English Conversation

3
Most common words in English
(cont’d)
convert corporation course credit cultural
conviction correct court crew culture
convince correspondent cousin crime cup
cook cost cover criminal curious
cookie cotton coverage crisis current
cooking couch cow criteria currently
cool could crack critic curriculum
cooperation council craft critical custom
cop counselor crash criticism customer
cope count crazy criticize cut
copy counter cream crop cycle
core country create cross
corn
corner
county
couple
creation
creative
crowd
crucial
D
dad
corporate courage creature cry daily
damage death defendant demonstrate deserve
dance debate defense demonstration design
danger debt defensive deny designer
dangerous decade deficit department desire
dare decide define depend desk
dark decision definitely dependent desperate
darkness deck definition depending despite
data declare degree depict destroy
date decline delay depression destruction
daughter decrease deliver depth detail
day deep delivery deputy detailed
dead deeply demand derive detect
deal deer democracy describe determine
dealer defeat Democrat description develop
dear defend democratic desert developing
development dining discovery distribute dominate
device dinner discrimination distribution door
devote direct discuss district double
dialogue direction discussion diverse doubt
die directly disease diversity down
diet director dish divide downtown
differ dirt dismiss division dozen
difference dirty disorder divorce draft
different disability display DNA drag
differently disagree dispute do drama
difficult disappear distance doctor dramatic
difficulty disaster distant document dramatically
dig discipline distinct dog draw
digital discourse distinction domestic drawing
dimension discover distinguish dominant dream
dress ear edge either emerge
drink early edition elderly emergency
drive earn editor elect emission
driver earnings educate election emotion
drop earth education electric emotional
drug ease educational electricity emphasis
dry easily educator electronic emphasize
due east effect element employ
during eastern effective elementary employee
dust easy effectively eliminate employer
duty eat efficiency elite employment
economic efficient else empty
E economics
economist
effort
egg
elsewhere
e-mail
enable
encounter
each
eager economy eight embrace encourage
Basic English parts of speech
Part I.
Nouns
Pronouns
Verbs
Basic English parts of speech
When learning English grammar, it’s important to know about the different parts of speech that
make up the language so you can understand how to communicate clearly and effectively.
Below you’ll find:
- a list of the different parts of speech,
- an explanation of what each part does, and
- some examples and helpful tips.
English uses nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions.

Nouns
Nouns are used for a:
- person,
- place,
- thing,
- quality,
- activity,
- idea, or
- feeling.
There are different types of nouns:

1. A proper noun is the name of a specific person (e.g., John) or a place (e.g., New York).
These nouns are always capitalized.

2. A common noun is not capitalized.

These nouns are used to describe general places, things, etc. (e.g., “house” or “mom”).
They have singular and plural forms (e.g., “house” and “houses”).

3. A concrete noun describes something that we can see, hear, touch, feel, or taste (e.g., “rain”
or “grass”).
These nouns can also have singular and plural forms.

4. An abstract noun describes something that we cannot perceive with our senses (e.g.,
“happiness” or “freedom”).

5. A countable noun describes something that you can count.

These nouns also have singular and plural forms (e.g., “truck” and “trucks”).

