Chapter 1_ First Impressions

P r i y a: G oo d m or ning! I d o n' t t hink w e' v e me t. I' m P r i y a — I j ust j o ined t he ma r ke t ing t eam. A r j u n: Oh, hell o! I' m A r j u n. I wor k in acc ou n ts. Welc o me to t he t eam! P r i y a: Thank you! Ha v e you been he r e l o ng? A r j u n: Ab out two y ea rs n ow. I t' s a g oo d p lace to wor k. P r i y a: Tha t' s nice to hea r. Oh — and t hi s i s m y c o lleag u e Sneha. She' s f ro m t he P u ne o ffi ce. A r j u n: Hi Sneha, nice to mee t you! Sneha: Nice to mee t you too, A r j u n. P r i y a: We s h ou ld ge t back to our de s k s. I t w a s g r ea t mee t ing you!

A r j u n: Y ou too! See you a rou nd.

T ry t hi s: Read t he dial o g u e again. Find and u nde r line:

1. All t he g r ee t ing p h r a s e s ( e. g., " G oo d m or ning")

2. All t he in tro d u c t i o n p h r a s e s ( e. g., " I' m P r i y a")

3. All t he g oo db y e p h r a s e s ( e. g., " See you a rou nd") We w ill stu d y all o f t he s e in t he s ec t i o n s bel ow.

1.3 C or e G r ee t ing s — F or mal, Ne utr al, and Inf or mal N ot all g r ee t ing s a r e t he s ame. Ch oos ing t he r igh t g r ee t ing s h ows t ha t you u nde rst and t he s i tu a t i o n. He r e a r e t he t h r ee typ e s you need: F or mal G r ee t ing s (Use with: bosses, clients, interviewers, senior colleagues, strangers in professional settings) G r ee t ing When to U s e G oo d m or ning Bef or e 12 n oo n G oo d af t e r n oo n 12 n oo n to 5 p m G oo d e v ening Af t e r 5 p m H ow d o you d o? Ve ry f or mal fi rst mee t ing ( r a r e in dail y us e)

Ne utr al G r ee t ing s (Use with: colleagues, classmates, neighbours, people you meet regularly) G r ee t ing Re spo n s e Hell o! Hell o! / Hi! H ow a r e you? I' m fi ne, t hank you. / Ve ry w ell, t hank s. H ow' s i t g o ing? P r e tty g oo d, t hank s! / N ot bad, t hank s. Nice to mee t you. Nice to mee t you too.

(Use with: close friends, family, people your own age in casual settings) G r ee t ing Re spo n s e Hi! He y! / Hi! He y! He y! Wha t' s up? Wha t' s up? N ot hing m u ch! / All g oo d!

⚠ C o mm o n Indian Engli s h Mi st ake: Man y lea r ne rs s a y "Myself Priya" a s a g r ee t ing. Thi s i s inc orr ec t in st anda r d spo ken Engli s h. Al w a ys s a y " I' m P r i y a" or " M y name i s P r i y a."

1.4 In tro d u cing Y ours elf — 3 Beginne r Tem p la t e s Y ou o nl y need to lea r n t h r ee s im p le p a tt e r n s. Mi x and ma t ch t hem de p ending o n t he s i tu a t i o n.

Tem p la t e A — Name + Place Use when: you are meeting someone for the first time in a social setting " I' m [ name]. I' m f ro m [ ci ty/p lace]." E x am p le s: " I' m Ka vy a. I' m f ro m Bengal uru." " I' m Rah u l. I' m or iginall y f ro m L u ckn ow, b ut I li v e in Delhi n ow."

Tem p la t e B — Name + R o le Use when: you are in a professional or work setting " I' m [ name]. I wor k a s a [ ro le] / I' m a [ ro le]." E x am p le s: " I' m Sanja y. I wor k a s a so f tw a r e t e st e r." " I' m Meena. I' m a t eache r a t a g ov e r nmen t s ch oo l."

