daily reporters
Starting conversations in English can be scary, and knowing how to respond to what other people say can be just as scary. In this small-talk lesson, I'll teach and show you some excellent examples to help you make small-talk about current events with confidence.
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Dialogue 1: Bad or shocking news
Paolo: Did you hear about what happened in Minneapolis?
Sandra: No, I haven’t been keeping track of the news. I’ve been so busy lately. What happened?
Paolo: Really? You haven’t heard? There was another case of police brutality and an unarmed black man was killed. Everybody’s talking about it.
Sandra: Are you serious? I can’t believe this is still happening in 2020.
PaoIo: I know. It’s so awful.
Language focus:
Paolo starts with the question: "Did you hear about what happened in…". this is a very common way to start a conversation about current events
Then Sandra says that she hasn’t been keeping track of the news because she's been busy. Keeping track of is another way of saying following – she hasn’t been following the news. Then she asks "What happened?"
Paolo is surprised she hasn’t heard and tells her the story. He also says "Everybody’s talking about it" to express how big the story is.
Sandra can’t believe it and starts by asking: "Are you serious?" This is a common way to react to news which you are surprised or shocked by. Then she expresses how shocked she is with "I can’t believe this is still happening in 2020."
Paolo agrees by saying "I know, It’s so awful" – awful is another word for terrible or very bad.
Dialogue 2: Good news
Klaus: I have to tell you about a good news story I heard recently.
Alex: Oh really? Go on then.
Klaus: Well, a 99-year old army veteran wanted to raise 1,000 pounds for the NHS and in the end he raised more than 30 million pounds.
Alex: Oh yeah, I did hear something about that. What a fantastic story. It’s nice to hear some positive news for a change.
Language focus:
So Klaus starts the conversation with "I have to tell you about ….". and Alex responds with "Oh really? Go on then" which means – go ahead, I’m listening or tell me more
Then Klaus starts with "Well,…" and tells the story. We often use well at the beginning of a sentence when we are telling someone about a story or something we read, saw, or heard about.
Alex then says "Oh yeah, I did hear something about" that to express that he remembers hearing something about the story. He then reacts to the news by saying "What a fantastic story, It’s nice to hear some positive news for a change."
He uses "for a change" to emphasise that most of the news we hear is the opposite of positive
More useful questions, phrases and responses:
Starting the conversation:
Did you hear about …?
Did you hear about what happened in …?
Did you watch the news last night?
Have you been following …? (we use this question to ask about a story that has been going on for a longer period. For example – Have you been following the elections?
I have to tell you about …
I heard/saw/read that …
Responding to shocking or surprising news:
It’s hard to believe.
It makes me angry to be honest.
It’s outrageous! /ˌaʊtˈreɪ.dʒəs/ Outrageous means very shocking or unacceptable
It’s so sad/depressing/horrible, isn’t it?
Reacting to positive news stories:
It’s about time there was something positive in the news.
That’s a breath of fresh air. – we use this to describe a positive change
When the news doesn’t surprise you:
I’m not surprised to be honest.
It was bound to happen sooner or later. If you say something was bound to happen, it means you expected it to happen or you thought it was very likely
When you are sceptical:
Really? Where did you hear that?
That doesn’t sound right.
Sounds like fake news to me!
I’m not sure I believe that.
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Music credits:
Intro music: Far Away by MK2
Background music: Honey and Milk by The 126ers
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Thank you for this useful video!
Victoria Simonet my pleasure, Victoria 😊
Thank you Derek. Nice job! Small talk can also be important sometimes in business. We shouldn’t underestimate it. Creating a joyful and pleasant atmosphere can make a difference, or at least help a little bit. Have a bright day up there!
Javier López Orfila couldn’t have said it better myself, Javi 👍
Hi Derek! Thank you for the video. Really useful! I have a question: why do you use simple past instead of present perfect to start the conversations? Could I use present perfect? Cheers!
Vinicius Precioso Hi Vinicius! Great question 👍 both are common – Have you heard about …?/ Have you seen …? Or Did you hear about …? / Did you see …?
@@derekcallan-englishforpros Thank you! You are always so kind!
Thanks Derek I’m enjoying listening your video
Mohamed DEROUICHE Great to hear that, Mohamed! A little tip: I’m enjoying listening TO your video 👍😉
🙏🙏🙏
Hi nice to hear from you. Thanks
Fanastic!!!! I loved it
Great 👍
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