Listening: Understanding Interactional Cues & Discourse B2 - Lesson 3: Recognizing Cues for Agreement, Disagreement, and Interruption

Listening for Interactional Cues & Discourse B2: Recognizing Cues for Agreement, Disagreement, and Interruption

Welcome to our B2 Listening series! In real conversations, understanding the relationship between speakers is as important as understanding their words. This lesson will teach you to recognize the common phrases, or cues¹, that signal agreement², polite disagreement³, and polite interruption⁴.

1. Cues for Agreement

When speakers agree, they do more than just say "yes." They use phrases to show they share the same opinion.

Exactly.

That's a good point.

I feel the same way.

You're absolutely right.

I was just going to say that.

2. Cues for Polite Disagreement

Directly saying "You're wrong" can be rude. In professional or polite conversation, speakers soften their disagreement with introductory phrases.

I see your point, but...

I'm not so sure about that.

I understand what you're saying, however...

To be honest, I have a different perspective.

3. Cues for Polite Interruption

Sometimes you need to enter a conversation that is already happening. These phrases help you interrupt without being rude.

Sorry to interrupt, but...

Can I just jump in here?

If I could just add something...

Excuse me, do you mind if I say something?

In Conversation

Listen to a conversation between three friends, Srey, Bora, and Alex, who are planning a team event.

Srey: "I think we should organize a big dinner at a restaurant for the team party."

Bora: "That's a good point. A nice dinner is always a great way to celebrate."

Alex: "Sorry to interrupt, but have we considered our budget? Some restaurants can be very expensive."

Srey: "Hmm, I didn't think about that."

Alex: "I see your point about wanting a nice celebration, but maybe we could have a potluck party at the office to save money?"

Bora: "You're absolutely right! That's a much better idea."

Final Quiz: What's the Function?

Listen to the speaker's phrase and choose its function in the conversation.

1. A speaker says: "I understand what you're saying, however, I think there's another way to look at it."
   What is the speaker doing? (a) Agreeing, (b) Disagreeing politely, (c) Interrupting

2. A speaker says: "Can I just jump in here for a moment?"
   What is the speaker doing? (a) Agreeing, (b) Changing the topic, (c) Interrupting politely

3. A speaker says: "Exactly! I feel the same way."
   What is the speaker doing? (a) Strongly agreeing, (b) Politely disagreeing, (c) Asking a question

Click to Show Answers

Answers: 1-b, 2-c, 3-a

Homework Task

1. Watch an Interview: Watch an English interview or panel discussion on YouTube. Listen for the moment one person disagrees with another. What phrase did they use to show disagreement politely?

2. Plan a Disagreement: Imagine your friend wants to see an action movie, but you want to see a comedy. How would you express your preference using one of the polite disagreement phrases? (e.g., "I see your point about the action movie, but...")

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Interactional Cue (noun phrase) - Khmer: សញ្ញាអន្តរកម្ម - A word or phrase that shows the speaker's intention in a conversation (e.g., to agree, disagree, change the subject). ↩
2. Agreement (noun) - Khmer: ការយល់ព្រម - The state of having the same opinion or belief as someone else. ↩
3. Disagreement (noun) - Khmer: ការមិនយល់ស្រប - The state of having a different opinion from someone else. ↩
4. Interruption (noun) - Khmer: ការរំខាន - The action of stopping someone from speaking in order to say something yourself. ↩