Lesson Nine

Practising Language Skills

1. Introduction

2. Language Drills

2.1 Purpose of a Drill

2.2 Types of Drills

3. Language Practice

3.1 Language for Communication

3.2 Language for Socialising

4. Conclusion

--------------

55
1. Introduction
A major objective of a language course is to prepare the learners

for meaningful interaction, making them able to understand and

use language as it is used in a natural environment.
Language classes should provide opportunities for practising the

different language skills and coping with utterances containing

language they have not previously met.
2. Language Drills
2.1 Purpose of a Drill: The most common purpose of a drill is to involve

the students in the practice of language patterns. A drill allows the

students to hear a structure many times, which assists internalisation
of the language elements being taught.
2.2 Types of Drills
Repetition Drills
Step One: The Model: The teacher gives the model to be repeated
several times speaking clearly and naturally, using proper stress and
intonation.
Step Two: Whole Class Repetition or Choral Repetition: The teacher
asks the whole class to repeat the model several times until the students
are confident and can speak at the same speed as in the model.
Step Three: Half Class Repetition: The first half of the class repeats
then the other one.
Step Four: Small Group Repetition: By now, the students should be
confident in repeating in small groups of two or three students.
Step Five: Individual Repetition: At this point, the teacher checks the
pronunciation, stress and intonation of the patterns practised.
Step Six: Whole Class or Half Class Repetition: To end this activity,
the teacher asks for a couple of choral or half choral repetition to
involve everyone again.

56
 Substitution Drills: The student is required to replace one language

element by another one following specific directions.

Transformation Drills: The students are required to transform a sentence

by changing its structure. The transformation can be from the

affirmative to the negative, the interrogative to the passive, changes of
person or of tense.
Expansion Drills: The students are required to add new words given by

the teacher. This requires comprehension and grammatical sensitivity.

3. Language Practice

3.1 Language for Communication

Purpose: Speech is purposeful: we greet people, apologise, criticise,

enquire, inform and so on.

Unpredictability: We cannot guess the nature of most speech acts.

Slips and Hesitations: We cannot monitor our speech, as we do written

work when our utterances violate grammar rules of written language.

Moreover, speakers pause, repeat, rephrase, and use ums and ers as
they organise their thoughts.
Creativity: Fluent speakers understand and create novel utterances,

string words into new and quite novel sequences.

Spontaneity: Normally, we compose as we talk.

Economy: Words are not wasted: we take into account what others know

about a situation, avoiding redundancies.

Stress and Intonation: Through the music of language, we express

attitudes and feelings. We can even make changes of meaning evident

by the tone of voice.
Comprehension Checks: We look at people with whom we talk,

checking if they have understood. Often, there is a verbal check (right?

Y know? Know what I mean? Yeah?). The listener may nod or make
monosyllabic responses.

57
 Turn Taking: Speakers interact, signalling when they want to take over

the speech act or to surrender it. Often, the hand over is non-verbal, by
facial expression or gesture. Sometimes, it is by intonation.
3.2 Language for Socialising

Greetings and Farewells: Hello there, hi! Nice to see you, what a

terrible weather, nice day, lovely morning, evening all, bye, bye bye, must
be off, cheerio, see you soon/tomorrow.
Responding to Greetings: fine thanks, very well, pretty good, feeling

good, terrific, quite well, not too bad/good, a bit tired, not very well,
terrible, awful, Ive got a bit of a headache/a bad leg .
Enquiring about Health: How are you this lovely day? Everyone OK?

Feeling alright? Are you well? In good shape this afternoon?

Thanking: To acknowledge a favour, you can say Thanks a lot, thank

you very much, very nice, nice of you, most kind, good of you, that was
kind.
Praising: Good, well done, excellent, fine, jolly good, nice work, lovely

terrific, thats nice, I like that.

Seeking help: Please Miss/Sir, Excuse me Miss/ Sir. May I? Do you

mind if I? I dont understandWhat does mean? How do you say

in English?
4. Conclusion
Teachers should offer samples of natural usage if the students are to
develop an ability to listen and respond to speakers using the language
naturally.
In every lesson, there should be opportunities for fluency practice
through which the students will learn the strategies of interaction and
adopt the features of natural speech.
______________

58