Listening: Understanding Interactional Cues & Discourse (Basic) B1 - Lesson 2: Recognizing Basic Turn-Taking Signals in Conversations

🔄Listening: B1 - Understanding Turn-Taking

Learning Objectives: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Understand that conversations involve "taking turns" to speak.
• Identify common phrases that signal it is someone else's turn to speak.
• Recognize basic intonation patterns that invite a response.
• Improve your ability to follow the natural flow of a simple English conversation.

Hello B1 learners! Conversations are like a game where people take turns to speak. It's not polite to interrupt too much, and it's also important to know when it's okay for you to start talking. Speakers use different "signals" or "cues" to manage the conversation flow. This lesson will help you recognize them.

Conversation Signals

A good listener understands the "traffic signals" of a conversation. Click the cards to learn the common signals.

Finishing a Turn

Finishing a Turn: A speaker shows they are finished by completing their thought, pausing, and often letting their intonation fall (voice goes down).

Inviting Others to Speak

Inviting Others to Speak: A speaker asks for a response by asking a direct question ("What do you think?") or using a tag question with rising intonation ("...isn't it?").

Wanting to Speak

Wanting to Speak: A listener can signal they want to speak by making a short sound ("Mm-hmm," "Well...") or by taking a slightly louder breath during a pause.

✍️ Interactive Activities

Activity 1: What's the Signal?

Read the following sentence from a conversation. What is the function of the bolded phrase?

"I think we should go to the cinema, what do you think?"

The phrase "what do you think?" is used to:

State a fact.

Invite the other person to speak.

End the conversation immediately.

Activity 2: Follow the Flow

Listen to the two short dialogues. Pay attention to how the speakers signal that it is the other person's turn to speak.

Listen to the dialogues:

How did Speaker A finish their turn or invite a response?

1. In Dialogue 1, Speaker A signals they are finished by...

Asking a direct question.

Making a concluding statement and pausing.

Suddenly speaking very loudly.

2. In Dialogue 2, Speaker A invites a response by...

Using a tag question ("...isn't it?").

Saying nothing.

Using a formal greeting.

🚀 Strategies for Understanding Turn-Taking

• Listen for Questions: A question is a direct invitation for you to speak.
• Notice the Pitch: A falling pitch at the end of a sentence often means the speaker has finished their point. A rising pitch often means they are asking something.
• Wait for the Pause: A short silence after someone finishes a sentence is usually the perfect time to start your turn.
• Use Short Responses: Words like "Right," "Uh-huh," or "I see" show you are listening without fully interrupting the other person.

Summary: This lesson introduced the basic signals of turn-taking in English conversations. By recognizing how speakers use questions, pauses, and intonation to manage whose turn it is to speak, you can follow the natural flow of a conversation more easily and participate more confidently.