🎯 Learning Objectives
- Start and sustain a conversation with a stranger
- Choose good topics for small talk and know what to avoid
- Understand what topics are appropriate based on your relationship
- Describe people's appearance using the right vocabulary
- Form WH-questions and Yes/No questions correctly
2.1 What is Social Small Talk?
📖 Definition
Small Talk means casual, light conversation with people you don't know very well. It is the art of talking to strangers or acquaintances in a comfortable, friendly way without getting too personal. The main purpose is to
make the other person feel comfortable and relaxed.
Small talk happens everywhere — at conferences, on trains, in parks, with neighbours, at parties. It is how we build new connections every day.
2.2 Safe Topics vs Topics to Avoid
| ✅ SAFE TOPICS | ❌ TOPICS TO AVOID |
|---|
| Weather — "It's so hot today, isn't it?" | Salary, income, or personal money matters |
| The immediate environment — "What a lovely venue!" | Questions about age, weight, or appearance (negative) |
| Current events (neutral ones) | Probing personal questions: marriage, children, religion |
| Travel and places | Strong political opinions with people you just met |
| Food and restaurants | Past failures, illness, or problems in detail |
| Work and profession (general) | Gossip or speaking badly about others |
💡 Shakespeare's Wisdom
"Speak that I may see thee." — What you say tells a lot about who you are. Even though small talk is casual, choose your topics with care.
Self-praise and bragging should always be avoided.
2.3 Sample Dialogues — Tapescript: Radha and Venkat
This is the full tapescript (audio text) for the listening exercise — two old friends catching up after years:
Radha:
Venkat! I can't believe it's you. I haven't seen you for ages. And you haven't changed a bit. How're things? What are you doing?
Venkat:
Radha, is that you? I hardly recognized you. You've put on weight.
Radha:
Come, come. Don't exaggerate. I'm not fat. Besides, I had a baby recently.
Venkat:
Congratulations! When did you get married? What does your husband do?
Radha:
Oh, six years ago. My husband works for Computer's India.
Venkat:
Really? I'd love to meet him. I'm interested in computers too. I've just done a Master's in computer software.
Radha:
That's interesting! Where do you work?
Venkat:
Well, I'm jobless at present. I'm exploring the possibility of starting a consultancy in computer programming.
Radha:
Sushil would love to meet you. How about having dinner with us one evening?
Venkat:
I'd love to. When would you like me to come?
Radha:
Will Saturday suit you?
Venkat:
That'll be fine. By the way, what are you busy with?
Radha:
I work for a newspaper. I'm currently on a project on adult education in rural areas. And guess who I met at Kheri? Savitri!
Venkat:
You mean that tall girl with very long hair?
Radha:
Yes. She's a doctor now. She's opened a clinic in a village.
🔍 Key Observations
- Topics flow naturally: personal news → careers → mutual friend Savitri
- Radha invites Venkat for dinner — small talk growing into a deeper connection
- Neither person asks anything too probing or embarrassing
2.4 Vocabulary — Describing People's Appearance
We use 3 categories to describe people:
Category 1: General Appearance
smart, elegant, sloppy, untidy, beautiful, handsome, good looking, attractive
Category 2: Specifics — Skin, Hair, Face
Skin: dark skin, fair skin, beautiful complexion, sallow, tanned
Face: thin faced, round faced, chubby faced, wrinkled
Hair: long, straight, curly, crew cut, bald, receding hairline
Category 3: Height and Build
Height: tall, short, medium height
Build: plump/stout, a bit overweight, slim, obese, thin, stocky, well-built
| Word / Phrase | Opposite |
|---|
| A slim woman | An overweight woman |
| Short and chubby faced | Tall with a thin face |
| Curly hair and dark skinned | Straight hair, fair skin |
| A smart and elegant woman | A dowdy/sloppy woman |
| He's very good looking | He's rather unattractive |
2.5 Grammar — WH-Questions vs Yes/No Questions
WH-QUESTIONS (Open Questions)
Begin with: Who, What, Which, When, Where, Why, How
Can have MANY different answers
Example: "What do you do for work?" — endless answers
YES/NO QUESTIONS (Closed Questions)
Can only be answered YES or NO
Verb comes BEFORE the subject
Example: "Are you a doctor?" — only YES or NO
| WH Word | Used For | Example |
|---|
| Who / Whose | People | Who are you going to London with? |
| What | Things, reasons | What are you planning after exams? |
| When | Time | When do you plan to go to Canada? |
| Where | Place | Where do you live? |
| How | Manner, degree, age | How old is your sister? |
| Why | Reasons | Why did she leave so early? |
✏️ How to Form Yes/No Questions
Put the
verb (or first auxiliary) BEFORE the subject:
"He is annoyed." →
Is he annoyed?
