Scribd
Upload
37 views

Development Reference For M2009

The document provides lessons on basic conversation skills and phrases for starting, maintaining and ending a conversation. It covers greetings, introductions, asking questions, clarifying understanding, and more. Examples are given for different situations and formality levels to help with effective communication.

Uploaded by

Hu Jack
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
37 views

Development Reference For M2009

The document provides lessons on basic conversation skills and phrases for starting, maintaining and ending a conversation. It covers greetings, introductions, asking questions, clarifying understanding, and more. Examples are given for different situations and formality levels to help with effective communication.

Uploaded by

Hu Jack
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 6

Development Reference for M2009

Conversation Basics

Lesson A Basic conversation phrases

1. Starting a conversation
You may start a conversation with greetings. Greetings can be formal and informal.

Formal greetings

Good morning
Reserved for any time before noon
Good afternoon
Typically used between noon and 5-6 p.m.
Good evening
Any time after 6 p.m.

Informal greetings

Hello
A universal greeting that works for every conversation.
Hi
A neutral and friendly greeting.
Hey
An informal and relaxed greeting.
Greetings
This is quite formal and rare these days, but could be used humorously among
friends.
Howdy
A casual greeting that’s not commonly used, but can add some flavor to your English.

2. Introduction

How to introduce yourself

You may say this if you haven't met someone before this talk.

My name is xxx, what's your name?


This is simple, neutral and always works well!
You may say this if you've met someone once, but you don't remember their name.
I'm sorry, I don't remember your name. You are...?
This is a bit informal.
You may say this if you want to introduce a person to someone else:
Please meet xxx
Please meet my friend Tom
Formal introduction
This is + Name
This is Tome
Common introduction

Respond to someone's introduction

You may say this if you want to respond to someone's introduction.

Nice to meet you


The most common
Pleased to meet you
Simple and polite
It's a pleasure
Formal, but nice

3. Making small talks

Ways to ask someone how they are doing

How are you?/How are you doing?


Neutral
How's it going?
More informal
How are things?
Informal
What's up?
Very Informal

Simple answer to a "how are you"

I’m well. How are you?


It’s going well, thank you. How are you doing?
Fine, thanks. And yourself?
4. Asking and answering questions
There are two types of questions you may ask: closed-ended and open-ended questions.

Close-ended questions

Closed-ended questions are also called “yes/no” questions, because their goal is to
confirm or deny certain information.

For example:

Are you having a good day?


Did you just get to the office?
Have you seen my email?

Open-ended questions

Open-ended questions typically begin with “who,” “what,” “where,” “when” and “why.”
They’re important to make your English conversation informative and productive.

For example:

How is your day going?


A perfect example of small talk!
When did you arrive at the office?
What do you think about that email I sent?

5. Asking for clarification


If you don’t understand something, for example, a word or even some idea relating to your
conversation, you could say:

I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Could you please repeat that?


I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Could you please explain that?

You could even say:

Care to elaborate?
This is the short version of “Do you care to elaborate on this".

If you simply didn’t hear something, just say it like this:

I’m sorry, I didn’t hear that. Could you please repeat?


I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Could you please repeat?
You could even say:

Could you say that again, please?


Come again?
This is very informal, and it can sound rude to some people.

6. Bringing a conversation to close


There are many ways to end a conversation.

If you are late, say:

I have to get going. / It’s time for me to go.


This is polite and neutral.
I have to run—can we continue later?
This is more informal, but also polite.

If you've got all the information needed, then you my say:

Thank you so much for your help!


A very common and useful expression.
Got it, thanks!
Very informal and friendly.
I think I have everything I need, thank you!
This is formal and may come across as rude if you don’t thank the person after, so
use it with caution.

Small talks to end a conversation

Before saying goodbye, it’s polite to say something like:

Have a good day!


This works in any situation.
Enjoy your day!
This one’s a bit more formal.
Good luck!
If the person needs it; it’ll depend on the situation.
Talk to you soon!
This is neutral and doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll really talk to the person soon.
Great seeing you / Great talking to you!
This is informal yet common.
Catch you later!
This is very informal and fun.
Lesson B

Tips for getting English conversation practice


1. Try shadowing
2. Talk to yourself
3. Describe what you see
4. Listen to and watch English media
5. Tongue twisters
6. Read out loud
7. Find a language partner or tutor
8. Take online speaking course

Conversation basic skills

What is conversation?

A conversation is usually a simple informal talk to someone else

What affect communication skills in the new generation

Social media put more emphasis on "broadcasting" and "me-focus"


Lack of learning communication skills

The rule of conversation

1. A conversation is not a monologue


Try asking a question to establish common ground. For example: “What do you do?”,
or even “Isn’t the weather beautiful?”
2. Be friendly and profile
Smile and use positive and reinforcing body language
Don't say unpleasant things about anyone
Try to avoid contentious topics on first acquaintance.
3. Respond to what others are saying
Focus on the other person, and what they’re saying.
Take into account people's body language.
Try using some "filter" sentences
That’s just so interesting, you’re really making me think hard!
Goodness, that’s challenging, I need to think about this. I’ve never thought
about it that way.
4. Use signals to help the other person
The most common type of signal is questions. These may be either open or closed.

Closed questions invite a yes/no answer.


In conversation, they might include “Don’t you agree?”, and “Are you enjoying the
party?” They are not really inviting the other person to do more than nod and
agree, rather than to share the conversation.
Open questions invite more information.
They open up the conversation to the other person, and invite them to
participate. For this reason, in conversation, they are often called ‘invitations’.
Open questions often start ‘How…?’ or ‘Why….?’

5. Create emotional connections


The key is sharing appropriate information.
That means being prepared to be open about what interests you, what makes you into
you as a person, and inspiring the other person to share too.

You might also like