Meeting people at work

What's in the lesson

1. 1Warm-up
2. 2In this lesson
3. 3Guess the words (1)Vocabulary exercise
4. 4Guess the words (2)Vocabulary exercise
5. 5Check the wordsVocabulary
6. 6Useful phrasesVocabulary
7. 7Check your understandingReading comprehension
8. 8Listen: Nadia's first conferenceListening comprehension
9. 9Use the new wordsVocabulary exercise
10. 10What does it mean?Grammar exercise
11. 11Find the subject questionsGrammar exercise
12. 12Subject, object and indirect questionsGrammar rule
13. 13Choose the right questionGrammar exercise
14. 14Make it politeGrammar exercise
15. 15Questions for your teacherGrammar exercise
16. 16Say it naturallySpeaking practice
17. 17Mingle!Speaking practice
18. 18Let's discussDiscussion
19. 19Wrap-up

Homework

1. 1Homework: closest meaningVocabulary exercise
2. 2Homework: your sentencesVocabulary exercise
3. 3Homework: fix the questionsGrammar exercise
4. 4Homework: a message to a new colleagueDiscussion

Words

• small talk/ˈsmɔːl tɔːk/

  light, friendly conversation about everyday topics, often with people you don't know well

• break the ice/ˌbreɪk ði ˈaɪs/

  to say or do something that helps people feel relaxed when they first meet

• strike up/ˌstraɪk ˈʌp/

  to start a conversation or a friendship with someone, often without planning it (strike up a conversation)

• awkward/ˈɔːkwərd/

  uncomfortable or embarrassing (an awkward silence, an awkward question)

• off-limits/ˌɔːf ˈlɪmɪts/

  not allowed: something you shouldn't do, go to or talk about

• mingle/ˈmɪŋɡl/

  to move around at a party or an event and talk to many different people

• network/ˈnetwɜːrk/

  to meet and talk to people who may be useful for your work (networking: the noun)

• catch up/ˌkætʃ ˈʌp/

  to talk with someone you haven't seen for a while about what is new in your lives

• run into/ˌrʌn ˈɪntuː/

  to meet someone by chance

• keynote/ˈkiːnoʊt/

  the main talk at a conference, usually at the start

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

Let's talk about the people you meet at work.

1. When did you last meet someone new at work? Who was it?
2. What do people at your workplace usually chat about on breaks?
3. Do you enjoy work events like conferences or company parties? Why, or why not?

Grammar rule

Subject, object and indirect questions

Subject or object?

	The question word asks about…	Example	Form
Subject question	the person or thing that does the action	Who sent the invitation? (Someone sent it.) Which team won the sales award?	who / what / which (+ noun) / how many (+ noun) + verb: normal word order, no do, does or did
Object question	the person or thing the action is done to	Who did you invite? (You invited someone.) What does your company make?	question word + do / does / did + subject + verb

With be, can, will and other helping verbs, an object question uses that verb, not do: Who are you sitting with? What can I get you? A subject question with them keeps normal order: Who's giving the next talk? Who can help with the slides?

Indirect questions: more polite

Direct question	Indirect question
Where is the coat check?	Do you know where the coat check is?
How long does the tour take?	Could you tell me how long the tour takes?
Is Room 5 open?	Do you know if Room 5 is open?
Who organized this event?	Do you know who organized this event? (a subject question: no change)

After the question word, or after if / whether for a yes / no question, use normal order (subject + verb), with no do, does or did. The sentence still ends with a question mark, because Do you know…? and Could you tell me…? are questions.

Not Who did send the invitation? and not Do you know where is the coat check? In small talk with someone you don't know well, indirect questions sound friendly and polite, especially when you ask for help or information.