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1. How Are You, Auntie Elizabeth?

   In: Teaching Pragmatics Format(s): Text, Video, Website

   This lesson aims for students to discuss pragmatic differences between their mother tongues and English, with special attention to openings and closings.

2. Softening Short Requests

   In: Teaching Pragmatics Format(s): Text, Video, Website

   This lesson aims to introduce students to a range of different ways in which native speakers soften their requests and to develop their awareness of how these are used by different speakers and in different situations within the speech community.

3. Bringing One Language to Another: Multilingualism as a Resource in the Language Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2011, Volume 49, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   Many EFL students are already multilingual, but they may not realize the strengths they bring to language learning. This article calls on instructors to help students develop language awareness and guide them to find ways to apply what they know about language. The author shows how this process occurred in a sociolinguistics course and includes sample lessons for all ages and a variety of levels of proficiency. Lessons incorporate the students’ language knowledge in such skill areas as grammar and vocabulary.

4. VOA: English in a Minute

   Format(s): Video, Website

   Looking for ways to improve your listening skills and learn English idioms? Check out Voice of America's English in a Minute and listen to brief video clips that explain American English colloquialisms.

5. Pragmatics of Complaining

   In: English Teaching Forum 2017, Volume 55, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article presents twelve activities for teaching the pragmatics of complaining, including strategies, tasks, and specific scenarios.

6. Teaching Refusals in an EFL Setting

   In: Teaching Pragmatics Format(s): Text, Video, Website

   The goals of this lesson in Teaching Pragmatics are: raising awareness that misunderstandings can be caused by differences in performing speech acts between Japanese and Americans; making learners aware of what they know already and encouraging them to use their universal or transferable L1 pragmatic knowledge in L2 contexts; teaching the appropriate linguistic forms that are likely to be encountered in performing speech acts.

7. Using Comics in the English Language Classroom

   In: American English Webinars Format(s): Text, Video

   This webinar demonstrates the universality of comics for any language classroom, showing how multi-skill comic activities can be used with students of all ages and ability levels.

8. Using Replacement Performance Role-Plays in the Language Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2007, Volume 45, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   Replacement performance role plays are a different type of role play. Rather than memorizing or writing a dialogue, this activity asks learners to listen and consider other possible responses. Students decide which character will be replaced and what they will do differently. Even shy learners or ones with lower proficiency levels can be involved because it is less overwhelming than writing a dialogue. The activity develops pragmatic competence and critical thinking skills. Popular TV shows can be used.

9. Comment-Response Mingle

   In: Teaching Pragmatics Format(s): Text, Video, Website

   This lesson aims to help students become more aware of and have practice in using appropriate formulaic responses to common situations.

10. Improving the Friendly Discussions of Controversial Issues

    In: Teaching Pragmatics Format(s): Text, Video, Website

    This lesson aims to introduce students to a variety of pragmatic routines and lexical phrases employed in disagreements between peers.

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