SCG Language Tutorials - English Conversational Phrases

ENGLISH CONVERSATION

Short Questions and Answers

Conversational Practice

Try to guess your friends' favourite personalities by asking simple yes/no questions. [Make this more interesting, by keeping a score of how many questions you have to ask before you correctly guess the name. The lowest score wins.]

Example:

Establish Gender

Are they male /female. She is Female/He is Male

Establish nationality

Is he/she from Brazil/Britain/the United States?  Yes, he is/No, she isn't.

Establish Profession/Occupation

Is he/she a movie star/sports star/pop star? No, he isn't/Yes, she is.

Narrow Down the Choice

Does he play football?  Yes, he does.

Is she a singer? Yes, she is.

Identify

Is he Wayne Rooney? Yes, he is.

Is she Beyoncé? Yes, she is.

 

Using simple yes/no questions, try to guess what another person is looking at. [English school children play a game of "Eye-Spy", which goes as follows:

"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with ---- " saying the initial letter (or letters) of whatever they have seen that is in vision from where they are.

Again, keep score of how many attempts you each need to succeed.] 

"I spy [with my little eye] something beginning with 'S'."

"Sun?"

"No."

"Shelves?"

"No."

"Sandals?"

"No."

"Sweater?"

"Yes."

 

Expressing Gratitude

Thanks.

Thank you.

Thanks for everything.

Thank you for helping.

I am very grateful for your assistance.

I am so grateful for your help.

I appreciate it. [American.]

I appreciate your kindness. [American.]

Thank you for your kind attention in this matter. [Formal letter.]

My sincere thanks. [Less formal letter or note.]

 

Conversational Practice

How would you express your gratitude in the following situations?   

a. Someone has just bought you a drink.

b. Someone has just bought you dinner.

c. Someone has just given you a birthday present.

d. Someone helped you carry your groceries from the check-out to your car.

e. A waiter gave you good service in a restaurant.

f. Someone helped you change your car tyre at the roadside.

g. A mechanic fixed your car.

h. Someone complimented you on the way you look/have dressed.

i. Your bank's call-centre sorted out a problem with your account.

j. You are writing to the supplier about a problem with your washing machine.

 

Example Answers: (Others might be suitable as well.)

a. Thanks. Cheers!

b. Thank you, that was nice.

c. Thank you. It's just what I wanted.

d. Thank you for helping. I'm very grateful.

e. Thanks for everything.

f. Thank you for the helping hand. I'm very grateful.

g. Thanks. You've been a big help.

h. Why, thank you!

i. Thanks for the assistance.

j. Thank you for your kind attention in this matter. I am, yours sincerely ...

Description

What do you see in this picture?   

 

"There is a newspaper seller sitting on a wall on the left."

"There is a woman in a blue coat walking away from us on the footpath."

"A woman and child are walking along the pavement towards us."

"A man in a suit is walking ahead of the woman in the blue coat."

"There are two buses. One of them is turning left."

"People are waiting to cross the street."

"The sky is blue. It looks like a warm, sunny day in London."

 

Locations:

On a wall. On the footpath. Along the pavement. The street. In London.

 

Actions:

Sitting. Walking away. Walking along. Walking ahead. Turning left. Waiting to cross.

Clothing:

What are people wearing?

 

Opinions:

What is the weather like?

Where do you think this is?

Using the PAST TENSES tell a story about this picture:  

Mrs Jones has had a hard day...

Conversation Practice

Find other pictures in magazines or books.

Describe the picture to a friend.

"In this picture there is [are] ..."

 

Ask questions about one of the pictures.

"What are these people doing?"

"What is this a picture of?"

DESCRIBING PEOPLE

Personality and Appearance

                                                                                   DESCRIPTION

1. Tell me about your father. What kind of        Well, he's very friendly, smart and funny.

     person is he?

2. What does he look like?                                     He's young, short and handsome. He has straight black hair and green

                                                                                     eyes.

3. What does your mother look like?                   She's tall thin and beautiful.

4. How about your little sister?                             She has blonde hair and wears glasses. She has  curly red hair and a cute

                                                                                    smile. Everybody likes her.

Clothing

                                                                                   DESCRIPTION

5. What is your brother wearing?                        He's wearing light brown trousers and an orange t-shirt.

6. What kind of shoes does he have (on)?         Trainers. And he's wearing white socks.

7. Is Susan wearing a dress?                                 No, she's wearing a blue skirt and a yellow blouse.

8. Anything else?                                                    Yes, she's wearing boots and carrying a leather purse.

Talk about a member of your family, describing their appearance and personality.   

Example:

My father is not that tall, but I think he's handsome and smart.

My mum is really nice. Everybody likes her. She has short brown hair...

Notice in the first example "...but I think he's..." is the more usual way of saying "...but I think that he is..." Whilst the second has been used in the past, as English has developed the first is now the more typical version, complete with the contraction "he's".  

Describe your best friend. What kind of person are they? What does he/she look like?

[Notice "are they" in this question refers to an unidentified individual male or female, even though it is the plural form of "to be". In English it is normal to use this form when asking about an individual person where the gender has yet to be identified. The second question can be re-written as "What do they look like?"]  

Example:

 

Sandra is my best friend. She's very generous and kind. She looks like Kate Bush.

Try describing someone that you can see now, or when you are with a friend, try to describe someone you can see but they cannot.

This person is wearing a blue body-warmer, skinny jeans and running shoes. She is not very tall, and has black hair. I cannot see her eyes because she is wearing a large pair of sunglasses.

Talking About Past Actions

1. What did you do last Sunday? 2. Where did you go? 3. When did you get back? 4. Where did you stay last night? 5. What did Daisy have for lunch? 6. What did Joe eat last night? 7. How was the weather?

I went to church. I went to Kilburn. I got back later that night, around ten. I stayed with my friends. She had soup and sandwiches. He ate Chinese food. It was awful.

 

Conversation Practice

What did you do yesterday? [Remember to use the correct past tense.]  

 

Example:

Yesterday I went shopping at Westfield.

I bought some shorts, some make-up and I spent £50 [fifty pounds] on a little black dress in Monsoon.

I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't resist!

[Notice the use of "shouldn't have" and the omission of "done so". This is very common in English speech, where brevity leads to contractions. Similarly, "...couldn't resist!" has both the contraction for "could not" and does not specify whether the resistance is to the dress or the impulse to buy it.]

What did you do last weekend?

 

Example:

On Saturday I stayed home and cleaned my flat. But in the evening I went out with some friends to the O2. We went to see Beyoncé. She was fantastic!

Talk about a childhood experience.

 

Example:

One day, when I was about seven years old, there was a knock on our door. When I opened the door, I found nobody there.

I felt something was wrong, so I called my mother...

[Notice the phrase "I found nobody there." This is another common contraction, instead of using the longer forms "I discovered that there was no one there"  or "I found that there was nobody there" either of which is perfectly good.]  

Discussing Life Events

Conversation Practice

Tell me about some important events in your life.   

Example

I was born in Croydon in 1956. I attended primary school in Thornton Heath. We moved to a brand new house when I was twelve years old. The house fell down eight months later and we had to move again, to a bigger house across the road.

I went to a public school, gaining nine O-level and three A-level qualifications, before going on to get a BA Honours degree in Business Studies (Transport).

Ask other people about events in their lives.  

Example

"Were you brought up in Rochester?" "Actually, I was born in Canterbury."

"When did you move to Rochester, then?" "I came here for a job and liked the town so much I decided to live here. It must be about ten years now."

Notice: The use of the past tense of the "to bring" in the phrase "brought up". To bring someone up means to raise them from a child into adulthood.  Notice also the final sentence, which appears to have no subject. "It" refers to the length of time the speaker has been living in Rochester. In a face to face conversation it is not always necessary to specify the subject in every sentence.  

 

Expressing Likes and Dislikes

1." I like fruit." 2. "Helen likes sports." 3. "Mrs. Cramer doesn't like coffee." 4. "Tony does not like action movies." 5. "Does Terry like swimming?" 6. "Does Phil like soft drinks?" 7. "Does Sheila like salad?" 8. "Do you like Chinese food?"

"What kind?" "What sports does she like?" "Really? Does she like tea?" "Oh. What kind does he like?" "Yes, he does." "No, he doesn't." "No, she does not." "Yes, I do." "No, I don't." "A little."

