conversation gambits

An excellent book to practice conversion:
Conversation Gambits: Amazon.co.uk: Eric Keller, Sylvia T. Warner: Books
Conversation Gambits: Real English Conversation Practices by Eric Keller — Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists
Conversation Gambits - EFL CLASSROOM 2.0

Here are the first chapters:

Another interesting list of such phrases:
ENGLISH CORNER: CONVERSATION GAMBITS
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