2. Rejoinders and follow-up questions

Keeping a conversation going

There are two very natural responses to new information when you want to keep a conversation going in English.

They are: 

1. a rejoinder

2. a follow-up question 

Talk about it

Do you know what rejoinders are? How about follow-up questions?

1. Rejoinders are what we say to show that we are listening to what someone said. What rejoinder you use depends on what the speaker said. Here are some common rejoinders for different situations.

What do each of those emojis mean? 

? means Click to show the answer. happy

? means Click to show the answer. sad

? means Click to show the answer. surprised/excited

? means Click to show the answer. interested/listening

Ask and answer 

Which of those rejoinders would you use if someone says, “I went camping last weekend.” 

Click to show the answer. I see./ That's great. / Oh, really. / Interesting!

Which of those rejoinders would you use if someone says, “My dog ran away.” 

Click to show the answer. Oh, no! / Sorrty to hear that. / That's too bad. / That's terrible!

2. Follow-up questions invite the speaker to continue talking. These questions ask for more information and they show that you’re interested in what the speaker is saying. Usually they begin with a Wh- question word (or a How question), like this.