Listening Skills
⏱ ~3-min readAceMark Guide
What this topic is really about
"Quarter to nine" means 15 minutes before nine, i.e., 8:45.. The speaker corrects the printed time, stating the coach leaves at a quarter to nine, which is 8:45.
The correct spelling is Wheeler, matching the letters W‑H‑E‑E‑L‑E‑R spoken by the caller.. The caller spells the letters W-H-E-E-L-E-R, which forms 'Wheeler'.
See the mechanism
The speaker explicitly corrects the brochure, stating the coach leaves at a quarter to nine. A diagram for this topic isn't available yet — the worked example below walks the same reasoning step by step.
An exam-style question, fully explained
When taking notes during a Listening section about a tour booking, you hear: "The coach leaves at a quarter to nine, not nine o'clock as printed in the brochure." What departure time should you write down?
- Identify what the question tests: When taking notes during a Listening section about a tour booking, you hear: "The coach leaves at a quarter to nine, not nine o'clock as printed in the brochure." What departure time should you write down.
- The speaker corrects the printed time, stating the coach leaves at a quarter to nine, which is 8:45.
- Writing the brochure's nine o'clock would record the very figure the speaker is correcting.
- Why it matters: The speaker explicitly corrects the brochure, stating the coach leaves at a quarter to nine. A quarter to nine is 15 minutes earlier than nine o'clock, which is 8:45. Therefore the correct note is 8:45, not the brochure’s 9:00.
Traps the examiner sets
- Learners often misinterpret "quarter to nine" as 9:15 (quarter past nine) or simply write the brochure’s 9:00, overlooking the correction.
- Listeners often mishear the double "e" or assume a different vowel sound, leading them to choose similar‑sounding alternatives like Weeler or Whealer.
- The other options drop a letter or alter a vowel, so they do not match the spelling given aloud.
Test your recall
Answer each from memory — you'll see instantly whether you're right and why.
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