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Hello and welcome to Six Minute English.
I'm Neil.
And I'm Dan.
Now then, Dan, do you ever feel awkward?
Awkward.
Yes, feeling uncomfortable, embarrassed, or self-conscious in a social situation with something isn't quite right.
Mmm, sometimes.
I remember always feeling very awkward watching TV with my parents if there was an explicit love scene, you know, people canoodling.
Oh, yes.
Me too.
And that feeling of awkwardness is what we're looking at in today's six minute English and how it's all connected to social rules.
Social rules are the unspoken rules which we follow in everyday life.
The way we interact with other people, and particularly with strangers.
Yes, for example, if you're waiting at a bus stop, it's okay to talk about the weather to a stranger.
But it would be very awkward if you broke that social rule by asking them about,
oh, I don't know, how much money they earned.
Oh, yes, that would be wrong, couldn't it?
And we'll find out about another awkward situation on the underground railway later in the program.