INTERNATIONAL HOUSE CERTIFICATE IN TEACHING LANGUAGES

Functions
Written by Tim Hazell Freelance
List of contents of this session

List of contents
Overview of the session and its main aims
Session outline

Page 1
Page 2

Stages
Notes to tutor for stage 1

Page 3

Notes to tutor for stage 2

Materials for stage 2

Page 4
Page 6

Notes to tutor for stage 3

Materials for stage 3

Page 7
Page 8

Notes to tutor for stage 4

Materials for stage 4

Page 9
Page 10

Notes to tutor for stage 5

Page 11

Overview of the session and its main aims

The main aims of the session are to define functions, examine the relationship
between form and function, anticipate problems that students are likely to have with
functional language and finally to consider different ways of teaching it.
Further reading:
Business English books usually have a lot of functional language in them.
Macmillan has a series including Telephone English and Email English.
For a more theoretical/historical look at the teaching of functions theres this article:
http://www.onestopenglish.com/section.asp?docid=146492
The Headway Pronunciation Series (OUP) is very good for the intonation of
functional language.
Communication Games J Hadfield (Longman) is good for practical activities.

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Session outline
Stage 1: Definition of a function
To establish a working definition of the term function.

+/- 10 minutes

Stage 2: Relationship between form and function

To check the students understanding of the term function
To test their ability to categorise functions
To demonstrate that one form can be used to perform many
functions
To demonstrate that the same function can be performed by
different forms

+/- 15 minutes

Stage 3: The importance of context in the presentation of

functional language
+/- 10 minutes
To highlight the importance of establishing a clear context for
teaching of functions in order to make their meaning clear.
To highlight the importance of teaching responses to functions
Stage 4: The role of intonation in functional language
To demonstrate a semi-controlled speaking activity that
practices functional language
To highlight the role of intonation in functional language

+/- 20 minutes

Stage 5: Conclusion: anticipating problems

To wrap up the session with a focus on what teachers should
always bear in mind when planning a functions lesson.

+/- 30 minutes

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NOTES TO TUTOR FOR STAGE 1

Main aims of this stage:
To establish a working definition of the term function.
Time:
Aids:

10 minutes
International Phonemic Chart (see phonology 1 for a chart)

Procedure:
1. Tutor taps out on the phonemic chart: /wtizfn / slowly at first, with the
trainees producing each phoneme as it is tapped. Tutor repeats this 2 or 3 times,
increasing speed until the trainees chorally produce the question, What is a
function?
2. In groups the trainees discuss the answer to this question and do feedback as a
group.
Answer key
Function noun [C] doing something with the language
3. Elicit examples of functions. eg complaining, apologising, requesting, suggesting,
making excuses, promising, offering, threatening, predicting, advising, ordering,
giving directions, etc.

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NOTES TO TUTOR FOR STAGE 2

Main aims of this stage:
To check the students understanding of the term function
To test their ability to categorise functions
To demonstrate that one form can be used to perform many functions
To demonstrate that the same function can be performed by different forms
Time:
Materials:

15 minutes
See stage 2 materials

Procedure:
1. Give the trainees Materials Sheet 1. In pairs or small groups they are to discuss
what function is being performed in each utterance. Give them a few minutes to
do this before coming together to do plenary feedback.
Answer Key
1. Dont worry, Ill help you with your homework.
2. My brother will talk with his mouth full.
3. Pass the mustard, will you?
4. Shall we go for a drink?
5. Ill see you at the party tonight.
6. Trespassers will be prosecuted.
7. You shall do as I tell you.
8. He wont keep his job for much longer.

offering help
complaining
requesting
suggesting
promising/(arranging)
threatening
ordering
predicting

