Fluency Game Flashcards
(128 cards)
1
Q
You see someone in the elevator who’s trying to untie the wires of his headphones. You think its funny because you do that a lot too. You say this.
A
Don’t you hate how those cords always get tangled up?
2
Q
Your son asks if some yogurt that’s in your refrigerator is too old to eat. You’re not sure. You say this.
A
I don’t know, sweetie. Check the expiration date.
3
Q
You’re a college student. Your grades haven’t been very high, but now you want to get better grades so that you can graduate with honors. You’re talking to your academic advisor. You say this.
A
Hopefully I can bring my GPA up to at least a 3.0 this semester.
4
Q
At work, a member of another department suggests a change. You think it’s a good suggestion, but you can’t agree to it because you don’t have the power to make the change. One of your bosses will need to agree to it. You say this.
A
It’s not up to me; I’m way too far down on the totem pole.
5
Q
When you come home, there are a lot of dry cleaning bags hanging in the closet. You wonder why your husband cleaned so many things. You ask this.
A
What’s with all the dry cleaning?
6
Q
You work as a waiter. There’s a new waiter at the restaurant. Today’s a really busy day, so you want to make sure that she’s OK. You ask this.
A
You hangin’ in there?
7
Q
You just moved to a new apartment and need to get a new desk. Your friend suggests that you try to buy one used through the Internet. You’d rather buy a new one because it’s easier. You say this.
A
I don’t have time to haggle with someone over the price of a piece of furniture!
8
Q
You’re on an airplane that is about to land soon. The flight attendant is making announcement. She says this.
A
Seat backs and tray tables must be placed in their upright and locked positions.
9
Q
You’re shopping for a new computer at an electronics store. After asking a salesperson a few questions, you say this because you’re ready to buy the computer that he recommends.
A
OK. Well, I’ll take it.
10
Q
You’re buying a new computer at an electronics store. You’ve told the salesperson which computer you want to buy, and then he asks you this.
A
That comes with a 90-day warranty. Would you like to purchase an extended two-year warranty?
11
Q
You recently quit your job. You’re talking to a friend about it. You told him that you could move back in with your parents if you can’t find a new job soon. But you don’t want to do that, so you say this.
A
Hopefully it won’t come to that.
12
Q
You’ve quit your job. You’re talking about it with a friend, who’s worried about you. But you’re not worried. This is how you explain why.
A
Worst case scenario, I can always move back in with my folks.
13
Q
You’re talking to a guy at a party. He speaks with a normal American English accent, so you think that he grew up in the U.S. But you’re curious what country his parents or other ancestors came from. You ask this.
A
Do you mind if I ask what your ethnic background is?
14
Q
You have a big research paper due for school in 2 days, and you’re worried that you won’t be able to make the deadline. You’re complaining to one of your classmates who you’re working with. You’ve just listed two problems that are making it hard for you to finish your paper and conclude by saying this.
A
To make matters worse, one of the books I need is checked out.
15
Q
You’re on vacation with your daughter. You were supposed to return home, but your flight was cancelled because of weather. Now you have to stay for another day. You’ve rescheduled your flight and there’s nothing else you can do, so you say this.
A
We might as well make the most of it.
16
Q
One of your company’s competitors is expanding and hiring a lot of new employees. You think that’s a bad idea because the economy is bad now. You’re discussing it with your boss at lunch. You say this.
A
That seems pretty risky, given the current economic climate.
17
Q
You’re at a Christmas party. You’re dressed up as Santa Claus. You see your girlfriend, so you walk up and ask her this.
A
Have you been naughty or nice this year?
18
Q
You’re presenting awards at a company-wide end of year party. You have to call out someone’s name that’s written down, but the spelling is very tricky. You don’t think you’ll be able to pronounce the name correctly. Before saying the name, you say this.
A
I know I’m going to mangle this…
19
Q
Your daughter is crying because she doesn’t like what you cooked for dinner. She wants pizza instead. You’re angry that she’s not satisfied with the meal you cooked. You say this.
A
You’re acting like a spoiled brat!
20
Q
You’re going to apply to a school in the U.S. You’re reading the rules for applying on the school’s website. This sentence is on the page.
