Here’s another of our vocab videos from our TikTok channel, this time we’re looking at 5 ways to say goodbye. If you enjoy this video, come join us on TikTok!
https://www.tiktok.com/@2tspod
2Ts Video: 5 Ways to Say Goodbye
Tag: pragmatics
2Ts Video: 5 Ways to Agree
Here’s another of our vocab videos from our TikTok channel, this time we’re looking at 5 ways to agree with somebody. If you enjoy this video, come join us on TikTok!
https://www.tiktok.com/@2tspod
Classroom Pragmatics: Arriving Late & Leaving Early
This is the first in a new series of classroom pragmatics lesson plans designed to help develop students’ pragmatic competence in specific social interactions that take place in the classroom. In this case, how to apologise for arriving late and how to request to leave early. Download the handout with key below:
First students rate a good and a bad apology/request. Then they must break the apology/request down into separate functions or speech acts, then practice making their own apologies and requests in a role-play. This should prepare them for the real-life interaction if/when it arises.
Late Arrival
- What should you do if you arrive late to class?
Rate this late arrival:
Teacher: What time do you call this?
Student: Sorry I’m late, …. traffic ….., I was eating, lost the bus.”
Now this one:
Teacher: What time do you call this?
Student: Hi Tim, I’m really sorry for being late. It’s my fault, you see, I was having lunch with my friends and I lost track of time. It won’t happen again.
Identify the different stages:
- Greeting
- Initial apology
- Accept responsibility/place blame
- Give explanation
- Promise action
Useful language
| Initial apology | Accept responsibility |
| I’m really sorry for ….ingApologies for ….ingI apologise profusely for ….ing | It’s (all) my fault…I’m to blame…It’s on me… |
| Introduce explanation or excuse | Promise action |
| You see,…It’s just that…What happened was… | It won’t happen again.I’ll try harder to …. next time.I promise I’ll/I won’t… |
Role-play
https://rolladie.net/roll-a-d20-die – roll a 20-sided die to choose your excuse then role-play the situation with your partner.
Excuse Table
| I overslept. My last class/meeting overran. I lost track of time. I missed the bus and had to wait for the next one. I got stuck in traffic. The metro line was down. I got distracted. I had a (dentist’s) appointment. My (pet/family member) was sick. I lost my (bag/phone/etc.) | My bag got stolen. I fell over/tripped and hurt my (ankle/knee) I had a car/bike/motorbike accident. My car/bike/motorbike broke down. My house/flat got burgled/broken into. A water pipe burst in my house/flat. I got held up at the (doctor’s/dentist’s/bank) I got caught in the rain/snow. I got splashed by a puddle. There’s been a death in the family. |
Leaving Early
- How would you ask the teacher if you can leave early?
Rate this request:
Student: I have to leave early today. I have to go to the dentist. Here you have a note from my dad.
Now this one:
Student: Hi Tim, would it be ok if I left early today? I’ll only miss the last 20 minutes of class. The thing is, I have a dentist’s appointment at 3 o’clock, it’s the only slot they had. I’ll get the notes off María before next class and if you could let me know the homework, that’d be great.
Identify the different stages:
- Greeting
- Initial request
- Softening
- Introduce reason
- Promise action/mitigation
| Polite Requests | Introducing explanations |
| Would it be of if + past simpleWould it be possible to + inf.Do you think I could + verb…? | The thing is,…It’s just that,….You see,…. |
Role-play
https://rolladie.net/roll-a-d10-die – roll a 10-sided die to choose your excuse then role-play the situation with your partner. Think of ways to soften the request (I’ll only miss 20 minutes of class)
Excuse Table
| It’s your (family member’s) birthday. You have a big sporting event. You have an important exam tomorrow morning. You have a flight/train to catch. You have a dentist’s appointment. You have a doctor’s appointment. You have an appointment at the hairdresser’s. You have an important business meeting. You have to go home to look after your kids/younger siblings. You have an important family dinner. |
KEY – ARRIVING LATE
Teacher: What time do you call this?
