Conversation Club

Exercises to improve your fluency

Sometimes our English students need help asking questions, especially critical questions that allow them to clarify concepts and better participate in conversations.

Foto: Referencial

One crucial skill that needs to be explicitly taught – after being informally modeled in class discussions – is asking for clarification. In fact, I consider the ability to ask appropriate follow-up questions a vital life skill.

So how do you clarify information? What questions do you ask as follow-up questions when you feel confused? Here are some simple exercises for students to make a general statements or bold claims, and support their opinion with some reasons. Proverbs and advertising slogans are great for this purpose.

• Sunshine promises happiness.
• Just do it
• Laugh and be well
• Bad luck can´t last forever
• You create your own luck
• Be bold

Yet these absolute statements require qualification and clarification, especially in the context of an academic discussion or intense conversation in a Conversational Club or meeting. Therefore, it’s natural you ask some practical clarifying questions in a friendly, open-minded way.

• What does that mean?
• Can you be more specific?
• Why do you think that?
• How did you reach that conclusion?
• Can you share some examples?
• What do you really mean?
• Can you clarify that for me?
• How does that statement apply to….?
• What are the implications of that statement?
• What are you implying?

If you’re a language student, this is useful for you, so practice with a friend, partner, teacher or pen-pal daily, but If you’re part of the big group of language students in Peru who doesn’t seem to find time, place and opportunity to do so, come to our CONVERSATIONAL CLUB, put your knowledge and skills in practice, details below…Cynthia/One to One International Language School PERU