Classroom Language

Greetings
Hello, Hi (everybody), Good morning/afternoon/evening. Good night. Goodbye, Byebye. Bye. See you. See
you on (day). See you later. How are you? Fine, thanks. And you? Very well, thank you.

Introduction
My name is ........ What is your name? I'm, you're, he's, she's etc. And you are ...?This is... Are you...? etc.
Who’s this? Who is it? Who’s this boy/girl? Who is she/he? Who are these children? Who are they?
Pleased to meet you/Pleasure/It’s nice to meet you.

Manners
Thank you. Please. (I'm) sorry. Excuse me. Will you......? Can I......?

Encouragement
Alright. OK. That's right. That's nice. Great! That's lovely/wonderful/great/ super. Very good! Well done! You
did do that well! Yes, it is! Yes, you do! That's very good. Excellent! I like that. That's a good idea.

Exclamation

What an interesting piece of work! What bad behaviour!

How interesting!
Isn’t that interesting!.

Discipline/ disapproval (Down intonation) and bad behaviour

That's not right. That's naughty. That's awful. I don't like that. No!
Put that comic away! Switch off that mobile phone at once! Take off your coat/cap/headphones.
Go to the head teacher’s office. Go and stand in the corridor. Get out.
You’ve got a detention. Stay behind tomorrow for an hour. Stay in at break.

Don't do that. Don't be nasty/naughty. Don't hit ......, don't fight/bully/tell tales/tell lies/annoy/tease/
make such a noise/shout/be rude/interrupt/upset Mary/hurt Pablo/push/hit/pull Mary's hair/nip/pinch/kick/
spit/ push in/swing on your chair/fidget/bang the door/ slam the door/run in the corridor/swear/talk while som
ebody else is talking/smoke in the toilets/copy/answer back/be rude/ etc.
Stop fighting. Stop talking. Stop copying.
Will you stop making a noise, please.
No talking. No smoking. No copying. No mobiles in class. Please.
You’re not allowed to smoke in the school grounds
Smoking is not allowed
You shouldn’t be so noisy
You mustn’t write on the desk

Noise
Will you stop talking, please. Can I have quiet, please. Be quiet. Quiet, please. Silence. No noise. Pay atten
tion. Stop talking. Don't talk. I can't hear you because other students are talking.

Problems and health

Can I go to the toilet, please? May I leave the room?What’s the matter? What’s wrong? Are you OK/alright?
Are you sick/poorly/ill? I don't feel well. I've got stomach/head/ear ache.
My back hurts. I’ve hurt my leg. I’ve got a pain in my back. María's ill today. María's off school/
away/absent.

I can’t (write) because ….I’ve sprained my wrist. I’ve broken my finger. I’ve cut my arm. I’ve burnt my hand.
My nose is bleeding.He’s got a sore throat/a cold/a bad cough/a temperature/fluHe’s out of breath. He can’t
breathe properly.I’m hoarse. I’ve lost my voice.Chickenpox; mumps; measles; German measles.

Comments and Colloquial Expressions/Utterances

Oh no! Oh dear! That's funny. Poor xxxxx. What a pity! Never mind. It doesn’t matter. Of course....Where’s
my/the ….. ? Oh, there it is! Here we are. Here you are/There you go. That’s great/cool/brilliant. That’s awfu
l/gross/so uncool Wow. Oops. Whoops. Ouch. Cool. Gross. Great. Brilliant.
It's up to you. Suit yourself. I don't care. I don't mind. Good luck! Better luck next time!
Hard lines. Tough!

Attention
Pay attention, please. Right everybody! All together now.Look! Look at ....... Listen! Listen to me, please. Co
me on. Ready? Quickly! OK.

Suggestions
Let’s....... Shall we .........? I've got an idea. Do you want to.....? Who wants to ....? Would you like to ...? Wh
o likes ...?

