Real time English Phrase Collection

“I don't blame you.”

You live in a small town. You're talking to your teenage nephew, who lives in the same small town. He says he wants to move somewhere else as soon as possible. The town is boring, so you say this because you understand why he wants leave.

“Dude, are you high?”

Your friend is acting really strange. You wonder if he might have used some drugs. You ask him this.

“Yeah, I start to zone out after about five minutes.”

You're talking to a classmate about your professor's lectures. Your classmate says that his lectures are boring and hard to pay attention to. You agree, so you say this.

“Settle down! You're getting all worked up over nothing.”

Your girlfriend is worried because her boss announced an unexpected meeting tomorrow morning. She's afraid that she's going to be fired. She's getting really nervous, so you tell her to calm down.

“She'll be with you shortly.”

You're going in for a job interview. You tell the employee near the entrance that you have an appointment with the manager. He tells you to wait.

“Dude, it's so dope!”

You're a young man. A new sports car was just announced. You're telling a friend about it, and you want to explain that it's really cool.

“They are testing the limits of my patience!”

You're trying to have a conversation with your friend, but your children are running around and yelling. They're starting to make you angry. You say this.

“We’re down 4% over last year.”

You're giving a presentation on your company's financial performance. You're showing a chart which compares this year's earnings with last year's. You explain that the company made a little less this year.

“It's a little overcast.”

Your husband is getting dressed to leave for work. You're sitting next to the window, so he asks you if it looks like it will rain today. You tell him that it's cloudy.

“Can we stop by an ATM on the way there?”

You're riding in your friend's car on the way to a restaurant where you're meeting a few other people. You don't have any cash, so you want to go to an ATM. You ask your friend who's driving this.

“Why do I always put things off until the very last minute?”

You have a school assignment due in two days that you were supposed to have been working on for 3 weeks, but you haven't started. You are talking to your friend and whining about how far behind you are. You make this complaint.

“After 10 years, my beloved kitty Snuggles has passed away.”

You had a pet cat who just died. You're sad, so you post about it on social media.

“By the end of the day, I was physically and mentally exhausted.”

Your wedding was stressful. You're talking to a friend about it. You're telling her the story of all the stressful things that happened. You end the story this way.

“A recent study shows that sitting for long periods of time could be bad for your health.”

You're reading a news website. There's an article about a health risk that scientists have discovered. The article starts this way.

“Do you still want to get together?”

You made vague plans to meet an old friend of yours this weekend, but you haven't heard from her and want to check to make sure that she hasn't changed her plans. You ask this.

“Indeed.”

You and a friend are eating at an outdoor cafe. Someone drives by in a really fancy sports car. Your friend comments that it's a cool car. You agree.

“She insisted that I take it.”

You visit your grandmother. When you're leaving, she tries to give you some money but you say "No thanks." She tells you that you have to take it. This is how you describe these events to a friend.

“Daddy has to go to work now, tiger.”

You were talking to your son in the morning, but now you have to go to work. You say this to him before saying goodbye.

“All baggage must be stowed in the overhead container.”

You've just boarded an airplane. Everyone is now on the plane, but people are still putting away their bags and other things. The flight attendant says this.

“You know what they say: where there's a will, there's a way.”

You are raising three young children as a single parent while also working full time. You're talking to a coworker who says that it must be hard for you. It is, but you're able to survive. You say this in response.

“I will be out of the office for the week of December 27, with limited access to e-mail.”

You're going on vacation. You want to leave a message on your e-mail that lets people know that you're not at work. You write this in your out-of-office message.

“Don’t feel obligated to stay late. Once you’re done with whatever you're working on, you’re free to leave.”

There's a new employee working under you. It's late in the work day, but most people are still working. You explain to the new person that she doesn't have to stay late.

“Excuse me, I wanted to see about opening a small business checking account.”

You're starting a business. You need a bank account, so you walk into a bank and say this to an employee who's sitting at the customer service desk.

“I think the filter needs to be changed.”

You have a swimming pool in your yard. The water looks dirty, so you say something to your husband about it.

“How do you take it?”

Someone you work with has come over to your house to visit. You offered him something to drink, and he said that he'd like a coffee. You ask him this to find out if he likes sugar and milk in it.

“Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Tea?”

A coworker is visiting you at your home for the first time. You want to be polite, so you offer him something to drink.

“I can adjust the temperature, if you want.”

Your nephew is visiting your house. He seems to be cold. You offer to turn the heat up.

“What do you have the thermostat set on?”

You're at your uncle's house. It's pretty cold. You'd like your uncle to turn the heat up, and you also want to know why it's so cold there. You ask him this question.

“I couldn't put it down.”

You're talking to your friend about a book that you recently read. It was a really good book, so you stayed up late every night reading. You say this to your friend to explain why.

“I look like a dork.”

You bought a helmet and pads to wear while riding your bicycle. Now you're looking at yourself wearing them in the mirror, and you don't like how it looks. You think this to yourself.

“An oldish gentleman, built kind of solidly?”

You're talking to your college academic advisor about which classes you should take next semester. He asks you if you know a certain professor. You think you might know who he's talking about, but you're not sure. You ask him this.

“They had a spread like you wouldn't believe!”

Last week you went to a great party that was thrown by one of the companies that you do business with. You're telling your coworker, who didn't go to the party, about it. You want to tell him about all of the amazing food that they had at the part...

“I'm talking lobster, chicken, pizza... you name it!”

Last week you went to a great party that was thrown by one of the companies that you do business with. You're telling your coworker, who didn't go to the party, about it. You just told him that there was lots of amazing food there, and you begin t...

“It's a shame you missed it!”

Last week you went to a great party that was thrown by one of the companies that you do business with. You had a great time. Today you see your coworker, who didn't go to the party. You want to tell him how fun the party was. You say this to show ...

“No, I packed my lunch today. Thanks, though.”

It's lunch time at work. A coworker offers to pick up some food for you. You say this because you brought lunch from home.

“He is currently being held in a maximum security prison.”

You're watching the news on TV. There's some news about a prisoner who escaped, but has now been caught again. The news anchor (TV announcer) explains this.

“All proceeds will go to the Susan G. Komen foundation to fund cancer research.”

You're working on a charity event to raise money for cancer research. You'd like to ask some of your co-workers for help with the event, so you write an e-mail about it to a group of people. You explain where the money from the event will go.

“Absolutely. I'd love to.”

A girl in one of your classes is asking you out on a date. You like her a lot, so you want to accept her invitation and you say this.

“Thanks but no thanks.”

You're having an argument with your girlfriend and she won't talk to you. You tell your friend about this, and he offers to talk to her for you. You think that's a really bad idea because it's none of your friend's business and you think it would ...

“Don't you dare!”

Your dog is looking at one of your shoes. She looks like she's about to grab it in her mouth. You yell this to make her stop.

“Bad girl! Let go of that!”

Your dog is chewing your shoe. You want to tell her to stop, so you angrily say this.

“It may not be too eco-friendly, but they're a lot easier to carry that way.”

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 y...

“Actually, can I get plastic instead?”

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.

“You could cause permanent damage to your ears, you know.”

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.

“He's going through a little rebellious phase.”

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 ...

“The only thing about fish is that it's so hard to get rid of the odor.”

Your wife cooked some fish for dinner. It was good, but now you're trying to clean the dishes. You've tried to wash away the smell of the fish. You say this because the smell is still there.

“That's unlike him. He's usually so clean-cut.”

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.

“Earl's looking pretty scruffy, isn't he?”

One of your coworkers 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.

“Do you want to borrow my clippers?”

Your friend has a hangnail. She complains about it. You want to offer to help her, so you say this.

“Shoot! I've got a hangnail.”

You've been having lunch with a friend and just noticed that the skin around your fingernail hurts. This is what you say.

“So now I'll open the floor for questions.”

You've just finished giving a 15-minute presentation at an event for people to practice giving speeches in English. Now you want to give the audience a chance to ask you questions, so you say this.

“Yes, the woman over there in the gray suit.”

You gave a presentation at an event for people to practice giving speeches in English. Now you've opened the floor for questions. A few different people have raised their hands to ask a question, and you need to pick one of them. You say this and ...

“Yum! I could smell your cooking from down the street!”

You come home after work, and your wife is cooking fish. You were able to smell it before you even came in the door. When you come in, you say this.

“Mount Shinmoedake, a volcano in southern Japan, began erupting earlier this week.”

You're watching the news and you hear some news about a volcano. This is what the newscaster says.

“As you can see, the advantages of the new site are, one, it's personalized.”

You're giving a presentation of your company's newly redesigned website. You want to list the good points of this new site, so you say this.

“James is, like, a hard core soccer fan.”

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.

“She can come across as stuck up at first.”

One of your friends is complaining about a girl that you both know. He doesn't like her. You didn't like her when you first met her, but now you do. You say this.

“I'm pretty strapped for cash myself.”

A friend asks if he can borrow some money for a few days until his next paycheck. You don't have much money either, so you say no.

“This thing is such a piece of junk!”

Your car often has engine problems. Now you're trying to start your car, but it won't work. This is what you say to yourself.

“We're looking for a highly motivated, super-organized self-starter.”

You need to hire an office assistant. You want someone who will do a good job without being told what to do. You write this on the job description.

“We provide assistance to disabled veterans.”

You're explaining what your charity organization does at a street fair.

“When is it again?”

You were invited to a cousin's wedding. Your sister asks you if you're going. You don't remember when the wedding is, so you ask like this.

“That's a very generous offer. Um, let me think it over for a few days and get back to you.”

You own a small pet store. Someone has offered to buy it from you. The price they're offering is high, but you're still not sure. You say this.

“I couldn't see because of the glare.”

You're playing softball with a group of friends. You tried to hit the ball, but missed 3 times so you got struck out. Now you're explaining to your teammates why you missed.

“I have to renew it soon. It expires in June.”

You're talking about your driver's license with your office assistant because you need to rent a car on your next business trip. It's old, so you'll have to get a new one soon. This is what you tell your assistant.

“See, I can't do that. I'm a total neat freak.”

You're chitchatting with some friends. One friend says that she only cleans her house once every two weeks. You're very clean. You say this.

“You could have killed someone!”

Your 14-year-old son took your car and drove it around. He was caught by the police. When you go to pick him up at the police station, you're angry and scared because it was such a dangerous thing for him to do. You bark this at him in anger.

“I have this recurring dream where I'm on a boat that's sinking.”

You and a friend are talking about the topic of dreams. There's a certain dream that you often have. You tell your friend this about it.

“How is that my responsibility?”

Your wife is angry because she woke up late to go to work. She gets angry at you because you didn't wake her up.

“I'll come tuck you in and read you a story in a minute.”

Your child is getting ready for bed. You usually read to her before she goes to sleep. But first you need to send a quick email for work. You tell her to get in bed and wait for you.

“I get the whole beans and grind them myself.”

You're chatting about coffee. You're an enthusiastic coffee drinker. You describe how you make yours.

“All that sun must have really worn them out.”

You're riding home after a day at the beach with your young children. The children have fallen asleep in the backseat. You tell your husband this.

“That's a really strong composition.”

You're an amateur photographer. A friend shows you a photo that she took which looks really nice. You compliment her on how the objects in the photo are arranged.

“He had a really great run for a few years there in the late '90s.”

You're chatting with a friend about a baseball player. He's older now, but he was a good player for several years.

“I woke up this morning to the smell of coffee and the sound of birds chirping.”

You're on vacation at a rental house in the country. It was really relaxing this morning when you woke up. You write about it on Facebook to your friends.

“I bet the traffic at the beach this weekend'll be insane.”

You're planning a trip to the beach this weekend. The weather forecast says that the weather will be great, and it's a holiday weekend, so you think there will be a lot of people there. You say this to your wife.

“Can you believe these kids just making out on the street?”

You're outside on the street with a friend and you see a teenage couple kissing. You don't think it's proper for them to do that in front of strangers, so you say this to your friend.

“You need to have a nice, firm grip.”

You're giving a friend advice on how to act in business situations in the U.S. You discuss the correct way to give a handshake. You give this piece of advice.

“I think that the ship symbolizes your feelings about your professional life.”

Your friend told you about a recurring dream he has in which he's on a ship that's sinking. He asked you what you think it means. This is how you explain your theory.

“Her contractions are 12 minutes apart.”

Your wife is having a baby now. You've taken her to the hospital, and you're telling the nurse at the front desk about your wife's situation.

“OK, Sorry to bother you.”

You went by your coworker's office to talk with him about a problem you're having, but he said he was too busy to talk to you. You're a little annoyed, but you say this to respond politely because you're at work.

“He's past his prime now, but he was a great player at his peak.”

You and a friend are talking about soccer. You start discussing a player who used to be really, really good but is now a little too old. You say this.

“The Earth's axis is tilted.”

You're talking to a child and explaining why there are different seasons. This is how you begin your explanation.

“Can you go grab a jar of pasta sauce from the next aisle?”

You're grocery shopping with your son. You want to get pasta sauce, but it's in a part of the store that you've already been to. You ask your son this.

“First I'm applying a bit of eyeshadow.”

You're a makeup artist. You're putting eye makeup on a customer, and explaining what you're doing. You say:

“I was going for something abstract and kind of edgy.”

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 love your work.”

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.

“Not that I know of.”

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.

“I'm expecting something to come in today or tomorrow.”

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.

“All reimbursement requests must be submitted by Dec. 8th.”

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.

“Yeah, well hindsight is 20/20.”

Your friend is upset because he fell for a scam and lost $4000 dollars. He's angry with himself because he thinks he should have known it was a trick. You agree that he should have known that, but you don't think he should be so angry at himself. ...

“*Limit one per customer.”

You're selling a product on your website. This week, you're having a sale so you're selling the products for a really low price. You don't want to sell too many at that low price, or you'll lose money. Under the price on the website you write:

“All right man, take it easy!”

You ran into a friend from college on the street and made small talk for a few minutes. Now you're leaving. You say this.

“They've lost it, if you ask me.”

You're talking about a basketball team with your coworkers. This team used to be very good. Recently, they've lost a few games. You don't think that they're going to be a very good team any more. You give your opinion this way.

“You have to eat a lot of fiber when you're constipated.”

You find out that your son hasn't pooped in 3 days. You tell him what he should do to fix it.

“I was in stitches the whole show.”

You went to see a play, and it was really funny. You're recommending the play to a friend, and you describe how funny it was.

“I want to go back to what Kevin said a few minutes ago.”

You're in a meeting at work. A few minutes ago, a coworker (Kevin) mentioned a problem that he's been having. You think it's important, but Kevin continued by talking about something else instead. Now Kevin has finished speaking, and you want to t...

“Come on. I didn't mean it that way.”

You were talking with your girlfriend. You mentioned that she doesn't dress in really fancy, expensive clothes. You wanted to say that you like this about her, but now she's angry. She feels like you're insulting her style. You say this in your de...

“Are you being shy?”

You have guests at your house. Your son won't talk to them at first and holds on to his mother. You want him to be friendlier to everyone.

“It depends on whether he's truly remorseful or just saying that to get back in your good graces.”

Your sister's husband hit her when they got into an argument. She left him, but now he's apologized sincerely. She asks for your advice on whether to forgive him. This is your answer.

“Do they suspect foul play?”

A celebrity has died. The police are investigating the cause of death. A coworker tells you about this, and you wonder whether it was a murder.

“I guess I'll thaw this out.”

You're discussing what to make for dinner. You have a frozen steak that you can make. You decide that you should cook it, but you need to warm it up first. You say this.

“All gone!”

Your son had a bottle of juice. He drank it all. You hold up the bottle and show him that there's no more left.

“In retrospect, I probably should have known it was a scam.”

You wrote a book, and sent it out to lots of different publishers. One publisher agreed to print it, but said that you had to pay $4,000 to cover publishing fees. You were excited to have your book published so you gave them the money, but now you...

“I'm looking forward to seeing you.”

You've made plans to visit a friend that you haven't seen for a while. You say this to them in anticipation.

“I've personally found that long-distance relationships are really hard to make work.”

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'd go out and blow it all on a huge shopping spree!”

A friend asks you what you would do if you won a million dollars in a lottery. You think that you would spend it all quickly on fun things like clothes, electronics, and furniture. You answer this.

“I take it you disagree...”

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 know how you feel. I went through the same thing after my father passed away.”

You're talking with a friend whose mother died a few months ago. She admits that it has been very hard for her. You've had a similar experience before, so you show your sympathy.

“What's the point of even wearing a helmet if you're not going to buckle it?”

You're going for a bicycle ride with your boyfriend. He has a helmet, but he doesn't like having the strap on his chin. You want him to put the helmet on correctly.

“Thanks, but I can't. I have a lot to catch up on.”

You went on vacation. Now you're back at work. There's a lot of work for you to do. A coworker invites you to eat lunch with him, but you can't because you're too busy. You refuse.

“Do you want me to take over?”

You and your family are making homemade ice cream with an old-fashioned ice cream maker. Someone has to turn it by hand. Your sister has been doing it for a few minutes and seems tired, so you offer to do it.

“No, I'm good, thanks.”

You're at a dinner party. The hostess offers you some more wine. You've had enough to drink, so you refuse.

“I'm sorry if you felt excluded or ignored, but it's not my job to babysit you.”

You met a group of old college friends for dinner. Your boyfriend came too, but he seemed upset because no one was talking to him. Now you're riding home, and you're angry that he got upset.

“He's an incredibly charismatic and personable guy.”

You're telling a friend about the pastor of your church, who you like a lot. You say this.

“Please alert the development team if you receive any error messages.”

Your company is using a new software program for managing information about customers. There might be some problems with it, and you want to find the problems so that they can be fixed. You write this in an email to all of the employees who are go...

“We're meeting up to sign the lease later this afternoon.”

You and your partner are moving to a new apartment, and you've just decided where you're going to move. Now you're chatting on the phone with a friend, and you share the news with her.

“Oh, I'm sorry. Am I blocking your view?”

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.

“I couldn't help but overhear you saying something about a film festival. Are you a filmmaker?”

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 conv...

“You made these from scratch?”

Your coworker brought muffins to work today to share. They look great. You're amazed that she made them herself.

“She kind of perked up when I mentioned Hannah's name.”

Your dog has another neighborhood dog that she's friends with. You set up a time with your neighbor for the dogs to play together. Your dog was excited about it when you came. You're telling this about your neighbor.

“What did you just say to me?”

You're yelling at your daughter to clean her room. She says, under her breath, "I hate you!". Now you're extremely angry, and you can't believe she said that. You say this.

“I'm willing to help you out, but you've got to put forth a little more effort.”

You're a teacher. One of your students is failing the class. You're talking to her about her grades. You say this.

“Someone should tell those guys that the baggy pants look is totally out of style.”

You're walking around your neighborhood with a friend. You notice a group of guys wearing big, baggy jeans. That used to be fashionable several years ago, but you don't think it's cool anymore. You make a comment about it to your friend.

“We've got to find a viable alternative to fossil fuels.”

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.

“Let's not jump to conclusions.”

You're on vacation with your wife. Your wife can't find her earrings. She thinks that they might have been stolen by the cleaning staff. You don't want to accuse anyone of stealing until you're sure that the earrings are gone, so you say this.

“Wow, these newer models are pretty fuel-efficient, aren't they?”

You're shopping for a new car. You haven't bought a car in many years. When you're looking at the specifications for the cars, you notice that they use a lot less gas than cars that you've owned in the past. You comment on it to the car salesman.

“After that, you just have to simmer it for an hour or so.”

You're explaining how to make a stew. You've explained some of the steps, and now you're explaining the last step.

“I didn't want to put her in a nursing home.”

Your elderly mother lives with you and your family. You're explaining to a friend why you decided to invite her to live with you.

“Come to think of it, I can't even remember when the last time I hosted a party was.”

You're having a party at your house. You're talking to one of the guests, and you realize that you haven't had a party in several years. You make a comment about it.

“We have a connecting flight in 30 minutes and it looks like we won't be able to make it in time. Is there another flight that you can put us on?”

You're traveling to another country. You had one flight which arrived at 1:00, and you were supposed to take another flight at 2:30. However, you've been waiting for your luggage for almost an hour and it hasn't come out yet. You don't think you'l...

“If you keep plucking them, you'll end up with no eyebrows left.”

Your girlfriend shapes her eyebrows by pulling out some of the hairs. You think she does it too much, because her eyebrows are really thin. You say this when you see her doing it.

“Is that for here or to go?”

You work at a fast food restaurant. A customer tells you what food he wants. You need to know whether to put the food in a bag, or on a tray. You ask this.

“Is there anything going on between you two?”

You're walking to lunch with a coworker who you're friends with. You pass by a woman who works with you. You say hello to each other but your friend and the woman act strangely. You wonder if they're secretly dating each other. You ask him about it.

“We have a few more minutes, so I'd be happy to take some questions from the audience.”

You're giving a talk at a conference. You've finished your presentation, and now you want the people in the audience to ask you questions.

“We're about to take off. I'll call you when I land.”

You're a salesperson on a business trip. You've just gotten on the airplane, and you're still talking to your assistant on the phone. You have to turn off your phone now, so you say this.

“The material seems durable and there is a good deal of padding along the back and straps for a comfortable fit. ”

You bought a backpack from an online store. You like it. Now you're writing a review of it on the store website.

“Looks like you'll have to fend for yourself for a few days.”

You've been asked to go on a business trip. You've just told your husband about it. He doesn't do much cooking or cleaning at home. You tease him by suggesting that it will be difficult for him when you're gone.

“I hate to say 'I told you so', but...”

You and your boyfriend disagreed about when to arrive at the airport to catch a flight. You thought that you should go earlier, but he wanted to go later. Now you've missed your flight. You're annoyed, so you say this to him.

“Aiden, it's your turn to take the trash out.”

Your family has finished eating dinner. The trash can in your kitchen is full. You make your children take turns taking the trash outside. You say this to one of your sons.

“Remember that your days don't carry over, so put in your requests soon.”

You're the manager of a group at work. Some of the people you manage haven't taken theirv vacation days yet. You want them to take their vacations soon, so that they don't all try to take vacations at the end of the year. You say this.

“We're down to only 3 people now.”

Your company has been having trouble. Most of the people in your department have been laid off, and now it's just you, your boss, and one other employee. You're telling a friend about this situation.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we're experiencing some turbulence. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts.”

You're on an airplane. The plane is shaking a little bit. The captain makes this announcement to all of the passengers.

“Remember guys: there's no 'I' in 'team'.”

You coach a high school basketball team. Some of the players don't want to pass the ball to each other because they want to be the ones to score points. You're giving a speech to tell them to pass more often, and you say this at the end.

“Uhh... I'm blanking on her name.”

You're talking to the mother of one of the other children at your child's daycare. You want to tell her something about the head teacher at the daycare, but you can't remember the head teacher's name.

“I love that dry, deadpan style of humor he has.”

You like watching a certain late-night TV talk show. You're telling a friend why you like that show. This is how you describe the host.

“Keep in touch!”

One of the students at your English language school is moving back to his home country. Some of the students contributed to buy him a gift. On the card for the gift, you want to write a nice, friendly message. You write this.

“Please refer any payroll-related questions to Jared going forward.”

You work in the accounting department of a company. Your company has hired someone new (Jared) who will be doing some of the work that you used to do. You write an announcement to all of the other employees and explain which questions they should ...

“That's a real letdown.”

A baseball player on your favorite team was caught using drugs to improve his performance. You just saw the news about it on TV. You're disappointed. You think this to yourself.

“Don't you dare talk to me like that!”

You're in a big argument with your boyfriend. He called you a bad word. You can't believe he said that to you, so you're extremely angry. This is your response.

“All buckled up?”

You're about to drive somewhere with your kids. You want to make sure they have their seat belts on before you go anywhere. You ask them this.

“Hey man, you're preaching to the choir. ”

You're having lunch with a friend. He's complaining about how the government hasn't done enough to prevent global warming. He's expressing his opinions really strongly, like he's trying to convince you, but you already agree with his opinions.

“Always secure your own mask before assisting others.”

You're on an airplane that's about to take off. There's a video explaining what to do in different emergency situations. The video is showing how to use an oxygen mask. The speaker on the video says this.

“I ran into someone I haven't seen in years.”

Earlier in the day, you saw someone that you used to know but haven't seen for several years & were surprised. You say this when you tell your sister about it later.

“I need to work on my posture.”

Your back hurts. You usually sit a little hunched over, with your shoulders forward and your back bent. You don't think that's healthy, so you think this to yourself.

“We'll pass that along as soon as we have it.”

A client asks you for some research information about the results of your company's product. You don't have the research, but you will send it to your client when you get it. You tell them this.

“We have a few shows coming up later this month.”

You're watching a TV talk show. The lead singer of a rock band is being interviewed, and the host asks what the band is doing in the near future. This is the musicians reply.

“Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”

You're interviewing someone for a job. You want to know what his long-term goals are. You ask this.

“I don't want to get all bulked up; I just want to get toned.”

You're having your first meeting with a personal trainer. You want to start lifting weights, but you don't want to get really big muscles. You say this.

“On that note, I think it's time for me to leave.”

You've been studying for a class with a study group. After studying for a while, the conversation started to get off topic. Now two of the guys are making silly, rude jokes with each other. After one of the rude jokes, you stand up to leave and sa...

“Frugal? Cheap is more like it!”

Your sister is telling a story about your father at a family party. In the story, she politely says that your father was "frugal" when you were children (meaning that he always saved his money). You want to tease your father a little more, so you ...

“What's wrong? Does your tummy hurt?”

Your son has a pained look on his face and he's rubbing his stomach.

“We're no longer able to afford the mortgage payments.”

Your husband lost his job, so you don't have enough money to pay for your home loan. Now you're trying to sell your house. You say this to explain why you're selling it to a potential buyer.

“I've developed a rash of some kind on my upper back, between my shoulder blades.”

You have a problem with your skin. Part of your back is red and itchy. You're describing the problem to a doctor.

“Welcome aboard Flight 187 to Chicago. Our travel time this morning will be approximately one hour and fifteen minutes.”

You've just gotten onto an airplane for a flight. The captain makes an announcement to everyone that starts like this.

“I tried to talk him out of it.”

Your friend told you he was going to shave his head. You told him it was a bad idea, but he did it anyway. Now his girlfriend is angry that he did it. You want to tell her what you said so that she doesn't get angry at you.

“What are you doing with your life? You're spinning out of control!”

Your friend drinks too much, and just got caught cheating on his wife. You're angry and worried about him. You want to start acting better. You tell him this.

“I highly recommend it.”

You're talking with a friend about a book that you read recently. You say this because really liked it, and you think your friend should read it to.

“Can you pull up the pricing estimate I sent out last week?”

You're working with a coworker on a sales proposal in her office. You need some information that's in a document which you emailed to her. You ask her to open it.

“That's... quite a bold fashion statement...”

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.

“Where's the next one being held?”

You and a friend are talking about the recent Olympics. You don't know where the next Olympics is going to be, so you ask your friend.

“I swear, I came this close to just slamming him right in his face!”

You got in an argument with a stranger at a bar. You almost got into a fight with him. Now you're leaving the bar and talking about what happened with your friends. You express how angry you were.

“She is also the recipient of numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction.”

You're introducing a guest speaker at a conference. You introduce her like this.

“The jury found her 'not guilty'!”

You're watching a news report about a famous murder trial. You and your roommate were talking about this case earlier today, and you both agreed that the woman who's on trial is a murderer. Now the news tells you that she has been freed. You shout...

“That look she gave him sent chills up my spine.”

You just saw a horror movie with a friend. You're talking about parts of the movie that scared you. You say this.

“No, I'm self-taught.”

You're an artist. You met someone who likes your work. She asks if you have any formal training in painting. In fact, you don't have any formal. You don't have any formal training so this is how you reply.

“We are working day and night to restore power to all the areas that have experienced outages.”

There's been a hurricane. It caused the electrical power system to go down in a lot of homes in your region. A representative from the electrical company is giving a press conference to talk about how they are going to fix it. He says this to reas...

“I went to a doctor and got some antibiotics, but she said that it would take a few days for them to kick in.”

You're feeling sick with a sinus infection. You went to a doctor and got some medicine, but you don't feel better yet. You were supposed to meet a friend for dinner tomorrow evening, but you don't think you're going to feel better by then. This is...

“See here? I patched up that spot where the drywall was starting to crack.”

One of the walls in your house had a crack in it, but you fixed it this weekend. You told your wife that you fixed the wall, and now you say this as you show it to her.

“It's imperative that you keep up with the reading.”

You're a college professor. You're talking to a new class during the first week of school. You want to make sure that the students understand how important it is to do the reading assignments you give them, so you say this.

“He claims to have been abducted by aliens.”

You're chatting with a coworker about your uncle, who's a pretty strange guy. He's told you that aliens from outer space kidnapped him. You tell this to your coworker.

“They can hold you indefinitely without a trial.”

You've traveled to a certain country that has very strict laws. You're warning someone who's traveling there soon to be careful of the police there.

“I didn't want to make her feel self-conscious.”

Today your daughter made a really funny mistake on her science homework. You wanted to laugh about it, but you didn't want to upset her so you stopped yourself from laughing. Now you're telling your husband about it and you offer him this explanat...

“The video's pretty choppy on my end.”

You're doing a video chat on your computer with a friend in another country. The video isn't very smooth. It plays for a few seconds, then stops for a few, then plays again. You asked your friend if the video looked OK on her computer, and she sai...

“I'd love to go, but I don't know if I'd be able to manage it financially.”

A friend has invited you on a skiing trip. It sounds like fun, but it seems expensive and you don't have much money. You say this.

“Please retain this receipt for your records.”

You went to see a doctor. Afterwards, you paid for the visit and got a receipt. You read this sentence on the receipt.

“We've all taken very different paths in life.”

You're telling a friend about your brothers and sisters. One of them is a musician, another one is a housewife in the suburbs, and you work in a large corporation. You're explaining why you're all so different.

“It's not that long of a hike.”

You and a friend are in the countryside. You want to hike to the top of a small mountain, but your friend isn't sure if he wants to do it. You say this to convince him to hike up there with you.

“She's talking up a storm these days.”

You're talking to your friend, who lives in another city. She asks about your baby, who she hasn't seen for several months. The baby talks now, so you say this.

“There is no local Brooklyn-bound service between 34th Street and Canal.”

You're riding the subway in New York City. The train conductor makes an announcement because the train isn't stopping at its usual stops. She says this.

“I've been meaning to ask you: do you know what's up with Matt?”

You haven't seen your friend Matt for a few months. You're not sure why he hasn't been in touch. Now you're having a conversation with another friend of your who also knows Matt. You remember that you wanted to ask about him, so you ask this.

“As you're all aware, we've been forced to make significant cutbacks.”

