SPEAKING

SKILL GRE
EN
 Speaking is an act of making vocal sounds. We can
say that speaking means to converse, or expressing one's
thoughts and feelings in spoken language. To speak often
implies conveying information. It may be from an
informal remark to a scholarly presentation to a formal
address. Speaking skills are the skills that give us the
ability to communicate effectively. These skills allow the
speaker, to convey his message in a passionate,
thoughtful, and convincing manner. Speaking skills also
help to assure that one won't be misunderstood by those
UNDERLYIN
G
PRINCIPLES
OF
SPEAKING
Underlying Principle:
One of the principles you learned in
language teaching is "Language is speech not
writing." When this principle is applied to
classroom teaching, it means that you start your
language instruction with spoken English. At the
early stage therefore, a great portion of the
language period should be devoted to developing
the speaking skill of the students.
Before the students can actually communicate in
sentences, they have to know the sound system of
the language. Hence, from the kindergarten to the
sixth grade, pronunciation lessons are a must. The
vowel and consonant sounds should be learned by
the pupils accurately to avoid misinterpretation of
what they hear and to be understood by others.
They should know the proper stress of words,
phrases, and sentences and observe the proper
• Speaking in a second language or foreign
language has often been viewed as the most
demanding and challenging of the four skills
(Bailey and Savage 1994).

• According to Brown (1994), a number of

features of spoken language includes reduces
forms such as contractions, vowel reduction,
and elision; slang and idioms; stress, rhythm,
The Goal of Teaching Speaking
 The goal of teaching speaking skills is
communicative efficiency. Learners should be able to
make themselves understood, using their current
proficiency to the fullest. They should try to avoid
confusion in the message due to faulty pronunciation,
grammar, or vocabulary, and to observe the social and
cultural rules that apply in each communication
situation. To help students develop communicative
efficiency in speaking, instructors can use a balanced
activities approach that combines language input,
The nature of speaking
The Nature of Speaking Oral communication is a
two-way process between speaker and listener (or
listeners) and involves the productive skill of
speaking and the receptive skill of understanding
(or listening with understanding). Both speaker and
listener have a positive function to perform. In
simple terms, the speaker has to encode the
message he wishes to convey in appropriate
language, while the listener (no less actively) has
 Teaching
Pronunciation
 Pronunciation involves far more than
individual sounds. Word stress, sentence
stress, intonation, and word linking all
influence the sound of spoken English, not
to mention the way we often slur words
and phrases together in casual speech.
 'What are you going to do?' becomes
'Whaddaya gonna do?‘. English pronunciation
involves too many complexities for learners to
strive for a complete elimination of accent, but
improving pronunciation will boost self esteem,
facilitate communication, and possibly lead to a
better job or a least more respect in the workplace.
 Effective communication is of greatest
importance, so choose first to work on problems
that significantly hinder communication and let
the rest go. Remember that your students also
need to learn strategies for dealing with
misunderstandings, since native pronunciation is
for most an unrealistic goal.
 Specific
pronunciation
features
 1. Voicing
Voiced sounds will make the throat vibrate. For
example, /g/ is a voiced sound while /k/ is not,
even though the mouth is in the same position for
both sounds. Have your students touch their
throats while pronouncing voiced and voiceless
sounds. They should feel vibration with the
voiced sounds only.
2. Mouth Position
Draw simple diagrams of tongue and lip
positions. Make sure all students can clearly
see your mouth while you model sounds.
Have students use a mirror to see their mouth,
lips, and tongue while they imitate you.
 3. Pitch, stress, and juncture
The rise and fall of a voice is called pitch. Stress
is the strength of voice placed on a particular
syllable in a word, or on a particular word or
words in a sentence. While Juncture (pauses and
stops) to deliver signal meaning. Intonation is the
movement of the voice, between high and low
pitch. English has two intonations: falling and
 Falling Intonation
denotes certainty, finality, perhaps co-operation

a. Statements and replies: “He knows.” “I’ll come.”

b. Exclamation: “How gorgeous!” “What a revelation!”

c. Order, command, warnings, and announcements: “Come here.”

“All aboard”

d. Questions beginning with question words: “ Why did you do it?”