A
Please note that all applications must be accompanied by two letters of recommendation.
21
Q
You’re in your car driving and talking to your friend on the telephone. She comments that she hears a siren in the background. You explain that you’re driving through an area with a lot of crime.
A
I’m driving through a rough part of town.
22
Q
You and your family are going to move to another city in a couple months. You haven’t fully planned how you’re going to move all your stuff yet, but you have an idea. You’re having dinner with your wife, you say this to introduce the topic of how to move your stuff.
A
You know, I’ve been thinking about the move.
23
Q
You and your family are planning to move to another city in 2 months. You haven’t fully planned how you’re going to move all your stuff yet, but you have an idea. While you’re having dinner with your wife, you brought up the topic of the move. Now you make this suggestion:
A
What if we rented a moving van instead of hiring someone?
24
Q
Your friend lost his job. You’re talking with him about it and having a drink together. You say this to cheer him up.
A
Think of this as an opportunity.
25
Your friend just lost his job. You're having a drink with him and talking to him about it. You say this because you want to encourage him.
Look on the bright side. You've still got your health and your family.
26
You're talking on the phone with your friend and you hear a loud noise from his phone that sounds like a police car. You say this about the noise.
I hear some kind of siren in the background.
27
You and your husband don't have any plans to do anything for Halloween. You were just going to stay home. But your husband sees a costume that he wants to buy while you're out shopping together. You don't think he should buy it because it's a waste of money, so you say this.
There's no point in buying a costume if you're not even going to wear it out.
28
You have been working on a project for a few months at work, and it's almost finished. Your coworker just told you that a high-level director in the company wants to change part of the project, which means that you will have to re-do several weeks of work. You say this because you're annoyed that the work you did won't be used in the final project.
So the work we did was all for nothing?
29
You have been working on a project for a few months at work, and it's almost finished. Your coworker just told you that a high-level director in the company wants to change part of the project, which means that you will have to re-do several weeks of work. You're annoyed and you can't believe this is happening. You say this in frustration.
Seriously?
30
You have a twenty-dollar bill, but you need 20 one-dollar bills instead. You go to a bank and ask the teller this.
Can I get change for a twenty?
31
A customer at your part-time job asks you for change for a $20 bill. You want to know if they need 20 one-dollar bills, two ten-dollar bills, four five-dollar bills, or some other combination. You ask this.
Do you want that all in ones?
32
You voted in a political election today. You didn't know who many of the people on the ballot were. Now you're talking with a friend about the situation.
I didn't even know who any of the candidates were in most of the races.
33
You're talking to a friend about Facebook. You are trying not to use it. This is how you explain why.
It's such a waste of time.
34
You work at a software company, and need to hire a new programmer. You've been searching for several months but haven't had any luck. You're telling a friend who's in a different industry about your problem
You'd be surprised how hard it is to find qualified programmers.
35
Your friend works at a software company and needs to hire a programmer. She's been searching for someone for a few months, but hasn't found any qualified people. You want to know how she's been looking for candidates, so you ask this.
Are you going through a recruitment agency?
36
You need to hire a software programmer at your company. You don't want to hire a young programmer who's just out of school. You want to hire someone who's created similar software in the past. You say this to explain what kind of employee you need.
We need someone with real hands-on experience.
37
You're working on a school project and need to buy some supplies for it. Your partner on the project offers to buy the supplies. You want to pay half of the cost, so you tell him this.
Just keep track of how much you're spending and I'll pay you back.
38
You're working on a school project with a group of other students. You are going out to pick up some supplies. You want the other group members to work on something while you are gone. You say this after you offer to go to buy the supplies.
Meanwhile, can you guys decide on the theme?
39
You chose not to move to Hollywood to follow your dream of being an actor. Your friend asks you this many years later.
Do you ever think 'what if'?
40
You hear a commercial for chocolate chip cookies. This is their claim.
If you like chocolate, you'll love Tollhouse double chocolate chip cookies.
41
Your friend asked you to pass her a book. You say this as you hand it to her.
There you go.
42
A website is explaining the benefits of owning your own business. This is what it says.
You get to pick and choose when you work.
