![]() ![]() ![]() Note: Certain common expressions can have other meanings. I’m sorry, I don’t understand what _ means. If that happens, just say, “I’m sorry I meant no offense. Some ladies might get upset because you used ma’am because they think it means they are old. When talking with close friends, it’s appropriate to say, “Huh?” If you’re in the southern U.S., the best response is “Ma’am?” or “Sir?” (I really like it when I meet kids who use sir and ma’am. To clarify your idea you can use the following expressions: ![]() I wonder if you could say that in a different way.Do you mean…? (and then state what you think they meant).When you don’t understand what someone has said, you canĪsk for clarification using the following expressions: I’m not exactly sure what you’re getting at.Sorry, I didn’t quite hear what you said.I’m not quite sure I know what you mean.I beg your pardon, but I don’t quite understand.Here are some expressions you can try to use if you don’t quite understand what someone has said to you: This page is mainly instructional, but if you are going to use this for a class, then I suggest teaching students these skills and then have them practice either in pairs or groups of three as they ask each other questions and try to clarify what their partner has asked or answered.Ĭlarification How to express a lack of understanding I’ve provided a PDF of the class I used to teach, but I will also print it out here and go over some various parts for both teachers and students to use. But it did have its root in the simple skill of clarification. For example, if someone were to ask you, “What is the meaning of life?” You can repeat back, “The meaning of life…hmm… I’ve never thought of that before.”Īctually, that is a strategy I taught my students when trying to think up answers to questions that they found difficult when they were doing a live test of their speaking ability. Clarification is how you make sure that you understand the other person by either asking again or repeating back the important part of what someone says to you. ![]()
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