“Who is he?” When did he arrive?”
 Rising Intonation
Denotes uncertainty, pausing, co-operative approach.

a. Ordinary questions (answerable by yes or no): “Did it fit?” “Are

you coming?”

b. Speech before pauses of commas: “If I find it,” “After his

speech,” “…..nevertheless…”

c. Hesitant speech: “ Perhaps…” “ I think I saw him there…”

d. Request: “ Will you please..” “Please tell me…”

 4. Vowel Length
You can demonstrate varying vowel lengths within a
word by stretching rubber bands on the longer
vowels and letting them contract on shorter ones.
Then let the students try it. For example, the word
'fifteen' would have the rubber band stretched for the
'ee' vowel, but the word 'fifty' would not have the
band stretched because both of its vowels are
spoken quickly.
 5. Specific Sounds
Minimal pairs, or words such as 'bit/bat' that differ
by only one sound, are useful for helping students
distinguish similar sounds. They can be used to
illustrate voicing ('curl/girl') or commonly
confused sounds ('play/pray'). Remember that it's
Tongue twisters the sound and not the spelling
you are focusing on.
are useful for practicing specific target sounds, plus
they're fun. Make sure the vocabulary isn't too
Factors that
Influence
Learners'
Speaking
1. Native Language

The native language is clearly the most

influential factor affecting a learner's
pronunciation. If the teacher is familiar
with the sound system of a learner's native
language, (s)he will be better able to
diagnose student difficulties.
2. Age
Children under the age of puberty generally stand
an excellent chance of "sounding like a native" if they
have continued exposure in authentic contexts. Beyond
the age of puberty, while adults will almost surely
maintain a "foreign accent," there is no particular
advantage attributed to age. A fifty-year-old can be as
successful as an eighteen-year-old if all other factors
are equal. The belief that "the younger, the better" in
learning a language is a myth.
3. Exposure
It is difficult to define exposure. One can actually live
in a foreign country for some time but not take
advantage of being "with the people." Research seems
to support the notion that the quality and intensity of
exposure are more important than mere length of time.
If class time spent focusing on pronunciation demands
the full attention and interest of students, then they
stand a good chance of reaching their goals.
4. Innate phonetic ability
Often referred to as having an "ear" for language, some
people manifests a phonetic coding ability that others do
not. In many cases, if a person has had exposure to a
foreign language as a child, this "knack" is present
whether the early language is remembered or not.
Others are simply more attuned to phonetic
discriminations. Some people would have you believe
that you either have such a knack, or you don't.
5. Identity and language ego
Another influence is one's attitude toward
speakers of the target language and the extent to
which the language ego identifies with those
speakers. Learners need to be reminded of the
importance
6. Motivation and concern for good pronunciation
Some learners are not particularly concerned about their
pronunciation, while others are. The extent to which
learners' intrinsic motivation propels them toward
improvement will be perhaps the strongest influence of all
six of the factors in this list. If that motivation and concern
are high, then the necessary effort will be expended in
pursuit of goals. As the teacher, you can help learners to
perceive or develop that motivation by showing, among
other things, how clarity of speech is significant in shaping
their self-image and, ultimately, in reaching some of their
 EXAMPLES OF
PRONOUNCIAT
ION EXERCISES
 Pronunciation
Pyramid
First, everyone starts at the top of the pyramid.
Next, the teacher says at a level below. Individually,
students circle the word they hear.
Until the bottom of the pyramid, the teacher says
the word, and the students circle what they hear. The
teacher also keeps track going down the pyramid. Where
do you finish? It’s fun to see.
 Tongue Twisters
Oddly enough, tongue twisters are an effortless way
to get students talking. I can’t put my finger on it
why… but they probably love the challenge of it.
First, students repeat each line after the teacher. Next,
the teacher demonstrates the tongue twister with
lightning speed. Now, ask for volunteers to try to
do it faster.
 Similar Sentences

How much do your students pay attention to

detail? Each sentence sounds similar but they
are different.
You can read each sentence yourself. Or you
can have your students read them. Can they
find the difference between them?
 Listening Test
This is your basic type of listening test. Can they
differentiate each unique sound when you read them?

