Relationships

And

Social Interactions

People like making everything short, especially for sentence structures in spoken
English. To make words shorter than they should be, English has something like:
contractions (theyre; shes; its; Ive, wed), reductions in speaking (wanna, gotcha, gotta,
dontcha, gonna, kinda, cause, Ima), short answers (yes, I am; no, youre not), etc.
In spoken English, these shorter forms are so common. See this chart to see how
the average people talk with a shorter way in English.

This is why in real English, we usually find that natives speak really fast and it is
often hard to catch every word they are saying.
(A.10.1) Listen to this recording and see how many words you can catch.
<You might not hear all the words, but you might understand the topic that the
speaker was talking about.>
(A.10.2) Now try to listen to an extract from a movie and try to catch what the
speaker is saying.

As you were listening to the extract, you heard that these shorter forms are also
applied in the structure of the sentence itself. We heard that the actor said:
I gotta show you something.
instead of
I have to show something to you.

Now, look at another example to see how this thing really works in speaking.
I want to buy some food for you, but there isnt any money left in my pocket.

I wanna buy you some food, but theres no money in my pocket.

In case of social interactions, speaking is all about expressing everything in your
mind, not getting an exact word in order to translate a word from your first language to a
word in English that has the most similar meaning because itll just slow you down.
Remember, when you speak, theres no enough time to think of a words meaning even
more to translate word by word. People you are talking to do not have a whole day to wait
for you to speak up!
So, now please take a look back to the sentence in the purple box. Do you know that
there are some more ways to speak of that sentence? Here are some of them.
(a)

Im going to buy some food for you, but Ive got no money with me.

(b)

I really want to buy some food for you, but I seem to leave my money at home.

(c)

I wanna buy you some food, but I have no money with me now.

(d)

Im gonna buy you some food, but I got no penny in me.

(e)

I wanna buy you some food, but it seems like Im running out of money.

Anyway, besides any shorter forms of talking, people also like to speak with phrasal
verbs and idioms in their sentences. Such as in (e) I wanna buy you some food, but it seems
like Im running out of money. Lets pay attention to this recording to hear some more
examples.
(A.10.3) Listen to a short conversation between two friends and try to catch what
they are talking about.
Note : When you are speaking, the first thing you need to make sure is you have to know
whom you are talking to. You also need to be aware of the situation of your
surroundings for the reason that some shorter ways, especially reductions, are
inappropriate for formal use.
What to speak

Neal and Tara are at work. Tara is doing her job inside her cubicle when Neal runs
into her and starts talking. Read their conversation below and pay attention to
sentences in bold.
Neal

: Tara, could you do me a favor?

Tara

: Sure. What can I help you with?

Neal

: I have to send my friend an email but my hands were hurt. See cant type
anything for now.

Tara

: Whats happened with your hands?

Neal

: Its just I had to make Carl some coffee and I accidentally spilt it on my
hands so They got burnt.

Tara

: Gosh! Why did Uh, where was Derek? Wasnt he responsible for the
coffee?

Neal

: He was out. He had to buy Carl some food.

Tara

: Wha-? Why didnt he just order a takeaway?

Neal

: No idea.
3

Tara

: I just dont understand. Why did Carl like making everyone busy today?

Neal

: But Carl is a very helpful person.

Tara

: Yeah, just because he lent me some money the other day, it doesnt make
him the nicest guy Ive ever met. Oh, scratch it! What do I have to type?

Neal

: Ummm, type this, Ive always wanted to tell you something.

Tara

: Hm hm?

Neal

: But the time hasnt always been yet to come and it just drove me mad. So,
today I finally took all my courage to tell you this. I love you.

Tara

: Aha! So, youre confessing?

Neal

: Yup.

Tara

: Via email? Thats so unromantic! Alright, its your business anyway. And
where do I have to send this to?

Neal

: Its to taradonnovan.gmail.com.

Tara

: Okay. Taradon. Wait a sec! Its my email!

Neal

: Yeah, its your email address

Tara

: It means Oh, God... Neal!!

Now listen to a conversation among four colleagues talking about their new boss
during break time at work and check these sentences out. Pay attention to the whole
context they are in to know the meaning of the italicized words below.
o

He had the same poker face.

Sit around doing nothing.

She was put out to pasture.

I could barely make ends meet.

Shes on her way out.

Lets not blow up things out of

Youve got something to fall

back on.

Well, look on the bright side.

Youll get a nice severance

package.

proportion.
o

The companys going to lay

people off.

They hired Bagley to clean

house.

How to speak
Direct and Indirect Object.
In simple sentences, the objects are easy to see. Look at these sentences.

They took the money.

The children have eaten the cakes.

Lizzie bought some apples.

