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Things to do when you interrupt

A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS

Different kinds of phrases for interrupting classification and card games.

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Lesson Plan Content:


Things to do when you interrupt card games

Instructions for teachers

Cut up one set of cards per group of two to four students and divide each set of cards into a pack of phrases and a pack of headings.

Give out just the phrases cards and ask students to divide them into three categories, first of all without any hint of what the categories might be. If they get stuck, you can tell them that the three categories should the same size and/ or give out the main category cards (1, 2 and 3). 

Ask students to split those categories into sub-categories, then those sub-categories into smaller sub-categories, again telling them how many cards to put into each set and/ or giving out the heading cards to help if they get stuck.

After students check their answers as a class or with a copy of the worksheet, they can test each other by:

  • Reading out a list of phrases until their partner guesses the function
  • Reading out phrases from two different sections for their partner to describe the difference between
  • Reading out the name of a category and helping their partner make suitable phrases for it

They can then do speaking practice with the same phrases by:

  • Dealing out the phrases cards and trying to use the phrases during group discussion
  • Dealing out a set of functions cards and trying to use phrases with those functions during discussion, making sure that they use a different phrase each time
  • Dealing out the sorry cards and using as many different phrases with that word as they can during the speaking
  • Choosing and discussing the topics given (with or without cards to prompt them to use the language)

 

Cards to cut up/ Suggested answers 

 

1) Interrupting and giving opinions

 

 

1a) Interrupting and disagreeing

 

 

1ai) Interrupting and disagreeing directly/ strongly

 

 

Sorry but do you really mean (to say that)…?

 

 

Sorry but I can’t believe my ears.

 

 

Sorry but I don’t understand how you can say that.

 

 

1aii) Interrupting and disagreeing politely/ indirectly

 

 

Probably, but my own experience of this is…

 

 

Sure, I understand what you are saying, but I’d say that…

 

 

Yeah, I see what you mean, but isn’t it also true that…

 

 

 

1b) Interrupting and agreeing

 

 

1bi) Interrupting and adding to what your partner said

 

 

Undoubtedly. In fact, I’d say that…

 

 

Absolutely. What’s more,…

 

 

Quite right. In fact, I’d go further and say…

 

 

1bii) Agreeing and ending discussion of that point

 

 

Yeah, sure. I think we all agree on this.

 

 

Okay (name), I think you’ve about covered that.

 

 

Well, I think that about says it all.

 

 

 

2) Interrupting and checking/ clarifying

 

 

2a) Interrupting and checking something about what the other person said

 

 

2ai) Interrupting and checking what you think you heard/ understood

 

 

So, (if I understand you correctly), what you’re saying is…(?)

 

 

Sorry, just to (double) check that I get what you are saying, do you mean…?

 

 

Sorry, did you say…?

 

 

2aii) Interrupting and showing that you didn’t understand

 

 

Sorry, I’m not quite clear about…

 

 

Sorry, could you run that by me again? I’m not quite sure that I understand…

 

 

Sorry, could you clarify (exactly)…?

 

 

 

2b) Interrupting and confirming something about what you said

 

 

2bi) Interrupting and telling your partner that they misheard/ misunderstood

 

 

Sorry, I think you’ve got the wrong end of the stick. What I mean is…

 

 

Sorry, I think you misunderstood my point. To put it another way,…

 

 

(Sorry), actually that’s not quite what I said. (It’s not that…, it’s that…)

 

 

2bii) Interrupting and explaining yourself more/ better

 

 

Sorry, I don’t think I explained myself very well.

 

 

Sorry, (I didn’t mean to say…,) what I should have said was…

 

 

Sorry, (that was a slip of the tongue). What I meant (to say) was…

 

 

 

3) Interrupting and controlling the topic

 

 

3a) Interrupting and changing topic

 

 

3ai) Interrupting and going off topic/ digressing

 

 

By the way, that reminds me. I should have mentioned that…

 

 

Sorry, this might be off topic, but…

 

 

Sorry, going off topic for just a second, I need to say…

 

 

3aii) Interrupting and moving onto the next (main) topic

 

 

Sorry, we’ll have to deal with that another time. The next thing we need to discuss is…

 

 

Sorry, we don’t seem to be getting anywhere with that point. Shall we move onto…?

 

 

Well, we seem to be going round in circles with that, so let’s have a look at…

 

 

 

3b) Interrupting and getting back on topic

 

 

3bi) Requests to get back on topic/ Questions to get back on topic

 

 

Sorry, can you mention that again in AOB at the end? Now, where were we?

 

 

Sorry, can we get back to…?

 

 

Sorry, can we come back to that later? We were supposed to be discussing…

 

 

3bii) More direct ways to get back on topic/ Statements to get back on topic

 

 

Sorry, we seem to be getting a bit off track. As I was saying…

 

 

Sorry, getting back to the matter at hand,…

 

 

Anyway, we need to get back to the main issue. We were talking about…

 

Roleplay a telephone call, teleconference or face-to-face conversation where you interrupt each other a lot. There are suggestions below for things to discuss and things to confirm. You can use things there for different purposes (e.g. using different main topics as minor topics) or use your own ideas if you like. 

