Vocabulary extension

I. Read the text paying careful attention to the words and word combinations in bold type. Give their Russian equivalents. Get ready to discuss the problem:

THE ART OF TALKING

Last night was a bore. Several people came to my place for a chat hoping to enjoy themselves. But what an awful evening it was!

One young man talked to us for a full hour on every subject un-der the sun. None of us could get in a word, not even me, though I'm supposed to know how to do it - I've been a journalist for many years now. So what should have been a pleasant social get-together became an awful bore.

Our speaker, for I cannot call him less, was as exciting as a reading of last week's laundry list. He is eighteen, and that, I think, excuses him, for he hasn't been practising the art of talking for too many years.

120

He will learn, I hope, that a good conversationalist is a man who has something interesting to say, and at the same time he tries to make his audience feel comfortable. He is also a good listener and shows by his interest that he wants to hear what others have to say. He enjoys talking but realizes that everyone will get more pleasure from the conversation if all get a chance to take part. He speaks clearly enough for all to hear comfortably; he is never monotonous, and his speech is full of interesting things; and, by the way, unlike some people, he looks his listeners in the eye, and not into space.

Unfortunately all too often we suffer from bad conversationalists. They are all the same - they are always boring; and yet they differ. You can even talk of several types. To begin with, there is the so-called "monopolizer", for instance. This type of conversationalist wants to do all the talking.

The "show off" type is not very different from the "monopolizer". He is the person who wants to attract attention to himself, even if he has nothing to offer.

And the "repeater" is a well-familiar type. Hasn't this kind bored us from time immemorial?

There is also the type that I call the "detail man".

And now I almost want to say thank God for the "interrupter". The good thing about this type of conversationalist is that you can depend upon him to interrupt the "monopolizer" or the "detail man".

And of course there is the "silent one". This speaker has nothing to say. It may be that he has no information to offer or it may be that he is afraid to say something because he is too shy. Or perhaps he is the one who remembers that silence is golden, speech is silvery.

Not always, I must say. I, for one, believe that most communication is good. I'm sure that to achieve progress we must discuss things.

I'm all for discussing things. But the talker must remember that conversation must serve a purpose. What he says must always be to the point. For life is short, and nobody wants to spend hours listening to people who talk and talk and never think.

II. Read the text and retell it in the form of a story. Enlarge on the story giving additional details and using words and word combinations from the active vocabulary and from the previous additional text:

Harry: Oh, Nora, here's a letter from old Bartle. He wants to come and stay for a week from Friday.

Nora: That will be nice, won't it? He's such a nice old dear.

H: He's a fussy old man.

N: Now, which room can he have? Oh, yes, he shall sleep in Robert's room, and Robert shall share with Peter! Peter, you will let Robert sleep in your room just for a few nights, won't you?

Peter: Oh, Mother, I don't want to share with Robert: he won't like it either.

N: Just while Mr. Bartle is here, you shall have your room to yourself as soon as he goes.

121

H: How about Rex - you know old Bartle hates dogs. I'll ask the Howards to take him. I'm sure they will - they're such obliging people.

N: And shall he have his breakfast in bed every day? I suppose I. must do that for him. (Door bell) Will you see who that is at the door, Peter?

P.: Yes, Mother, I will. H: Shall I hang up that terrible picture he gave us for a wedding present? He won't like our keeping it in a cupboard.

N: Oh, yes, you must. And we'll have to have dinner at seven instead of tea at six as he likes dinner better.

H: In fact the whole house will be turned upside down, we won't have any peace, and old Bartle is an old fusspot, just as I said.

P: It's a telegram, Mum!

N: Now who's this from? Oh! Well, you can both breathe a sigh of relief. Mr. Bartle won't be coming after all: he's got a cold.

(From "Meet the Parkers" by David Hicks)