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Talking to Strangers

Talking to Strangers

Date: Jan 28 2011

Themes: Friend

Grammar: First Conditional

Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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One rule that almost everyone learns as a child is “Don’t talk to strangers.” But when you get older, being able to approach someone you don’t know and start a conversation becomes a good skill to have. Talking to strangers makes you a social, outgoing person.

But some adults still don’t like talking to strangers. If you aren’t in the mood to talk, it can be annoying if a stranger comes up to you and tries start a conversation with you. Ella loves to chat with people she doesn’t know, but Amy prefers to keep to herself. Find out why.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Ella

Ella

Amy

Amy

Ella:  So growing up, you know, one of the main rules as a kid is to never talk to strangers, right? But I feel like I talk to strangers every day, and I learn more about them than I’m supposed to, especially in my career.

Amy:  But you don’t just go up to people on the street and start a conversation out of the blue, do you?

Ella:  Well, if I like what they’re wearing I’ll be like “Oh, where’d you get that?” I think it’s easier for girls to approach girls and guys. But when a guy does it, you just get completely creeped out.

Amy:  It’s true, it can be creepy. Have you ever started talking to a stranger and just become fast friends with them?

Ella:  I do that a lot on the airplane, ‘cause you’re in such confined spaces.

Amy:  That’s so true.

Ella:  You know, there’s layovers. Like, “Hey, do you want to get a cup of coffee? I don’t know your name, but I don’t care ‘cause we’ll never see each other again.” So you get close pretty quick. I’ve done that many times.

Amy:  Do you have a particular icebreaker or anything that you use when you’re starting to talk to a stranger?

Ella:  I remember one time, this girl sitting next to me on the plane happened to have the same magazine. Or I try to find similarities first.

Amy:  See, I’m sort of the opposite. When I’m like on a plane or the bus or whatever, I do not want people to talk to me. I just have my book, and I just want to be left alone, and, you know, sometimes it’s not true but for the most part, I still follow the rule of don’t talk to strangers.

 

Grammar Point

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Discussion

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Ella likes talking to strangers and does it all the time. She often starts conversations with people she doesn’t know when she’s traveling on an airplane, but sometimes she says things to strangers she passes on the street, too. She thinks a good way to break the ice with a stranger is to point out something you both have in common, or to give the stranger a compliment.

Amy disagrees with Ella. She doesn’t like talking to strangers. Sometimes she even gets annoyed if someone she doesn’t know tries to start a conversation with her. Both Amy and Ella agree that when guys approach girls they don’t know and try to start a conversation, it can be a little creepy.

Do you like talking to strangers? Are you outgoing, or do you prefer to keep to yourself?

 

Comments

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wishtolearn

El Salvador

i like talking to people i dont know…. but sometimes they set a barrier… so i stop talking and turn around

04:12 PM May 28 2011 |

lyly999

lyly999

Tunisia

i think i prefer talking with strangers when im confined in place for long time , because im kinda of someone who hate being bored  , so the best way to make time go fast when u stuck in the smae place for long time is talking with someone you don't know , sharing with him conversation wich come out the blue

09:49 AM Feb 16 2011 |

1 person likes this

emoryel

emoryel

Turkey

I am smilar to Amy.I often behave like Amy.

Amy:I just have my book, and I just want to be left alone, and, you know, sometimes it’s not true but for the most part, I still follow the rule of don’t talk to strangers.

07:26 PM Feb 07 2011 |

fish box

Tanzania, United Republic Of

Sranger is so good person you never ever hate them.

07:43 PM Feb 06 2011 |

koxa

koxa

Ukraine

Talking with new people always seems to be interesting, it's simply exchanging information. Such kind of communication could be useful, you might get to know something that have never heard as well as known….sometimes it's so interesting to share or discuss some issues with people who you don't know, to listen their opinions or just to advise something to them using maybe your earlier experience.

06:01 PM Jan 31 2011 |

1 person likes this

sHaaTooR

Saudi Arabia

hello 

i,m sHaaTooR want to meet some strangers  :)

 

01:24 PM Jan 31 2011 |

akram mohammadi

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

hi of course yes , when i siting behind a person i break the ice with stranger.

no i am outgoing it is enjoyable for me i love tp find a new firend beacause i want to know the pepole

08:00 PM Jan 30 2011 |

Romio79

Romio79

Russian Federation

As a rule I don't look for the conversation with strangers just 'cause I have nothing to do. But if someone wants to talk with me, why not. Sometimes it's interesting. And if it's not the conversation won't be long.

06:58 PM Jan 30 2011 |

rebel lee

rebel lee

China

I am not a very outgoing person, so usually I don't talk to strangers. But sometimes, when someone else talk me, and we do have lots of common things to talk about, then I would really like to talk to him/her. And most of the time you can learn somethings useful from the other person, they may surprise you.

So, I would not start a conversation with a stranger, but I do like to talk to different kinds of people.

04:15 PM Jan 30 2011 |

mehmetrize

mehmetrize

Turkey

I like talking to strangers. I am a bit shy about that and a bit worried but it improves my foreign language skills and gives me chance to know new people and cultıres.

If they are friendly, it becomes a nice conversation. If they are not, I prefer keeping silence.

 

03:11 PM Jan 30 2011 |

1 person likes this

dearpesar

dearpesar

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

for me…. like annetteline ... it depends… sometimes quiet… sometimes not

01:11 PM Jan 30 2011 |

annetteline

Russian Federation

depends on situation, mood  and other circumstances :)

10:31 AM Jan 30 2011 |

miho nakatsukasa

Japan

  Sometimes I meet a stranger of foreiner at the staion but I have never talked to them. Although I really want to talk them in English because usually I seldom have the opportunity to discuss with foreiner directly in English.

 I am afraid to be felt creepy by them.

But in the case of traveling I think that it is OK to talk to stranger.

Last April I have been to Australia and then I talked to a girl when we were waiting for the bus at the bus station.

The surrounding of  me and the sistuation made me bold.

 

05:38 AM Jan 30 2011 |

cococheng

Taiwan

I'm never a social or outgoing person, but I enjoy talking to strangers.  When I was little, I was very shy and dared not talk to people I don't know, even they are my sisters' friends.  Then I found it a weakness in my personality, and decided to do something to change it.

Now icebreaking and having a conversation with strangers is not so difficult to me.

02:42 AM Jan 30 2011 |

carolain.1

carolain.1

Spain

I think we cant talk with someone on the street 

Remember bad people and killer can be handsome and beuatiful too
i dont like to talk wth someone who i dont know

and we can talk online because the other person is maybe 8.500 milles from you

 TALK WITH STRANGERS CAN BE DANGEROUS

 

01:00 AM Jan 30 2011 |

ShuJing

China

Hello, I am just  learning this  lesson  of talking to strangers.  I like to  talkwith strangers, but  sometimes  I am shy because  I  don't  think my English isgood  enough.

11:58 PM Jan 29 2011 |

Rise

Rise

Germany

Parents are doing that for protection, because children do not have experience or feeling for who is good and who not. Trust your perception about who is trustworth and who is not and you can be overwhelmingly social if you want. That is how I see that.

10:05 PM Jan 29 2011 |

lailaq

lailaq

Palestinian Territory, Occupied

Umm, I agree with Amy

08:09 PM Jan 29 2011 |

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