‘What?!’ Is Wrong
When you talk to someone and cannot understand what they say, you need to ask questions. There are right ways and wrong ways. ‘What?!’ is wrong. So are ‘Huh?’, ‘Eh?’, ‘Come again?’ and ‘One more time.’
conversation
How to End a Conversation Politely
In the past few months I’ve looked at starting conversations and continuing conversations. Today I’m going to show you how to end a conversation politely and smoothly so you can avoid hurting people’s feelings.
Starting Conversations: Podcast
Today’s podcast is about starting conversations. Lots of students want to start conversations to practice their English. Here’s how to do it. 20140430_startingconversations.mp3 The podcast is also available in the iTunes Store by searching for Get Great English or clicking here.
Hedging: Podcast
Today’s podcast is about hedging. Sometimes you want to make your opinion sound weaker than it really is. Listen for some examples of how to do it. 20140416 Hedging The podcast is also available in the iTunes Store by searching for Get Great English or clicking here.
Changing The Subject – Podcast
Today’s podcast is about changing the subject. This will help you carry on talking but avoid subjects that you don’t want to talk about. 20140409 Changing The Subject The podcast is also available in the iTunes Store by searching for Get Great English or clicking here.
Manage Conversations – Podcast
Today’s podcast is about managing conversations. It’s one of the most useful skills for any language learner, in my opinion. 20140401 Managing Conversations The podcast is also available in the iTunes Store by searching for Get Great English or clicking here.
Ask People to Repeat Themselves
Last week I showed you how to interrupt politely in a conversation. Now I am going to show you how to ask people to repeat themselves. A lot of students feel embarrassed by this but it is important for conversations between natives, natives and non-natives and also conversations between non-natives only speaking English. People often … [Read more…]
Pause in Conversations Like a Native
When you are speaking English, it can be quite difficult to keep your speech flowing when you need to think about what to say. In this week’s podcast, I’ll show you how to pause like a native to sound more fluent and more confident. Podcast Link: 5th Feb 2014 Remember, if you like the podcast, … [Read more…]