Use when: you are at an event, interview, training, or meeting " I' m [ name]. I' m he r e to [ purpos e]." E x am p le s: " I' m Dee p ak. I' m he r e f or t he s ale s tr aining." " I' m Anan y a. I' m he r e f or t he in t e rv ie w f or t he HR pos i t i o n."

Adding One E xtr a De t ail ( O pt i o nal) Af t e r your t em p la t e, you can add o ne s afe, f r iendl y fac t ab out yours elf. Kee p i t s h ort. Safe top ic s to add: H ow l o ng you ha v e been in t he c o m p an y/ ci ty S o me t hing you enj oy ab out your wor k A c o nnec t i o n you ha v e (" I kn ow Raje s h f ro m t he P u ne o ffi ce") E x am p le ( Tem p la t e B + e xtr a de t ail): " I' m Sanja y. I wor k a s a so f tw a r e t e st e r. I' v e been w i t h t he c o m p an y f or ab out s i x m o n t h s." 📌 Kee p i t to 2 – 3 s en t ence s ma x im u m. L o ng s elf -in tro d u c t i o n s make p e op le u nc o mf ort able. Sa v e t he de t ail s f or t he c o n v e rs a t i o n.

1.5 In tro d u cing S o me o ne El s e S o me t ime s you w ill need to in tro d u ce a c o lleag u e, f r iend, or famil y membe r to so me o ne ne w. He r e a r e t he t h r ee p a tt e r n s you need: Ba s ic Pa tt e r n " Thi s i s [ name]." " Thi s i s m y c o lleag u e R o hi t." " Thi s i s S u ni t a — s he handle s our clien t acc ou n ts."

P o li t e / F or mal Pa tt e r n " I' d like you to mee t [ name]." " I' d like you to mee t our ne w t eam lead, M r. Sha r ma."

" I' d like you to mee t Fa t ima — s he' s j ust j o ined us f ro m H y de r abad." G roup Pa tt e r n " E v e ryo ne, t hi s i s [ name]." " E v e ryo ne, t hi s i s Ki r an. He' s j o ining our t eam to da y." " E v e ryo ne, t hi s i s D r. Nai r — s he' ll be leading to da y' s wor k s h op."

Mini P r ac t ice Dial o g u e: Y ou: Ra v i, I' d like you to mee t P r ee t hi. She' s our ne w c o n t en t wr i t e r. Ra v i: Hi P r ee t hi, nice to mee t you! P r ee t hi: Nice to mee t you too, Ra v i. I' v e hea r d a l ot ab out t he t eam. N ow wr i t e your ow n v e rs i o n, us ing a r eal or imagina ry p e rso n f ro m your wor k p lace.

1.6 G r amma r T oo l: P ro n ou n s f or In tro d u c t i o n s Wha t i s a pro n ou n? A pro n ou n i s a wor d t ha t r e p lace s a n ou n ( a p e rso n' s name or a t hing) so you d o n' t ha v e to r e p ea t i t. In st ead o f s a y ing: "Priya is new. Priya joined today. Priya works in marketing." We s a y: "Priya is new. She joined today. She works in marketing." S u bjec t P ro n ou n s — The One s Y ou Need Fi rst Pe rso n P ro n ou n E x am p le Y ours elf I I am f ro m Chennai. The p e rso n you sp eak to Y ou Y ou a r e v e ry w elc o me he r e. A man / b oy He He wor k s in acc ou n ts. A wo man / gi r l She She i s our ne w manage r. A g roup / u nkn ow n gende r The y The y a r e f ro m t he Delhi o ffi ce. A t hing or p lace I t I t i s a g r ea t c o m p an y to wor k f or.

P ro n ou n E x am p le M y M y name i s A r j u n. Y our Wha t i s your ro le he r e? Hi s Hi s t eam handle s e xports. He r He r o ffi ce i s o n t he t hi r d fl oor. Thei r Thei r pro jec t st a rts ne xt w eek.

