When a conversation goes quiet, do you sit happily in the silence or rush to fill it?

A natural way to answer

It depends who I'm with. With close friends a comfortable silence feels lovely, almost cosy. With strangers, though, I tend to jump in and fill the gap before it gets awkward.

Key phrases to use

• go quiet — become silent after talking; stop making noise“The room went quiet all of a sudden.”
• skin crawl — feel intense discomfort or unease“Awkward silences make my skin crawl.”
• comfortable silence — a quiet moment that feels relaxed, not awkward“We sat in a comfortable silence for a while.”
• get awkward — become uncomfortable or socially tense“I jump in before it gets awkward.”