March 2026 · Language Systems
Pragmatics is the study of how context affects meaning. A student might be grammatically perfect but still sound rude, inappropriate, or confusing because they lack pragmatic competence. Teaching pragmatics helps students communicate effectively in real-world situations.
| Speech Act | Direct Form | Indirect/Polite Form |
|---|---|---|
| Request | "Give me the salt." | "Could you pass the salt, please?" |
| Refusal | "No." | "I'm afraid I can't make it." |
| Complaint | "This is terrible." | "I was wondering if this could be improved." |
| Suggestion | "You should..." | "Have you considered...?" |
Give students 4-5 ways to make the same request. They rank from most to least polite, then discuss when each would be appropriate.
Students draw context cards (boss, friend, stranger) and adapt the same message for each audience.
Introduce basic politeness (please, thank you, could you) from A1. Explicit pragmatic instruction works best at B1+ when students have enough language to express ideas in multiple ways.