However, some verbs can be followed by two objects: a direct object and an
indirect object. Lets see what it means.
She gave me the book.
(= She gave the book to me.)
the book is the real object of this sentence; thus, this is the direct object (DO).
me is the indirect object (IO).
Look at these tables and notice the difference.
Table 1
S

DO

to/for

IO

have bought

a present

for

your mother.

You

promised

a car

to

her.

Mr. Potter

showed

some photos

to

his son.

The dog

causes

a mess

for

me.
Table 2

IO

DO

have bought

your mother

a present.

You

promised

her

a car.

Mr. Potter

showed

his son

some photos.

The dog

causes

me

a mess.

Can you tell the difference?

5

Phrasal Verbs

Like you see on the above picture, a phrasal verb is an idiomatic phrase
consisting of a verb and a particle. This particle is typically an adverb as in break
down, or a preposition like fall for, or a combination of both such as look down on.
Here are some examples of the most common phrasal verbs:
ask out

figure out

listen to

run into

back off

get along

look at

run out of

call off

get back

look for

set up

cheat on

give back

look through

take off

come over

give in

make over

take on

come up

go ahead

make up

tear apart

count on

go for

meet up

think about

cut off

go on

move aside

think over

cut out

go through

move in

turn in

dream about

grow up

out of

turn off

dress up

hang out

pull over

turn on

drop by

hold on

push around

wait for

fall apart

lay around

put off

wait up

feel like

let in

put on

work out

How many of them do you know?

Idioms
An idiom is a phrase where the words that go
together have a meaning that is different from the
dictionary definitions of the individual words.
Here is a list of some idioms that are used
frequently in spoken English:
apple of ones eyes

drop someone a line

put on a show

a shoulder to cry on

easier said than done

rain cats and dogs

as easy as pie

get out of hand

read between the lines

be on fire

hit me up

ring a bell

break the ice

hit the books

rumor has it

break the mold

hit the nail on the head

scratch ones back

burn the candle

keep ones head together

stand on ones feet

buy the time

like mother, like daughter

strike home

chin up

my hat is off to

walk in ones shoes

costs an arm and a leg

out of the blue

whats the point

cry a river

piece of cake

when pigs fly

cup of tea

poker face

zip ones lip

And here are a few sentences that use some of those idioms.

Can you stop putting on a show? Im done with it.

God broke the mold when you came in this world!

This matter starts getting out of hand. Im screwed now!

Just hit me up tomorrow morning, okay?

The test was really a piece of cake! I could even finish it with my eyes closed.

How to learn idioms

Three things to remember when learning idioms:
1.

Learn the meaning of the new idiom in English that you already understand this
helps you to get the full and actual meaning of the idiom, without an approximate
translation.

2.

Learn how to use the idiom in a particular situation (learn to use it in particular
context) if you dont know how to use the idiom, its useless to you. Its better not to
use it if you cant use it well.

3.

Start using the idiom in conversation with others as soon as possible- use it or lose
it! if you dont start using it immediately youll soon forget it, and all the time you
spent learning it would have been wasted.
www.betterspokenenglish.com

Note : Just like most reductions, many idioms also have limited functions in which they are
inappropriate to use for formal conversations; however, they do have important
roles in some social communities. In some cases, they are used to show how close
the relationships among the members are.

Do you notice that..?

Sometimes, when we listen to someone talking in English, we find something like this:
-

You really dont know how to get along with her, do you?

Where the children are is what matters now.

Do you know why she didnt show up last night?

We talked about who she lived with before she moved out.

I dont understand what you are talking about.

Cant you just tell me what we are dealing with?

We dont know what other peoples journey is all about.

Just tell me who she is and Ill stop following you around.

Lets see how hard you can try.

All words in bold are called noun
clauses. A noun clause is a formation of
words that has a verb and an implicit or
explicit subject, but doesnt share a
complete idea. Noun clauses come in forms
of statements. They take the nouns place
(as a subject, an object of a verb or an object

of a preposition). Their presences are preceded by certain conjunctions called

subordinators (why, what, who, when, whether, how, that, if, etc); however, in certain
cases, these conjunctions may be omitted.
A noun clause can even appear in another noun clause. Look at these sentences.
-

I never thought that I could travel to wherever I want.

You think I dont know that youve been stabbing me in the back?

I know I can be what I want to be.

Can you recognize the two noun clauses in each sentence?

Riddle
I take off my clothes when you put yours on; and I put my clothes on when you take
yours off. What am I?

