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 Talk, Talk, Talk

(an English Conversation Book)

 

 What makes a good English conversation book?

 

          Good question. There are tons of English books on the market. Many of

          these books are not specifically geared JUST for conversation- but all

          the skills-  talking, writing, reading, and listening.

 

So.... they come with tapes or CD's that students

can listen to to work on their listening skills.

 

So ... they have short and not so short written  passages

that students can read to work on their reading skills.

 

So ... they have lots of writing activities and

exercises that students can use to work

on their writing skills.

 

Granted all of those skills are important and needed- but are they

really ideal for a conversation class?

 

I think NOT!

 

 

A good conversation book

should be about TALKING!!!

  

                So.. a good conversation book should have:

 

                ◊ lots of topics that can be use as a basis for conversation

 

                ◊ lots of verbal activities for pairs and small groups

 

                ◊ lots of role play situations in which students can practice

                         the language in the classroom before encountering similar

                         situations in the real world

 

                ◊ games and fun activities in which students have

                         to talk to participate in

 

                ◊ commonly used expressions that students can begin

                        to use immediately to enhance their speaking ability

 

                ◊ lots of questions that students can ask each other-

                         so a conversation can be started and maintained

 

                ◊ expressions and structures (that are easily learned

                        and remembered) that students can easily transfer

                        to differing topics or situations

                            (As any teacher knows, this is particularly important

                              for beginning and intermediate level students)

 

 

But what are expressions and structures?

     Structures are basic sentence patterns that are used when forming

     sentences. Many sentences, about any number of topics, can be

     formed by using basic structures.

 

     Look at these two structures

                 Question: What kind of ________ do you like?

                 Answer: I like ___________________.

     Once a student learns this structure they can talk about any number

     of topics simply by filling in the blanks with the topic of their choice.

     They can ask and talk about music, movies, politics, weather, food, etc.  

 

 

     Expressions are just commonly used sentences or phrases that are

     used when communicating with others.

 

     People, even native speakers, do make form brand new sentences

     when they speak, they just use the multitude of expressions already

     available.

 

     Expressions, like structures, can be modified very simply by changing

     a couple of words in the sentences to ask or talk about a large number

     of topics. In addition, there are any number of expressions that can be

     used in ask or talk about the same thing.

 

     Here are just two examples

 

        Question: What do you think of ____________?

                            What is your opinion of ___________?

                            How do you like_________________?

       

          Answer: I think___________________?

                          My opinion is _____________?

                          I like (don't like) ___________?

 

Why are expressions and structures important?

               Because they allow students to learn usable English that can

               be applied immediately when interacting with others.

 

               Initially, students can simply memorize the basic expressions and

               structures. By memorizing the basic expressions and structures           

               students can easily and quickly expand their repertoire of usable

               language. Once memorized, they are readily available for use in

               their daily interactions with others. 

 

               As their vocabulary and knowledge of how to change and

               modify the structures and expressions improve, they will find

               that they can communicate with just about anyone on any topic. 

 

               

Lots of questions?

 

You may be asking yourself- why should a good

conversation book have lots of questions in it?

 

The reason is that most verbal interactions begin with questions.

 

            Think about it, most people don't just start rattling on without a reason.

            They are responding to questions.

 

       

        Talk, Talk, Talk  has hundreds of questions that the students can ask each other to

        practice using the language. The discussion topic section of each lesson contain

        questions relevant to the topic or situation being reviewed.

 

        In addition, there are questions in the verb tense section that students can

        ask each other that forces the use of the correct verb tense when asking or

        responding. 

 

       In the three lessons on asking questions, the questions are designed to

       allow the student to change the words in each question to form another

       question that interests them. They simply have to change the words in

       parenthesis to form a new question

 

            Here are a couple of examples:

 

            What do you usually (eat for breakfast)?
            How often do you (go to the movies)?

 

        This substitution allows for an unlimited opportunity for students to   

        experiment, to try new and different things, and to learn by making mistakes. 

 

 

Fortunately for teachers and students alike

Talk, Talk, Talk

has all these things.

 

So what structures and expressions are included?

          Well, take a look- they are listed below.

for greetings

for introductions

for well being

for farewells

for preferences

 for invitations

for opinions

for agreeing/disagreeing

for schedules       

for indicating surprise 

for indicating forgetfulness

for indicating obligations

for help and advice

for lending and borrowing

for comparisons

for describing people

for describing personalities

for compliments

for indicating anger

for descriptions of things

for forgiveness

for instructions

for repeats

for interrupting

 for directions

 for on the telephone

 for restaurants

 for shopping

for grocery shopping

for a doctor’s

 for a pharmacy

 for a bank

for a hotel

for a travel agency

for needs and requirements

for suggestions

for Wh Questions

for can and do questions

for to be Questions

 

                
 
 Why is this a good buy?

Sure, there are a lot of sites on the Internet that have activities for English classes and countless books in bookstores. But Talk, Talk, Talk specifically focuses on paired group work that maximizes student interaction. Each lesson consists of:

  • expressions and structures for the items listed above

  • a model dialogue that students can follow for having similar conversations

  • a discussion topic related to the structure or expression under review

  • role play situations that provide additional practice

  • some lessons have a game or other activity for additional practice

 

        You may be thinking...

 

                "I already have a pretty good conversation book.

                   Why do I need something else?"

 

            Well, maybe you don't.

 

                BUT...

 

                Can a teacher really have too much material?

 

                Does a teacher ever have enough supplemental material

                readily at hand?

 

                Do you have trouble wracking your brains to develop activities and

                games that are appropriate for your students?

 

            

If there are just a couple of ideas in this book that may

help fill the gap in your lessons, won't it be worth it?

 

Satisfaction Guaranteed!

Full refund if not absolutely satisfied

                              If the booklet isn't exactly what you need- for

                               whatever reason- then just contact me and

                             a refund will be made- no questions asked. 

 

                       To get your instant download       

  ORDER NOW 

 

 

Talk, Talk, Talk

 

Only $19.99

 

  

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