First, mix up the sounds. Next, keep track of the sounds

you say. Finally, correct their papers to test their syllable
recognition.
 Reading drill
If you are having a hard time with
words and you fumble while speaking
because you think you might be saying
the word wrong then reading is another
way to help you enhance your
pronunciation skills.
 Gerard Nolst Trenite - The Chaos (1922)
Dearest creature in creation sew it!
Studying English Just compare heart, hear and
pronunciation, heard,
I will teach you in my verse Dies and diet, lord and word.
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse
and worse. Sword and sward, retain and
Britain
I will keep you, Susy, busy, (Mind the latter how it's
Make your head with heat grow written).
dizzy; Made has not the sound of
Tear in eye, your dress you'll bade,
 Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as vague and ague,
But be careful how you speak,
Say: gush, bush, steak, streak, break, bleak ,

Previous, precious, fuchsia, via

Recipe, pipe, studding-sail, choir;
Woven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, shoe, poem, toe.

Say, expecting fraud and trickery:

Daughter, laughter and Terpsichore,
Branch, ranch, measles, topsails, aisles,
Missiles, similes, reviles.
Stages in a
Speaking
Lesson
 The Presentation Stage

This is also known as the pre-

activity phase of the lesson where the
teacher introduces something new to be
learned. At this stage of a speaking
lesson, the teacher's main task is to serve
as a kind of informant.
 The Practice Stage
This stage is also called the
While (or Main) Activity or the
Speaking Activity stage.
 The Production Stage
It is through these opportunities to use language as
they wish that the students become aware that they
have learned something useful to them personally,
and are encouraged to go on learning. Thus in
providing the students with activities for free
expression and in discreetly watching over them as
they carry them out, you, as teacher, take on the role
of manager, guide, or adviser.
Improving
students'
speaking
abilities
 Teachers should create situation in
which the students could exercise their
ability of oral expression. Some of these
activities are celebrative experiences, asking
respondent-centered questions, conducting
classroom conversations, audio and video
tape recordings and debate.
 Celebrative activities
Like presenting a play or making a speech at a
school or community gathering are effective
means by which all functions of language are
utilized. Respondent- centered questions These
are not text- centered and do not have correct
answer. Students can give answers based on their
personal knowledge and experienced
 Rhymes,
Songs,
Dialogues, GRE
EN

Games
To make correct habits of sound production
and structure automatic for the students,
exercises like appropriate rhymes, songs,
dialogues, and games should be introduced.
These may be taken from books on speech
drills or they may be written by the teacher
himself to suit the needs of his class
 RHYM
ES
For the ESL student, rhyme has great value.
Learning about rhyme will increase the
awareness your students have of English
phonology, which is essential for 51

pronunciation and phonics.

“There Will Come Soft Rain” by
Sara Teasdale
There will come soft rain and the smell of the
ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering
sound; 52

And frogs in the pools singing at night,

And wild plum trees in tremulous white;
Robins will wear their feathery fire,
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;
And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.
Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree, If
mankind perished utterly;
53
And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn
Would scarcely know that we were gone.
A Dream Within A Dream” by Edgar Allan
Poe
Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong who deem 54
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
 Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
55
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep- while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
56
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?
 Rhymes: Tongue Twister
All I want is a proper cup of coffee,
Made in a proper copper coffee pot
I may be off my dot
But I want a cup of coffee
From a proper coffee pot.

Tin coffee pots and iron coffee pots 57

They're no use to me -
If I can't have a proper cup of coffee
In a proper copper coffee pot
I'll have a cup of tea.
 Rhymes: Riddles
• I look very sorry when you feel sad, and I love
to look happy if you're feeling glad.

• You use me from your head to toe, the more I

work, the smaller I grow. 58

• It's shorter than all the rest, when you're happy

you raise it like it's the best.
 Songs
is important in language teaching because our
brains naturally process information and new
language more easily if presented in a given 59
rhythm. As a result, ESL music activities can
and should be used in your classroom
whenever possible
 Let's start at the very beginning
A very good place to start
When you read you begin with A-be-see
When you sing you begin with do-re-mi
Do-re-mi, do-re-mi
The first three notes just happen to be
Do-re-mi, do-re-mi 60

Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti
Let's see if I can make it easy
 Doe, a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of golden sun
Me, a name I call myself
Far, a long, long way to run
Sew, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow Sew
Tea, a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to Do (oh-oh-oh)
Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do
So-do! 61

Now children, do-re-mi-fa-so and so on

are only the tools we use to build a song
Once you have these notes in your heads you can sing a million different
tunes by mixing them up Like this
 ESL songs for teaching grammar

“Somebody That I Used to Know,” by Gotye:

Here is another example of a well-known pop
song that can be used in your ESL classroom.
There are several routes you can take with the 62

song, such as a lesson on the past tense.

 Now and then I think of when we were together
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die
Told myself that you were right for me
But felt so lonely in your company
But that was love and it's an ache I still remember
You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness
Like resignation to the end, always the end 63

So when we found that we could not make sense

Well, you said that we would still be friends
 But I'll admit that I was glad it was over
But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough
No, you didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records
And then change your number
64
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Now you're just somebody that I used to know
 DIALOGU
ES
are reflective devices in learning a language because
they furnish students a social context which to
practice the language. Sentences come to life in the
context of the dialogue because it represents real
65
communication of ideas from one person to
another. In addition, words are accompanied by
facial expressions, gestures, and other body
motions.
Dialogues are also natural milieu for pause
words, (“well”, “Hmmm”), rejoinders,
(“Really? ”How interesting!” “Is that so?”)
and interjections. Besides, the dialogue
offers excellent practice material in the
pronunciation of vowels and consonants, the 66

rendering of rhythm, stress, intonation,

juncture, and the use of various grammatical
patterns.
The following pointers are given by Dobson on how
to teach dialogues most effectively:
1. Choose dialogues that are appropriate to your
teaching situation. Consider the age and interests of
your pupils/students.
2. Decide how much time you can devote to a
dialogue you intend to use.
3. Re-read the dialogue carefully before you present it
to your class. Underline words and structures that
may be new to your students.
4. If the dialogue you have selected is not accompanied
by pattern drills, prepare short drills of your own.
5. Before the class begins, write the dialogue on the
blackboard and cover it with large piece of paper or
cloth. This will enable you to introduce the dialogue
orally or as listening practice before your students see it
in written form.
6. Read the dialogue to your pupils/students and have
them listen carefully.
7. Conduct a choral repetition drill in which the
students repeat the dialogue after you, line by line.
8. After the first repetition drill you can explain
any new words or structures in the dialogue.
9. Devote the next several minutes to helping the
students memorize the dialogue.
10. Check how well they have learned the
dialogue.
11. Assign the dialogue as homework.
12. Be sure to check the student’s mastery of
dialogue on the following day.
 Dialogue

Grade One
Rudy: He-llo. how are you?

Eddy: Fine. thank you. How are you?

Rudy: Fine. thanks. Oh. excuse me — here's my mother.

Eddy: Goodbye.
Rudy: Goodbye.
 GAMES
Games are activities that can provide intensive
language practice they remove the tension and
inhibition that students usually have formed in 71

language lessons. Here are a few that you can

try in your classes.
 Map Directions
Sender and receiver have copies of the same map
Or Street plan. Starting from a specified point, the
sender directs the receiver to another location.
Questions from the receiver, as usual, clarify
ambiguous directions. Many variations are
possible, for example, the sender describing what
he can from a point he selects and the receiver
deciding where that point must be
73
74
 3.Guess Who or What I Am one student
thinks of a person – it could be someone in
the class or a famous person, someone that
everyone is likely to know – and the rest of
the class asks them yes or no questions 75

about the person until they can guess who it

is.
 Testing:
Speaking
 Testing: speaking skill
The following are suggested activities to test the students
proficiency in speaking.
1. Reading aloud to test pronunciation, stress and intonation .
2. Short talks on topics chosen from a list or based on pictures and
photographs.
3. Conducting an interview.
4. Role simulation
5. Role playing with examiner and student each taking a part.
6. Role playing in typical situations.
7. Vocational exposition and demonstration.
8. Giving appropriate responses in a series of situation.
9. Re-telling of story read aloud by the examiner.
Activity in Riddles:
1. When I'm young I'm tall
When I'm old I'm short
When I'm alive I glow
Because of your breath I die
What am l?
2. This is something black and white
But it's not an old TV
It's a type of animal
That starts with the letter Z
 3.After a fall i take over,
Then life does stall
Or at least grows slower

4.I hide what's real and conceal what's true,

at times I bring out the courage in you.

5.I'm found on people's faces,

I'm something you wear,
I help correct your eyesight
and I come in a pair.
 6.By moon or sun,
I'll always be found,
but I am undone
if no light is around.

7.I can be soft and hard,

you can hold me in your hand
like a rock on the land.

8.Can you see me?

Usually you can't.
I can surround you though,
and surround your aunt!
 9.My color is yellow
And I grow on trees
I'm a popular food
With apes and monkeys

10.I'm not gas or a solid,

but something more unique,
I'm the water you find flowing through a river or creek.