To encourage expression in English

It's ...., isn't it? Is it (etc) ........ or.........? I can't hear you! Can you say that again! Repeat! Speak in English,
please! Now you, Pablo.... Tell me about …. Who wants to answer?
Instructions for physical activities, games, etc.
Sit down. Stand up. Sit on the floor. Sit/stand in a row/in a circle. Ready? Again? I want you to get into a lin
e/circle, etc.Stand/sit one behind the other/one in front of the other/next to each otherCome here. Come to t
he ...... Go to the ....... Go out. Come in. Go to your place.Point to the....., Touch the /your ....., Put your han
d on your/the... Put up your hands. Put your hands down. Turn (a)round. Open the /your ..... Close the/your
........ Give me the/your/Mary's.......Show me the/your/Mary's ....... Right. Now. Come on. Wait a moment. All
together now. Everybody!Tell/ask your partner about (something)/to (do something) (Do you) give in? I give
in
It's your turn. Whose turn is it? Out!/Eliminated! Who's it? OK, I'll choose someone.

Possession
Whose is this......? Whose is it? Whose are these ...? Whose are they? It's xxxxx's ........ It's my, your ..........
. It's mine/yours, etc. They’re ..... Have you got...? I've got... He/she's got... etc.
Colour, number and description
What’s it like? What does it look like? What are they like? What do they look like?His/her hair is long. He's g
ot long hair, etc.What colour is/are ....... It is/they are ........How many .....(are there)? There are a lot. There
aren’t many/there are only a few. There aren’t any/there are none.
How much … Is there? There’s a lot. There isn’t much/there’s only a little. There isn’t any/there’s none.Wha
t shape is it? Is it round or square? It's triangular, isn't it. It’s Lshaped.What’s it made of?How big is it? It’s 1
0 by 10 by 10. It’s 10 cms. long by 10 cms. high by 10 cms. wide.What length/width/height is it. How long/
wide/high is it?How tall is she? She’s one metre sixty. What does he weigh? He weighs sixty kilos.

Location
Where's...? Where is it/he/she? Where are we/you/they? It's/she's (etc.) on/in/at/under/ behind/near/next to
(by, beside)/between/above/over, etc.

Direction
Jump into the water/climb over the fence/ run across the bridge/walk round the room/drive past the school/
ski down the slopes Into/out of/up/down/round/through/across/past/to/from/over/under, etc.

Weather
What's the weather like today? It's cold outside. It's freezing cold, isn’t it. It's wet/raining/sunny/windy/
foggy/cloudy/hailing/sleeting/snowing. The sun's shining. It’s nice and warm. It’s a nice day. It’s an awful da
y. What a lovely day! There’s a thunder storm. Thunder and lightning.

Special Occasions
Birthday:Happy Birthday/Many Happy Returns. How old are you today? Mary’s 11 today. How old will you b
e next birthday? Are you having a birthday party? Did you get any presents? Christmas:Merry Christmas. H
appy New Year. Have a good Christmas! Did you have a good Christmas?Easter:Happy Easter St. Valentin
e's Day. Halloween. Bonfire Night. Pancake Tuesday/Shrove Tuesday. The holidays. Mother's Day/
Mothering Sunday. Father's Day. Thanksgiving (US).

World Peace Day, etc.

The school
Primary School, Secondary School, High SchoolThe school building; the school groundsClassroom, Music
Room, Computer Room, Science Lab (laboratory), Gym (gymnasium), corridor, stairs, steps, upstairs, down
stairs, on the first floor, on the ground floor, entrance hall, Secretary’s Office, Janitor’s Room, Head Teacher
’s Office, Head of Studies’ Office, Staff Room, Dining Hall, Staff Toilets, Boys’/Girls’ Toilets, Playground. Ind
oor/outdoor basketball court; covered sports area; football pitch/field.Sit at the desk/table. Sit at the back of
the class; at the front of the class.

Classroom equipment
Desks/tables, teacher’s desk, board, chalk, markers, duster/eraser, cassette recorder, CD player, Video, D
VD player, TV, OHP (overhead projector)Put it/them on the shelf/shelves, in the cupboard, on your desk, in
the drawer, on the floor, by the window/door, next to your desk/table/chair

Students’ equipment
Bag, books, notebooks/exercise books/jotters/folder/file/ringbinder.Pencil case, pen, pencil, crayon, wax cra
yon, felttip, marker, ruler, eraser/rubber, tippex.
Art equipment
Soft pencils, paintbrushes, paints, water colours, oil paints, palette, canvas, artbook
Music equipment
Recorder, stave book, instruments (see below)