43
You invited your friend to a party where she didn't know anyone, and now she's complaining that you didn't talk to her enough. You feel like you spent a lot of time with her and are angry that she's complaining. You say this in frustration.
I went out of my way to make sure you were comfortable.
44
You're a teenager and you stayed out late the night before without calling your parents to tell them. They were angry and yelled at you. The next day at school, you tell your friends this.
I got yelled at for not calling.
45
You are suspected of a crime and have to tell the police exactly what you did on a certain night. You offer this as your alibi.
I drove directly home after leaving work.
46
You usually stop by the supermarket or the gym after work before coming home. But yesterday you wanted to get home earlier because you are hooked on a TV show that you've been watching on DVD. You tell this to your friend.
I went straight home after work.
47
A co-worker told you that another co-worker is leaving the company and taking a new job somewhere else. You want to talk to the person who's leaving to say goodbye. You start the conversation by saying this to her.
So, I heard you're leaving us.
48
You want to renew the lease on your apartment. Your husband has sent an email to the landlord, but you don't know if she responded to him yet. You ask him this.
Have you heard back about the lease yet?
49
You are helping a person log in to a website account. He has entered his login name and password, but the screen just turns white and nothing happens. You want this person to re-load the page, so you tell him this.
You might have to refresh your browser.
50
You are at a meeting for the homeowners' association for your neighborhood. You have made a suggestion to raise the homeowner's fee, but the other members immediately started making noises and complaining before you could explain your reasons for raising it. You want everyone to listen to your reasons first before deciding, so you say this.
Hold on. Just hear me out first.
51
You're cleaning your house because you're having guests over this weekend. Your husband isn't helping you. You're annoyed, so you ask for help this way.
Excuse me, I could use a little help...
52
You're teaching your teenage son to drive. You're in your driveway now, and you give him instructions on what to do first.
Before you pull out, check in your rear view mirror to see if there's anyone behind the car.
53
Your car's engine broke down. The car is really old, so you'll have to spend more to fix it than the actual value of the car. You suggest getting rid of the car at a junk yard.
We might as well sell it for scrap metal.
54
You're watching a basketball playoff game. You're explaining the playoffs to your girlfriend, who doesn't watch basketball.
They're down to four teams now.
55
You coach a girls' basketball team. One of the players on the team usually causes problems, so you yell at her a lot. But recently she's been working hard and behaving herself. You compliment her for it.
I've got to hand it to you: you've really stepped up these last few weeks.
56
Your friend has been asked to give a speech at a conference that's coming up in a few weeks. She's really worried about it and is thinking of refusing the offer. You're trying to encourage her to do it.
Let's say you go up on stage and completely bomb. So what? What's the worst that can happen?
57
You're discussing social issues with a couple of friends. One issue that's important to you is the environment. You think it's important for your country to develop "green" energy, so you say this.
We've got to find a viable alternative to fossil fuels.
58
You go to a nightclub. There aren't many people there, so you're disappointed. You say this to a friend who's with you.
This place is dead!
59
You're at a professional networking event. You've been talking to someone for a few minutes. He introduced himself at the beginning of the conversation, but now you've forgotten his name. You ask again.
I'm sorry. What was your name again?
60
You're at a political rally. You're standing in a crowd of people. You notice that a short woman behind you is moving around a lot because she can't see the stage.
Oh, I'm sorry. Am I blocking your view
61
You're putting your 6-year-old daughter to bed. You've turned off the lights and now you're leaving the room.
Night night!
62
You're waiting in line at the post office. Someone in line in front of you was talking on his phone about a film festival that he was in. You're studying to become a film director, so you want to introduce yourself to this person. You start a conversation this way.
I couldn't help but overhear you saying something about a film festival. Are you a filmmaker?
63
You're dealing with a big problem at work. You've shared your opinion on how to deal with the problem. One of your coworkers looks annoyed or angry, so you don't think she agrees with your solution. You ask her about it.
I take it you disagree...
64
You're looking at your Facebook account. Some people who you don't know have asked to add you as a friend. You ask your roommate if this happens to her.
I've been getting all these random friend requests lately. Do you get those?
65
You're a young man. You're waiting in a really long line at an amusement park. After waiting for several minutes without moving, you get really frustrated and say this to your friend.
Can you believe this shit?
