RSRobince Studio

Learning to Drive

Before he can even think about buying his own car, Rahul signs up at a local driving school and spends nervous weekend mornings practicing gear changes and parallel parking with an instructor beside him.

Rahul, driving instructor

Key words and phrases

driving schoola business that teaches people how to driveHe enrolled at a driving school near his house.
learner's licencea temporary permit allowing a person to practice driving under supervisionHe needed a learner's licence before taking lessons on the road.
gear changethe act of shifting a vehicle's gears while drivingHis gear changes were jerky at first.
clutch controlthe skill of smoothly operating a car's clutch pedalThe instructor spent a whole lesson on clutch control.
parallel parkingparking a vehicle in line between two other parked vehiclesParallel parking made him the most nervous.
blind spot checklooking over one's shoulder to check areas not visible in mirrorsHe kept forgetting the blind spot check before changing lanes.
stall the carto accidentally cause the engine to stop, often at a signalHe stalled the car twice at the same red light.
driving testan official examination to assess whether someone can drive safelyHe booked his driving test for the following month.
nervous wreckan informal way of describing someone extremely anxiousHe was a nervous wreck the morning of his test.
signal indicatorthe light on a vehicle used to show a turn or lane changeForgetting the signal indicator lost him marks in the test.
hand-eye coordinationthe ability to coordinate visual information with hand movementsDriving demanded more hand-eye coordination than he expected.
muscle memorythe ability to perform a physical action automatically after repeated practiceBy the fifth lesson, gear changes became muscle memory.
pass with flying coloursto succeed at something impressively and easilyTo his surprise, he passed with flying colours.
road sensean instinctive understanding of how to behave safely on the roadThe instructor said good road sense mattered more than speed.

Useful sentences

Dialogue

driving instructorAlright, let's start with something simple. Show me the clutch control.

RahulOkay, here goes. Oh no, I stalled the car already.

driving instructorThat's normal for the first lesson. Try again, slower this time.

RahulBetter. When do we practice parallel parking?

driving instructorNext week, once your gear changes are more confident.

RahulFair enough. What about the blind spot check?

driving instructorAlways look over your shoulder before you signal and turn. Every time.

RahulGot it. My driving test is in three weeks, I'm honestly nervous.

driving instructorYou'll be fine. Your road sense has really improved already.

RahulThanks, that actually helps calm my nerves a bit.

Common mistakes

Quick quiz

1. What is a "learner's licence"?

2. What does it mean to "stall the car"?

3. What is "parallel parking"?

4. What does a "blind spot check" involve?

5. What does "muscle memory" mean here?

6. What does "pass with flying colours" mean?

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