If you could instantly mend one strained relationship in your life with no awkwardness, which would it be?

A natural way to answer

I'd choose an old friend I drifted away from after a misunderstanding. Nothing dramatic happened, but the silence hardened over time, and I'd love to undo that quietly without having to dredge up the whole thing.

Key phrases to use

• fell out — stopped being friendly with someone after an argument or disagreement“We fell out over something I barely remember now.”
• back down — to admit you were wrong or stop insisting on your position in an argument“Neither of them would back down.”
• drifted away from — gradually became less close to someone without any clear falling-out“I slowly drifted away from my school friends.”
• dredge up — to bring up something unpleasant from the past that was better forgotten“There's no point dredging up old arguments.”
• tiptoe around — to deal with a sensitive subject or person very carefully to avoid upset“We all tiptoe around the topic of the divorce.”