Making small talk

\Small talk\ means conversation about things that aren't really very important, especially with
people we don't meet very often. You might use them at a party.
10 expressions to Use In Speaking And Writing:
1. You must be Susan's husband.
2. How's your wife / friend?
3. Nice weather, isn't it?
4. What's new?
5. I haven't seen you for ages.
6. What have you been up to?
7. Are you still working for the same firm?
8. Have you heard from Jenny recently?
9. What a coincidence!
10. Fancy meeting you here!

How To Use These Phrases In Your English:

1. Phrase 1 is used to introduce yourself to someone, when you think you know who the person is.
2. Phrase 2 is used to ask the person you are talking to for information about someone close to them.
3. Phrase 3 is used when you can't think of anything else to talk about. If the weather is bad, you could say 'Rotten
weather, isn't it?' instead.
4. Phrases 4 and 6 are general enquiries, asking for news about a person.
5. Phrases 7 and 8 are more specific than 4 and 6, but are still enquiries for information.
6. Phrase 5 has a similar meaning to 4 and 6, but is expressed as a statement rather than a question.
7. Phrases 9 and 10 are used to express surprise when you meet someone you weren't expecting to meet.

Giving an opinion
It is very imporatnt to show people when you are saying an opinion and show that it is not a fact.
Giving an opinion as a fact is not very polite in the UK.
10 expressions to Use In Speaking And Writing:

1. I reckon...
2. I'd say...
3. Personally, I think...
4. What I reckon is...
5. If you ask me...
6. The way I see it...
7. As far as I'm concerned...
8. If you don't mind me saying...
9. I'm utterly convinced that...
10. In my humble opinion...
 How To Use These Phrases In Your English:

1. We follow all the phrases with a sentence or clause that shows the speaker's opinion.
2. Phrases 1 - 3 are really quite informal. You can use these phrases when you are discussing something with
friends or people who you know well.
3. In phrase 1, 'reckon' is a very common word in the UK today. It means 'I think' but British people use the word
'reckon' much more often than 'think'.
4. Phrases 5, 6 and 7 are all quite polite and show clearly that the statement is only an opinion.
5. Phrase 8 is more polite because it says to the other speaker that they might not agree with what you are saying.
6. Phrase 9 shows a very strong opinion. The speaker has no doubt at all that it is true.
7. Phrase 10 is the most polite expression of the ten. It is often written on the Internet as the abbreviatoin 'IMHO' or
'imho'.

Agreeing With People

When we're talking in conversation with others, it's useful to have a number of formal and
informal phrases that you can use to show agreement with what another person has said.
10 expressions to Use In Speaking And Writing:

1. I'm with you on that one.

2. I couldn't agree more.
3. Yes, absolutely.
4. I'd go along with that.
5. You've got a point there.
6. Hear, hear !
7. I think so too.
8. I couldn't have put it better myself.
9. Great minds think alike.
10. You took the words right out of my mouth.
How To Use These Phrases In Your English:

1. Phrase 1 is used mainly in informal situations and shows quite strong agreement.
2. Phrase 2 can be used in both formal and informal situations and shows very strong agreement.
3. Phrase 3 shows very strong agreement.
4. Phrases 4 and 5 shows that the speaker agrees a bit less strongly and can be used both formally and informally.
5. We often hear phrase 6 in the UK parliament in debates between politicians. In other contexts it sounds quite
formal and old fashioned.
6. Phrase 8 shows total agreement with what the speaker has said and is also complimentary about the way it was
said.
7. Phrase 9 is an old saying and compliments the speaker as well a agreeing.
8. Phrase 10 is suggesting that you were thinking of saying the same thing just before the other speaker said it
first.
 Disagreeing with people
Sometimes people give an opinion and you don't agree with it. We have many ways to show
disagreement in English. Here are ten of them.
10 expressions to Use In Speaking And Writing:

1. I'm not sure about that!

2. You could be right, but...
3. (I'm afraid) I don't agree.
4. I agree up to a point, but..
5. That's an interesting idea, but..
6. Do you really think..?
7. Rubbish! / Nonsense!
8. You can't be serious!
9. Actually, as a matter of fact. I think..
10. That's not how I see it.
How To Use These Phrases In Your English:

1. Phrases 1 and 2 are quite polite and not too direct in saying you disagree.
2. Phrase 3 is neutral. We use 'I'm afraid' to soften it and make it less agressive to the other speaker.
3. Phrases 4 and 5 are showing partial agreement with the other speaker but both are followed with the second
speaker's (different) ideas.
4. Phrase 6 is used to question how the other speaker could really think something that you think is completely
wrong.
5. Phrases 7 and 8 are saying that the other speaker is completely worng in a very direct, blunt way.

