Language Skills: Listening and Speaking Flashcards

What are 'minimal pairs' and how are they used in listening/pronunciation teaching?

Answer: Pairs of words that differ by only one phoneme, used to train discrimination of similar sounds

Minimal pairs (e.g., 'ship/sheep', 'bit/beat') isolate and contrast single phoneme differences to sharpen learner perception and production.

What is 'intensive listening'?

Answer: Listening carefully to every detail, word, and structure in a short audio segment

Intensive listening focuses on accuracy — students attend to precise language, often transcribing or analysing a short, carefully selected segment.

What is 'extensive listening' in TEFL?

Answer: Listening to large amounts of audio at an appropriate level primarily for pleasure and general comprehension

Extensive listening builds fluency, vocabulary, and exposure to natural speech patterns through regular, enjoyable listening outside the classroom.

In a TEFL speaking lesson, what is 'drilling'?

Answer: Controlled repetition of a language form by the class individually or chorally to develop accuracy

Drilling provides focused, repeated practice of target language forms to build accurate pronunciation and internalization of structure.

Which speaking task type requires students to reach an agreed outcome together?

Answer: Consensus or decision-making task

Consensus tasks (e.g., ranking activities, survival scenarios) require genuine negotiation and meaningful communication to reach a shared decision.

What does 'connected speech' refer to in TEFL pronunciation teaching?

Answer: Natural speech features like linking, assimilation, and elision that occur when words are spoken together in a stream

Connected speech phenomena (e.g., linking 'turn_off', elision in 'next_door') are key to listening comprehension and natural-sounding speech.