Class: 8
Lesson aim: to develop communication skills.
Sub-aims:
- to understand the using of polite structures;
- to practice politeness strategies;
- to improve communication skills;
- to practice speaking fluently.
I. Lead-in
Aim: to get SS involved, to lead into the topic of the lesson.
Warm-up: to introduce SS to the topic.
Different cultures have different attitudes towards space and time, speed of the information flow and messages transmitted. Those peculiarities of national mentality are usually reflected by the way people speak. For better communication it is very important to know politeness strategies of other nationalities and use them in oral speech.
II. Language work
Aim:
- to understand the using of polite structures;
- to practice politeness strategies;
- to improve communicative skills
1. Consider the examples illustrating some different ways of politeness strategies in English. Make the following sentences more polite.
Politeness strategies |
functions |
means of using |
direct |
indirect (SS’s answers) |
1. Distancing |
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| 1.1. Distancing tense forms | order / instruction | (Shall…/…? I thought…) | Open the books and start reading. | Will you open the books and start reading? |
| 1.1.1. Future Simple/ Past Simple | suggestion /order | Let’s go out for a meal downtown. | Shall we go out for a meal somewhere downtown? | |
| offering / accepting | That’s 10$. That’s OK. | That will be 10$. That will be OK. | ||
| 1.1.2. Continuous tenses: Present Continuous | request formulae | I’m V+ ing | Could you help me? | I’m hoping you could help me. |
| parting formulae | I look forward to seeing you soon. | I am looking forward to seeing you soon. | ||
| 1.2. Distancing modals | suggestion | Could / Would you like …, I’d prefer…, I’d like to.. It
would be better, |
I suggest a bar. | I’d suggest a bar. |
| 1.2.1. Set question formulae and verbal structures | Inquiry | What do you want to drink? | What would you like to drink? | |
| request formulae | Can you give me more details? | Could you give me more details? | ||
| 1.2.2. Conditional and Subjunctive expressions | Desire | We want a table in the corner. | We’d prefer a table in the corner. | |
| suggestion / advice | We should better go to a cafe. | It would be better if we went to a cafe. | ||
2. Presupposition |
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| 2.1. Understatement through down toning information 2.1.1. Minimizing adverbs, fillers and Verbs of intention |
criticizing | Adverbs( just, only, a bit, a little..) | The room is overcrowded. | The room is a little/ a bit overcrowded. |
| 2.2. Understatement through negation. 2.2.1. Explicit negation |
greeting | Adverbs (very, too, quite, so...) | – How are you? – I’m not well. |
– Not so well, thank you. |
| 2.2.2. Implicit and double negation | statement | Adverbs (hardly, barely, It’s not unfair = It’s fair) | – It is possible. | – It is not impossible. |
| 2.3. Overstatement through intensification 2.3.1. Emphasizing 2.3.2. Exaggerating |
gratitude | Adverbs (how, so, too, extremely...) | – Thank you. | – I’m so grateful! |
| sympathy | – I am sorry. | – I am so sorry! | ||
| greeting formulae | – I’m well, thank you. | – I’m fine, thank you. | ||
| complimenting | – You’re good / kind. | – You’re so good / too kind. | ||
3. Keep-the conversation-going |
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| 3.1. Answering techniques 3.1.1. Expending through emphasizing and softening |
accepting | Of course, I’m afraid of, I think so… | – Will you join us at the party? – Yes. |
– Yes, of course, |
| refusing | – Are you going to the meeting? – No. |
– No, I’m afraid , not. I’m likely to be busy. | ||
| 3.2. Attention signals. | delight/ concern/ disbelief |
Great!/ Awful!/Impossible! What a …, |
silence | Great!/ Awful!/Impossible! |
| interest/ surprise/ sympathy | What a beautiful sight!/ What a surprise!/ What a pity! | |||
2. The replies (in italics) in these eight conversations are not very polite. Find a polite way of saying each one. You can find all of them in the table.
1. Shall I make some spaghetti? – I don’t like spaghetti. (I don’t
really like spaghetti.)
2. Is Mr. Jonson ready to see me? – Wait a minute. (Just a moment, please.)
3. Would you like to come to my party on Saturday? – No. (I’d love to, but I
can’t.)
4. Do you mind if I smoke? – Yes. I do mind. (I’d rather, you didn’t.)
5. Are you free this evening? – No. (I’m afraid not.)
6. Which would you prefer – tea or coffee? – I don’t care. (I don’t
mind.)
7. Do you like R’N’B? – Not much. (Not really.)
8. I’d like to see Mr. Smith? – He’s out. (I’m afraid, he is out.)
moment |
a |
Just |
take |
please |
please |
I |
seat |
a |
I’d |
mind |
don’t |
afraid |
I’m |
rather |
really |
Not |
he’s |
didn’t |
you |
afraid |
I’m |
out |
I’d |
I |
not |
but |
to |
love |
don’t |
can’t |
I |
spaghetti |
like |
really |
3. Match the phrases of the dialogues.
| 1) Hello, could you show me the menu, please? 2) Are you ready to order? 3) It’s a lovely day! Shall we play tennis? 4) What would you like to drink? 5) Excuse me. Can you tell me the time, please? 6) How are you? 7) Two cheese and tomato pizzas, please. 8) Here you are. That’ll be ₤2.50, please. |
a) I’ll have pure orange juice. b) Oh no! It’s too hot to play tennis. c) Thank you very much. d) Yes, of course. e) Here it is. f) Certainly. They’ll be ready in ten minutes. g) Yes, of course. It’s about six o’clock. h) Not so well, thank you. I’ve got a high fever. |
1 – e, 2 – d, 3 – b, 4 – a, 5 – g, 6 – h, 7 – f, 8 – c
4. Put the lines of the conversation in the correct order.
– Hello. A return to Bristol, please. (1)
– A day return. (3)
– How do you want to pay? (4)
– OK, thanks very much. Goodbye. (11)
– Here’s your change and your ticket. (8)
– You want platform 1 over there. (10)
– Here’s a twenty-pound note. (7)
– Day return or period return? (2)
– Cash, please. (5)
– That’s eighteen pounds. (6)
– Thank you. Which platform is it? (9)
III. Speaking
Aim: to practice speaking fluently.
Practice the conversation with a partner.
– Ask politely the way to the bank.
– Ask politely for some food.
– Buy politely a T-shirt.
IV. Follow-up
Aim: to give feedback to SS
To sum up, T sets home task (suggest what to do when the weather is good or bad), finishes the lesson.