Learn how to make small talk using the simple past tense of the verb "to be," and simple past tense adjectives
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Sadia: Hi from New York, thanks for joining us. This is Sadia. |
| Keith: And I’m Keith. “The Best American Dish You'll Ever Have” |
| Sadia: In our last lesson, Lesson 25, you learned about visiting a home and talking about family. |
| Keith: And you also learned the phrase, "How many people are in your family?" |
| Sadia: And the phrase, "I'll bring you some..." |
| Keith: In this lesson you’ll learn how to talk about the past. |
| Sadia: The conversation takes place at Zo's homestay home, at the dinner table. |
| Keith: The conversation is between Zo and his homestay mother and father. |
| Sadia: Let’s listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Host Father: Let's eat! |
| Zo: This food's absolutely incredible! It's so delicious! |
| Host Father: Yes...outstanding, Sandy. I'm pretty lucky! |
| Zo: A beautiful home, a lovely family, and incredible food! |
| Host Mother: Oh, stop it! Thank you, Zo. So tell us, how's America? |
| Zo: Oh, America is great! The people are wonderful, and New York is exciting. |
| Host Mother: And how was the basketball game? |
| Zo: It was really great. We had a lot of fun. Also, the weather was great! |
| Host Mother: Ah, a game. Yes. So many nice memories, but that was many years ago. So much fun! |
| Host Father: Well, speaking of fun, wait for tomorrow! Tomorrow we'll go to that barbecue! |
| Zo: I'm really looking forward to it! |
| Keith: One more time, slowly. |
| Host Father: Let's eat! |
| Zo: This food's absolutely incredible! It's so delicious! |
| Host Father: Yes...outstanding, Sandy. I'm pretty lucky! |
| Zo: A beautiful home, a lovely family, and incredible food! |
| Host Mother: Oh, stop it! Thank you, Zo. So tell us, how's America? |
| Zo: Oh, America is great! The people are wonderful, and New York is exciting. |
| Host Mother: And how was the basketball game? |
| Zo: It was really great. We had a lot of fun. Also, the weather was great! |
| Host Mother: Ah, a game. Yes. So many nice memories, but that was many years ago. So much fun! |
| Host Father: Well, speaking of fun, wait for tomorrow! Tomorrow we'll go to that barbecue! |
| Zo: I'm really looking forward to it! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Sadia: Alright. So it sounds like Zo has sat down for a meal with his homestay family. |
| Keith: Sure. This dialogue is a perfect example of small talk, or pleasant, short conversation for use in social situations. |
| Sadia: Small talk is usually used with people whom you have either never met or are not close to. So it's perfect for Zo's situation; he has just met his homestay parents, who are treating him to a really nice, home cooked American meal. It’s dinner. |
| Keith: And in some cases, it's actually considered rude to not "make small talk." |
| Sadia: That's true. So for example, if someone tries to begin small talk with you, you should respond! |
| Keith: Don't just stare blankly and say nothing! Make small talk! Or people are going to think you’re rude. |
| Sadia: Small talk is sometimes considered an art-- and probably for good reason! Even though small talk is light, and it's a short conversation, it can take some getting used to and knowing when and how to use it can be a little tricky. |
| Keith: Well, we’re going to give our listeners a couple of tips. As a rule, small talk should center around non-personal topics that are not controversial. What that means is you don’t want to cause an argument or disagreement. |
| Sadia: Also I think it's common to use small talk at parties, maybe in an office with people |
| you don't work with closely, or maybe waiting on line somewhere-- to pay for groceries, for example. |
| Keith: Small talk is important because it can sometimes lead to longer, more meaningful interactions with someone in the future. |
| Sadia: That's right! And remember-- Zo met his friend Michelle |
| by using small talk on the plane! So you should probably practice your small talk! |
| Keith: Yeah and you can do this with just about anyone you come across whom you don't know or don't know very well. |
| Sadia: You may not be sure of what to talk about, but try maybe a friendly, current event, or you can talk about work, or the weather! |
| Keith: Good luck, everyone! |
| Sadia: Good luck! |
| Keith: Alright, well let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| The first word we shall see is: |
| Sadia: food [natural native speed] |
| Keith: something that nourishes or feeds; something you eat |
| Sadia: food [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Sadia: food [natural native speed] |
| Next:" |
| absolutely [natural native speed] |
| Keith: in a complete and total way |
| absolutely [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| absolutely [natural native speed] |
| Next:" |
| Sadia: incredible [natural native speed] |
| Keith: amazing; extraordinary |