Conclusion: one form can perform many functions. Although all the above sentences
contain a form of either will or shall the array of functions they perform is wide.
2. Next, ask the trainees, in the same groups, to come up with more ways of
performing each function (ie to come up with different forms for each function).
Again give them enough time to do this before doing feedback. Bear in mind that
there are many possible answers and the answer key below is only a suggested
answer.
Suggested Answer Key
1. offering help
Can I help?
I could do that for you.
Let me help you.
Shout if you need any help.
2. Complaining
Its really not good enough.
Id like to make a complaint.
Something should be done about it.
Hes always talking with his mouth full.
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3. Requesting
Could you pass the mustard, please?
Please pass the mustard.
Would you pass the mustard, please?
Would you be so kind as to pass the mustard, please?
4. Suggesting
We could go for a drink.
How about going for a drink?
Lets go for a drink.
I propose we go for a drink.
5. promising
You can count on me bringing you that book tonight.
I promise Ill bring that book tonight.
6. threatening
Enter at your own risk.
Trespassing may result in prosecution.
7. Ordering
Do what I say.
You must do what I tell you.
You have to do what I say.
8. predicting
He might not keep his job for much longer
He may lose his job soon.
He could lose his job soon.
He should be out of a job soon.
Conclusion: there are often various different forms we can use to perform the same
function. These forms are known as exponents of the functions. So for example,
complaining is a function; Its really not good enough. is an exponent of the function
of complaining.

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Material for Stage 2

What are the functions being performed in the following

utterances?
1.Dont worry, Ill help you with your homework.
2.My brother will talk with his mouth full.
3.Pass the mustard, will you?
4.Shall we go for a drink?
5.Ill see bring you that book tonight.
6.Trespassers will be prosecuted.
7.You shall do as I tell you.
8.He wont keep his job for much longer.

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NOTES TO TUTOR FOR STAGE 3

Main aims of this stage:
To highlight the importance of establishing a clear context for teaching of
functions in order to make their meaning clear.
To highlight the importance of teaching responses to functions
Time:
Materials:

10 minutes
materials for stage 3

Procedure:
1. Give students Sheet 2. In pairs or groups they read the dialogue and decide what
is wrong with it. Give them time to discuss then conduct plenary feedback.
Points to cover in feedback
Conclusions:
-

the exponents have probably not been taught in any clear context for the
students to be able to see their natural communicative purpose;

it seems likely that a list of ways of complaining and a list of ways of

apologising have been taught in isolation to one another with no link being
made between them.

the students are also mixing the style of their exponents, which suggests that
there has been no attention paid to in the formality of the exponents or
whether they usually occur in written or spoken English.

Therefore:
-

it is important to present functional language in the contexts in which it

naturally occurs. This will mean the use of video and audio recordings, emails,
letters, etc.

if we teach one function, e.g. complaining or inviting, it is important to teach

the functions that are needed to respond to this function, e.g. apologising or
accepting or declining an invitation.

closely related to the previous two points, the teacher needs to make it clear to
the students how formal/informal/polite/rude an exponent is, and whether it
usually occurs in written or spoken English.

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Material for Stage 3

Two students performed the following impromptu

dialogue after being taught ways of complaining and
apologising.
A: Excuse me, would you mind moving your car.
B: Oh, please forgive me. What can I possibly do to put
it right?
A: Ive really had enough. I wont put up with any more.
B: Im so sorry.
A: I wont ask you again.
B: Please accept my most humble apologies.
Whats wrong with the dialogue?
What faults in the teaching might have been
responsible?
What would you say are the most important things to
remember when teaching functions?

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Notes to Tutor for Stage 4

Main aims of this stage:
To demonstrate a semi-controlled speaking activity that practices functional
language
To highlight the role of intonation in functional language.
Time:
20 minutes
Materials: See materials for stage 3 sheets 1 and 2. Sheet two needs to be cut up
and perhaps copied for more cards.
Procedure:
1. Each trainee receives a problem from the tutor.
2. The trainees have to walk around the room soliciting help from one another.
3. There should be a pile (or piles in different places if the group is particularly
big) of attitude cards accessible to the students. Every time a trainee is asked
for advice they have to pick up an attitude card which tells them how they
should react to the person with a problem.
means that they should be very sympathetic;
! means that they should remain neutral;
instructs them to be very unsympathetic.
However, they must continue to give advice however unsympathetic they
may be.
4. During the activity the tutors role is really to make sure the trainees stay on
task.
5. When the activity has come to an end, do some feedback on content i.e. What
were the best/worst pieces of advice they received for their problems? Then
ask How did the delivery of the advice differ according to how sympathetic
they were?
This highlights the importance of teaching the appropriate intonation of
functions.
Conclusion: What should come out of this activity is that the more
sympathetic we are the bigger the change of pitch there is during our
utterances.
In other words, we sound more musical when putting a lot of
emotion into what
we are saying.
1) To make this point clearer, get one or two students to re-enact one of their
conversations in open pairs for the whole group to hear. Then get them to do it
with a different attitude card. Get the trainees to comment on the differences
in intonation.
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Material for Stage 4 Sheet 3 Problems

