[Vocabulary] Classroom English

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englishhobby

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I heard some Russian teachers say in class something like this: "Now your homework. Who wants to answer?" (when they want their students to present to the class some home prepared oral activities (monologues, for example) .

I am interested in the verb "to answer". Can it be used without an object in a sentence like the one above? I know that "Who wants to be the first with their homework?" or other similar phrases could be a better alternative, but I just want to know if the verb to answer can be used in the situation described?
 

MikeNewYork

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I heard some Russian teachers say in class something like this: "Now your homework. Who wants to answer?" (when they want their students to present to the class some home prepared oral activities (monologues, for example) .

I am interested in the verb "to answer". Can it be used without an object in a sentence like the one above? I know that "Who wants to be the first with their homework?" or other similar phrases could be a better alternative, but I just want to know if the verb to answer can be used in the situation described?

The verb "answer" can be used without a direct object (intransitive). That sentence, however, is a bit strange.
 

englishhobby

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The verb "answer" can be used without a direct object (intransitive). That sentence, however, is a bit strange.
The matter is that in my language it's very common to ask a student just "to answer" which means (in my language) to start speaking on some topic they have prepared at home. I know that it's a bit strange, and I am looking for some better verb. Is there a verb in English which could be used instead of "to answer" (the verb "to start" is OK, but is there some verb closer in meaning to the verb in question (with the meaning I have described above))?

Our English teacher (he also was Russian) used to say Who wants to take the floor? But I wonder if there is a verb closer in meaning to our Russian "to answer".
It's a bit strange that native speakers can do without such an important verb. :) Do English teachers always have to use a few words instead of just one (like our Russian "to answer") when they want their student just "to answer"?:-?
 
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bhaisahab

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"Now, your homework. Who wants to start?"
This seems good to me.
 

MikeNewYork

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The matter is that in my language it's very common to ask a student just "to answer" which means (in my language) to start speaking on some topic he / she have prepared at home. I know that it's a bit strange, and I am looking for some better verb. Is there a verb in English which could be used instead of "to answer" (the verb "to start" is OK, but is there some verb closer in meaning to the verb in question (with the meaning I have described above))?

Our English teacher (he also was Russian) used to say Who wants to take the floor? But I wonder if there is a verb closer in meaning to our Russian "to answer".

I can't think of one offhand. I would use "start" or "begin".
 

englishhobby

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Thanks for your replies. So, it's cultural... I'll have to accept it somehow.;-)
 

englishhobby

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And one more question related to this thread: if I want to know if all the students have "answered" their homework, can I ask: "Who hasn't answered yet?"
or Who hasn't (done what) yet? (I need this phrase badly every day in class, so I want a good one, not just translated literally from my language.)
 

MikeNewYork

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And one more question related to this thread: if I want to know if all the students have "answered" their homework, can I ask: "Who hasn't answered yet?"
or Who hasn't (done what) yet? (I need this phrase badly every day in class, so I want a good one, not just translated literally from my language.)

You could use "spoken" or "presented".
 

englishhobby

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You could use "spoken" or "presented".

So how should I put it in a sentence :
Who hasn't spoken on their homework yet? or
Who hasn't presented their homework yet?

Are the phrases above good English?
 

emsr2d2

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We don't tend to "present" homework. If your homework was to write a presentation, then I would simply say "Who hasn't done their presentation yet?" The homework was to prepare the presentation. Once they're in the classroom, they are presenting the presentation.
 

SlickVic9000

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I disagree. "Who would like to present (their homework) first?" sounds perfectly fine to me in this context. The homework in question was prepared for the purpose of reciting it to the class, which, I would say, makes it a 'presentation'. You could also say "Who would like to read off their homework first?" or simply "Who wants to go first?".
 

emsr2d2

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I disagree. "Who would like to present (their homework) first?" sounds perfectly fine to me in this context. The homework in question was prepared for the purpose of reciting it to the class, which, I would say, makes it a 'presentation'. You could also say "Who would like to read off their homework first?" or simply "Who wants to go first?".

That would be "read out" in BrE, not "read off".
 

englishhobby

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We don't tend to "present" homework. If your homework was to write a presentation, then I would simply say "Who hasn't done their presentation yet?" The homework was to prepare the presentation. Once they're in the classroom, they are presenting the presentation.

The main problem for me as a teacher is that I often give my students "oral homework" which means they have to prepare monologues (not only presentations) and I need some classroom English to invite them to present their monologues. For example, at the previous lesson I asked them to prepare a monologue (= a talk) on the topic Winter in Russia. Now I want to check their homework which means that I want my students to tell their version of the topic Winter in Russia. We do discuss things in class, when they have to speak on the spot, without preparation, but this is a different activity. So, they have prepared their monologues about winter in Russia at home and now I want them to talk about winter in Russia which was their homework. So I say: "Now, your homework. You were to prepare monologues on the topic Winter in Russia. Who wants to go first?" Some students "present their monologues", then I ask:

OK, who hasn't presented/some other verb their monologues yet????

or

Who hasn't told/spoken
on/some other verb their homework yet?

(I want to see how many students are left who haven't spoken in the form of a monologue about winter in Russia. I need to word this meaning properly.)
 
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SlickVic9000

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If you want to keep it simple, just say, "Who has not gone yet?"
As long as your students understand what you want them to do, there's no need to elaborate.

If you must be specific, then say, "Who has not {presented/recited/read} their {monologue/homework} yet?"
 

englishhobby

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That would be "read out" in BrE, not "read off".

The point is that I always warn my students not to read what they have prepared, but to TELL it to the class without looking at their notes. I often tell them that I don't want to listen them READ their monologues, I want them to SPEAK on the topic. So will read out do in this situation?

I am afraid that if I say "read out" they will understand that literally and start reading what they have written while I want them to "give a prepared talk"on the subject.
 

englishhobby

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If you want to keep it simple, just say, "Who has not gone yet?"
As long as your students understand what you want them to do, there's no need to elaborate.

If you must be specific, then say, "Who has not {presented/recited/read} their {monologue/homework} yet?"

Thank you very much, SlickVic9000, I think that's exactly what I need!

Thanks to everyone for this discussion, it really helped me understand native speakers' thinking better!
 

SlickVic9000

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If it's improvised, then no. "Who would like to {speak about/discuss/present} their topic first?" would be more appropriate.
 
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