🗣️ Communication & Conversation Vocabulary

Part 1: Communication Collocations

Collocations are words that naturally go together. Master these to communicate more naturally!

Collocation	Example	Meaning
small talk	"I'm not good at small talk."	Light, casual conversation
awkward silence	"There was an awkward silence."	Uncomfortable quiet moment
mixed signals	"She's sending mixed signals."	Confusing or contradictory messages
deep conversation	"We had a deep conversation."	Meaningful, serious discussion
heated argument	"They had a heated argument."	Intense, emotional disagreement
frank discussion	"We need a frank discussion."	Honest, direct conversation

Small talk - Usually about weather, weekend plans, etc.

Mixed signals - Often used in relationships/dating

Heated argument - Shows strong emotions involved

1. I hate making talk.

2. There was an silence.

3. She's sending signals.

4. We had a conversation.

5. They had a argument.

Idioms are expressions with meanings different from the literal words. These communication idioms are super useful!

Get your point across - Make someone understand
"I need to get my point across clearly."
Read between the lines - Understand hidden meaning
"You need to read between the lines."
Break the ice - Start a conversation
"Let me break the ice with a joke."
Beat around the bush - Avoid saying something directly
"Stop beating around the bush!"
Speak your mind - Say what you really think
"Feel free to speak your mind."
Lost for words - Unable to speak/respond
"I'm completely lost for words."
Get a word in edgeways - Have a chance to speak
"I couldn't get a word in edgeways!"
Talk at cross purposes - Misunderstand each other
"We're talking at cross purposes."

1. I need to get my across.

2. You need to read between the .

3. Let me break the .

4. Stop beating around the !

5. I'm lost for .

Phrasal verbs are verbs combined with prepositions or adverbs that create new meanings!

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
butt in	Interrupt rudely	"Don't butt in on our conversation!"
open up	Share feelings/thoughts	"She finally opened up to me."
clear up	Explain/resolve confusion	"Let me clear up this misunderstanding."
speak up	Talk louder/express opinion	"Please speak up, I can't hear you."
bring up	Mention a topic	"Don't bring up that subject."
get through	Make contact/communicate successfully	"I can't get through to him."
talk over	Discuss thoroughly	"Let's talk over the details."
shut up	Stop talking (rude)	"Just shut up and listen!"

1. Don't in on our conversation!

2. She finally up to me.

3. Let me up this confusion.

4. Please up, I can't hear you.

5. Don't up that topic.

Practice communication skills with a native English speaker!

Book Now

Test your English speaking skills!

Start Test

🗣️ Excellent! Now you can communicate like a native speaker!