Greeting - Basic There are many ways to greet someone.

We'll learn about the most common way to greet someone in this lesson. I'll give a variety of example sentences. Greeting someone you never met: "Hi, my name is Steve. It's nice to meet you." You can respond to this by saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Jack." Another common question to ask is "What do you do for a living?" You can respond to this by saying, "I work at a restaurant." "I work at a bank." "I work in a software company." "I'm a dentist." Usually, you will not need to ask for a name. It is implied that each person should say their name. But in case they don't, you can ask, "What is your name?" Many times, I don't hear the name. If you would like for them to repeat their name, you can say, "What was that again?" "Excuse me?" "Pardon me?"

Small Talk Many people believe small talk is very boring and not personable. Although that is true, there are many places where small talk is very important. In the western culture, strangers talk to other strangers frequently. On the other hand, small talk is not so common in the eastern culture. Because strangers are friendly to one another in the western culture, small talk is very important to master in regards to learning English. One other place small talk is important is in an interview. That is why this session will be important to learn.

The best way to learn small talk is to provide many examples. So this lesson will be taught using an example format. Small talk involves many different topics. We will have several sessions on small talk once we have covered other subjects such as sports, jobs, school, etc. But for now, we will go through the basics of small talk conversation. To initiate small talk, we can use what we have learned from our previous several sessions: One: "Hi Bill, how are you doing?" Two: "I'm doing great. How are you doing?" One: "I'm doing well myself." Wasn't that simple? If you studied the material in prior sessions, this should be real easy for you. Now that we have initiated the small talk, it's your responsibility to keep the conversation going. In order to do so, you can talk about anything that is not too personal. Let's first ask what the other person has been doing lately. One: "What have you been up to lately?" Two: "Well, I just started to work at the bank so I'm pretty busy learning everything." You can elaborate on what you have learned to keep the conversation alive. In this example, you are going to ask more questions about school and work. One: "Does that mean you already finished school? I thought you had 1 more semester left." Two: "I took summer courses, so I finished one semester early." One: "It's great that you got a job. I'm really happy for you." Two: "Thanks." As you can now tell, the conversation is getting old. You have a choice of ending the conversation, or changing the topic. Let's practice ending the conversation. One: "We should get together for lunch sometime." Two: "Yeah, that would be great." One: "I'll call you sometime." Two: "Ok. I'll see you later." One: "Alright. See ya." Idiom Feel blue "What a gloomy day. It makes me feel blue." "Whenever I feel blue, I like to listen to upbeat music."

"Matt's feeling a little blue right now. Let's go cheer him up." A: "Where is Matt these days? I haven't seen him in a while." B: "He feels a little blue because he can't find a girlfriend." A: "Let's go cheer him up." Other Common Sentences "I feel a little depressed right now." "I don't know why, but I just feel sad." "Even though it's a nice day, I feel gloomy inside." You've got to be kidding A: "Hey Jared. Mom told me to tell you that you shouldn't stay out too late." B: "You've got to be kidding me. I'm 30 years old." A: "Patrick won the school election by two votes." B: "He's not that popular how did this happen?" A: "Nobody voted because they expected Jason to win." B: "You've got to be kidding me." Other Common Sentences "I really hope you're wrong." "Please tell me it ain't so."

Intonation and Speed of Speaking Intonation Many people from different countries have improper intonation because their teacher had improper intonation. In many situations, being monotone is better than having bad intonation. The worst is when someone goes up and down too much on every word. Another thing you should avoid is to end high at the end of a sentence. To correct improper intonation, you need to remember to start high and end low. You cannot do it any other way. I recommend going to the interview section and listening to one of the audio files provided by a native speaker. You will hear proper intonation. After listening to the audio, record yourself and listen to it. Does it sound the same? If not, then find the areas that are dissimilar and make the necessary corrections. This advice is very trivial, but intonation is relatively easy to correct. You can fix your

intonation with only a little effort. If you have a friend who is a native English speaker, you can usually fix intonation in a couple of lessons. Recording yourself and listening to yourself might be tedious, but having correct intonation can go a long way. I have had many students who fixed their intonation after 2 small sessions. The advice I gave them was the same as the one above. This will work, and if you want to speak with proper intonation, please follow this advice.