Main topic/ function

Minor topics

Things to check/ confirm

Apology

Asking for payment

Audit

Bad news

Booking

Budget

Complaint

Conference/ Trade fair

Enquiry

Finances

Ideas for new products

Job interview

Making arrangements/ Scheduling

Marketing

Negotiating

Permission

Placing an order

Policies

Products

Progress

Purchasing

R&D

Staff training

 

Advice/ Feedback

AOB

Cultural differences

Delivery

Directions on how to get somewhere

Food and drink

Gifts

How things used to be done

How to celebrate when a project is finished

Meeting minutes

Mutual acquaintances/ Message from or for someone else

Next conversation

Offer

Other things you are working on

People not there

Possible political changes

Socialising

Something you forgot to mention last time you spoke

Something you read online/ on social media

Stationery

Technology problems

Thanking

The news

Who made a decision

Addresses

Amounts/ Quantities

Dimensions

Getting in somewhere

How to get more information

How you heard about something

Internet addresses

Lengths of time

Names

Numbers

Password

Phone numbers

Places

Prices

Pronunciation

Reasons for an opinion

Reasons for something

Reference number

Spelling

Times and dates

What order something should be done it

Where that info/ data came from

Which part of a document

 

Saying sorry when you interrupt card game

Roleplay a conversation like one of those above. Each time you say sorry plus a phrase that no one has used in this round you can discard one sorry card. The person who has got rid of most by the end of the game is the winner.

 

sorry

 

 

sorry

 

sorry

 

sorry

 

 

sorry

 

sorry

 

sorry

 

 

sorry

 

sorry

 

sorry

 

 

sorry

 

sorry

 

sorry

 

 

sorry

 

sorry

 

sorry

 

 

sorry

 

sorry

 

sorry

 

 

sorry

 

sorry


Functions when you interrupt card game

Choose one version of the packs of cards below. Deal out the cards between you. You can discard the cards if you use a phrase with that function that no one has used yet.

Very general functions version

 

1) Interrupting and giving opinions

 

 

1) Interrupting and giving opinions

 

 

2) Interrupting and checking/ clarifying

 

 

2) Interrupting and checking/ clarifying

 

 

3) Interrupting and controlling the topic

 

 

3) Interrupting and controlling the topic

 

 

1) Interrupting and giving opinions

 

 

1) Interrupting and giving opinions

 

 

2) Interrupting and checking/ clarifying

 

 

2) Interrupting and checking/ clarifying

 

 

3) Interrupting and controlling the topic

 

 

3) Interrupting and controlling the topic

 

 

1) Interrupting and giving opinions

 

 

1) Interrupting and giving opinions

 

 

2) Interrupting and checking/ clarifying

 

 

2) Interrupting and checking/ clarifying

 

 

3) Interrupting and controlling the topic

 

 

3) Interrupting and controlling the topic

 

 

1) Interrupting and giving opinions

 

 

1) Interrupting and giving opinions

 

 

2) Interrupting and checking/ clarifying

 

 

2) Interrupting and checking/ clarifying

 

 

3) Interrupting and controlling the topic

 

 

3) Interrupting and controlling the topic

 

 

More specific functions version

 

1a) Interrupting and disagreeing

 

 

1a) Interrupting and disagreeing

 

 

1b) Interrupting and agreeing

 

 

1b) Interrupting and agreeing

 

 

2a) Interrupting + checking what was said

 

 

2a) Interrupting + checking what was said

 

 

2b) Interrupting + confirming what you said

 

 

2b) Interrupting + confirming what you said

 

 

3a) Interrupting and changing topic

 

 

3a) Interrupting and changing topic

 

 

3b) Interrupting + getting back on topic

 

 

3b) Interrupting + getting back on topic

 

 

1a) Interrupting and disagreeing

 

 

1a) Interrupting and disagreeing

 

 

1b) Interrupting and agreeing

 

 

1b) Interrupting and agreeing

 

 

2a) Interrupting + checking what was said

 

 

2a) Interrupting + checking what was said

 

 

2b) Interrupting + confirming what you said

 

 

2b) Interrupting + confirming what you said

 

 

3a) Interrupting and changing topic

 

 

3a) Interrupting and changing topic

 

 

3b) Interrupting + getting back on topic

 

 

3b) Interrupting + getting back on topic

 


Very specific functions version

 

1ai) Interrupt and disagree directly/ strongly

 

1ai) Interrupt and disagree directly/ strongly

  

 

1aii) Interrupt and disagree politely

 

 

1aii) Interrupt and disagree politely

 

 

1bi) Interrupt and add to what they said

 

 

1bi) Interrupt and add to what they said

 

 

1bii) Agree and end discussion of that point

 

 

1bii) Agree and end discussion of that point

 

 

2ai) Interrupt and check what you heard

 

 

2ai) Interrupt and check what you heard

 

 

2aii) Interrupt and say you didn’t get it

 

 

2aii) Interrupt and say you didn’t get it

 

 

2bi) Interrupt and say they misunderstood

 

 

2bi) Interrupt and say they misunderstood

 

 

2bii) Interrupt and explain more/ better

 

 

2bii) Interrupt and explain more/ better

 

 

3ai) Interrupt and go off topic/ digress

 

 

3ai) Interrupt and go off topic/ digress

 

 

3aii) Interrupt and move onto the next topic

 

 

3aii) Interrupt and move onto the next topic

 

 

3bi) Requests/ Questions to get on topic

 

 

3bi) Requests/ Questions to get on topic

 

 

3bii) Direct ways/ Statements to get on topic

   

 

3bii) Direct ways/ Statements to get on topic

 

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