Conversational Practice

Do you like cricket?

"Yes I do."

"I don't understand it."

 

What is your favourite football club?

"I hate football. I prefer rugby."

"I follow Spurs."

"I support Harlequins."

 

Notice: In the discussion above "I follow" and "I support" mean the same thing.   

Who is your favourite singer?

"I love Bonnie Raitt's voice, but right now my favourite is Adele."

"My favourite is Jessie J."

 

What type of food do you like?

"I'm a vegetarian."

"I love Italian meals in a small, candle-lit restaurant."

 

What do your friends like or dislike?

"Does Gabriella like bowling?" "No, she doesn't."

"What types of food does Jerry like?" "He likes simple food, such as steak and chips, or  shepherd's pie."

Notice: "steak and chips" is a meal as is "shepherd's pie", but here are used as a guide to Jerry's tastes. It is unlikely that this is all Jerry actually eats.  

When we speak generally about likes and dislikes, it is easiest to use plurals of nouns, without specifying much detail.  

Example:

"I like apples, but I don't like radishes."

 

You can, however, use a generic singular noun.

 

Example:

"I like rum and cola more than I like beer."

"I don't like football or cricket. Does that make me unpatriotic?"

 

Discussing your likes and dislikes

Sport

"Where did you learn to sprint?" "My school teacher was an Olympic athlete. He taught me." "Have you competed much?" "At school I was county standard and took part in lots of competitions." "Were you any good?" "I won many trophies and medals, but the school kept the trophies, and my mum has got all my medals." "Do you still run?" "Only for the bus!"

"What was your favourite sport at the Olympics?" "I liked the archery." "Have you ever tried it?" "They had archery butts at Greenwich and I tried my hand." "Any good?" "I got four bulls out of five arrows."

Notice: "I tried my hand" means "I tried it". Archery practice takes place in butts [always plural].

"I've got tickets for skating at Alexandra Palace at Easter. Did you want to come?" "I'd love to, but I've never been skating before. Is it difficult?" "Don't worry, I'll keep hold of you."

THE RESTAURANT.

At the Restaurant.

Wait by the RECEPTION to be seated.

“I have booked a table for three for 7:15 in the name of .....”

Your will be shown to your table.

At your table you will be given one or two MENUS.

One is for food,  

the other lists the drinks available and is the

Make your selection and tell your WAITER

what you want to order.

At the end of your meal, ask your waiter for the BILL,

which may include a SERVICE CHARGE...

... or not.

In this case you decide how much you want to TIP your waiter. You can do so by placing COINS or NOTES on the table, in a special box at reception or by adding the amount to the CREDIT CARD payment.

THE THEATRE.

If you purchase your tickets on-line,

you can see where the seats are located.

The STALLS are at ground-level. They are RAKED up from front to back. The FRONT stalls, although closer to the STAGE, require the audience to look up at the PERFORMERS.

The CIRCLE, DRESS CIRCLE or UPPER CIRCLE are the TIERS above the stalls.

BOXES are usually to one side, above the stalls and CANTED to face the stage. They hold 6 or 8 seats and have to be booked complete. (Many boxes in the large theatres, such as the NATIONAL THEATRE, THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL and SADLERS WELLS, are taken for the year).

All the seating is in the AUDITORIUM.

THE CINEMA.

MOVIES are SCREENED or SHOWN in CINEMAS.

Each CINEMA CHAIN has its own website, listing the movies and the times of their SCREENINGS

Almost every cinema today is MULTI-SCREEN, which means that one BUILDING contains several THEATRES, each showing a different movie, or the same movie at different times.

The biggest screens are IMAX screens.

Some cinemas serve food and drink during the screenings,

and almost every one allows the AUDIENCE to take food and drink into the AUDITORIUM.

Beware of the prices. As in any situation where there is a CAPTIVE AUDIENCE, the cinema chains charge EXCESSIVE prices for their products.

TRAINS.

Railway tickets can be purchased from stations, using machines or, in larger stations from a ticket office.

Tickets purchased on the same day as the journey are almost always more expensive than tickets purchased in advance on line.

