10 social English expressions to use in conversations

Hi, there.

Welcome back to engVid.

Today's lesson is a conversational English one.

We are looking at vocabulary to do with secrets-sharing secrets, maybe hearing a secret-so that you

understand what the other person is saying.

I'm not saying that sharing secrets is a brilliant thing that you need to be doing, but it's

still worth building your vocabulary, so stay tuned and let's listen.

First phrase: "I've heard..."

Obviously we have the abbreviation for "I have heard".

"I've heard that Lionel called Cristiano bigheaded.

Would you believe it?

I've heard that..."

This is our introduction, then we have the secret following after.

Or, if you wanted to ask it as a question: "Have you heard that...?" then put your secret.

"Have you heard that Lionel called Cristiano egocentric?"

Another way of saying: "They say..."; "They" meaning sort of an unquantified amount of

people.

"They", whoever they are.

"They say that Lionel said this.

They say that..."

It's quite a good way of putting blame on other people, rather than saying that it's

actually you saying it.

"Just between you and me..."

What you're doing with this phrase is setting up a kind of a secret relationship.

"Just between you and me..."

It kind of invites the other person to lean in a little bit closer so that they're really

listening, and no one else can hear this secret.

"Just between", okay?

So, we don't want anyone else to hear.

"Just between you and me..."

"I heard it on the grapevine..."

I'm sure you've all heard that classic song, but we can actually use that as a conversational

phrase.

"I heard on the grapevine that..."

The "grapevine" is just this unknown place where we hear secrets; rumours.

Okay?

"Rumour", something that is not fact; it's an idea that something might be.

Let's just write that down.

So, we'll put "rumour" in.

Rumour.

"o-u-r".

We love our ou's in British English.

"This shouldn't be passed around but..."

Okay?

We're not passing a bucket around; we're not passing a charity hat around - we don't want

the secret to go any further.

"This shouldn't be passed around but Lionel..." dah-dah-dah-dah-dah.

"This isn't common knowledge but..."

You'll notice with a few of these that we are using abbreviations.

Now, abbreviations are fine in conversational English; just make sure that if you are doing

an IELTS writing paper that you're writing in full English, so you'd be saying: "This

is not... this should not..."

Okay?

It's something that would impress an examiner.

"This isn't common knowledge but..."

So, "common knowledge" would be what everybody knows.

So, not everybody knows this.

"Maybe I shouldn't say this but..."

So, I-the person saying the secret-knows that it is bad to say this, but then they say it

anyway.

So there's an enjoyment of: "Oo, we're doing something naughty, but..."

Okay.

Another way of drawing the other person into a conversation - so you say their name, for

example: "Pedro..." and then they listen to me.

"...you know", and then whoever my rumour is about: "Pedro, you know that Lionel...

well, you know Lionel.

Well, he did this.

He said this."

Okay?

So, say the name of the person I'm speaking to, and then I share the information.

At the end, you don't particularly want to get in trouble by that person then sharing

this news with everybody, so you're getting them just to keep it to themselves.

"Do you swear you won't tell anyone else?

Do you swear?

Do you promise you won't tell anyone else?"

Tell anyone else, okay?

So, what I'm doing there, is I'm getting that person - the secret ends here.

Okay, let's have a go at you guys using these yourself.

So, I want you to think of something that might have happened at work, or if you're

at college, okay?

And you're going to practice talking to someone else about something that has happened.

Okay?

So, try to think of something that's happened and you're going to share a secret to one

of your friends.

Okay.

"I've heard..."

Practice that now.

"I've heard..." and you'll complete your sentence.

Very good.

"Have you heard...?" using it as a question.

Give it a go.

"Have you heard that...?"

Well done.

"They say..."

Give this one a go.

"They say... they say that..."

"Just between you and me..."

Give that one a go.

"Just between you and me..."

Hope you got that one right.

"I heard on the grapevine that..."

Give that one a go; about your situation at work or at college.

"I heard on the grapevine that..."

"This shouldn't be passed around but... this shouldn't be passed around but..."

Okay, next one: "This isn't common knowledge but... this isn't common knowledge but..."

"Maybe I shouldn't say this but..."

Give it a go.

And then come up with another of your friend's names and imagine that you're talking to them,

then put what your rumour is in here.

You put your name of the person you're telling the rumour about here, and then you put the

rumour itself here.

And then get them to swear to secrecy.

Hand on heart - I promise to keep a secret.

Thank you for watching today's lesson on rumours and secrets.

Let's make... not make up any secrets or stories about other people, but let's keep expanding

our English and keep the focus.

Well done.

See ya next time.