La Bonte’s Top 100 English Conversation Patterns assess www.labonteesl.webs.

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ASSESSING INITIAL CONVERSATION SKILLS

An easy way to assess a student’s conversation skills initially is to ask the

student a number of random questions and see if they are able to answer
with the same conversation pattern in the same tense. Obviously, there will
be some students that have very poor conversation skills and this assessment
tool would not be necessary. The students who have no skills need to begin
with the real basics beginning on pages 1 through 5 in my book entitled
La Bonte’s Top 100 English Conversation Patterns.

Here are three suggestions for using this oral assessment test:

1. The student should answer with a complete sentence in the same tense
using the same conversation pattern. Native speakers often don’t
answer with a complete sentence when answering, but that is done out
of a strength in the language. When the beginning student gives a short
answer like you see below, they are usually doing it out of a weakness.
Make the student answer with a complete sentence using the same
pattern and tense. If the student gives you a short answer, tell them
that you want a complete sentence and ask the question again.

e.g.: Is it worth seeing?

acceptable: Yes, it is worth seeing.
unacceptable: Yes, it is.

If you were to ask a native speaker to answer these same questions

with complete sentences, you would find that they would answer with
the identical pattern in the same tense.

2. The second part of this assessing tool gives the student a sentence and
asks that the student convert it into a question. The purpose of this is
to help judge the student’s question making skills. Making questions
is a more difficult skill than answering questions with a sentence.

3. The final part includes questions beginning with WHAT, WHERE,

WHY, WHEN, WHO etc. The student should answer with a complete
sentence using the same conversation pattern .

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La Bonte’s Top 100 English Conversation Patterns assess www.labonteesl.webs.com
eg. Where did he used to go?
acceptable: He used to go to Chicago.
unacceptable: He went to Chicago.

Circle the number of the questions/sentences which the student is unable

to answer correctly. During the test, do not correct the student or explain
what was wrong if they make a mistake. If the student was unable to hear
what you said, repeat it only one more time. The conversation patterns are
randomly chosen from many of the patterns in the book.

You will see a number or combination of numbers after the question or

sentence in this assessing aid. The numbers refer to the page in my book that
you will find the pattern.

This should give you a good objective feel for the student’s present
conversation skills and their ability to respond to and utilize these very
common conversation patterns.

You can also give this assessing guide to the student and ask them to use a
tape recorder to tape this test. Be sure to have them leave an adequate
amount of blank space on the tape after each sentence/question to allow them
time enough to answer the question when they go to listen to the tape later.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or suggestions.

Information regarding my book can be found on my web site.

Thank you.

Don La Bonte
labonteesl@gmail.com
www.labonteesl.webs.com

A. Please ask the student to answer the question with a complete sentence.
Tell the student that if you ask a positive question, they should answer with a

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La Bonte’s Top 100 English Conversation Patterns assess www.labonteesl.webs.com
positive sentence. If you ask a negative question, they should answer with a
negative sentence.

**** Numbers following the questions refer to the page in my book entitled
La Bonte’s Top 100 English Conversation Patterns where the pattern is
reviewed.

1. Does he study? 2
2. Isn’t she going to go? 23
3. Did they go to study? 28
4. Was it worth seeing? 30
5. Does she feel like going? 35
6. Did he continue to read? 38
7. Is it okay to talk? 40
8. Did she have you call? 44
9. Aren’t you able to study? 45
10. Would you rather sleep? 50
11. Did she feel good? 55
12. Was she happy you came? 56
13. Has she got money? 65
14. Did he come at a 1/4 to 8? 75
15. If she comes, will you go? 98
16. After they go, will you study? 94
17. Instead of reading, do you plan to sleep? 100, 31
18. As soon as you got there, did you study? 100
19. Did she say to go? 107
20. Didn’t she say not to talk? 107
21. Did they say they wanted to go? 109, 21
22. Will you ask her if she needs to study? 111, 27
23. Didn’t you ever meet him? 114
24. Does it look like she’s angry? 119
25. Do you think he’s studying? 124, 20
26. Does he wish he could go? 127
27. Do they wish you would have come? 127
28. If you had money, would you leave? 128
29. If they had gone, could you have met them? 128
30. Didn’t you buy anything? 134
31. Is that who you studied with? 142
32. Was that what you did? 142
33. Is she the one you met? 149
34. Is that the book you’ve been reading? 150, 9
35. Did it cost $13 to see that? 130
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36. Did you see what he was doing? 14, 20

B. Please change the sentence into a question using the same tense and
pattern. If it is a negative sentence, please make it into a negative question. If
it is a positive sentence, please make it into a positive question.