⚠ C o mm o n Indian Engli s h Mi st ake: Sa y ing "She is having good experience" in st ead o f "She has good experience." A vo id us ing " i s ha v ing / a r e ha v ing" f or p e r manen t fac ts. U s e s im p le pr e s en t: ha s / ha v e. Q u ick E x e r ci s e Re p lace t he u nde r lined wor d s w i t h t he c orr ec t pro n ou n:

1. Meena j o ined la st m o n t h. _______ i s v e ry g oo d a t he r wor k.

2. Rah u l and Sneha a r e f ro m P u ne. _______ w ill pr e s en t to m orrow.

3. Thi s i s t he ne w o ffi ce. _______ i s o n MG R o ad.

4. M y name i s A r j u n. _______ wor k in acc ou n ts. (Answers: 1. She 2. They 3. It 4. I)

1.7 G r amma r T oo l: N ou n s Y ou Need f or Fi rst Mee t ing s Wha t i s a n ou n? A n ou n i s a wor d f or a p e rso n, p lace, or t hing. In in tro d u c t i o n s, n ou n s hel p you name w h o you a r e, w he r e you a r e, and w ha t you d o. Pe op le N ou n s (who you are talking about) c o lleag u e · manage r · clien t · c usto me r · t eamma t e · neighb our · cla ss ma t e · tr aine r · in t e r n · di r ec tor Place N ou n s (where things happen) o ffi ce · b r anch · de p a rt men t · s ch oo l · h osp i t al · fac tory · s h op · c ou n t e r · cam pus · stu di o

(what people do) enginee r · t eache r · d o c tor · acc ou n t an t · d r i v e r · n urs e · de s igne r · de v el op e r · s ale sp e rso n · r ece pt i o ni st 📌 Indian Engli s h Ti p: In India, p e op le o f t en s a y "I am doing job". The c orr ec t f or m i s " I ha v e a j o b" or " I wor k a s a [ ro le]" or " I am em p l oy ed a s a [ ro le]."

1.8 G r amma r T oo l: Pl ur al s f or Ba s ic Cla r i ty When you t alk ab out m or e t han o ne p e rso n or t hing, you need p l ur al s. Ge tt ing t hi s r igh t make s your Engli s h sou nd clean and clea r. Reg u la r Pl ur al s — J ust Add -s or -e s R u le E x am p le M ost n ou n s → add -s c o lleag u e → c o lleag u e s · o ffi ce → o ffi ce s N ou n s ending in -s, -s h, -ch, -x → add -e s b r anch → b r anche s · ba t ch → ba t che s N ou n s ending in c o n so nan t + y → change y to -ie s c o m p an y → c o m p anie s · ci ty → ci t ie s

C o mm o n I rr eg u la r Pl ur al s (These do not follow any rule — you must learn them) Sing u la r Pl ur al p e rso n p e op le man men wo man wo men child child r en toot h t ee t h

U s e When E x am p le A / An o ne t hing I ha v e a mee t ing. She i s an enginee r. S o me m or e t han o ne ( w i t h p l ur al s) We ha v e so me ne w c o lleag u e s j o ining to da y.

⚠ C o mm o n Mi st ake: Sa y ing "two persons" — t he c orr ec t p l ur al i s " two p e op le." Simila r l y, "staffs" i s n ot c orr ec t — t he wor d " st a ff" al r ead y r efe rs to a g roup.

1.9 Small Talk S t a rt e rs — Safe Beginne r T op ic s Af t e r t he in tro d u c t i o n, a s h ort f r iendl y c o n v e rs a t i o n called s mall t alk hel ps you c o nnec t. Y ou d o n' t need to s a y an yt hing cle v e r — j ust kee p i t ligh t and pos i t i v e. ✅ Safe T op ic s The wor k p lace or tr aining: " H ow l o ng ha v e you been w i t h t he c o m p an y?" " I s t hi s your fi rst t ime a t t hi s b r anch?" " Wha t t eam a r e you o n?" The ci ty or c o mm ut e: " A r e you f ro m Delhi or iginall y?" " H ow w a s your c o mm ut e to da y?" " Ha v e you been to t hi s p a rt o f t he ci ty bef or e?" The e v en t or o cca s i o n: " I s t hi s your fi rst t ime a t o ne o f t he s e mee t ing s?" " H ow a r e you fi nding t he tr aining so fa r?"