Your company recently laid off 15% of the employees. You're running a meeting with your staff to talk about how to deal with the layoffs. After starting the meeting, you begin by saying this.

“They're more energy efficient than conventional bulbs because they generate a lot less heat.”

You use fluorescent light bulbs in your house to save electricity, You're explaining why you use them to acquaintance who says he doesn't know why people use them.

“There seems to be a bit of a lag.”

You're having a video chat on your computer with a friend in another country. When you ask her a question, it takes her a few seconds to answer. You think that's because the message isn't reaching her immediately. You make this assessment of the s...

“It's a quiet little suburban community about 30 minutes outside the city.”

You're on a first date with a guy. You're talking about yourselves. You tell him the name of the town that you're from like this.

“I want to try to shed a few pounds and get back in shape.”

You and a friend are discussing your New Year's resolutions with each other, a few days after New Year's Day. You've gained weight in the past few years, so you want to lose weight this year. You make this declaration to your friend.

“Can I help you?”

You're at work. Someone walks by your desk, looking lost. You want to find out why they're there, so you ask this.

“Some folks are evacuating, but I'm staying put.”

There's a hurricane coming towards your location. The news suggested that people in your area should leave, but you don't want to. You think you'll be OK in your home. You write your decision like this to your friends on Facebook.

“What would you say is your greatest strength, and what's your greatest weakness?”

You're interviewing a candidate for a job. You want to know what he is good at and what problems he might cause if you hire him. You ask this.

“What an ego-maniac!”

You're visiting the office of one of your clients. He has a huge photo of himself on the wall which he seems really proud of. You think this to yourself.

“You'd think that someone who's been in the military would be more disciplined.”

Your boss used to be in the army, but now he's fat and lazy. You're gossiping about him with a co-worker. You say this.

“You hangin' in there?”

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.

“Honestly, I feel more relieved than anything.”

You just got your Ph.D. A friend asks you if you're proud of yourself. You feel kind of accomplished. But your strongest feeling is happiness that you can stop researching and writing papers for a while. You say this.

“What's with all the dry cleaning?”

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.

“Hey, scoot over.”

Your husband is on the couch watching TV. You want to sit with him, but he's sitting in the middle of the couch and there's not enough room for you. You want him to move so you can sit down. You say this.

“Please, please, please - let me know if there's anything I can do to help you through these times.”

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.

“Oh! You trained him to stand on his hind legs?”

While walking around your neighborhood, you see your neighbor, who's playing with her dog. The dog is standing up like a person. You're delighted to see that, so you say this.

“I was completely oblivious!”

Two of your friends have been secretly dating each other. Finally they tell you about it, and you're really surprised because you didn't suspect it. You say this.

“As a salesperson, you have to be able to relate to a wide range of people.”

You're a salesperson. You're talking to someone you just met about your job, and why you like it. You say this.

“I find it hard to believe that you're really going to need all that luggage just for 3 days.”

Your daughter is packing for a weekend vacation. She's packed two large suitcases and a backpack. You think that's too much. You say this.

“Can you at least give me a ballpark?”

You're having the shingles on your roof replaced. The contractor who's doing the work tells you that the wood on your roof is rotten and will need to be replaced. He says that he doesn't know how much it will cost, but you want to have an idea of ...

“Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I'd stuck with it.”

When you were young, you used to want to be a comic book artist and used to practice drawing all the time. But you stopped drawing and haven't done it for many years. Now you have just seen an old drawing that you did and it makes you nostalgic. Y...

“She's always striking up conversations with total strangers.”

Your mother is very outgoing and talkative. You're describing her to a friend. You give an example of her outgoing behavior.

“The thing about zombies is that they're not fast or resourceful, but they're absolutely relentless.”

You're a fan of monster movies. You and a friend are discussing what kind of imaginary monster would be the most dangerous. You explain why zombies are quite dangerous.

“Please disregard my last message. It was mistakenly sent to the wrong group.”

You wrote an email for work and sent it to an email group. After you sent it, you realize that you sent it to the wrong group. You send another message to the same group, which says this.

“I'm a little worried about what would happen if we were to have an earthquake.”

In your apartment, you have a tall bookshelf set up near your bed with some heavy boxes on top of it. Earthquakes aren't common in your area, but you're worried that the boxes would fall and hurt you if one happened. You communicate this fear to y...

“I don't know exactly how much it'll be. I'll call the office and have them crunch the numbers.”

You're replacing the roof of a home. You found that there was some damage to the roof, so you have to replace the wood. You're telling the homeowner about this, but you don't know how much it will cost.

“Sorry, I can't hear you. Why don't you text me instead?”

You're talking to your friend on the phone and trying to make plans to meet her. The phone signal is breaking up. You can't hear what your friend is trying to say, so you say this to get her to send you a text message instead.

“Yeah, but then it'll be blocking one of the outlets.”

You're moving into a new apartment and trying to decide where to put your furniture. Your roommate suggests a location for the couch, but you don't think it's a good spot. You say this.

“Sounds freaky.”

Your friend tells you about a dream he had last night. It was really strange and frightening. This is your response.

“Maybe a few of us can all chip in and get her something really nice for her baby shower.”

One of your friends is pregnant and about to have her baby. There's going to be a party for her next week. You want to get her something expensive, so you'd like to get three or four friends to buy it for her together. You suggest this to one of y...

“You're cutting it awfully close.”

Your brother has been visiting you, and now he's about to fly back home. His flight is leaving in less than two hours, but he hasn't left your house yet. You're worried that he'll miss his flight, so you say this.

“I guess it requires some assembly.”

You bought an office chair online. You thought that it would be sent to you completely built, but instead you were just sent a bunch of parts that you have to put together. You say this to yourself.

“Landscape architecture is an extremely competitive field.”

You're a university student, and your major is landscape architecture. You're trying to get a summer internship. You say this, explaining to a friend with another major why it's important to get this internship.

“You look like you're about to nod off.”

You're riding home from a concert with a friend. She looks really sleepy. You say this.

“What if we rented a moving van instead of hiring someone?”

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...

“What are you doing up at this hour?”

You wake up in the middle of the night because you hear some noises. You go to see what the noise is, and find your daughter awake in the kitchen and making a snack. You ask this because you want to know why she's awake now.

“Hey, come on! That has sentimental value to me!”

You and your family are having a yard sale to get rid of old stuff. Your wife suggests that you sell an old baseball mitt, but you don't want to sell it because it's the one you used as a kid.

“It's a little out of my price range.”

You're shopping for a new laptop computer at a store. The salesperson suggests getting a computer that's really nice but costs a lot of money. You don't want to spend that much money, so you say this.

“All Korean men are required to serve in the army.”

The topic of Korean politics came up at a dinner with co-workers. One of your coworkers said that he doesn't know much about the topic. So you're explaining some basic facts about Korea to him, and this is one thing you tell him.

“I walked quite a way out, but it was still only about waist deep.”

You're at the beach with your family. You've gone in the water and were surprised by how shallow it was. You tell your wife, who hasn't gone in the ocean yet, about it.

“I went straight to sleep as soon as I got home.”

You went on a trip with a group of friends for 4 days. You had a lot of fun and didn't sleep much, so you were tired at the end of your trip. You went to sleep soon after you returned home. You say this while talking to one of your friends who was...

“Rina, let me call you right back.”

You get a phone call while you're on the line with someone else. You answer it, but you want to finish the other conversation first.

“I get this sharp pain in my shoulder whenever I raise my arm.”

Your shoulder hurts sometimes. It hurts badly when you raise your arms up. You say this to describe the pain to your doctor.

“OK. Well, it was a pleasure meeting you.”

You met someone at a party and were talking with them for a few minutes. Now she has signaled that she's going to end the conversation and go talk to other people. You say this to say "goodbye" to her politely.

“How rude of me! Karen, this is my friend Jeff.”

You're at a party. You were talking to one person (Karen), but then another friend of yours (Jeff) comes over to talk to you. You've been speaking with Jeff for a few minutes, and you suddenly notice that Karen is uncomfortable because she doesn't...

“Seat backs and tray tables must be placed in their upright and locked positions.”

You're on an airplane that is about to land soon. The flight attendant is making announcement. She says this.

“Their natural habitat is being destroyed, little by little.”

You're taking a tour of a zoo. You're visiting the gorillas. The tour guide talks about why the number of gorillas in the world is decreasing.

“He's going to hang back for a few weeks to tie up a few loose ends.”

You and your husband are moving across the country. You're going to move first, and your husband is going to come a few weeks later. You're explaining your plan to a friend on the phone and you explain this.

“I'm just gonna kick back with a cold drink and watch the game. You?”

It's Friday afternoon at work. A coworker asks what you're planning on doing this weekend. You're just going to watch sports at home, so this is your answer.

“Don't make me pull this car over!”

You're driving somewhere with your son riding in the back seat. He's misbehaving, and you want him to stop. You threaten to punish him like this.

“Watch out! Your fingers are going to get caught in the door.”

Your young child is playing with the door, opening and closing it. You're worried that he's going to hurt his fingers. You tell this to him.

“We made a down payment on a house today!”

You're buying a house. Today you paid part of the money for the house. You'll pay the rest with a loan from a bank. You're excited, so you write a message to your friends on Facebook about it. The message says this.

“The extent of the damage is just... it's unprecedented.”

There's been a major hurricane in your region. It was the worst storm that you've ever had there. A newscaster is talking about the storm and says this.

“Listen, do you mind if I crash on your couch for a night or two?”

You're visiting another city. You can't afford to stay in a hotel, so you call a friend who lives there. After explaining your situation, you say this to ask if you can stay at your friend's apartment.

“Can you believe the nerve of these airlines charging a fee for checking a suitcase?”

You flew to another city recently. You brought two suitcases, but you were only allowed to carry on one. The airline charged you $25 for the other one. You're angry because that used to be free. You're complaining to a friend about it.

“When you factor in the time it takes to travel to and from the airport, it's almost a 24-hour trip.”

You often have to fly from Korea to the east coast of the U.S. for work. The flight is very long. You're complaining about how long it is to a colleague and you explain to him this.

“Can you follow up with Jay later this week?”

You're at a meeting at work. Your group has asked someone from another group, Jay, to make improvements to a computer program that your group uses. He hasn't done it yet, but you want to make sure he does it. You're telling one of your employees t...

“I don't see what the big deal is.”

Lots of people are talking about the new iPad tablet computer device. You go to a store with your girlfriend to try one out but you aren't impressed by it. You don't understand why everyone is so excited. You say this to your girlfriend express yo...

“Do you think this will go well in the study?”

You're shopping for furniture with your fiance. You find a desk that you like, but you want to get his opinion on whether it will fit with the other furniture in your study. You point to the desk and ask this.

“You need to arrive to the office at least fifteen minutes before the start of your shift.”

You're a manager at a bank. There's a new teller who just started working there. You're explaining the bank's rules to her. You tell her when to get to work.

“I know that I have some very big shoes to fill.”

You're taking over as the coach of a high school soccer team. The previous coach was really popular. Now you're giving your first speech to the team, and you want them to know that you'll try hard to be a good coach.

“In case of fire, use stairs unless otherwise instructed.”

You're waiting for an elevator to leave a building. There's a sign on the wall that says this.

“I only got four hours of sleep last night.”

A coworker mentions that you look sleepy. You explain why by saying this.

“That's weird. I could have sworn I put it here.”

You're looking for the book that you're reading. You thought it was on the nightstand next to your bed, but it's not there. You think this to yourself.

“That's why I always try to pay off my credit card bill every month.”

You're talking with your friend about the problems he's having with his credit cards. He says that he's being charged a lot of extra money for interest. You never pay interest because you always pay the complete amount on your bill every month. Yo...

“Can you wipe that up, please?”

Your husband spilled some milk on the kitchen counter. It doesn't seem like he's going to clean it. You're annoyed, so you say this.

“We're still assessing the extent of the damage.”

There's been a hurricane. The governor of your state is giving a press conference to talk about the results of the storm. A reporter asks how bad it was. The governor doesn't exactly know yet, so he says this.

“Ugh. My sleep cycle is still totally out of whack.”

You went on a vacation in a country on the other side of the world. You've been home for a week, but you still can't go to sleep at a normal time. You complain about it to a coworker.

“I’m going to have you work with Martin for the first month or so.”

You're the manager of a software development team. There's a new programmer in your group who needs training. You tell her that one of the other employees will train her.

“At first I was in total shock.”

Your house was destroyed in a fire. You're telling a friend the story of what happened. You're explaining your emotions when you saw that the house had burnt down.

“We expect sales this quarter to be a little soft compared to last year, due to the overall economic environment.”

You're giving a presentation at work about your company's financial estimates. Your group expects that the company won't make as much money as they did in the same period last year.

“Don't tell me you've never ridden a roller coaster before!”

You're planning a trip to an amusement park with some of your coworkers. You ask one coworker if she likes roller coasters, and she says she doesn't know. You realize that she's never been on one, and you're surprised.

“Once you commit to it, there's no going back.”

You were in the Army. You're talking about your military service with someone who's never been in the military. You say this to explaining that you can't quit the military until you finish your entire term of service.

“Actually, I had a question about the previous slide. Could you go back to that?”

You're watching a presentation in a meeting at work. The presenter showed some information on a slide, but quickly moved on to another slide. You want to see the earlier one again and ask a question about it.

“This might sound sexist, but I do believe a woman should stay home and take care of the children.”

You're in a discussion with some friends about women who are focused on their careers. You hold pretty traditional ideas about women working. You want to state your opinion, but you know that some of the people listening won't agree with it. You o...

“I hear some kind of siren in the background.”

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.

“There's fierce competition among photographers for clients.”

You're a professional photographer. You're talking to someone who's not a photographer about your industry. You say this to describe how difficult the field of photography is.

“I got in an accident and messed up your car.”

You were driving your parents' car and crashed it. Now say this as you're telling your parents about it.

“It's starting to come together.”

You're building a new house. The construction started a few weeks ago. A friend asks about how it's going, so this is your answer.

“I'm just auditing it, so it doesn't count toward my major.”

You're a university student studying Business. You're taking one art class this semester just for fun. But you're only attending the class, not getting a grade for it. Another student in the class finds out that you're studying business, so she as...

“Sure, I'll add him to the distribution list.”

You're having a phone conference with several people at work. One of the managers says that one of her employees hasn't been getting any e-mails about a certain project. She asks you to make sure that he gets these e-mails. You say this in reply.

“I hope he's able to fit in at his new school.”

Your son is starting at a new school next week. He's nervous because he doesn't know anyone who goes to this school, and he's not sure whether he'll be able to make friends there. You're concerned for him too. You say this to your husband.

“I've been getting all these random friend requests lately. Do you get those?”

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.

“Child soldiers in these countries have been forced to witness and carry out extreme acts of violence.”

You work for a nonprofit company which offers help to children in violent countries. You're explaining the company's mission to a person who you're trying to get a donation from.

“Believe it or not, I had never even traveled abroad when I moved here.”

You're chatting with someone that you just met at a party. She knows that you're from another country, so she asks about why and how you moved here. This was actually the first foreign country you went to, so you say this.

“What if someone tries to deposit a check, but the date on the check is later than the current date?”

You just got a job at a bank. You're being trained by your manager. She's explaining how to deposit customers' checks into their accounts. You have a question.

“I got it on a whim one day a few years ago.”

You have a tattoo on your arm. You didn't think very carefully about it when you got it. You're on a date, and your date asks about your tattoo.

“We're constantly inundated with advertisements in our society.”

You're involved in an intellectual discussion about society. You think that having too many advertisements is harmful.

“I used to be able to run five miles without breaking a sweat. Now I get winded after the first five minutes.”

When you were younger, you were in good shape. Now you don't exercise much, so you're out of shape. You're talking to a friend about how hard it is for you to exercise now.

“Everybody seems to be critical of the President these days, but I still believe in him.”

You're commenting on a news story about the President of your country. A lot of the other commenters are saying bad things about the President, but you still like him and think that he can accomplish good things. You write this.

“Interesting. I've never encountered that phrase before.”

You're talking with an English-speaking colleague and she uses a phrase that you've never heard before. You ask her to explain what it means. After she explains it, you say this.

“OK, let me take these ideas to Management and see what they think.”

You had a meeting with your department. You discussed ideas for solving a problem. Before you make a decision, you need to present your solutions to some senior people in the company.

“All right, tell me your version of what happened.”

You are a teacher at a middle school. Two students got in a fight, and you want to find out why they were fighting so you can decide how to punish them. Each student has a different point of view on the situation, so you are talking to each of the...

“I work in the accounting department at a law firm.”

You're riding an airplane alone. You get into a conversation with a woman sitting next to you. She asks what you do. You explain.

“Let's say you go up on stage and completely bomb. So what? What's the worst that can happen?”

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.

“You don't want to come across as too desperate.”

Your friend is a single guy who's not very good with women. He was able to get a girl's phone number and wants to call her the next day. You say this because you don't think he should call her that soon.

“It's a bit intimidating.”

You've been offered a job in another country. You're telling your friend about it. You're going to take the job and you're excited, but it's also a little bit scary. You say this about how you're feeling.

“There's been a big oil spill off the coast of Louisiana.”

You are watching the news on TV and they're talking about an oil spill. Your roommate walks by and sees the pictures. He hasn't heard about this news, so he asks what's going on. You answer him by saying this.

“I'm finished filling this out, but I wasn't quite sure what to write in this section.”

You're visiting a health clinic. Before you see the doctor, the receptionist asks you to complete a form. You've done it but had some trouble with some questions.

“OK. Let’s move on and discuss our bug reporting process.”

You're leading a meeting at work. You've finished talking about the first topic of the meeting. Now you say this to introduce the next topic.

“Would you mind covering for me while I'm out?”

You're going to take a vacation. You need someone to do your job for you while you're on your vacation. You ask your coworker this question.

“He's a lot shorter in person.”

You saw a famous actor at a restaurant. You're telling your friend about it. You were surprised to see that the actor was shorter than you thought. You say this.

“Why don’t we take a survey of our customers and find out which device has the biggest market share?”

You work at a company that makes applications for tablet computers. You and some coworkers are debating about which tablet device is most important to build for. There's disagreement, so you suggest a way to solve the debate.

“I don't know — should I continue to look the other way, or rat him out to the professor?”

You know that one of your classmates cheats on his homework. You haven't told the professor about it yet. You're trying to decide what to do, so you ask your friend for advice.

“So far I've just been getting caught up.”

You took off work for 6 weeks for maternity leave. You returned to work this week, and now you're trying to figure out what you're supposed to work on. A coworker who you see in the elevator asks you if you've settled back in yet. This is how you ...

“It was great meeting you the other day.”

You went to a job fair three days ago to look for a job. You met a recruiter for a company and want to continue your communication with her. You write her an e-mail and start by saying this.

“I'm trying to pack light.”

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.

“There are people who actually earn a good living as bloggers.”

You just started a blog and are hoping to make some money. Your friend doesn't think anyone can maka a living this way. You tell him that he's not quite right about that.

“Whatever happened to what's-his-name?”

You're talking to your ex-wife. She mentions that she's dating someone new. She had a boyfriend before, and you thought that they were still together. You don't remember his name, so this is how you ask about him.

“I've had this song stuck in my head for two days!”

You heard a song two days ago, and since then you've been thinking about that song over and over again. You make this complaint to your friend.

“The portion sizes are so much bigger in the U.S.!”

You are eating lunch at a restaurant in the U.S. with a friend, and the restaurant brought you a huge plate of food. You are amazed at how much food American restaurants serve, so you say this.

“I believe that everything happens for a reason.”

You had a child when you were very young. It was hard, but you also feel like you learned a lot from it. Now it is several years later, and you're telling someone about your experience.

“That's not very environmentally conscious of me, is it?”

You admitted to a friend that you usually drink bottled water, even though you know that the bottles are bad for the environment. Your friend is very interested in environmental issues. You want to show that you feel a little guilty about it.

“Hopefully we can keep up the momentum this quarter as well.”

You are discussing your company's sales results from the first quarter with a coworker. The company has been doing well, and you hope that you'll keep doing well. You say this.

“Why would you go all the way downtown to get a haircut when there's a perfectly good place right across the street?”

Your son got a haircut. He went to a hair salon in another part of the city and spent a lot of money. You think he should have gone to a cheaper barber shop nearby.

“You and Lisa really seemed to hit it off.”

Two of your friends who are single came to a party you had a few days ago. You saw them talking to each other for a long time, and they seemed to like each other. Now you want to ask one of them what he thinks of the other person.

“Here's an estimate of the cost. Keep in mind, it's just a ballpark.”

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.

“You think you can just go around spending money left and right?”

Your girlfriend isn't very careful with money. She just bought some clothes online, but you don't think that you can afford them. You yell at her about it.

“As I was riding the train home, I realized that I'd left my keys in the closet at work.”

You're telling a story about a time when you got locked out of your house. You've described the basic situation, and now you want to describe the interesting event that happened.

“I'll shoot her an e-mail and find out where we stand.”

You've hired someone to create a new design for a website you run. Now you're talking with your business partner, who mentions that the designer hasn't sent any updates in a few days. You offer to deal with it.

“If someone is mean to you, don't hit them. Just tell the teacher.”

Your young son got in trouble at school because he hit another child. He explains that the other child was being mean to him. You teach him how to handle that situation.

“I was wondering, is there any way that we could move these meetings up earlier in the morning?”

You have a meeting each morning at work. The meeting happens in the middle of the morning. It's not a good time because it interrupts your work. You ask your boss about changing the meeting time.

“It's obvious that the company isn't doing well.”

Your company's sales seem to be down. You're talking with a coworker. You mention the company's position.

“Make sure they're cooked all the way through.”

Your husband cooked pork chops for dinner. You're worried that they might not be cooked enough, so you tell him this.

“Over one in five Americans suffer from obesity.”

You're writing a blog post about how you think America should solve the problem of having too many overweight people. You write this in your introduction of the topic.

“Um... talk to me after the meeting.”

You're leading a meeting at work. One of the attendees at the meeting asks you a question. You don't want to answer the question in front of the whole group, so you say this.

“We're looking into replacing our current video hosting provider.”

Your company has a website which uses lots of videos. You're trying to find a new service to use for storing and playing the videos. You write this in a contact form for one of the services.

“I find it really hard to focus on my work in the afternoon.”

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.

“Just keep track of how much you're spending and I'll pay you back.”

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.

“He would be the state's first openly gay legislator.”

There's an election coming up soon. One of the candidates for your state's congress is gay. This hasn't happened before in your state, so you're talking to a friend about it.

“I've got to hand it to you: you've really stepped up these last few weeks.”

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 give up. What color is it?”

You are playing a guessing game with your children. They think of a color and you have to guess which color it is. You make 3 guesses but don't get the right answer. You want them to tell you the answer, so you say this.

“You seem awfully young to have a son in his teens.”

You're talking with someone who seems to be in her 30's, but she says that she has a teenage son. You can't believe that she's old enough to have a child that age. You say this, surprised.

“If I had to pick something, I'd say that I could probably be a little more vocal in meetings and group decisions.”

You're being evaluated by your boss at work. She asks you whether you think you have any weak areas. You don't really think so, but you think of something to criticize anyway. You say that you should speak up more.

“Yes, I was wondering if you take Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield?”

You recently moved to a new town and you're looking for a new doctor. You call a doctor's office to find out if you can use your insurance plan there. You ask the receptionist this.

“The gap between the haves and the have-nots just keeps getting wider and wider.”

You're discussing politics and economics with a friend. You share your opinion that poor people are getting poorer while rich people are getting richer across the world.

“Did he mention where he was going?”

You need to talk to your boss about urgent business. You call but his assistant answers the phone and says that he's been gone for most of the afternoon. You want to know where he is so that you can decide if you should call his mobile phone. If h...

“I do agree with him on defense, though.”

You're discussing politics with someone you know at your local gym. She asks you what you think of the prime minister. You tell her that you don't like many of his policies. But you say this because you do think one of his ideas is good.

“Excuse me, we're taking up donations for the Haiti Relief Fund. Do you have a moment?”

You're volunteering for a charity that helps victims of the earthquake in Haiti. You're asking for donations on the sidewalk in a busy part of town. You ask this to each person who walks by.

“The truth always comes out, one way or another.”

Your friend quit her job recently but hasn't told her parents. You think that she should stop lying to her parents, so you tell her this.

“Oh well, it'll come back to me in a few minutes.”

You read a work email earlier today about a new potential client. Now you're talking with a coworker and trying to tell her about the e-mail. She asks you the name of the client, but you can't remember what company it was. You try hard to remember...

“OK, who wants pancakes?”

You're going to make breakfast for your family on the weekend. You're trying to decide what to make, so you ask your family this.

“Whoa, whoa, watch it. It's gonna tip over!”

You're fishing in a canoe with a friend. Your friend has hooked a big fish, and he's pulling it in excitedly. It's making the boat unstable, so you warn him not to move so much.

“You might be tempted to cut corners on your taxes, but when the government comes knocking on your door, you'll be sorry you did.”

You're an accountant. One of your clients is asking about ways to pay lower taxes. You warn him that he should be careful not to break any tax laws.

“I considered going into medicine, but I decided that I wanted to do something a little more creative.”

You make pottery for a living. You're at a party and you're talking to someone who's a doctor. You tell her that you almost became a doctor before you chose pottery.

“Sir, I think we have an issue.”

You're watching an action movie. A soldier on a battle ship is looking at a radar screen and sees some objects flying toward the ship. She says this to the commander.

“We need to think about this from the customers’ point of view.”

You're in a planning meeting for a product that your company is building. Other people in the meeting have been making suggestions that make the product easier to build. But you think that these suggestions will make it harder to use for customers...

“Do you have this in green?”

You're out shopping for furniture with your fiance. You found a sofa that you like except for the color. You want to ask for another color, so you call over an employee at the store and ask this.

“Guys, I have to talk to you.”

You wrecked your parents' car. Now you have to tell them about it. You are talking to both your mother and father at the same time. You start by saying this.

“I wanted to let you all know that Mindy has suffered a loss in her family.”

One of your employees called to say that she couldn't come to work because her mother died. You want to let the other people in your group know. You write an email about it. The first sentence is like this.

“I’m hoping that eventually I can work my way up to Regional Manager or Division President.”

You're talking with a friend about your job. She asks what your career plans are. You tell her that you'd like to stay at your current company and get promoted.

“So proud of my husband and his continued support and work with the veteran community.”

Your husband just raised $1000 for a charity. The charity helps soldiers who were injured while fighting in battles. You're proud of him, so you post this message about him on social media.

“I was tossing and turning all night.”

You and your friend are on vacation together. You're in a hotel room, and the bed was uncomfortable. Your friend asks how you slept, so you answer.

“Payment is due within 15 days. If payment is not received by that time, you will be charged a 10% fine.”

You just received a hospital bill. There's a note at the bottom that explains when you must pay the bill by.

“There's no way.”

Your close friend invited you to go out to a dance club. You say this to her because you definitely don't want to go.

“I don't want to make a big deal out of it.”

You ordered a medium rare steak at a restaurant, but when it came the steak was overcooked. Your friend says that you should complain to the waiter. You say this because you don't like to confront people directly.

“Say "bye bye" to grandma and grandpa.”

You visited your wife's parents. You're leaving now. You want your son to say "goodbye" to his grandparents.

“I don't see that happening any time soon.”

Your friend is writing a message on her mobile phone. It takes a long time for her to write it and there are a lot of spelling mistakes. She says that she wants a mobile phone that she can just speak into and it will type the message perfectly. Yo...

“Yeah, it's a huge environmental disaster.”

You're talking with a coworker about a large oil spill. She is talking about how big of a problem it is. You agree, so you say this.

“You can't count on someone always being there to support you.”

You're arguing with your girlfriend, who doesn't have a career plan or a good job. She just gets money from her parents. You think she should work hard on her career so that she will be able to support herself. You offer her this piece of wisdom.

“I work in the production department at the newspaper company Bravo Inc. in New York.”

You're at a party at a professional conference. A stranger introduces himself and asks what you do. You tell him where you work.

“Oh, my bad. Didn't realize you were saving it.”

You're at a party. You saw an empty plastic cup sitting on a table, so you threw it away. Now someone's looking for the cup, so you apologize.

“Wow, good catch.”

You're checking a PowerPoint presentation that your boss is going to give tomorrow to the entire company. You notice a mistake on one of the pages and you point it out. Your boss is surprised that there was a mistake and happy that you told him ab...

“Give it a try on your own.”

You're training a new employee at your company. You're showing him how to use one of the company's software applications. You've finished explaining it, so you want him to try to use it by himself.

“I just want to get the whole thing over with as soon as possible.”

You've been sued by one of your tenants, who says that you didn't make the repairs that you were supposed to on the house that she rents from you. You're annoyed that this is happening. You tell a friend about the situation and how you feel.

“My ideal guy is someone who is confident without being cocky or arrogant.”

You're using a dating app to find a boyfriend. You like confident men, so you describe the kind of personality that you are looking for.

“There're some good restaurants around here.”

You're driving to the cinema when your friend says he doesn't know the neighborhood you're in. You tell him it's a nice area with some good places to visit.

“Ma'am, it seems to be six pounds over the allowed weight. There will be an additional overweight baggage charge for that.”

You work at the checkin counter at an airport. A customer wants to check in her bag, but when you weigh it, it's too heavy. You have to tell her that she's going to need to pay extra.

“This is just a polite reminder to please notify me whenever you update the extensions spreadsheet.”

Your coworkers are supposed to email you when they make changes to a spreadsheet that you're responsible for. Lately, some of them have forgotten to do that, so you send a short email to remind them.

“All right. Have a good day.”

You're leading a meeting at work. It's the end of this meeting, so you say this to signal that you're finished.

“My my! Don't you look dapper?”

Your brother is getting ready to go out on a date. When he comes out of his room, he's dressed nicely. You say this to him.

“It had a huge impact on, not just television, but the entire entertainment industry.”

You're watching an interview with the producer of a very popular television show that's been on the air for many years. The interviewer says this about the show.

“The sun is many times larger than all of the planets in the solar system put together.”

You're a teacher in an elementary school. You're teaching your class about the planets and the sun. You explain the size of the sun.

“Just thinking about how enormous it all is... it blows my mind!”

You and a friend get into a conversation about outer space. You start to talk about the size of the universe and how many stars are in it, and you feel amazed by it. You comment on your feeling.

“On the other hand, it is in a really good school district.”

You and your husband are looking for a house to buy. You just saw a house that's for sale and you're discussing it. Your husband complained that it was a little small, but you point out something good about the house.

“Oh yeah, they're loaded.”

You're talking with a friend about your boss and her husband. You tell her that the boss goes on a lot of international vacations. Your friend asks if your boss and her husband are rich, and you explain that they are.

