925English L003 – How to Keep a Conversation Going

Hi! Tim here with another 925 English lesson! Last time, we had a look at how to start
a conversation. In this lesson, we’re going to learn how to keep a conversation going.

After all, there’s no point in striking up conversation with someone if you can’t keep
it going. But what does that involve? I mean, it’s more than just asking and
answering questions, right? So, what kinds of things can we say or do to make the
conversation flow naturally?

Well, one important way that we keep a conversation going is by showing interest
in what someone says. If a person makes a comment about something, like the
weather, or work, you need to respond with interest.

So what can we say to show we’re interested? Well, there are a few ways we can do
this. First, you can give an expression of interest, like “really?” or “is that right?”
Then you can make a comment or question about it. You might also just pick out
one idea that the person mentioned and make a little question about it.

Let’s practice some examples of showing interest in this way. Listen to each
example, then repeat it yourself. Ready? Let’s get started.

§ Is that right? Wow, I hear it’s beautiful this time of year.

§ No kidding! That must be such an exciting job.
§ Oh really? That must have been amazing.
§ Is that right? So then what did he say?

Okay, so showing interest is important, but how does it sound in real life? Let’s
listen to a short dialog between two travelers. They’re talking about where they are
“headed,” or traveling to.

Scott: And where you headed?

Joe: Home to Seoul, if we ever get out of here.

Scott: South Korea, hey? Never been, but I’ve heard great things. You like it there?

Joe: Yeah, for sure. You know, it’s a big crazy city with lot’s happening.

Did you hear the expression of interest there? One person mentioned he is going to
Seoul, and the other person invited more information about that topic. And you
might notice that in a casual conversation like this we don’t talk for too long about
one thing before giving the other person a chance to talk.

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And now’s a good time to give you a chance to talk. So let’s try a little practice.
We’ll repeat the dialog, but this time we’re going to beep out the response that
shows interest. You will have to say that part. Remember that to show interest, we
make a little comment, and then ask a question. Here we go:

Scott: And where you headed?

Joe: Home to Seoul, if we ever get out of here.

Scott: South Korea, hey? Never been, but I’ve heard great things. You like it there?

Joe: Yeah, for sure. You know, it’s a big crazy city with lot’s happening.

Nice work. Now, a conversation doesn’t just continue on one topic forever, right? At
some point, the speakers change the subject. But you can’t just suddenly start
talking about something different. That would be strange, because natural
conversation flows; it doesn’t jump around.

So exactly how do we change the subject? Well, you need a little transition. Just a
little word or expression that means “hey, let’s talk about something different now.”
That might be just a word, like “now,” or it might be a phrase, like “by the way.”

Let’s practice changing the subject with a few examples. Remember to repeat what
you hear. Ready? Let’s give it a try.

§ Oh, before I forget, are you going on the trip next month?
§ By the way, did I tell you that we’re headed to Hawaii at Christmas?
§ And you? Has it been a good month?

As you can see, you can change the subject to several different topics. You might
want to move the conversation toward work or to recent events or to travel plans.
Or, if you think you’ve talked a lot about yourself, you might want to change the
topic to the other person.

So, as we’ve seen, conversation flows from topic to topic and back and forth
between people. But what about ending a conversation? What do you say when you
want to draw it to a close? Well, all you need is some kind of excuse or reason for
leaving. Maybe you need to use the restroom or make a phone call. And when you
give your excuse, you can introduce it with something like “I should” or “I need to.”

Let’s practice some examples of ending a conversation. Once again, repeat the
examples after you hear them. Ready?

§ It’s been nice chatting, but I suppose I should go find my seat.

§ It’s getting pretty late and I should really be heading home.
§ If you’ll excuse me, I just need to make a quick call.
§ Well, I shouldn’t leave my husband sitting there alone for too long.

925English Lesson 003 – How to Keep a Conversation Going 2

Okay, now how about listening to how ending a conversation works in real life?
Let’s listen to the end of a conversation between two people chatting at an office
party.

Amber: …So, you live here in the city then?

Shelly: Yeah, in Delgado.

Amber: Is that right? I’ve got a cousin in that area. Pretty nice.

Shelly: And convenient.

Amber: Indeed. Lovely place. Well Shelly, it’s great to talk but I’ve got to go and
freshen up and find a table.

So, did you hear how that worked? Amber said she needed to “freshen up,” which is
a nice way for a woman to say she needs to use the restroom. And she started by
saying “it’s great to talk,” which we often use to indicate that the conversation is
coming to an end before we give an excuse to leave.

Now it’s your turn to practice. We’ll repeat the dialog, but we’ll beep out the end of
the conversation. You can fill that in yourself by saying it was nice to talk and then
giving an excuse to leave. Ready? Here we go.

Amber: Is that right? I’ve got a cousin in that area. Pretty nice.

Shelly: And convenient.

Amber: Indeed. Lovely place. Well Shelly, it’s great to talk but I’ve got to go and
freshen up and find a table.

All right! Now that we’ve looked at how to end a conversation, it’s time for us to
end this lesson. Besides learning how to end a conversation, we’ve looked at some
ways of keeping it going by showing interest or changing the subject.

We’ll be back soon with another 925English lesson. Until then, so long and happy
learning!

925English Lesson 003 – How to Keep a Conversation Going 3

Language Review

A. Jumbled Sentences

Put the words in the correct order to make examples featured in this lesson.

1. way / the / by

______________________________________________________

2. right / is / that / ?

______________________________________________________

3. marketing / of / speaking / ideas

______________________________________________________

4. nice / it’s / chatting / been

______________________________________________________

5. me / if / excuse / you’ll

______________________________________________________

B. Fill in the Blanks

Now use the phrases you made in Exercise A above to complete the following
expressions:

1. _______________________ So what did he say next?

2. _______________________, I need to get back to my table.

3. _______________________, have you seen the new test advertisements?

4. _______________________, but I need to get going now.

5. _______________________, have you talked to June lately?

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Review Answers

A. Jumbled Sentences

1. By the way
2. Is that right?
3. Speaking of marketing ideas
4. It’s been nice chatting
5. If you’ll excuse me

B. Fill in the Blanks

6. Is that right? So what did he say next?

7. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my table.

8. Speaking of marketing ideas, have you seen the new test advertisements?

9. It’s been nice chatting, but I need to get going now.

10. By the way, have you talked to June lately?

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