Self discovery... Flashcards
(122 cards)
1
Q
You performed in a play. After the performance, a teenager comes up to you to compliment you for your performance. You want to thank him for praising you, so you say this.
A
Thanks, that’s really nice of you.
2
Q
You’ve eaten out at a restaurant with a group of friends and are now paying the check. You leave $15 as a tip but your friend says that it’s too much. You say this because you want to leave a little extra. -26
A
I like to leave a generous tip.
3
Q
You’re visiting a couple who you haven’t seen in a few years. You have just finished greeting each other and now you want to start to catch up with them. You ask this to get the conversation started. -26
A
So how’ve you been?
4
Q
You are visiting a couple who you haven’t seen in a few years. They have a son who was 3 years old the last time you saw him, but now he’s 6. You remember him well from 3 years ago, but you don’t think he remembers you. This is what you say to him.
A
I bet you don’t remember me, do you?
5
Q
You’re shopping for furniture with your fiance. You picked out a sofa that you want, and now you’re asking to buy it. You will need to get the sofa delivered to you, but the shop staff tells you this about the wait time for deliveries. (3-4 weeks)
A
It may take up to three or four weeks for delivery.
6
Q
Your friend was going to visit you from out of town, but he emailed to say that he wouldn’t be able to make it. You want to show that you’re disappointed that he’s not coming. You write this back to him.
A
I’m sorry to hear that.
7
Q
You live in New York. A friend was supposed to come to visit you from out of town next month, but he emailed to say that he can’t come. This is what he wrote.
A
I’m really sorry, but I won’t be able to make it to New York next month.
8
Q
It’s a busy travel season and there was recently a terrorism threat. Today you flew to a client’s office on an airplane. You say this while making small talk about the flight.
A
Security was super tight.
9
Q
You’re pregnant. You haven’t found out yet whether you’re having a boy or a girl, but you think it might be a boy. At lunch with a coworker, she asks you whether it’s a girl or boy, you make this prediction.
A
I have a gut feeling that it’s a boy.
10
Q
It’s Saturday afternoon. You and your girlfriend have been lying around all day, but you want to go out. You suggest going to the cinema.
A
Do you want to go see a movie maybe?
11
Q
You’re talking to your friend about your boss at your new job. She asks you to describe him and asks how old he is. You’re not sure, but he seems like he’s around fifty years old.
A
He’s around fiftyish, I’d say.
12
Q
You’re talking with your friend about what kind of guys you would like to date. You say this because you would never date someone who was a smoker.
A
Smoking is definitely a deal-breaker.
13
Q
You are at a bar and use the bathroom there. The bathroom is extremely dirty and smells bad. When you come out of the bathroom, you make this complaint to your friends.
A
I’ve never seen such a disgusting bathroom in my life!
14
Q
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.
A
How’s your commute?
15
Q
You’re getting married in two days. Someone asks you if you’re stressed out. The truth is, you’ve been organized, worked hard, and your wedding plan is simple. You answer that you don’t have much left to do.
A
Almost everything has been taken care of at this point.
16
Q
You invited a friend to your neighbor’s barbecue party. He asks if he can bring his girlfriend. You tell him you think that will be fine.
A
Yeah, that’s totally fine. The more the merrier!
17
Q
You’re going to the ballet with your boyfriend tonight. When you get home from work, you notice that his beard looks a little messy. You suggest that he clean it up.
A
Uh, babe? You might want to trim that beard…
18
Q
A co-worker is trying to create a spreadsheet to calculate some information. He can’t figure out how to calculate it, so he asks you for help. You can’t immediately fix it, but you’d like to try a few different options. You say this.
A
I’ll fiddle around with it for a while.
19
Q
You’re chatting with a coworker. You heard someone talking about her last week because she’s training intensely for a marathon. You mention this to her because you want to learn more.
A
I hear you’re training to run a marathon.
20
Q
You were using the bathroom at a restaurant, and forgot to lock the door. Someone opened the door while you were using the toilet. Now you’re telling your friend what happened.
A
Someone walked in on me while I was in the bathroom.
21
Q
You’re getting drinks with a friend. Last month, you went to a party at her house. She introduced you to a guy who you thought was attractive. You mention him, hoping to get his contact information.
A
You know that guy you introduced me to at your party? What’s his story?
22
Q
You’re in your after-school debate club. The instructor is giving you her best tips for being an excellent speaker.
A
A good speaker understands the power of a simple message repeated again and again.