“Ah, what was the name of that little diner on the corner of 69th and Broadway?”

You're telling a story about something that happened while you were eating out with a friend. You can't remember the name of the restaurant, so you ask your partner to help you remember.

“Let me send an email to I.T. and have them give you access to the network.”

There's a new employee who's just started working in your department today. You're training her. You realize that she doesn't have computer login and password yet, so you offer to help her get one.

“Easier said than done.”

You're not in very good shape. Your friend is giving you some advice. She says that you should exercise every day, but you're very busy so it's not easy to find time to exercise. You think in response to your friend's suggestion.

“I bet the meeting this afternoon'll be pretty short since David's out.”

You're chatting with a coworker during your lunch break. You have a department meeting scheduled for this afternoon, but you don't think it will last long.

“What did you get?”

Your teacher has graded your class's tests and is returning them to you. You want to know what grade your friend got on the test, so you ask this.

“You constantly have to be learning just to keep pace with the latest developments.”

You're a software programmer. You're talking to someone you've just met about your job, and explaining why it's difficult.

“The bigger your down payment, the lower your monthly payments will be.”

Your nephew is thinking about buying a car. He asks you for advice about getting a loan. You recommend he pay as much up-front as he can.

“OK, but let’s think of some other options.”

You're discussing how to solve a problem with some coworkers. You've been debating one solution with a coworker for a few minutes. You'd like to stop talking about this solution and think of some other ideas instead. You say this to move the conve...

“I feel pretty good about my performance overall.”

You're being evaluated by your boss at work. She asks you whether you think you're doing a good job. You say that you are.

“I think I would be an ideal fit for your organization.”

You're looking for a new job. You're writing a cover letter to send along with your resume. You want to tell the reader that you are a good choice for the job.

“Oh yeah? What kind of sales?”

You're at a park with your children. While they're playing, you're talking with one of the other parents. He says that he's in sales. You're interested, so you ask for more details.

“You already have three computers, only one of which you actually use.”

Your wife wants to buy a new computer. She already has a lot of them, so you don't think she should buy another one. You tell her why you disapprove.

“Things started out well, but we were never able to really gain traction.”

You owned a store for a while, but you had to shut it down. Someone is asking you why, so you explain that you couldn't get enough customers.

“Jeez, how awkward is this? It hurts to watch!”

You're watching a reality TV show. One of the people on the show is asking another person out on a date, but he's doing a really bad job and you can see that it's making everyone on the show uncomfortable. You comment on it.

“I say we give it a try.”

You and your boyfriend are deciding what restaurant to eat at tonight. You're considering a restaurant that you've never been to before. You're not sure if it will be good, but you'd like to try it.

“Ah, I see.”

You're being trained in how to use a computer program at work. You asked your coworker a question about the program. He answered, and now you understand. You respond to show that you get it now.

“If you take a step back and think about it, college is just a brief period in a person's life.”

You are a university student. You and a friend are going to graduate soon. It feels like you've been in school for a long time, but now you've started to realize how quickly the time passed. You share this thought with your friend.

“Let me ask you this: is there anything that we can do to convince you to move ahead with this today?”

You're trying to get clients for your small company. You're in a meeting with someone who's said that they might hire you, but they're not ready to make a final decision. You try to get this person to make a decision.

“Absolutely. The war on drugs is a waste of our tax dollars, plain and simple.”

You're having a political discussion with a group of friends. Someone complains about the government spending too much money to stop illegal drugs. You strongly agree, so you say this.

“Clarence, this is Nina. She’s taking over Anita’s old job in Finance.”

There's an new employee in your department. You're introducing her to some of the people in your company. This is one of your introductions.

“Well, one way or the other, I'd better figure something out soon.”

You lost your job a few months ago and haven't been able to find work. You've been talking with a friend about whether you should keep applying for jobs in the same industry or try to change careers. You conclude by saying this.

“Clarence is in charge of our Sustainability initiatives.”

There's an new employee in your department. You're introducing her to some of the people in your company. This is one of your introductions.

“Do you mind?”

You're trying to read a book. Your boyfriend is humming a song loudly while he reads something on his computer. It's annoying you, so you say this.

“Oh, you have no idea.”

You recently completed your first marathon. A friend asks you whether it was difficult. You answer that it definitely was.

“If you notice anything suspicious, please alert the authorities immediately.”

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.

“The question isn't whether or not we love each other. It's whether we're ready to make a lifelong commitment at our age.”

You and your girlfriend are young but you've been dating each other for 6 years. Your parents have started to pressure you to get married. Your mom asks whether you love your girlfriend, so you explain that you do love her but you don't want to ge...

“Hey, can we go back to what you were saying about the deposit slips? I have a question.”

You just got a job as a bank teller. You're being trained. A few minutes ago, the trainer talked about deposit slips. Now she's moved to a different topic, but you have another question about deposits. You ask to return to that topic.

“Yeah, it can be really intimidating traveling in a foreign country where you don't know the language and the customs.”

You're talking to someone who recently traveled to another country. She tells you that it was scary sometimes. You've felt this way before, so you agree.

“Has anyone seen my cell phone? I think I left it lying around here somewhere.”

Your family is sitting in the living room. You've been trying to find your cell phone. You ask them if they know where it is.

“I was asked to give a commencement speech!”

You are the top student in your class. You're going to graduate soon, and you were chosen to give a speech at the graduation ceremony. You tell your parents the good news.

“Vineeta, did you have anything you wanted to talk about?”

You're leading a meeting at work. It's almost the end of the meeting. You're checking to make sure that everything has been discussed. You ask one of your coworkers if she has any topics to discuss.

“If you get questions that should be fielded by Ops, this will help you determine which Ops staffer is responsible for which sales division.”

You've created a chart which shows the responsibilities of each person in your department at work. You're sending in in an email to everyone in your division. You write this to explain how the chart is useful.

“When's this rain gonna let up?”

It's been raining a lot for the last few days. You look outside and it's still raining hard today. You comment on it to your roommate.

“First things first. Let me introduce our new interns... This is Erina Mano and over here we have Jonah Ray.”

You're the manager of a department at work. You're leading your weekly staff meeting. You have some important things to discuss, but you want to introduce some new people before you begin talking about those things. You introduce them this way.

“Your lunch break is from noon to one.”

You're a manager at a bank. There's a new teller who just started today. You're explaining her work hours. You tell her when she can go to lunch each day.

“She was really sharp.”

You're interviewing for new employees at the store you manage. You're reviewing the list of applicants with a coworker. You comment on the next person on the list, who seemed smart.

“When she said that, it kind of threw me off.”

When you were talking with your friend, she said that she was having relationship problems with her boyfriend. You thought that they got along really well, so you were surprised to hear that. Now you're telling your girlfriend about that conversat...

“Come on over if you're not doing anything this afternoon. We'll crack open a bottle of wine, throw on a few steaks...”

It's the weekend. A friend calls to ask you about something. After answering his question, you want to invite him and his family to come over to your house for dinner.

“What made you decide to go into accounting?”

You're at a dinner party at your friend's house. You're talking with someone who you just met earlier tonight. You remember that he's an accountant, so you ask this to start a conversation with him.

“I’m in corporate sales.”

You're at a playground with your children. One of the other parents starts a conversation with you. He asks what you do. You don't want to give him a lot of specifics, so you tell him the general field you work in.

“I don't watch much TV these days.”

Your friend asks you if you like a popular new TV show. You tell him you've never seen it because you don't watch a lot of TV anymore.

“There's this myth that there's a perfect soul mate out there for everyone, when the reality is that a lot of us just end up settling for someone.”

You and a friend are talking about dating. You're frustrated because you've tried to find a partner who fits you perfectly, but you haven't succeeded. Now you think that you might not be able to find a perfect partner. You share your opinion with ...

“There is considerable disagreement among scientists over how likely such a catastrophe is to occur.”

You're watching the news. Recently a scientist has warned that a nuclear power plant in your area is unsafe. The company that runs the plant says it's safe. The news reporter tells what other scientists think.

“How long have you been doing that?”

You're chatting with someone at a party who you haven't spoken with very much. He just told you about his job. You ask for more information about it.

“What you’re saying is true, yes. But I’m not sure that it’s really relevant to the discussion.”

You're leading a meeting to discuss a change in your division at work. One of the managers is complaining because his group doesn't have enough people, and the company won't let him hire more. His complaints aren't helpful, so you switch the topic...

“I don’t think that’s really an option due to our budget.”

You're having a meeting at work to discuss way to solve a problem. A coworker suggests one solution, but it would be too expensive. You reject his idea.

“I'm not saying that they're not skilled musicians... their stuff just isn't for me.”

You're talking with a friend about a band that he really likes. You tell him that you don't like them as much. He can't believe it and tries to convince you that they are great musicians. You explain why you don't like their music.

“I don't really want to go, but I feel kind of obligated.”

Your coworker has invited you to her birthday party. Because you see her every day, you feel like you should attend, but you would rather stay home. You explain this to your room mate.

“I saw... oh shoot, what's her name? I'm drawing a blank.”

You ran into one of your boyfriend's coworkers today. You've met her a few times before, but you don't remember her name. You're trying to tell your boyfriend what happened.

“Do you want me to strike a pose?”

You're on vacation with your boyfriend. He's taking a picture of you in front of a landmark. You think it would be funny to pretend to be a model for the photo, so you suggest it.

“Who are you leaning towards?”

Your wife is a manager at her company. She has to pick one person to promote. It's a difficult decision. You ask her if she is closer to making a decision.

“He's got a lot going for him.”

You're talking with your mom about your brother's job interview yesterday. You point out that he has excellent qualifications, a good personality, and many other attributes that should help him get the position.

“Why don't you go outside and play for a little while, OK?”

Your son has been inside all day. The weather outside is nice, so you think he should go outside. You suggest it to him.

“It's you who should be worried, my friend.”

You and a friend are about to play basketball against each other. Your friend asks if you're worried that you're going to lose. You want to tease your friend, so you threaten him.

“What do you do for a living?”

You're talking to a woman at a party who you've never met before. You want to know more about her. You ask this to find out what her job is.

“Look at the size of those teeth! Man, I wouldn't want to come across one of those out in the wild.”

You're watching a documentary about tigers. There's a shot of a tiger that looks really scary. You imagine how dangerous it would be to be close to a tiger like that. You comment on it to your nephew, who's watching the show with you.

“We're #1 in customer satisfaction!”

You have a small shop where you sell furniture. You're going to advertise your shop on the Internet. You want customers to think that you're friendly and that they can trust you, so you write this in the ad..

“Suck-up!”

You're a student. One of the other students in your class compliments the professor on his lecture. You think she's just doing that so that she'll get a better grade in the class. You think it's distasteful, so you think this.

“Beverly is our go-to person for any kind of I.T. issues.”

There's a new employee in your department. You're introducing her to some of the people in your company. Now you're introducing someone who's really helpful with computer problems.

“He told me that it would be a good investment, and I was gullible enough to believe him.”

You gave some money to a guy as an investment, but it turned out to be a fraud. He took your money and didn't give it back. Now you're telling the police about what happened. You say:

“Before we can install the new counter, we'll have to rip up all this old linoleum, and possibly replace some of the underlying floor. ”

You work in construction remodeling people's homes. A homeowner wants to remodel his kitchen. To do this, you need to replace a lot of stuff. You tell him what you will have to do.

“No thanks, I've got to get going.”

You're visiting a friend's house. She invites you to stay and eat dinner there, but you know that it would be more work for her if you stayed. You want to politely say "no".

“Do you want to go to time out?”

Your son isn't doing what you tell him to. You want to threaten to punish him. The punishment is sitting in a chair by himself with no toys for 5 minutes.

“You seem to have a hairline fracture in one of the minor bones in your foot.”

Your foot hurts after a sports accident, so you went to the hospital. The doctor has taken an X-ray, and now he's showing it to you and explaining what's wrong.

“You have to learn to share.”

Your son is playing with another child his age. He has a toy which the other child wants to play with. He won't give the toy to the other child, so you tell him this.

“Please note that I will be out of the office starting Friday, December 7, through Tuesday, December 11.”

You're taking a few days off of work. It's the end of the day, and you're setting your email auto-responder message. You write this.

“It's important to eat your veggies so you can grow up to be big and strong.”

Your son sometimes doesn't eat vegetables. You want him to eat them because they're healthy. You're trying to feed him some broccoli, and you're convincing him to eat it.

“What do you guys think about the idea of having our team building here in the office?”

You're planning a party for your department at work. The budget for this party isn't very high, so you want to make a low-cost suggestion. You email your suggestion to some coworkers who are helping you plan it.

“Are you interested in going back to school?”

Your friend is depressed and can't decide what to do with his career. You ask him how he feels about using education to boost his career.

“Most of the various online invoice services come with an assortment of professional-looking templates.”

You run your own freelance photography business. One of your cousins is trying to start doing the same. He asks your advice for creating invoices for his clients. This is your advice for making the invoices look nice.

“A C? Uh-uh, that's not gonna cut it.”

Your daughter shows you her report card from school. She got a pretty bad grade in her math class. You get mad at her and say this.

“Kids who learn martial arts gain not only strength and the ability to defend themselves, but confidence as well.”

You're a martial arts instructor. You're having a conversation with some parents who come to tour your school. You explain why they should enroll their kids in your class.

“I actually wrote a paper on this in college.”

You're watching a documentary on TV about a war in ancient Rome. You remember studying this and writing about it when you were a student. You tell your girlfriend about it.

“We're trying to come to a consensus on where to go for drinks.”

It's Friday evening, and you arrive at your friend's apartment. You have plans to go out. Your friend explains that the group is discussing what bar to go to.

“Can I finish it?”

Your boyfriend offers you some of his drink. It's more than half gone, and you'd like to drink the rest.

“I’m conscientious, detail-oriented, and a hard worker.”

You're applying for an internship. You're writing a cover letter to send with your application. You list some of your best qualities.

“Before we get started, I wanted to remind everyone that your time sheets are due to Amy by the end of this week.”

You're in charge of a meeting at work. There's one announcement that you need to make at the beginning. You remind everyone about something that they're supposed to do.

“My heartfelt thanks to our great #SalesConf speakers and attendees!”

You organized a professional conference. The conference has finished now, so you write a message on Twitter to thank the speakers and the people who came to the conference.

“You just need a good night's sleep.”

Your roommate had a really bad day and she's upset. You think that she should go to sleep, and she'll feel better tomorrow. You give her this advice.

“He has his father's stubbornness.”

Your son bought a motorcycle, even though you and the rest of your family told him not to. You complain about him to his girlfriend.

“We’re up 10% over last quarter.”

You're presenting sales results in a meeting at work. You tell the group that the company is doing better now than 3 months ago.

“It's been one thing after another all day.”

You've had a busy day at work, with lots of different people asking you for help with different problems. Now it's the afternoon, and you're talking with a coworker. You want to tell her about your busy day, so you tell her this.

“We just need to think about whether that will work from a design perspective.”

You and a few coworkers are working on a mobile phone app. You've come up with a basic plan for the app. The plan works for the marketing team and the programmers, but no designers have checked it. You point this out.

“Employment in the region is relatively stable because the majority of jobs are in government and health care.”

You work for a company that owns stores across the country. You're making a presentation about where the company should build its next branch. You give one reason why the city that you picked is the best choice.

“I can assist you with that.”

You work at a clothing store. A customer looks like he's ready to check out. You want to offer to help him, so you say this.

“Don't try to twist my words around.”

You're in an argument with your boyfriend. Recently you said that it wasn't a good idea to visit his parents now because you both needed to save some money. Now your boyfriend says that you think money is more important than family. That's not wha...

“I try to come in early to beat the rush hour traffic.”

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.

“Well, can’t we just create a different layout for every device? That would be the best from a design perspective.”

You work at a company that builds applications for tablet computers. You and some of your employees are trying to figure out how to deal with all of the different sizes and shapes of tablets. You suggest designing separate versions for each one.

“For me, doing some sort of physical activity always clears my head and gets my creative juices flowing.”

You are a writer. You're talking to another writer about how you come up with ideas and stay focused.

“Actually, now's not a good time.”

At work, you're working hard to prepare for a presentation that you're giving in less than an hour. A co-worker comes by to chat about a problem that she's having with another co-worker. You don't have time to talk to her about this, so you say this.

“You need to floss, preferably every day, but every other day at the bare minimum.”

You work at a dentist's office. One of the patients has problems because he doesn't floss enough. You tell him how often he should do it.

“It's a true story about an unsolved murder mystery.”

You tell a friend that you like listening to podcasts. She asks what podcasts you listen to, so you tell her the name of one that you like. You're explaining what the podcast is about.

“Back before social media became big, it was easy to lose touch with people.”

You and your younger boyfriend are talking about old friendships. Your boyfriend thinks it's strange that you don't know much about any of your old friends from school. You explain that things were different when you were younger.

“Like I said, you need to keep it bandaged until it's fully healed.”

Your friend just got her first tattoo. You've had tattoos before, so you gave her some advice. Now you see that she's taken off the bandage, but it's too soon. You tell her to put it back on.

“It stood motionless for a moment and then it leapt away.”

You saw a deer in the woods when you were hiking. When you return from your hike, you tell your roommate about what happened when you saw it.

“All I want is to meet a guy with a stable job and a good sense of humor. Is that too much to ask?”

You're single. You've been on a few dates with different men recently, but they all went badly. Now you're frustrated that you can't meet someone normal. You complain to your friend.

“If you're bored, I suggest that you take up a hobby.”

Your son did something bad so you're punishing him by not allowing him to use his phone or computer. He complains that it's really boring. You tell him to find something else to interest him.

“He has the attention span of a 3-year old child.”

Your boyfriend gets distracted easily. You complain about this quality to one of your friends.

“Sweetie, Granny had a stroke.”

You get a call from your mother late at night. She tells you this bad news about your grandmother.

“I probably won't be able to get to it until early next week, though.”

A coworker sent you an email asking you to help with a project that she's working on. You say yes. But the project isn't as urgent as your other work, so you tell her that you can't do it immediately.

“Transfer to the 'R' at 42nd Street.”

Your mother is visiting you from out of town. She wants to go to a museum while you're at work. You give her these directions to get there.

“A report I read said that genetically engineered crops don't pose any additional risks either to us or the environment.”

You and a friend are having a discussion about food. Your friend says that it should be illegal to sell food from plants whose genes have been altered. You're not so sure about that. You tell your friend about something you read.

“I thought it would be a good idea to pull together a contact list for the group, which I've attached.”

You're working on a long-term project for your company that involves people from several different departments. You put together a list of names and phone numbers for all of the people working on the project. You email this to everyone in the group.

“We need to get this resolved as soon as possible.”

There's a bug in your company's website. You send an email to the web development team and tell them about the problem. You add that it's very urgent.

“Don't just go in and hit them over the head with a pre-rehearsed pitch.”

You're a sales trainer. You're teaching a course to a company's sales staff. You're explaining that customers don't like it when salespeople speak a lot without listening.

“I came this close to packing up and moving out to Hollywood to pursue an acting career.”

You wanted to be an actress when you were younger. Now, its many years later. You're telling your niece the story of why you stopped acting. In part of the story, you say this.

“How did the two of you end up collaborating with each other?”

You write a blog about fashion. You're interviewing a designer who partnered with a famous artist to release a new clothing line. You ask about how they decided to work together.

“Penguins are remarkably well adapted to their icy environment, thanks to millions of years of evolution.”

You're reading a web page about penguins written by someone who's really interested in them. The page has this scientific observation.

“No job is worth ruining your health over.”

Your sister has a great, high-paying job but she's always stressed out. Now she's having health problems but she doesn't want to take time off of work to rest. You say this to convince her to rest.

“You make me sick.”

You recently found out that your ex-husband cheated on you with your children's nanny. You are very angry and you think he's a very bad person. You write a text message to tell him how much you dislike him.

“My contact at Microcorp says that they're on board.”

You're helping to plan a conference. Your job is to find sponsors. You've heard that another company has agreed to sponsor the conference, so you say this to one of the other conference planners.

“Setting goals is one thing; achieving them is another.”

A friend has been reading a book about setting goals. She tells you about some of the advice that she read in the book. You don't think the advice is very useful.

“Back in the day, your old man was the epitome of cool.”

You're talking with your friend's teenage children. They think of your friend as old and silly, but you remember when he was really cool. You tell them about that time.

“Oh yeah, they've been on the decline for quite a while.”

You and a friend are having a discussion. Your friend says that a lot of newspapers have gone out of business. You agree and add some detail to his point.

“Would that be OK with you?”

You and one of your coworkers want to switch your assignments. You need to check with your boss for permission. You're not sure whether she'll allow it, so you write an email describing the plan and ask this at the end.

“I tend to dress a little more conservatively at the office.”

You're talking with some friends about the kind of clothes that you wear to work, versus during your free time, You say this.

“I find that as you get older, you learn what your own strengths and limitations are.”

You're having a conversation with an old friend. You're talking about how your lives have changed since you were younger.

“Oh, have you taken up painting?”

You visit your aunt's house. There's an easel set up in the corner of one of the rooms, but you've never heard about your aunt painting before. This is how you ask her about it.

“There was a period when I was in school when I literally did not turn on the stove for like two years.”

You cooked dinner for some friends. One of them asks if you've always been a good cook. You tell them a story to show that you weren't always interested in cooking.

“I looked over your books, and I jotted down a few questions that I wanted to ask you.”

You're an independent accountant. One of your clients came to your office for a meeting. You tell the client that you want to ask some questions about the documents that she sent you last week.

“When you go in his office, there are books scattered all around.”

You've visited the office of one of your college professors. You say this, describing what his office is like to another student who's never been in there.

“I just thought I'd check in on you and see how you're doing.”

Your wife's aunt is in the hospital. You stop by the hospital after work to see her. You say this to explain why you came.

“They have a screened-in porch in back. ”

You visited your boss's house, which was nice. Now you're describing the house to your boyfriend. You tell him about an outdoor area that's protected from bugs.

“I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him.”

You and a friend are talking about a TV show that you both watch. In last night's episode, it looked like the show's villain was caught in an explosion. You don't think the character is really dead, though, so you say this.

“At this time, would all department heads please report to Conference Room A?”

There's an emergency situation at your company. You need to have a meeting with all of the managers. You make an announcement over the building's speaker system.

“I've got this neighbor who plays this god-awful techno music until one in the morning.”

You're chatting with a friend. She tells you about some problems she's been having with her neighbor. You have similar problems with one of the people who lives in your apartment building, so you share your story.

“At first I was nervous, but as time went on I got more and more comfortable, to the point that now I actually enjoy it.”

You joined an acting class because you were very shy. You explain that the class has made you more comfortable with performing in front of people.

“Well, what's done is done, I guess. ”

Your daughter dropped her phone and broke the screen, so you have to get it fixed. At first you were angry, so you yelled at her. Now you've calmed down.

“With a DSLR like this one, you can detach the lens and attach, like, a zoom lens or a wide angle lens.”

You are an amateur photographer. A friend asks you about what kind of camera she should buy. You explain one of the features of your camera.

“You reward them whenever they obey, so soon they'll start to associate the positive behavior with a reward.”

You've trained your dog very well. You're teaching your son how to train the dog properly. You explain when to give the dog a treat.

“Is that still a thing?”

You and your sister are talking about someone's clothes. He wears really tight pants. You know that that was fashionable a few years ago, but you don't keep up with fashion so you're not sure if it's still popular now. You ask your sister.

“All I want to do is zone out in front of the T.V. until I pass out.”

You had a long, stressful day at work. Now you're at home, and you don't have enough energy to talk to your boyfriend. You tell him that you just want to watch television and then go to sleep.

“Yeah, no kidding.”

You're eating out at a new restaurant with a friend. After looking at the menu, your friend comments that the food is really expensive. You were thinking the same thing, so you agree.

“He has a reputation for being kind of eccentric.”

It's time to sign up for classes for the next semester at your university. A classmate asks if you know anything about a certain professor. You've never taken his classes, but you've heard that he dresses and acts a little strange. You say this.

“Whatever. I bet you use that line on all the girls.”

You were sitting at a cafe when a man approached you and told you how beautiful you looked. You don't trust him, so you say this.

“Without further ado, allow me to present our keynote speaker, Ms. Jessa Montgomery!”

You are hosting a conference. Now it's time to introduce the main speaker. You've already talked about a few other items of business, so now you let the audience know that the speaker is going to start.

“Essentially, what that means is that we'll have to replace the tiles as well as the pipes.”

You have a problem with the plumbing in your bathroom. Today, a plumber came by to look at the problem and gave you the bad news that he'll have to knock some holes in the wall to fix it. You've explained the problem to your husband, and now you'r...

“If someone wants to smoke in the privacy of their own home, hey, knock yourself out. But other people shouldn't have to breathe that in while they're trying to enjoy a meal.”

You are not a smoker. You go to a restaurant that allows smoking, and the smell is very unpleasant. You complain to your friend that smoking shouldn't be allowed in restaurants.

“He said to get him a salad or something.”

You and your sister are ordering food from a restaurant to take home. You called your father and asked what he wanted. Now you tell your sister what he said.

“Absolutely. Count me in!”

Your friend wants to rent a house at the beach for a group of friends to stay at. He asks if you'd like to come. You say yes.

“Oh, my gosh. Are you kidding? I'm ecstatic!”

You're leaving next week to study abroad. A friend asks if you're excited about it. You're very, very excited so you answer enthusiastically.

“Can someone help me with this?”

You're trying to carry a big box from one office to another. It's a little too big for you to carry by yourself, so you ask for assistance.

“I don't get what I'm supposed to do.”

You're in a training session at your job. The trainer has given a long explanation of a new product, and then asks you to try it together with another person. You're confused about what exactly your task is.

“At my work, they block a lot of sites that don't have a clear business purpose.”

The company that you work for has a very strict policy about using the internet at work. You explain this policy to a friend.

“There's not that much to it, really.”

You know how to juggle. Now you're showing your nephew how to do it. You tell him that it's not as hard as it seems.

“So then he whips out his phone and he's like, "Yo, let me get your number."”

You had a conversation with an annoying guy this morning. Now you're telling the story to a friend. You tell her about how he asked for your phone number.

“We design and sell high-end luxury apparel.”

The company that you work for makes expensive clothes. You're chatting with someone who you just met. You tell her about the company.

“They have a loft with a spiral staircase leading up to it.”

You visited your boss's house, which was nice. Now you're describing the house to your boyfriend. You tell him about one of the rooms.

“She's a tremendous asset to the team, and we're lucky to have her.”

You're presenting awards to your employees at a year-end party. You're introducing one of the winners, who's very helpful. You say this.

“It'll keep in the fridge for about... 3 or 4 days?”

You made a traditional dish from your country and brought some for one of your coworkers. When you give it to her, you tell her how quickly she should eat it.

“I tried standing on it and immediately fell flat on my face.”

You tried to use a new device that some people use to ride around on. The device requires good balance. You tell a friend that you tried to use it, but you got hurt.

“Ultimately, it's up to all of us as individuals to reduce our carbon footprint.”

You and a friend are discussing what the government should do to avoid global warming. You think that everyone, not just the government, should take responsibility for fixing the problem.

“Even an extremely modestly priced home in this area costs 150K at the bare minimum.”

You and a friend are talking about why you've decided to rent a house instead of buying one. You explain like this.

“Not sure. I'm still on the fence.”

You told your neighbor that you might buy a fishing boat. He asks if you've decided yet. You answer that you haven't decided.

“Get down from there right this minute!”

Your daughter and her friends found a way to climb onto the roof of your house. You're worried that they'll get hurt so you yell at them.

“When did you first start to feel like, "Yeah, I made it?"”

You're watching a TV talk show. The host is interviewing a successful movie director. He asks the director about when he started to be successful.

“To strike out on your own at that age, that takes guts.”

You have a coworker who's quitting his job so that he can start his own company. He's a little older, so it's surprising to you. You comment on how brave this person is to another coworker.

“I was like, "What?!" and Scott was like, "Yeah, right."”

You had a conversation yesterday with two of your friends. In that conversation, you heard something really surprising. You were shocked, but your other friend didn't believe it. Now you're telling your girlfriend about that conversation.

“Oh, it was a no-brainer. I accepted right there on the spot.”

You recently were offered an opportunity to transfer to an office in another country. You're telling a friend about the offer. She asks if the decision was easy or difficult for you, so you tell her how easy it was.

“All right, so much for that one.”

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.

“I knew you'd give me a hard time about it!”

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 might be 90 years old, but I'm still young at heart!”

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.

“Some people say that The Bible doesn't apply to modern life. Well, I couldn't disagree more. ”

You're a Christian. You believe that people should follow the teachings of the Bible more, but you know that this is not a very popular opinion. You share your opinion with a friend.

“A find like this isn't going to stay on the market for long.”

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.

“Stop obsessing over it and just post it already!”

Your boyfriend is going to post a photo from his birthday party. He's taking a long time to choose the photo and write a message. You want him to relax.

“No one's going to come knocking on your door. You've got to take the initiative.”

Your teenage son doesn't have a job. He seems depressed about it, but he hasn't been looking for a job very actively. You give him this advice.

“He proudly served on the New York police force for over 30 years.”

Your father just passed away. He was a retired police officer in New York. You're giving a speech about him so you talk about his job.

“Strangely enough, I just bought a bike. You're welcome to have my old one.”

You're chatting with a neighbor. He says that he crashed his bicycle. You just bought a new bicycle, so you're not using your old one. You offer to give your neighbor your old bike.

“Careful with that; it's fragile.”

You're moving to a new house. You notice that one of the movers isn't being careful with one of your boxes, which contains glasses and dishes.

“Ideally, I'd like to be responsible for managing a small team of my own.”

You're interviewing for a job. The interviewer asks you what you'd like to be doing in 5 years. You answer like this.

“Could you give me a few pointers?”

You're taking a martial arts class. You're practicing a technique, but you're not sure if you're doing it right. You ask a more experienced student to watch you and give you some advice.

“I was going in for the handshake but he came in and kissed me on the cheek.”

You have a client who lives in another country. You made a business trip to visit him. When you met him, you were confused about which customs to follow. You tell a friend about the confusing greeting.

“I couldn't help but notice that your shirt has something written in Korean on it. Do you know what it says?”

You see someone who's wearing a t-shirt with Korean writing on it, but it doesn't make sense. You ask whether he understands it.

“Obviously, I'm not exactly at peak physical condition myself, so who am I to talk?”

You and a friend were talking about a celebrity who recently gained weight and doesn't look healthy. You're also a little overweight, so you admit that you shouldn't criticize this person.

“Is it just me, or are these seats even more cramped than normal?”

You've just boarded an airplane. Your seat seems even smaller than most airplane seats. You complain to the person who's sitting next to you.