Sick and Tired "I'm sick and tired of eating the same thing for lunch everyday." "I'm getting sick and tired of this song. They play it way too often at this club." "I'm sick and tired of listening to him nag all the time." A: "Where are you going for lunch today?" B: "I don't know... how about a burger?" A: "No. I eat that almost everyday. I'm getting sick and tired of them." B: "Let's go eat teriyaki then." Other Common Sentences "I'm getting sick of this phone. I think I'll buy a new one." "I'm tired of the same routine. I need to find something new and different."

Call it a day "Let's call it a day. I'm too tired to continue working." "We can't continue working without Mike, so let's call it a day." "It's already nine o'clock. Let's call it a day." A: "How much more work do we have for tonight?" B: "I think we finished everything for the day." A: "Good. Let's call it a day then." Other Common Sentences "Let's turn in for the night." "I think we should pick it up from the morning." pick it up = continue

Get on one's nerves "You're beginning to get on my nerves." "Will you please stop doing that? It's getting on my nerves." "His whining is getting on my nerves." A: "He doesn't like his birthday present." B: "He's starting to get on my nerves. It's one thing to not like it, but it's another to complain about it. We tried our best to get him a good present." A: "Yeah. It's bothering me too." Other Common Sentences "You're beginning to annoy me." "His complaints are starting to bother me."

Couch potato "My husband is a couch potato. He sits in front of the TV all day long." "You have a huge belly because you're a couch potato." "I should be more active and less of a couch potato." A: "James. We're going to play basketball. Do you want to play?" B: "No, I'm going to watch TV today." A: "You did that all day yesterday. You better stop being a couch potato or you're going to get a big fat belly." Other Common Sentences "Good luck trying to get his attention. He's glued to the television." ]

Read one's mind

"You read my mind." "I was going to suggest that. You must have read my mind." A: "Do you want to go play pool?" B: "You read my mind. That's exactly what I was thinking too."

Give somebody a hard time "Suzie gave him a hard time for not showing up to her recital." "Stop giving me a hard time. There was nothing I could do about it." "If you don't finish your project, the manager is going to give you a hard time." A: "My mom gave me a hard time for one bad grade on my report card." B: "That's a tough situation. My parents never gave me a hard time for bad grades." Other Common Sentences "Albert is making it difficult for me." "He's getting on my case about my comment." 5 Speaking Rules you need to know! 1. Don't study grammar too much This rule might sound strange to many ESL students, but it is one of the most important rules. If you want to pass examinations, then study grammar. However, if you want to become fluent in English, then you should try to learn English without studying the grammar. Studying grammar will only slow you down and confuse you. You will think about the rules when creating sentences instead of naturally saying a sentence like a native. Remember that only a small fraction of English speakers know more than 20% of all the grammar rules. Many ESL students know more grammar than native speakers. I can confidently say this with experience. I am a native English speaker, majored in English Literature, and have been teaching English for more than 10 years. However, many of my students know more details about English grammar than I do. I can easily look up the definition and apply it, but I don't know it off the top of my head. I often ask my native English friends some grammar questions, and only a few of them know the correct answer. However, they are fluent in English and can read, speak, listen, and communicate effectively.

Do you want to be able to recite the definition of a causative verb, or do you want to be able to speak English fluently?

2. Learn and study phrases Many students learn vocabulary and try to put many words together to create a proper sentence. It amazes me how many words some of my students know, but they cannot create a proper sentence. The reason is because they didn't study phrases. When children learn a language, they learn both words and phrases together. Likewise, you need to study and learn phrases. If you know 1000 words, you might not be able to say one correct sentence. But if you know 1 phrase, you can make hundreds of correct sentences. If you know 100 phrases, you will be surprised at how many correct sentences you will be able to say. Finally, when you know only a 1000 phrases, you will be almost a fluent English speaker. The English Speaking Basics section is a great example of making numerous sentences with a single phrase. So don't spend hours and hours learning many different words. Use that time to study phrases instead and you will be closer to English fluency. Don't translate When you want to create an English sentence, do not translate the words from your Mother tongue. The order of words is probably completely different and you will be both slow and incorrect by doing this. Instead, learn phrases and sentences so you don't have to think about the words you are saying. It should be automatic. Another problem with translating is that you will be trying to incorporate grammar rules that you have learned. Translating and thinking about the grammar to create English sentences is incorrect and should be avoided. 3. Reading and Listening is NOT enough. Practice Speaking what you hear! Reading, listening, and speaking are the most important aspects of any language. The same is true for English. However, speaking is the only requirement to be fluent. It is normal for babies and children to learn speaking first, become fluent, then start reading, then writing. So the natural order is listening, speaking, reading, then writing. First Problem Isn't it strange that schools across the world teach reading first, then writing, then listening, and finally speaking? Although it is different, the main reason is because when you learn a second language, you need to read material to understand and learn it. So even though the natural order is listening, speaking, reading, then writing, the order for ESL students is reading, listening, speaking, then writing. Second Problem

