1 Good, risky or terrible? §2.1A ○
Mark each opening line from a tech meetup: G — good, R — risky, T — terrible.
2 Discuss the quotes §2.1B ○
- Where do you make small talk in your job? (calls, Slack, kitchen, conferences, elevator)
- What is the hardest part of small talk in English for you: starting, continuing, or ending?
- Have you ever had a truly awkward silence in English? What saved you?
3 Match situations and openers §2.2A ○
Click a situation, then its opener.
4 Match words and definitions §2.2B ○
Click a word, then its definition.
5 Complete the conference story §2.2C ○
Use words from Exercise 4. Then check.
6 Match phrases and meanings §2.3A ○
Click a phrase, then its meaning.
7 Complete with the phrases §2.3B ○
Use the phrases in the correct form. Then check.
8 Shows interest or kills the talk? §2.3C ○
S — shows interest, E — ends the topic.
9 Reading: True / False / Not Stated §2.4A ○
From Awkward Silence to Job Offer: My First Tech Conference. I'm Marta, a backend developer from Krakow. Two years ago I went to my first international conference, and I was terrified. English was not my strong side, and I didn't know a single person there.
During the first coffee break I stood alone near the wall, holding my cup like a shield. Then a woman with a terrible coffee and a great smile asked: "Is this coffee supposed to be coffee? I'm Joana, by the way." That joke broke the ice, and I laughed so hard that some of my own coffee ended up on my badge.
Joana asked me which talk I had enjoyed most. I made my first mistake: I answered in one word. "Good." Dead silence. Fortunately, Joana was a professional networker. She smiled and asked: "Good how? What was it about?" And suddenly I was talking — about the talk, about my project, about why our payment system hates me.
That's when I learned the golden rule of small talk: answer, add, ask. Answer the question, add one extra detail, and ask a question back. One-word answers kill conversations; answer–add–ask keeps them alive. We used this rule for forty minutes and hit it off completely — same tech stack, same hatred of Monday deployments.
Before the next talk, we exchanged LinkedIn profiles. A week later Joana sent me a follow-up message: her company was looking for a backend developer, and she recommended me. Three interviews later, I got the job I have now. All because someone made a joke about terrible coffee — and I didn't answer in one word. Well, I did. But I learned.
10 Answer the questions §2.4B ○
Answer in writing or aloud, then compare with the model.
- How did Marta feel at the beginning of the conference?
- What was Marta's "first mistake"?
- What is the golden rule of small talk? Explain it in your own words.
- How did the conversation end, practically speaking?
- What happened a week after the conference?
11 Words in the text mean… §2.4C ○
Type the words from the text. Then check.
📚 Grammar: Questions That Work
| Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Yes/No | Auxiliary + subject + verb | Do you work remotely? Did you like the talk? |
| Wh- question | Wh-word + auxiliary + subject + verb | Where do you work? What did you think of the keynote? |
| Subject question (no auxiliary!) | Who/What + verb | Who called you? What happened after the talk? |
| Polite / indirect | Could you tell me...? / Do you mind if I ask...? | Could you tell me where you're based? |
| Echo question | Auxiliary + subject (?) | "I met the CEO." — "Did you?!" |
️ Classic mistakes:
❌ Where you are from? → ✅ Where are you from?
❌ You liked the talk? → ✅ Did you like the talk?
❌ With who you spoke? → ✅ Who did you speak with?
12 Unscramble the questions §2.5A ○
Click the words in the correct order. Click a word in the line to send it back. Check each sentence.
13 Subject questions: choose correctly §2.5B ○
14 Write a question for each answer §2.5C ○
Type the full question. Then check.
15 Polite & indirect; cross out the taboo §2.5D ○
Finish the polite versions (1–3), then decide about 4–5. Check when done.
16 Match statements and echo reactions §2.6A ○
Click a statement, then its reaction.
17 Complete the dialogue with reactions §2.6B ○
18 Reaction tennis (speaking) §2.6C ○
React to each sentence with an echo question + one follow-up question (aloud, fast!).
- "I spoke English for three hours yesterday."
- "I've never worked in an office — fully remote since 2019."
- "My cat deleted a file during a demo once."
- "I don't drink coffee at all."