23
Q
You’re chatting with the person sitting next to you on an airplane. He tells you that he’s a professional writer. You’re impressed, so you say this.
A
Oh wow, that sounds really interesting.
24
Q
You’re having a picnic with a group of people and have been sitting on the ground for a while. The person next to you keeps changing his position and looks uncomfortable, so you ask him this.
A
Is your back getting stiff?
25
You're talking to a friend who often has sinus pain. You have the same problem, so you share how you usually deal with it.
You know what helps me is as soon as the pain starts, I take an aspirin or something to stop the inflammation.
26
You're eating lunch with a friend. After you finish eating, your friend has a piece of food that's showing on her teeth. You want to tell her that it's there, so you say this.
Hey, um, you've got something stuck in your teeth.
27
Your daughter made some bad grades on her progress report at school. You ask her why, and she complains that her homework is boring. You say this because you're annoyed that she would complain about this.
Life's not all fun and games.
28
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.
29
You're a teacher. You had to take a day off of work because of a family issue. You're writing a note for the substitute teacher, explaining what to do. One of your instructions is about where the students should sit:
There's a seating chart in the back of the roll book.
30
You and a friend saw a teenage couple making out on the street. You say this to your friend because you don't think they should do that.
That kind of behavior is not appropriate in public.
31
You're going on a vacation with two of your friends. You're riding in your friend's car. He's putting suitcases in the trunk of his car, but there doesn't seem to be enough space. You're not sure if your suitcase will fit in there with all the others, so you ask this.
Can you squeeze one more in there?
32
You've told your friend before about a girl in one of your classes who you really like. Today she asked you out on a date, so you told your friend that you're going out with her. Then you say this.
Believe it or not, she made the first move.
33
You're talking with a coworker about social networking sites like Facebook. You don't like to use them because you're worried about your privacy. You say:
I don't like my personal information being out there for everyone to see.
34
You're scheduled for a meeting with a coworker at 2:00. You need to do something else at that time, so you send an email to move the time.
Would it be possible to push our meeting back to 3:00?
35
Your sister won a prize in a ballroom dancing competition. You're really excited and happy for her because she's been practicing hard for it for years. You congratulate her, and then you say this. -128
All that hard work and determination really paid off.
36
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.
37
Your coworker is yawning and looks tired. You are friends with this person, so you want to tease him. You smile and ask this.
What's with the yawning? Were you out all night partying?
38
You're leading a meeting at work. Your company is facing a problem. After describing the problem, you ask your coworkers to help you solve it.
So… any ideas?
39
You've just started at a new job at a restaurant. A coworker has been training you in how to enter customers' orders into the computer system. She asks if you understood. You say that you mostly understood.
I think I get the gist.
40
Last week you took a vacation with your family in the mountains. You stayed in a small house in a quiet, far-away area. You're telling a client about it at a business lunch.
We rented a little cabin in a remote area of the mountains.
41
You live in a city in a foreign country. You've found a few markets that sell food from your home country, but they're not very good. You're explaining what's wrong with them to a friend who doesn't know about these stores.
There's a few in the area, but they don't have that wide of a selection.
42
You were eating lunch with your son. He seems to be finished eating. You want to ask if he's finished so you can clean up.
All done?
43
You have an antique gun that used to belong to your grandfather. You have visitors from your church over at your house, and someone is looking at the gun. You explain where it came from.
That was passed down to me by my grandfather.
44
You're giving a talk at a conference. You've finished your presentation. You can't think of anything else to say, so you end the presentation this way.
So, yeah, that pretty much wraps it up.
45
You're putting on a pair of shoes. You notice that there's now a hole in the bottom of one of them. You say this to yourself.
It looks like I've worn through the soles.
46
You're driving somewhere with your family. You put your son in his car seat and strap him in, then say this.
There you go; you're all buckled in!
47
You went to a doctor for a bad cough and got some medicine. Now you're at home and telling your husband what the doctor said.
The doctor said that it would take a few days for the antibiotics to take effect.
48
Your mother is very outgoing and talkative. You're describing her to a friend. You give an example of her outgoing behavior.
She's always striking up conversations with total strangers.
49
You're riding the subway. There's a sign which warns riders to watch for strange packages which might contain bombs. The sign says this.
If you notice anything suspicious, please alert the authorities immediately.
50
You're in a meeting at work. Someone complains that there's a problem with the software system that they use. You're one of the people who's repsonsible for this software, so you let everyone know that you will fix this problem.
