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In English there are different types of social interactions which we use for different purposes. Here are some of the most common types:

Conversations

A conversation is a social interaction in which we get to know others and build relationships with them. For example a conversation over lunch:

Lara:	What's that?
Clare:	Mango juice
Lara:	Yeah but their mango juice is quite ... Is it expensive?
Clare:	It's about fifteen dollars. Yeah it is.

Classroom interaction

In the classroom we have social interactions in which we learn from and with others, eg teachers and classmates:

Miss Lee:	What happens when we put the south pole of a magnet with a north pole?
Kitty:	They stick together.
Miss Lee:	That's right. They attract. Good.

Shopping

When we go shopping we use social interactions in order to buy things, eg some new clothes, or to buy a service, eg an Internet connection. Here a child is buying some stationery:

Child:	Can I have these please?
Shop assistant:	Yes of course. This one is ten dollars, and fifty for this. Sixty all together. Thank you.
Child:	Thank you.

Telephone calls

We make telephone calls when we want to have a social interaction with someone who is in a different place. We can use telephone calls to have a conversation, do our shopping, give someone directions or an invitation. We can even do more than one of these things in the same social interaction. For example a telephone call to a friend:

Lara:	Hello
Clare:	Hi Lara
Lara:	Hi
Clare:	Um, so how was your holiday?
Lara:	It was fun.

Directions

Often we use social interactions to give people directions, for example, to tell them how to find a place, eg a school or someone's home, or how to achieve a goal, eg cook rice. her a child is giving directions to her school:

Well, you get on the ferry and then you ... um ... get off the ferry when you get there, and then you ... um ... walk up the hill to the bus stop and then the bus'll take you there ...

Invitations

Invitations are social interactions in which we make someone an offer to join us in an activity, eg a party or an outing. Informal invitations are often spoken, either face-to-face or over the telephone. If an invitation is spoken, we can respond immediately.

More formal invitations are often written in a special format. If we receive a written invitation, we often respond by telephoning or by writing a polite acceptance or refusal. Here is an example an invitation to an outing over the telephone:

Naomi:	Do you want to come to the cinema with me tomorrow to watch "Shrek"?
Lara:	Oh that would be lovely.