66
You bought a new tablet computer today. You're excited about it, so you say this to your partner as you're leaving the store.
I can't wait to get it home and try it out!
67
You're a construction contractor. A couple has asked for an estimate of how much it will cost to renovate their kitchen. You've looked at the room and figured out approximately how much it will cost. You say this while showing them the cost.
Here's an estimate of the cost. Keep in mind, it's just a ballpark.
68
You've been hired to direct a commercial for a local business. You're going to hire some actors, but you want to know if the client cares about what the actors look like. You write an email and include this question.
Do you have any preferences as to the ages, genders, ethnicities, etc. of the actors?
69
There's a new employee at your job. He's really energetic and tries to be helpful to everyone. It's nice, but it's also a little annoying. You complain about him to one of your close work friends.
That new guy is so eager to please. I wish he'd tone it down a little.
70
You're talking with someone about the government of North Korea. This person doesn't know much about North Korea, so you explain who the country's leader is.
He inherited the position from his father.
71
You're at a wedding. The ceremony is almost finished. The minister says this to officially announce that the couple is married.
I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.
72
You're playing with a football on the beach with your girlfriend. You're surprised at how well she throws, so you compliment her.
You throw pretty well for a girl.
73
You're an adult man, but you're a fan of a TV show that's mostly watched by teenage girls. You're explaining to a friend that you started watching it because of your daughter.
I started watching over her shoulder and... what can I say? I got sucked into it.
74
You live far away from your workplace, so you have to ride a train for over an hour to get to work. You're chatting with coworkers during lunch, and one of them can't believe that you travel so far every day. You explain why you don't mind it.
I can tolerate a long commute as long as I'm able to get a seat on the train.
75
Your friend's mother passed away. You're at the funeral. You want to give your friend some comfort, so you offer to help her.
Please, please, please - let me know if there's anything I can do to help you through these times.
76
You're watching a TV show, and the actor looks like he hasn't shaved in several days. You've noticed that this is common, but you don't like it. You say this to your roommate.
It seems to be trendy these days to have a little bit of stubble. To me, it just looks messy.
77
Your teenage son is wearing some wild-looking clothes. You can't understand why he would wear that outfit. You want to comment on it without being too negative.
That's... quite a bold fashion statement...
78
A friend has met a girl that he really likes, but she lives far away. He asks what you think. You've had relationships with people who lived far away, but they didn't last long.
I've personally found that long-distance relationships are really hard to make work.
79
You're talking with an old college friend. You're remembering old times together. In college, you and your friend were poor so you lived in a cheap house in a dangerous part of town. You remind him of this.
Remember that sketchy neighborhood we used to live in?
80
You're boarding a plane on a business trip with your coworker. You want to be polite, so you let your coworker choose the seat.
Do you want the aisle seat?
81
You are responsible for processing employees' reimbursement requests at your company. You need for everyone to send their requests to you by December 8th. You write an e-mail to all the employees. After the introduction, it says this.
All reimbursement requests must be submitted by Dec. 8th.
82
You are responsible for processing employees' reimbursement requests at your company. You need for everyone to submit their requests by the 8th of each month, but every month some people try to send theirs after the due date. You don't want them to do this, so in an e-mail you remind everyone of the due date and then write this.
No exceptions!
83
You are a receptionist in an office. An employee at the company asks if a package has come for her. No packages came while you were there, but you were gone for a couple hours. You say this because it's possible that it came while you were out.
Not that I know of.
84
You're waiting for a package to be delivered to you at work. You need to get it as soon as possible, so you checked with the receptionist. She said that no packages have come for you. You say this to explain why you're asking her.
I'm expecting something to come in today or tomorrow.
85
You go to an art show. You really like the art, and the artist is there. You walk up to him and tell him this.
I love your work.
86
You are an artist, and you're having an art show at a gallery. You say this to explain the ideas behind your art to one of the people who came to the show.
I was going for something abstract and kind of edgy.
87
There was a car accident on the street outside your house. You go out to look at it & ask this to your neighbor.
Did you see what happened?
88
Someone has presented a business idea to you. You say this because you think it might be successful.
I see some potential in this idea.
89
You've made plans to visit a friend that you haven't seen for a while. You say this to them in anticipation.