I'm on it.
51
You've recently lost quite a bit of weight. Someone at work asks you how you lost so much weight. You tell him about your diet.
I've been on one of those low-carb diets for the last few months.
52
There's a small, cheap pizza shop across the street from your apartment. A friend is visiting you and asks if their food is good. The food is not fancy, but it tastes OK. You answer like this.
It's not bad... for what it is.
53
You're going on a trip to a foreign country for a few weeks. You're packing for the trip while your roommate helps you. You don't want to pack a lot of clothes because you want to be able to travel easily. You say this to your roommate. -26
I'm trying to pack light.
54
You're going on a trip to a foreign country for a few weeks, and your roommate is helping you decide what to take with you. You aren't sure if you should take your notebook computer with you or not. You make a thoughtful face and say this.-26
I'm trying to decide whether I should take my laptop.
55
You and your husband are visiting a couple that you haven't seen in a long time. You and the other woman have been talking together for a few minutes while your husband and the other man talk to each other. Your husband wants to re-join the conversation between the men and women, so he asks how you're doing. This is your response. -26
We've just been catching up with each other.
56
You are seeing your friend's son, who you haven't seen in several years. He is a lot bigger now than the last time you saw him. You are amazed at how quickly he seems to have grown. You say this to your friend.
Before you know it, he'll be all grown up.
57
You have a lot of leftover food from a party you had yesterday. You suggest that you shouldn't cook dinner tonight. You offer this explanation. -42
It's not like we need any more food.
58
You are at a video rental store with your children. You are getting several DVDs to watch over the weekend. You are going to let your children choose one DVD to watch. You say this to your children. -42
Pick out which one you want.
59
You're at a video rental store with your children. You told them they could choose a video to rent, but they picked out a violent horror movie. You want to tell them that they can't watch the movie. And you want to say it in a way that sounds adult, so that your children don't think that you're talking down to them. -42
That one's not appropriate for children.
60
You're spending a Saturday evening with your family and everyone is trying to decide what to do together. You make this suggestion.-42
You want to rent some movies?
61
You're at a video store, looking for a DVD to rent for the weekend. You see a movie that you read a positive review of. You want to convince your wife to watch it, so you say this. -42
This one's supposed to be good.
62
You rented a car. It was due to be returned by 6:00 on Sunday. You just barely returned it on time. You're telling your friend about returning the car at the last minute. You say this to set up the story. -42
I was supposed to bring it back by 6:00.
63
You're talking to a friend about Facebook. You are trying not to use it. This is how you explain why. -52
It's such a waste of time.
64
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. -52
You'd be surprised how hard it is to find qualified programmers.
65
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. -52
Are you going through a recruitment agency?
66
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. -52
We need someone with real hands-on experience.
67
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. -52
Just keep track of how much you're spending and I'll pay you back.
68
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. -52
Meanwhile, can you guys decide on the theme?
69
You're going out for drinks this afternoon with a group of coworkers. You invited one coworker that you're friends with, but he said that he couldn't come because he was supposed to meet his girlfriend for dinner. You joke with him by saying this. -64
OK, I'll let this one slide, but you'd better show up next time.
70
Your coworker invited you to go out for drinks after work today. You don't want to go, so you say this to decline politely. -64
You know, I'd love to, but I can't.
71
You were at a restaurant with your daughter and there was a really attractive woman sitting nearby. You noticed her and looked at her a few times while you were there. After you leave the restaurant, your daughter teased you for checking out the woman. You don't want to admit that you were looking at her, so you say this. -64
What? Don't be ridiculous!
72
When you were at a restaurant with your dad, an attractive woman was sitting at a table nearby. You noticed that your father was looking at her a lot. After you leave the restaurant, you say this to tease him for looking at the woman. -64
I saw you checking out that lady in there.
73
You're drinking with coworkers after work. You're gossiping about the director of your department. You feel like he doesn't notice you at all, and you give an example of this. -64
Sometimes I'll run into him on the street, and he doesn't even acknowledge that I'm there
74
You're having after-work drinks with coworkers and complaining about the director of your department. You've complained that he doesn't acknowledge that you're there when you see him outside of the office. Now you're continuing to talk about it, and how you think he should act. You say this. -64
He could at least say 'hi' or something.
75
One of your friends' friends (James) is into sports and likes to watch soccer really seriously. You're talking about James with another mutual friend. You say this. -118
James is, like, a hard core soccer fan.
76
You're talking to a friend about your teenage son. In the past few months, your son has been starting to listen to loud and aggressive music. He wears dark clothes and acts angry a lot. But you're not too worried because you think it's normal for his age. You tell this your friend. -118
He's going through a little rebellious phase.
77
Your teenage son is listening to music on his earphones with the volume really high. You can hear it from across the room. You say this to get him to turn the music down because you're worried it will hurt his ears. -118
You could cause permanent damage to your ears, you know.
78
One of your coworkers (Earl) came to work today with a dirty shirt. His hair is also uncombed and he has a little bit of stubble. You're talking with a coworker about him. You say this. -118
Earl's looking pretty scruffy, isn't he?
79
You have had a bad experience when you called your cable TV provider (Time Warner Cable) to get help with a problem. You're on an Internet forum where people are discussing their experiences with cable companies. You leave this comment. -118
Time Warner Cable's customer service leaves much to be desired.
80
Your coworker came to work looking really scruffy. His hair is messed up, his clothes are wrinkled, etc. He doesn't usually look this way, so you're worried about him. When someone comments on how he looks, you say this. -118
That's unlike him. He's usually so clean-cut.
81
You've been having lunch with a friend and just noticed that the skin around your fingernail hurts. This is what you say. -119
Shoot! I've got a hangnail.
82
Your friend has a hangnail. She complains about it. You want to offer to help her, so you say this. -119
Do you want to borrow my clippers?
83
You have a website where you post photographs that you've taken. You don't want people to take your photos and use them on other web sites without asking you, so you write this at the bottom of the page. -119
Images on this site may not be used without my express written permission.
84
You're chatting with a friend about the topic of going to the supermarket. You've just said that you always choose to have your groceries bagged in plastic bags. You know that your friend supports environmental issues, so you say this to explain your choice. -119
It may not be too eco-friendly, but they're a lot easier to carry that way.
85
You're checking out a supermarket. The cashier starts putting your groceries in a paper bag. You'd rather have your groceries in a plastic bag instead. You quickly say this. -119
Actually, can I get plastic instead?
86
Your mother is visiting you from out of town. She wants to go to a museum while you're at work one day. You have to explain how to get there by train, so you start by saying this. -119
You need to take the express train.
87
You're about to watch a basketball game on TV. It's the first game this year for the teams that are playing. There's a show before the game where the sports announcers discuss the game. They're talking about one of the players (Meyerson) who got hurt last year. One of the announcers says this. -128
Meyerson suffered a major knee injury last year that took him out of the game for most of the season.
88
You're about to watch a basketball game on TV. There's a show before the game where the sports announcers discuss the game. They're talking about one of the players who suffered a knee injury last year. This is what one of the announcers says about the injury. -128
The question is whether his leg is fully recovered.
89
You know two guys who are brothers but don't look or act the same at all. You're talking about them with a friend who just met them. You say this during your conversation. 128
You'd never guess they were related
90
You're talking to your friend about people who are hard workers. Your grandfather worked on a farm when he was a boy. You tell your friend this about him. -128
My grandpa used to tell me about how he had to get up at the crack of dawn every day to start work on the farm.
91
You're talking to your friend about your grandfather, who was a hard worker and woke up at the crack of dawn every day to work on a farm. You don't think that most people work that hard in the current generation, so you say this. -128
We have it so easy these days.
92
You live in the northern part of the U.S. Your friend is from the southern part, but his accent doesn't sound different from other people. You ask if he has an accent. He says this.
Growing up, I had a strong Southern accent.
93
You haven't been exercising for a while, so you've gotten a little fat. Today you decide to go for a jog. You run into one of your neighbors. You say "hi" to him and then offer this explanation.
I've got to work off this beer belly!
94
There was a spider in your girlfriend's kitchen. She was afraid of it, so she asked you to get rid of it. You killed the spider. Now you want to tell her that the spider is gone, but you don't want to sound too violent. You say this to lessen the situation.
I've disposed of it.
95
There's a famous movie star who has problems with drug and alcohol addiction. Recently he's gotten arrested and he keeps using drugs. You're discussing this news with a group of friends. You say this.
He's out of control.
96
Your friend is from the southern part of the U.S. He says that he used to have a strong Southern accent growing up, but he tries to suppress it. Then he says this.
But it still comes out from time to time.
97
A friend of yours recently had a baby. She's showing you pictures of her baby for the first time. You want your friend to think that her baby is cute, so you say this.