6. A non-collective noun is something that cannot be counted (e.g., “water” and “air”).

7. A collective noun describes a group of people or things (e.g., “herd” and “flock”).
Note that there are special rules governing the formation of plural nouns.
Most of the time, you will add an -s to the end of the noun, as in “cars.”
However, other nouns require other methods:
 If the noun ends in -s, -x, -ch, or -sh, add an -es to the end of the word: e.g., “foxes” or
“lunches”.
 If the noun ends with a consonant and a -y, change the -y to an -i and add -es: e.g., “trollies”.
 If the noun ends in -o, add -es: e.g., “potatoes”.
 If the noun ends in -is, change the -is to -es: e.g., “hypotheses”.
 If the noun ends in -f, change the -f to -v and add -es: e.g., “loaves”.
 If the noun ends in -fe, change the -f to -v and add -s: e.g., “wives”.
 If the noun ends in -us, change the -us to -i: e.g., “stimuli”.
 If the noun contains -oo, change the -oo to -ee: e.g., “teeth”.
 If the noun ends in -on, change the -on to -a: e.g., “criteria”.
However, some nouns do not change: e.g., “sheep” and “series” and some don’t follow the rules
above.
Ex: “moose” doesn’t become “meese” (moose) and “café” doesn’t become “caves” (cafés).
Learning to spot these special cases takes time and practice. Good luck!
Pronouns
Pronouns replace nouns in a sentence.
The noun or noun substitute that a pronoun refers to is called its antecedent.
It’s a good idea to use pronouns at times to help avoid repetitiveness in your writing.
For example, the sentence
“Sally needed bread, so she said she would go to the store to get it”
contains three pronouns:
- two uses of “she” and
- one use of “it.”
That sentence is a lot less awkward than
“Sally needed bread, so Sally said Sally would go to the store to get bread.”
It’s important to note that if you are going to use a pronoun, you must make sure you have
already identified the noun it will replace in the sentence.
To continue our previous example, saying
“She needed something, so she said she would go get it”
is confusing.
Who is “she,” and what is “it”?
There are 7 basic types of pronouns.
1. Subjective personal pronouns are used to replace the subject in a sentence; they are:
“I,” “you,” “he,” “she,” “we,” “they,” and “it.”

2. Objective personal pronouns replace the object of a verb in a sentence; they are:
“me,” “you,” “him,” “her,” “us,” “them,” and “it.”

3. Possessive personal pronouns indicate possession; they are:

“mine,” “yours,” “his,” “hers,” “ours,” “theirs,” and “its.”

4. Reflexive pronouns are used when the object and subject in a sentence are the same; they
are: “myself,” “yourself,” “himself,” “herself,” “ourselves,” “themselves,” and “itself.”

5. Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions; they are:

“what,” “which,” “who,” “whom,” and “whose.”

6. Demonstrative pronouns are used to replace a noun and distinguish it from other things;
they are: “this,” “that,” these,” and “those.”

7. Indefinite pronouns don’t refer to any specific person, place, or thing; they include pronouns
such as: “everyone,” “anywhere,” “anything,” and “someone.”
Verbs
There are 3 kinds of verbs in the English language:
- transitive,
- intransitive, and
- linking.
 A transitive verb shows that an action is applied to an object.
In the sentence “I took the kids to school,” the verb “took” shows that I performed an action
on the object of the sentence, which is “the kids.”
 An intransitive verb indicates an action that is not applied to an object.
For example, in the sentence “I sang,” I performed an action that is not linked to an object.
 A linking verb links the subject to the rest of the sentence.
These verbs include “being verbs” like “feel” and “seem” as well as “helping verbs” like
“have,” “be,” and “do.”

Verbs can be changed to show whether an action took place in the:

- past,
- present, or
- future.
These different forms are known as verb tenses.
English uses 6 basic tenses.
1. The past tense indicates an action that has already taken place: “He walked.”
2. The present tense indicates an action that is currently occurring: “He walks.”
3. The future tense indicates an action that will take place: “He will walk.”
4. The present perfect uses the past participle (“walked”) and either “have” or “has” to
indicate an action that began in the past and is still occurring: “He has walked for exercise for
20 years.”
5. The past perfect uses the past participle (“walked”) and “had” to indicate a past action that
took place before another action: “He had walked 5 miles to get to the store.”
6. The future perfect uses the past participle (“walked”) and “will have” to indicate an action
that will be completed at a specific time in the future: “He will have walked 5 miles by this
afternoon.”
Verbs also have 2 voices: active and passive.
 In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs an action:
“He sings a song.” In this case, “he” is the subject and the action is singing.
 In passive voice, the subject receives the action:
“The song was sung by him.”
When you write, it’s best to use the active voice whenever possible.
Practice 3
Conversation Questions & Answers
 Following are 5 topics conversation questions and answers, that you will face very often in
your daily life.