| Sadia: incredible [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Sadia: incredible [natural native speed] |
| Next:" |
| so [natural native speed] |
| Keith: used as an introductory particle |
| so [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| so [natural native speed] |
| Next:" |
| Sadia: delicious [natural native speed] |
| Keith: very tasty |
| Sadia: delicious [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Sadia: delicious [natural native speed] |
| Next:" |
| Sadia: lovely [natural native speed] |
| Keith: pleasant; nice |
| Sadia: lovely [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Sadia: lovely [natural native speed] |
| Next:" |
| Sadia: to tell [natural native speed] |
| Keith: to make known, to say |
| Sadia: to tell [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Sadia: to tell [natural native speed] |
| Next:" |
| Sadia: people [natural native speed] |
| Keith: group of human beings |
| Sadia: people [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Sadia: people [natural native speed] |
| Next:" |
| Sadia: country [natural native speed] |
| Keith: a nation |
| Sadia: country [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Sadia: country [natural native speed] |
| Next:" |
| Sadia: quiet [natural native speed] |
| Keith: not loud; having very little to no sound |
| Sadia: quiet [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Sadia: quiet [natural native speed] |
| Next:" |
| Sadia: relaxing [natural native speed] |
| Keith: soothing; comforting; gentle |
| Sadia: relaxing [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Sadia: relaxing [natural native speed] |
| Next:" |
| Sadia: many [natural native speed] |
| Keith: consisting of a large amount |
| Sadia: many [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Sadia: many [natural native speed] |
| Next:" |
| Sadia: memory [natural native speed] |
| Keith: something remembered |
| Sadia: memory [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Sadia: memory [natural native speed] |
| Next:" |
| Sadia: year [natural native speed] |
| Keith: a period of 12 months |
| Sadia: year [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Sadia: year [natural native speed] |
| Next:" |
| Sadia: ago [natural native speed] |
| Keith: before |
| Sadia: ago [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Sadia: ago [natural native speed] |
| Next:" |
| Sadia: tomorrow [natural native speed] |
| Keith: the day after today |
| Sadia: tomorrow [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Sadia: tomorrow [natural native speed] |
| Next:" |
| Sadia: to look forward [natural native speed] |
| Keith: to anticipate |
| Sadia: to look forward [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Sadia: to look forward [natural native speed] |
| Next:" |
| Sadia: really [natural native speed] |
| Keith: truly, very |
| Sadia: really [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Sadia: really [natural native speed] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Keith: Let’s have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Sadia: The first phrase we’ll look at is, “This food is absolutely incredible! It's so delicious.” |
| Keith: Zo and his homestay parents sit down for dinner. As soon as they begin eating, Zo says, “This food is absolutely incredible!” |
| Sadia: He uses the adverb, “absolutely” to express that he thinks the food is very, very good. |
| Keith: And Zo also says that the food is, “so delicious.” His use of the adverb, “so” has the same purpose as “absolutely”—both used to make his opinions very strong. OK, Sadia, what's next? |
| Sadia: Next is, “I'm pretty lucky.” So the husband says that he feels "pretty lucky" to have a lovely home, a wonderful family, and such tasty food. |
| Keith: And this is a general statement of appreciation or gratitude. It's usually said when a |
| person is reflecting on his or her good circumstances-- |
| Sadia: Right. So when the person feels good about a situation in his or her life. You can use "I'm pretty lucky" when you feel thankful or you feel that you’re having some good fortune. |
| Keith: Sadia, I feel pretty lucky to be teaching English with you. |
| Sadia: So nice! |
| Keith: The next phrase is, “A beautiful home, a lovely family and incredible food!” |
| Sadia: We just heard this. In response to his homestay father talking about how lucky he feels, Zo says, "A beautiful home, a lovely family and incredible food!" This is Zo's way of expressing that he understands why the father might feel lucky-- |
| Keith: That phrase is short for what it really means-- "Of course you're lucky! You've got a |
| beautiful home, a lovely family, and incredible food!" |
| Sadia: Alright. What's next? |
| Keith: Next is the phrase, “Oh, stop it!” |
| Sadia: So when the father talks about how lucky he is to have a nice home, a great family, and “incredible food,” the mother says, “Oh, stop it!” This phrase is used in this way when the speaker is being complemented and wants to disagree , or at least appear modest. |
