Guide a conversation

Host

• Check whether your guest needs anything (food? drink?).

• Introduce a suitable topic to start the conversation (use your list from step 1 to help you start).

• If your guest appears uninterested or does not respond, react quickly and move the conversation on to another topic.

• Keep the conversation flowing smoothly.

Guest

• Respond to your host's offer(s).

• Your host will introduce a conversation topic. If you want to continue with the topic, respond and show interest.

• If you don't find the conversation interesting, find a polite way to show that you want to talk about something else or introduce a new topic of your own

1. bend someone's ear

talk to someone, perhaps annoyingly:

Tom is over there, bending Jane's ear about something.

2. beyond words

more than one can say (especially with grateful, shocked, and thankful.)

Sally was thankful beyond words.

3. break the news (to someone)

tell someone some important news, usually

bad news: The doctor had to break the news to Jane about her husband's cancer.

4. change the subject

begin talking about something different: They changed the subject suddenly when the person whom they had been discussing entered the room.

5. chew the fat/chew the rag

have a chat with someone; to talk very informally

with one's close friends (informal):

They usually just sat around and chewed the rag. They never did get much done.

6. chinese whispers

refers to a process by which a message or piece of information (especially gossip, rumours or scandalous news) is passed on from one person to another, and changes along the way, so that the final version is often very different from the original.

7. engage in small talk

talk only about minor matters rather than important matters or personal matters: All the people at the party were engaging in small talk.

8. exchange more than _____ words with someone

say hardly anything to someone: We hardly exchanged more than two words the whole evening.

9. find one's tongue

be able to talk (informal):

Tom was speechless for a moment. Then he found his tongue.

10. get a word in edgewise/get a word in edgeways

manage to say something when other people are talking and ignoring you (often in the negative):

It was such an exciting conversation that I could hardly get a word in edgewise.

11. in a stage whisper

in a loud whisper that everyone can hear: John said in a stage whisper, "This play is boring."

12. mention someone or something in passing

mention someone or something casually; to mention someone or something while talking about someone or something else:

He just happened to mention in passing that the mayor had resigned.

13. put words into someone's mouth

speak for another person without permission: Stop putting words into my mouth. I can speak for myself.

14. ramble on (about someone or something)

talk aimlessly about someone or something: John is so talkative. He's always rambling on about something

15. say something under one's breath

say something so softly that almost no one can hear it:

John was saying something under his breath, and I don't think it was very pleasant.

16. shoot the breeze

spend time chatting: I went over to Bob's place and shot the breeze for about an hour.

17. shoot the bull

to spend time chatting about one's accomplishments, especially with others who are doing the same:

It was raining, so everybody spent the day indoors

drinking beer and shooting the bull.

18. slip of the tongue

an error in speaking where a word is pronounced incorrectly, or where something that the speaker did not mean to say is said:

I didn't mean to tell her that. It was a slip of the tongue.

19. speak off the cuff

to speak in public without preparation: I'm not too good at speaking off the cuff.

20. spread like wildfire

if something such as news, rumours or gossip spreads like wildfire, it becomes widely known very fast: As soon as the nomination was announced, the news spread like wildfire.

21. strike up a conversation

start a conversation (with someone): I struck up an interesting conversation with someone on the bus yesterday.

22. take the floor

when someone takes the floor, they rise to make a speech or presentation: "When I take the floor, my speech will be short." he said.

23. take the words (right) out of one's mouth

[for someone else] say what you were going to say (informal):

John said exactly what I was going to say. He took the words out of my mouth.

24. talk a blue streak

talk very much and very rapidly (informal):

Billy didn't talk until he was six, and then he started talking a blue streak.

25. talk oneself out

talk until one can talk no more:

After nearly an hour, he had talked himself out. Then we began to ask questions.

26. talk shop

talk about business matters at a social event (where business talk is out of place) (informal):

All right, everyone, we're not here to talk shop. Let's have a good time.

27. talk something over

discuss something: Come into my office so we can talk this over.

28. talk until one is blue in the face

talk until one is exhausted (informal):

I talked until I was blue in the face, but I couldn't change her mind.

29. word by word

one word at a time:

We examined the contract word by word to make sure everything was the way we wanted.

30. word for word

in the exact words; verbatim:

I memorized the speech, word for word.