Some people have a very poor sense of direction.Unluckily, I am one of them.I have visited a place many times but I may still get lost there the next time.

When I was a little girl, I never dared to ask strangers the way.And so I used to walk around in circles and hope that by chance I would get to the place I was going to.

Now, I am no longer too shy to ask people for directions, but I often receive helpless or even wrong information.So I try to avoid giving people wrong directions.If anyone ever asks me the way somewhere, I would say, “Sorry, I am a stranger here.”

Once on my way to work I was stopped by a man.He asked me if I could tell him the way to the Friendship Building.I gave him my usual reply.But just as I walked on only a few steps, I realized that he had asked the way to my office building.However, I had no time to turn back and look for him.I was rushing to meet with someone at my office and I didn't want to keep him waiting.

When I just got to my office, the secretary(秘书) showed in the man who had asked me for directions.Imagine how embarrassed I was and how surprised he was when we saw each other at the first sight.

Do you know how to give directions? Here are some tips for you.

If a person asks you how far he needs to go, there are some different ways for you to tell him.

How many streets he will go past. This works very well in a city. For example, “Go down this street, and go past four crossings along the way.”

How many traffic lights he will go past. This is also good, but you must be right about the number! For example. “You need to go past three traffic lights.”

How many kilometres(公里) he will go. For example, “Go 5 kilometres on Palm Road.”

Tell him about any confusing part of the route(路线). If he can only turn right or he is going to turn into a small street, you should tell him about that.

Let him say the route to you again. Most of the time, we don’t write it down, but you should make sure he learns about the route.

Asking for directions is the first thing we do when we arrive in a new place, or even when we are just trying to find a strange place. Knowing how to ask for them can make our life much easier.

Use greetings and polite expressions. Starting a conversation with a greeting is necessary. If you want to get a nice answer, begin by saying “Hello” first. And some words like “may”, “can” and “could” will help you express yourself better.

Build your vocabulary. You should know the basic words that can be used when asking for directions. Learn the most commonly used prepositions(介词) and adverbs(副词). Remember some important prepositions like “between” and “next to”. And the adverbs like “near” and “around”. They are very useful when you need to find somewhere fast. It’s also useful for you to remember some famous places. Then try to use the right words when asking for a direction. Try to remember places like High Park, and words like bank, block.

Get to know the transportation system. Sometimes, it can happen that you are still far from the place you look for and you have to use the public transport. Which kind of public transportation should you choose? You might ask like this, “Is it far? Do I need to take the bus or the subway there?” You also need to remember different kinds of transportation like the underground or the taxi when explaining your need.

Try to know some important landmarks. Don’t be afraid of using symbols. Every city in the world has its own symbols. You can decrease search time if you know what the most important symbols are in the city. For example, in London, England, you may find that there are many symbols here. It is also important to know where your house or hotel is on a map. Find it and mark it!

Don’t be too shy to ask. Learn to relax if you get lost somewhere. Every person may do that now and then, especially when visiting a new city. But always make sure you can ask others for help.