Today we will continue looking at making conversation and small talk in English. Yesterday we learned how to ask about family and jobs. Today our topics are hobbies, free time and taboo topics.

Hobby and Free Time

When I think of the word “hobby” I start to feel nostalgic. I think of the time when I was a child and I would visit my Uncle. His hobby was collecting stamps from all over the world. The term hobby is rarely used these days. Asking someone, What is your hobby?  or  Do you have any hobbies? makes me feel like we are back in the 1950’s. What you really want to know is what the person does when they have free time. So ask them:

• What do you like to do / What do you usually do [on the weekends?]
• What do you like to do / What do you usually do [on your day off?]

You can also ask someone about specific topics. Here are some examples:

• Do you play any sports?
• What kind of music do you like?
• Do you like shopping?

You can ask these kinds of questions about almost any topic, except the following taboo topics:

Taboo Topics

Age is a taboo topic for most native English speakers. Please don’t ask someone How old are you unless you know them well. Other taboo topics are probably the same in your culture as well. We generally don’t ask about religion, politics, and money/salary unless we know someone well. I’m sure these three are taboo in your culture as well.

Well, there you have it. This week we looked at casual greetings, conversation starters, and talking about various topics. I hope this was useful! Feel free to leave a comment or send me your suggestion for the next one-point English lesson.

When you meet someone, what topics do you talk about? Let’s look at some of these topics.

Family

Here are questions you can use to talk about family:

• Tell me about your family. (I know, it is not a question)
• Do you have any brothers and sisters?
• Do you have a big family?

Be careful! This question  → How many families do you have? ← is correct English, but we don’t use that question. We only have one family. Maybe you want to know how many brothers or sisters someone has. In that case you can ask,

• How many brothers and sisters do you have?

These are the usual questions people ask in English to talk about families. So then, how do you reply? Let’s look at some replies and vocabulary.

• I’m an only child. This means I have no brothers or sisters.
• I have an older sister/brother.
• I have a younger sister/brother.
• I have two sisters/brothers.
• I’m the youngest/oldest child
• I have a big/small family.

Job

Here are questions you can use to talk about jobs.

• What do you do?
• Where do you work?

Be careful! This question  → What is your job? ← is correct English, but we don’t use that question. Let’s look at some replies and vocabulary.

• I am a teacher [I am + Job Title]
• I work in a bank [I work in + type of company]
• I work for Sony [I work for + company name]

Be careful! These sentences  → I work in an office and I am an office worker ← are correct English, but EVERYBODY works in an office of some kind. So, these answers are not used by English speakers. When we talk about jobs, we want to know exactly what you do, not a general answer.  OK, one last point. These words  → salaryman & office lady ← are not English words, so you need to learn how to say your job title in English!

Next time, we will look at some other conversation topics. Have a great day!

Yesterday we looked at two ways you can “drive” a conversation forward; using follow-up questions and answering a question with more information and details (Q=A+1). If you haven’t see that lesson yet, please click this link to study it. Then, check out today’s lesson:

English conversation is similar to a game of tennis. Just as the ball flies back and forth from on player to the next, an English conversation flies back and forth from one speaker to the next. Each person in the conversation take turns being the speaker and the listener, and in each role, you need to remember to keep the game going.
Let’s see how Brad and Angela’s conversation is progressing, and how the conversation is like a game of tennis

Brad: Hey Angela ← Brad serves the ball, starting the conversation
Angela: Hi Brad. How’s it going? ← Angela replies and hits the ball back with a return question
Brad: Pretty good. What’s up? ← Brad replies and hits the ball back with a return question
Angela: I’m going on vacation next week. I’m so excited. ← Angela replies and hits the ball with Q=A+1
Brad: Oh cool! Where are you going? ← Brad replies and hits the ball back with a return question
Angela: I’m going to New York. Have you ever been there? ← Angela replies and hits the ball back with a return question.

Here you will see one more type of conversation “driver,” the return question. The return question moves the conversation forward by returning it to the other person. Brad also responds to Angela’s news with “Oh cool!” In English, we respond to information in a conversation with words. In some languages, you respond with sounds, and not words. Let’s look at some examples.

Angela: I’m going on vacation next week. I’m so excited.
Brad: Haaay! ← Not good for English conversation
Angela: I’m going on vacation next week. I’m so excited.
Brad: Mnnnnnn. ← Also not good for English conversation

So, what words can you use to react in an English conversation? Here are just a few examples.

When you hear positive news or information:
→　That’s nice | That’s great! | That’s fantastic | That’s wonderful | Excellent, etc.　
When you hear neutral news or information:
→　I see | Oh! | Ok | That’s interesting, etc.　
When you hear negative news or information:
→　That’s terrible | Oh my! | Sorry to hear that. | That’s a shame, etc.　

Let’s see how this all fits together:

Brad: Hey Angela
Angela: Hi Brad. How’s it going?
Brad: Pretty good. What’s up?
Angela: I’m going on vacation next week. I’m so excited.
Brad: Oh cool! Where are you going?
Angela: I’m going to New York. Have you ever been there?
Brad: Excellent! No, I’ve never been there. How about you?
Angela: I see. Well, it’s my first time. But I have one small problem
Brad: Oh? What’s that?
Angela: I can’t find my passport. It may be lost.
Brad: Sorry to hear that. What are you going to do?

And so we come to the end of Brad and Angela’s story. How was that? I hope this was a useful series of lessons is helpful for your English conversation. Feel free to leave a comment or send a request for a one-point lesson.

Image by r8r (creative commons)

The other day we looked at casual greetings. Today, we will move to the next step – making conversation. As I said in that lesson, English conversation is driven by questions. Let’s review our basic greeting conversation:

Brad: Hey Angela
Angela: Hi Brad. How’s it going?
Brad: Pretty good. What’s up?
Angela: I’m going on vacation next week.
Brad: Oh cool! Where are you going…?

Brad asks, “What’s up?”, so the conversation moves ahead. After Angela says she is going on vacation, Brad asks another question, “Where are you going?” and the conversation will keep moving ahead. That question is called a follow-up question. After you hear information, ask a question to follow-up what was said:

Angela: I’m going on vacation next week.
Brad: Oh cool! Where are you going…? ← follow-up question

Jane: I really like R&B music.
Mark: Who’s your favorite singer?　 ← follow-up question

Frank: It’s really hot today. I’m exhausted.
Tommy: Did you have to work today?　 ← follow-up question

There is another thing you can do to help move a conversation forward. You can use my super-secret English conversation formula. It’s a secret, but I’ll share it with you!  The formula is:

Question = Answer +1 means when someone asks a question, you should give the answer, and then give more information. +1 is more information. More information gives more opportunity for follow-up questions, and a longer conversation! For example:

Jack: What’s up?
Jill: I just finished lunch. I had a burger from the deli
             Answer                           +1

Jack: What kind of music do you like?
Jill: I like rock and blues. My favorite group is Bon Jovi.
            Answer                              +1

Jack: Are you doing anything after work?
Jill: I think I’ll go home. It’s been a long day and I’m a little tired
                 Answer                              +1

So, here is some homework for you. If you want me to check your answers, use this link to send your answers:
Follow Up Questions
Write one or two follow-up questions for each statement below:
1. I like adventure movies
2. I just finished work
3. My sister had a baby last week
4. I ran into our friend Tom at the mall yesterday
Question = Answer +1
Write an answer +1 for each of the questions below:
1. What kind of TV shows do you like to watch?
2. Where are you from?
3. What’s new?
4. Do you have any pets?

Thanks for studying today. Feel free to leave a comment or send me your suggestions and requests for a one point lesson.