Everyday Communication Flashcards

Which sentence demonstrates the correct use of 'neither...nor'?

Answer: Neither the manager nor the employees were informed.

'Neither...nor' is a correlative conjunction pair; the verb agrees with the subject closest to it ('employees').

A neighbor says, 'Feel free to drop by anytime.' This phrase most likely means:

Answer: You are welcome to visit without a formal invitation.

'Feel free to drop by' is a casual, hospitable invitation indicating the person is welcome to visit informally.

Which of the following is an example of active listening?

Answer: Nodding and paraphrasing what the speaker said

Active listening involves giving full attention, nodding, and paraphrasing to show you understood the speaker.

In the sentence 'She was running late, so she called ahead,' what does 'called ahead' mean?

Answer: Phoned the destination in advance to warn them

'Called ahead' means contacting someone at the destination beforehand to give notice, often about being late.

Which sentence correctly uses a comma after an introductory clause?

Answer: After the meeting ended, we went to lunch.

A comma is required after an introductory dependent clause before the main clause begins.

Your boss says, 'Let's table this discussion for now.' In American English, this means:

Answer: Postpone the discussion until later

In American English, 'table' a discussion means to postpone it, unlike British English where it means to bring it forward.

What is the most appropriate way to end a professional phone call?

Answer: Thank you for your time — I'll follow up by email. Goodbye.

Professional phone calls should end with a courteous closing that summarizes next steps and uses a formal farewell.