“It's nice not to have to switch back and forth between different tabs and windows.”

You use two computer screens. A coworker asks why, so you explain that you like to be able to see a lot of stuff at once.

“See if you can jump over that pit and grab the ledge.”

You're watching while your friend plays a video game. You have an idea about where your friend might find a hidden key, so you make a suggestion.

“You hear about how nice it is there, and I thought, "Yeah, OK." But it totally lives up to the hype.”

You went to Hawaii for the first time on vacation. Now you're back at work and you're telling a coworker about your trip. You explain how much you enjoyed it.

“I count my blessings every single day.”

You took a great photo of your family, and now you're sharing the photo on social media. You write something to show how happy you are about your wonderful wife and children.

“The last thing I want is for you to feel like you can't open up to me about this kind of stuff.”

Your teenage daughter is starting to go on dates. She hasn't been talking to you much about it. You kept asking her about it, and she finally told you about some trouble she's having with a boy that she likes. You don't want her to feel embarrasse...

“Before you go, can you take a quick look at this email I'm sending to Tracy?”

You're writing an email to tell your cousin that you can't come to her graduation ceremony. You want to make sure that your email sounds sorry, but not too dramatic. Your boyfriend is leaving for work, but you ask him to check the email.

“Don't be so closed-minded!”

Your new boyfriend has a tattoo. Your father doesn't like your boyfriend because of it. When your father complains about his tattoo, you say this.

“Can you please confirm that the quantity, delivery address, and payment terms are correct?”

You work in the shipping department of a company that manufactures products. You got some information about a shipment from a coworker over the phone, but you need to make sure that it's correct before you send it. You check with them in an email.

“Something smells good! My mouth is watering already.”

Your friend is cooking dinner for you. He's starting to cook. The food smells really good, so you say something about it.

“We get most major national holidays, two weeks of paid vacation, and I think four sick days.”

You're helping to train a new employee at work. He asks about the company's policy on vacation days, so you explain it to him.

“It's falling on a Thursday this year.”

You're planning what to do for your Christmas holidays this year. You look at a calendar to see what day Christmas is and tell your girlfriend.

“One day I want to buy a little farm in the country and grow vegetables and raise chickens.”

You and your boyfriend are having fun imagining what you will do when you retire. You say this about your dream plans.

“Man! You're on fire!”

You work in sales. One of your coworkers has made several large sales this week, and he just made another one. You're impressed, and you say this to compliment him.

“I don't have any plans for Thursday. You?”

You and your girlfriend just found out that a band you like is coming to your city next Thursday. You want to go, so you send her a text message to see if she's free that day.

“Some places now have a law that requires fast food restaurants to label each item with how many calories it has.”

You're having a conversation with a friend from another country. You're talking about fast food and how unhealthy it is. You mention something that you've seen in fast food restaurants in some cities that you've traveled to.

“Now what exactly are account receivables?”

You're chatting with someone at a party who you haven't spoken with very much. He's telling you about his job, but he works on something that you don't know much about. You ask for an explanation.

“Give me 5 min.”

Your friend texts you asking if you can chat on Skype. You just need to finish writing an email and get some water. You ask him to wait a bit.

“I wanted to talk about our upcoming product launch.”

You work as a project manager. You're managing a new product that's going to be released soon. You want to share some information about it with your coworkers in a meeting. You start by saying this.

“It's all warm and snuggly, isn't it?”

You're getting your son ready for bed. You put him in bed under the blankets. You want him to feel comfortable and safe, so you say this.

“I find it hard to relate to him sometimes.”

One of your friends' friends (James) is into sports and likes to watch soccer really seriously. You don't have any interest in soccer and find it a little boring. You say this when talking about James with another mutual friend.

“No, that one's dead.”

You're a salesperson. You're reviewing your accounts with your manager. Your manager asks about one client who told you that they don't have enough money to spend this year. You tell her the status of this account.

“I’m actually between jobs right now.”

You run into an old friend from college in a supermarket. She asks about your job. You were laid off a few months ago and haven't gotten a new job. You explain your situation.

“All residents within a 5-kilometer radius have been instructed to evacuate their homes.”

You're watching a news broadcast that is talking about a volcano which has started to erupt. The announcer is now giving some more details about the volcano.

“Fill in the company name, the name of your contact, their email address, and so on.”

You're training a coworker in how to use an computer system that she needs for her job. You show her how to enter some information into a form.

“Skim over it and let me know if you have any questions.”

You're talking to a new client. You need him to sign a contract before you can work with him. You hand him the contract and you say this.

“Eugenia reports to the Credit Manager.”

There's an new employee in your department. You're introducing her to some of the people in your company. Now you're introducing someone who works for a person who she's already met.

“Have you ever had to let anyone go?”

Your friend is the owner of a small company. She's telling you about all the difficulties of running her own company. You wonder whether she's fired any employees.

“I’m the kind of person who doesn’t give up, no matter what gets thrown at me.”

You're applying for a job as the manager of a small accounting group. The interviewer asks you what your strongest qualities are. You describe one of them.

“I feel like I'm stuck in a rut.”

You feel a little bored and depressed with your life. You're complaining to your therapist about it. You say this.

“What does the horsie say? Neigh, neigh!”

Your son is looking at a book about farm animals. There's a picture of a horse. You want to quiz him, so you say this.

“View latest statement”

You're on your bank's website. You'd like to see a record of what happened last month. You click on this link.

“Why don’t we go around the room and introduce ourselves, and say a few words about what you do here.”

You're leading a training session for a small group of people at work. You'd like for all of the participants to know a little about each other, so ask them to give introductions at the beginning of the training.

“As I started to pull on the top strap, the cheap plastic buckle snapped into 3 pieces.”

You bought a backpack from an online store. Right after you got it, part of the backpack broke. Now you're writing a review of it on the store website and you explain your problem.

“To be honest, that one's a long shot.”

You're a salesperson. Your boss asks about a company that you're trying to sell to. You think it's unlikely that you'll be able to sell them anything.

“Go to the “Edit” menu and there should be an option to “Select All”.”

You're showing a coworker how to use a computer program. You want her to select an action that's inside of one of the program's menus.

“I take full responsibility.”

You're the manager of a small team of programmers. The latest version of your software had a bug which made it insecure. You had to tell the company's CEO about the mistake. After describing the problem, you apologize and say this.

“As the Earth orbits around the sun, the angle at which sunlight hits the Earth changes.”

You're talking to a child. You're explaining why the temperature is different at different times of year.

“You'll pass a coffee shop on your right. Right after that, veer off to the left and you'll see it on the left side of the street.”

Your sister and her husband are visiting you from out of town. Your brother-in-law wants to go to a drug store and needs directions. You're telling him how to get there. You say this as part of your directions.

“Dave is in charge of the entire East Coast sales team.”

There's a new employee in your department. You're introducing her to some of the people in your company. This is one of your introductions.

“It's kind of a customer service job.”

You're at a party. Another guest at the party asks what you do. You tell her your job title, but she doesn't seem to understand. You explain your job more simply.

“Would you know how to change the tire if you got a flat?”

Your teenage niece just got her first car. You wonder if she's ready to handle any emergencies that may happen. You ask her about changing a tire.

“Meyerson suffered a major knee injury last year that took him out of the game for most of the season.”

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 who got hurt last ye...

“All right, how about this: I'll pick Oliver up and take him to practice, and you can go with Emily to the dentist.”

You're talking with your wife, trying to manage your kids' schedules. You suggest a plan for tomorrow.

“Oh, hi Charles. I swear, I was just about to call you!”

Your client calls you on the phone. You've been meaning to call him for a while, and planned to do it this morning. You tell him this so he knows that you haven't forgotten about his account.

“I feel obligated to give at least three weeks' notice at my current job.”

You're on a job interview, and the interviewer offers you the job! However, he wants you to start immediately. You don't think that's possible because you haven't quit your job yet, so you say this.

“Are tomatoes still in season?”

You're planning a family dinner with your brother. You have to find a salad recipe to make for everyone. You see a great recipe for tomato salad, but you aren't sure if you can find good tomatoes right now.

“My photo collection is scattered across three or four different computers.”

You're telling your friend about an amazing trip you went on seven years ago. He asks if you have pictures, but you explain that you're not sure exactly where they are.

“Where did you get that from?”

Your son uses a new word that you've never heard him say before. It's not a common word, so you're surprised and you want to know where he learned it.

“You look like you got some sun.”

Your friend just got back from a long hike. Her skin looks noticeably red. You tell her she might be a little bit burned.

“It's nice and all, but by the second or third day I started to get restless.”

You took a week-long vacation at a tropical resort. You didn't enjoy it as much as you thought you would. Now you're back at work. A coworker asks how your vacation was, and you answer.

“Did you print out a copy of the itinerary?”

You're going to to Europe with your best friend. You're waiting for your first flight at the airport, and thinking about your plans. You ask her if she printed out your travel plans.

“I know that you've all really busted your asses on this project, and I really appreciate it.”

You're a manager at your company. Your team just finished a big project. You take them out to lunch to thank them. When the drinks arrive, you make a toast to their hard work.

“Every time I ask her to help out, she gets all angry and defensive!”

You're complaining to your friend about one of your room mates. She rarely cleans anything. Your friend suggests talking to her about it. You tell him what usually happens when you do that.

“I've got to get a new laptop. Mine is absolutely ancient.”

You're at a cafe with a friend, working on your laptop. You're getting frustrated because your computer is so slow. You mention to your friend that you need to get a new one.

“Don't be wasteful. Let's donate them.”

You and your husband have some old clothes and children's toys that you don't need any more. Your husband suggests throwing them away. You don't like that idea because it's bad for the environment and because you think that someone else might stil...

“Aren't you going to congratulate him on winning?”

Your son just won his school's spelling bee. After you tell him how proud you are, you notice your daughter has been silent. You tell her that she should say something to her brother.

“Before you know it, you'll be finished with school and ready to find a job.”

You're talking to your nephew at a family party. He's starting his third year of university. You comment on how fast time passes.

“By the way, how much did you leave him?”

Your friend took you out for dinner, but the service was terrible. You're talking about it on the way home, and you ask him how much he tipped the waiter.

“Don't you hate how he's always interrupting people?”

Your friend has a new boyfriend, but you're not sure that you like him. Talking with another friend, you ask her if she's noticed one of his annoying habits.

“Don't you think she has your, kind of, pointy ears?”

Your friend just had a baby. You're visiting her at home and admiring the baby. You point out that the baby's ears look exactly like hers.

“He has a kind of solid build, right?”

You're talking with your mother about your second cousin, who you haven't seen for many years. You think you remember him being broad-shouldered, muscular, and maybe a tiny bit overweight. You check with your mother to see if your memory is correct.

“I feel like I might have left it at the bar I went to the other night.”

Your friend is telling you how she can't find her favorite sweater. She went out drinking recently and thinks that's when she lost it.

“Was it obvious that I wanted to leave?”

You're in the car with a friend after a party. You didn't really enjoy the party. You ask your friend if she could see that you weren't having fun.

“I bet you five bucks that you can't name all of the states in the United States without looking them up.”

You're babysitting your nine-year-old neighbor. You know kids like to compete, so you give him a fun educational challenge.

“I'm so glad to finally meet you! I've heard so much about you!”

You're at your friend's birthday party. You've never met his girlfriend, even though they've been together over a year. You tell her how glad you are to finally meet.

“It's very dry.”

Your brother tells jokes without laughing, so you can never tell whether he's joking. You're talking about him with your daughter, and she says, "He has a weird sense of humor." You agree, and add this to describe his sense of humor more specifica...

“At the tone, please leave your name and a detailed message.”

You call your dentist's office on a Saturday, but they're closed. You listen to this voicemail greeting before you leave a message.

“It's beneficial not only, you know, from an environmental standpoint, but also in terms of reducing our dependence on foreign oil.”

You think that it's important for your country to develop "green" energy sources like solar power and wind power. You have a few different reasons for thinking so. You're discussing this issue with a friend at dinner.

“Oh, good thinking. That would be great.”

You're making plans with a friend to go to the park this weekend. She offers to bring some sandwiches. You tell her you think that's a great idea.

“With all this down time, I don't know what to do with myself!”

You're on vacation, but you're not really sure what you want to do. You're usually so busy, so you don't remember how to relax and enjoy vacation time. You say this to your husband.

“I just googled "new york florist" and that was the first shop that came up, so I called them.”

You're showing your friend some pictures from your wedding. She compliments the flowers and asks about the florist you chose. You explain how you found them.

“You should say something to the waiter.”

You're on a dinner date and just received your food. Your date asked for salad but got fries instead. You encourage her to tell the waiter about this.

“I work for a small bridal wear manufacturer.”

You're at a restaurant. The waitress is very friendly, so you start chatting with her. She asks what you do for a living. You explain what the company you work for does.

“Now it's just a matter of getting everything unpacked!”

You're moving into a new apartment. The moving company that you hired has delivered all of your stuff to the new apartment. Now you have to unpack it. You think this to yourself.

“Here’s a booklet that outlines our basic policies on things like vacation leave, dress code, avoiding conflicts of interest, and things like that.”

You work in a company's Human Resources department. You're giving an orientation to a new employee. You give her something which explains the company's rules.

“Are you sure that it’s sturdy enough to support your weight?”

A light bulb in the ceiling needs to be changed, but you don't have a ladder. Your boyfriend is going to stand on a table to reach it. The table doesn't seem very strong. You say this.

“Is it necessary to check the customer’s ID when they’re just making a deposit?”

You just got a job at a bank. You're being trained by your manager. She's explaining how to deposit customers' checks into their accounts. You have a question.

“He says he bought a 90-dollar tie. Can you believe it?”

You're hanging out with your friend, talking about another friend who just started a new job. It's a big change for him and he's making a lot of money. You give an example of how his lifestyle has changed.

“Louise has been killing it!”

You're in charge of a sales team. One of the salespeople on your team has sold a lot this week. Now you're in a team meeting. You want to tell everyone about her good performance.

“It's way past your bedtime!”

You went out with your wife and left your son with a family member for the evening. He's supposed to go to sleep at 9:00pm, but when you get home at 10:00pm, he's still awake.

“I have an office job.”

You're at a party. Another guest tells you that he's a professional musician. He asks what you do. You work in an office, so you say this.

“He was doing over 100 miles per hour.”

Your mom is telling you about your cousin, who got in trouble with the police recently. She tells you about what happened when he was pulled over on the highway.

“The clouds seem to be clearing up, so that's good.”

You're headed to a barbecue with some friends. It looked like it might rain, but now the weather is improving. You point this out to your friends.

“Have they given you any updates on her condition?”

Your close friend's mother was hurt badly in a car accident. She's in the hospital and doctors are doing surgery. You go to the hospital to wait with your friend. When you see her, you ask this.

“I think you need to go to a mechanic.”

Your friend's car is making a strange noise. You think the problem might be serious, so you recommend that she go to a professional.

“I mean, I do get where he's coming from...”

Your roommate is complaining about something her boss asked her to do. When she tells you the story, you actually agree with what her boss did. You respond to her story this way.

“All proceeds go to the American Red Cross!”

A student organization that you belong to is putting together a party and concert to raise money for charity. You're selling tickets in a busy area of your campus. You say this to someone who walks by.

“Yuuki in particular seemed interested in going.”

You're a teacher having lunch with your colleagues. You tell them about an idea you suggested to your class: going to visit City Hall. You mention to the other teachers that one of your students seemed especially excited.

“In the unlikely event of an emergency water landing, you may find a flotation device beneath your seat cushion.”

You're on an airplane that's about to take off. The flight attendant is making safety announcements. He tells what to do if the plane lands on the water.

“The official end of the work day is at five, but a lot of us end up sticking around until six thirty or seven most days.”

There's a new employee working in your department. It's her first day on the job. She asks you what time work finishes. You give her a complete answer.

“I'll tell you, one thing I can't stand is olives!”

You're talking with friends about foods you hate. For you, the one food you never eat is olives. You tell your friends how much you dislike them.

“Just let it go, hon.”

You're driving with your husband when another driver cuts you off very rudely. He's very angry and wants to respond. You tell him to just relax and forget about it.

“Our revenues have been mostly flat, but our profit margin has been shrinking.”

You're presenting your department's financial results in a meeting at work. You tell the group that you're selling the same amount, but keeping less of the money because costs are rising.

“You have to convey not only what your skills are, but how you can benefit their organization.”

You're a mentor for a college student who wants to get a job in your industry. You're giving him some advice on how to act in a job interview. You say this.

“I noticed that you didn’t enter the customer information. Was that on purpose?”

A coworker is training you in how to use a database. He was showing you how to enter information into a form, but he left one area empty. You want to know if that was the right way to do it or a mistake.

“Gosh, when was the last time we saw each other?”

You're getting coffee with a friend from high school. You've been friends for a long time, but you live in different cities now. You're trying to remember when exactly you last got together.

“Sweetie, can I ask you something?”

Your boyfriend has been acting strangely recently. You want to have a serious talk with him to find out why. You start the conversation this way.  

“Can you fit me in this afternoon?”

You need to get your hair done. It's Sunday, and you want to get it done this weekend. You call your hair salon for an appointment. When the receptionist asks when you'd like to make your appointment for, you ask this.

“I can't carry a tune at all.”

You're at a karaoke bar with some friends. One friend asks you to sign up to sing a song with her, but you tell her you are a terrible singer.

“Their staff is extremely helpful.”

Your friend asks you to recommend him an electronics store. You tell him about your favorite one, where the employees always are friendly and give you helpful tips.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good option.”

You and a coworker are trying to come up with a solution to a problem. Your coworker suggests a solution that seems like a good idea. You agree with her.

“If you have any questions or concerns, now is the time to bring them up.”

You're an architect. You're showing a couple an early version of the floor plans for their new house. It's easy to make changes to the plans now, but if they want to make changes later it will be difficult and expensive. So you say this.

“I've never gotten into baseball for some reason.”

Your city's baseball team is playing an important game tonight. Your coworker asks you if you're going to watch it. You explain that you don't really care about baseball.

“I asked him to stop on numerous occasions.”

You are talking to your manager about your coworker. He always is making sexist jokes. You explain that he doesn't stop even when people complain.

“Did I leave my camera at your place, by any chance?”

You can't find your camera. Last week, you took it to a friend's apartment. You wonder if you left it there, so you call and ask this.

“Back in the '80s, there was graffiti all over the place in the city.”

You're at dinner with some friends, discussing politics in your city. Your friend thinks that the mayor isn't doing a good job. You point out how much better some things are now than they used to be.

“Actually, the refrigerator's broken.”

You're sitting in the break room at work when your colleague enters. She goes to put her food in the refrigerator, but you tell her that it's not working.

“How much would it suck if it got rained out?”

You're going to a music festival with your friends next week. You notice the weather report says it could rain. You mention that you hope it doesn't rain.

“What? That's nuts!”

Your friend is telling you about the traffic jam that made her two hours late to work. You show your surprise.

“I'm not really a fan of horizontal stripes.”

You're shopping for clothes with your girlfriend. She suggests that you buy a shirt, but you don't like it because of the pattern. You explain why you don't like it.

“A good speaker understands the power of a simple message repeated again and again.”

You're in your after-school debate club. The instructor is giving you her best tips for being an excellent speaker.

“You know that guy you introduced me to at your party? What's his story?”

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.

“Someone walked in on me while I was in the bathroom.”

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.

“I hear you're training to run a marathon.”

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.

“I'll fiddle around with it for a while.”

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.

“Uh, babe? You might want to trim that beard...”

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.

“Yeah, that's totally fine. The more the merrier!”

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.

“Almost everything has been taken care of at this point.”

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.

“I can't believe you watch this stuff. It's so cheesy!”

Your sister is watching a TV show that you think is silly. You say this to tease her for watching it.

“How's your commute?”

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.

“I've never seen such a disgusting bathroom in my life!”

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.

“Smoking is definitely a deal-breaker.”

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.

“He's around fiftyish, I'd say.”

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.

“Do you want to go see a movie maybe?”

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.

“I have a gut feeling that it's a boy.”

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.

“My ears are ringing. Are yours?”

You're driving home with your girlfriend after a loud concert. Because of all the noise, you hear a kind of high-pitched sound in your ears. You tell her about it.

“Yeah, it's decent.”

You and your boyfriend are looking for a restaurant to eat dinner at. You pass by a restaurant that you've been to before. Your boyfriend hasn't been there, but you have. He asks if it's any good, and this is your answer.

“I can barely hold my eyes open.”

You're driving late at night, and you're sleepy. You feel like you're going to fall asleep. You tell this to the person riding with you.

“The good thing about it is that it doesn't need to be watered that often.”

Your coworker comments on the new plant in your office. You tell her that it's really low-maintenance.

“Have you been naughty or nice this year?”

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.

“You know, this would actually be a great place to have our wedding reception.”

You're at a summer office party with your fiance. The location is really beautiful. You recently started planning your wedding. You realize that this venue would work really well well for the party after your wedding.

“...I don't know what to say.”

Your girlfriend has just told you she wants to break up. You're deeply shocked. You don't feel ready to speak, so you say this.

“It's mostly just spread through word of mouth.”

You have a blog. It's started to become really popular. A friend asks how it became so popular, but you didn't do any advertisement for it. You say this.

“Oh yeah: when does your passport expire?”

You're planning a vacation to Mexico with your husband. You suddenly realize you should check both your passports in case they expire soon.

“I think I'll be able to squeeze everything all in the one bag.”

You just paid for your groceries at the supermarket. You brought a bag, but the cashier asks if you need another. You tell him you think your bag is big enough.

“I also seem to recall him promising to cut the deficit, and he didn't come through on that either.”

You're having a political debate with someone on an Internet forum. You're listing things that you don't like about the current president. One thing you don't like is that the country is in debt, and the president hasn't fixed that.

“Back when I was in school, teachers would spank you with a paddle if you misbehaved.”

Your grandson got detention today for being rude to the teacher. You think his punishment wasn't serious enough. You tell him what happened when you misbehaved in school.

“Due to construction, the uptown Bronx-bound 1 train will not be stopping at 63rd Street. The next stop is 72nd Street.”

You're waiting for a train in the subway station. You hear an announcement about some service changes.

“Animals inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, while plants do the opposite.”

You are explaining some basic science to your fourth grade class. You describe the difference in how plants and animals "breathe":

“Uh, I'm looking for a gift for my wife.”

You're looking at some items in a boutique. The salesperson asks if you need any help. You explain what you're shopping for.

“Don't forget to wipe down the counters and the top of the refrigerator.”

Your son is cleaning the kitchen to make some extra allowance money. He usually goes too fast. You remind him of some spots he may forget to clean.

“Can you Cc me and Eddie when you send that?”

Your coworker is sending a proposal to your boss. It would be useful for you to see the proposal. You ask him to include you on the email.

“I'm so out of it this morning.”

You accidentally sent your coworker the wrong file. He points this out, and you apologize. You explain that you've been making a lot of small mistakes this morning, and can't focus well.

“Whoa, don't shoot the messenger.”

Your boss says that everyone needs to stay an hour late to finish a project. You tell the other employees. A few people are angry. You tell them it wasn't your idea.

“She told me she had to draw some blood, and I swear I nearly fainted.”

You're afraid of needles. You went to the doctor today and the doctor wanted to do a blood test. You're telling your girlfriend a story of your visit.

“Final boarding call for Asiana Airlines flight 221 to Seoul.”

You're at the airport to go to Korea. You want to buy a coffee and wonder if you have time. You hear this announcement and you know you need to run to the gate.

“There's a fine line between helping your kids with their homework and doing it for them.”

You are an elementary school teacher. You're talking to your colleague about how some of your students get too much help with their homework.

“I got mixed up and took Highway 50 South instead of North.”

You arrive late to a family reunion in a nearby city. You explain how you got lost on your way there.

“He can be painfully shy when he's around strangers, but to those of us who know him he's actually really sociable.”

You're at a parent-teacher conference. Your teacher says that your son seems to have difficulty in social situations. You explain your son's personality to her.

“Did you go in to work today?”

You arrive home early from work, and your roommate is in the living room. Normally he gets home much later. You ask him if he stayed home today.

“When you find the mortgage that's right for you, you can begin the application process online.”

You're going to buy a house. You're reading about how to get a mortgage on a bank's website. This sentence appears on the web page.

“Dude! Where the hell have you been?”

Your friend was supposed to come to your party at ten, but he finally shows up at midnight. You're annoyed because you were worried and waiting. You ask him what happened.

“Ah, good to know.”

You are talking to your coworker about your weekend plans to drive to the beach. She tells you that there's going to be major construction on some roads that could cause traffic for you. You tell her that you appreciate the information.

“You can tell that she's had work done.”

You're watching a TV show on TV with your friend. The actress on the show is almost 60, but her face looks like a doll's face. You comment to your friend about how unnatural she looks.

“I sent in an absentee ballot last week.”

You're talking with a friend about voting. You voted before the election. You explain to your friend how you did that.

“I don't know off the top of my head, but I'll shoot them over to you this afternoon.”

Your coworker stops by your office to ask you about the numbers for a project you recently finished. You're really busy and don't remember the final numbers. You explain this to him.

“They just contacted me out of the blue.”

You just started a new job. Your friend asks you how you found it. You tell her that a recruiting company contacted you unexpectedly a few months ago.

“If you're feeling under the weather, by all means go home and get some rest.”

One of your employees looks sick. You ask her why she came to work, and she says that she has a lot of work to do. You'd rather she go home so that she doesn't make other people sick. You say this.

“Coincidence? I think not!”

Two of your coworkers are out sick on the same day. You think they are secretly dating each other. You mention to your friend that they are both absent from work, and that you think they aren't really sick.

“He swears that it wasn't him.”

Someone in your office drew a funny picture on the whiteboard. Everyone wants to know who did it. You suggest that it was Mike, but someone says they already asked, and it wasn't him.

“Ooh, pretty!”

You and your sister bought a gift for your mom's birthday, but you wrapped it at your house yesterday. You show her the ornately wrapped present on the way to the birthday party.

“Did you rearrange the furniture in here?”

You are visiting your aunt's house. The living room looks different from what you remember. You ask if she moved the furniture around.

“A few years ago, they were on the brink of extinction. Now they're thriving, thanks to conservation efforts.”

You're watching a TV show about eagles. The host says this.

“Some people are just genetically predisposed to alcoholism, I guess.”

You have a friend who drinks too much. You and another friend are talking about him. Your friend wonders why this guy has a drinking problem while other people don't, so you give your opinion.

“It's nap time! Are you ready for your nap?”

Your son usually sleeps in the afternoon after lunch. You want him to lay down and start to fall asleep.

“Voter turnout here is abysmal.”

You're talking with an American friend about voting. You've noticed that not many people vote in U.S. elections, so you comment on it.

“Hey, have you had a chance to consider my request?”

Last month you asked your boss if you could work one day a week from home. She said that she'd think about it, but hasn't answered yet. You want to remind her that you're waiting for an answer.

“We've only got a couple dozen more to go.”

You're helping your friend mail her wedding invitations. She's sending a lot of invitations, so it's taking a long time. But now you're almost done, so you say this.

“You're a criminal mastermind.”

You're talking with a friend about hotels. Your friend tells you that he sometimes steals the towels when he stays in a hotel. You make fun of him for stealing something that's not very valuable.

“Can you please cut it out?”

Your little cousin won't stop singing an annoying Disney song, and you need to study.

“We should get started on that sooner rather than later, don't you think?”

Your boss has asked you and a coworker to do a project that will take a few weeks to complete. You're talking with your coworker about it. You think it's a good idea to get started soon, so you suggest that to your coworker.

“How about those Rams, huh?”

You watched an exciting football game on TV last night. The team you like won. You start a conversation with a coworker, who's also a fan of that team.

“Let's crack open a window and get some fresh air in here.”

Your apartment is hot and has a little bit of a bad smell. You think that you should open one of the windows, so you say this to your roommate.

“Aren't you going to get in trouble for that?”

Your roommate shows you a whiteboard he got from his office. You think he shouldn't have taken it.

“They're going to fly me in and put me up in a hotel.”

You're being recruited for a job by a company in another city. The company is going to pay for you to travel to the interview. You tell your father about it.

“Fine, I'll cook.”

You're tired from work, and so is your wife. She cooked last night, but you cooked the two nights before. After ten minutes of arguing, you give up and unhappily volunteer to cook.

“Can't you do that in the other room?”

You are studying in the living room. Your brother is playing games on his phone, loudly. Feeling annoyed, you ask him to go to another room in the house.

“There's a hurricane headed toward us.”

You're talking to your mother, who lives in another part of the country, on the telephone. You are preparing to have bad weather, so you tell her this.

“This happens every time we eat here. They screw up our order.”

At a restaurant with some friends, you order french fries but receive chicken wings. This has happened a few times in the past. You complain to your friends.

“Could I sleep on your couch for a few nights?”

You are visiting Miami for business, but you don't want to stay in a hotel. You have a good friend from university who lives there, who has a big, comfortable couch.

“Did she mention me in the article by any chance?”

Last week, a newspaper journalist interviewed you about your business. You don't read that newspaper, but your friend tells you about the article and you wonder if your name was included.

“Can you give me a hand with this?”

You're trying to pick up a heavy box, but it's too difficult. You ask your brother to help you lift the box.

“You totally nailed it!”

Your friend gave a presentation in front of forty other students today. He was very nervous, but he did a fantastic job. You congratulate him when class is over.

“Dude, did you eat the whole pizza yourself?”

You see an empty pizza box in the kitchen. Your brother is the only person home, so you ask him if he ate it all.

“Can you maybe turn the volume down just a little?”

The people in the next apartment are playing music very loudly. You can't sleep. You decide to politely ask them to turn their music down.

“Just watch it... you'll get the gist.”

You want to show your friend a video in another language. You tell your friend that by watching, he can understand it enough without the dialogue.

“I was on the verge of going to sleep at one point.”

You went to an extremely boring movie last night. You could hardly stay awake. You tell your friend how terrible it was.

“Ah! It's nice to finally get a few days to relax.”

You've had a stressful, busy workweek. Now it's Friday and you're enjoying a beer with a friend. You tell him how glad you are that the week is over.

“It's all done in-house.”

You are visiting a nice new coffee shop. You tell the barista that the shop smells delicious. The barista explains that they roast their own coffee beans.

“He says that it took him many years to find his true voice.”

You're talking about a famous standup comedian that you like with someone else who's also a fan. You heard something interesting about the comedian recently, so you share it.

“Better than nothing, I guess.”

You want a cup of coffee, but you've run out of coffee at home. You make a cup of tea instead, and say this to yourself:

“Big deal! Get over it.”

Your brother is complaining about a leaky sink in his apartment. Your apartment is much worse: you saw a cockroach last week. You feel annoyed and tell him he really shouldn't complain.

