Lingoda Group Class Notes 17
Topic: Moving beyond small talk Relatedskill: Communication
Date: 12 June 2024 Teacher: Will(UK)
What I've learned
Idioms
to be all ears - Meaning: to be ready and eager to listen - Example: Tell me your story, Calvin! I'm all ears!
Vocabulary
| Vocabulary | Definiation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| follow-up question | 后续问题 | After someone answers your question, you can ask a follow-up question to gain more information or clarify something. |
| open-ended question | 开放性问题 | An open-ended question cannot be answered with yes or no. |
| flow | v. 流；流出；循环；流过 | Our conversation was flowing really freely. It was so easy to talk to her! |
| intently | adv. 聚精会神地；一心一意地 | If someone listens to you intently, they give you their full attention while you are speaking. |
| politics | n. 政治；政见 | |
| religion | n. 宗教；宗教信仰 | |
| strike up | 开始（谈话、关系等）：开始或建立某种关系或交流 | Practice striking up conversations in the grocery store, post office, bagel shop, or gym. |
| idle | adj. 懈怠的；懒惰的；闲置的 | |
| chit-chat | n. 闲聊 | |
| genuinely | adv. 由衷地；真诚地；真正地；诚实地 | |
| sensation | n. 感觉；知觉 | |
| lively | adj. 有活力的；活泼的；生动的 | |
| regret | v. 懊悔；感到遗憾 | You'll almost always regret what you say if you're only mentioning something to prevent a little bit of silence. |
| interlude | n. （两事件之间的）间歇；插入事件；（戏剧、电影等的）幕间休息 | A short interlude of quiet in a lively discussion doesn't mean it’s game over entirely |
Phrases
- Please tell me more!
- Oh, I didn't realise you had spent your childhood in South America. Please tell me more!
- Go on!
- Go on! What happened next?
- I'm pretty sure I've heard about that.
- I'm pretty sure I've heard about that. My friend is very interested in that kind of thing.
- Could you explain a bit more?
- I'm a bit confused about the second point. Could you explain a bit more?
- Do you mean to say...?
- Do you mean to say that you've never tried sushi before? That's crazy!
- Let me see if I understood you correctly.
- Let me see if I've understood you correctly... You want to quit your job at the bank and become a farmer?
- What led you to that conclusion?
- That's quite a suprising statement. What led you to that conclusion?
- I see it differently, but I'm curious to know more about what you
mean by that.
- I see it differently, but I'm curious to know more about what you mean by that.
Expressions
Open-ended questions are questions we cannot answerwith yes or no.
They help deepen a conversation and make it flow better:
- How do you know the host of the party?
- Well, I first met Jane at an evening class...
Yes/no questions are not open-endedquestions.
Using too many of them can make continuing a conversation more difficult: - Do you know the host of the party? - Yes, I do.
Open-ended questions often start with how,what or why
- What brings you to London?
- How would you describe your job?
We can add So or So tell me (to thebeginning) or then (to the end) to sound morecasual
- So tell me, what did you think of the performance?
- How did you like the show, then?
Review
3.5/5
Same teacher possibility: 25%
Will is a patient teacher who always listens to us actively. However, he teaches by following the lecture slides strictly, and has us answer every question on them. This made me feel like he wasn't familiar with the lecture materials. There were four students in today's class, but he didn't have us answer the questions one by one like my other teachers do, which made the class a bit messy. Additionally, he didn't provide any feedback, he just wrote down our answers in the notes without offering any comments.