The key answer of exercise 9
The key to exercise solutions in chapter 1.1 - First impressions for the textbook New Total English Upper-Intermediate - Students' Book with authors Araminta Crace and Richard Acklam from Pearson Education
Question
Work in pairs. Find the verb phrases in the box in the website on page 8. Try to explain the meaning of each by looking at the sentences around the verb phrases.
Answer
- chat → have an informal conversation
- gossip → talk about other people and what is happening in their lives
- make small talk → talk about unimportant things, often to someone you don’t know very well
- greet someone → say hello
- give someone a compliment → make a remark that expresses approval or admiration about someone
- boast → tell others how good / successful you are
- mumble → speak indistinctly
- speak up → ask someone to speak more loudly
- talk down to someone → speak in a superior, patronising way to someone
- stumble over your words → make mistakes when speaking or not speaking clearly, perhaps due to nervousness or shyness