Choosing conversation strategies
Choose holding phrases, clarification requests, follow-up questions and sentence repairs in written situations. Recognise when to respect a pause or end a chat. These questions assess strategy choices, not speaking in a new language.
What a learner can do afterwards
- Recognise when a holding phrase, pause or clarification request fits a written situation
- Choose relevant follow-up questions and topic links from supplied replies
- Identify a sentence repair or respectful ending that fits a written situation
1 · Read
These written situations help you choose conversation strategies; the questions do not test speaking in a new language. If you tried the listening lesson, its checking strategies may help here. In a chat, listen before choosing a follow-up connected to the reply. Open questions invite explanations. Yes-or-no questions can check details too.
For thinking time, use a holding phrase such as 'Let me think.' A brief pause is fine too. Ask your teacher for a phrase in the language you are learning. For missing information, request a repeat: 'Could you repeat the meeting time?' A shared language can help when needed. These English examples show the strategies.
If your sentence becomes unclear, pause and restart the part you need to change. You might say 'I mean...' before giving the intended message. For example: 'I went on Monday. I mean, I went on Wednesday.' The repair changes the day. Ask for help if you still cannot express your meaning.
A related detail can lead to a new topic. Someone mentions growing beans. 'That reminds me of our school garden' connects their topic to yours. Explain the connection rather than using the phrase before an unrelated story. A bridge offers a topic; it does not guarantee interest.
Respond to what you heard before sharing your own news. Acknowledge a detail or ask about it. Prepared questions can help you start, but adapt them to the reply. Ask for information the speaker has not already given. A question's opening word alone does not tell you whether it invites an explanation.
Leave space for the other person to reply. You do not have to fill every pause or make every chat last longer. If someone says they need to leave or wants to stop, respect that. A short goodbye can end the conversation kindly.
Listen and take turns. Ask relevant follow-ups, use thinking time or clarification, repair unclear messages and respect a wish to stop.
Original lesson, questions and flashcards about choosing conversation strategies, written for this learning dataset.
Four original readings and six flashcards about conversation strategies, written for this learning dataset.
More to read
Find the next question in the reply
When someone answers, notice a detail you could ask about. If they mention making a model, ask what they used or how they chose its shape. A useful follow-up connects to the answer and asks for information not already given.
Open questions invite explanations. Yes-or-no questions can help check a detail too. Prepared questions may help you begin, but listen before choosing the next one. The other person can decline a question. You can change the topic or let the conversation end.
Thinking time or clarification?
Sometimes you understand a question but need time to plan your reply. You can pause or use a holding phrase taught by your teacher. 'Let me think' is an English example.
At other times, you need help understanding what was said. Ask for the part you missed: a time, a name or a phrase. A repeat or explanation may help. These are different requests, so choose the one that matches your need. If you and your partner share another language, you can use it for support when needed. Your partner may need pauses and clarification too.
Change the message you meant to change
Suppose you say the wrong day while arranging a game. Pause and state the intended day. Finish the message so the listener knows what you mean. You do not need to restart the whole conversation.
A phrase such as 'I mean Thursday' signals a repair in English. Ask your teacher for a suitable phrase in the language you are learning. Check whether the listener understood the changed detail. If you cannot find the words, ask for help or try a shorter sentence. The aim is to make the message clearer.
Leave room for another turn
Respond to a detail in someone's news before adding your own. You might acknowledge what happened or ask a related question. If you introduce a connected topic, explain the connection so the listener can follow it.
Leave time for a reply. A pause does not have to be filled, and a conversation does not have to keep getting longer. If someone says they need to leave or wants to stop, accept that. A short goodbye lets the conversation end without another question or story delaying them.
2 · Watch
به انگلیسیTake it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
Nothing; this is a starting point.
Optional connections
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.