11. Newspaper/ Magazine

12. A memorable event
13. A favorite subject
14. A museum
15. A favorite movie
 With your group of 12 ITU students, take turns working on these topics.
 11. NEWSPAPER/ MAGAZINE
 What are the benefits of reading a newspaper/magazine?
 Newspapers/magazines can broaden your mind about thousands of things without the need
to travel.
 How often do you read it?
 I read it every day.
 What’s the best time to read the newspaper?
 I think the best time is in the morning when you start a new day.
 What types of magazines do you usually read?
 I usually read politics and fashion magazines. I also enjoy reading about culture and tourism.
 What’s your favorite magazine?
 My favorite is The New York Times, which writes about all sorts of things: business, sports,
movies, travel, books, jobs, education, and real estate.
 Do you read the paper or online news?
 I prefer online news to save money.
 How much does it cost you to buy paper newspaper per month?
 I only buy a monthly newspaper, so it doesn’t cost much money. Around $5/month.
 What is the most popular magazine in your country?
 I think it would be Forbes magazine, a leading source for reliable business news and financial
information.
 With the popularity of Internet, do you think newspapers and magazines will disappear?
 Yes, unfortunately it’s just a matter of time.
Types of Newspapers
Newspaper Content
Other Useful Vocabulary for Newspapers
12. A MEMORABLE EVENT
 How many events have you joined this year? What were they about?
 I have joined more than 10 events so far, most of which were about education.
 What was your most memorable event?
 The most memorable for me was an international study conference, in which I was
introduced to some famous universities in Europe to study overseas.
 Was it organized indoors or outdoors?
 It was an indoor event.
 Who sponsored the event?
 The event organizer was the Education Department of American Center, but the universities
introduced in the conference were the ones who paid.
 Who went to the event with you?
 I went there with my friends, who shared the same interest in studying abroad as me.
 What were some performances in the event?
 There were not many performances. Each university representative just had a speech to
introduce their school to students and then they hosted Q&A session.
 Was the event shown on TV?
 The event was not aired, but there were television advertisements for it.
 How would someone market an event?
 Taking advantage of social media is a smart way to promote an event.
Memories & Experiences Vocabulary
Quite common Should use Example

Unforgettable Memorable/impressive The gig I went to last weekend was so memorable.

Memory A lasting impression This film left a lasting impression on my mind.

A rare A once-in-a-lifetime This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, I won't let it go.

opportunity chance

In my memory In retrospect In retrospect, I made the right decision at the very

beginning.

Remember Recall We recalled all good memories we had in high

school.

Starting point Incentive The incentive was that I wanted to extend my own
limits.

Get married Tie the knot (informal) Today is the big day for my sister to tie the knot.

Wedding dress Wedding gown This exquisite wedding gown is handmade.

