Social Occasions

Parties and celebrations are the reflection of how people socialize and network. Socializing is meeting people for pleasure; networking is meeting people, who can be useful for you in business or career. Networking at parties involves exchanging business cards and establishing useful connections. When people socialize only with those, who are important for business or career, they hobnob (usually used negatively). People also rub shoulders when they are at the party with someone who is famous.

Many people love holidays for the chance to socialize — to go out or entertain guests at home. The social occasions are divided into personal or informal, when a family, friends or colleagues gather to celebrate or just to relax, and public or formal, which are held on a wider scale.

Informal gatherings include:

office party — an evening or afternoon party organised by your place of work. It could include lunch, or drinks, or a “secret Santa” where each employee anonymously buys a present for another employee;

a housewarming party — to celebrate moving to a new house or flat;

family gathering — when family members meet for lunch, dinner, or the whole day;

informal drinks — an informal party at your house where you serve drinks and snacks;

a drink-up — a party in a pub organised by your colleagues or friends;

pub quiz night — when a group of friends go to the pub to take part in a quiz. They organise themselves into teams, and try to get the most answers right to win a prize;

a game party (e.g. bingo) — where people buy a card with numbers on it, then listen to an announcer reading out numbers. If you hear your numbers, you call “Bingo!” and win a money prize;

pyjamas (sleep-over) party — when the teenagers are invited to stay for a night or weekend at the home of a host;

a hen party / a girls’ night out — informal gathering of women;

a stag party — a party before a wedding for the future husband and his male friends;

a pool party — a party in summer by the pool.

More formal gatherings include:

a black tie or a white tie event — a formal party where men wear bow ties;

cocktail party — a party in the early evening, where people dress quite formally for drinks;

fundraising event / charity do — “do” is a more informal way of saying “event”. At these events, the aim is to raise money for a worthwhile cause. Often they involve a formal dinner, well-known speakers, or a raffle/auction (where people bid to buy an object);

fancy-dress party — a party where everyone wears a costume on a particular theme;

a ball — a formal evening occasion where people dance. For example, a fancy-dress ball is a more formal equivalent to a fancy-dress party;

dinner dance — an old-fashioned, quite formal occasion, where couples eat dinner, then dance waltzes etc.

I often attend…	I sometimes go to…	I have never visited…

Дата добавления: 2014-11-08