You are having a conversation with someone and all of a sudden your

conversation dies, a miserable death of stenchy bad conversation.

Why did that conversation die?

I ask you. There's probably two very good reasons why your conversation has died.

The first one is that you are too shy or too embarrassed to ask a person about

new vocabulary. We are living in such a time as we have new slang, old slang, new

vocabulary, old vocabulary around us all the time. Sometimes my mother will say a

word

and I will have no idea what the word means because it's either British

English or really old-fashioned or old school.

On the other hand if you're talking to native Canadian speakers are native

English speakers they might throw some slang at you

and you have no idea what they're saying.

For example, if someone said I have to go take a dump.

yeah what a dump truck? You're taking a dump truck?

So, instead of stopping the conversation with the person who has to take a dump,

you're going to realize that you have just earned some new exciting vocabulary.

This is a common occurrence in a conversation.

Two people will be talking area hey man -

one person will say a new word and the other person will stop talking because

they don't want to look stupid and just ask the person to for one very simple

question.

What's that? So, if I was talking to someone or you were talking to me and I

said excuse me I have to take a dump

I'll be right back. I'm back. Instead of not talking to me anymore,

what you're going to do is you're going to ask me "Ronnie, what's take a dump" and

I'll say, "Oh yes. Take a dump means I have to go to the washroom."

I'll be right back.

You can use this with one word or a phrase like I have used. "Take a dump" is

slang.

iI's usually used with when men speak to two girls you can see it - it doesn't

matter.

take a dump basically means you have to go number two.

There's going to be some poo. It's usually not polite to mention to people:

"My name is Ronnie nice to meet you. I gotta take a dump." It's better to be more

polite and say, "I have to go to the washer," and we don't care what you're

doing there.

or do we? The second thing you can say, "What does the word mean?"

ok or the phrase mean. These two expressions are the same

Let's imagine that I was telling you about my adventures in Mexico and that's

imagine that I went to a beach in Mexico and I saw a donkey and you have no idea

what a donkey is. So instead of going huh

or the other thing that people do is they go "donkey, donkey, donkey, donkey,

donkey"

I then think one you did not hear me say donkey or two

you have no idea what I'm talking about

so instead of repeating the word you don't know

donkey donkey donkey. Literally asked the person the question "What's donkey or

what does donkey mean?"

oh it's soon of use

you have asked them the question they realize that you don't understand some

new vocabulary people will try to help you

maybe. They want most people want to teach you new slang new vocabulary.

They want to help you, so instead of closing off running away

what you're going to do is you're going to ask them "What's this word mean or

what does xxx mean?"

Okay, you cannot say what does mean donkey.

I hear a lot of my English students saying teacher

what donkey mean does you cannot change the structure of the sentence

this is very easy it's one word. What's mystery word.

Okay, so practice if someone throws out some new slang new vocabulary, don't be

afraid come back with these two words, conversation skills.

second thing this happens to me, so I can imagine it will happen to you

maybe you are learning English

maybe you are learning how to communicate with people at a new job.

I don't know. What are you doing? What you're going to do is you know the

English word

You know... you know this word. You know this word. You've heard this word

before, but you don't remember the English word or you don't know the word

whatsoever.

You know the word in your language but you have not learned the translation

into English language.

This is where the fun begins. So for the second reason a you don't know the word

at all or you don't remember the english word what you're going to do you get to

play a game with

the person you're talking to. Yes, you're going to take all of the vocabulary

adjectives and verbs that you know you're going to play a game with the

person

this game is called guess the word you're going to start the game by saying

a question you're going to say "How do you say...?" You are going to use all of your

vocabulary and you're going to describe the word that you don't know or don't

remember.

For example, I can say, "How do you say the food and that you sometimes eat at the

movies, and it's it's white and yellow

sometimes we put butter on. "Popcorn!" your friends like "popcorn!"

"Popcorn!"

you have just remembered or learn the word that you couldn't do the next

phrase you can say to the people or the person

what do you call. Again these two words are the same, so these two sentences are

exactly the same.

You're going to use this or this.

They're the same words same sentences again you're going to play the game with

the people. I'd like to put out a warning as well.

Some people are stupid, so be careful,

some people you could describe the word and they still have no idea

That's when you get out your dictionary and leave. And the next sentence

what do you call again these two of the same I can say, what do you call the

animal that looks like a horse but it's a little smaller

it has long ears and I can ride the animal.

I think the animal was in Shrek

you know the movie Shrek? Oh! donkey donkey your friend or the person you're

talking to know is the movie Shrek and tells you because of your beautiful

description that mystery word is donkey.

So the next time you are having a conversation with someone

maybe he was a native speaker or someone who you're talking to for the first time

,and you do not understand them or you're having a conversation breakdown

do not panic. Remember, ask them about new vocabulary and ask them play our

beautiful game.

Ask them to just to talk about the word you're going to talk about the word and

they will tell you your magic answer. If you would like to do a quiz on this, go

to invade com

take the quiz, bye.