How conversation is organised

English · Speaking & Listening · ages 17-18

Name ______________________ Date ____________

What do you mark on a transcript before judging any pattern?
- Turns, overlaps, and pauses
- The funniest line
- The longest word
What is the first rebuild step with a fresh transcript?
- Correct every grammar slip
- Count the total words
- Name the participants and their goals
Fillers and repeats in chat are always mistakes.
Circle one: True False
In the trip transcript, who steers the talk and how do you know?
- Ben, because he speaks last
- Ana, because she opens each new topic
- Neither, because topics steer themselves
One speaker cuts in at every turn while the other yields. What does the pattern show?
- The topic is boring
- Who holds the floor
- Nothing at all
An interruption is data about roles and intent.
Circle one: True False
Ana steers early, then Ben starts topics and Ana builds on them. What is the verdict?
- Pure control by Ana throughout
- No organisation at all
- Control shifting into cooperation as the talk goes on
A student deletes all overlaps to clean a transcript. Why is that wrong?
- Tidiness is forbidden
- Overlaps are the data on who interrupts and yields
- Transcripts must stay long

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Turns, overlaps, and pauses · Careful marks turn talk into data you can trust.
Name the participants and their goals · Turns only make sense once you know who wants what.
False · They are craft: they buy time, stress points, or pass the turn.
Ana, because she opens each new topic · The topic log ties every shift to Ana, which reads as steering.
Who holds the floor · Repeated cuts plus yielding read as control of the floor.
True · Each cut shows who claims the floor and to what end.
Control shifting into cooperation as the talk goes on · The later shifts show shared work, so the mix changes over time.
Overlaps are the data on who interrupts and yields · Scrubbed marks erase the very pattern under study.