Leave-taking

Leave-taking is the final step in holding a conversation. Before taking a leave, people usually come out with some introductory phrases such as “I’m afraid, I must be going.” Only then do the words of parting follow. It is surprising how few people say “Good-bye” in Britain. Perhaps, there is something a bit final about it. Happily in English there are a great many ways of avoiding “Good-bye”. You can shorten it to “Bye-bye!”, “So long!”, or you can say “Cheerio!” or “See you later.” After that, you may ask the person you are parting with to remember you to his or her relatives or friends whom you know, or to give them your regards or best wishes.

There are other things to say such as “Must fly!”, for example. You can say, “Well, mustn’t keep you”, or “I’m off”, or “I’ll be getting along now.”

If it is night, and you are going to bed you will say, “Good-night!”, and this is indeed what most people say. But no one thinks of “Good night” as being final.

So in the UK one can hardly do without knowing the established rules of holding a conversation and the ABC of good manners of communicating with people.

Divide synonymous phrases according to the translation:

1. Я должен идти 2. До свидания

“I’m afraid, I must be going”, “So long!”, “Must fly!”, “Cheerio!”, “I’m off”, “Bye-bye!”, “I’ll be getting along now”, “See you later.”