Conversation Starters

noun a physical action of breaking a solid substance

verb to initiate conversation or social interaction in a situation where there is tension or awkwardness

• The host initiated a game to break the ice and help guests get to know each other.
• Let's tell some jokes to break the ice at the party.
• I always bring up my favorite TV show to break the ice with new people.
• His warm smile was enough to break the ice in any situation.

noun a tool used for making holes or openings

verb to raise or introduce a topic for discussion

• During the meeting, I plan to broach the topic of budget cuts.
• I'm not sure how to broach the subject with my parents.
• I don't want to broach the issue with him, it's too awkward.
• She knew she had to broach the emotional barriers he had built up.

noun casual conversation about unimportant or superficial topics

• During the networking event, we engaged in small talk to break the ice.
• I hate making small talk at parties, it always feels so forced.
• Let's skip the small talk and get straight to the point.
• Their relationship was based on surface-level small talk, with no real depth.

verb a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence, such as 'speaking'

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence, such as 'of'

• Speaking of upcoming events, have you finalized the agenda for the conference?
• Speaking of movies, have you seen the latest blockbuster yet?
• Speaking of cool gadgets, did you check out that new phone?
• Speaking of reaching new heights, our sales have been soaring this quarter.

noun a conversation or discussion

verb to communicate by speaking

adjective pertaining to or involving talking or conversation

adverb in a manner that involves speaking or communication

• I would like to schedule a time to talk about the upcoming project.
• Let's have a chat about our weekend plans.
• We should catch up and have a little gossip session.
• The colors in this painting seem to talk to each other, creating a harmonious composition.

verb a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence, in this case, the act of speaking or communicating verbally

• The professor was talking about the importance of research in the field of science.
• We were just talking about our plans for the weekend.
• She's always talking smack about other people behind their backs.
• The painting seems to be talking to me, telling a story of its own.

adverb a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb or a word group, expressing a relation of place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, degree, etc.

pronoun a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse (e.g., I, you) or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse (e.g., she, it)

interjection an abrupt remark, made especially as an aside or interruption

• Is that so? Could you provide more details to support your claim?
• Is that so? I didn't know that, thanks for sharing!
• Is that so? No way, that's crazy!
• Is that so? It's like finding a needle in a haystack.