When a Expert Forgot How to Explain
Grammar: Embedded questions and hedged professional language
A Business English English lesson exploring psychology.
What's in this lesson
A Business English ESL lesson on psychology, practising embedded questions and hedged professional language. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary, a grammar reference with practice and discussion questions.
From the reading: The Expert Who Forgot How to Explain
In 1990, a Stanford graduate student named Elizabeth Newton ran a simple experiment. She split people into two groups: tappers and listeners. Each tapper chose a famous song, such as "Happy Birthday", and tapped its rhythm on a table. The listeners had to guess the song. Tappers predicted that half of the listeners would succeed. In reality, only 2.5 percent did, three correct guesses out of 120.
Vocabulary
- break the ice
- get to the point
- on the same page
- talk over their heads
Grammar
- Embedded question
- I wonder what the audience needs. — no auxiliary inversion
- Yes/no embedded
- Could you tell me whether they have read it? — use if/whether
Discussion questions
- What is the best explanation you have ever received?
- Do you think experts are always good teachers?
- Have you ever misunderstood a set of instructions?
When a Expert Forgot How to Explain
Grammar: Embedded questions and hedged professional language
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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