Because there are many different TRAIN OPERATORS, you should compare the prices DISPLAYED on their websites for the best BARGAINS.

Notice: In each case you are making a BOOKING for all of these SERVICES.

There are some services for which you have to make an APPOINTMENT...  

THE DOCTOR.

You should telephone the Doctor’s RECEPTIONIST for an APPOINTMENT.

You should also call to make an appointment to SEE your

DENTIST

...or WITH your HAIRDRESSER

The difference between a booking and an appointment is that whereas you make an APPOINTMENT to see or CONSULT a PROFESSIONAL person, you make a BOOKING for everything else.  

EITHER/OR NEITHER/NOR

“EITHER” is a PRONOUN that can be used where there are two objects, two actions or two possible results from one action.

It is usually followed by “OR” to separate the alternatives:   

The dress was EITHER blue OR green.

He could EITHER catch a bus OR walk home.

The blunderbuss was such an inaccurate weapon that firing it might result in EITHER hitting your target OR one of your friends.

"EITHER" selects what can or may happen.

“NEITHER” can be used the same way, but it selects what cannot or may not happen:  

The dress was NEITHER blue NOR green: it was yellow.

He NEITHER caught a bus, NOR walked home. He took a taxi instead.

VARIATIONS

“EITHER” can also be used without “OR”.   

Asked to decide which drink he preferred, Hugh replied “EITHER of them.” [Meaning BOTH]

EITHER actor would be suitable for the part of James Bond.

It would be possible for EITHER vehicle to travel 500 miles on a full tank of petrol.

“NEITHER” can be used in a similar fashion. 

Asked to decide which drink he preferred, Hugh replied “NEITHER of them.” [Meaning NOT ONE OF the two choices]

NEITHER actor would be suitable for the part of James Bond.

NEITHER vehicle could travel 500 miles on a full tank of petrol.

Notice how this sentence‘s structure has to change.   

You can also use “EITHER” in a negative sentence:   

Asked to decide which drink he preferred, Hugh replied “I don’t like EITHER of them.”

No one believes that EITHER actor would be suitable for the part of James Bond.

It would not be possible for EITHER vehicle to travel 500 miles on a full tank of petrol.

Notice:

Where there are more than two choices, use “ANY” or “NONE”.   

“EITHER” and “NEITHER” can also be used as ADVERBS (usually when making comparisons):

“I don’t like him, and I don’t like her EITHER.”

“Coca Cola is too sweet for me, and Pepsi is not much better EITHER.”

“George Lazenby was not the right actor to play James Bond, but NEITHER is George Clooney.”

“The Ferrari 458 is not a fuel-efficient car, but NEITHER is the Ford Galaxy.”

Notice that the sentence structure changes to accommodate the different ways in which “EITHER” and “NEITHER” are used in these phrases. With “EITHER” it is not necessary to say anything else. With “NEITHER” it is necessary to specify a second subject in the comparison. “OR” and “NOR” are not used at all.   

How can you use these words?    

ENGLISH CONTRACTIONS

Like many languages, English has a lot of contractions. The number is increasing all the time, because unlike some other nationalities, the English actively seek to shorten their sentences. As we have seen  in earlier exercises these can take many forms.

Here are some phrases and expressions using contractions in English.

In speaking, contractions are often used in place of auxiliary verbs such as is, are, am, will, have, has, had, and would.  

See the following examples:

Conversation Practice

Ask Yes/No questions using the verb "to be" with answers that use contractions:  

"Is Julia married?" "No she isn't. She's single."

"Are the clothes dry yet?" "No they aren't. They're still wet."

Use the Present Progressive tense to ask questions. The answers should be complete sentences which use contractions:  

"Is Ray doing his homework?" "No, he's outside in the garden. He's playing football."

"Where's Catherine?" "She's riding her horse."

 

Notice: It is acceptable to answer a question about where someone is by saying what they are doing, if both parties understand that the activity implies the location.   

Using the Future Continuous tense ["be going to"], ask about future plans:   

"What're you going to do this weekend?" "I'm going to be painting our new place in Brighton. What about you?" "We're going to have a party in the flat." "²Sounds  like fun. Are you going to be having a DJ?" "Have you seen our flat? We're going to be pushed to get everyone in. Some of them are¹ going to be standing on the balcony."