“I was halfway there when I realized I didn't have my wallet.”

You're telling your friend a story about something funny that happened to you on the way to work. You've described leaving the house and starting to drive. Then you say this to describe the funny thing that happened.

“Mind if I squeeze past you guys?”

You're at a very crowded restaurant. You need to get to the door, but two people are standing in front of it. You politely ask to get past them.

“As soon as he said he needed to talk to me, my mind started racing, like "Uh oh. What could this be about?"”

Your boss asked to meet with you, which made you very nervous because you thought you might be fired. You tell the story to your friend the next day.

“Be careful stepping on that. It's not steady.”

You are hiking with friends and need to cross a river. To do this, you step carefully along some large rocks. One rock shakes when you step on it, so you warn your friend behind you.

“Let's go for a stroll after dinner.”

You're on vacation with your family. You would like to take a walk on the beach after your family has dinner.

“I don't know, sweetie. Check the expiration date.”

Your son asks if some yogurt that's in your refrigerator is too old to eat. You're not sure. You say this.

“Anyone can do it. It's just a matter of practice.”

You play guitar really well. Your friend asks how you got your skills, so you explain that it was actually easy.

“Any objections?”

You are ordering pizza for your office. You want to make sure everyone likes this plan.

“I wound up going over to James's place and sleeping on the couch.”

You went out with friends last night. You call your friend in the morning to tell her what happened at the end of the night.

“It's adjustable.”

You bought a new baseball hat. Your friend tries it on, just for fun, but laughs because it's much too small. You point out the velcro in the back.

“The first item doesn't really apply to me.”

You're filling out a survey. The first question is for people who own a car, but you don't have one. You say this to yourself.

“I'm working the late shift tomorrow.”

Your friend invites you to play pool tomorrow night, but you can't because you have to work from late afternoon to midnight at the front desk of the hotel you work for.

“I'm inclined to just let it go, I guess.”

Your cousin owes you some money. Every time you ask, he says he will repay you soon. You think he will never repay you, and you want to forget about it. You tell your brother this.

“He caught him with a devastating right hook and knocked him out cold.”

You watched a boxing match yesterday. You're telling a friend at work how the fight ended.

“I can't help but think that you're wasting your potential.”

Your brother is very intelligent, but he spends most of his time playing games on the internet. You know he could be very successful. You try to give him some advice.

“They've been getting a bit of media attention lately.”

Your friend is in a band. The band is starting to become successful and was recently featured on a TV show and in a magazine. You tell another friend about it.

“See those tracks? A herd of deer came through here.”

You're hiking in the woods with a friend. You notice animal prints in the wet mud next to a creek. You point them out to your friend.

“I thought it was a really original take on the story.”

You went to see a performance of a Shakespeare play at a theater with your friend. This performance was different than other performances you have seen in the past, but you liked it. After watching the play, you say this while discussing it with y...

“This is not just a black and white, open and shut issue.”

You are debating with a friend about whether it's right or wrong to hunt animals. Your friend is strongly against hunting, but you're not so sure about your opinion.

“Go easy on me!”

You're playing ping-pong against a friend. Your friend is very good at the game but you're not. You don't want to lose really badly, so you ask your friend not to play hard.

“Better safe than sorry.”

You just got a bicycle. You're trying to decide whether to buy a helmet to wear when you ride it. You think this to yourself.

“So according to your records, your last payment went through correctly?”

You call your cable company because the TV in your home won't work. The agent says that your last bill wasn't paid, but you say that it was. She asks about it again.

“I could care less about climbing the social ladder or whatever.”

A lot of people work hard to get a higher-paying job and bigger house, but you don't like this. You're complaining about this way of thinking to a friend. You say this.

“It'll be a good chance for us all to let loose and blow off some steam.”

Your company is having a party at the end of the week. You're looking forward to it. You tell a coworker why you think the party is a good idea.

“It made this weird screeching noise and then it died.”

Your laptop has stopped working. Your roommate knows more about computers than you, so you've asked him to try to fix it. You describe what happened to it.

“An unbelievable amount of work went on behind the scenes to make this happen.”

You've organized a professional conference. You're giving an opening speech. You want to thank the people who helped you, so you start by talking about how hard those people worked.

“It was completely infested with these enormous cockroaches!”

You used to live in an old, dirty house when you were younger. Now you're telling your children about it.

“Have you been by Edith's new house? It's, like, way out in the sticks.”

You visited your friend Edith's new house last week, and you had to drive twenty minutes to get there. You tell your friends how far away it is.

“Excuse me, Ma'am. You dropped this on the sidewalk back there.”

A woman is walking in front of you, when a piece of paper falls from her arm. You pick it up, and run ahead to give it back to her.

“Don't try to do too much at once. Just ease into it.”

You're a personal trainer. One of your clients is trying to get in shape, so he's exercising really hard. You think that he should go slowly at first.

“I want to have plenty of money left over to leave to my grandkids.”

You're getting close to retirement age, but you want to keep working in order to save more money. You're explaining to a friend why you don't want to retire yet.

“Aha! Here we go.”

You were looking for a document which you needed in order to file your taxes. Now you've found it, so you say this to yourself.

“Hey! Come on! There's no need for that.”

You're taking care of your friend's young child. He gets angry because you won't let him play with something dangerous, and starts crying loudly. You try to calm him down.

“All right, I think I'm going to head off to bed now.”

You're staying at a friend's house. You're feeling sleepy now, so you announce that you're going to go to sleep.

“That's not half bad!”

You try a new beer that comes from a brewery that was recently built near your house. It's surprisingly good. You're telling the people that you're eating with that you like it.

“All I had to wear was an old worn-out pair of jeans.”

You went on a trip last week, and were invited to a formal party. However, you only had casual clothes in your suitcase. You tell the story to a friend.

“Don't build it up into a big deal.”

Your friend is nervous about asking a girl on a date. You tell him not to say too much, and just ask her casually.

“Don't mind me!”

Your roommate is doing yoga in the living room. You come in quickly to get your computer, but don't want to interrupt her practice.

“Everyone there seemed super cool.”

You went to a job interview today, and found the people there to be extremely nice, smart, and interesting. You tell your friend about your experience.

“Are you referring to Eve?”

A customer in your store asks for the salesperson with short brown hair, which sounds like your coworker, Eve.

“Excuse me, would you happen to have a pen I could borrow?”

You sit down in class and realize you have paper but no pen. You ask the student next to you for a pen.

“If you could live in any period in history, which one would it be?”

You're hanging out with a group of friends late at night. You want to ask a silly question to start a discussion.

“OK, so for the sake of discussion, let's say that the flight is a thousand bucks each.”

You and your boyfriend want to go on an overseas trip together. You're debating whether you can afford it. You don't agree on how much plane tickets will cost, but you want to continue to think about the other expenses. You say this.

“I don't drive recklessly though. I'm just accident-prone.”

You've had a lot of car accidents. You're talking with a friend about all of the accidents that you've gotten into. You explain why they happened.

“Does anyone want to split this with me?”

You bought an enormous sandwich for lunch, but you're not very hungry. You ask your classmates if someone would like a half of the sandwich.

“Do you want me to leave you alone?”

You are asking your boyfriend what he wants to do this weekend, but he seems very quiet and unresponsive. You think you might be bothering him.

“Don't tell me you're tired already!”

You take your kids to the amusement park for a day of fun. After an hour, your youngest says he wants to go home.

“Did you get much for the Toyota?”

Your friend recently sold his car, an old Toyota. He wasn't sure how much money he could make from it. You ask him what ended up happening.

“Are you seeing anyone?”

You're having coffee with a good friend, who you haven't seen in a long time. You want to ask if he has been going on dates or been romantically involved with anyone.

“Did you catch what she was saying?”

You walk by a woman on the street who is holding up a sign and yelling, but she's difficult to understand. After you pass her, you ask your friend if she understood the woman's message.

“Could be...”

You tell your boyfriend that you have a surprise gift for him. He asks if it's chocolate, but you don't want to tell him.

“Aren't you just the slightest bit curious as to what he's been doing all these years?”

Your friend's ex-boyfriend added her on Facebook. She says she didn't accept it and didn't look at his page. You can't believe she doesn't want to know about his life now.

“As my friend, tell me the truth: do you think I'm making a huge mistake?”

You've decided to return to school to study art. You truly love this subject but are worried about your future (and your money). You ask your friend for honest advice.

“Hold on, aren't you supposed to be at work right now?”

Your friend calls you and asks if you want to go to a movie. It's a Tuesday afternoon, and you remember that your friend has an office job. You ask him why he isn't there.

“Ashley, for God's sake, go to the doctor and get that checked out!”

Your friend Ashley has been coughing for more than a week. Every day, the cough sounds worse. You've told her to go to the doctor, but she hasn't yet. She coughs near you again, so you yell at her about it.

“Aren't these great? I came across them at a thrift shop a couple weeks ago.”

Your friend is visiting you for lunch. You show her the colorful drinking glasses you bought last week.

“All packed up for the big move?”

You go to dinner with a friend who is moving in three days. You ask if she is ready for it.

“You made a promise. Aren't you going to follow through on it?”

Your son said he would walk his dog every day. Today he doesn't seem interested, so you remind him of his previous promise.

“Are you still pissed off at me about what I said this morning?”

You had an argument with your boyfriend in the morning. This evening he's acting cold and distant. You ask if he's still angry.

“I guess I might as well stick around and have one more.”

You go out to a bar with some coworkers after work on a Friday. You were planning to just have one drink and then leave, but after the first drink you're having fun so you decide to stay. You say this as you order another drink.

“All right, I'll let it slide this time.”

You get on the bus, but you don't have complete fare. You tell the bus driver you're very sorry, but you're late for school. The bus driver says that you can ride anyway.

“Ah, you got here on time for once!”

Your coworker is usually late, and it makes you angry. Today he arrives right on time, but you still complain.

“A lot of people can't stand to sit through a three-hour movie.”

You and your friend are at dinner after seeing a three-hour-long movie. The movie was good, but the cinema was almost empty. You and your friend are discussing why people didn't go to that movie.

“A woman wants a guy who she can click with, in terms of, like, her interests and hobbies.”

Your friend is complaining about not having a girlfriend. He usually just watches TV during his free time. You explain to him why this might not be good for finding a girlfriend.

“Do I look presentable?”

You're going to a formal dinner for an association that you're a member of. You have to dress up in a suit. After you get dressed, you want to know if you look OK, you ask your roommate like this.

“Any update on how uncle Harry is doing?”

Your uncle went to the hospital last week. You call your mother to ask about his condition.

“She's off her rocker.”

The woman in the apartment next door complains about you every day, but you are very quiet and respectful. You talk to your roommate about her.

“It takes a lot of people 15 years, sometimes even more, to work off their college loans.”

You're talking with a friend about your future plans. You're considering an expensive U.S. university, but you're unsure because the tuition is so high.

“Here, I printed out your extension and your computer login.”

There's a new employee in your department. Today is her first day on the job. You give her some information that she'll need for her computer and telephone.

“There are people that you just 'click' with immediately, you know?”

You have a new job and a new boss, who you really like. You find her easy to talk to, and you always feel comfortable with her, like a friend. You tell a friend how well you get along with your boss.

“Bugs got to the squash last summer, and we ended up with nothing left.”

You're talking with a neighbor about your plans for your garden this year. You tell her about some problems that you had last year.

“You want me to hook 'em up for you?”

Your aunt just got new speakers for her computer. She hasn't opened the box or started using them yet. You offer to connect them for her because you know that she's not very good at figuring out technology.

“I was kind of disappointed with how they turned out, to be honest.”

You baked cupcakes for a party. Someone complimented you on them, but you weren't satisfied with them.

“You've taken on way too much. You need to scale back.”

Your friend has a job, volunteers three nights a week, and is a part time student. She's been feeling stressed lately, and today she is staying home because she's sick. You're talking to her on the phone, and tell her that she need to relax.

“I was stuck in pointless meetings all day.”

At work, you have to go to a lot of meetings, but you don't think they're useful. Now you're at home and are chatting with your friend online. She asks how you're doing, so you type this venting your frustrations.

“I mean, there are a lot of factors to take into consideration.”

Someone has offered to buy a business that you own. You're discussing whether to sell it with your husband. Your husband really thinks that you should sell the business, but you're not sure.

“Crank it up!”

You're riding in the back seat of your friend's car. A song that you love comes on the radio. You tell your friend to turn the volume up.

“We've been cooped up in here for too long. Let's go get some fresh air.”

You and your husband have been at home for a few days without leaving. You want to go out for a walk. You try to tell him why he should come with you.

“I'm going to go check out the farmer's market in Union Square, if you want to join me.”

It's Saturday morning. You're getting ready to leave your apartment. You invite your roommate to come with you.

“Wow, what a performance!”

You're watching a singing competition show on TV with your roommate. Someone sings a song really well. After she finishes you comment.

“Whose move is it?”

You're playing a board game with a group of friends. Everyone has been chatting and having fun, so you haven't been paying attention to the game. You ask which player is next.

“There's a bit of a chill in here.”

It's winter. You're at work. The room is colder than normal. You say something about it to one of your coworkers.

“Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable.”

You're watching the news. The announcer is talking about a disease which is spreading across the country. She explains that certain people should be very careful.

“Can you pick up a loaf of that wheat bread that I usually get?”

Your husband is going to the supermarket to buy groceries. He asks if you want anything in particular. You do, so you tell him what you want.

“What's the special occasion?”

Your husband brought you flowers. He doesn't usually do that except on your birthday or anniversary. You ask why he brought them.

“We’ll have a question and answer session at the end.”

You're giving a lecture. You say this at the beginning of the lecture so that the audience knows that they should wait until the end if they have questions.

“I can't. It's jammed.”

You and a coworker are trying to print a calendar at work. It got stuck in the printer. Your coworker tells you to pull the paper out, but you can't.

“I'm just putting the finishing touches on it.”

You like baking fancy cakes. You've made a cake for your nephew's birthday. Now you're decorating it. You say this to your husband when he comes into the kitchen.

“Ew! Don't slobber on me!”

Your dog licked your face, and it was wet. It's gross and annoying.

“The pace here is a lot slower.”

You recently moved from a big city to a small town. You're talking to a friend about life in the new town, which is less busy.

“All right, whatever. Suit yourself.”

You invited your close friend to go out to a bar with you. He said that he didn't want to go because he's depressed about breaking up with his girlfriend. You're annoyed that he won't go, so you say this.

“Here. Take an extra one, just in case.”

Your nephew came over to visit. Now he's leaving to go back home. It's a long drive, so you gave him something to drink. Now you think that he might need another drink, so you hand him another one and say this.

“Why don’t we go over your day-to-day responsibilities?”

You're a manager at a clothing store. There's a new sales associate who needs to be trained. You want to explain what she will do each day. You begin with this sentence.

“We're having a problem with the spectrum analyzer. I'm hoping someone on your team can help us find a fix.”

You're an electrical engineer. A piece of equipment that you use isn't working correctly. You send an email to the person in charge of the department that maintains your equipment and ask for help.

“I’m going to have you shadow Narisa for the first few days until you’re comfortable working on your own. How does that sound?”

You're a manager at a clothing store. There's a new sales associate who needs to be trained. You want her to follow an experienced employee in order to learn the job.

“Don't you hate how those cords always get tangled up?”

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.

“Hmm. That's a good question.”

You've given a presentation, and now you're answering questions about it. One of the audience members asks you a question that's tough for you to answer. You say this.

“Listen, I don't want to take up too much of your time.”

You're making a sales call to a potential customer. After introducing yourself, you want to make the customer feel relaxed. You let her know that your sales pitch will be short.

“No thanks. Sunscreen makes my skin feel all oily.”

You're at a swimming pool with some friends. One of your friends tells you that you should put on sunscreen. You don't want to because you don't like how it feels on your skin. You say this.

“Jenny’s marketing prowess, professionalism, persistence and passion combine to make her the perfect match for our team.”

You've hired a new salesperson. You're writing an email to everyone in your division to introduce and welcome her.

“Whenever I visit my folks, my mom'll make a bunch of food and I'll completely gorge myself.”

You're talking with a friend about your eating habits. You usually don't eat much except when you visit your parents. You tell your friend about this.

“It's time for the bouquet toss!”

You're at a wedding reception. The wedding, dancing, cake cutting, and other events have already happened. Now someone is collecting all of the single women at the wedding. She says this.

“They kicked ass!”

You went to see a rock show last night. The band was exciting and a lot of fun.

“That guy she's seeing is a bit of a shady character.”

Your cousin is dating a guy who seems a little dishonest and dangerous. You think he might be a criminal of some kind. You're gossiping about them with a friend who knows your cousin. You say this.

“My allergies are killing me!”

You're allergic to pollen. You are complaining about your allergies to a friend.

“You look smashing!”

You're going out on a date. Your date is dressed really nicely. You say this to compliment her.

“Oh shit. It totally slipped my mind.”

You made plans with your close friend to meet up at a park to go jogging together. You forgot about it until your friend called to angrily ask where you were. You say this in response.

“Please note that email service will be down on Thurday, January 26th from 12:00 am EST to 6:00 am EST in order to perform scheduled maintenance on our systems.”

You get an email from the IT department at your company. It says:

“I miss hanging out with people that I can really geek out about this kind of stuff with.”

You're having coffee with an old friend who was in your foreign film club in college. You've been having fun talking about foreign films together. Recently you don't have many chances to talk about them with people, so you tell your friend that yo...

“I consider myself a spiritual person, but I don't adhere to any particular organized religion.”

You're talking with an acquaintance that you're staring to become closer friends with. She asks about your religious beliefs. You don't officially belong to any religious group. You say:

“Don't get me wrong; I don't claim to be some kind of expert.”

You're discussing religion with a friend. You're pretty religious, so you tell your friend a lot about your faith. However, you don't want to seem arrogant, so you say:

“Well, I think you'd be a great fit for our team.”

You're hiring someone for a job in your department. You've interviewed someone who you would like to hire. You say this, offering him the job.

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

You're a police officer. You're arresting someone. You say:

“I owe you an apology. It was wrong of me to say that to you.”

You made your sister-in-law angry by criticizing how she disciplines her son. Now you feel bad about what you said, so you want to tell her "sorry".

“Personally, I try to adhere to local customs whenever possible.”

You love to travel. A lot of travelers don't change how they act in different countries. But you like to act like the people who live in that country. You're explaining this idea to an acquaintance who asked about your travels.

“What can I say? Teaching runs in the family.”

You're a teacher. Your father and sister are also teachers, and your grandmother used to be one too. You're talking about this to someone you just met. She's surprised to hear that.

“I don't really go for conspiracy theories.”

You're talking to a neighbor who thinks that the U.S. government planned the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York. You don't think that's true. You say:

“Yeah, the season premiere is this Thursday.”

You and a coworker like the same TV show and often talk about it with each other. It's been off the air for several months, but it's starting again this week. You ask your coworker if she's going to watch it, but she didn't know about it. You say:

“I've been diagnosed with Parkinson's.”

You found out that you have a serious disease. You're telling a friend about it. You say:

“I never used to be the one to make the first move, but now I'll just go up to someone and say "Hey, how's it going?"”

You're chatting with a group of single friends about how each of you meets women. When you were a teenager, you were shy, but now you're not afraid approach girls that you like and ask them out. You say:

“It's all turned to slush at this point.”

It snowed a couple of days ago, but now it's mostly melted. You're talking with one of the other mothers. You say this about the snow.

“He was your stereotypical sleazy car salesman.”

You bought a used car recently. The salesman who sold you the car had a strange personality, so you're telling a friend the story of buying the car. You say:

“How can you be so naive?”

You're discussing politics on an Internet message board. You think that the government is controlled by large corporations. One of the other members writes that the way to improve the country is to vote in elections. You don't think this will work...

“There’s a twenty dollar minimum.”

You’re a bartender. A customer tries to pay with a credit card. Your bar gets busy, so you don’t allow customers to use a credit card for just one drink. You say:

“My phone bill was even higher than usual this month.”

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.

“It's under "2012".”

You're training a new employee at work. You're explaining where a file is located on the computer.

“It's a vast improvement over my last camera.”

You just bought a new camera, which you like a lot. The camera you had before wasn't very good. You're talking with a friend, and she asks you about the camera. You say:

“I'm fine with a traditional ceremony.”

You're engaged and you're planning for your wedding. You're talking about it with a friend. You're discussing different creative wedding ideas with her. You would like something a little more classic, so you say this.

“Wow, good for you!”

Your young child shows you a picture he drew of a flower. You say this to encourage him.

“I waved to him but he didn't seem to recognize me.”

Something interesting happened to you yesterday while you were having lunch with your friend Amy. Now you are telling the story to another friend who wasn't there. You say this as you start to talk about the interesting thing that happened.

“Before you know it, he'll be all grown up.”

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.

“Don't try to force it in!”

You're going on a trip with your friend. He's trying to get your suitcase into the trunk of his car, but there isn't enough room. He's pushing on it hard to try to fit it in, but you're afraid he'll break something. You say this.

“Can you loan me a couple hundred bucks? Please, just this once. ”

There's a concert coming up that you really want to go to, but you don't have enough money. You ask your boyfriend for the money.

“I think we need to steer the conversation back to this specific project.”

You're leading a meeting at work. Some of the other people at the meeting are talking about problems in the company, but this meeting is supposed to be for talking about a project that you're planning.

“What's this world coming to?”

You see a commercial for a TV show that looks really dumb. You're disgusted that the network would allow such a dumb show and that people would watch it. You say this to yourself.

“Let's definitely keep in touch.”

You're at a business networking event and meet someone who you might be able to do business with. You want to continue to talk to this person after the event. Near the end of your conversation, you say this.

“What was your reason for leaving that position?”

You're interviewing someone for a job in your company. You're asking him about his previous jobs. He just told you about his last job. You want to know why he stopped working there.

“Will that be all?”

You're at the counter at a coffee shop. You just ordered a coffee. The barista asks this before you pay.

“Pay close attention to the bottom right corner.”

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 ...

“I don't have time to haggle with someone over the price of a piece of furniture!”

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.

“Let me get straight to the point.”

You're leading a meeting at work to discuss an important change in your department. You want to immediately start talking about the main topic, without much introduction or small talk. You say this to get the meeting started.

“Let's just not bother cooking tonight.”

Last night, you had a party and you have a lot of leftover food. You don't want to cook tonight. You suggest this to your family.

“Oh, you shouldn't have!”

It's your birthday. One of your coworkers is giving you a birthday present. You didn't expect to get a gift from her. You want to express your surprise and politely say that she didn't need to get you anything, so you say this.

“I would lean toward staying in Spain.”

Your wife and her sister are debating about a family vacation that they're planning. Your wife wants to stay in Spain during the whole trip, but her sister wants to go to France as well. They ask you to give an objective opinion. You're happy with...

“Can't you make an exception just this once?”

You and your friends are trying to get into a nightclub, but the club has a dress code that doesn't allow people wearing shorts to enter. Your friend is wearing shorts, so the bouncer won't let him in. Begging, you ask the bouncer this.

“I'm on my own tonight.”

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.

“You're even worse at this than me!”

You're not a very good basketball player, but you and a friend decide to go to a basketball court and play 1-on-1 basketball. When you start playing, you find out that your friend is really bad at it. You say this to tease him.

“Let me tell you a bit about my background.”

You are giving a presentation at a conference. You are at the beginning of the presentation. You've said your name and thanked the person who introduced you. Now you want to tell the audience about yourself. You start by saying this.

“It's a long story.”

You're frustrated because you've been having trouble with your visa paperwork. You're talking to a friend and mention your problems. He asks what happened, but you don't want to explain it all because it's a complicated problem. You say this becau...

“You know, I'd love to, but I can't.”

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.

“Sorry, I got sidetracked.”

Someone asked you a question earlier in the day at work. You were supposed to find the answer, but you forgot because you were doing other things. The person calls you to ask again, and this is how you explain.

“No, I mean it!”

Your husband cooked dinner. It tastes great. You complimented him on his cooking, but he didn't seem to believe you. You want to let him know that you really do like it, so you say this.

“It's all yours.”

You were in a restaurant bathroom, and someone knocked on the door to get in. Now you've finished and you're leaving the bathroom. You say this to the person waiting outside.

“Mmm! This is terrific!”

You are eating dinner at your wife's cousin's house. You don't know this cousin very well. You are enjoying the food and want to thank your wife's cousin's cooking. While you're eating, you say this.

“No exceptions!”

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 t...

“Yeah, no problem.”

You're sitting in a coffee shop. Someone who you don't know asks if you will watch over her stuff for her. You say this because you don't mind.

“Go right ahead.”

You're in a coffee shop. Someone asked to use the chair next to you by asking "Is this seat taken?". You're not using it, so you say this.

“I've got to get my own place.”

You live with your parents, but you get really annoyed with them. You're fed up with it and feel like you really want to move into an apartment by yourself.

“Well, it's nice to have you back.”

Your coworker took off work for 6 weeks for maternity leave. She returned to work this week, and you just saw her and talked to her for the first time. You say this, finishing your small talk.

“How did you find out about this?”

You go to an event for people who are interested in learning and studying English. You introduce yourself to someone and ask them this.

“I can't control myself when it comes to chocolate.”

You're supposed to be on a diet. Someone offers you a chocolate brownie, and you take it. This is how you explain your lack of will power.

“Yeah, I actually did it myself.”

Your friend asked you if you got your hair colored. You did color your hair, but you didn't get it done at a salon. You say this because you dyed it at home.

“Sure, take your time.”

You're out clothes shopping with your girlfriend. You are waiting while she tries on clothes. She asks if it's OK to try on a few more things. This is how you answer her.

“Here - let me take a look.”

Your coworker is trying to change the color of some text on a spreadsheet document on his computer, but can't figure out how to do it. You think you know how, so you say this.

“It depends. What are you making?”

Your mother is going to make breakfast. She asks you if you want some. You want to eat something light. Something like bacon or pancakes would be too heavy. So you ask this to find out what she's going to cook.

“Come on, stay for one more round.”

You're out drinking with people. One of the people seems like he's ready to leave, but you think it would be more fun if he stayed for another drink. You suggest this.

“What else can go wrong today?”

You're having a bad day. You are at home with your husband. While you're writing a document on your computer, the program crashes and you lose all the work you've done. You make this complaint.

“I wouldn't mind seeing her again.”

You're a single guy. You met a girl at your friend's party and hit it off with her. Now your friend is asking what you think of her. You say this because you would like to go on a date with her.

“Well, hang in there.”

You're talking on the phone with your sister, who's in medical school. She tells you about how hard her classes are and the number of hours she has to spend studying. You say this to encourage her.

“Jeez! It was an honest mistake!”

At work, you sent an email message to someone in the tech support department to get one of your computer programs fixed. The tech support manager sent you back an angry e-mail saying that you were supposed to come to him to help, not to the other ...

“Great job today, guys. Keep up the good work.”

You are a coach for your daughter's soccer team. Your team won a match and everyone played well. You want to make everyone feel proud and encourage them. You say this.

“It's such a waste of time.”

You're talking to a friend about Facebook. You are trying not to use it. This is how you explain why.

“I'm not seeing any results.”

You have been exercising for 3 months to try to lose weight, but you haven't lost much weight. You say this when telling someone about this problem.

“It's a good value for the price.”

You bought a cheap bottle of wine, but you were pleasantly surprised by how good it was. You write this in your review of the wine on a web site.

“Think of this as an opportunity.”

Your friend lost his job. You're talking with him about it and having a drink together. You say this to cheer him up.

“Why on Earth would I do that?”

Your car is old and has a lot of engine problems, but you love it because you have good memories of it. Your sister suggests that you sell it. Although you know that the car should be sold, you want to pretend to be shocked that she would suggest ...

“After you.”

You're walking into a building, and there's someone walking behind you. You open the door, and you hold it so that the person can go through first. You want to tell that person to go through before you, so you say this.

“I can definitely tell you're getting better.”

Your friend is learning to play the guitar. He's frustrated because he doesn't think he's improving. But you do think he's improving, you say this to encourage him.

“Do you have allergies or something?”

You go outside with your friend in the spring, and he starts sneezing a lot. You think that it might be because of pollen, so you ask him this question.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

You're meeting your friend for lunch at a restaurant. You show up 5 minutes late. You say this to apologize to your friend for being late.

“You have quite an impressive background.”

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.

“I don't have one on me.”

You met someone at a business networking event. After you talked with them, they asked you for your business card. You say this because you forgot bring one.

“That's a great look on you!”

You meet your friend for lunch. She got her hair cut a lot shorter than usual. You say this because you like how it looks.

“What can I say? It's a guilty pleasure.”

You were watching a cheesy TV drama. Your sister saw you watching it and laughed at you. You know that the show is silly, but you like it anyway, so you say this.

“Man, I am so exhausted!”

You stayed up late last night and only got a few hours of sleep. You are riding the elevator at the end of the day with a coworker who you are good friends with. You say this, complaining to him about how tired you are.

“How do you like it so far?”

You just met a new employee at your company who has been working there for a few days. After introducing yourself, you make some polite small talk.

“What do I owe you?”

You're going to go to a concert with your friend. Your friend bought the tickets, and now he's giving them to you. You want to know how much they cost, so that you can pay him back. This is what you ask him.

“It's a lot of fun.”

You're talking to someone who you just met, and you told her that you used to live in New York. She asks what it's like living there. You say this because you really liked it.

“I get distracted so easily!”

You were trying to find some information on your computer for a coworker. But while she was waiting, you noticed a new email message and started reading it. After you read it and wrote a short response, you say "sorry" to your coworker and then sa...

“I doubt I'll get much for it.”

You have an old car that has lots of engine problems. Your sister is trying to convince you to sell it, but you don't want to. You say this because you don't think you can make a lot of money by selling it to someone.

“I'd love to hear what you think of it.”

You edited a music video for a class at film school. You want to get your friends' opinions before putting the video online for everyone to see. You send an email to your friends which explains the video. At the end, you ask them this.

“I've come a long way since then.”

You are a web designer. You are looking at a website that you designed 10 years ago. Now it looks really old and unattractive. You say this about your progress.

“I'm starving! Let's eat.”

You're meeting your friend for lunch. When you meet her outside of the restaurant, you're really hungry. You say this because you want to go in quickly.

“Don't tempt me!”

You're on a diet, but you have trouble sticking to it. Someone offers you a cookie. You want to eat it, but you know you shouldn't. You say this.

“It's occupied!”

You're using the bathroom at a restaurant. There's only one toilet. Someone is trying to open the door, and you want to let them know that they can't come in because you're already in there. You yell this at the person.

“What was that?”

You're talking with your friend on the telephone, and the signal is breaking up. She said something, but you didn't hear what she said. You ask her this.

