Rank your favourite parts of a celebration, from the bit you live for to the bit you could skip.

A natural way to answer

My favourite part is definitely the moment everyone first arrives, when the energy is high. After that I'd put the meal, then the dancing or games. The part I could happily skip is the tidying up afterwards.

Key phrases to use

• catch up — to exchange news with someone you haven't seen for a while“It was lovely catching up with old friends.”
• zone out — to stop paying attention and drift into your own thoughts“I zoned out during the long speech.”
• in full swing — at the busiest, liveliest stage of an event“By nine, the party was in full swing.”
• slip away — to leave quietly without drawing attention“We slipped away before the speeches.”