❌ T op ic s to A vo id in P ro fe ss i o nal Fi rst Mee t ing s Sala ry or m o ne y P o li t ic s or r eligi o n Pe rso nal qu e st i o n s ( ma rr iage, child r en, age) C o m p lain ts ab out t he c o m p an y or b oss

📌 Ti p: A g r ea t s mall t alk f or m u la i s: C o mmen t + Q u e st i o n. Sa y so me t hing b r ief, t hen a s k ab out t he ot he r p e rso n. E x am p le: "The training room is quite nice. Have you been here before?"

1.10 Li st ening and Re spo nding Na tur all y G oo d c o n v e rs a t i o n i s n ot j ust ab out sp eaking — i t' s ab out s h ow ing t he ot he r p e rso n t ha t you a r e li st ening. The s e s h ort r e spo n s e s make you sou nd na tur al and engaged. Sh ow ing In t e r e st Wha t The y Sa y Y our Re spo n s e " I' v e been he r e two y ea rs." " Oh, r eall y? Tha t' s g r ea t!" " I' m f ro m t he P u ne o ffi ce." " Oh nice! I' v e hea r d g oo d t hing s ab out t ha t b r anch." " I t' s been a b usy w eek." " I kn ow w ha t you mean!" / " Tell me ab out i t!"

A s king F o ll ow -U p Q u e st i o n s U s e Wha t / Whe r e / H ow to kee p t he c o n v e rs a t i o n g o ing: " Wha t d o you d o in your t eam?" " Whe r e a r e you ba s ed usu all y?" " H ow l o ng ha v e you been w i t h t he c o m p an y?"

A s king S o me o ne to Re p ea t — P o li t el y In st ead o f... Sa y t hi s... " Wha t?" / " Ha?" " I' m sorry, c ou ld you r e p ea t t ha t?" " I d o n' t u nde rst and." " S orry, I didn' t qu i t e ca t ch t ha t. C ou ld you s a y i t again, p lea s e?" (saying nothing) " E x c us e me — c ou ld you sp eak a li tt le m or e s l ow l y, p lea s e?"

1.11 G oo db y e s and Cl os ing t he C o n v e rs a t i o n Ending a c o n v e rs a t i o n w ell i s j ust a s im port an t a s st a rt ing o ne. A clean, po li t e g oo db y e lea v e s a stro ng fi nal im pr e ss i o n.

B y e! / G oo db y e! See you! / See you a rou nd! Take ca r e! G oo d nigh t! (only after evening)

P o li t e / P ro fe ss i o nal Cl os ing s " I t w a s r eall y nice mee t ing you." " I' m glad w e g ot to mee t." " I h op e w e ge t to wor k to ge t he r." " Ha v e a g r ea t da y!"

Lea v ing a C o n v e rs a t i o n When Y ou A r e B usy S o me t ime s you need to end a c o n v e rs a t i o n g r acef u ll y w i t h out being ru de: " I s h ou ld ge t back to m y de s k, b ut i t w a s g r ea t mee t ing you!" " I d o n' t w an t to kee p you — le t' s ca t ch up m or e la t e r." " I ha v e a mee t ing in a fe w min ut e s, b ut r eall y nice to mee t you!" 📌 Ti p: Al w a ys s a y so me t hing w a r m bef or e you lea v e. "Nice meeting you!" c osts n ot hing and lea v e s a wo nde r f u l im pr e ss i o n.

1.12 P r ac t ice Sec t i o n R o le -Pla y 1: Mee t ing a Ne w C o lleag u e Si tu a t i o n: I t i s your fi rst da y a t a ne w j o b. Y ou mee t so me o ne a t t he c o ff ee machine. Y our ro le: G r ee t t hem, in tro d u ce yours elf us ing Tem p la t e B, make o ne s mall t alk c o mmen t, and cl os e t he c o n v e rs a t i o n po li t el y. Thei r op ening line: " Hi! A r e you ne w he r e? I d o n' t t hink I' v e s een you bef or e."

