Rules, permission & likelihood — Unit 30, Pre-intermediate to Intermediate English
Vocabulary for rules, permission, and probability at work and in study.
Reading: A Day at City Library
You are **supposed to** sign in at the reception desk when you arrive at the library each morning. The head librarian **tends to** check the sign-in sheet by nine o'clock, so arriving on time matters. All new volunteers are **allowed to** use the staff kitchen during scheduled breaks, but eating or drinking near the computers is not **allowed to** happen under any circumstances.
Today the senior librarian is **about to** demonstrate the new digital catalogue. The system is **likely to** make it easier for visitors to search for titles before they even walk through the door. Staff who **happen to** work on Saturdays **tend to** deal with more enquiries than on weekdays, as families visit in much larger numbers at weekends.
Volunteers are **supposed to** guide visitors to the correct floor. Each floor is colour-coded: blue for fiction, yellow for non-fiction, and green for the children's section. If a visitor is **about to** take a book from the wrong shelf, a quiet reminder usually prevents confusion. The new system is **likely to** reduce the number of misfiled books over time.
The library is **about to** open a quiet study room on the first floor. Students are **allowed to** reserve a seat online up to three days in advance. Bookings **tend to** fill up quickly during exam season, so early reservation is strongly advised. Volunteers are **supposed to** check the booking list each morning and update the display board near the entrance.
One rule applies at all times: mobile phones must be on silent. Volunteers who **happen to** notice a phone ringing should politely ask the visitor to step into the lobby. Personal calls are not **allowed to** continue inside the main hall. The head librarian is **likely to** repeat this reminder at the end of today's induction session.
A note for volunteers on the quieter parts of the job.
You are **supposed to** report anything unusual to the duty librarian rather than deal with it yourself. This includes a visitor who **happens to** be sleeping in the reading room, a bag left alone for more than twenty minutes, or anyone who **tends to** return week after week and appears to have nowhere else to go.
That last case is more common than new volunteers expect, and it is **likely to** be the hardest part of the role. The library is warm, free and open to everybody, so people with nowhere else are **allowed to** be here exactly as anyone else is. They are not a problem to be solved. If someone seems to need help, the duty librarian is **about to** have a list of local services on the desk from next week.
One last thing. Volunteers are not **allowed to** give personal contact details to visitors, however kind the intention.
Vocabulary from this unit
| Word / phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| rule | official instruction | Follow the safety rules. |
| permission | the right to do something | You need permission to enter. |
| allowed | permitted | Guests are allowed in the gym. |
| forbidden | not permitted | Smoking is forbidden here. |
| expected | what should happen | You're expected to wear a uniform. |
| required | necessary by rule | ID is required at reception. |
| Word / phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| likely | probable | The interview is likely to be long. |
| unlikely | not probable | Rain is unlikely today. |
| tend to | usually do | Shops tend to refund with a receipt. |
| about to | very soon | The manager is about to call. |
| by chance | not planned | I met her by chance. |
| probably | most likely | It will probably rain. |
This is the free sample from this unit. The full unit adds 1 more reading passage, comprehension questions with an answer key, the listening exercises, flashcards for the vocabulary above, and a speaking task — with your progress tracked so the next unit unlocks when you are ready for it.
Common questions
What level is this unit?
Pre-intermediate to Intermediate — roughly CEFR A2–B1. If you are not sure of your level, the course places you with a short diagnostic before you start rather than making you guess.
Do I need to pay to use this?
The reading passage and vocabulary on this page are free to read. The rest of the unit — the remaining passages, the exercises, the listening, the answer key and the progress tracking — is part of the paid General English course.
Is this British or American English?
British English spelling and vocabulary, which is what most learners in Azerbaijan are taught and what IELTS expects, though both are accepted in the exam.