I'm looking forward to seeing you.
90
Someone that you work with is leaving the company. You like him. You make this remark to comment.
I'm sorry to see him go.
91
You're being asked what color shirt a person was wearing. You think it was blue, but you say this because you're not 100% sure.
If I recall correctly, I think it was blue.
92
You were planning to send an email to some friends inviting them to go out for dinner. Now you're not sure if you sent it. Uncertain, you say this.
I can't remember if I sent it or not.
93
Your company's sales numbers have been decreasing for 3 months. You are giving a presentation to some coworkers and say this to point out the problem.
We've been going through a period of weak sales.
94
You are having a conversation with your friend about a TV commercial, but you haven't seen it because you don't watch commercials. This is how you explain that you have a DVR and always skip commercials.
I usually just fast forward through the commercials.
95
Your husband was invited to meet his friends at a bar for drinks and told his friends that he would go. But now he doesn't want to go and is considering staying home instead. You think he should go because he told the friends that he would. You give him this advice on integrity.
If you promised them you'd be there, you'd really better follow through.
96
Your younger brother has told you that he's thinking of dropping out of college to start his own business. You think that it might be a bad idea, but you respect that it's his decision. You want to check to make sure he's really sure about his decision, so you ask this.
Are you sure you've really thought this through?
97
You are writing an essay about your opinion on a scandal. The scandal involved a school principal who was spying on his students over the Internet. You want to say that it was wrong for this principal to spy on the students because of his position. You write this to say that it' also wrong for other people to do similar things.
People in a position of authority have a responsibility not to abuse that authority.
98
You are talking to a coworker who wants to move to a different job within the company. You know of a job that is available, so you offer this suggestion.
There's a position open in digital marketing now that Vicky left.
99
Your brother has made a lot of money on the stock market and says that he wants to use some of the money to buy an expensive sports car. You try to talk him out of it (convince him not to do it) but he says he can afford to buy it because he has enough money. You say this because you still think the idea is dumb.
Just because you can doesn't mean you should.
100
You were in a meeting at work where you heard about a change in your work schedule. You're talking to an employee who wasn't at the meeting. You want to talk to her about the schedule change, but you're not ready to discuss it yet. You say this to her.
Just a heads up - we're going to have to meet soon.
101
Your teenage son has been misbehaving at school. You want him to start behaving better, so you tell him that if he behaves well at school, you'll let him get a new cell phone. But if he doesn't behave, he'll be punished. He seems to agree with that plan. You hold out your hand to shake hands with him, and ask this.
So do we have an agreement?
102
You wanted to go to a certain restaurant, but the wait to get in was long. You put your name down on the waiting list, but your girlfriend wanted to see if the wait at another restaurant nearby was shorter. You went to the other restaurant, but they had an even longer wait. So you went back to the 1st restaurant, but you find out that they already passed you on the list and you have to be added to the bottom of the list again. You say this because you wish you hadn't tried to leave.
If only we'd just waited there, this never would have happened.
103
Your wife is gone on a business trip. She left yesterday. You have a young son who starts crying because he misses his mother. You say this, trying to get him to settle down and stop crying.
She's only been gone one day.
104
A villain on a TV show wants to make the hero do something, so he has kidnapped the hero's girlfriend. The villain threatens the hero by saying this.
I'm sure we can come to an agreement.
105
Your friend didn't go to his son's birthday party because he was working. You think that going to the party was more important than going to work. Angrily, you say this to your friend.
I think you need to get your priorities straight.
106
There was an earthquake while you were at work. Your office building is messed up and everyone is confused about what to do now. You think the most important thing is to find out if anyone is injured or needs help, so you say this.
Our top priority right now is making sure that everyone is OK.
107
You're writing an essay about things the government has been doing to control climate change. You write this to explain that the government hasn't done much to fight climate change because they have been focused on improving the economy instead.
The economy has taken priority over environmental issues.
108
There is a school assignment due in two days. You are talking to your friend, who hasn't started working on the assignment. You are worried for your friend that she won't be able to finish it by the deadline. You ask her this.
Are you going to be able to make the deadline?