The reason many people can read and listen is because that's all they practice. But in order to speak English fluently, you need to practice speaking. Don't stop at the listening portion, and when you study, don't just listen. Speak out loud the material you are listening to and practice what you hear. Practice speaking out loud until your mouth and brain can do it without any effort. By doing so, you will be able to speak English fluently. 4. Submerge yourself Being able to speak a language is not related to how smart you are. Anyone can learn how to speak any language. This is a proven fact by everyone in the world. Everyone can speak at least one language. Whether you are intelligent, or lacking some brain power, you are able to speak one language. This was achieved by being around that language at all times. In your country, you hear and speak your language constantly. You will notice that many people who are good English speakers are the ones who studied in an English speaking school. They can speak English not because they went to an English speaking school, but because they had an environment where they can be around English speaking people constantly. There are also some people who study abroad and learn very little. That is because they went to an English speaking school, but found friends from their own country and didn't practice English. You don't have to go anywhere to become a fluent English speaker. You only need to surround yourself with English. You can do this by making rules with your existing friends that you will only speak English. You can also carry around an iPod and constantly listen to English sentences. As you can see, you can achieve results by changing what your surroundings are. Submerge yourself in English and you will learn several times faster. TalkEnglish Offline Version is now ready for download. In this package, you can utilize over 8000 audio files to completely surround yourself in English. There are over 13.5 hours of audio files that are not available in the web form. All conversations and all sentences are included, so even if you don't have many English speaking friends, you can constantly surround yourself in English using your MP3 player. This package is available at the English Download page. Take advantage of this opportunity and start learning English faster. Click on the link or go to http://www.talkenglish.com/englishdownload.aspx. 5. Study correct material A common phrase that is incorrect is, "Practice makes perfect." This is far from the truth. Practice only makes what you are practicing permanent. If you practice the incorrect sentence, you will have perfected saying the sentence incorrectly. Therefore, it is important that you study material that is commonly used by most people. Another problem I see is that many students study the news. However, the language they speak is more formal and the content they use is more political and not used in regular

life. It is important to understand what they are saying, but this is more of an advanced lesson that should be studied after learning the fundamental basics of English. Studying English with a friend who is not a native English speaker is both good and bad. You should be aware of the pros and cons of speaking with a non native speaking friend. Practicing with a non native person will give you practice. You can also motivate each other and point out basic mistakes. But you might pick up bad habits from one another if you are not sure about what are correct and incorrect sentences. So use these practice times as a time period to practice the correct material you studied. Not to learn how to say a sentence. In short, study English material that you can trust, that is commonly used, and that is correct. Summary These are the rules that will help you achieve your goal of speaking English fluently. All the teachings and lessons on TalkEnglish.com follow this method so you have the tools you need to achieve your goal right here on TalkEnglish.com

Information on Grammar pertaining to English Speaking In order to obtain English fluency for ESL students, studying grammar can slow your progress down significantly. Basic grammar is a necessity, but focusing on grammar will prevent you from being able to speak English fluently in a reasonable time frame. Grammar is most effective to improve communication and writing skills, but this only pertains to those who have a solid foundation in English fluency. If you are studying for an exam or want to learn the details of all the grammar rules, you can study our grammar section at http://www.talkenglish.com/grammar/grammar.aspx. One commonality among everyone in the whole world is that they learned to speak before they learned grammar. Speaking is the first step for any English learner. So if you are a novice at English, please focus on your speaking and listening skills prior to studying grammar. After being able to speak English fluently, you will realize how much easier grammar is. But it does not work the other way around. Being fluent in English speaking will help you with your grammar studies, but studying grammar will NOT help you with your speaking. In this article, the four most basic grammar topics are explained, which consists of 1) subject, 2) predicate, 3) verb, and 4) article. This is the absolute minimum you should know. After you become comfortable with speaking, then you can study more advanced grammar topics. For now, please review and study the four items described below.

