Reservations and Rentals

01This week on Everyday Grammar, we learned some of the grammar you need to talk about getting the things you need while on vacation.

02A common summer vacation might involve a trip to a beach or a lake.

03Let's say we are going to Big Bear Lake in California for a week.

04Because I am describing my plans like a story, I will use only the present tense.

05Here is how I would plan our trip.

06The first thing we should do is find out where we can stay.

07My family loves camping, so I look for a campground.

08On the Big Bear Lake website, it says Pine Knot Campground is good for families.

09Hiking and mountain biking trails are nearby.

10So I call and make a reservation for a campsite, a place to put up our tent.

11Here is how the call begins.

12I'd like to reserve a campsite at Pine Knot Campground for the last week of July.

13The verb reserve means to arrange to use something at a later date.

14It is a transitive verb, so you need an object.

15In this case, the object is a campsite.

16The reservation manager asks me some questions.

17Do you want a tent or RV space?

18How many people are in your party?

19The expression in your party means the number in your group.

20An RV or recreational vehicle is a camping vehicle, often with a bed and kitchen.

21I answer.

22I want a tent space for five people.

23I learn that the cost will be $42 a night.

24You might hear per night or a night when you make a reservation to sleep in a place.

25I give my credit card number to the manager to make the reservation, and she says I will get an email confirmation.

26Usually, a confirmation is a number or a printed code that shows you have made a reservation.

27With the campsite reserved, the next thing I need to do is to find mountain bike rentals.

28My family likes to ride bicycles in the woods, but we cannot bring our bicycles to the lake.

29I find a few sports shops on Big Bear Boulevard near the park.

30I call to see if I can rent bikes from them.

31I'd like to rent five mountain bikes for the last week of August.

32Note that I do not ask to borrow the bikes because I am paying to use the bikes, so I am renting them.

33The clerk at the shop asks, Kids or adults?

34And do you want pedal or electric ones?

35There are a lot of hills around here.

36I had not thought about using an electric bike.

37It would make biking in the mountains easier.

38But I need more information, so I ask.

39I need three kids' bikes and two adult bikes.

40What is the price difference between pedal and electric?

41The clerk answers, Pedal is $48 a day, and electric is $120 a day.

42We only have electric in the adult size, though.

43The price helps me to decide, because $120 a day is a very high daily rate.

44We will pedal.

45After I finish renting the bikes, there was just one more thing to plan.

46What will we do on the lake?

47I heard there are lots of water sports at Big Bear.

48I find a webpage for the marina, the place where boats are kept.

49It says they have many different kinds of boats available for rent.

50A quiet day fishing on the lake is my family's idea of a good time.

51So I call to find out about renting a fishing boat.

52Do you rent boats and fishing gear together?

53The marina staff member answers, We have an all-included fishing package, that is, the boat, gear, bait, and even lunch.

54How many people?

55This sounds like a good package.

56Businesses offer a package deal when one price covers a number of things that would normally be sold separately.

57Gear is a general word for everything you might need for an activity.

58For fishing, it means a pole, hooks and line, and a life jacket.

59I answer, Five.

60How much is it for the whole day?

61Okay.

62I learn it is $200 for the boat and $25 for the gear.

63I arrange to rent the boat and make a note to be sure to bring sunscreen and sun hats for everyone.

64In this lesson, we use some common expressions that you will hear when making reservations and renting things.

65They are To reserve, To make a reservation, Confirmation, A night or per night, A day, Price difference, Package, and gear.

66Put these into use and you can plan your own vacation trip.

67Learning about all of these rental and reservation costs a month or two before our vacation makes me think.

68Planning ahead for a vacation is a good idea.

69Now, I will not be surprised by extra costs, and I will enjoy the time with my family.

70I hope you enjoy your vacation, too.

71And that's Everyday Grammar.

72I'm Jill Robbins.

73I'm Jill Robbins.

74I'm Jill Robbins.

75I'm Jill Robbins.

76I'm Jill Robbins.

77I'm Jill Robbins.