109
You're at a work party and talking with a coworker. You both start to talk about what you were like when you were students. You say this, remembering that you used to wait until the last minute to do homework assignments.
I used to be such a procrastinator!
110
You are talking with a classmate about an assignment you have to do for the class. You don't remember when the deadline is. This is what you ask your classmate.
When's it due?
111
You are hiring a new staff member at work. You are interviewing a candidate for the job. You look at the candidate's resume and think that she has a great education and work experience. You say this to praise her.
You have quite an impressive background.
112
Your young child shows you a picture he drew of a flower. You say this to encourage him.
Wow, good for you!
113
You're debating with your friend over weight loss methods. Your friend says that if you exercise 4 or 5 times per week, you'll definitely lose weight. You think that that's usually true, but you can also remember some examples of people you knew who exercised a lot but didn't lose weight, so you say this.
That's not necessarily true.
114
You and your wife have different opinions about where your daughter should go to school. Your wife thinks she should go to a public school, but you would prefer a private school. You say this when describing this disagreement to your wife's parent.
We disagree over whether or not to send her to private school.
115
You are talking with your brother about his son (your nephew), who's in high school but not getting very good grades. Your brother is worried about him not being able to get into college and get a good job later in life. Although most people think it's important to go to college, you don't agree. You say this.
I don't buy into the idea that you have to go to college to get a good job.
116
Your mobile phone doesn't work because the power is low. You want to make a call, so you ask your friend to borrow his phone. He asks why you can't use your own phone. You answer like this.
I forgot to charge it.
117
You're talking to your friend about how much you use text messaging on your phone. Your phone bill is always high, but your last bill was higher than normal. You tell your friend this about your bill.
My phone bill was even higher than usual this month.
118
You have mobile phone service with a certain company, but you are not happy with it. You want to change to a different company, but you can't because you signed a contract with the current company that hasn't finished yet. You are talking about your mobile phone service with a coworker and you say this.
I want to switch to a new carrier, but I have 6 more months on my contract.
119
You are going out to see a movie with a group of several people. Everyone is trying to decide which movie to watch. Someone suggests watching a certain romantic comedy. Several people agree, but someone asks you if you're OK with that choice. You don't really want to see it, but you will go along with what the majority of people want. You answer this way to be agreeable.
I guess so.
120
You always get to work early compared to your coworkers. One of your coworkers comes in early one day and notices that you're already there. She asks you if you're always early to work. You say yes and this is how you explain why.
I try to come in early to beat the rush hour traffic.
121
You're talking to a person who's just started working at your company. You find out that she lives outside of the city where your offices are. You ask her this to find out whether it takes her a long time to get to work.
How's your commute?
122
You're out to lunch with a group of coworkers and talking about your daily routines. One coworker says that her commute to work is 45 minutes long. You want to continue the conversation, so you tell her this about how long your commute time is.
It only takes me about 15 minutes.
123
You are discussing your exercise routine with a friend who's also interested in exercise. You recently started doing a new type of weight lifting exercise. Your friend asks you if it's been successful. Positively, you respond like this.
It's made a noticeable difference.
124
You watched an interesting video on YouTube where there is a sudden action at one point in the video. You want to show it to your sister. You bring her to the computer with you and play the video. You say this to describe where she should look to see the interesting part of the video.
Pay close attention to the bottom right corner.
125
Your department is working on a long-term project that is supposed to be completed two days from now. One of your employees comes to your office to tell you that there is a problem, and he thinks the project will be delayed an extra 3 or 4 days. Angrily, you say this because you think that someone should have warned you of the delay before this point.
I wish you'd told me sooner.
126
At work, you always get sleepy after lunch and don't work very efficiently. You say this when describing the problem to a friend of yours.
I find it really hard to focus on my work in the afternoon.
127
Your wife has gone to visit her mother and taken your children with her. You're at home alone, but you don't mind it. You're enjoying the peace and quiet. Your brother calls to say "hi", and you tell him about this. You start by saying this.
I'm on my own tonight.
128
You got angry at your boss and quit your job a few weeks ago. You haven't found a new job yet, but you're a lot happier now. You're talking to a friend that you worked with there. He asks if you are worried now that you don't have a job. This is your answer.
Honestly, I don't regret quitting at all.