What is a subject? The subject in a sentence is "who" or "what" you are talking about. Every sentence needs a subject. If you don't have a subject, then the sentence is incorrect and nobody will understand what you are talking about. In other languages, the subject is not always required. Verbally, the person listening to you will understand what you are talking about, so a subject is not required. In English, a subject is always required. Here are examples of small sentences with the subject underlined. "I am hungry" "My brother is very smart" "That computer is very expensive" "We are going to the store now" "My sister and I will be waiting here" "The building is very big" "When are you going to eat lunch?" "Why are they waiting in line?" "Who is going to take you to the store?" What is a predicate? The predicate in a sentence is the section that informs the person what the subject is or what it is doing. It is a phrase that contains a verb. The verb is always in the predicate. Let's look at the sentences we used in the subject lesson to identify the predicates. They will be underlined. "I am hungry" "My brother is very smart" "That computer is very expensive" "We are going to the store now" "The building is very big" In the above short sentences, we have identified the subject and predicate. In the most basic sentences, you need a subject and an action associated with the subject. Let's go on to verbs to understand this in more detail. What is a verb? A verb is an action, existence, or occurrence. In the simple sentences we used so far, the verb is mostly in the existence form. They are "am", "is", and "are". Other types of verbs are action verbs such as:

Wash Run Walk Throw Jump Dance Laugh Learn Teach There are many action verbs, but I only listed a few to let you know what I am referring to. Here are some sentences to help you understand. "I need to wash my face" "Jane taught Jill" "Mike is laughing" A verb can also start at the beginning of the sentence. "Throw the ball at the catcher" "Run towards the finish line" It is important to understand the verb, but having just a subject and a verb is not sufficient. For example, "Jill run" is not a complete sentence. Although Jill can be the subject, and "run" is the verb, this is not a complete sentence. That is why the previous lesson on predicate is important. With the predicate, we can turn the sentence into a proper sentence. "Jill is running" What is an Article? Articles seem so easy, but it is extremely difficult to teach. "A", "An", and "The" are all articles. It is easy to explain the difference between them, but it is difficult to explain when they are used. "A" and "An" have the same meaning. They are both indefinite articles. They are only different depending on what word or sound is following. Here is a brief explanation. You should use "A" when the following word starts with a consonant. "A dog..." "A boy..." "A building..." "A hamburger..."

You should use "An" when the following starts with a vowel sound. "An eagle..." "An umbrella..." "An elephant..." "An awesome book..." "The" is a definite article. The difference is if the noun or subject you are talking about is specific or not. Examples are the best way to understand the difference, so let's take a look. If you say, "I am going to a library to study", then the person you are speaking with does not know which library. If you say, "I am going to the library to study", then the person you are speaking with knows the specific library you are going to. "I am going to a coffee shop" (No specific coffee shop) "I am going to the coffee shop" (A specific coffee shop both the speaker and listener knows) Here is a slightly different example, but still using the same concept of specific or general. "I am going to sit in front of one of the computers in the lab" "I am going to buy a computer" Although the computer in the lab can be one of many computers, the correct article is "the" because it is still a specific computer that exists in the lab. However, if you say you are going to buy a computer, you cannot use "the" unless you already have the computer specified. Buying a computer can be any brand, type, or size so it is very general. Therefore, you must use "A" in this type of sentence. Here is another type of example: "The heat wave is unbearable" "I heard a heat wave is coming" The difference between these two sentences is that the "heat wave" is specified in the first sentence, and not specified in the second sentence. In the first sentence, the heat wave is already present and both the speaker and listener knows that the heat wave they are talking about is the one they are currently experiencing. The second sentence is referring to a future heat wave that is not specific. When and When NOT to use an article One common rule to keep in mind is that articles are not used when referring to a name. "Turn right at the burger store"

"Turn right at McDonalds" "The boy was running very fast" "Mike was running very fast" Another example of when not to use an article is when referring to general things in conversation. "Too much alcohol is bad for you" "Cigarettes can cause lung cancer" When you are referring to sports, you do not need an article. "I love playing badminton" "Football is a dangerous sport" In most cases, you don't need an article when referring to a country except when the name is referring to multiple countries or regions. For example, if you say England or Scotland, you don't need an article, but if you are referring to The United Kingdom, then you do need an article.

Coordinating Conjunctions and Correlative Conjunctions A conjunction joins words or groups of words in a sentence.

I ate lunch with Kate and Derma. Because it is rainy today, the trip is canceled. She didnt press the bell, but I did.

