Sentence Frames to Create Follow-up Questions In How to Ask Interesting Questions, I explained 3 types of questions you can use to begin a conversation. Now, let’s look at 5 ways to ask more interesting follow-up questions. Combined with SSNQs (Short Simple Natural Questions), these will add to your ability to engage […]
Conversation Skills
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Moving Beyond the Basics When your English reaches a certain level (If you can read and understanding this sentence, you are at the right level!), you can begin to improve your conversation skills by learning how to ask questions that require more thought to answer. Critical questions are thought-provoking questions […]
Follow-up Questions: The Glue that Holds Conversations Together A conversation in English consists of a few basic parts. To begin a conversation you need to either make a statement or ask a question. Examples of statements: I had the worst day today. Today was a really great day. I watched […]
There are many ways to say goodbye in English. While bye and goodbye are well-known and used throughout the world, native English speakers often use other expressions when saying goodbye. In fact, goodbye is a lot less common than other, more informal expressions. These informal expressions should be used with […]
An Introduction to Short Simple Natural Follow-up Questions (SSNQs) In addition to reactions, follow-up questions are an important part of a conversation in English. What I’m about to share with you is something no one else is teaching. This is the only place you’ll find this information. “How can I […]
Hello! 안녕하세요! Greetings earthlings! Living and working in Korea, I’ve noticed some differences between Korean and English greetings. It’s a good idea to learn these differences if you want to avoid confusion and sound more natural. While 안녕하세요 is a standard greeting I can use and respond to […]
What is the basic structure of a conversation in English? The basic structure of a conversation is simple. By applying the pattern below, you can begin to start speaking more and be a better listener. Once you learn this simple structure, you can adapt it for conversations with two or […]
3 Parts of a Basic Conversation in English After greeting someone, a basic conversation in English has three parts. The three parts are: A question An answer with some details A reaction and a follow-up question Example of a Short Conversation Elsa: What are you doing after class? Ollie: I’m […]
What is small talk? Small talk is a type of polite conversation about unimportant or uncontroversial things. In English, small talk is used as a polite greeting, a conversation starter, or a way to start to get to know someone. Small talk is different in different cultures. Questions that are […]
In the last post, we looked at examples of how to ask about someone’s plans for the weekend and also how to respond. Now, let’s look at common questions people ask on a Monday or Tuesday and their reduced forms. How was your weekend? —-> Howuzyer weekend? […]
Improve Your Conversations The best way to more interesting conversations, improve your conversation skills and get to know someone is by asking them open questions to try to get them to talk about themselves. It is also useful for improving your listening skills because they will talk more if you […]