Teachinglearning instructions
read, read the instructions carefully, scan the paragraph, write, draw, colour, write down, copy from …, look
up in …, find out, learn /by heart) know (by heart), read silently, read aloud, ask a question/a partner, answe
r the question, respond by …+ ing, do this by …+ ing, look at, listen to, watch (a process/video, etc.), talk a
bout, discuss, choose, distinguish between, classify, match, join, put into sets, group, order, check, go throu
gh, reviseFill in the gaps in this paragraphComplete these sentences with the correct word from the wordba
nk/using an appropriate wordListen to XXX talking about YYY and complete the table

Use the words in the box to complete the textJoin the words in the box to the correct definitionJoin the corre
ct halves of the sentenceCircle the correct answerAsk and answer/Find the answersDecide if these stateme
nts are True or FalseGive reasons for your answersMatch the sentences which mean the sameFind these
words in the text, underline them and explain what they mean.Read this extract from …. and find the followi
ng information.Match the words in list/column A with the words in list BDon’t answer the questions/write any
thing until I tell youUnderline the mistakes in these sentences. Correct the information.Choose the correct o
ptionMake a plan of your writing task before you do itIf you’ve finished, you can move on to the next activity
Sit down quietly, please.Get out (books/equipment, etc.).Put away (books/equipment, etc.).Put up your han
d (if you want to answer)Answer the question, please.Don’t shout. Don’t answer all at once/all together.I ca
n’t hear you. Speak louder, please.Don’t interrupt me/your partner, please.Stop talking to your partner and p
ay attention.Read the text aloud. Read the text silently/to yourselves. Come out to the board. Write it on the
board.Write this down/Copy this.Now you
do it.Now we’ll go on to the next exercise.Whose turn is it to …Have you found your place?Which question/
What page are you on?Next one, please.Who hasn’t answered yet?Who would like to answer/read?I want y
ou to write this down/in your notebooksThe idea of the task is to …Let me explain what to do …
Spacetime management
I want you to make/form groups of fourMove your desks into groups of four peopleWill you please turn your
desks around

Make a horseshoe shape with your desksMake a circle with your desksMake a line of desks facing each oth
erSit back to backWork together with your friend Find a partner Work in pairs/threes/fours/fivesWork in grou
ps of two/three/fourThere are too many in this group. One of you must move to another groupCan you join t
he other group? I asked for four people to a group Everybody work individually/Work by yourselves/
alone./Work independentlyAsk your neighbour/partner for help/Ask other people in the groupWork on the ta
sk together/Ask others in the classInterview someone elseStand up and find another partnerI want everyon
e to join inMove around the class and ask your classmates …You’re in the wayI can’t get pastCould you get
out of the way pleaseLook this way, pleaseExcuse me, I can’t see the board. Time’s upYou’ve got 3 minute
s left/to do itYou must finish by 12 o’clockThere’s no hurryNo need to rushQuickly, please. Hurry up. Only 2
minutes left.I have to go out a minuteCarry on with the task while I’m outI’ll be back in a minute
Pupil language
I don’t understand. I don’t know (the answer). I’m sorry, I can’t do it. It’s too hard/difficult.I’ve finished. Read
y. I’ve nearly finished. I haven’t finished yet. Can you wait a moment, please. I’m not ready yet.I’ve done it. I
’ve already done it. I’ve done it already. I’ve done the first two questions/exercises/tasks. I’ve got two questi
ons left.I’m sorry, teacher, I haven’t done my homework. I didn’t have time to do the homework because …
Can you say that/explain again, please. I haven’t got a book/any paper, etc. Can I borrow a pen/some pape
r, please. I need a pen.Where’s my book? I can’t find my book.It’s my turn. Whose turn is it? It isn’t your tur
n, it’s mine.

