GRADUATION   Situation: Annie met Liz after she had purchased a graduation gift for her sister Veronica. Both of them are talking about the graduation ceremony and Veronica’s plan of action after finishing four years of studies. Liz: That is a very lovely bouquet of flowers. Who is it for? Annie: These flowers are for my sister Veronica. Today is her graduation day. Liz: It must have cost you a fortune. Annie:...

  BOOK CONVERSATION   Situation: Lisa is talking to Jackie about the author, John Grisham, and his books.   Lisa: Hey Jackie, how are you doing today? Jackie: I am good! I just got out of my psychology lecture. It was so boring! I am glad I am done for the day. How are you doing? Did you just get out of class too? Lisa: No, I have been out of class...

  STUDYING FOR A TEST   Situation: Two college students, Mary and Alexis, are studying for an upcoming sociology test. Mary: Hey Alexis, I am glad you decided to come over to my house to study for our upcoming exam. The sociology test seems to be very difficult. I have studied all the materials, but I am still not confident about my performance this Friday. Alexis: Yes, this test is going to be...

  GIVING A SPEECH   Situation: Jennifer is going to give a speech on Global Warming, and she is quite nervous about the whole process. Mary is trying to calm Jennifer down by giving her some tips on how to deliver a good speech. Jennifer: I will have to give a presentation on global warming on Friday, and I am so nervous. Mary: There are a lot of things you can do to...

  APPLYING TO COLLEGE   Situation: Charlotte and Michael have just finished taking the SAT test and are talking about it. They also discuss the next steps of the process of applying for college. Michael: That test was so long! Four hours! I really do not understand why we have to take this test anyway. Are our grade point averages (GPAs) not good enough for college? Charlotte: That test did seem long, didn’t...

  MEETING PEOPLE   Situation: A seminar on Management is held at the Hilton hotel. Tom and Ana are among the many attendants. They try to strike a conversation during break-time. Tom: Hi, I am Tom. Ana: I am Ana. Tom: This is a pretty good seminar so far, huh? Ana: Yes, I like it. Prentice Hall always delivers good seminars. All of its speakers are very well-known and also very knowledgeable in...

  CHANGING A CUSTOMER’S ORDER   Situation: Jane just received a new purchase order from one of the customers. She tries to discuss the necessary actions with Lynn. Jane: Lynn, please come to my office. I just received a revised purchase order from one of our customers. Lynn: I am here. Jane: Lynn, remember the order we received from Colors House two weeks ago? Lynn: The one for a lot of 500 oak...