C. Practice introducing yourself, friends and groupmates. Remember to smile (and use handshakes where appropriate).
After you have been introduced to someone, it is polite to ask a few general questions to get acquainted. For example: - Where are you from, Carol? - I'm from Connecticut. - Connecticut, which part? - Hartford, the capital. How about you, Ben? - Nebraska - a place called Bellevue. It's near Omaha. - How do you know Alan (A)? - He is my friend from college. When meeting someone for the first time, it is not appropriate to ask certain types of questions. Do NOT ask: A person's age, Birth date, Salary, Weight, Marital status. You may ask general questions about the situation. For example: - How do you know Alan (the person who introduced us)? - Are you a student at this university? - Is this your first time here? - What do you do for a living? - How long have you been working for (company)? LANGUAGE SKILLS 3: CLOSING A CONVERSATION D. How would you close a conversation in the following situations? v You are in a hurry to leave. What do you say? v You really don't want to leave, but you can see the other person needs to go. v You’ve just met someone at a party, but you have to leave the party early. v You are "seeing someone off" at the airport/train station.
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