Events & Incidents Vocabulary
episode: any of the separate events or series of events occurring in a sequence
event: anything that takes place, particularly something important
incident: an event or happening, especially a violent, unusual or important one
occasion: the time at which a particular event happens
occurrence: something that happens or exists
phenomenon: an observable fact or event that is perceived through the senses
showcase: an event that is intended to emphasize the positive aspects of someone
accident: an unexpected and unpleasant event that happens by chance, usually causing damage
or injury
mishap: a minor accident that has no serious consequences
disaster: a sudden and unfortunate event that causes a great amount of death and destruction
coincidence: a situation in which two things happen simultaneously by chance that is considered
unusual
incidental: alongside or in connection with a more important event
accidentally: by chance and without planning in advance
happenstance: an event that happens by chance, especially a fortunate one
outset: the beginning of something
onset: the beginning point or stage of something, especially unpleasant
continuation: the action or fact of continuing something without any interruptions
inception: the starting point of an activity or event
ending: the act or instance of finishing something or something being finished
conclusion: the final event or part that marks the end of something
closure: the act or process of making an institution, company, etc. shut down permanently
cessation: a process or fact of ceasing
initiation: the act of beginning something, especially a legal process
renewal: the act or process of beginning something after an interval
turning point: a point at which a drastic change occurs in a situation, especially one that makes
it improve
highlight: the most outstanding, enjoyable or exciting part of something
peak: the stage or point of highest quality, activity, success, etc.
midpoint: the point that marks the middle of an event, activity or process
epiphany: a moment in which one comes to a sudden realization
stage: one of the phases in which a process or event is divided into
13. A FAVORITE SUBJECT
 What subjects did you learn in school?
 I learned Math, Science, Physics, Biology, Geography, History, Literature, English, Art & Music.
 What subject did you like the most when you were at school? Were you good at it?
 I liked Biology the most although I was excellent at Literature.
 Did your friends like that subject too?
 Yes, they did. They enjoyed every single Biology lesson.
 Was the textbook written in English or any other language?
 It was written in English.
 Who taught that subject?
 My teacher was Ms. Karen, from the USA.
 How was that subject helpful to you?
 It helped me a lot in becoming a Biology teacher.
 How often did you learn that subject?
 I often had Biology lessons 5 times a week.
 How long did you spend on that subject at home?
 I spent roughly 2 hours per day studying Biology at home.
 Have you ever attended any extra classes for that subject?
 Yes, I have. I usually attended evening classes.
 Is it important to study hard on both social sciences and natural sciences?
 No, it isn’t. Students should study the ones they like and those that are helpful to their career
path.
Common school subject
Accounting Food Technology (Home Economics & Tech.)
Art (Practical Art) French
Biology Geography
Business Studies History
Calculus Health Science
Chemistry Mathematics
Classical Studies Media Studies
Dance Moral and civic education
Design (Practical Art) Music Studies
Design and Visual Communication (Technology) Photography (Practical Art)
Digital sciences and technology Psychology
Drama Physics
Economics Science
English Sport and Exercise Science (Physical Education)
French Statistics …
Textiles and Design (Technology)
Why do students prefer one subject over another?
School subject preferences depend on your aspirations, activities, skills, and interests in the
subject but engaging teachers can promote subject liking beyond individual dispositions.
Fluid and crystallized intelligence are differentially related to subject preferences.
There are:
o beloved class
o popular class
o favorite form
o favorite class
o main class
o popular form
o best subject
o best theme
o better subject
o better topic
o favorite subject
o favorite subject
o preferred material
14. A MUSEUM

 What type of museum is popular in your country?

 There are many types of museums, but the most popular are historical museums.
 What is the most famous museum in your country?
 That would be The British Museum, located in London.
 What’s special about it?
 I’m impressed by its large amount of historical, art, and cultural work.
 How many times have you visited that museum?
 I have visited the museum twice.
 What do you usually do when visiting a museum?
 I usually listen to the tour guide and take notes about important information.
 Are you allowed to take pictures there?
 No, the guards did not allow us to bring the camera in.
 How did you feel after visiting there?
 The overall experience was fantastic, and I learned so many things in just a few hours.
 What do you think is the importance of museums in history?
 Museums are an integral part of any country’s history, and they keep history alive.
Museum Vocabulary
Curator: person who oversees and manages a museum and its collections

Tour guide: person employed to show tourists around places of interest

Preservation: maintain something in its original or existing state

Exhibition: public display of works of art or items of interest held in a museum or gallery for
people to see

Admission fee: fee charged to enter a place

Donation: something that you give in order to help a person or organization

Artifact (artefact - UK): object made by a human being, of cultural or historical interest

Collection: group of accumulated paintings, documents, or artifacts grouped together by a

particular theme

Cultural: relating to the arts and to intellectual achievements

Gift shop: shop that sells items appropriate as gifts

Wander (around): walk slowly across or around an area, usually without clear purpose
Synonyms & Similar Words

