Topical vocabulary

General: to get acquainted with smb. (to become acquainted with smb.; to make smb. acquaintance; to make the acquaintance of smb.), an acquaintance, to have a nodding acquaintance with smb., to nod, to introduce smb. to smb., to be introduced to smb., to introduce oneself, to meet smb., to address, to know smb., to know by sight, a letter of introduction, a visiting (calling) card, to shake hands, to spell (one’s) name, to make a friendly chat, to make friends with smb., to make friends again.

Name: a name (a first name; a Christian name), a patronymic (middle) name, a surname (a second name; a family name; a last name), a namesake, a maiden name, a nickname, a pet name, to call, to call by first name, to call smb. after, to change one’s name back, to call smb. names.

Proper names: Ally, Andrew, Alice, Ann, Arthur, Barbara, Becky (Rebecca), Benny, Benson, Bernard, Bertha, Bessy, Betty, Bill, Bob, Charlie (Charles), Dan, Dick, Ed(dy), Edward, Elizabeth, Emma, Emily, Frank, George (Georgie), Harry, Helen, Howard, Irene, Jack, James, Jane, Jim, John, Joy, Kate, Kitty, Lena, Lily, Lucy, Manuel, Margaret, Mary, Meg(gy), May, Michael (Mike), Minnie (Minny), Ned, Nelly, Nelson, Nick, Nora, Pat, Paul, Pete (Peter), Philip (Phil), Polly, Robert, Roy, Sam (Samuel), Sheila, Sid, Ted(dy), Tim (Timothy), Tom (Thomas), Victor, Victoria, Violet.

People: an adult, a beginner, a bore, a boy(girl)-friend, a chatter-box, a classmate, a colleague, a coward, a deskmate, a fellow-student, a friend, a close (intimate) friend, a bosom friend, a groupmate, a grown-up, a hero, a host, a hostess, a lazy-bones, a liar, a neighbour, an orphan, a person, a sleepy-head, a pen-friend (a pen-pal), a roommate.

Age: to be born, to be born in the same generation, a birthday, the tenth/twentieth/thirtieth birthday, a nameday, to be sixteen years old, to be a sixteen-year-old boy, to be a man of sixty, to be seventy years of age, nearly sixteen, about twenty, under sixteen, over twenty, in one’s middle twenties (mid-thirties), long past forty, to be well into one’s forty, just out of one’s twenties, to be on the wrong (bad) side of forty, to be in the prime of life, to be on the right (good) side of forty, in one’s early forties, in one’s late forties, to be twenty seven on one’s next birthday, to be nearing (approaching) 50, to turn sixty, back in one’s second childhood, a teenager, to be in one’s “teens”, to be of military age, to be of age (under age), to age (fast/slow), a middle aged (elderly) person, an elderly lady/man, as old as the hills, to be of the same age, more than ten years older than, five years older/younger than, five years one’s senior/junior, no older than, double one’s age/twice one’s age, (less than) a year apart, to look one’s age, to look (much) older than, to carry one’s age well, to die, to die of an illness, to die for one’s country, to die in childbirth, to die in infancy, to (not) last till morning (May, next year), to live to be 86, to be of short-lived stock, to outlive smb. by (over) twenty years, to be sinking, to speak ill of the dead.

Origin, nationality: to have roots at (to be/to come from), a birthplace, a countryman (woman), a native tongue.

Useful phrases:

Have you met …? I don’t think you’ve met… Allow me to do the introductions. Allow me to introduce you to… May I introduce Mr./Mrs. … (formal) I’d like to introduce you to… I’d like you to meet… I want you to meet (less formal)… This is… Meet (AmE) (informal)… May I introduce myself. Let me introduce myself.

Conversational openings:

We met at…, didn’t we? Haven’t we met before? We’ve already been introduced. Could I have seen you somewhere? I fancy I’ve met you before. I have a feeling we’ve met before. Your face seems (so) familiar (to me). I’ve heard your name many times. I’ve heard so much about you.