There are three types of conjunctions: 1. Coordinating Conjunctions a. Connect words, phrases, or clauses that are independent or equal b. and, but, or, so, for, yet, and not 2. Correlative Conjunctions a. Used in pairs b. both/and, either/or, neither/nor, not only/but also 3. Subordinating Conjunctions a. Used at the beginning of subordinate clauses b. although, after, before, because, how, if, once, since, so that, until, unless, when, while, where, whether, etc.

Coordinating Conjunctions 1. Andmeans "in addition to":

We are going to a zoo and an aquarium on a same day.

2. Butconnects two different things that are not in agreement:

I am a night owl, but she is an early bird.

3. Orindicates a choice between two things:

Do you want a red one or a blue one?

4. Soillustrates a result of the first thing:

This song has been very popular, so I downloaded it.

5. Formeans "because":

I want to go there again, for it was a wonderful trip.

6. Yetindicates contrast with something:

He performed very well, yet he didnt make the final cut.

Correlative Conjunctions 1. Both/and

She won gold medals from both the single and group races. Both TV and television are correct words.

2. Either/or

I am fine with either Monday or Wednesday. You can have either apples or pears.

3. Neither/nor

He enjoys neither drinking nor gambling. Neither you nor I will get off early today.

4. Not only/but also

Not only red but also green looks good on you. She got the perfect score in not only English but also math.

[Quiz 25.1] Write the correct conjunction in each sentence. 1) my friend I are taking the geography class. 2) Do you want to go swimming golfing? 3) I studied grammar for a long time, I still make mistakes. 4) wood bricks can be used as homebuilding materials. 5) I wasnt feeling well this morning, I had to go to work. View Answers [25.1] 1) Both, and 2) or 3) but (yet) 4) Either, or 5) yet (but) Subordinating Conjunctions Subordinating Conjunctions 1. Althoughmeans "in spite of the fact that":

Although it was raining, I ran home. She showed up, although she felt sick. Although my mom told me to come home early, I stayed out late.

2. Afterindicates "subsequently to the time when":

Please text me after you arrive at the shopping mall. We were forced to stop watching TV after the electricity went out. I always tell my daughter that she can have dessert after she eats her dinner.

3. Beforeindicates "earlier than the time that":

He had written a living will before he died. Before he contacted me, I was going to call him. I need to finish the dishes before my wife gets home.

4. Becausemeans "for the reason that":

Because he was smart and worked hard, he was able to make a lot of money. They stopped building the house because it was pouring. I love dogs because they are so cute.

5. Howmeans "the way in which":

I wonder how you did it. He explained how he completed it in a few days. Can you show me how you fixed the computer?

6. Ifmeans "in the event that":

If it is sunny tomorrow, we can go to the beach. If I receive a promotion, you will be the first to know. You can watch TV if you finish your homework.

7. Onceindicates "at the moment when":

Once you see him, you will recognize him. Once the light came on, we all shouted with joy. Call me once you start having contractions.

8. Sincemeans "from the time when":

Ive been a singer since I was young. Since he graduated, he has been doing nothing. This building has been remodeled three times since I lived here.

9. So thatmeans "in order to":

So that she could keep her position, she didnt complain at all. He finished his work as fast as possible so that he could leave early. He worked harder for a raise so he could buy a nice car.

10. Untilmeans "up to the time that":

Dont go anywhere until I come back. She didnt realize her talent in painting until her teacher mentioned it. They wont allow us to sit until everyone arrives.

11. Unlessmeans "except, on the condition":

You will not pass the exam unless you get a score of 80 or higher. I will not tell you anything unless you tell me what you know first. Unless you ask her, you will never know.

12. Whenmeans "at that time":

When I came in the room, everyone looked at me. I woke up when my baby was crying. I started looking for a gas station when my gas light went on.

13. Whilemeans "during the time":

Someone called you while you were at the meeting. We met while we were working at the University. My dog started barking while I was talking on the phone.

14. Whereindicates "in the place":

This is where I came from. Please tell me where you are going. I need to know where John hid the present.

15. Whethermeans "if it is true or not":

We will have a picnic whether it rains or not. It is time to decide whether we should take action. You need to decide whether or not you are hungry.

[Quiz 26.1] Fill in the blanks with an appropriate conjunction. 1) Could you email me you receive the offer? 2) I want to buy it it is expensive or not. 3) Dont do that I allow it. 4) you are confident with it, you should go for it. 5) I didnt enroll this semester I could go backpacking in Europe. 6) My neighbors cat has been missing last Friday. 7) I own a house, I am required to pay property taxes. View Answers [26.1] 1) when 2) whether 3) unless 4) If 5) so that 6) since 7) Because

Gerunds A gerund (verb + ing) acts like a noun in a sentence.