Lets have some fun! - Sing a song

Gallery
By. Mario Vasquez
Oooohhh ooooo (Oh)
Oooohhh ooooo yeah (Oh)
God broke the mold, when he made this one I know
She's breathtaking but so much more
She walks in the room, your lungs closed
Making you never wanna breathe again
Her boyfriend has got so much dough, so much ice his neck and wrist froze
Is he faithful to her? Hell no! But she chose to be with him, Shorty
Tell me is the money worth your soul?
Tell me what's the reason that you hold on,
when you know that dude has a whole wall of 'em just like you?
And girl you're just way too fine
Gotta be treated as one of a kind
Girl, use your mind
Don't be just another dime
Because
I can't take seeing you with him
cause I know exactly what you'll be, in his gallery
Just not fair and it's tearing me apart
You're just another priceless work of art
In his gallery
10

She's so confused, she knows she deserves more

Someone who will love and adore
But his money's hard to ignore
She really doesn't know what to do
Girl, it's just a matter of time before he finds another more fine
After he's done dulling your shine, you're out the door and he's through with you
Tell me is the money worth your soul?
Tell me what's the reason that you hold on,
When you know that dude has a whole wall of 'em just like you?
And girl you're just way too fine
Gotta be treated as one of a kind
Girl, use your mind
Don't be just another dime
I can't take seeing you with him
cause I know exactly what you'll be, in his gallery
Just not fair and it's tearing me apart
You're just another priceless work of art
In his gallery
You're a masterpiece, I know that he can't appreciate your beauty
Don't let him cheapen you, he don't see you like I do
Beautiful not just for show, its time that someone let you know
I can't take seeing you with him
cause I know exactly what you'll be, in his gallery
Just not fair and it's tearing me apart
You're just another priceless work of art
Ohhhh
I can't take seeing you with him
cause I know exactly what you'll be, in his gallery
Just not fair and it's tearing me apart
You're just another priceless work of art
In his gallery
In his gallery
Note: This song uses very informal spoken English. Some expressions are grammatically
incorrect and inappropriate for formal use.

11

EXERCISES

A.

Match the phrases in A with phrases in B to make complete sentences.

<A>

B.

<B>

a.

Id love to sing you

him back the ring without thinking anymore.

b.

Jack offered me

an affordable house around here?

c.

Mr. Tim always kiss

me a sandwich and an egg for breakfast.

d.

We broke up and I just gave

a position in his company last week.

e.

Could you buy me

me a big wedding party.

f.

Chef Arnold baked

me a message?

g.

Yesterday my mother made

his daughter goodnight.

h.

Could you find me

a song before you sleep tonight.

i.

He has promised

an aspirin from the drugstore?

j.

Did Tara leave

Jim a cake this morning.

Rewrite the sentences without using to or for.

1.

He brought a bunch of lovely flowers for me.

......

2.

Why doesnt he show the video to his girlfriend?

......

3.

My brother sent a package to me last week.

......

4.

Did you lend your pen to her?

......

5.

That generous man bought some food for the orphans.

......

6.

She never told her secret to me.

......

12

7.

He promised a visit to me.

......

8.

Would you get an ashtray for me?

......

9.

My friends used to write letters to me.

......

10. Could you pass the salt for me?

......
C.

* Listen to extracts of some different songs and guess the singers by numbering the
pictures according to the songs order.

Pink

Backstreet Boys

Katy Perry

Demi Lovato

(.)

(.)

(.)

(.)

LeeAnn Rimes

A1

Jesse McCartney

Westlife

(.)

(.)

(.)

(.)

* Listen again and try to recognize the sentences containing direct and indirect objects
in them.

13

D.

Arrange the words to make good sentences.

1.

grandmother / makes / me / plane. / paper / a / My

2.

me / always / kind / That / hand. / a / gives / man

3.

mother / seat / you / my / Would / a /, please? / find

4.

my / pair / I / a / lenses. / sister / contact / buy / of

5.

shows / husband / the / her / She / painting.

6.

mother / reads / always / me / at / a / My / night. / story

7.

didnt / me / bring / Why / perfume? / some / you

8.

husband / song / anniversary / My / at / our / a / me / 10th / sang.

9.

injured / showed / He / his / hand. / me

10. sent / your / you / postcard? / a / Have / family

14

E.

Check the meaning of the bold-typed words below. Then, listen to a short article on
on-the-job romances. Can you decide which statements are true according to the
recording, and which ones are false?
1.

Office romances often spring up because the two often spend time together at
the same environment.

2.

It is positive that on-the-job romances only result in so many problems at work.

3.

Workers tend to be on fire when working, so they dont give a hoot about
gossiping others love business.

4.

Break-ups with hard feelings are big reasons why it is not a good thing to start
romances at work.

5.
F.

It will bring up some happiness to the workplace if a romance story comes up.