R o le -Pla y 2: Mee t ing a Vi s i tor a t W or k Si tu a t i o n: A clien t v i s i ts your o ffi ce. Y our manage r a s k s you to w elc o me t hem. Y our ro le: G r ee t t he clien t f or mall y, in tro d u ce yours elf, o ff e r a s ea t, and make t hem c o mf ort able w i t h o ne s mall t alk qu e st i o n.

Thei r op ening line: " Hell o, I ha v e a 3 o' cl o ck a ppo in t men t w i t h M r. Ve r ma."

R o le -Pla y 3: In tro d u cing T wo C o lleag u e s Si tu a t i o n: Y our c o lleag u e Dee p a ha s n ot me t your t eamma t e Ka rt hik. Y ou a r e w i t h b ot h o f t hem. Y our ro le: In tro d u ce Dee p a to Ka rt hik us ing t he po li t e in tro d u c t i o n p a tt e r n. Incl u de t hei r ro le s.

Self -Rec or ding Checkli st Af t e r each ro le -p la y, r ec or d yours elf and check: Did I g r ee t us ing t he r igh t le v el ( f or mal / ne utr al / inf or mal)? Did I s a y m y name clea r l y? Did I us e " I' m" and n ot " M ys elf"? Did I a s k a t lea st o ne f o ll ow -up qu e st i o n? Did I cl os e t he c o n v e rs a t i o n po li t el y? Did I sp eak a t a st ead y p ace — n ot too fa st, n ot too s l ow?

1.13 Q u ick Re v ie w + Mini Te st Ke y Ph r a s e s — C opy -Read y Refe r ence G r ee t ing s: G oo d m or ning / G oo d af t e r n oo n / Hell o / Hi / H ow a r e you? In tro d u c t i o n s: I' m [ name] / I wor k a s [ ro le] / I' m f ro m [ p lace] / I' m he r e f or [ purpos e] In tro d u cing ot he rs: Thi s i s… / I' d like you to mee t… / E v e ryo ne, t hi s i s… Small t alk: H ow l o ng ha v e you been he r e? / A r e you f ro m [ ci ty]? / H ow a r e you fi nding i t so fa r? Li st ening r e spo n s e s: Reall y? / Tha t' s nice! / I kn ow w ha t you mean! G oo db y e s: I t w a s nice mee t ing you / See you a rou nd / Ha v e a g r ea t da y!

C o mm o n E rrors and Fi x e s ❌ Inc orr ec t ✅ C orr ec t M ys elf P r i y a. I' m P r i y a. / M y name i s P r i y a. I am d o ing j o b. I wor k a s a [ ro le].

She i s ha v ing g oo d e xp e r ience. She ha s g oo d e xp e r ience. T wo p e rso n s a r e w ai t ing. T wo p e op le a r e w ai t ing. G oo d nigh t! ( s aid a t 3p m) G oo d af t e r n oo n! / G oo d e v ening!

Mini Te st — 5 S p eaking P ro m pts T ry an sw e r ing each pro m pt out l ou d. Rec or d yours elf if you can.

1. In tro d u ce yours elf to a ne w c o lleag u e us ing Tem p la t e B + o ne e xtr a de t ail.

2. In tro d u ce your f r iend Anan y a to your manage r M r. Ka poor ( us e t he f or mal p a tt e r n).

3. S o me o ne s a ys: "I've been with this company for five years." — r e spo nd na tur all y.

4. Y ou need to end a c o n v e rs a t i o n beca us e you ha v e a mee t ing. Wha t d o you s a y?

5. Make t he p l ur al o f: b r anch / c o m p an y / wo man / child / c o lleag u e.

End of Chapter 1

C o ming up in Cha pt e r 2: De s c r ibing Y our W or ld Y ou w ill lea r n h ow to de s c r ibe p e op le, p lace s, and feeling s — and t he g r amma r too l s ( adjec t i v e s, a rt icle s, deg r ee o f c o m p a r i so n) t ha t make your de s c r i pt i o n s c o me ali v e.

End of chapter one.