Apologising
Everybody makes mistakes sometimes. When it happens we need a phrase to tell the other
person how really sorry we are and stop them getting really angry. Here are ten phrases.
10 expressions to Use In Speaking And Writing:

1. Sorry.
2. I'm (so / very / terribly) sorry.
3. Ever so sorry.
4. How stupid / careless / thoughtless of me.
5. Pardon (me)
6. That's my fault.
7. Sorry. It was all my fault.
8. Please excuse my (ignorance)
9. Please don't be mad at me.
10. Please accept our (sincerest) apologies.
 How To Use These Phrases In Your English:

1. Phrase 1 is a general short apology. We use this when we bump into people on the street. At other times, it
sounds too weak.
2. In phrase 2, we use 'so', 'very' and 'terribly' to make the meaning stronger. 'Terribly' is the strongest. If we use
one of the words in brackets, it is stressed.
3. Phrase 3 is quite formal but it's a stronger apology than just 'sorry'.
4. We use phrase 4 to criticise ourselves and the mistake that we have just made.
5. We use phrases 6 and 7 to take all the responsibility for what happened. Phrase 7 is a little stronger.
6. We use phrase 8 to apologise for our lack of knowledge or ability. We can replace the word in brackets with
other nouns, e.g. carelessness, forgetfulness.
7. Phrase 9 is asking the other person not to get angry. The tone is quite informal.
8. Phrase 10 is often used in formal letters. The word 'sincerest' makes the apology very strong and very formal.

Making suggestions
We often suggest ideas or things to do. Here are some common examples with seeing a film.
You can use the structures to talk about other things, of course.
10 expressions to Use In Speaking And Writing:

1. Why don't we go to the cinema?

2. Let's go to the cinema. What do you think?
3. How about going to the cinema?
4. How do you feel about seeing a film?
5. Fancy seeing a film?
6. I'd like to see a film. How about you?
7. We could always see a film.
8. Why not go and see a film?
9. Seeing a film's one idea.
10. It would be nice to see a film.
How To Use These Phrases In Your English:

1. 1 and 3 are structures that are frequently taught in coursebooks.

2. 2 and 4 are different because you are asking for your friend's opinion, so they are less forceful, especially 4.
3. 5 is very common in spoken English but is not often taught in coursebooks. It's short for 'Do you fancy � '
4. 6 is also like 2 because you put your own idea first as a preference. You can also say 'What about you?'
5. 7 notice the use of 'always' here in a suggestion. It doesn't refer to time or frequency. It means this is a
possibility.
6. 8 is a version of 1, using a negative question. However, 8 can also be used when making a suggestion for
someone else to do something. The speaker may or may not be included.
7. We use 'one idea' or 'one possibility' meaning: it's one thing we could do.
8. 10 is quite a strong way of politely expressing your own preference, like 6.
 On the Phone
The phone is a really important part of our lives today, especially with mobiles. Here are some
useful expressions.
10 expressions to Use In Speaking And Writing:

1. I'll call you later.

2. Leave a message.
3. Hi Simon, it's Anna.
4. Did you get my message?
5. Can I speak to Rob, please?
6. Hi, Jenny. Where are you?
7. Thanks for getting back to me.
8. Leave a message after the beep
9. What's your number?
10. I'm returning your call.
How To Use These Phrases In Your English:

1. 1 is used to say we will phone someone at some time in the future. We can also say 'I'll get back to you' if
someone has asked us for specific information that we don't have now.
2. You hear 2 on an answerphone, asking people to say why they were calling.
3. You use 3 to say who you are at the beginning of a call.
4. We use 4 to check someone knows that we called and left a message before.
5. 5 is a common question if the person you want to talk to is not the person who answers the phone.
6. Now we all have mobiles, we often start conversations by asking where someone is.
7. 7 is used when you have left a message for someone, and they are now calling back.
8. 8 is like 2. We say 'beep' or 'tone' meaning the noise that indicates you can leave a message.
9. 9 is a common way of asking for someone's contact details.
10. 10 is what we say when someone wants us to call them back.