"You have telephoned the doctor." →
Have you telephoned the doctor?
2.6 Pronunciation — Contracted Forms
| Full Form | Contraction | Example |
|---|
| She will | She'll | She'll see you in ten minutes. |
| You are | You're | You're taking it very easy! |
| I have not | I haven't | I haven't seen him. |
| They had | They'd | They'd met before. |
| We have | We've | We've seen the film already. |
| I cannot | I can't | I can't hear anything, can you? |
Practice Questions & Answers
Q1. What is social small talk and when does it happen?
Social small talk = casual, friendly conversation with people you don't know very well. It happens in many everyday situations: at parties, on trains, at conferences, in parks, at work. The main goal is to make the other person feel comfortable and at ease.
Q2. What topics should you choose for small talk? What should you avoid?
SAFE: Weather, environment, travel, neutral current events, work (general), common interests.
AVOID: Salary/money, age/weight (negative), religion/politics, personal problems, gossip.
Key: The aim is to keep conversation pleasant. Avoid anything that might offend.
Q3. Based on the Radha-Venkat dialogue, are they close friends or acquaintances?
They are OLD FRIENDS who meet after a very long time. Evidence: Radha says "I haven't seen you for ages." They exchange very personal information, and Radha invites Venkat for dinner — all signs of warm, comfortable friendship.
Q4. What is the difference between a WH-question and a Yes/No question?
WH-QUESTION: Begins with WH-words. Can have many different answers.
Example: "What do you do?" — endless possible answers.
YES/NO QUESTION: Can only be answered YES or NO. The verb comes before the subject.
Example: "Are you a doctor?" — only YES or NO.
Q5. How do you describe someone's appearance in English?
Three categories:
1. General: smart, elegant, good-looking, handsome, beautiful
2. Specifics: fair/dark/tanned skin; curly/straight hair; round/chubby face
3. Height/Build: tall/short/medium; slim/plump/overweight/stocky
Example: "My friend Freda is tallish with a fair complexion and a round face. She is quite lovely looking."
Q6. Write contractions for: a) She will see you. b) They had met. c) It is not working.
a) She'll see you.
b) They'd met.
c) It isn't working.
Q7. What is the difference between skimming and scanning?
SKIMMING = reading quickly over the whole text to get the main idea. You don't read every word.
SCANNING = moving your eyes quickly to find ONE SPECIFIC piece of information (a name, date, number). You ignore everything else.
Both are important reading strategies for saving time.
Q8. Why should you avoid asking probing personal questions during small talk?
Because the main PURPOSE of small talk is to make the other person feel comfortable and relaxed. Probing personal questions about salary, age, religion, marital status can make the person feel uncomfortable or embarrassed. Since you don't know them well yet, such questions can break the comfortable atmosphere and ruin the conversation.
Q9. Form a Yes/No question: "He is annoyed with me."
Is he annoyed with me?
Rule: Move the verb ('is') before the subject ('he'). The statement becomes a question.
Q10. What are the 10 most common interview questions? (Pronunciation practice)
- What can you tell me about yourself?
- Can you list your strengths?
- What weaknesses do you have?
- Why should I consider hiring you?
- Where do you see yourself five years from now?
- Why do you want to work here?
- What is your salary expectation?
- What motivates you?
- What makes a good team player?
- Is there anything you would like to ask me?
Let Us Sum Up — Quick Revision
- Small Talk: Casual, friendly conversation to make people comfortable. Builds connections.
- Safe Topics: Weather, environment, work (general), travel, events, common interests
- Avoid: Money, religion, politics, age/weight, personal probing questions, gossip
- Skimming: Read quickly for the MAIN IDEA
- Scanning: Read quickly for SPECIFIC information
- Describing People: General appearance + Skin/Hair/Face + Height/Build
- WH-Questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How — many possible answers
- Yes/No Questions: Only YES or NO — verb goes BEFORE the subject
- Contractions: She'll, I haven't, They'd, It isn't, We've — used in spoken/informal English