**** Numbers following the questions refer to the page in my book entitled
La Bonte’s Top 100 English Conversation Patterns where the pattern is
reviewed.

1. She wanted to leave. 21

2. They happened to meet there. 26
3. She didn’t come to eat. 28
4. He liked studying. 29
5. He should have gone. 36
6. They’re used to playing there. 37
7. She’s set to go. 38
8. He’s in the middle of talking. 38
9. It’s all right not to go. 40
10. She made me leave. 44
11. They weren’t able to come. 45
12. She almost came. 47
13. She doesn’t tend to talk a lot. 48
14. There was no point doing it. 53
15. It sounds great. 55
16. She got mad. 57
17. They haven’t got money. 65
18. He went at a half past 9. 75
19. When it rains, she likes to sleep. 93, 29
20. Before sleeping, he watched TV. 95
21. By the time he came, I was gone. 102, 9
22. She told me not to eat. 107
23. She asked me why I went. 112
24. He asked her if she was thinking of going. 111, 34
25. It cost $10 to buy. 130
26. It didn’t seem expensive. 119
27. He had something to eat there. 132
28. They have a lot of things to read. 133
29. She was gone. 140
30. That is what he plans to make. 142, 31
31. She is the teacher he likes the most. 149
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32. That is the reason he’d like to go. 151, 24
33. The place I go to is far away. 150
34. She was too angry to talk. 103
35. She wishes they left. 126

C. Please have the student answer as they wish using a complete sentence.

**** Numbers following the questions refer to the page in my book entitled
La Bonte’s Top 100 English Conversation Patterns where the pattern is
reviewed.

1. What was she doing? 20

2. Where can he go? 22
3. What does she know how to do? 39
4. Who did he used to meet? 37
5. What did she have you do? 44
6. Where should he go? 36
7. Who is he thinking of inviting? 34
8. When is it all right to come back? 40
9. What was it worth doing there? 30
10. Who is it easy to talk to? 56
11. What have you got? 65
12. What is she like? 67
13. Who did she come with? 68
14. Where did he come from? 68
15. What do you plan to talk about? 68
16. How many girls came? 73
17. What kind of food does he like? 74
18. How many types of coffee did he buy? 74
19. How many minutes ago did she come? 77
20. How many years have you known her? 80
21. How many days has it been since she came? 83
22. How many hours does it take to get there? 81
23. How many days a week does she come here? 82
24. When was the first time she studied that? 84
25. In how many minutes will she be here? 78
26. How come you came here? 85
27. What did he talk to her for? 85
28. What did she buy so she could bring it to him? 89
29. How did you go about learning that? 91
30. When she came, what did you do? 93
31. Even though you’re tired, who are you going to meet? 101, 23
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32. What do you have to do the next time you meet her? 25, 102
33. While he was studying, what did she do? 99, 20
34. What does it look like she’s eating? 119, 20
35. Where does she wish she could go? 127
36. Who do they wish they would have met? 127
37. Don’t you know where she went? 122
38. How much does it cost to buy? 130
39. What is it that she ate? 143
40. Where is the book I bought? 150
41. Did she get there on the third of June? 76
42. Who is it she’s supposed to meet there? 143, 32
43. What did she give you to bring home? 87
44. What did she eat more than you? 61
45. When are you going to be able to study as much as her? 23, 45, 62
46. Where is the pen I bought? 150
47. What did he get for nine dollars and seventy five cents? 152
48. Did you like the way he talked? 151
49. Didn’t anyone come? 138
50. What would you have done if she had come here? 128
51. What were the teachers like? 67
52. How come you went to see her? 85
53. What do you need to go for? 85