Your response depends on what kind of news the speaker gives you.
{All slang expressions are in light brown}
 
 

Good News	Bad News	Surprising News	Interesting News
That's terrific! That's great! That's awesome!	That's too bad. That's terrible. That's awful.	You're kidding! You're joking! You're pulling my leg!	That's nice. That's interesting.
Good for you!	Oh, no.	I can't believe it! That's unbelievable!	How interesting! I see.
You must be very happy!	You must feel terrible.	Oh, really?	Oh, yeah? hmm...
Good deal! Killer! Cool!	What a drag. What a bummer.	No way! Seriously? For real?	You don't say.

Now you try it.  Read the statements below and decide what your response would be  make sure you're using the phrases in the table above!!!!!!
 

	I just got a 600 on my TOEFL test!
	Yesterday I got into a car accident.
	My sister is coming to visit me next week.
	We watched a good movie on TV last night.
	Hey, I just won $1,000,000!!!!
	I can't go to the beach today.  I've got too much work to do.
	I started exercising yesterday.
	I'd like to visit Southeast Asia one day.
	My mother bought me a horse for my birthday.
	Someone stole my wallet when I was in the mall yesterday.

Now you try it.  Read the statements below and decide what your response would be:

	Technology has made our lives better.
	Marriage is out of date.
	Space travel is a waste of money.
	English is a very easy language to learn.
	Life today is better than it was 100 years ago.
	There should only be one international language.
	Alcohol should be considered a drug like cocaine or marijuana.
	Most people in the world are good, friendly people.
	The richest countries of the world should help the poorest ones more than they do now.

There are many ways to ask someone to repeat something that we aren't sure we understood.  Look at the following common ways native speakers ask for repetition.
 
 

I'm sorry, I couldn't understand you... I'm sorry, I didn't get that... I'm sorry, I didn't catch that....	could you...... would you..... can you.......	repeat that? say that again?
Would you mind repeating that please?
What did you say? Pardon?
What's that again? Say that again?
What? Huh?

Now what would you say if you didn't understand the following...
 
 

	Technology has changed the way people communicate.  Email has become an extremely popular way of keeping in contact with friends and relatives.  It's quicker than "snail" mail and it's cheaper.
	Latinos are the fastest growing minority in the USA.  In 25 years, one quarter of the population in the USA will be Latino.
	Many scientists say that the earth's climate is changing.  They point to data that shows the global temperatures are getting warmer.  Many also say that this global warming will be quite harmful to many species of life on our planet.
	Many countries are abandoning their own currencies for newer, stronger ones.  In the European Union, for example, countries have adopted the Euro. Some countries in South America have begun using the dollar instead of their own currency.  Perhaps in another hundred years, there may only be 5 or 6 regional currencies in the world.

Talk about the following topics using hesitations...
 
 

	Explain what the first thing you would do as the Secretary General of the United Nations.
	Talk about what you think the most important environmental issue is.
	Describe what you would do to improve crime rates in the big cities.
	If you were the president/Prime Minister of your country, what's the first thing you would do.
	Is space exploration really worth it?
	Talk about the current health of our seas and oceans.
	What would you do to insure that the world's fresh water supply does not disappear?
	Technology is changing the way people do business, communicate, and live.  Describe some of the changes you've seen in your country due to technology.
	Over population seems to be a problem in many parts of the world, but is the world truly in danger of having too many people?  Talk about your view on over-population.

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	You borrowed your friend's car and had a small accident.  There was no real damage, but the driver's side has a scratch along the side.
	You promised your best friend that you would take a week vacation with him/her but now you can't go.  Unfortunately, you were supposed to leave tomorrow.
	You borrowed your brother's VCR to copy a tape, but dropped it on the way into your house.  It's completely broken.
	Your boss let you use his laptop computer for a business trip you had in another city.  It was stolen in the airport.
	You have to break an appointment you made with a colleague who wanted to go over a business plan.
	You borrowed a $100 from your cousin 6 months ago.  He wants the money back today and although you promised to pay him, you just don't have the money.
	You were going to baby-sit your sister's two children tonight so her and her husband could see the opening night of Shakespeare's Macbeth; however, you've been sick since yesterday and you aren't feeling well enough to watch them.

What would your responses be to the following invitations?
 

	A friend asks you to go to the movies, but you have a test to study for.
	Your neighbor invites you over to his house for dinner on Saturday, and you haven't made any plans.
	A co-worker invites you out for a cocktail, but you really need to get home.
	Your aunt wants to know if you'd like to visit her this summer at her cottage on the lake.
	An old friend calls and says she'd love to see you again.  You, too, would love to see her again.
	An old acquaintance phones you and wants to pay you a visit.  Unfortunately, you have a lot of work that your boss has asked you to do.
	Your cousin would like to know if you're free for lunch on Sunday.  His wife is going to cook your favorite dish.
	Your college roommate (who you never really liked) wants you to stop by his office after work.
	Your boss wants you to come to his house on Saturday and help entertain some important guests from out of town.

 

 Let's practice asking for and giving advice.  Read the following situations and use the expressions above to make a conversation about them.

	My new neighbors who live directly above me are so noisy at nighttime that it's hard to sleep.
	I'd like to go back to school to get another degree, but I can't afford to stop working.
	My car is dying and I don't think that I can afford to buy another one.
	I lost my wallet in the mall today, and I can't remember which store I might have left it in.
	I'd like to visit Europe next year, but I haven't saved any money yet.
	My brother seems to have a problem with alcohol.  He always drinks so much beer.  I want to speak to him about it, but I don't know how.
	I have a big exam tomorrow but I've been so sick that I haven't been able to study at all.
	I've been receiving harassing telephone calls in the evening for about a week.
	I need to lose some weight and get in shape, but I don't know how to begin.
	I want to improve my English, but I never seem to improve even though I study all the time.

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Try answering these questions.  Do you or do you not know the answers?

	What's the capital of the United States of America? answer Washington, D. C.
	How many countries are in the E.U. (European Union)? answer 15
	What does Y2k mean? answer the year 2000
	What's the national language of Tanzania in East Africa? answer Swahili
	What's the largest city in South Korea? answer Seoul
	What percentage of the earth is covered by water? answer 70%
	How many countries are there on the South American continent? answer 13
	What country has the largest population of Japanese outside of Japan? answer Brasil
	How many kilometers are there in a mile? answer 1.6
	When was the first personal computer developed? answer 1974
	How many time zones are there in the entire country of Russia? answer 11

How you thank someone really depends on how much help they gave you and on the formality of the situation.  Here are some ways to express your thanks.
 
 

Formal  & Informal	Response
Thank you (very much)	You're welcome.
Thank you very much for your time.	You're quite welcome.
Thank you, you've been very helpful.	Don't mention it.
Thank you for taking the time to talk with me.  I really appreciate it.	It was nothing.
Thank you anyway	No problem.
Thanks	Don't worry about it.
Thanks a lot	Anytime.
Thanks anyway (if they couldn't help)	I wish I could be of more help.