“Nothing in particular.”

You're at a clothing store, just looking around. A salesperson asks if you're looking for a certain size or style. You're not, so this is your reply.

“I can put in a request to Building Maintenance.”

You're an administrative assistant. One of the employees in the department you work in has complained about the carpet in his office being old and messed up. You offer to help.

“Is there a certain size you're looking for?”

You work at a clothing store. You see a customer who's looking at pants but seems to want something specific. You ask him this to offer your help.

“You promised me that you would be responsible for him.”

You got your daughter a pet rabbit. When you got it for her, you made her promise that she would take care of it. You say this because you've noticed that the rabbit's cage is dirty and its food is all gone.

“How could you buy them without consulting with me?”

You and your husband were thinking of going on an overseas vacation. Today he bought plane tickets for both of you. You're upset because he didn't call you before he bought them, and you don't like some of the flight details. Annoyed, this what yo...

“We're trying to save up so that we can afford a house.”

You go out to a restaurant with your friend and don't want to order much because you're saving money. You say this to explain that you're saving because you want to buy a house.

“You've almost outgrown these.”

You're putting your son's shoes on him. They're tight.

“Would it be OK if I work from home today?”

You have a problem with your toilet. You want to stay home to wait for a plumber to come and fix it, but today is a work day. You need to ask your boss for permission to stay home, but still continue to work there. You call and ask this.

“You must be ecstatic!”

You're having an after-work drink with a colleague. She tells you that she recently became a grandmother for the first time. You say this because you can see that she's excited about it.

“That sounds like a blast!”

You're chatting with a coworker, who tells you that he's going to a music festival this weekend. It seems like fun, so you respond enthusiastically.

“My show is coming on at ten.”

You have a TV show that you love to watch on Thursday nights. Your husband wants to watch a DVD, but you don't want to miss your favorite show. You say this to get him to watch the DVD on his computer instead.

“Yeah, it's an acquired taste.”

You offered a friend a beer, but she says that she doesn't drink beer because she doesn't like the taste. Although you like beer, you say this because you agree that it tastes strange and can understand why some people don't like it.

“All right. Next item of business is our departmental savings goals.”

You're leading a meeting at work. You've finished talking about the first topic of the meeting. Now you say this to introduce the next topic.

“I tried to merge into the right lane, but there was a car in my blind spot.”

You almost got in a car accident earlier today. Now you're describing what happened to a friend of yours. This is how you describe the accident.

“I think you forgot to attach the PDF.”

Someone sends you an e-mail message at work. In the message, she writes something about a PDF document that she included with the message, but you don't see any PDF. This is what you write in response.

“They set a pretty high bar for me.”

You're talking to a new friend about your relationship with your parents. They are both very successful people professionally: your father is a doctor, and your mother is a judge. This is what you tell your friends.

“The Jets have let their 12-point lead going into halftime slip away.”

You're watching a basketball game. One team was winning. before by 12 points. Now the other team is winning. There's a time out, and the game announcers say this.

“No. I'm sorry, but this is unacceptable.”

One of your company's suppliers shipped some materials to the wrong factory, so you had to shut down production. It's costing you a lot of money. You're calling the supplier to complain. They tried to make an excuse, but you won't accept it.

“You can't show up to an interview with scuffed shoes and your shirt untucked!”

Your teenage son is going for a job interview. He tried to dress up for it, but he still doesn't look very neat. You yell at him a little bit to dress more nicely and say this.

“Please stop me if you have any questions.”

You're giving a presentation in a meeting. You want the audience to feel comfortable with interrupting you to ask questions, so you tell them that it's OK at the beginning of your presentation.

“My job requires me to put in a lot of late hours.”

You often have to work until late in the evening. You're telling an acquaintance about this situation.

“For those who don’t know, the issue is that each device has a different aspect ratio and resolution.”

You work at a company that's starting to build applications for tablet computers. You're leading a meeting to discuss an issue with the applications. A lot of the people at the meeting know about it, but some don't. You review the issue.

“Time Warner Cable's customer service leaves much to be desired.”

You have had a bad experience when you called your cable TV provider 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.

“You're soaking wet!”

You got caught in the rain with no umbrella on your way to work, so you're totally wet. A coworker sees you and says:

“I wish it would stop raining.”

It's a dark and rainy day. You're in the elevator with someone who you've met before, but you don't know very well. You say this to make quick small talk.

“Cynthia, can you fill us in on what’s happening with the relaunch?”

You're leading a meeting at work. You'd like for one of your coworkers to tell the group about a project that she's working on.

“It doesn't hurt to ask.”

You're talking with your husband about his job. You think that he should ask his boss for a raise. He doesn't think his boss will give him a raise, so he's hesitant. To persuade him, you say this.

“I lost a substantial amount of money.”

You owned a lot of stocks, but when the economy started to suffer, you lost a lot of your money. Now you're talking with a friend about the economy at that time. You say:

“You may want to consider hiring a personal trainer for a few sessions.”

You are a really physically fit person who works out at a gym several times a week. Your friend is complaining that she's been exercising but hasn't seen any good results from it. You suggest this to her.

“I intend to address these challenges head-on.”

There's an upcoming election. You're watching a speech by one of the candidates. She's just listed some problems in the government. Now she says this.

“Baby, would you mind giving me a hand with this?”

You're cleaning the kitchen. Your wife isn't helping you. You want to ask her to help, but you'd like to ask politely so that you don't start a fight. You ask this.

“It... uh... I think it auto-saves your work as you type.”

You're training a coworker in how to use a computer system that she needs for her job. You explain why the program doesn't have a "save" button.

“You can tell by the way she carries herself and her tone of voice that she comes from a well-to-do family.”

You're hanging out with one of your friends at school. A woman who you both recognize from one of your classes walks by. You don't know her, but you think she seems rich. You say to your friend this.

“I must say, I've been quite impressed with the quality of the pictures that I've taken with it.”

You bought a new mobile phone a few weeks ago and have been taking pictures with it. Now you're showing some of the photos to a friend, and you are noticing that they look better than you would expect for mobile phone pictures. You say this about ...

“When are you due?”

Your sister announced that she's pregnant. You congratulated her, and now you want to find out more information about it, so you ask her this.

“I'm sorry, I can't go into that.”

You're leading a meeting at work. One of the attendees at the meeting asks you a question. He asks about some information that you're not supposed to share, so you refuse to answer the question.

“There's a little diner on the corner of 69th and Broadway that's all right.”

Your parents are visiting you from out of town for a week. Today is a weekday, and you have to go to work. You are listing restaurants that they can go to for lunch while you're out.

“My long-term goal is to open my own restaurant.”

You are talking to a person you just met at a party. You say this while telling him about your job and your career goals.

“What's the point of this meeting anyway?”

You have a meeting that was scheduled at work. You don't know what the meeting is for. You are frustrated because your department often has long meetings that seem unimportant to you. You ask this of a coworker who's a close friend of yours.

“Her health had been deteriorating for many years.”

Your grandmother passed away after being sick for several years. You're back at work now after going to her funeral, and talking to a co-worker who's come to give her condolences. You explain to her that your grandmother's death is not surprising,...

“Unfortunately, the people who seem to get ahead are the ones who know how to kiss ass the best.”

You're upset because you work hard at your job but don't get much money or respect. The people who get promoted at your company are all very friendly to the boss. You complain this to a friend.

“Excuse me. Would you mind watching over my stuff for me for just a minute?”

You're studying in a coffee shop by yourself. You want to get up to use the bathroom, but you're worried that someone will take your books or move them. You ask this to the woman who's sitting next to you.

“Welcome to the team! It’s great to have you with us.”

You just hired a new employee. She comes in for her first day of work. You say this to welcome her.

“What this all means for you guys is that everything needs to be in by Wednesday.”

You're having a meeting about a project that you're in charge of at work. You've given a lot of information and detail about the project to the meeting participants. You say this to make sure that everyone understands clearly what you want them to...

“What's it like living in New York?”

You're talking to someone who you just met for the first time. You find out that he used to live in New York. You've thought about living there in the past, so you ask him this.

“Sorry, I can't help but get sucked in when there's a game on.”

You're out at a bar on a date. There's a TV in the bar, with a soccer game on. You're trying to pay attention to your date, but you keep looking at the TV, so you say this.

“Amy and I were sitting there talking and this guy I know walked by.”

Something interesting happened to you yesterday while you were having lunch with your friend. Now you are telling the story to another friend who wasn't there. You start the story by explaining the situation and what happened like this.

“Then select the appropriate status from the drop-down menu.”

You're teaching a coworker how to use a database application. You're explaining how to fill in an important form. This is one step in the process.

“Hey, is anyone driving a blue Buick? Your alarm's going off.”

You just got in to work. When you were in the parking lot, you saw and heard a car alarm. When you get inside you make this announcement.

“My wife'll kill me if I don't get home soon.”

You're out drinking with your coworkers on a Friday after work. You've stayed for a while, but you need to go home because your wife is expecting you. Your friends want you to stay, but you refuse by saying this.

“I’m responsible for filing permits and paperwork with the government.”

You're chatting with a man sitting next to you on an airplane. He asked about your job, so you told him your job title. Now you explain what that is.

“I'm driving through a rough part of town.”

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.

“I was really sleepy because I had gone out drinking the night before.”

You're telling a story about something that happened to you at work one day when you were really tired. You are telling the setup for the story. You give this bit background information.

“Can you have him call me when he gets in?”

You call a client's office. The client isn't there, so his assistant answers. You want to talk to the client, so you say this to the assistant.

“I was pleasantly surprised.”

You bought a cheap bottle of wine, but you actually liked it. You say this when telling your friend about this wine.

“Sorry to keep pestering you, but who can I speak to about getting access to the shared drive?”

It's your first week at a new job. You're being trained, so you've been asking your boss a lot of questions. You need to ask him one more question, but you're embarrassed to bother him again. So you say this when you go to his office.

“I got caught without an umbrella.”

You showed up to work soaking wet because it started raining and you didn't have an umbrella. A co-worker sees you and asks what happened. You say this to explain how you got drenched.

“So... yeah, that’s about it.”

You work in a pharmacy. You're training a new employee. You've just explained how to enter a patient's information into the computer system. You can't think of anything else to say about that, so you end with this.

“You've got to be kidding me!”

You're riding in an extremely crowded elevator. After riding up a few floors, the elevator stops and someone else tries to get in. You think this to yourself.

“These days, it's nearly impossible for a family to get by on a single income.”

You're having a discussion with your brother-in-law about the economy. You're talking about the difference between the economy 30 years ago vs. today. You're worried that workers don't get paid enough. You say this.

“Not to mention, there are always new devices coming out.”

You work at a company that's starting to build applications for tablet computers and phones. You and a group of colleagues are discussing whether to design one layout for all different devices, or separate layouts for each. You just gave one reaso...

“What's up with this erratic weather we've been having, huh?”

Recently, the weather has been changing drastically from one day to the next. Two days ago, it was sunny and warm, but today it's snowing. You're making small talk with a friend, so you bring up the topic of the weather.

“You can't just go around using people's stuff without their permission!”

You're in a band. You've been looking for your guitar, and are surprised to discover that your bandmate is playing it. You say this because you're angry that he took the guitar without asking you first.

“Looks like they finally got around to fixing that light.”

The light on the first floor of your apartment has been broken for two weeks. You're annoyed that it was broken for so long. Now it's been fixed, so when you see a neighbor in the elevator you say this.

“Meliana, I'm afraid I have some bad news.”

One of your biggest clients has decided to stop buying from you. You have to tell your boss. You prepare her for the news at the beginning of your conversation.

“Don't tell me you're jaded already!”

Your brother moved to a big city a couple of months ago. When he first moved there, he was quite excited about it, but now you're talking to him on the phone and he's complaining about the city. You're surprised that he's complaining about it so q...

“It's been on the market for nearly a year now, but we still have nothing to show for it.”

You've been trying to sell your house for the past 11 months. You're frustrated about it. You say this while talking to your friend about this problem.

“I've got it.”

You're at a restaurant with a group of friends and the waiter has brought the check to your table. You pick up the check, and your friend asks you how much it is. You say this because you want to pay for everyone.

“Creating multiple layouts for each different device would be quite time intensive.”

You work at a company that builds applications for tablet computers. You and some of your employees are trying to figure out whether to make different versions of the application for each type of tablet computer. You explain why this is a bad idea.

“Blackbeard was a notorious pirate who raided ships in the early 18th century off the east coast of the United States.”

You're watching a documentary about history. The narrator is describing a pirate.

“Hi — I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Aaron.”

A new person has started working at your company. You've seen her in meetings, but no one has introduced you to her and you haven't spoken with her yet. You'd like to meet her. You walk up to her in the hallway and say this.

“Maybe if we rearrange some of this stuff...?”

You're going on a trip with a group of friends. You're all riding in your friend's car. He's trying to put all the suitcases in the trunk, but yours isn't fitting. You make this suggestion because you think it might be possible to get them all in ...

“I'm not even remotely interested in hearing what he has to say.”

You got a telephone call from your ex-boyfriend. You had a bad breakup with him, so you don't want to talk to him. Your friend asks if you are going to call back. You say this.

“Keep in mind that it's a lot warmer there at this time of year.”

Your roommate is going on a trip for a few weeks to Bali, which she's never visited before. You've been to Bali before, and want to give her advice on what to pack for the trip. You say this because you don't think she needs to take a lot of heavy...

“I personally think she's one of the most underrated actresses of all time.”

There's an actress that you like a lot, but not many other people like her. You're talking about her with a friend. You say:

“Just because you can doesn't mean you should.”

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 e...

“For some reason FBS wouldn't let me log in.”

You're learning how to use a computer program at work. You tried to open the program, but it wouldn't accept your account name and password. You ask a coworker for help.

“My father was always too absorbed in his work to pay much attention to me.”

You don't get along well with your father. When you were a child, he was a busy executive. You're talking to a therapist about the problems that you have with him. You confess this to the therapist.

“I’m... ah... I'm exploring my options right now.”

You're at a family reunion. One of your uncles asks about your work situation. You don't have a job right now. You're embarrassed, so you describe your situation this way.

“Have a good one!”

You're leaving work for the weekend on a Friday afternoon. You see someone who you work with, but don't know very well. You nod and say goodbye this way.

“We're not stopping to get ice cream, and that's that!”

You're riding in a car with your family. Your kids are in the back seat, and they're begging you to get ice cream for them. They keep asking again and again, but you keep saying "no". Now it's starting to annoy you. You say this to end the convers...

“If you have questions about anything, feel free to come by and ask, any time.”

There's a new employee at your company. You've just introduced yourself. You offer to help this person.

“Not exactly, but I did get some promising leads.”

You're a salesperson. You just got back from a conference. Your boss asks if you made any sales. You didn't, but you met several people who you think you might be able to sell to successfully. You say this in response.

“The real key is establishing a relationship with the client.”

You're having lunch with a junior salesperson who's just starting her first sales job at your company. You give her this advice on how to be successful as a salesperson.

“Oh wow, that sounds really interesting.”

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.

“Is your back getting stiff?”

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.

“You know what helps me is as soon as the pain starts, I take an aspirin or something to stop the inflammation.”

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.

“Hey, um, you've got something stuck in your teeth.”

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.

“Life's not all fun and games.”

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.

“I guess so.”

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 ...

“There's a seating chart in the back of the roll book.”

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:

“That kind of behavior is not appropriate in public.”

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.

“Can you squeeze one more in there?”

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 oth...

“Believe it or not, she made the first move.”

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.

“I don't like my personal information being out there for everyone to see.”

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:

“Would it be possible to push our meeting back to 3:00?”

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.

“All that hard work and determination really paid off.”

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.

“We disagree over whether or not to send her to private school.”

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.

“What's with the yawning? Were you out all night partying?”

Your coworker is yawning and looks tired. You are friends with this person, so you want to tease him. You smile and ask this.

“So… any ideas?”

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.

“I think I get the gist.”

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.

“We rented a little cabin in a remote area of the mountains.”

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.

“Have these been run?”

You open the dishwasher and you can't tell if the dishes are clean or dirty. You ask your husband this question.

“From now on, you need to bring any discrepancies to my attention immediately.”

There was an error in the records showing how much money one client owed your company. One of your employees found out about the problem but didn't tell you about it for a few days. He should have told you about it as soon as he found out, so you ...

“I'll give you a ring next week to work out the details.”

You've been making plans to meet a woman that you met on an online dating site. You've both agreed that next Wednesday is the best day, but you haven't chosen the exact time or location. You're writing an email to her to confirm the day. You write...

“I could really use a cup of coffee.”

You're sleepy because you only got a few hours of sleep the night before. You're at work and really want a cup of coffee. You say this because there's no coffee available in your office.

“Let's all take a step back and remember that it's about what's best for the kids.”

You're a teacher. You're having a meeting with some colleagues to decide how to spend some money that's in the school's budget. People are getting really angry and emotional as they debate how to use the money. You say this to calm everybody down.

“That's really cool how you made it look like they're flying.”

Your brother is editing a music video for his band. There is a scene in the video in which the band members look like they're flying. You like that scene a lot. You say this to praise your brother.

“To be honest, I’m kind of looking to branch out into something different.”

You're talking with someone you just met at a dinner party. You told this person about your job. He's interested in it, but you don't really like your current job. You want to move to a different field.

“I feel like I've hit a plateau.”

You're learning to play the guitar. For a while, you were getting better and better, but now you feel like your skill level isn't improving. You tell this to your friend who plays guitar.

“If payment is not received by January 15th, you will be charged a $150 penalty.”

You work in the management office of an apartment building. One of the tenants hasn't paid his rent yet for this month, and the payment is 10 days overdue. You're writing a letter to warn him to pay his rent. This is how you explain what will happ...

“It's getting harder and harder to earn a living as a photographer these days.”

You're a professional photographer. Websites that sell amateur photos for low prices are making it harder for you to make enough money. You say this while talking to an acquaintance who's not a photographer.

“Thanks for coming. Let’s go ahead and get started.”

You're leading a meeting at work. You say this to start the meeting.

“How'd you manage to pull that off?”

Your friend got four free front-row tickets to a big rock concert. You're surprised that he was able to get them, so you ask this.

“It's supposed to clear up by Friday.”

It's been raining for a few days. You're making small talk with a coworker. She says that she hopes it doesn't rain on the weekend because she has plans to go out with a relative who is visiting. You heard from the weather report that the rain wil...

“I have a desk job at an insurance company.”

You're at a party. Another guest at the party asks what you do. You answer.

“Well, I appreciate your honesty.”

A friend told you something negative about yourself, but you're glad because now you know how she feels. You say this to her.

“I made the equivalent of about three bucks an hour.”

You're talking to a friend about a part-time job that you had when you were younger and lived in a different country. You tell her how much money you made, but it was in a different currency.

“We have it so easy these days.”

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.

“I'm very sorry that it didn't meet your standards.”

You are a waiter at a nice restaurant. A customer complains that her food wasn't good, but she's already eaten all of it. You want to apologize, but you can't bring her another meal, so you say this to smooth things over.

“You'd never guess they were related.”

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.

“They did just a phenomenal job on this event.”

In a meeting for the entire staff, the Marketing Director is complimenting how well her employees put together an event. She says this because she is extremely pleased.

“The average life expectancy there is something crazy like 82 years.”

You read an article about a small island where people live a long time. You're describing this place to a coworker who didn't read the article.

“I forgot to charge it.”

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.

“Next up is Steve. He's going to walk us through the new homepage redesign.”

You're in charge of a meeting at work. One of your coworkers is going to give a quick presentation for everyone. You say this to introduce him.

“You can't just sit around feeling sorry for yourself forever.”

Your roommate broke up with his girlfriend two weeks ago. Since then, he's been at home every day and seems depressed. You don't want to see him being depressed any longer. So you say this to try to encourage him to go out and have fun with other ...

“Sylvia, where do you stand on this?”

You're leading a meeting at work to discuss a major business decision. Most of the people in the meeting have given their opinions and there is some disagreement. You want to ask one of the people who hasn't given an opinion yet, so you ask this.

“I didn't bring any workout clothes.”

You're visiting a friend who lives in another city. He likes to run for exercise, and he asks if you want to go running with him. You'd like to, but you don't have the right clothes to wear.

“Oh my goodness. It was so moving, by the end I was tearing up.”

You're talking with your friend about a book that you read. You say this because the book was very emotional and dramatic.

“What's your position on health care reform?”

A candidate for a senate position is being interviewed by a news reporter. The reporter wants to know what the candidate thinks about changing the health care system. She asks the candidate this question.

“OK, well, I’ll let you get settled in.”

There's a new employee working under you. It's her first day at work. You've been explaining things to her for a while. Now you need to go back to your office to do some work. You say this so that you can leave.

“You ought to go ahead and book it soon.”

Your younger sister is coming to visit you. She hasn't bought her plane tickets yet, and she's waiting to get the best price. You think it's cheaper to buy your tickets early, so this is how you advise her.

“Images on this site may not be used without my express written permission.”

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.

“You may be wondering why I called this meeting.”

Your company has just made some big changes to how it is organized. Not all employees know about the changes yet. You call a quick meeting to tell the people who work under you. You didn't explain what the meeting was about when you invited everyo...

“Which would you recommend?”

You're shopping for a laptop computer at a store. The salesperson has shown you two computers within your price range. You say this because you want to know which one he thinks is better.

“Worst case scenario, I can always move back in with my folks.”

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.

“But sometimes you'll be flipping through the channels and come across something really interesting.”

You're in a conversation with a group of friends about your TV-watching habits. You like having cable on your TV because you can find interesting shows to watch. You explain this to your friends like this.

“We have a really vibrant art scene.”

You have a friend visiting you from out of town. You're telling her about the good qualities of the city that you live in. You tell her this.

“We all had to huddle together for warmth.”

One time you went on a camping trip with some friends and it got much colder than you expected at night. Now you're telling a story about the trip, and you explain how you all slept in your tent.

“OK. Let's go with that then.”

You're leading a meeting at work. You've been discussing a project that you're planning. Everyone in the meeting has agreed on a plan. You say something to end the discussion.

“It's made a noticeable difference.”

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.

“I saw you checking out that lady in there.”

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.

“So, yeah. Anyway...”

You're on a first date at a restaurant. You were telling a story about the town you grew up in. Now your story's done and you don't have anything else to talk about. Awkwardly, you say this.

“A fugitive has been apprehended after attempting to escape from a Durham county jail.”

You're watching the news on TV. There's some news about a prisoner who escaped, but has now been caught again. The news anchor (TV announcer) says this.

“I do think that you sometimes come across as a bit aggressive.”

You're evaluating one of your employees. He often seems angry when speaking to you and other employees. You criticize him in a very soft, polite way.

“People will say almost anything to get out of jury duty.”

Your coworker got a notice in the mail saying that he had to go to court to serve on a jury. He doesn't want to stay for a whole trial, so you have a conversation about different ways to avoid it.

“What's the deal with this soup?”

You come home and your wife is watching TV. You see that there's a pot of cold soup on the stove, but you don't know whether it's good to eat or whether it needs to be thrown out. You ask this to find out.

“Some creepy guy was hitting on me.”

You're at a dance club with your friend. She left to go to the bathroom, and while she was gone a guy started talking to you and asked you out on a date. You didn't like him. Now you're telling your friend about it.

“I'm sure we can come to an agreement.”

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.

“Has anyone gone over our policy on sick days?”

You're a manager at a bank. There's a new teller who just started today. You're explaining company policies to her. You ask if she knows what to do when she gets sick.

“He's got those big, broad shoulders.”

You're talking with a group of girlfriends about guys on TV shows that you think are really attractive. You're describing a guy that you like who's really strong and manly-looking. You say:

“These ATM fees have gotten to be ridiculous!”

You're out with your sister. You need some cash, but you can't find a branch of your own bank nearby. So you go to another bank's ATM. A message says that there will be a $3 charge for using the ATM. You say this because you're annoyed that it's s...

“She'd never even held a gun before, much less shot one.”

You went hunting with your girlfriend. It was her first experience with hunting. Now you're telling some of your friends the story of your trip, and you describe your girlfriend's lack of experience.

“He went on for like twenty minutes about how his neighbor is putting in a swimming pool.”

Your boss likes to talk a lot. Today you wanted to leave and go home, but your boss came to chat with you about things that weren't related to work. Now you're telling your girlfriend about this. You say this.

“Did I catch you at an OK time?”

You're a salesperson. You're calling a client to try to pitch them on a new product that you're selling. You check to make sure that the client isn't too busy when you call.

“That's as low as I'm willing to go.”

You're trying to sell your motorcycle. You're negotiating with someone who might buy it. You've offered to sell it to them for $7,500, but they're asking for a lower price. You don't want to sell it for less than that amount, so you say this.

“I want to switch to a new carrier, but I have 6 more months on my contract.”

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 yo...

“Let me know if that works.”

You've chosen a week when you'd like to take a vacation. You're sending an email to your boss to request those days off. Near the end of the message, you ask for permission in a confident way.

“They've hinted that they may be introducing a new tablet computer.”

You have heard some information that makes you think that Sony is going to start selling a tablet computer. The information came from things that the company said and wrote, but they haven't officially said that they will do this. You think that t...

“I wish I didn't have that stray hair sticking out.”

You're looking at vacation photos with your husband. There's one photo which has a beautiful background, but there's a problem with your hair. You complain about it.

“Is this seat taken?”

You're in a coffee shop. You're looking for somewhere to sit, but there aren't many empty tables. You see a chair with no one sitting in it, but there's someone sitting next to it. This is how you ask the person if it's OK to take the chair.

“Any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated.”

You're working on a charity event to raise money for cancer research. You'd like to ask some of your co-workers for help with the event, so you write an e-mail about it to a group of people. You write them an email explaining where the money from ...

“Can you close that for me and launch the sales tracking report again?”

You're training a new employee at your company. You're showing him how to use one of the company's software applications. You've finished explaining one part of the application, so you ask him to move back to another part that you were showing him...

“I nicked it shaving.”

Your ear has a cut on it. It happened when you were shaving this morning. Your daughter asks what happened, so this is your answer.

“Albert got all defensive when I commented on his design.”

At work, a software designer made a design for a new product. You saw some problems with the design, so you talked to him about the problems. He got angry and fought back against each point. Now you're telling another co-worker about it. You say t...

“Hurry up and make up your mind.”

You're at a restaurant with your kids. You are all looking at the menu and trying to decide what to get. Everyone has decided except for your daughter. The waiter is coming over to your table, so you want her to decide quickly. You tell her this.

“Yes, I just wanted to verify that my payment has been received?”

There's a loan payment that you have to pay before a certain date. You sent your payment for the bill, but you're not sure that the bank received it yet. So you call the bank to confirm. You start the phone conversation by saying this.

“It's good stuff. Organic, no artificial flavors or preservatives... and it's pretty tasty!”

You're eating a snack at work that you bought from a health food store. It's a snack bar that you often buy because you like it. A coworker asks what you're eating, so you recommend it.

“I bought these here earlier today, but when I got them home I discovered that one of them seems to have a hole in it.”

Earlier today you bought a pair of gloves, but one of them had a hole in it. Now you've returned to the store where you bought the gloves. This is how you explain your situation to a cashier on duty.

“What's it going to take to get through to you?”

Your son is doing badly in school. You get angry at him, but he doesn't seem to be interested in taking your advice. You are frustrated and want to complain that he's not listening. You say this to him in frustration.

“As you're well aware, all requests for tech support are to go through me.”

You're the manager of a tech support department at a company. People are supposed to e-mail you when they need help with their computers and other technology. Then you choose an employee from your staff to help them. One coworker doesn't follow th...

“Does that sound good?”

You're leading a meeting at work. You've just finished listing the items that you want to discuss in the meeting. Now you want to make sure that the other meeting participants feel comfortable to speak, so you ask a simple question.

“Think it over and let me know in the next week or so.”

You just interviewed someone for a job in your department. You liked him, so you offered him the job. He didn't immediately make a decision, so you say this to give him some more time to think about it.

“Guys, I thought that Craig brought up a good point earlier.”

You're in a meeting at work. There's a discussion going on. One of your coworkers said something that was smart, but the other people didn't seem to notice what he said. You support him.

“Yeah, good luck with that.”

Your friend isn't a very good singer, but he tells you that he's going to enter a singing talent show. He says that he's sure that he'll win first place. You don't think that's possible. You say this under your breath (quietly, so he can't hear).

“It hasn't really sunk in yet.”

You just got married a few weeks ago. Now you're talking with a friend who asks what it's like being married. You don't feel any different yet from how you felt before your wedding, so you say this.

“This one is relatively inexpensive.”

You're shopping for wine at a wine store. You want a wine that's good but not too expensive. The store employee makes this recommendation.

“I had nothing to do with that.”

Your parents found out that your sister has started smoking & got angry at her. You already knew she was a smoker. Your sister thinks that you told them, so now she's angry at you. But you weren't the one who told them, so you say this.

“I've had to walk up and down six flights of stairs all week.”

You live on the 6th floor of an apartment building. This week, the elevator has been broken. You say this when telling a friend about it:

“I'll get to that in just a minute.”

You're giving a presentation at work. One of your employees asks a question. You have slide in your presentation which answers that question, so you ask her to wait.

“Let me take you around and introduce you to everyone.”

There's a new employee in your department. You're training her. You think she should meet the other people that you work with, so you suggest this.

“Time out. I need to sit down and catch my breath.”

You and a friend are playing basketball together. You say this because you're getting really tired and you need to rest.

“I know that it's highly unlikely that anyone will publish it, but I figured, 'What the hell...'”

You've written a fantasy novel. You've sent the manuscript to several publishing companies, even though you don't really have much hope that they will publish it. You're talking to a friend, and just told her that you sent the novel out.

“But seriously, it's time you got rid of that thing.”

You suggested to your brother that he sell his car because it's old and has a lot of engine problems. He made a joke about it, but you're worried about his safety so you want to seriously tell him to sell it. You say this.

“You should have seen his face. He was so confused.”

Something interesting happened to you yesterday while you were having lunch with your friend. Now you are telling the story to another friend who wasn't there. You have just told the punchline of the story and now you're telling how the people in ...

“How soon would you be available?”

You're interviewing a candidate for a job. You think you might want to hire him, so you need to know when he can start working.

“You know, building muscle takes time.”

You are a really physically fit person who works out at a gym several times a week. Your friend is complaining that she's been lifting weights but her muscles haven't gotten any bigger. You say this because you think that she just needs to continu...

“He's too effeminate. I like manly guys.”

You're talking with a group of girlfriends about guys on TV shows that you think are really attractive. Your friend mentions one guy that she likes, but you think he looks too much like a girl. You say this.

“What measures can we put in place to make sure that this doesn't happen again?”

