REALLY Teaching Spoken EnglishCatherine MorleyBritish Council Las Rozas, Madrid

www.britishcouncil.org 1

Inverse translations

¿Sabes lo que te digo?

Inverse translations

Do you know what I mean?

Inverse translations

La reunión es a las 10, que yo sepa.

Inverse translations

The meeting’s at 10, as far as I know.

Inverse translations

En el peor de los casos, podemos cancelar la fiesta.

Inverse translations

If the worst comes to the worst, we can cancel the party.

Inverse translations

Se llama Peter, si bien me acuerdo.

Inverse translations

He’s called Peter, if I remember rightly.

Fluency….is partly a function of having a store of memorized phrases, or chunks, that act as ‘islands of reliability’ on which the speaker can momentarily rest while planning the next run.

How to Teach Speaking, Scott Thornbury, Pearson, 2005

Introduction

Fiona Mauchline‘Up close and personalised’ TESOLSpain 2015

It must be very strange

To support Real Madrid

It can’t be very easy to make friends

The way I see it it’s a shame

I don’t like the way they play the game

I imagine it’s a relief when it ends!

The main way we make our conversation sound natural is by using ‘gambits’. A gambit is a word or phrase which helps us to express what we are trying to say…..Gambits will make your English sound more natural, more confident and will make you easier to talk to. Above all, you will not be misunderstood.

Introduction to Conversation gambits, Eric Keller and Sylvia Warner, Language teaching publications, 1988

I’m afraid I don’t know.I’m sorry I don’t know.I haven’t a clue.I couldn’t tell you.I’m not sure.It’s totally slipped my mind.

Quiz rules!• 2 points for a correct answer• 1 point for correctly using one of the

phrases

I’m afraid I don’t know.

I’m sorry I don’t know.

I haven’t a clue.

I couldn’t tell you.

I’m not sure.

It’s totally slipped my mind.

Quiz

Q: Where were the 2004 Summer Olympics held?

Quiz

A: Athens

Quiz

Q: What is the capital of Nigeria?

Quiz

A: Abuja

Quiz

Q: When was the first email sent?

Quiz

A: 1971

Quiz

Q: What’s the longest river in Europe, and what country is it in?

Quiz

A: The Volga, Russia

Quiz

Q: What does a numismatist study or collect? 

Quiz

A: Coins

Phone dictations

I got up at 4 a.m. to put the finishing touches to this presentation, and now I’m exhausted.

Phone dictation

It serves you right.It’s your own fault.What did you expect?Perhaps that’ll teach you.You should have been more organised.You shouldn’t have left it to the last

minute.

Phone dictation

Feeling rough today

Got a fine for

speeding

Got lost on way back

to hotel last night

Got into trouble at

work

Am hungry….didn’t have breakfast

Your own

ideas!

That’s not _____ I said ___ ___. What I said was I sometimes feel like a change of scene.

I’ve no _____ who _____you that. I work 25 km from home so it wouldn’t be very practical.

_____ did you _____ that idea _____? I really like teaching primary kids.

That _____ isn’t _____. The _____ is, I put in my proposal at the last minute, but I was always planning to come.

That’s not what I said at all. What I said was I sometimes feel like a change of scene.

I’ve no idea who told you that. I work 25 km from home so it wouldn’t be very practical.

Where did you get that idea from? I really like teaching primary kids.

That just isn’t true. The fact is, I put in my proposal at the last minute, but I was always planning to come.

What’s this I heard about…….?

Someone told me that you……..

I heard that you…….

Someone said to me that you………

That’s not what I said at all. What I said was……..

I’ve no idea who told you that.

Where did you get that idea from?

That just isn’t true. The fact is……..

Discuss the statements with a partner. How far do you agree with them?

1. Students tend to find homework boring.2. Generally speaking, children are better language

learners than adults.3. Most people don’t realise how difficult it is to

learn another language.4. Adult students have a tendency to think their

English is better than it really is.5. On the whole, my students are keen to learn.6. In general, students don’t have enough contact

with English outside class.

Discuss the statements with a partner. How far do you agree with them?

1. Students ______ ___find homework boring.2. _______ _______, children are better language

learners than adults.3. _____ _____don’t realise how difficult it is to

learn another language.4. Adult students ____ __ _____ __think their

English is better than it really is.5. __ ___ _____, my students are keen to learn.6. ___ _____, students don’t have enough contact

with English outside class.

Phrases for exam speakingI wouldn’t say that.

What do you think about this one?

Let’s move on to the next one.

Do you agree?

What about you?

Yes, I think so too.

Shall we move on to the next one?

I know what you mean but….

That’s a good point.

I’m not sure about that.

Yes, you’re right.

Phrases for exam speaking

Involving your partner

Agreeing Disagreeing Moving on

Phrases for exam speaking

Involving your partner

Agreeing Disagreeing Moving on

What do you think about this one?

Yes, I think so too.

I know what you mean but….

Let’s move on to the next one.

Do you agree? Yes, you’re right.

I’m not sure about that.

Shall we move on to the next one?

What about you?

That’s a good point.

I wouldn’t say that.

Other ways to ‘force’ students to use this

language

• Grab cards• Discussion bingo

A word about recycling…….

• Inverse translations

• Students tick expressions used

• Wordle

• Points system for using chunks

• Phone dictations

• Students reconstruct words used by teacher

• Students reconstruct chunks after using them

• Fast dictation and categorising

• Monitor

• Grab cards

• Discussions bingo

• Task repetition

Catherine Morleyhttps://thinkingenglishblog.wordpress.com/ catherine.morley@britishcouncil.es

Bibliography

How to teach speaking, Scott Thornbury, Pearson, 2005

Conversation gambits, Eric Keller and Sylvia Warner, Language teaching publications, 1988