These situations need to be cut up and distributed to the trainees. (Please note that
you may need to change some of the situations to suit your particular training
context.)
You have developed a serious hot chocolate/Coke/Sprite/ habit during the
course and are worried that you're heading for serious cold turkey when the
course finishes. Confide in a friend.

You've copied all your assignments from a very helpful website you found in
Week One. You think you've been rumbled. See if a friend can give you any
useful advice.

You have developed a strong crush on one of your students, and are not sure
what to do about it. Ask a friend what they think.

During the course you've abandoned all correspondence with friends and
family. They're beginning to send you accusatory emails but you don't have
time to reply to them. Ask a friend what you should do.

You have developed an allergy to input sessions. Every time you come into
one, you start yawning uncontrollably and your head becomes so heavy you
have to rest it on the desk. It's becoming a bit embarrassing. Ask for some
advice on what you should do to avoid this situation.

You borrowed a load of books from the school library. After coming in from
the pub one night, it seems you decided to make a collage with their pages.
Talk to a friend about it and see if they can help you.

You still get lost on your way to the school, which is a bit embarrassing. Ask
a friend for some advice on how you can get your sense of direction back.

Recently, during an observed lesson, you slipped a sleep-inducing substance

into your tutor's hot chocolate so that he wouldn't notice the minor flaws in
your otherwise perfect lesson. The tutor started snoring at the controlled
practice stage and is in trouble with his boss. You think the feeling you have
might be guilt. Talk to a friend about it.

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You lied about your education on your application form. Nobody seems to
have noticed your lack of an education, however. Talk to a friend about it.

You keep having dreams in which different members of the course appear...
naked. The next day you always find it rather awkward talking to them. You
would really like to stop having such dreams (well, most of them anyway).
See if anyone can give you some advice on this.

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Material for Stage 4 Sheet 4 Attitude Cards

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Notes to Tutor for Stage 5

Main aims of this stage:
To wrap up the session with a focus on what teachers should always bear in
mind when planning a functions lesson.
Time:
30 minutes
Materials: A selection of course books. Before this stage ensure you have
chosen books hat have functional lesson in them.
Procedure:
1. Tutor writes on the board:
Meaning
Form
Pronunciation
Appropriacy
Trainees discuss in small groups what they should consider in these areas when
planning a functions lesson.
Answer Key
Meaning:
Functional language should always be taught in a very clear context so that its
communicative purpose is clear.
Form
There are often many different forms for performing the same function. Teachers
need to be aware of these and resist sticking to the one or two typical forms often
presented by course books.
Pronunciation
If the functional language we are teaching is usually spoken then we need to look at
the phonology of its exponents. Although, as in any spoken language, all aspects of
phonology are important, it is perhaps intonation that is most important here. One of
the key roles of intonation is to express our attitude, and obviously when we are
using functional language, ie we have a very clear communicative aim to achieve, the
attitude we convey is key to whether we succeed or not.
Appropriacy
Teachers need to analyse the language at the planning stage in terms of the
following:
-

written or spoken language: eg Come over at 9. vs You are cordially invited to

a dinner party at the Jones Residence at 9 oclock on the evening of March
3rd. RSVP
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level of formality: eg Give me that. vs Could you possibly pass me... NB this is
not only a question of whether we want to be polite, it also depends on how
well we know the person we are talking to.

2. Bring in some course books and give them to the trainees to look for sections in
which functional language is taught. Trainees have to decide:
-

how often it is dealt with;

how well it is dealt with.

Allow time for the trainees to look over the lessons and answer the question, working
in pairs or small groups. Then bring the group together to share answers.
There is no set key as it depends on te books and lessons looked at.

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