Student: Hi Tim, I’m really sorry for being late. It’s my fault, you see, I was having lunch with my friends and I lost track of time. It won’t happen again.
Identify the different stages:
- Greeting
- Initial apology
- Accept responsibility/place blame
- Give explanation
- Promise action
LEAVING EARLY
Student: Hi Tim, would it be ok if I left early today? I’ll only miss the last 20 minutes of class. The thing is, I have a dentist’s appointment at 3 o’clock, it’s the only slot they had. I’ll get the notes off María before next class and if you could let me know the homework, that’d be great.
Identify the different stages:
- Greeting
- Initial request
- Softening
- Introduce reason
- Promise action/mitigation
Pragmatics: Everyday Interactions – Contrastive Analysis
This is a lesson plan designed to help Spanish speaking students sound more natural in lots of common, everyday interactions. Download the handout and PowerPoint below:
Students do some contrastive analysis of some high frequency expressions in English and Spanish in order to identify some common errors and put the more natural English expressions into practice.
Everyday English: Contrastive Analysis
Contrastive Analysis
Work with a partner.
Complete the second column with direct translations or common mistakes that Spanish speakers make with these expressions.
| Spanish | Direct Translation/Common Mistake | English Equivalent |
| ¡Hasta ahora! ¡Igualmente! ¿Cuánto tiempo? ¿Qué tal? ¡Que vaya bien! ¡Que te lo pases bien! ¡Aquí lo tienes! No te escucho. ¿Qué pasa? No pasa nada ¿Puedes repetir? ¿Cuánto falta para…? Estoy de acuerdo Una cosa/una pregunta | Until now! …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… | …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… |
Now complete the third column with the more natural English equivalent.
Buzzer Game
Cut out the situation cards below. Put the cards face down in a pile. Turn over one card, the first person to say the appropriate expression for that card takes the card and scores one point. Keep playing until all the cards have been used.
| Your housemate is going to the shop, they will be back in 5 minutes. What do you say to them? | Your co-worker says “have a good weekend!” as they leave the office. What do you say to them? |
| Your partner is leaving to go to an important job interview. What do you say to them? | You work in a coffee shop. You hand a customer their cup of coffee. What do you say to them? |
| You put your hand up in English class, you want to ask the teacher a question. What do you say to them? | You see an old friend from school you haven’t seen for a long time. What do you say to them? |
| You’re speaking on the phone but there is loud music playing. You don’t understand what they’re saying because of the noise. What do you say to them? | You get home and see that one of your children is crying. What do you say to them? |
| Your friend tells you that they’re going to Disneyland this weekend. What do you say to them? | Your friend says sorry for arriving late to meet you for lunch. You don’t mind that they’re late. What do you say to them? |
| Your teacher says something very quickly and you don’t understand. What do you say to them? | You’re having a debate at work and you have the same opinion as your co-worker. What do you say to them? |
| You see your friend in the morning and you want to know how they are. What do you say to them? | You’re bored at school and you want to know when you will be allowed to go to the playground. What do you say to the teacher? |
Key
| Spanish | Direct Translation/Common Mistake | English Equivalent |
| ¡Hasta ahora! ¡Igualmente! ¿Cuánto tiempo? ¿Qué tal? ¡Que vaya bien! ¡Que te lo pases bien! ¡Aquí lo tienes! No te escucho. ¿Qué pasa? No pasa nada ¿Puedes repetir? ¿Cuánto falta para…? Estoy de acuerdo Una cosa/una pregunta | Until now!/See you now! Equally! How much time? What such? That it go well. That you pass it well. Here you have. I don’t listen you. What happens? Happens nothing Can you repeat? How much is left for…? I am agree One thing/one question | See you in a bit/sec Same to you! Long time, no see! How’s it going? Hope it goes well. Have fun! Here you go/Here’s…. I can’t hear you. What’s up? What’s wrong? No worries/problem. Sorry, I didn’t catch that. How much longer until…? I agree. I have a question/doubt |
Buzzer Game
| Your housemate is going to the shop, they will be back in 5 minutes. What do you say to them? See you in a bit/sec | Your co-worker says “have a good weekend!” as they leave the office. What do you say to them? You too! |