He's adorable!
98
You're on a website that sells books. There's a button that will allow you to buy a book. It says this.
Add to Cart
99
You organized an event for people who want to practice giving speeches in English. A lot of people came to the event. Now you're going to welcome everyone and introduce the first speaker. This is the first thing you say.
Thank you all for coming. Wow, what a great turnout.
100
The Vice President of your division (Valerie) at work seems to be really angry about something. She's barking out orders, slamming doors, and yelling at employees. You make this comment about her behavior to a coworker.
Valerie's really on a rampage today, huh?
101
You're talking with a friend about your drinking habits. Your friend drinks almost every day, but you don't drink much at all because you get drunk easily off of just one glass of wine. You say this because you want to describe your tolerance.
I'm a lightweight.
102
Your friend is from the southern part of the U.S., but he doesn't have a strong Southern accent. He explained to you that he used to have one when he was younger, but says this to explain what happened to it.
I've tried to suppress it.
103
You tried to flush the toilet at home, but it doesn't flush. You're trying to figure out what's wrong with it. You think this to yourself.
It must be clogged.
104
You just finished doing a load of laundry. Your live-in boyfriend comments that you need to fold the clothes quickly or else they'll get wrinkled. You're annoyed that he expects you to fold the laundry instead of helping, so you say this.
Fold it yourself!
105
Your group at work recently started a new advertising campaign. The campaign has just started, but it seems to be going well. You're giving a short presentation in a meeting to tell everyone about the status of the campaign, and you tell them this.
We're very pleased with the initial results.
106
You don't usually cook dinner, but tonight you did. Your wife says that the food is really good. You're happy that she said so, but you don't really believe her. You think she's just trying to be nice to you.
Aw, you're just saying that!
107
You and a friend are going out to eat together. She suggests going to a nearby Korean restaurant. That restaurant has good food, but it's old and not decorated very nicely. You'd like to go to a more expensive place. This is your response.
I was thinking something a little more upscale.
108
Your son has a runny nose. He's playing a few meters away from you.
Your nose is runny. Come here and let me wipe it.
109
You're fighting with your boyfriend. He says something mean to you.
Go to hell.
110
Someone is asking for advice on an Internet forum. They have a coworker who's making them feel uncomfortable. You write that this person should directly complain to this person. Now you want to end by giving some more general life advice.
Don't shy away from conflict; embrace it!
111
You've made a cup of coffee. You take the milk out of the refrigerator, but there's nothing in the container. You complain to your husband, who used the last of it.
Why would you put an empty milk carton back in the fridge?
112
You and your friend can't decide where to go out to eat at tonight. You really wanted to go to a vegetarian restaurant that you like, but your friend doesn't want to go there because it's expensive and always busy. She wants to go to a Korean restaurant that you've been to together many times. You give in and say this.
Fine, we'll go to the Korean place.
113
You're 3 months pregnant. You haven't told your coworkers yet, but now you're ready to announce it. You say this at the beginning of a meeting,
Before we get started, I have something to tell everyone. I wanted to let you all know that I'm pregnant.
114
You've got a new job that you're starting tomorrow. Your new boss has called you to confirm that you're starting tomorrow. You want to sound enthusiastic, so you say this.
I'll be there bright and early!
115
You're giving a presentation to a group of a few dozen people. You're starting your presentation. You want to start it in a friendly, laid-back way, so you say this.
How's everyone?
116
Your son is unemployed. You've asked him what he's going to do. He says that he's going to get a new job, but he doesn't know what kind of job. You want him to think more seriously about it.
You need to come up with a concrete plan.
117
You're on a dating site. You've been writing text messages with a girl who you matched with, but after a few messages she stopped writing you back. Now you're removing her from your list.
All right, so much for that one.
118
You just told your friend that you've started golfing recently. You're not the type of person that would usually enjoy golfing, so your friend started to laugh at you. Now you wish you hadn't told him about it. You say this to him in embarrassment.
I knew you'd give me a hard time about it!
119
You're talking to an elderly neighbor. She says that she is 90 years old, but she jokes that she still has a lot of energy.
I might be 90 years old, but I'm still young at heart!
120
You're a real estate agent. You're showing a really nice house to a young couple. They seem to like it, so you encourage them to act soon to buy it.
A find like this isn't going to stay on the market for long.
121
Sa mga taas na taw sa systema.
People high up the food chain.
122
Gi pressure ko maayo.
I'm under a lot of pressure.