Can I ….., please?Could you help me, please.What does … mean? What’s … ? What’s the meaning of … ?
How do you pronounce this word?I agree (with). I don’t agree.
Starting the class
Hello/Good morning everybody.OK. Stop talking now, please and let’s have quiet.Is everyone here? Is anyo
ne absent?I’ll just take the register. Mar
í
a? Here.Who’s not here today? Who isn’t here?Where’s Juan? What’s wrong with (name)? What’s the matt
er with (name)?Oh, he’s ill, is he? I see.Who’s the class monitor?Go to the (office) and get some chalk/a ne
w marker.You’re late. What happened?Take off your coats/jackets/cap, please.Put your bags on the floor n
ext to your desk.Switch of your mobile phonesCan you switch/turn on/off the lights please?
Starting the lesson
Can I have your attention, please? Attention, everybody.First of all, we’ll …Let’s start by … (ing)Listen to m
e, please. Look at me, please.Right. Get out your books and turn to page 18./OK. Open your books at page
18.Has everyone done the homework? Who’s done the homework? Who hasn’t done the homework?Today
we’re going to look at/study/learn about/talk about/do ….Does anyone know anything about it? Can you tell
me anything about it?
Grouping
First, you’ll work alone and then with a partner.After that, we’ll work together.Work with a partner. Work in p
airs/groups. Ok. Now can you get into your groups please.I want you to work in pairs. Work with your partne
r to (verb)….I want you to work in groups of 3. Mar
í
a, you turn round and work with the pair behind. Juan you work with the pair in front.Move your desks toget
her.For the next task, you’re going to work with a partner/in groups.Ask each other …..

Locating information
At the back of the book/at the front of the book/in the middle of the bookOn the first page/on page 2In the in
dex/in the list of contents/in the introductionLook at the board/ the wall chart, the worksheet, etc.Listen to th
e tape and find out …Look at the instructions/key words/vocabulary/pictures, etc. on the board/at the top/
bottom of the page/on the righthand side of the page/board/picture, etc.Now let’s look at the box/the diagra
m/the table/the chart/the graph/the picture/the flow chart, etc.You have a wordbank/key/some instructions, e
tc. in the top lefthand corner of your worksheet.It’s on the board.Look up this topic on the Internet/in a dictio
nary/in an encyclopaedia.The Internet is a good place to find out information on this topic/issueYou can che
ck the answers on page 18.
Feedback
Yes, that’s right.OK. Alright. FineGood. Great. Fantastic. Excellent.Almost. Nearly rightHave another try/
goTry againThat’s more like itDon’t you think it could/might be …Think carefully … Look again carefully …
Are you sure it’s …?It’s the wrong answer/It isn’t the right answer/That’s not correctThat’s a bit disappointin
gDoes anybody know the right answer?What do
you
think (name)?You’ve done a good jobYou’ve got the ideaYou’re on the right track/linesThere's nothing wro
ng with your answerWhat you said was perfectly rightYou didn't make a single mistakeThat's exactly the poi
ntThat's just what I was looking forYou’ve passedYou haven’t passed, I’m afraid. I’m afraid you’ve failed.
Checking comprehension

What’s the meaning of ….?Does this mean xxx or yyy?Tell me another word for …What does xxx refer to?
Can you explain what this text means?Why do you think that ….?What’s the opposite of …?What do you un
derstand by …?
Inviting oral contributions
Who can tell me …?Can you tell me more?What do you think about …?What do you mean by …?What do
you mean when you say …?How do you know?What makes you think that?
Praising
You’ve worked very well.That’s really good work.That’s right. Good answer. Well done.This is excellent wor
k.You’re really improving/You’ve really improvedThis is much betterYou’ve made a lot of progressYour prog
ress is satisfactory/good/excellentYou’ve got a 10/an ‘A’10 out of 10!A star for good work/for trying hard
Reorienting
That’s an interesting idea/point/opinion but ….Yes, but don’t you think that ….Could it be that ….?I think you
ought to think about/consider/take into account ….Why don’t you think about ….?
Suggesting
Why don’t you + verbWhat about + …ingIt’s a good idea to + verb. It might be a good idea to + verbI sugge
st +...ing

It’s important to + verb. It’s important not to + verb.You should/shouldn’t + verb.

Finishing the lesson or activity
You’ve got 5 minutes left.Sorry, you’ll have to stop now. We’ve got no time left.That was quick!Right, that’s
enough for now/today.We’ll continue next lesson.Right, time’s up.Finish now, please.We’ve got to stop now.
The lesson’s over. (Can you) put away your books/the equipment, please.
Homework
OK, for next day, I’d like you to finish the exercise/do the task on page 18/do this worksheet/find out about
….You can finish off at home.The project is for next week.You can hand it in on Monday.You’ve got a week
to do it but it must be in by Wednesday.Right, no homework today!You’ve had plenty of time!It wasn’t enoug
h time.