| Your partner is leaving to go to an important job interview. What do you say to them? Hope it goes well | You work in a coffee shop. You hand a customer their cup of coffee. What do you say to them? Here you go/Here’s your coffee |
| You put your hand up in English class, you want to ask the teacher a question. What do you say to them? I have a question/doubt | You see an old friend from school you haven’t seen for a long time. What do you say to them? Long time, no see! |
| You’re speaking on the phone but there is loud music playing. You don’t understand what they’re saying because of the noise. What do you say to them? I can’t hear you | You get home and see that one of your children is crying. What do you say to them? What’s wrong? |
| Your friend tells you that they’re going to Disneyland this weekend. What do you say to them? Have fun! | Your friend says sorry for arriving late to meet you for lunch. You don’t mind that they’re late. What do you say to them? No worries/problem |
| Your teacher says something very quickly and you don’t understand. What do you say to them? Sorry, I didn’t catch that | You’re having a debate at work and you have the same opinion as your co-worker. What do you say to them? I agree |
| You see your friend in the morning and you want to know how they are. What do you say to them? How’s it going? | You’re bored at school and you want to know when you will be allowed to go to the playground. What do you say to the teacher? How long / How much longer until play time? |
Exams Catalunya Online Conference 2022
There’s just one week to go before the Exams Catalunya Conference takes place. Check the link above for information on all the webinars that make up the programme. The theme of this year’s conference is “Navigating the ‘new normality’ of the ELT classroom” and there’s a range of great webinars and online plenaries.
I will be giving a session on Pragmatics and natural English on Friday 18th February at 10:00 Spanish time. Check out the link for details and I hope to see you there!
2Ts in a Pod: Lesson Plan – Coincidences
This is a listening activity for B1+ students based around an extract from episode 11 of our podcast on the topic of Small World Stories and Coincidences. Download all the materials below:
- 2Ts Coincidence Powerpoint
- 2Ts Coincidence Transcript
- 2Ts Coincidence Teacher’s Notes
- 2Ts Coincidence Student Handout
- Audio File
Lead-in
Use the first slide on the PowerPoint to introduce the topic and have students predict what kind of coincidences two identical twins separated at birth could have experienced.
1st Listen
Students listen and try to write down all the coincidences they hear then compare in partners and listen again if necessary. Task check using PowerPoint slide:
- Both called James
- Both grew up to be police officers
- Both marry a Linda
- Both had sons called James Alan/Allan
- Both had a dog called Toy
- Both remarried women called Betty
2nd Listen
Students listen again and write down expressions for expressing surprise:
- What???
- Seriously??
- No way!
- You’re shitting me!
- That’s mental!
- How bizarre!
3rd Listen: Decoding
Students listen to the first section again and fill in the gaps with elements of connected speech:
Key:
I’ve got some coincidence stories that have happened in the world. This one’s a good one. Right. So, as I mentioned I studied psychology at University so I’d, I’d heard about these guys. This is an article that I found on boredpanda.com. And it’s called “10+ crazy coincidences that are hard to believe actually happened”. So here’s the thing. There’s two twins who were separated at birth.
Speaking
Students think of a surprising story or event from their own lives and write down 6 key words needed to tell the story. They then tell the story to their partner who reacts using the expressions. Teacher gives feedback/error correction, then they swap partners and repeat the exercise having taken the feedback on board.
Macmillan’s free online resources are amazing!!
Thanks to my colleague Raquel Gomez for introducing me to Macmillan’s amazing database of resources:
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/learn/english-language-resources.html
She focused specifically on the pragmatics section in a seminar she recently gave in my school. She ran an experiment last year using the materials to boost scores for FCE and CAE speaking exams so I’m going to try them out for myself today, starting with this one on agreeing and disagreeing: