Category Archives: Functional language

Teaching advantages and disadvantages/ looking at both sides

Posted on 07/01/2014 by alexcase

I started teaching this just as an essay construction, then started adding the surprising number of useful phrases there are to talk about both sides of an argument, and the more generally useful things like concessive linking expressions that comes … Continue reading →

Posted in Giving opinions | Comments Off on Teaching advantages and disadvantages/ looking at both sides

32 longer phrases card games (TEFLtastic Classics Part 12 reprised)

Posted on 04/01/2014 by alexcase

One of the best games for expanding the range of students’ language. If you like anything here and want more, please support TEFLtastic.  This is one of the chief games in an upcoming article of mine in English Teaching Professional … Continue reading →

Posted in Functional language, TEFL games | Tagged | 1 Comment

Teaching supporting your arguments

Posted on 15/11/2013 by alexcase

My regular reader might remember that a year or so ago “my boom” (as we say in Japan) was getting students to use opinions phrases that were more complex and more attuned with their strength of their opinions. However, on the … Continue reading →

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Teaching sharing personal experiences

Posted on 07/10/2013 by alexcase

Even more than with giving opinions, sharing personal experiences is something we often ask students to do in class without spending much or any time on specifically giving them language to do so. Phrases that you could teach and practise … Continue reading →

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Teaching likes and dislikes/ preferences

Posted on 05/10/2013 by alexcase

Just written a nice big article on the topic and my page of games, photocopiables and songs on the topic has also become reasonably popular recently: How to teach the language of likes and dislikes/ preferences Likes and dislikes/ preferences … Continue reading →

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New language of speculation pages

Posted on 19/07/2013 by alexcase

11 worksheets and one article, with more to come: Speculating games and other photocopiables Modals of probability/ possibility/ deduction

Posted in Functional language, Modals of deduction, Modals of possibility probability | Comments Off on New language of speculation pages

Teaching turn taking (interrupting etc)

Posted on 28/05/2013 by alexcase

New stuff: Article How to teach turn taking Turn taking worksheets Make turn taking phrases from key words Interrupting key words cards speaking game Turn taking roleplays Turn taking politeness competition speaking game Other worksheets including turn taking Post-discussion discussion … Continue reading →

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20 politeness competition games (TEFLtastic Classics Part 13)

Posted on 14/05/2013 by alexcase

The most fun and intensive way of practising formality. If you like anything here and want more, please support TEFLtastic.  An easy to organise and fun game  for all kinds of polite language. Students choose one of the rude sentences … Continue reading →

Posted in Politeness, TEFL games | Tagged | 1 Comment

Teaching checking/ confirming/ clarifying

Posted on 07/05/2013 by alexcase

I seem to be starting all my articles with slight variations on “… is an important point which needs teaching more and/ or better”, but I really really mean it with phrases like “What does… mean?”, “Can you repeat that … Continue reading →

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Longer phrases games (TEFLtastic classics Part 12)

Posted on 02/04/2013 by alexcase

Updated version of this post with more worksheets and explanation here. In my endless quest to get students using higher level functional language, I invented this simple but popular game. Students match up beginnings and ends of useful phrases, then … Continue reading →

Posted in advice/ recommendations, English for Academic Purposes, Giving opinions, TEFL games | Tagged | Comments Off on Longer phrases games (TEFLtastic classics Part 12)