Seeing is believing. Running a marathon is not an easy thing to do. Watching TV is sometimes harmful. Eating is always fun. My hobby is painting. She loves babysitting her sister. I like listening to music. I wasted all my afternoon by taking a nap. I am afraid of singing a song on a stage.

Often, a possessive noun or pronoun comes before a gerund.

I hope that you dont mind my using your pen. Dont be mad about my leaving early. I dont want you misunderstanding. You will be amazed by my writing.

[Quiz 14.1] Fill in the blanks. 1) I enjoy (draw) as a hobby. 2) She likes (buy) clothes. 3) Children are fond of (play) with water. 4) (dance) is my favorite thing to do. 5) I am upset at his (break) the rule. View Answers [14.1] 1) drawing 2) buying 3) playing 4) Dancing 5) breaking

Active Voice and Passive Voice Verbs are either active or passive in voice. In the active voice, the subject and verb relationship is straightforward: the subject is a do-er. In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is not a do-er. It is shown with by + do-er or is not shown in the sentence. Passive voice is used when the action is the focus, not the subject. It is not important (or not known) who does the action.

The window is broken. (It is not known who broke the window, or it is not important to know who broke the window.) The class has been canceled. (The focus is on the class being canceled. It is not important to know who canceled it.) The passive voice is often used. (The focus is on the passive voice. It is not important to explain who the writer is.)

Passive voice should be avoided when you want more clarity in writing. However, in some cases, you need to use passive voice to stress the action, not the actor. Also, passive voice can be considered more polite, as it sounds less aggressive or dramatic.

That building was built in 1990. The car was invented about a hundred years ago. I was told that Mary moved to a different country. Your business is appreciated. She was elected to city council. It was rumored that the company would lay off a few people soon. It is recommended that the billing process be shortened.

You can easily rewrite an active sentence to a passive sentence. The object in the active sentence becomes a subject in the passive sentence. The verb is changed to a be verb + past participle. The subject of the active sentence follows by or is omitted.

Sam wrote a letter to Jamie. A letter was written to Jamie by Sam.

The government built a new bridge. A new bridge was built by the government.

I recommend that you apply for this position. It is recommended that you apply for this position.

[Quiz 17.1] Rewrite the following sentence in passive voice. John gave me a bunch of flowers on my birthday. [Quiz 17.2] Choose the sentences written incorrectly in the passive voice.

1) I was eaten an ice cream. 2) The song was sung by a singer. 3) I was deceived by the TV program. 4) The concert was finished at 12 p.m. 5) He was written a novel. 6) The tennis match was aired on TV. 7) He was treated kindly. 8) I have been managed a company since 2004. View Answers [17.1] I was given a bunch of flowers on my birthday by John. OR A bunch of flowers was given to me on my birthday by John. [17.2] 1) I ate an ice cream. 5) He wrote a novel. 8) I have managed a company since 2004.

Greeting Someone you Know

"Hey John, how have you been?" "Hi Bob, how are you?" "Hi Nancy, what have you been up to?" "Andy, it's been a long time, how are you man?" If you meet someone unexpectedly, you can say, "Hey Jack, it's good to see you. What are you doing here?" or "What a surprise. I haven't seen you in a long time. How have you been?" If you see the person at a restaurant, you can say, "Do you come to this restaurant often?" Or at the movie theatre, "What movie did you come to see?" Appropriate responses: "Hi Steve, my name is Mike. It is nice to meet you as well." "I heard a lot about you from John. He had a lot of good things to say."

"Wow. How long has it been? It seems like more than a year. I'm doing pretty well. How about you?" A typical response to this type of greeting is simple. "Not too bad." If asked what you have been up to, you can respond with, "Same ole same ole." Or, "The same as usual." Here are some other example responses. "I'm pretty busy at work these days, but otherwise, everything is great." "I'm doing very well." "I finally have some free time. I just finished taking a big examination, and I'm so relieved that I'm done with it." Restaurant Responses "I've been here a couple of times, but I don't come on a regular basis." "I come pretty often. This is my favorite restaurant." "I can't believe we haven't seen each other before. I come here at least twice a week." Movie Response "I came here to see Matrix Revolution. How about you?"