Talking point: Relationships

This week's talking point is about relationships. Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below, so that ideas flow more easily when you meet up with your friends and you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand.

• Who are the closest people in your life?
• Why do you get on with them?
• Is your family spread out or do you live close to each other? Give details.
• Who would you lean on for help if you had a problem?
• How did you meet your best friend or your partner?
• Do you think there’s a perfect partner for everyone?
• How can a person find there perfect partner?
• Do you think arranged marriages can be as happy as love marriages? Give reasons.
• Why do you think so many marriages fail these days?
• To what extent do you think that marriage is a big decision?

To illustrate the point, you can watch the beginning of the Friends episode Speed dating. Click on this link to watch the clip on YouTube.

For Miranda, the only thing worse than being Charlotte's 34-year-old bridesmaid was being a 34-year-old bridesmaid without a date. With the wedding less than a week away, Miranda fell prey to the siren song of a New York singles event: Multi-dating. $20 bought you seven mini-dates, each eight minutes long which incidentally is about as long as most blind dates should be.
- Hi. I'm Miranda Hobbes.
- Dwight Owens. Private wealth group at Morgan Stanley Investment Management for high net-worth individuals and a couple of pension plans. Like my job, been there five years, divorced, no kids, not religious. I live in New Jersey, speak French and Portuguese, work in Business School. Any of this appealing to you?
- Sure. Portuguese, that's impressive.
- Obrigado. What about you, Mandy?
- Miranda. I'm a lawyer at a mid-sized firm. Actually, I was recently made partner.
- I'm a lawyer.
- I'm a lawyer. I went to Harvard Law School.
- I'm a stewardess.
- Really?