Some employees who work for you made a mistake. You're not angry, but you want to avoid making this mistake in the future. You ask the group to figure out a way to avoid it.

“Hey, you're taking up the whole bed!”

You're ready to go to sleep, but your wife is already in bed and is stretched out over the whole bed. You need for her to move so that you'll have room to lay down. You say this to her.

“I might take you up on that.”

You were having a friendly disagreement with your friend about who's going to win a baseball game. Your friend announced "I bet you a hundred dollars the Mets are going to lose." You really think the Mets will win, so you would agree to that bet. ...

“Difficult situations like this really bring out the best in people.”

There was an earthquake recently which damaged a lot of buildings in your city. You're talking with a neighbor about it. You want to think about the situation positively, so you say this to your neighbor.

“You get what you pay for when it comes to shoes.”

You're commenting on an Internet forum about fashion. Someone has asked how she can find really nice shoes for a low price. You don't think it's possible to buy nice shoes cheaply. You write this because you think that she should pay more for a ni...

“I'd like to take off the week of March 10th - 14th. Let me know if that presents a problem.”

You're planning a vacation. You send an email to your boss to tell him what days you've chosen for your vacation. You write this in your email.

“It's your call.”

You're helping your girlfriend shop for a used car. She finds a car that she might want to buy, but she's not sure if it's a good choice. She can't make up her mind, so she asks you what you think. You say this because you can't decide either.

“I need to report a lost or stolen ATM card.”

You can't find your bank card. You're afraid that you may have dropped it somewhere or that it might be stolen. You call the bank and say this to the customer service representative.

“Where'd you get it done?”

Your friend's car had a large dent in it, but he had it fixed. You're impressed with how well it was done, and you want to know where it was fixed so you can go to that mechanic yourself. You ask him this.

“You must feel quite a sense of accomplishment.”

You're hanging out with a friend who just graduated with a Ph.D. You're happy for her, and you say this because you want to hear how she feels about it.

“Come on! What do you say?”

You meet a girl who you'd like to go out with at a dance club. You ask her on a date, but she doesn't answer. You want to encourage her to answer, so you say this.

“Lord, we pray that you watch over Richard and his family in this difficult time.”

Your cousin-in-law is sick with cancer. You've recently found out about it. You're having a family meal, and you say a blessing before the meal. You say this as part of the blessing.

“Got it.”

You're being trained in how to use a computer program at work. Your coworker shows you how to do something. You respond to show that you understand.

“You've got a lot going for you.”

Your friend isn't feeling confident because he didn't get a job he was applying for. You want to make him feel better by telling him he has a lot of great qualities, so you say this.

“So much for leaving at a decent time...”

You often have to work late hours. Today you wanted to leave work at 6:00, but you were too busy. Now it's 8:00, and you're still working. You think this to yourself.

“On the bright side, we were able to cut costs by 20%”

You're giving a presentation on your company's financial performance. You just told the audience that the company made a little less money this year. Now you introduce a more positive piece of information.

“Fine! I'll take it back!”

You bought your wife a new TV for her birthday. But she says she doesn't want it and she's angry that you bought such an expensive gift. After arguing about it for a few minutes, you decide that you'll try to return the TV to the store to get a re...

“That’s cool.”

You're talking with someone you just met at a party. You ask about his job, and he tells you that he works at an insurance company. You don't have anything else to say about that, so you just say this.

“Hold on a sec; I'm in the middle of writing something!”

Your roommate wants you to come into the living room to look at a funny video he saw on YouTube. You're trying to work on writing a cover letter for a job application, and you want to finish it. This is your answer.

“She stayed by his side the whole time.”

Your cousin got in a car accident and didn't wake up for a few days. He has a new girlfriend who stayed at the hospital with him every day. You're talking about your cousin's girlfriend with your mother.

“Wait a second. Since when do you play golf?”

Your friend is telling a story about something funny that happened to him. While telling the story, he mentions that he was playing golf. You didn't know that he played golf, and it doesn't seem to fit his personality. You say this, interrupting him.

“I just wanted to make sure we're all on the same page.”

You're leading a project at work. You called a meeting of some of the people involved on the project. You start the meeting by saying this.

“Are you trying to start something?”

A stranger in a bar is making mean jokes about you. You think he wants to fight you, and you're getting angry at him too. You threaten him this way.

“He just blew me off.”

A coworker just told you that he was too busy to talk to you. You're annoyed, so you complain to a work friend this way.

“Nice to meet you. Welcome aboard!”

There's a new employee at your company. Your boss introduces her. You welcome her.

“I'm staying out of it.”

Two of your friends are arguing. One of them tries to get you to join his side in the argument. You say this because you don't want to choose either side.

“Sales have been steadily rising.”

You're presenting sales results in a meeting at work. You tell the group that the company keeps selling more and more each month.

“I don't think I can keep up this pace.”

You're going for a run with a friend of yours who's a strong runner. He's running too fast, and you don't think you'll be able to continue running that fast for the entire time. You say this, hoping he will slow down.

“OK, I think that's about it.”

You're leading a conference call for work. You've talked about everything that you had planned, so now you end the meeting.

“I'm sure it'll be nominated, but I'd be surprised if it won.”

You're talking with a friend of yours about a movie that you saw. She says that the movie is an Oscar contender. You don't think that it will win, so you say this.

“I just barely made it back in time to return the car.”

You rented a car. You were supposed to return the car by 6:00 pm on Sunday. You returned it at 5:50. You say this as you're talking to your friend about your trip.

“I read that some researchers did a study and found a link between heart disease and flossing.”

You're having a conversation with some friends. You mention an interesting health fact that you read in the news.

“You're welcome to stay for dinner.”

A friend came to your house to bring back some books she was borrowing from you. You were cooking dinner when she came over. You want to be polite, so you invite her to eat dinner with you.

“That one doesn't count!”

You're at a bar with your friend, and the conversation turns to car accidents. You and your friend have both had a lot of accidents, and you start to compare who has been in more. Your friend lists a small accident that he had where he hit a mailb...

“It's just been one of those days.”

Today you went to work looking messy and scruffy because you woke up late, spilled some coffee on yourself, and had a few other accidents. A coworker is asking if you're OK because of how you look. You offer this explanation for your appearance.

“There's nothing good on right now.”

You're changing the channels on the TV and looking for something to watch, but nothing looks interesting. You say this to yourself.

“Did you know that in Brazil and Peru, voting is compulsory?”

You're talking with a friend about voting. She mentions that not many people vote in the U.S. You've heard of some countries that make all citizens vote. You share this fact with her.

“Can you sprinkle some salt and pepper on it?”

You're grilling a rack of ribs for dinner. Your wife is helping you. She brings the meat out to the grill, but she hasn't flavored it. You tell her to add something.

“Police have not yet determined the cause of death.”

A famous singer has just died, but it's not clear how she died. You turn on the television, and there's a news report about it.

“Rachit reports to Irina.”

There's an new employee in your department. You're introducing her to some of the people in your company. Now you're introducing someone who works for a person who she's already met.

“It wasn't as funny as I thought it would be.”

You went to see a comedy that you thought you would like. But you didn't laugh much while watching it. When you leave the movie, you say this.

“We might as well stock up.”

You're shopping at a grocery store with your son. You see that toilet paper is on sale there, so you think it's a good idea to buy a lot of it now. You make this suggestion.

“I want to thank you for all the support you've given me.”

You're leaving your company to start a new job. You visit your boss to say goodbye on your last day. You tell her this to show that you appreciate how much she has helped you.

“Party of 6, right this way.”

You're eating out at a restaurant with 5 of your friends. After you check in with the host and wait for a few minutes, the host invites you to follow him to your seats. He says this.

“Drinking in moderation is supposed to be good for your heart.”

You drink alcohol most nights with your dinner. You're discussing this habit with a friend who doesn't drink much at all. You give this reason why you drink that often.

“It turns out that my roommate had left his window unlocked anyway.”

You're telling a story about a silly mistake you made. You thought you couldn't get into your house, so you spent the night in a cheap hotel. This is the punchline of the story.

“I look forward to hearing from you.”

You're looking for a new job. You're writing a cover letter to send along with your resume. You end with this confident-sounding sentence.

“I don't know... it just cuts out sporadically.”

A friend is staying with you at your apartment. He's trying to use the Internet, but it's stopped working. He asks you why. This problem happens a lot for you, but you don't know why it happens.

“I've been having excruciating sinus headaches for the last few days.”

You're feeling sick with a sinus infection. You were supposed to meet a friend for dinner tomorrow evening, but you don't think you're going to feel better by then. You write this in an email to explain why you can't make it.

“She has such bad taste!”

Your sister likes a really cheesy TV show. She agrees that the show isn't that good, but she likes it anyway.

“Oh my gosh... I'm speechless.”

You're getting married soon. Your coworkers threw a surprise party for you. When you enter the party, you're really surprised. You say this.

“Home ownership is more trouble than it's worth.”

You own a house. You've had to spend a lot of time and money on repairs, taxes, and your mortgage. Now you'd rather rent an apartment instead. Complaining, you say this to a friend.

“You probably want to check the box that says “Remember my ID”.”

You're training a new employee at your company. You're showing him how to use a computer program. When he logs in, you give him some advice that will save him a little bit of time.

“I was just about to go into that.”

You're giving a presentation at work. One of your employees asks a question. The next slide in your presentation is about that topic, so you say this as you switch to the next slide.

“Their produce is always brown and wilted.”

You're talking with a friend who lives in your neighborhood about a grocery store nearby. You don't like the store because their fruits and vegetables are never very fresh. You say this to your friend.

“I don't want to take up any more of your time.”

You're visiting your client's office for a meeting. You have finished all of the business you wanted to talk to her about, and now you're ready to leave. You start to dismiss yourself by saying this.

“The distance between us and the nearest star is so vast, it takes about 4 years for its light to reach us.”

You're a middle school science teacher. You're teaching your students about space. You want to explain how far away stars are from each other.

“I'm in the mood for something light.”

You're having lunch with your friend at a restaurant. You're looking at the menus to decide what to order. Your friend asks you what you're going to get, so you say this.

“Does that make sense?”

You're training a new employee in your group at work. You've just explained how to check an important spreadsheet. You're not sure if he understood your explanation, so you ask this.

“Really? They plowed my street the next morning.”

It snowed a couple of days ago. You're talking with one of the other mothers at your child's daycare about the snow. She says that there's still a lot of snow on her street. The snow has been gone since yesterday where you live, so you say this.

“Do you see that thing floating out there on the horizon?”

You're at the beach. You see something far out in the ocean. You're not sure what it is because it's really far away. You point it out to your friend.

“I'm going to make an effort to spend more quality time with my family.”

You and a friend are discussing your New Year's resolutions with each other, a few days after New Year's Day. You always work late hours, and you don't get to see your family very much. This year, you'd like to see them more often. This is the res...

“What's that rustling noise?”

You're camping with some friends. You're worried about dangerous animals. You hear a noise when you're laying in your tent, so you ask your friends about it.

“All right – let's get to work.”

You're leading a group of people that are decorating for a wedding. You discuss the plans with the group and tell each person what to do. Now it's time to break up and start doing the work, so you say this.

“Lay it on its side and hold it steady with your other hand. It's easier to cut that way.”

Your son offered to cook dinner tonight. He's cutting an onion, but the way that he's cutting it looks dangerous and inefficient. You tell him how to do it.

“I was wondering if I could exchange them for another pair.”

Earlier today, you bought a pair of gloves. But you discovered that there was a hole in one of them. You went back to the store, and now you're asking the cashier if you can get a replacement for the gloves you bought. You say this to the cashier.

“Hi Isabella, It’s great to hear from you!”

You received an email from a client that you haven't spoken to in a couple of months. You write back to her, and start your email with this friendly greeting.

“Hi Trisha, Hope you’re well!”

You're sending an email to a client that you haven't spoken to in a couple of months. You start the email with a nice greeting.

“Let's not get bogged down in the details at this point.”

You're an architect. You're designing a house for a couple, and having an early meeting to talk about the design. They start to ask you very specific questions about one of the rooms in your floor plan. You think that you need to talk about more g...

“J.B. is kind of a stickler about getting to work on time.”

There's a new employee in your department. This morning he came to the office 10 minutes late. You warn him that your boss doesn't like that.

“Are you aware that one in five families has trouble putting food on the table every day?”

You've volunteering for an organization that works to reduce poverty (the number of poor people). You're giving out information at a college campus, You want a student who's walking by to notice and care about your cause, so you say this.

“I just reached out to a few people I knew in the industry and asked if they knew anyone who was hiring.”

You recently got a new job. You're talking to a friend who asks how you found this job so quickly. You explain how it happened.

“I hate to cause trouble, but I ordered this medium-rare.”

You ordered a steak at a restaurant and asked for it to be cooked medium-rare. When your dinner comes, the steak is over-cooked. You say this to the waiter about the mistake.

“Because I said so, that's why.”

You've asked your son to clean his room. He asks you why he has to do that. You're annoyed with him, so you don't feel patient enough to explain why. You just say this.

“It was pretty uneventful.”

You come home after work. Your partner asks how your day was. Nothing very interesting happened, so you answer this.

“You can't beat face-to-face communication, you know?”

You and a friend are having a discussion. You're talking about the way that young people tend to prefer text messages, email, and social media instead of direct conversations. You say this to tell your friend that you think direct communication is...

“We were growing really rapidly for the first few months, but since then it’s evened off.”

You started a small business with a partner. You're talking with a friend, who asks about the business. You tell him that it's not doing as well as it was when you started.

“I'm getting a head start on my Christmas shopping.”

It's the beginning of December and you're shopping for Christmas gifts to give people. You run into a neighbor at a shopping mall and stop to make small talk. You say this to explain why you're there.

“Can you grab a flathead screwdriver from my toolbox in the basement?”

You're trying to fix a broken DVD player. Your son is watching and helping you. You need a tool, so you ask him to get it for you.

“I'm trying to cut down on caffeine.”

You're out shopping with your friend. She wants to stop at a cafe to get a coffee. She asks if you want anything. You feel like you drink too much coffee, so recently you've tried not to drink so much. You say this to decline politely.

“It gets monotonous after a while, don't you think?”

Your friend plays some electronic music for you and asks what you think about it. You think that it's boring because the melody doesn't change much throughout the song.

“Yes, sir. I can help you with that. Can I just get the order number printed on your invoice?”

There's a problem with a desk that you bought online. You call the customer service number and explain your problem. This is the response from the customer support person.

“They don't even make eye contact with you!”

You went to a grocery store where the cashiers are often rude to you. You can't believe that they're so rude. You say this while complaining to a friend about the store employees.

“The soles of my feet are raw from all that walking.”

You're visiting another city for sightseeing. Today, you and your friend walked around the city for a long time. Now your feet hurt, so you complain to your friend.

“Are you getting any reception?”

You're visiting the countryside with your brother and his family. You need to make a phone call, but your mobile phone is not connecting because you're too far away from the nearest cell tower. You want to ask your brother if his phone is working,...

“Double click that yellow icon to launch it.”

You're training a new employee at your job in how to use a software program. You start by explaining how to open the program.

“That seems like a tough field to break into.”

You meet someone at a party. She says that she's a veterinarian (animal doctor) at a zoo. You're really impressed because it seems hard to get that job. You comment on it.

“Would you like to go see a movie together sometime?”

There's a guy in one of your classes who you like. You've spoken with him several times, and you think you'd like to go out on a date with him. After a few minutes of conversation, you ask him this question.

“I'm sorry, you're breaking up.”

You're talking on your mobile phone to your boss. He is saying something, but you can't hear what it is because the reception on your phone is bad. You didn't hear some of what he said, so you say this.

“I can't stand it when a man doesn't trim his nails.”

You're talking about men with a group of girlfriends. Everyone is talking about what kind of men they don't like. You tell them about a quality that you don't like in men.

“I should get going.”

You're visiting a friend's house and you've been there for a while. You say this because you think that your friend is probably ready for you to leave.

“Wow, is that old place still around?”

You're visiting the town where you went to college many years ago. You're riding around the town with a college friend who still lives there. You ride past a book store that you used to go to a lot, and you're surprised that it's open.

“Please tell me I don't have to start over from scratch...”

You're writing a resume for applying to jobs. You've been working on it for over an hour, but you forgot to save it. The computer program crashed, and now you hope that your work was automatically saved so you don't have to re-write it. You think ...

“She was a stray that I took in.”

A coworker is visiting your house for the first time. You have a cat which doesn't like strangers very much. The coworker comments on the cat's personality, so you explain why the cat is shy around people.

“They had me on hold for like 20 minutes!”

You had to call your cable company because of a problem with your bill. They made you wait on the phone for a long time. You're complaining about this experience to a co-worker. You say this.

“The doctor will be with you in just a moment.”

You're at a doctor's office to get checked up for a pain in your knee. Your nurse says this after she's taken you to the examining room.

“A non-refundable 30% deposit is required at the time of booking.”

You're looking for a reception hall to have your wedding in. You read this sentence on the website for one reception hall that you might like to reserve.

“I think I'll sit this one out.”

You're at a bar where people are dancing. Your friend invites you to dance, but you don't want to dance. You say this because you don't like the song that's playing.

“Not a chance! I've got this one in the bag.”

You're playing tennis against a friend. You like to tease each other. He says that he's going to beat you. You boast that you're going to win.

“I think I blew it.”

You had a job interview. Your roommate asks how it went. You think that you did a really bad job in the interview, so you say this.

“I wish I'd studied something a little more practical.”

You're talking to someone at a party. You start to talk about what subjects you studied in college. You studied Political Science, but after you graduated you didn't find a job related to that field. Instead, you have a low-paying job as a waiter....

“Let's... talk about that offline.”

You're leading a large meeting at work. One of the attendees in the meeting asked you a question. The answer is only important for that person, so you don't want to take up everyone else's time. You respond this way.

“If anything, I have to actively work to put on weight.”

You're chatting with a group of friends about your weight. Some of them say that they have to work hard to lose weight. You don't have this problem at all. You describe your situation.

“I'm looking for a studio in the range of about $1200 a month, preferably downtown.”

You're trying to find an apartment in a new city that you're going to move to. You want to use a real estate agent to help you find it. You find the e-mail address of a real estate agent on the Internet and begin writing an e-mail to her. You writ...

“When you’re done, click “Submit”.”

You're training a coworker in how to use an computer system that she needs for her job. You show her what to do after entering some information into a form.

“Unless you're out there harvesting food from your own garden, you can never be 100% sure what's being done to it.”

You're having a discussion with a friend about organic food. You think that organic food is not always healthy or safe. You share your opinion.

“Come on out with us and blow off some steam!”

You're going to have after-work drinks with some co-workers. One co-worker doesn't usually come. Today he seems stressed. You want to invite him to come with you, so you say this.

“Try to get in around nine.”

There's a new employee working under you. She asks what time work starts. You're not very strict, so you tell her the time this way.

“Can you refresh my memory?”

You're talking with your friend from high school about other people who used to go to school with you. Your friend asks if you remember a certain person, but you don't really remember that person. You want your friend to give some more information...

“They're one of the most reliable cars on the road.”

Your friend just bought a new car. The model that she bought is a good one which rarely breaks or has problems. You comment on her choice.

“How do you know which server to select?”

A coworker is showing you how to use a software system at work. While showing you how to connect to the company's network, she chooses a server from a list. You want to know why she picked that one.

“It's not the end of the world.”

Your friend was using your camera and accidentally deleted all of the photos that were saved on it. You don't want to seem too angry, so you say this.

“Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?”

One of the other members of your softball team made a joke that offended you. You don't embarrass him in front of the whole team, so after practice you ask him to talk privately with you.

“Don't we all...”

A friend says that she wishes she was rich.

“Thanks a lot!”

You're sick. Your friend called you, and she said that you sound horrible. You have a cold, so your voice does sound messed up. But you pretend to be offended by your friend criticizing your voice. You say this in jest.

“Janu is going to be filling in for me while I'm out on maternity leave.”

You're pregnant. You'll be out of the office for several weeks when you have your baby. Your boss has hired a temporary worker to do your job while you're gone. Now you're introducing her to some of your coworkers.

“No way. You don't stand a chance!”

You're talking with a friend about an upcoming professional baseball game. Your friend's favorite team is playing, and your friend says that they're going to win. You completely disagree.

“I'll keep an eye out for it.”

You're a receptionist in an office. An employee at the company is waiting for a package and asked if it had been delivered yet. It hasn't, but you say this to let her know that you'll bring it to her when it arrives.

“There's a 24-hour fitness room on the first floor, which you can access with your room key.”

You work at a hotel. A guest is checking in. You're telling him about some of the things that your hotel offers. You explain where he can go to exercise.

“When I was in middle school, my friend started calling me "Blossom" one day after the character on the sitcom "Blossom", and... somehow it stuck.”

You have a nickname. You're explaining how you got that name.

“Did you see it when it was out in theaters?”

You're talking with someone about a movie that was popular when you were younger. You've both watched the movie, but you want to know if she watched it in a movie theater or at home.

“He thought he'd just sprained it, but it turned out it was fractured.”

Your uncle injured his ankle while he was jogging. The injury was more serious than he thought at first. You're talking to a friend who knows your uncle.

“I have to say, I've been so impressed with how you've just taken the initiative and really stepped up on this project.”

You're doing mid-year evaluations of your employees. Now you're talking with one employee who is very helpful and does work without being asked to. You explain how happy you are with her.

“The laundry room is closed for repairs until further notice.”

Your apartment building has a room where you can do your laundry. When you go there one day, it's closed and there's a sign on the door that explains why.

“Actually, some people say it's not good to stretch without warming up first.”

You and a friend are discussing exercise techniques. He says that he always stretches before exercising. You've heard that that's a bad idea.

“For real?”

Your friend told you that she was chosen to go on a TV talk show. You're really surprised, and you want to make sure that it's really true.

“We have a complimentary breakfast buffet available from 7 to 10 a.m.”

You work at a hotel. A guest is checking in. You're telling him about some of the things that your hotel offers. You explain that he can eat breakfast for free.

“A lot of insects like butterflies and mosquitos go through a life cycle with several distinct stages.”

You're talking to a child. You've found a butterfly together. You're explaining how butterflies and caterpillars are related to each other.

“I'll see your five and raise you five more.”

You're playing poker. The last player bet five dollars. You think that your cards are better than his, so you want to stay in the game and bet even more. You say this while moving your poker chips.

“What's all that racket?”

You're in the kitchen. You hear some loud noise from another part of your house, where your kids are playing with their friends. You want to know what the noise was, so you call out this.

“You'll live.”

Your son falls down and hurts his knee while running. He's crying. You look at his knee, and it's a little scratched but not bleeding.

“Failure to provide information requested on this form may result in significant processing delays and/or the denial of your application.”

You're applying for a passport. You're looking at the application form, and you see this sentence.

“Keep your eyes on the ball.”

You're teaching your daughter to play softball. She's not very good at hitting the ball. You give her this advice.

“We have over 300 locations across the U.S. and Canada.”

You work for a fast food company. You're giving a presentation about your company's business. You describe how large the company is.

“If you go with the High Yield checking account, you can earn 1.25% interest on your balance.”

You work at a bank. A customer is starting a new bank account. There are a few types of accounts. You're describing some of the differences between them.

“Ah, I pulled my hamstring.”

You're limping. A coworker asks what's wrong. You explain that you injured one of your leg muscles.

“I don't get wrapped up in office politics.”

You're talking to a friend about your job. Some people that you work with are sneaky and try to get promotions by impressing the boss and making other employees look bad. You explain that you're not like this.

“I'd like to speak with someone about refinancing my home.”

You bought a home several years ago with a loan. Now the interest rates for mortgages are a lot lower than when you bought the house, so you'd like to borrow money at a lower rate to pay back your original loan. You go into your bank and say this ...

“We've discovered a bug that would allow a hacker to gain access to the system.”

You work in I.T. You've found a problem with your company's network. You're explaining the problem to an executive in your company who doesn't know much about technology.

“There was a huge spike in demand in the second quarter, but it's been flat since then.”

You're giving a presentation at a meeting at work. You're showing the sales results for your company, which rose quickly a few months ago.

“Yes, I'd like to place an order for delivery?”

It's dinner time, but you don't want to cook. You call a restaurant to get some food sent to your house. When they answer, you start this way.

“How did you enjoy your stay, Mr. Robinson?”

You work at a hotel. A guest is checking out. You want to know if he's satisfied.

“Sir, are you ready to check out?”

You work at a hotel. A guest who's been staying at the hotel has all of his luggage. You say this as he walks toward the reception desk.

“I hear that mobile app developers are in demand right now.”

You're talking to your neighbor, who says that he's learning how to build applications for phones and tablet computers. You think that it's a good idea because there are a lot of jobs in that area. You encourage him.

“She used to report to Amy, then she got promoted to Manager and Amy moved over to the Pricing department. ”

You're talking to a coworker who's fairly new to your company. You've been at the company longer. You're explaining some of the history of your coworkers.

“Your funds will be available in two to three business days.”

You work at a bank. A customer is depositing his check. You tell him when he will be able to use that money.

“I'll just need to see a photo I.D.”

You work at a bank. A customer wants to cash a check. You need to make sure that this is the person who the check is written to, so you ask for proof.

“The fender is a little dented. Otherwise, it's as good as new.”

You're trying to sell your car online. Someone calls to ask about it. He asks if there are any problems with the car. You tell him about one small problem it has.

“Maybe you can settle this debate we've been having. Who do you think is hotter: Beyoncé or Rihanna?”

You're meeting your friends at a bar. You and one friend have been drinking and talking for a while. You've been debating your opinions of famous pop stars. Another friend arrives, so you ask him what he thinks.

“I dropped about 20 pounds since the beginning of the year, mostly just by cutting out processed foods and soda.”

You're thinner than you were a few months ago. You see a friend who's surprised that you're so thin. You explain how you lost the weight.

“It's funny: he's this big, burly guy but his voice is all soft and high-pitched.”

You're describing someone that you work with to a friend who's met him a few times. This coworker's voice doesn't fit how he looks.

“We're out of time today, but we'll come back to this tomorrow.”

You're a teacher. You're in the middle of a class discussion, but it's time for the class to end. This is what you say to end the class.

“I'm open to other suggestions, though.”

You're making plans to have dinner with another couple. You've suggested one restaurant, but you want to be flexible to other suggestions too. After writing your suggestion, you write this.

“I'd like to meet to discuss my son's performance in your class and what I can do to help him do better.”

Your son got a bad grade in his Math class. You're worried. You write an email to his teacher.

“I see. Well, thanks anyway.”

You're looking for a job. You see a "help wanted" sign in a restaurant and ask about applying for the job, but the hostess says the job has already been filled. This is your response.

“Mintel, the world’s largest computer chip manufacturer, reported a sharp decline in its quarterly profits on Tuesday as computer sales continue to fall.”

You're reading the business section of a news website. The main story is about a computer company which isn't doing well.

“No one has come forward yet to claim responsibility for the attacks and police have not named any suspects.”

You're watching the news. Yesterday a bomb exploded in a crowded area. The police don't know who did it. The newscaster is discussing this.

“I'd say that my greatest strength is my willingness to take risks.”

You're writing an essay for a college application. The essay question asks you to describe your strengths. You start it this way.

“They found that different brain regions developed depending on how difficult it was for the subjects to learn.”

You read an article recently about a scientific study. The study was about how learning languages affects people's brains. You're having a conversation with a friend and you describe the results of the study.

“On a scale of one to five, I'd give it a four.”

You went to watch a movie last weekend. You're talking about it with a friend, who asks what you thought of the movie. You liked it quite a bit, so you rate it this way.

“I'd like to send this via registered mail.”

You're sending a package at the post office. It's important, so you want to be able to track where the package is. You ask this at the service counter.

“I'd like to cancel my membership.”

You're a member of a gym. You don't use it very often, so you want to stop being a member. You go to the front desk and say this.

“At the end of the day, though, we can't afford to turn away business... as I'm sure you're aware.”

A company wants to advertise on your Internet site. One of your employees thinks that this advertiser is dishonest, and doesn't think that you should accept the ad. You understand his point, but you disagree.

“Set up a recurring external transfer.”

You have bank accounts at two different banks. You want to send some money from one bank to the other every month automatically. You visit the first bank's website and click this link.

“It's so much easier to order something than to spend all that time going to the grocery store, cooking, washing dishes... Not to mention I'm not that good of a cook to begin with.”

You don't cook very much. Instead, you like to order takeout from restaurants. Now you're talking with a friend about why you do that.

“Look on the bright side: now you can justify getting something newer.”

Your friend is upset because his car broke down. It was old, so it's not worth fixing. You want to cheer him up, so you say this.

“The exchange rate is killing us.”

Your business sells products overseas. Right now the value of your country's money is higher than usual, so you've had to raise your prices and aren't selling as much. You complain to a friend who also runs a business.

“Our faces are a little out of focus.”

You're showing your vacation photos to a friend. One of the photos isn't clear, so you comment on it.

“Will I need to maintain a minimum balance?”

You're starting a bank account. Some bank accounts charge a fee if you don't keep enough money in the account. You ask whether this bank does that.

“OK, head north on Highway 15 for 2 or 3 minutes, then turn right at the first light after the overpass.”

You're having a barbecue at your house. One of the people who's coming called you because he got lost. After figuring out where he is, you tell him where to go.

“You know, bats are actually good to have around 'cuz they keep the mosquitos in check.”

You're having a picnic in your back yard. It's almost dark. You see a bat flying around. Your neighbor is worried about it, but you like bats. You explain why.

“Yeah, it's one of the highest-rated shows on the air.”

You're talking about a TV show with a friend. Your friend has never watched it and doesn't know much about it. He asks if it's popular. It is, so this is your answer.

“Hmm... well, I must admit: I'm stumped.”

You've been trying to fix a problem with your car's engine, with your son helping you. You tried to fix it in a few different ways, but now you don't have any more ideas. You say this to your son.

“Not at all.”

You're sitting at a coffee shop. A stranger asks, "Would you mind watching my stuff for a minute?". You're happy to do that, so you answer.

“That stuff'll clog your arteries.”

You're staying at your uncle's house for a few days. He offers to make bacon for breakfast. You don't want it because it's unhealthy, and you want to warn your uncle not to eat it either.

“It's truly an honor to meet someone of your stature and influence.”

You went to a book signing event for one of your favorite business book authors. You got to speak with him for a few minutes. Now you're ending the conversation.

“I saw a whole herd of deer leap across the road.”

You went for a drive in the country. While you were driving, you saw some animals. You describe what you saw to your sister, who didn't go.

“We've been toying with the idea of raising our own chickens.”

You live in the country. Recently you and your partner thought that it would be nice to have fresh eggs, so you thought about getting chickens. You describe this thought with a friend who already has chickens.

