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Socialising & Friendships — Key Vocabulary
This lesson focuses on vocabulary used when socialising and building friendships in personal and professional contexts. You'll learn common nouns, verbs, adjectives and expressions that describe relationships, meeting people, staying in touch, and networking.
Words for different relationships (colleague, acquaintance, confidant).
Verbs and phrasal verbs used when meeting or keeping in touch (to mingle, to catch up, to get along).
Adjectives describing friendship quality (close-knit, supportive, distant).
Phrases for invitations, small talk and networking.
Table
Common Socialising Vocabulary
Word
Part of Speech
Example
acquaintance
noun
I have many acquaintances from industry events.
colleague
noun
My colleagues and I met for drinks after the presentation.
confidant
noun
She is a trusted confidant at work.
to mingle
verb
Guests mingled before the awards ceremony.
to catch up (with)
phrasal verb
Let's catch up over coffee next week.
to get along (with)
phrasal verb
They get along well despite their different styles.
close-knit
adjective
Our team is close-knit and supportive.
networking
noun
Networking events help expand your professional contacts.
Tip
Key tip: Collocations & Register
When using social vocabulary, pay attention to collocations (word combinations) and the level of formality:
Use correct prepositions with verbs: 'get along with', 'catch up with'.
Choose register carefully: 'Would you like to attend a networking reception?' (formal) vs 'Wanna join?' (informal).
Prefer nouns/phrases for professional contexts: 'networking', 'industry contacts', 'conference'.
Use adjectives like 'close-knit' or 'supportive' to describe group dynamics.
Collocations + appropriate register = clear, natural communication
Example
Examples in context
Let's catch up over coffee next week.
I became close friends with my colleague after working on the project.
She has a wide network of professional contacts across Europe.
We usually mingle at industry conferences to meet new clients.
Tip
Common mistakes to avoid
Learners often make predictable errors with social vocabulary. Watch out for these:
Using the wrong preposition: some verbs need specific prepositions (e.g., 'get along with', not 'get along to').
Confusing register: using overly informal phrases in formal/professional contexts or vice versa.
Mixing up similar terms: 'acquaintance' vs 'friend' (different levels of closeness).
Incorrect verb forms or agreement in phrasal verbs: 'She catches up' vs 'She catch up'.
Focus on collocations, register and verb forms to sound natural and accurate.
Choose the correct sentence:
Hint: Check verb conjugation and the correct order for the phrasal verb.
He get along well with his colleagues.
He gets along well with his colleagues.
He gets well along with his colleagues.
He get along well with colleagues.
Correct!
The correct sentence uses subject-verb agreement ('gets') and the standard collocation 'get along with'.
Incorrect
The correct answer was: He gets along well with his colleagues.
The correct sentence uses subject-verb agreement ('gets') and the standard collocation 'get along with'.
Complete: She _____ up with her friends once a month.
Hint: Think of the phrasal verb used for updating one another on recent news.
Check
Correct!
'Catches up' is the present simple form of the phrasal verb 'catch up (with)', used for routine actions.
Incorrect
The correct answer was: catches up
'Catches up' is the present simple form of the phrasal verb 'catch up (with)', used for routine actions.
Which expression is most appropriate in a formal business email inviting colleagues to a reception?
Hint: Choose the most formal and polite phrasing suitable for colleagues.
Wanna join the reception?
Would you like to attend a networking reception?
Hey, come by the reception.
Let's hang out at the reception.
Correct!
Formal business invitations use polite, complete phrases such as 'Would you like to attend...'.
Incorrect
The correct answer was: Would you like to attend a networking reception?
Formal business invitations use polite, complete phrases such as 'Would you like to attend...'.