. Lesson 9Why is March 14 Pi Day?Numbers 0 to 100, decimals and US dates
    2. Lesson 10How old is the General Sherman tree?A, an and plurals, with big numbers and How old…?
    3. Lesson 119-1-1 and other numbers to knowSaying phone numbers, emails and prices
    4. Lesson 12Review: 102 floors and 1,860 stepsNumbers, dates, ages and prices, reviewed

  4. Unit 4 Home sweet home

    rooms in a house, this, that, these and those, furniture, opposites

    1. Lesson 13A house with 132 roomsThis is, these are and plurals
    2. Lesson 14Boston's skinny house: where's the bed?This, that, these, those and Where's…?
    3. Lesson 15Can a dorm room be cozy?Opposite adjectives and have got
    4. Lesson 16Review: homes for everyoneShowing and describing a home, reviewed

  5. Unit 5 Food I love

    likes and dislikes, present simple questions, ordering food

    1. Lesson 17Pancakes for breakfast?I like, I don't like and plural nouns
    2. Lesson 18New York pizza or Chicago deep-dish?Present simple questions and short answers
    3. Lesson 19A coffee to go, please!Ordering food with I'd like and Can I have…?
    4. Lesson 20Review: lunch from a food truckI like, Do you like and I'd like, reviewed

  6. Unit 6 My day

    telling the time, daily routines, days of the week, prepositions of time

    1. Lesson 21What time is it in Times Square?Telling the time and daily routines
    2. Lesson 22Who brings the mail?The present simple with we and they
    3. Lesson 23Is it morning in Hawaii?Prepositions of time with parts of the day
    4. Lesson 24Review: a New York morningTime, routines and days, reviewed

  7. Unit 7 My town

    places in town, prepositions of place, giving directions

    1. Lesson 25Main Street, USAPrepositions of place: near and next to
    2. Lesson 26Meet me at Union SquarePresent simple questions and negatives with we and they
    3. Lesson 27 · you're hereTurn left on 42nd StreetImperatives for giving directions
    4. Lesson 28Review: streets for peoplePlaces, the present simple and directions, reviewed

  8. Unit 8 Free time

    hobbies, can and can't, sports, making plans

    1. Lesson 29Can you play Scrabble?Can and can't for ability
    2. Lesson 30Can you surf?Can for ability and how well
    3. Lesson 31Saturday morning: Little LeagueFree time and making plans
    4. Lesson 32Review: a book for every childCan, can't and free time, reviewed

Questions about this lesson

How do you give directions in English?
Give directions as short steps that each start with a verb: Go straight. Turn left at the traffic light. Take the second street on the right. Use don't for a wrong turn (Don't turn here.), join the steps with then, and end with where the place is: It's on your left. The A1 lesson Turn left on 42nd Street on edio.ai follows such steps from Grand Central to Times Square.
What is an imperative sentence?
An imperative sentence tells someone to do something: it starts with the base verb and has no subject, as in Walk two blocks. or Cross the street at the crosswalk. The negative is don't plus the verb, with nothing in between: Don't turn here, not Don't to turn or Not turn. Imperatives give directions, instructions and warnings, and please makes them more polite: Please take the first street on the left.
What's a simple dialogue for asking and giving directions?
A simple directions dialogue needs one polite question, a few steps and the end point: A: Excuse me, how do I get to the café? B: Go straight. Take the first street on the left, then turn right at the traffic light. It's on your left, on the corner. A: Thank you! To check a step, A can ask Do I turn here?, and B may answer No, don't turn there.
How do you ask for directions in English?
The polite way is Excuse me plus How do I get to…?, as in Excuse me, how do I get to the library? To ask where a place is, use Where's…?: Excuse me, where's the station? Repeat a step to check it (The second street on the right?) and finish with Thank you! The walking map in the A1 lesson Turn left on 42nd Street on edio.ai ends with this very question.
Is it "turn left" or "turn on the left"?
It's turn left, with no on the: Turn left at the corner. Turn right at the traffic light. On comes in when you say where something is: It's on your left, never in your left. Take the first street on the left is correct, too: there, on the left says where the street is. The chat in the A1 lesson Turn left on 42nd Street on edio.ai tests both traps.
Is it "the two street" or "the second street"?
It's the second street, because counting streets needs ordinals: first, second, third, fourth. So it's Take the third street on the right, not the three street. Street names follow the same rule: 42nd Street is read forty-second Street, and Fifth Avenue is never Five Avenue. A quiz in Turn left on 42nd Street, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, asks how to say 42nd Street, with forty-two Street as a wrong option.
What words do you need to give directions?
To give directions, you need a few action verbs and the words for a street: go, turn, take, walk and cross; left, right and straight; then street, avenue, block, corner, sidewalk, crosswalk and traffic light. Add first, second and third to count streets, and on your left, on the corner or behind for the end point. A block is the stretch of street from one corner to the next.
How do I teach giving directions to beginners?
Show left, right and straight as arrows, then build routes step by step, from Go straight to Go straight, then take the second street on the left. Let students follow a few routes by ear before they give one. This lesson moves the same way: a walking map and a phone call come first, then gap-fills with arrows and numbers, then a chat and maps the students draw for each other.
What's a good game for practicing directions?
A good one is listen and draw: one player gives directions, the other draws the route on a map, and then they compare. For a guessing version, the speaker hides the destination and ends with Where are you? Both games are open boxes in this lesson, beside prompts such as Give directions from our classroom to the restroom.
How do you practice giving directions one-to-one?
Take turns as the tourist and the local, on a drawn map or real streets: one asks How do I get to the park?, the other answers Go straight, then take the first street on the right. The chat in this lesson needs no partner: the student guides a friend from a subway station to a café. With the open boxes, both of you give directions from home to a favorite café.
What's good homework for practicing directions?
Good homework is a message giving a friend the way to your home, since a real route makes students choose left or right: Take the second street on the left. My home is on your right. In the A1 lesson Turn left on 42nd Street on edio.ai, a word-order drill and an anagram of street words come first and check themselves; a voice message from Grand Central to Times Square comes last.
Are there interactive exercises for giving directions?
Yes: self-checking gap-fills and chats let students practice routes with instant feedback. This page plays four parts of Turn left on 42nd Street, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, without an account: the walking map, a phone call with the way to the library, a gap-fill that turns arrows and numbers into left, straight or second, and a chat in which students guide a friend to a café. The other drills are locked.
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