“I didn't realize that you were on a first-name basis.”

You're talking with a friend who's in the same class as you. She's talking about your teacher, but uses his first name instead of calling him by his last name. You're surprised.

“You should've been there! Obie showed off his dance moves!”

You went to a party this weekend. You're talking to a friend who was invited, but didn't go. You describe something fun that happened at the party.

“We simply do not tolerate people who are disrespectful to others.”

You're the organizer of a meetup group for people who are interested in public speaking. You want to have strict rules for your group about being nice to other members. You're writing about one of these rules on your group's website.

“We don't have nearly as much leverage with our distributors as we used to.”

Your company sells products through stores. This year, you're negotiating a contract with the companies who deliver the products to the stores. The negotiation isn't going well. Now you're in a meeting and explaining why you're having trouble.

“All I need is a few shirts, a couple of changes of underwear, one pair of pants, and my toiletry kit. That's about it.”

You're visiting friends in another city. Your friend is surprised that your suitcase is so small. You explain that it's small because you don't pack a lot of stuff.

“Wouldn't you know it, my car broke down on the way to the interview!”

You had an interesting experience one time when you were going to a job interview. You're telling someone the story of what happened.

“We don't have much of a mass transit system here.”

You live in a small city. The city only has a few buses and no trains. You're talking to a friend who's visiting from a larger city, and he asks about how people there get around.

“Moving on, let's review the differences between ionic and covalent bonds.”

You're a chemistry teacher. You're giving a lecture to your class. You've finished one topic and now you want to start talking about the next topic.

“This guy over there with the dreadlocks, Johnny... he's kind of the boss's right hand man.”

There's a new employee working with you. You're training him and showing him around. You point to one of the other people you work with and explain who he is.

“These readings are off the charts!”

You're watching a science fiction TV show about space explorers. The characters find a strange object in space that's releasing a lot of radiation. One character says this while looking at a computer screen.

“It's about this seemingly normal suburban couple who are actually undercover spies.”

There's a new TV show that you've started watching. You're trying to get your husband to watch it with you, so you describe the show's main premise.

“I think the guy in the fedora just winked at me.”

You're at a bar with a friend. There's a man who's been looking at you, and he just blinked one eye. You think he did it for you and you don't know how to respond, so you tell your friend about it.

“That region holds a special place in my heart.”

You've just met someone. He comes from an area that you've been to before on vacation. You really loved visiting that area, so you comment on it.

“Hi. Do you have any vacancies?”

You had to travel to another city at the last minute. You don't have a hotel reservation, so you go to a hotel and ask this at the reception desk.

“What prompted you to contact me?”

Your ex-boyfriend called you and invited you to have coffee together. Now you're sitting with him. You want to know why he called and invited you out.

“We tee off at 9am sharp. See you there!”

You're going to play golf tomorrow with a group of friends. You're texting a friend to tell him the time that you're going to start.

“Make a right at the next light.”

You're riding in a car with your friend. Your friend is driving but she's never been to the store that you're going to. You tell her where to turn.

“It's not bad... for what it is.”

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.

“I've been on one of those low-carb diets for the last few months.”

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'm on it.”

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.

“The doctor said that it would take a few days for the antibiotics to take effect.”

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.

“They're down to four teams now.”

You're watching a basketball playoff game. You're explaining the playoffs to your girlfriend, who doesn't watch basketball.

“We might as well sell it for scrap metal.”

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.

“Before you pull out, check in your rear view mirror to see if there's anyone behind the car.”

You're teaching your teenage son to drive. You're in your driveway now, and you give him instructions on what to do first.

“Excuse me, I could use a little help...”

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.

“Night night!”

You're putting your 6-year-old daughter to bed. You've turned off the lights and now you're leaving the room.

“I'm sorry. What was your name again?”

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.

“This place is dead!”

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.

“I feel sorry for young folks these days, entering this job market saddled with these enormous student loans...”

You're having a conversation with a friend about the difficult economy. It's difficult to find a job now and the cost of university tuition is very high. You comment on how hard it is for young people.

“Sorry I haven't gotten back to you. I've been swamped.”

A professional contact calls you. He left a voicemail message for you last week, but you forgot to call him because you were so busy. After saying hello, you apologize and explain why you haven't called him back.

“There's some kind of bug going around.”

It's winter. A lot of people that you work with are getting sick with colds and flus. You're worried that you're going to get sick too. You're talking to your wife about it.

“I need to swing by the office and drop off a few documents.”

You're talking on the phone to your friend, who you're supposed to meet after work. You've just left a late-afternoon meeting at a client's office. You explain why you can't drive directly to meet your friend.

“If it doesn't fit you, let me know and I'll give you the receipt to exchange it.”

You bought your niece a shirt for her birthday. You weren't sure what size she wore, so you say this when you give her the shirt.

“Where do you stand on gun control?”

You're talking about politics and social issues with someone who you've recently become friends with. A recent topic in the news is whether there should be laws to make it harder to buy a gun. You want to know what he thinks about this.

“There's a tournament being held in April that I was thinking about signing up for...”

You take kickboxing classes. You saw an advertisement for a competition and thought that you'd like to try it. You mention it to your teacher to see what she thinks.

“Well, it's the thought that counts.”

Your cousin sent you a birthday present. It was a book, but you're actually not interested in reading that book at all. Even though you don't like the gift, you're happy that your cousin sent you something. You think this to yourself.

“That new guy is so eager to please. I wish he'd tone it down a little.”

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.

“Do you have any preferences as to the ages, genders, ethnicities, etc. of the actors?”

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.

“I can't wait to get it home and try it out!”

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.

“Ew! I stepped in dog poop!”

You smell a bad smell. You realize that the smell is coming from your shoe, so you look at it. It has some brown stuff stuck to the bottom of it.

“Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.”

Your sister and her boyfriend got into a bad car accident. They're in the hospital. You write an announcement on Facebook about it, and this is how you finish your post.

“I'm descended from a famous 16th-century warrior.”

One of your ancestors is an interesting historical figure. You're bragging about it to a friend.

“Let's say that someone breaks into your house and tries to attack you. What would you do?”

You're talking with a friend about gun control. You think that it's a good idea for normal citizens to have weapons. You try to convince your friend by describing an imaginary situation.

“If you just blindly accept whatever they decide to offer, you're definitely leaving money on the table.”

You're a good negotiator, but your friend isn't. You're talking about the idea of negotiating for raises. You think it's important to directly ask for raises, so you give your friend this advice.

“I don't go for those kind of movies. It's just a bunch of adolescent male wish fulfillment.”

A James Bond movie has recently come out. A friend asks you if you've seen it. You don't like this kind of action movie because it has too much violence and sex. You explain why you don't like them.

“I mostly wear neutral colors and earth tones.”

You and a friend are talking about your tastes in fashion. You don't like wearing bright colors, so you describe your taste this way.

“It must be great not having to answer to a boss.”

Your friend recently quit his job and started his own business. You're envious because you wish that you didn't have a boss. You comment on it to your friend.

“It's a terrible, terrible tragedy.”

There was a major flood nearby. You've been watching news reports about it. You and a coworker are talking about how bad it is for the people that live there.

“It's kind of hit-or-miss.”

You've been watching a comedy TV show. A friend asks what you think of it. Some episodes are good and others are bad, so you describe it this way.

“Hey, I think I'm going to cut out a bit early today.”

You'd like to leave work earlier than usual today. Your boss doesn't care, but you tell him about it so that he knows where you are.

“What a coincidence! I was just about to call you.”

A friend who you used to work with calls you. You were thinking about this friend earlier today, so you mention this when you answer the phone.

“I'll keep an eye out for it.”

Your coworker lost one of her earrings and is looking for it. You haven't seen it and you're not going to search for it, but you want to say something supportive to your coworker anyway.

“It was supposed to be an investment, but it turns out it actually depreciated in value.”

You bought a house a few years ago because you thought that it would be a smart financial decision, but now the house is worth less than you bought it for. You're complaining about it with your brother-in-law, who's visiting you.

“I'll take that as a 'no'?”

You asked your friend if he wanted to go out to a dance club with you. He just laughed. He doesn't usually go to clubs, so you think that his laughing means that he doesn't want to go.

“Do you happen to know a guy by the name of Fred Breedlove?”

You're talking to someone at a party. He tells you that he grew up in a small town. You know one person from that town, so you ask whether this person knows him.

“If you don't behave yourself, you're going straight to sleep after dinner. Do you understand me?”

Your son is behaving badly during dinner. You threaten to punish him this way.

“What if you put it up in a bun?”

Your roommate is going out on a first date. You're helping her decide what to wear and how to style her hair. You suggest a hair style that will make her look mature.

“I can tolerate a long commute as long as I'm able to get a seat on the train.”

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 started watching over her shoulder and... what can I say? I got sucked into it.”

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.

“You throw pretty well for a girl.”

You're playing with a football on the beach with your girlfriend. You're surprised at how well she throws, so you compliment her.

“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

You're at a wedding. The ceremony is almost finished. The minister says this to officially announce that the couple is married.

“He inherited the position from his father.”

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.

“Can you believe this shit?”

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.

“I believe it's sold over the counter.”

You're talking with a friend who has allergies. Your cousin has allergies and told you about a medicine that she takes which helps. You tell your friend about this medicine. You don't think she needs a prescription to get it.

“A good rule of thumb is to put 10% of your pay into savings.”

Your nephew has just graduated from college and started his first job. You're talking to him at a family get-together. You give him some money advice.

“I am so psyched!”

You have tickets to a big music festival. You're talking with a friend who's going with you, and you want to express how excited you are.

“Everybody take a look at the picture on page 46. This is a model of what a strand of DNA looks like.”

You're a biology teacher. You're teaching your students about genetics. You ask them to look at an illustration in their textbooks.

“Today is a pretty big day for you, huh?”

Your brother-in-law is getting married today. Now you're driving him to the wedding hall. You want to talk with him about how he feels about getting married today. You say this.

“I can't tell what that word's supposed to be. Any ideas?”

A patient at the doctor's office you work at filled out an information form. His handwriting is messy, and there's a word that you can't read. After trying to figure it out yourself, you turn to a coworker and ask for her help.

“Probably just pay off my credit cards and student loans.”

A friend asks you what you would do if you won a million dollars in a lottery. You have had to borrow a lot of money, so this is your answer.

“I'd like to think that I would donate most of it to a worthy cause.”

A friend asks you what you would do if you won a million dollars in a lottery. You'd like to use it to help other people, although you're not sure how you would spend it if that really happened to you.

“It was nice and all, but it didn't quite live up to the hype.”

A new restaurant opened recently in your city. It's gotten very positive reviews and you've heard several people talk about it. You went there this weekend and didn't like it as much as you expected. You're telling a friend what you think of the r...

“He's a guy from my apartment complex.”

You run into someone at a shopping mall who lives near you. You're with your friend, who asks how you know this person. You explain.

“Those were the days, huh?”

You're hanging out with an old college buddy. You've been remembering funny stories of things that happened in college. It's made you feel nostalgic.

“How are you fellas?”

Your teenage son has brought some of his friends over to your house to play video games. You've met them all before but don't remember all of their names. You say hello this way.

“He's just insecure, and he tries to drag other people down to compensate.”

You have a coworker who often says rude and insulting things to people. He insulted your friend, so she's upset. You want to make her feel better, so you explain why this coworker is always insulting people.

“You know, honestly, it probably wouldn't even be that much money after taxes.”

A friend asks you what you would do if you won a million dollars in a lottery. You're a practical person, and you know that the government takes a lot of money from prize money for taxes. This is your first answer.

“You know what would be great is if I could take a few months off work and travel the world.”

A friend asks you what you would do if you won a million dollars in a lottery. You think it would be fun to spend the money on traveling, so this is how you answer.

“I would... I guess I would set up a trust fund for my kids... and stick the rest in savings.”

A friend asks you what you would do if you won a million dollars in a lottery. The first thing you think about is supporting your children, so you say this.

“I base my tips on how good the service is.”

You're eating at a restaurant with friends. You get into a discussion about how much tip to leave. One of your friends says it should be 15% of the bill, but you like to be more flexible.

“I'm sorry; something's come up, and I won't be able to make it.”

You were supposed to go on a canoeing trip with a group of people in your club at school. But you just broke up with your boyfriend, so you're depressed and don't want to go anymore. You write to the organizer to explain that you're canceling.

“She's trying on a pair of pants.”

You're shopping for clothes with your sister and her boyfriend. He was walking around the store and has just found you again. He asks where your sister is, so this is your answer.

“Your balance is $2,154.”

You're at an ATM. You're seeing how much money is in your bank account. This is the message on the ATM screen.

“It calls for vanilla extract. Do we still have any?”

You want to make a cheesecake. You read a recipe for it. The recipe says that you need an ingredient that you don't use often, so you check with your wife, who usually cooks.

“Do you want the aisle seat?”

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.

“Remember that sketchy neighborhood we used to live in?”

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.

“It seems to be trendy these days to have a bit of stubble. To me, it just looks messy.”

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.

“He's not exactly what you'd call a "team player".”

You get a call from a company that's considering hiring one of your ex-coworkers. They want to know if you would recommend him for this new job. This ex-coworker was very opinionated and hard to work with, so you say this about him.

“Dear Lord, we thank you for this food that we're about to receive.”

You and your family are having a Thanksgiving day meal together. You've been asked to say a blessing before everyone starts eating. This is how you start it.

“It says not to take it on an empty stomach.”

Your girlfriend broke a bone in her hand, and got a prescription for pain killers from her doctor. She asks you to give her a pill, but you read the instructions and find out that she's supposed to take the medicine after eating.

“The battery life is pretty pathetic.”

You bought a smartphone recently. You're unsatisfied with it because it loses battery power too quickly. Someone asks what you think of the phone, so you complain about this.

“As you leave the train, please watch the gap between the train and the platform.”

You're riding a train. When the train stops at a station, this announcement plays.

“Americans have a lot of misconceptions about us.”

You get annoyed because your friends in the U.S. ask you silly questions about your country's culture. You're explaining your frustrations to a friend.

“Yeah, it adds up.”

You have a habit of buying coffee at a café every morning. You mention this habit to your brother. He points out that it's expensive to buy coffee at a café instead of making it at home. You agree.

“Whoa! Look at the size of that rock!”

Your friend just got engaged. She shows you her engagement ring, which is really big. You and your friend joke with each other a lot, so you make a funny comment about the ring.

“They're a little bland, don't you think?”

You're having dinner at a restaurant. You and your friend ordered spicy chicken wings, but when you taste them they're not as spicy as you'd like. You comment on them to your friend.

“Shop staff here are a lot more nonchalant about how they behave and speak to you.”

You're visiting the U.S. In your home country, people who work at shops are very polite to customers. You've noticed that they're a lot less polite in the U.S. You're talking to an American friend about this.

“What do you have on tap?”

You're at a restaurant. The waitress asks what you want to drink. You'd like a beer, so you ask this.

“It's running out of juice.”

You're on a long car trip with a friend. You've been watching the directions on your phone, but now the battery power is getting low. You tell your friend.

“Can you just trim the back and sides?”

You're getting your hair cut at a barber shop. You don't want the barber to cut very much, so you say this.

“Hey there buddy! Daddy missed you.”

You were away for a few days on a trip for work. You've just come home. Your four-year-old son is glad to see you, and you're glad to see him too.

“You need to come up with a concrete plan.”

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.

“How's everyone?”

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.

“I'll be there bright and early!”

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.

“Before we get started, I have something to tell everyone. I wanted to let you all know that I'm pregnant.”

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,

“Fine, we'll go to the Korean place.”

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 rest...

“I was thinking something a little more upscale.”

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.

“Your nose is runny. Come here and let me wipe it.”

Your son has a runny nose. He's playing a few meters away from you.

“Go to hell.”

You're fighting with your boyfriend. He says something mean to you.

“Why would you put an empty milk carton back in the fridge?”

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.

“Don't shy away from conflict; embrace it!”

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.

“They still use printed ballots in my district.”

There was an election recently. You're talking with a friend about voting. She says that she had to use a computerized voting machine. You didn't, so you say this.

“It's official: I'm moving to the U.S.!”

You've been planning on moving to the United States. You needed to find a job and get a visa to move there. You've finally done that, so you make this announcement on Twitter.

“Allow me to introduce Dr. Melanie Gantz. Dr. Gantz is a leading authority on Native American history and culture.”

You're a history student in college. Your department has invited a speaker to give a guest lecture, and you've been asked to introduce her. After thanking the audience for coming, you introduce her this way.

“No-no; this is for grown-ups.”

You're drinking a beer. Your 3-year-old son is curious about it, so he asks if he can drink some.

“Daniel Day-Lewis gave an absolutely riveting performance!”

You're discussing a movie with a friend. You've seen it but he hasn't. You thought one of the actors was really, really good. You say this.

“How does it go?”

Your friend asks whether you know a certain song. You don't recognize the name, so you want her to sing or hum a little bit of it.

“Thanks! I don't know if that's necessarily true, but it's nice of you to say.”

You're speaking to someone at a party and you tell him how long you've been studying English. He says that you speak it really well considering the amount of time you've studied. You want to thank him for the compliment while seeming modest.

“There's a few in the area, but they don't have that wide of a selection.”

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.

“All done?”

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.

“That was passed down to me by my grandfather.”

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.

“So, yeah, that pretty much wraps it up.”

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.

“It looks like I've worn through the soles.”

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.

“There you go; you're all buckled in!”

You're driving somewhere with your family. You put your son in his car seat and strap him in, then say this.

“Why should I, as a taxpayer, have to bear the burden of supporting these people with my hard-earned money?”

You're having a political debate with a friend. He thinks that the government should provide money to people who can't find jobs. You disagree because it's not fair to people who work. You explain your idea this way.

“We all busted out laughing.”

You're telling a story about a funny mistake that your friend made. You've just described the mistake, so now you describe your reaction.

“There's always drama with those two.”

Your cousin and her boyfriend fight a lot. You've heard that they've broken up for the fourth time. You can't believe that their relationship is so difficult, so you think this.

“The forecast calls for rain.”

You and your roommates are planning what to do this weekend. Someone suggests going fishing, but you watched the news this morning and heard that the weather is going to be bad this weekend.

“You're supposed to reapply it every couple of hours.”

You went to the beach with your friends. One of your friends got a sunburn. She says that she put on sunscreen. You think she got burned because she stayed in the sun for too long and should have put on more sunscreen.

“Who's that smokin' hot chick you were hanging out with?”

Your friend posted some photos from a party on Facebook. In some of the photos, there was a really attractive girl who you've never seen before. Now you're talking to your friend about the party and you ask who the girl is.

“I usually wear it parted on the side.”

You're getting a hair cut. The stylist asks how you like to wear your hair. You describe it.

“Wow. What a big boy!”

Your son was doing a puzzle. He figured out the puzzle by himself. You want to praise him.

“Give it another swipe?”

A customer at the store you work at is paying with a credit card. The credit card doesn't work the first time she tries it, so you ask her to try again.

“The number of companies that are willing to sponsor a visa is pretty limited.”

You're studying in the U.S. You'd like to find a job, but you can't because you need a working visa. Most companies won't help you to get a visa because it takes time and money. You explain why you can't find a job to one of your American friends.

“I looked everywhere for this! Where'd you find it?”

You lost your favorite necklace and couldn't find it for a few days. Now your roommate gives you the necklace. You're surprised that she found it.

“Pet her gently, OK?”

You're visiting a friend's house. They have a small cat. Your son wants to pet the cat, but he pets her a little too hard. You want him to be careful.

“Every time he cooks, he leaves grease spattered all over the stovetop.”

You and your husband are chatting with another couple at a party. You're talking about who usually cooks in each relationship. You usually cook because your husband is too messy. You tell the other couple about how messy he is.

“Hey, can you pick up some take-out on your way home?”

You don't want to cook tonight. Your boyfriend is still at work, so you call to ask him to bring dinner when he comes home.

“You've got to grow a thicker skin if you want to make it in this business.”

You're a dance teacher. You criticized one of your students' dance technique, and now she seems upset and angry at you. You know that dancers get criticized a lot, so she needs to get used to it. You give her this advice.

“Megan was pissed off at Don, but since she couldn't yell at him directly she took it out on Peggy.”

You saw a TV show last night. Now you're talking to a friend who's interested in that show, but missed last night's episode. You explain how two characters got in an argument.

“Look! You got ice cream all down the front of your shirt!”

Your son was eating some ice cream, but it melted and spilled on his shirt.

“Let's take a look at that.”

You're a doctor. A patient tells you about a problem with the skin on his back. You're going to examine it, so you say this.

“This doesn't do it justice at all. You can't possibly capture the essence of that experience on film.”

You went hiking to the top of a really beautiful mountain in a foreign country. It was one of the most beautiful places you've ever seen. You're showing a photo of it to a friend, but the photo doesn't match how beautiful it was.

“She claims to be all about honesty and integrity? What a hypocrite!”

There's a politician that you don't like at all. This politician says that she is truthful in her campaign commercials, but you think she lies about a lot of things. You saw a new commercial from her, and you comment on it on a social networking s...

“If you decide somewhere down the road that you need some of the more advanced features, you can always sell it and upgrade to a more advanced model.”

You work at an electronics store. A customer wants to buy a camera, but isn't sure if he should get a cheaper one or a more professional one. You don't think he needs the professional camera, so you're trying to convince him to buy the cheaper cam...

“My heart's still racing.”

You almost got in a car accident. Now you've stopped on the side of the road because you were freaked out.

“Tell me what we need to do in order to make this go through.”

One of your employees is trying to do a sales deal to get a big client. The deal is taking too long. You want to know what's preventing the deal from being sold, so that you can help sell it.

“Actually, if you could give us a few more minutes...?”

You're eating at a restaurant. The waiter comes to your table to take your order, but you're not ready. You tell him to come back again a few minutes later.

“This one really speaks to me.”

You're at an art gallery. You find one painting that you really like. It makes you feel great. You say this to a friend who's standing next to you.

“Yummy!”

You're eating dinner with your family. You want your son to eat vegetables, so you try to make them seem exciting. You eat a vegetable and say this.

“Well, you never know...”

You bought a lottery ticket. You mention it to your roommate. She asks if you think you're going to win. Of course you don't think so, but you do have some small hope. You say this.

“Sure. Blame it on me.”

You and your husband are traveling. You got to the airport late and missed your flight. He blames you for missing the flight because you took longer to get ready. You think that it's his fault that you missed the flight, and you can't believe that...

“We can be fined tens of thousands of dollars if we miss one of the filing deadlines.”

You're an accountant. You're talking to a cousin that you don't see very often about your job. You're explaining why your job is stressful sometimes. This is one reason.

“You did the right thing by telling me.”

You found that your tablet computer was broken when you came home. Your son admitted that he dropped it. You're angry, but you want to encourage him for telling you the truth.

“How long's it been since you clipped those suckers?”

Your roommate is wearing sandals. His toenails are really long, and it looks gross. You tease him about it.

“Sir, I'm going to have to rescan this.”

You're going through the security checkpoint at the airport. Your bag has gone through the scanning machine, but there was something in it that the security officer couldn't see well. He wants to do it again, so he says this.

“Pop the hood, will you?”

Your son's car has some kind of problem in the engine. You know a little about cars, so you're going to try to fix it. You want him to open the front of the car so you can look at the engine.

“We're going to need to run some tests, just to make sure.”

You went to the doctor because of a strange bump on your wrist. Your doctor thinks it's something harmless, but wants to make sure that it's not cancer or something else bad. He says this.

“Can you check to see if the battery's charged?”

You're getting ready to leave your house to go to a wedding. You're in a hurry, but your husband isn't. You're worried that there's not enough power in your camera's battery, so you ask your husband to find out.

“She's a big shot in Hollywood now.”

You're at your high school reunion. Someone asks about a classmate who didn't come to the reunion. You've heard that she's a movie producer, so you say this.

“It might seem like no big deal, but it reflects badly on the entire organization.”

There are some spelling mistakes on your company's website. You think that it's really embarrassing for the company. You complain about it to the person in charge of maintaining the website.

“Take one capsule of this two or three times a day; it'll help ease the pain.”

You went to a doctor because of pain in your lower back. The doctor is writing a prescription for medication. He says this when he hands you the prescription.

“It's never a dull moment!”

You have young children who are really active and sometimes cause trouble. A friend asks how you like having children. You say this.

“You were doing 55 in a 35 mile per hour zone.”

You were driving too fast, and a police officer pulled you over. He explains why he stopped you.

“Listen, I don't want any trouble.”

You're at a bar. A big, muscular guy is threatening you because you were talking to his girlfriend. You don't want to fight him, so you say this.

“No thanks. I'm too wired up as it is.”

A coworker offers to get you a coffee. You're an energetic person, but you don't drink coffee. You refuse your coworker's offer.

“Would you care to join me on the dance floor?”

You're at a party. There's music and some people are dancing. You want to ask a friend to dance with you. You ask in a funny way to make her laugh.

“I've been feeling kind of lightheaded lately whenever I stand up.”

You have a strange health problem. It makes you feel a little dizzy. You're describing it to a doctor.

“I'll just let that one soak for a little while.”

You're doing the dishes. There's one baking dish that has food stuck to it and is hard to clean. You want to put it in the water and wait a while. You say this to yourself.

“Dude! Have you been living under a rock? She's über-famous!”

You and a friend watched a Hollywood action movie together. Your friend asks who the lead actress was. She's really famous, so you're shocked that your friend doesn't know her name. This is your response.

“I need to work off these love handles.”

You've gained weight recently. You just got out of the shower, and you're looking at yourself in the mirror. You think you need to exercise. You think this to yourself.

“I'm out there busting my ass and you're in here slacking off?”

It's a busy day at the store you work at. You go into the back room and see that one of your coworkers is playing games on his phone. You're annoyed, so you say this to him.

“Draw in a deep breath.”

You're visiting the doctor for a checkup. The doctor wants to check your lungs. He asks you to breathe in so he can listen with a stethoscope.

“We got disconnected.”

You were talking on the phone with your mother while riding in the car with your sister. You suddenly weren't able to hear anything, so you hang up and say this.

“How can you stand working in such a cold, sterile environment day in and day out?”

A friend of yours works at a health clinic. You don't like doctor's offices and hospitals because the atmosphere is scary to you. You ask your friend how he's able to work there.

“Oh wow. That sounds fascinating.”

You're talking to a woman at a party that you've never met before. She says that she's a veterinarian at a zoo. You think that sounds like an amazing job, so you say this.

“Have you experienced any heart palpitations?”

You're a doctor. A patient is complaining about a pain in her chest. You want to know what other symptoms she's experienced, to find out if there's a problem with her heart.

“Hi. I couldn't help but notice you from across the room.”

You're at a bar. There's a beautiful woman standing with a group of friends. You want to talk to her, so you walk up to her and say this.

“What do you think people did back before they had electricity or running water?”

You want to take your family camping. They've never been camping before, so your daughter is worried about how she'll be able to shower and use the bathroom. She's horrified to hear that there are no bathrooms at the campground, but you think it's...

“My ears are still ringing.”

You went to a concert last night. The music was really loud, so it hurt your ears. Now you hear a strange noise because of it. You explain it to your roommate.

“She had it coming.”

A character on a TV show died. The character was a really mean, evil person, so you're happy that she died. You say this while chatting with a friend about the show.

“There were definitely some sparks.”

You introduced a single friend of yours to one of your husband's college friends. You think that they liked each other. You're commenting on it to your husband afterwards.

“Have you ever had the urge to track down your biological parents?”

Your girlfriend was adopted. She's never met the mother and father who originally gave birth to her. You're having serious discussion with her about her family. You ask her this.

“Angelo is a real pleasure to work with. He's extremely meticulous.”

You hired a designer to make business cards for you from the website. He did a great job, so you're leaving a positive review. You write this on the review.

“No, I couldn't possibly. I'm so stuffed.”

You just ate a big meal at a friend's house. Your friend offers you some more food, but you're too full. You say this to refuse.

“Sorry, the ink smeared a little.”

You're giving a friend a gift for her baby shower. You wrote a note on a card, but you accidentally touched it while the ink was wet. You apologize for the messy writing when you give her the gift.

“She didn't even break a sweat.”

You played tennis against your mother-in-law. She's a really good player, so she beat you easily. Now you're telling your father-in-law what happened.

“After everything I've done for you, you turn around and stab me in the back like this?”

You have a friend who you've helped out in the past. Now you find out that she's applied for a job that you were trying to get, without telling you. You feel betrayed, so you say this.

“He wears his hair slicked-back?”

You're telling your neighbor a story about something that happened at a nearby convenience store. You're describing one of the people that works there.

“The dress code is business casual.”

You're organizing a networking event for a professional group that you belong to. You're sending an invitation to the members of your group. At the end of the invitation, you want to tell everyone how to dress.

“OK, let me take attendance and then we'll get started.”

You're a middle school teacher. It's the beginning of class. You have to find out who's in class. You say this.

“I hope we can still be friends.”

You're breaking up with a guy that you've been dating for a few months. You like him, but you're not attracted to him romantically. You want to break up with him without hurting his feelings, so you say this.

“You know how you were talking about Coldplay coming to town? Well, ta-da!”

You bought concert tickets for you and your girlfriend. You want to surprise her a little, so you tell her about the tickets this way.

“Restricted area: Do not enter.”

You're in an airport. There's a closed door with a sign on it. The sign says this.

“I can't put up with their incessant bickering.”

Your roommate and her boyfriend argue a lot. It's really annoying. You complain about it this way to a friend.

“I got a flat.”

You were late for work this morning because you had trouble with one of the tires on your car. You're explaining to your boss why you're late.

“Darn, I don't have anything to peel it with!”

You brought an avocado to work to eat with your lunch. However, you didn't remember to bring a knife. You say this to yourself.

“You'll have to tell me more about it later.”

Your coworker went on a trip. You ask how it went, and she says that it was a lot of fun. You need to go to a meeting now, but you want to hear more details about the trip.

“The flowers are starting to bloom!”

You're looking outside of your window while you eat breakfast. It's spring, so there are some flowers now that weren't there before. You write a Facebook message about it.

“I'm still on the fence.”

You're trying to decide whether to take a new job or stay at your current job. Someone asks you what you're going to do.

“Can someone dim the lights?”

You're about to play a video clip in a presentation. The room is too bright, so you want someone who's standing near the switch to turn the lights down or off.

“Ooh, my leg's asleep.”

You've been watching a movie while laying on your sofa in a strange position. Now your leg feels strange and it's hard to move it. You say this to your girlfriend.

“I have bags under my eyes, don't I?”

You didn't sleep very much last night. Today you think that you look tired. You ask your friend to find out how bad you really look.