Greetings

爱思美语课程>>>初级班>>>Greetings

“Nice to Meet You!”

Build Level 1: Greetings

‘Would you like to hang out sometime?' This is a casual way ofinviting someone to spend time with you.

When you meet some one for the first time you will have to introduce yourself and maybe someone you are with. You will also have to take part in small talk that involves accepting or refusing invitations. There are both formal and informal ways of doing this. In this lesson we will learn different ways of doing all of these.

Some Useful Terms, Idioms, & Phrases

Break up into pairs, and discuss the idioms your teacher gives you. Afterwards you will tell the class your answers. Then fill in the blanks in the idiom exercise with the correct phrase.

get one's wires crossed	“She was not very clear; we ended up getting our wires crossed.”
No way!	“He said that?? No way* !!”*
now and then	“I like to go sailing every now and then.”
so-so	“How are you?” “I'm so-so* .”*
not so bad	“How are you feeling today?” “Ah you know, not so bad* .”*
ease up	“Don't get so angry, ease up* ”*
feel free	*“Feel free* to come around any time”.
fill me in	“I want all the gossip, fill me in* .”*
hang out	“Do you fancy hanging out tom orrow?”
small talk	“I hate small talk* , it's so tiresome.”*

Idiom Exercise Choose the correct idiom and fill in the blanks.

• “________!!!!!, you went to Old Oak High School as well, that's a real surprise.”

• “I still go and visit her every _______”

• “He turned up two hours late, I guess we_____________”

• “Hey, I'm free all day tom orrow, do you want to_________?”

• “I'm so stressed, I guess it's time to ______.”

Reading Exercise - Introductions

Read the following introductions and greetings, and circle either formal or informal, depending on what you think. Then discuss in pairs when you would use formal and informal ways to greet people.

Claire: Hi, long time no see.

Lesley: Hey, how's things?

Claire: So-so. I've been really busy at work recently.

Lesley: Really? You should ease up a bit. You work too hard.

Formal / Informal

Sophie : Hey, what's up?

Philip : Not much, how you doin'?

Sophie : I'm not so bad. Do you want to hang out tonight?

Philip : That sounds good.

Formal / Informal

Frank : Good morning. Pleased to meet you.

David: Thank you. How are you?

Frank : I'm very well, thanks.

Formal / Informal

Mark: Hello, I'm Mark. Glad to meet you.

Craig: Craig – good to meet you. Did you have a good trip here?

Mark : Yes, it was a bit long, but it wasn't too bad.

Formal / Informal

Fill in the Blanks

Hey, what's up?	How are you doing?	Long time, no see.
Hello, sir.	Good morning.	Hi!
All right?

1、 You meet your boss or teacher in the hallway. You might say, “________________.”

2、 You haven't seen a close friend for many weeks. When you finally meet again, you

might say, “_______________________.”

3、 A very quick way to say hello. (Informal) “_________.”

4、 You want to say hello and ask if anything is new. (Informal) You say, “___________________.”

5、 Means the same as “What's up?” Just another way to ask what someone is doing. “_______________________.”

6、 A way to greet someone and ask him/her how he/she feels. (Formal) You say, “_________________.”

Listening Comprehension & Exercise Introducing a Friend

Listen to the following conversation and put the pictures in the correct order by writing in the number. While you are listening, try to work out how these two men first met, and if they are talking formally or informally.After putting the pictures in order, listen again and fill out the blanks in the onversation. Don't worry if there are any words you do not understand - you will have a chance to discuss these words later.

Fill in the blanks – Listen carefully for the missing words

Steve : Hi Robert! How's it going?

Robert : Good, how are you?

Steve : Not so bad. Have you -________ Dawn?

Robert : No, I don't think I have. Nice to meet you.

Dawn: You too. Do you ________ with Steve at the shop?

Robert: No, Steve and I go a long way back ; we went to ___________ school together. Where do you work?

Dawn : I work in town at the Clock Café. I've been there for a few years now. It's ok.

Robert: Oh yeah, I think I've seen it, over on Otley Street , I've been meaning to ________

_______ there, the menu looks good.

Dawn : Feel free to come in anytime, I can personally recommend the blueberry cheese cake.

