English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate » Unit 69: Talking and communicating

Word List
  • give sb a talking to
  • long-winded
  • make head or tail of
  • put in a nutshell
  • small talk
  • speak your mind
  • start the ball rolling
  • talk at cross-purposes
  • talk behind sb’s back
  • talk down to s.o.
  • talk rubbish
  • talk sense
  • talk shop
  • talking point
  • (a) word in edgeways
  • wrap up (the discussion)
  • wrong end of the stick
  • get to the point
Exercises

69.1 ‣ Look at these dialogues and comment on them.

  1. PAUL: £98 for a meal! That’s outrageous!
    EMMA: Not the meal, you idiot! The room! Emma and Paul seem to be .
  2. JO: So that's what I'm going to do, take it all away.
    MEENA: What about -
    JO: And if they don’t like it they can just go and do what they like.
    MEENA: If she-
    JO: Not that I have to consult them,anyway; I’m in charge round here. It seems that Meena can’t get _____.
  3. VOLODYA: I got very upset when you said I was childish.
    GINA: I didn't! I just said you seemed to get on very well with the children. Honestly.
    VOLODYA: Oh, I see. Oh, sorry. It seems that Volodya got the _____.
  4. DAN: So, area-wise the down-matching sales profile commitment would seem to be high-staked on double-par.
    KIM: Eh? Could you say that again? You’ve got me there. It seems that Kim can’t _____ what Danis saying.
  5. ALI: I don’t expect someone with your intelligence to understand this document.
    JUAN: Oh. Ali seems to be talking _____ to Juan.

69.2 ‣ What idioms opposite do these drawings represent?


  1. discussion

  2. talk _____

  3. start _____

  4. get to / come to _____

  5. to put _____

  6. get hold of _____

69.3 ‣ Fill the gaps to complete the sentences.

  1. She is very direct and always her mind.
  2. He gets bored quickly with small _____ and always wants to get down to serious matters.
  3. The boss gave me a real _____ to after that stupid mistake I made.
  4. You're behind the times! Darren's girlfriend was last week's _____ point.
  5. Paula's uncle is so long-_____- it takes him ten minutes to make a point that anyone else could make in 30 seconds.
  6. It was such a relief when James got up to speak - at last someone was talking _____.
  7. I hate going out with my boyfriend and his work colleagues - they spend all evening talking _____.
  8. You should tell him what you think to his face rather than talking behind his _____.
Answer Key
A ‣ Idioms connected with communication problems


  1. They're talking at cross-purposes. [talking about different things without realising it]

  2. He's got the wrong end of the stick. [not understood something in the correct way]

  3. She can't get a word in edgeways /edʒweɪz/. [doesn't get a chance to speak because others are talking so much]

  4. He can't make head or tail of what she's saying. [cannot understand at all]

B ‣ Good talk, bad talk

The boss always talks down to us. [talks as if we were inferior]

My workmates are always talking behind my back. [saying negative things about me when I'm not there]

It was just small talk, nothing more, I promise. [purely social talk, nothing serious]

Let's sit somewhere else; they always talk shop over lunch, and it bores me rigid. [talk about work]

Hey! Your new friend's become a real talking point among the staff! Did you know? [subject that everyone wants to talk about]

It's gone too far this time. I shall have to give him a talking to. [reproach/scold him / tell him off]

C ‣ Talk in discussions, meetings, etc.

1 start the discussion
2 say it in few words
3 come to the important part of the matter
4 say exactly what I think
5 finish the discussion
6 says intelligent, reasonable things
7 says stupid things
8 says things in a long, indirect way

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