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TitleI like your hat! Compliments and Responses
SourceCASLS Activity of the Week
Body

Renée Marshall is International Programs Specialist for CASLS.

I use this activity every year with my Oregon International Internship Program Students. This activity is adapted and uses materials from the lesson “Giving and Responding to Compliments” by Noriko Ishihara from the website Teaching Pragmatics, American English.  

Learning Objectives: 

  • Students will be able to identify the 3 most common ways to give compliments in English.
  • Students will be able to identify 4 common responses to compliments.
  • Students will be able to give and respond to compliments using the common strategies discussed in class.

Modes: Interpersonal Communication

Materials Needed: Example PowerPoint or your own PowerPoint or handout, and a whiteboard or chalk board

Procedure:

  1. For homework before class, have students collect 3 compliments they hear and the responses to those compliments. They should be prepared to share them in class.
  2. Have students in groups share the compliments and responses they heard this week. In each group have them select one compliment and response to share with the class, by having students write it on the board. (Slide 2)
  3. Examine the compliments and responses on the board. Ask the groups to discuss whether or not they see any patterns (they may or may not, depends on what’s up there). (Slide 2)
  4. Now review the 3 most common ways to give compliments in English according to Manes and Wolfson (1981). (slide 3)  Go over it with examples, highlighting any examples on the board that follow the patterns.
  5. Ask students to now think about the responses. How did people tend to respond? Then review the 4 common types of responses. (Slide 4) Go over it with examples, highlighting any examples on the board that follow the patterns.
  6. Review how compliments can be conversation starters, (Slide 5) then have students practice turning a compliment into a conversation. You can also discuss how this might change depending on who you are talking to (gender, age, power distance i.e. boss/employee, teacher/student).
Publishdate2017-03-06 02:15:02