# Writing Natural Classroom Dialogues

Coursebook dialogues often sound like two people reading sentences at each other. A good classroom dialogue
models the target language **and** the way people actually talk, at a level learners can handle.

## Features of natural spoken English

| Feature | Example | Use from |
|---------|---------|----------|
| Contractions | I'm, don't, it's, we'll, can't | A1 |
| Short answers and ellipsis | "Coffee?" "Yes, please." / "Been there?" | A1 |
| Reactions and backchannels | Oh! Really? Great. Right. Uh-huh. | A1 |
| Openings and closings | Hi, how are you? / Anyway, I'd better go. See you! | A1 |
| Discourse markers | Well, So, Anyway, Actually, By the way | A2 |
| Fillers and hesitation | Um, er, let me see, you know | A2 |
| Vague language | and stuff, sort of, about twenty, or something | B1 |
| Questions to keep talk going | What about you? How was it? | A1 |
| Repair | Sorry? Pardon? I mean... What I meant was... | A2 |
| Hedging and softening | I'm not sure, but... It might be... a bit | B1 |
| Overlaps, interruptions, incomplete sentences | "I was going to-" "Oh, sorry, go on." | B2 |
| Idioms and chunks | I'm in a hurry; no way; that makes sense | B1 |

Use them in moderation: too many fillers makes a model dialogue hard to follow at low levels.

## Adjacency pairs (turn types that come together)

| First part | Expected second part | Alternatives |
|------------|----------------------|--------------|
| Greeting | Greeting | |
| Question | Answer | "I'm not sure." "Why?" |
| Offer | Accept / decline | "Thanks, but..." |
| Request | Grant / refuse with reason | "Sorry, I can't, because..." |
| Invitation | Accept / decline with excuse | "I'd love to, but..." |
| Complaint | Apology / explanation | |
| Compliment | Thanks / downplay | "Oh, it's quite old." |

Declining and refusing need softening and a reason; learners should see this modelled.

## Dialogue length and turn length by level

| Level | Turns | Max words per turn | Language |
|-------|-------|--------------------|----------|
| A1 | 6-10 | ~12 | Formulaic exchanges, present simple, can |
| A2 | 8-14 | ~18 | Past simple, going to, requests and offers |
| B1 | 10-18 | ~25 | Opinions, suggestions, narrative turns |
| B2 | 10-24 | ~35 | Persuasion, hedging, longer anecdotes |
| C1-C2 | Any | Any | Implicature, irony, register shifts |

## Writing process

1. Define the situation: where, who, relationship (formality), goal of each speaker.
2. List the target language (3-6 phrases) and decide where each occurs naturally.
3. Draft the skeleton: opening -> purpose -> problem or complication -> resolution -> closing.
4. Add natural features appropriate to the level.
5. Balance the roles if learners will practise in pairs (each speaker roughly half of the words).
6. Read it aloud with a partner; cut anything nobody would say.
7. Check with `dialogue_check.py`.

## Complication makes it worth listening to

A dialogue with a small problem (the room is not ready, the size is wrong, the friend is late) gives a reason
to listen and generates functional language (apologising, suggesting, negotiating).

## Register

| Situation | Register cues |
|-----------|---------------|
| Friends | Hi, Hey, Yeah, What's up?, Cheers, See ya |
| Service encounter | Good morning, Can I help you?, Could I..., Here you are, Have a nice day |
| Workplace | Have you got a minute?, Would it be possible to..., Shall we... |
| Formal / official | Would you mind..., I'm afraid..., I'd be grateful if... |

## Names and representation

Use a variety of names, ages, roles and backgrounds; avoid stereotypes (who is the doctor, who cooks); include
L2 speakers as successful communicators.