Steve : I second that . So Robert, how are the kids? Is Jim still __________ football at school?

Robert : Yep, he's doing really well, he made it onto the county ________ last week and Sharon

is still playing tennis at the club. What about Diane? Did she enjoy the holiday?

Steve : Yeah, we had a great time. The weather was really good. It was

a long flight, though, and those seats are so _____________.

Dawn : Tell me about it. I had to sit for five hours when I flew to Greece last year, I felt

quite ___________ when I finally landed.

Robert : Yeah…anyway, I have to go now, I told Diane I would be back home at eight,

so I don't want to be _________. I'll give you a call Steve and it was nice meeting you Dawn.

Dawn : You too. Bye.

Steve : Bye.

Ask your teacher about any words or phrases you do not understand from the conversation. Then,
working by yourself, write down two comprehension questions based on the conversation.
You must know the answers to these questions - you will ask these questions to other people in the class.

Reading , Listening, & Role Play - Small Talk

Read the following article and answer the true or false questions below. You will then listen to a conversation between two people and answer some comprehension questions. First read the questions, then listen - you may have to listen to the conversation a few times. Afteryou finish try having some small talk with your partner.

When you first meet most westerners, it's impolite to talk about things such as salary, age, sex, and
religion. Good topics to talk about might be the weather, work and family.

You can introduce yourself casually in informal situations. As the conversation develops, a simple
introduction, such as "By the way, my name is..." is ok. If a friend comes along and stops to talk,
introduce him orher to the person you are talking to. It is good to provide some information
about each of them, so that the other will

1. know what your relationship is to the other person (friend, neighbor, wife, brother, teacher)

and

2. have some information with which to begin a conversation.

When we are introduced to someone informally,

we usually respond with "Nice to meet you" or "Hi,

how are you?" "How do you do?" is used in

more formal situations.

True or False

• It is ok to ask someone what their salary is when meeting them for the first time.

True / False

• You should not tell someone your name when you meet them.

True / False

• It is polite to introduce a friend to the person you are talking to.

True / false

• You could talk about the weather when chatting to someone.

True / False

Listening Activity - Comprehension Questions

What started the conversation between Maria and Ali?
Did Ali start the conversation by introducing herself?
Where are Maria and Ali from?
How did Ali show he was interested in talking to Maria?
What other things did they talk about before telling each other their names?
What did Ali say to introduce himself?
Why didn't Ali ask Maria her age or telephone number?

Speaking & Writing Exercise – Accepting & Declining Invitations

At some point when talking to a foreign person, you will want to invite them to an event (for example, a meal) or they will invite you out. Unless you are talking to a very good friend it is important to be polite when accepting and especially if you are declining an invitation. Look at the following ways of ccepting or declining an invitation and practice them with you partner. Take turns asking the question. Can you think of any other ways to accept or decline an invitation? Write these down and practice them as well.

Would you like to go to the movies tonight?

Yes, I would like to go to the movies tonight.

I would love to go to the movies, thank you.

No, I'm sorry I can't go to the movies tonight, but thank you for asking.

No, thank you. I have other plans.

I'm sorry, I can't go to the movies tonight, maybe another time.

Writing Exercise - RSVP

You may receive an invitation by mail. In this case you would usually respond by mail. Choose one of the following invitations and write a short letter either accepting or declining the invitation. You should include your name and address. If you are declining the invitation, you should include a reason why. Keep it brief!!

Wedding Invitation	Birthday Invitation	Halloween Party
Wedding Anniversary	Baby Shower

Discussion

Read the following situations and discuss with your partner who should pay the bill. In some situations it is normal to split the bill among everyone. There are no right or wrong answers with this exercise.

Situation 1

Two friends haven't seen each other for a couple of weeks so they go out for lunch.

Situation 2

Your boss invites you out to lunch to talk about work.

Situation 3

A man has asked a woman out on a date and takes her to a nice restaurant.

Situation 4

A group of friends go out to a restaurant to celebrate someone's birthday.

Situation 5

A husband takes his wife out to dinner to say “sorry” after forgetting their wedding