Pick one phrasal verb from the box to replace the underlined word in each sentence.
Be careful with the verb forms!
let down

call off

wrap up

be off

go up

calm down

turn down

brag about

come off

stay up

1.

Susan got a new car and she talks big of it all day!

2.

If you step on one of the mines, well die.

3.

Im sorry, but I really have to cancel the meeting today.

4.

Great! The gum sticks so perfectly that it wont be removed.

5.

I think I should leave now.

6.

Please dont make me disappointed.

7.

Lets finish our work faster and get something to eat.

8.

Look at you! It seems like you didnt sleep at all last night.

9.

Try to reduce your stress, honey. Everything will be okay.

10. Lisas not coming. She refused our invitation.

15

G.

Complete the sentences by putting these phrasal verbs into the gaps. Be careful with
the verb forms!
listen to

take off

close down

doze off

bump into

go to

put through

drop off

cheat

bring back

get along

pass out

come from

figure out

fall for

stay away

piss off

show up

chicken out

do over

1.

I never the radio at night.

2.

You can your hat and leave it there.

3.

I used to while driving, but I dont anymore.

4.

I was going to go bungee jumping, but I

5.

Bob is sincere. He never his girlfriend.

6.

You do your shopping, Ill the post office,

7.

You have to with your mothers decision. She did it for you.

8.

Sometimes people when they see blood.

9.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith the salesmans promises.

10. Your paper was worse than I thought. You should it .

11. The man decided to the business .
12. Jack never finished his study. He in the middle of the
semester.
13. Im sorry for the hurdle I you .
14. Stop teasing me. Youre starting to me .
15. Jane had a difficult childhood. She a broken home.
16. Im really dizzy. I cant this problem .
17. Seeing the old photos really memories.
18. I Greg this morning, but he didnt recognize me.
19. I was supposed to meet my sister for lunch, but she hasnt yet.
20. from that animal! Its dangerous.

16

H.

Bob works as a manager in a furniture store. Peter, his boss, is not happy about sales.
Bob's new advertising campaign hasn't helped. Peter decides to fire him.

Listen to their conversation and fill in the gaps with idiomatic expressions you
hear.
Peter

: Bob, I hate to (1).., but our sales are down

again last month.

Bob

: Down again, Peter?

Peter

: Yeah. These days, everybodys shopping at our competition, Honest

Abes Furniture Store.

Bob

: But everything in there (2)..!

Peter

: Thats true. They do charge (3)...

Bob

: And

their

salespeople

are

very

strange.

They

really

(4)..!
Peter

: Well, they must be doing something right over there. Meanwhile,

were about to (5)...

Bob

: Im (6).. that. I thought my new advertising

campaign would (7)...

Peter

: Lets

face

it!

Your

advertising

campaign

was

manager.

Shes

(8)...
Bob

: Well then Ill (9)...

Peter

: Its too late for that. Youre fired!

Bob

: What? Youre (10)..?

Peter

: Yes.

Ive

already

found

new

(11)...
Bob

: Cant we even (12)..? After all, Ive been

working here for ten years!

Peter

: Theres (13).. arguing, Bob. Ive already

(14)...

Bob

: Oh well, al least I wont have to (15).. your

17

nonsense anymore! Good-bye to you and good-bye to this

(16)... job.
Peter

: Please leave before I (17)..!

Now match the expressions you heard with these meanings. Write the number of
each expression next to its meaning.
a.

accept a difficult reality

k.

to create a feeling of disgust

b.

to become very angry

c.

to decide

d.

very intelligent

e.

to start again from the very

m.

to discuss something

beginning

n.

to fire someone

f.

to make something known

o.

to prevent a disaster or

g.

a failure

h.

will not lead to anything else

p.

be very expensive

i.

to go bankrupt

q.

to endure without complaint

j.

its not worth being done

or horror
l.

the highest end of a price

range

misfortune

18

I.

Match the idioms in A with the meanings in B. Ask your teacher to give some
sentences where the idioms can be found as the clues.

<A>

<B>

1.

lose ones head

to avoid getting to the point

2.

rolling in dough

obviously

3.

give it a shot

to earn a lot of money

4.

have a little domestic

to lose control of ones behavior

5.

drive a hard bargain

to be though in negotiating an agreement

6.

give one the creeps

to create a feeling of disgust or horror

7.

live from hand to mouth

very difficult

8.

hit the nail on the head

to try as hard as one can

9.

make a bundle

to stay up late studying or working

10.

needless to say

to try something

11.

bite off more than one can chew

very rich

12.

like pulling teeth

to be right

13.

beat around the bush

to barely have enough money to survive

14.

burn the midnight oil

to have a small fight with someone close

15.

give it ones best shot

to take on more than one is capable of

19