| Keith: What it really means is, "Please stop using such kind words to describe me-- it's embarrassing!" |
| Sadia: It could also mean, "Please stop using such kind words about me-- they're just not true!" |
| Keith: Sadia, you’re just so beautiful. |
| Sadia: Oh, stop. |
| Keith: So you could say that you feel embarrassed or that you want to be modest. Next is, “So many nice memories, but that was many years ago.” After the mother asks Zo about his outing to the basketball game with his coworkers, Zo's homestay mother suggests that she and her husband used to go to basketball games-- |
| Sadia: She says, "So many nice memories, but that was many years ago." This means that they probably went to games often, but that they haven't gone in some time. The next phrase is, “So much fun!” |
| Keith: After she tells Zo that she and her husband used to go to basketball games together many years ago, she says, "So much fun!" This is an incomplete sentence… What it basically means is, "The games were so much fun!" |
| Sadia: Next is the phrase, “Speaking of” After his wife remembers the fun they used to have at |
| basketball games, the father says, "Speaking of fun, wait for tomorrow!" |
| Keith: So the phrase "speaking of" is used when the speaker wants to change the subject of conversation just a little bit and when the new subject is somewhat related to the old one. OK, what’s our last phrase? |
| Sadia: Our last phrase is, “I'm really looking forward to it!” |
| Keith: When his homestay parents remind him of the event that they're going to attend the next day, Zo says, "I'm really looking forward to it." By this he means, he expects to have a good time and that he appreciates that they have invited him. |
| Sadia: Use the phrase, “I’m really looking forward to it” when you'd like to express your excitement for an event, or gratitude or thanks for an invitation you've accepted. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Sadia: The focus points of this lesson are the phrase, "so tell us," the simple past tense of the verb, "to be" -- |
| Keith: And simple past tense adjectives. |
| Sadia: Let's start with the phrase, "So tell us..." Zo’s homestay mother says to him. “So tell us, how’s America?” You already know that “how’s” a contraction of, “how is.” She asks Zo “how America is,” but what Zo’s homestay mother really wants to know is how he’s enjoying his stay.” |
| Keith: But what about the phrase, “So tell us…?” |
| Sadia: OK, sorry. “So tell us” is a phrase used to introduce a question. It kind of shows that the speaker is going to ask a maybe a personal question, or that the speaker would like to |
| have a conversation with the person she is talking to. |
| Keith: So by using the phrase, “So tell us…” or the singular, “So tell me…” Zo’s homestay mother shows that she and her husband are genuinely interested, they’re really interested, in |
| what Zo has to say about his trip-- |
| Sadia: Exactly. They really want to hear about his experiences so far. They could have also asked maybe, "So tell us, do you think you’ll be returning to America anytime soon?" |
| Keith: Or, "So tell us, what foods do you eat back home?" |
| Sadia: Now let's take a look at the simple past tense of the verb, "to be"-- let's just review. |
| Keith: Singular is I was, You were, He/she was. |
| Sadia: And the plural is We were, You were, and They were. |
| Keith: And there are a couple of instances where the simple past tense of the verb, "to be" appears in the dialogue. |
| Sadia: Zo's homestay mother asks, "And how WAS the basketball game?" The game has already occurred and is finished, so she uses the simple past tense of the verb, "to be." The subject is of course the basketball game. |
| Keith: And she also says, "So many nice memories, but that WAS many years ago." Zo's homestay mother talks about how she and her husband used to attend basketball games together. They attended in the past, but they don't go anymore-- which means the action is finished, it’s complete. For this reason, she uses the simple past tense of the verb, "to be." The subject is their attendance at basketball games. |
| Sadia: Now for simple past tense adjectives. |
| Keith: To use adjectives in the simple past tense, use the simple past tense of the verb, "to be" |
| and an adjective. |
| Sadia: So, The children WERE happy |
| Keith: Or, The workers WERE tired. |
| Sadia: Right, or maybe, I WAS hungry. |
| Keith: It’s, Subject + simple past tense of the verb, "to be" + adjective. |
| Sadia: When Zo is asked about the basketball game, he says, "It was really great." It + was + really great. |
| Keith: And he also says, "The weather was great! |
| Sadia: He does! The weather + was + great. Subject + the simple past tense of the verb, "to be" + adjective. |
| Keith: This was fun. |
| Sadia: It was. |
| Keith: Alright, well that’s going to do it for this lesson. Thanks for listening. |
| Sadia: Thanks for listening. Buh-bye. |
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