19 Listening: complete the gaps §2.7A ○
Listen (teacher reads aloud) or open the script for self-study. Then check.
🎧 Script (self-study mode)
Tom: (laughs) Yeah, "conference coffee" — a special category. I'm Tom, by the way.
Lena: Lena. Nice to meet you. Did you catch the keynote this morning?
Tom: I did! The part about AI in testing was fascinating. Are you in QA too?
Lena: Actually, yes! I'm a QA automation engineer at a small fintech in Warsaw. How about you?
Tom: No way! I'm a QA lead at a health-tech company in Berlin. So, what did you think of the keynote?
Lena: I loved the demo, but I think the speaker went too fast. What about you?
Tom: Same here. I've been to this conference three times now, and the talks keep getting better. Is this your first time?
Lena: Yes, first time. I've never been to a tech conference abroad before.
Tom: Really? Then you're in for a treat — the evening meetup is the best part. Have you signed up?
Lena: Not yet. Is it worth it?
Tom: Absolutely. That's where the real networking happens. Hey, I'd better let you go — your next talk starts in ten minutes. Let's connect on LinkedIn?
Lena: Sure! I'll send you a request today.
Tom: Perfect. Enjoy the talk, Lena!
20 Listening: True or False §2.7B ○
21 Phrases for ice-break, interest, exit §2.7C ○
Find them in the script (a) to break the ice, (b) to show interest, (c) to wrap up. Say them aloud.
22 Green, yellow or red? §2.8A ○
Mark each question for a first meeting at a conference.
23 Rewrite red questions into green §2.8B ○
Example: ❌ "How old are you?" → ✅ "How long have you been in IT?" (or don't ask). Write or say your versions.
- "How much do you earn?" → ____________________________________
- "Do you have kids?" → ____________________________________
- "Why do you look so tired?" → ____________________________________
24 Put the conversation in order §2.9A ○
Click the lines in the order they happen. Click a line item to remove it.
25 Write an ANCHOR line §2.9B ○
- Two minutes before a Zoom call starts; silence; you and a colleague from another team.
- A queue at a meetup registration desk.
- The office elevator, Friday 6 p.m.
26 Match exit phrases and situations §2.9C ○
Click a phrase, then its situation.
27 Role-plays §2.10A ○
28 Elevator pitch §2.10B ○
30 seconds about yourself using the template. Deliver it to a partner or record it.
29 Conversation killers: confess & discuss §2.11 ○
| ❌ Conversation killer | ✅ Instead |
|---|---|
| One-word answers: "Good." "Yes." "No." | Answer–add–ask: "Good! The demo was the best part. What did you think?" |
| "So... what do you do?" (to a stranger with a badge) | "What are you working on these days?" |
| Oversharing in minute one: divorce, surgery, salary | Keep the first five minutes light; depth comes later |
| Glancing at your phone while someone talks | Phone face-down. Eye contact. Nodding exists for a reason. |
| "Actually, that's wrong..." (Vim vs VS Code, minute two) | "Interesting — I see it differently! What makes you say that?" |
30 LinkedIn connection note (max 3 sentences) §2.12A ○
Template: "Hi [Name]! We met at [event] while discussing [topic]. I really enjoyed our conversation about [detail]. Let's stay in touch!"
31 Follow-up message (60–80 words) §2.12B ○
Plan: greeting + where you met → specific detail → something useful → soft proposal → warm closing.
32 Complete the summary §2.13A ○
33 Word formation §2.13B ○
| Base | Derived form |
|---|---|
| awkward (adj) | (adv) |
| silence (n) | (adj) |
| interest (n) | / (adj: feeling / causing) |
| to connect (v) | (n) |
| to introduce (v) | (n) |
| polite (adj) | (adv) |
| to network (v) | (n: activity) |
| professional (adj) | (n: job/occupation) |
34 Unit self-check ✅ §2.14 ○
35 Homework 🏠
- Writing. A real (or realistic) follow-up message, 60–80 words.
- Listening. 5–7 min of a conference Q&A on YouTube: 3 phrases you understood, 2 surprises, 1 to steal.
- Speaking. Record a 60-second elevator pitch + 2 questions for a new colleague.
- Vocabulary. Personal word list: 10 items + example sentences.