Part A: Complete the sentences with a part of speech from the same word family as the

previous slide word in brackets.

1. He’s very upset so you’re going to need to use a lot of __________ when you talk to
him. (tactful)
2. When I asked if he thought there were going to be any redundancies, he gave a very
__________ answer as if he didn’t want to tell me the truth. (direct)
3. I think their salespeople act very __________ and say their products can do things
that they can’t. (dishonest)
4. She always tells people how much she loves her job, but I know she’s unhappy. I
don’t know why she behaves so __________. (superficial)
5. His presentation __________ everyone into thinking that sales are a lot higher than
they really are. (misleading)
6. OK. You’ve __________ me. I will come to the conference with you, but I hope
you’re right about how useful it will be. (persuasive)
7. I don’t want to __________ you from applying for the job, but there are over 200
applicants. (encouraging)
8. Don’t hesitate to come to me with any questions you have. I’m here to __________
you. (supportive)

Part B: Now quickly read through the article below and complete the gaps with the correct
word
There’s an area of English that is quite difficult for even high-level students to master: how
to be diplomatic. There will be certain times in our lives when we are communicating with
someone because we want them to do something for us. Those in the legal profession and in
business will be familiar with the need to be __________, convincing someone to do what
you want them to do, sometimes even if they aren’t keen on the idea. There will be other
situations where a family member or friend has made a mistake or maybe done something
outright stupid and we need to talk to them about it. In these situations, we may need to be
__________ without ignoring the problem, or their role in creating it. Similarly, we may find
ourselves needing to be __________ with someone who feels like a failure.

However, what is and isn’t seen as diplomatic can vary greatly from country to country, and
not least, within the English-speaking world itself. Typically, speakers of British English will
often find native speakers of American English to be uncomfortably __________ in their
manner, stating exactly what they want quite briefly. Where an American might ask for
something in an email of one sentence, a Brit might take two or three sentences. When it
comes to describing people and situations, Americans often use superlative terms which can
sound __________ to the British ear. A situation that an American would describe as
‘awesome’ would be ‘not too bad’ to their British colleague. Of course, this situation works
both ways. What is intended to be thoughtful language by a Brit to make a challenging
situation more comfortable, can be seen as __________ and possibly even __________ to
an American.

So, if there can be differences in the way native speakers express themselves, then surely
this presents some difficulty for the non-native speaker? To give a diplomatic answer: yes
and no. The good news is that there are clear grammatical rules to help make your English
less direct and more comfortable for the reader or listener to receive. Such tricks as the use
of the passive, using a past tense as well as certain modal verbs such as might, may and
could are commonly used to convey tact. Beyond this, it’s useful to make a note of how
native speakers navigate difficult situations and the language they use. If you find yourself in
a diplomatic situation with a native speaker, you can do worse than mirroring the language
that they use with you. If they are direct, be direct. If they are using a lot of words, try to
understand the point that they are really making and be happy that they are trying very hard
to be as __________ as possible.