Focus on communication

A. Presentation

People are generally aware that success in one's life and career depends to a great extent on one's

ability to communicate effectively. Because the first impression one makes is very important, each

person has to know certain rules of greeting, of presenting oneself and of having a brief opening

conversation.

A1. Exchanging words with a new acquaintance. Read the following dialogue and try to write down

a similar one taking place between your family and the family of a friend of yours.

John Smith : Mr. Brown, you know my wife, Mary, don't you?

Michael Brown : No, I don't think we have met. I didn't have the pleasure.

Mary Smith : How do you do. It's an honour for me to meet you, Mr. Brown.

Michael Brown : How do you do. The honour is on my side. Now allow me to introduce you to my

family. This is my wife, Angela, and this is my daughter, Jane.

Angela Brown : I am delighted to make your acquaintance.

Jane Brown : Glad to meet you, madam, sir.

Mary Smith : You have such a lovely daughter. Have you already graduated the highschool,

Jane?

Jane Brown : Yes, I graduated the highschool last year, and now I am a student.

Michael Brown : She studies social communication and public relations. Our child has always

wanted to do something new and interesting, so this field suits her.

John Smith : When we were young, we also dreamt of doing the most fantastic things. We also

left our son the freedom of choice and now he studies the art of painting.

Angela Brown : This gives me an idea. As Mr. Smith and my husband are colleagues, why don't

we meet some time at our place to find out more about the plans for future of our

children?

Mary Smith : Thank you for your kind invitation, then we shall pay you a visit soon and we

hope you will return the visit to us.

A2. Describing a person

You are on the beach and you see an empty blanket on which there are a few objects spread around.

You look at them and you wonder who is the person that owns these objects. And you are waiting

for it to appear

The list of objects is the following:

- some chewing-gum

- a film

- a comb

- a belt bag

- some car keys

- a camera

- a picture of two old persons

- some sun-tan lotion

- a pair of head-phones

- a mirror

- a towel

- a pencil

- a book

- a letter

Focus on Communication

4

Now use your imagination:

- Is this person a man or a woman?

- Where does he/she come from?

- How old is he/she?

- What is his/her job?

- Is he/she married or single?

- What is he/she doing at the moment?

- What colour are his/her eyes?

Try to write a description of this person's life, as you imagine it.

A3. Memories

In the following fragment the famous actress Sophia Loren recalls her first meetings with a film

director, with the world of movies and, last but not least, with glory. Translate the text, then try to

write down several memories about important encounters in your life.

They were golden days, the 50s. Vittorio De Sica and Carlo Ponti, my Carlo, were doing a project

called The Gold of Naples. De Sica said, "I need a Neapolitan girl". Carlo told him "I know a girl,

she's called Sofia Scicolone". I was given the role of the pizzaiola (pizza street vendor). It was

1952. I was 17, and I was completely drunk with happiness.

For us Rome was an enchanting place, a city of trams and palaces. I felt like this because I was very

young, but there were people 40, 50 years old who felt like me, too, because of what they had gone

through during the war. They felt they could afford maybe to start a new life.

De Sica was a sensitive man with great instincts and a great sense of humour. We spoke the same

language - almost the way as when you're married a long time and you look at your husband and,

with just a glance or a gesture, you know.

Then there was Anna Magnani. When De Sica was planning to film Moravia's new book Two

Women, he wanted Magnani to play the mother, and I could play the daughter. When De Sica went

to see Magnani, she cocked that hip of hers and said, "No, I can't play with Sophia. What are we

going to do together on the set? We are going to kill each other!" As De Sica was leaving, she

cocked that hip again and threw up her chin with that beautifully free-spirited air we all knew so

well. "Hah! Why don't you try to give Sophia the role of the mother?" Well, I did play that role.

The mother became younger, and the daughter (played by Eleonora Brown) became a girl of 13.

And I never played a role better!

A4. Choose one of the following topics and write a dialogue:

a. You are strolling downtown. Suddenly you meet an old friend of yours whom you have not seen

since you were in elementary school. You are surprised to learn that he has become a

millionaire.

b. You are walking down the street. Suddenly you see a friend in front of you. You run up to him

and say hello, but when he turns around you discover that he is a stranger.

c. You are a teacher in the first day of school. Present yourself in front of the class and prompt the

conversation with the students.

Focus on Communication

5

B. The Indicative Mood

In the exercises and texts above, while presenting characters and introducing people, we used the

tenses of the Indicative Mood. We practised present and past, tenses which we have in the

Romanian language, too, but also present perfect, which we cannot find in Romanian.

B1. Let's compare the Romanian axis of tenses (which is only one) with the English axes (two of

them) and discuss their different logic.

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