Museum Museum pieces

Gallery Artifacts
Exhibition Relics
Library Antiques
Collection Fossils
Archives Antiquities
Display Ruins
Salon Remnants
Studio Remains
Assemblage Dinosaurs
Vestiges
15. A FAVORITE MOVIE
 Do you usually watch movies at home or at a movie theater?
 I usually watch movies on my laptop, sometimes I go to the movie theater.
 Is watching movies at the theater more interesting than watching movies at home?
 Yes, definitely, because you can watch vivid images on a large screen with lively sound effects
 How often do you go to the movie theater?
 I often go to the movie theater every weekend.
 What’s your favorite type of movie? What movie of that type do you like?
 My favorite type is comedy because whenever I watch one, I feel like there are no more
worries in the world. I love the Mr. Bean movie series.
 Was that movie adapted from a book?
 No, the story is derived from funny situations in real life.
 Who are the actors/actresses in the movie?
 Mr. Bean is the main character, he is played by Rowan Atkinson who is from England.
 Was it recommended by your friend, teacher or family?
 It was recommended by my classmate.
 Was the movie in your mother language or in English?
 It was in English, but I can also watch it with subtitles.
 Should children watch violent movies?
 I don’t believe so. Young children are very impressionable and it could lead them to wanting
to imitate the behavior.
 What’s the most important factor of a great movie?
 I believe that plot and actors are among the factors which decide the success of a movie.
Film Styles & Genres
 A film's style refers to the techniques a director uses to create a movie, and it can include
themes, sound, dialogue, cinematography and lighting.

1. Film noir
It's black-and-white visual style associated with fictional crime stories and emphasizes cynical
attitudes and motivations.

2. Documentary
Authentic depiction of reality with the intent to instruct, educate or maintain a historical record.

3. German expressionism
It explores a subjective experience of the world by attempting to visualize anxiety through
distorted and unusual imagery.

4. Italian neorealism
The stories focus on mostly poor and working-class people.

5. Spaghetti western
The spaghetti western film type and contain a main villain who represents the worst of
humanity and an imperfect hero with selfish morals.
 A film's genre is a definitive category based on its narrative elements.

1. Action

2. Adventure

3. Comedy

4. Drama

5. Horror

6. Romance

7. Science fiction

8. Fantasy

9. Historical

10. Crime
Set (3) - Live within your means
DIALOGUE
Eric : It’s such a shame we are so broke . Everyone is splurging out there; I feel like two cents.
Carl : Tomorrow is our pay day and we’re going to be loaded . Aren’t we?
Eric : What we earn is just a drop in the ocean compared to Steven.
Carl : That guy is born with a golden spoon in his mouth . It’s time you came down to earth and
learned how to live within your means.

VOCABULARY
Broke : (adj.) having little or no money.
Splurge : (v) spend (money) freely or extravagantly.
Feel like two cents : to have a feeling of complete worthlessness or unimportance.
Loaded : (adj.) having a lot of money; wealthy.
A drop in the ocean: a very small amount.
Born with a golden spoon in one’s mouth : Born into a wealthy family.
Come down to earth : to become realistic.
Live within one’s means : to spend less or only as much money as one is earning
Expressions for you to sound more native
To make ends meet: to have enough money to survive –
I know it’s not easy to make ends meet with a big family.
To strike up: to start – Let’s strike up a conversation.
To jump in the shower: to take a shower – I’m late I need to jump in the shower.
To grab a bite to eat: to eat – I’m hungry I need to grab a bite to eat.
To talk over: to discuss a problem or a plan – I know you are angry with me, let’s talk it over!

Ways to Avoid Answering a Question

No comment.
I’m not at liberty to say. (= I don’t have permission to give the information)
Wait and see. (= you will discover the answer later)
Let me get back to you. (= I will give you the answer later)
I’m sorry, that’s confidential.
I’m sorry, that’s personal.
I’d rather not talk about it.
It’s none of your business.
Mind your own business.
Why do you want to know?