Notice: ¹Some people will use the contraction "them're" instead of "them are". This is considered to be poor English and should not be used.

²The sentence has been contracted by omitting "It".  

Talking about Occupations

  Example:

"What do you do for a living?" "What is your occupation?"

"I'm a mechanic."

"A mechanic? That must mean a lot of hard work."

"It is. I fix cars and vans every day."

"How long have you been doing that?"

"About eight years. I began as an apprentice, and now I have my own workshop."

"Really. You have your own business?"

"Yes. It's small, but growing. I can have as many as five or six cars in here every day."

"Then you must work very long hours."

"Yes. Some nights I don't get in before half-ten or eleven."

"But at least you're your own boss."

Notice: The expression "to be one's own boss", means to be self-employed. The idea that working for oneself is better than working for others, is a common one in Britain. In the example above the final sentence expresses the idea that whatever the hardships of the hours being worked, there is some compensation from being self-employed.

Quiz

Match the occupations to the daily activities:   

Occupation 1.     Mechanic 2.     Teacher 3.     Dentist 4.     Doctor/Nurse 5.     Journalist 6.     Fisherman 7.     Gardener 8.     Chef/Cook 9.     Fire fighter 10.   Photographer

Activity a.     catch fish b.     take pictures c.      fix cars d.     cook meals e.     pull teeth f.       plant flowers g.     put out fires h.     take care of patients i.        teach classes j.       write news stories

Answers:  1c,2i,3e,4h,5j,6a,7f,8d,9g,10b

 Winding up a Conversation

A curiosity of English conversations is that they can sometimes be heard to be "winding up": following a conventional path leading to their conclusion. This involves the Preparation, Follow Up and Termination. The formality of the situation, whether it is on the telephone or online, and urgency or time constraints all influence both the types of phrasing and whether they are used. Informal situations often use only the Termination phrases, and, if the speakers are close, some of these phrases are entirely personal to them.

Preparation

"It's been nice talking to² you."

"It's been great talking with² you."

"I really enjoyed our meeting."

"It was nice meeting you, Professor Mallinson."

"I'm sorry, but I have to leave soon."

"I'm afraid I'll have to go now."

"Thanks¹ for everything."

"Thank you¹ for taking time out from your busy day."

"Thank you¹ for your help."

"Thanks¹ for the information, I think I understand now."

Notice: ¹ That "thanks" and "thank you" are interchangeable.

              ² That "talking to" and "talking with" are interchangeable.  

Follow up

"I'll give you a call."

"I'll call you."

"I'll send you an e-mail."

"I'll put the documents in the post tonight."

"We'll send out that material right away."

"I'll have¹ my secretary make an appointment."

"Could you send me the brochure and a confirmation of the details we discussed?"

"May I contact you at your office?"

"How do² I get in touch [with you]?"

"How do² I reach you?"

"How can² I contact you?"

 

Notice: ¹ The use of have instead of "ask" or "get" or "tell", all of which would have been just as good.

             ² The use of "do" and "can" are interchangeable here.   

Termination

"I look forward to seeing you again."

"We'll see you next week"

"See you tomorrow!"

"Let me leave [you] my card."

"Here's my office number."

"This is my mobile number, in case you need to get hold of me when I'm on the road."

"I'll be in touch."

"Call me if you have any questions."

"We must do this again."

Ending the Conversation

After the Winding Up phase, the conversation is usually ended with a compliment, a good wish or a parting farewell. As with Winding Up there are more than one phase: Before Closing and Closing.

Before Closing

"It's been nice talking to you." "Nice talking to you too."

"I'm sorry, but I have to go now."

"I have to leave, I'm sorry."

 

Closing

"Good-bye." "Bye."

"See you later." "Later."

"See you around." "See you soon."

"Have a safe journey." "See you."

 

Conversational Practice

Wind up a conversation and say "good-bye".

 

How would you end a conversation in the following situations?   

1] You are in a hurry to leave. What do you say?

2] You really do not want to go, but you realise that the other person needs to leave.

3] You have just met someone at a party, but you have to leave it early.

4] You are seeing someone off from the station/at the airport.

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