Page 118 - Starting Strong: English Essentials

4. Speaking

Turn-Taking in Conversation

In this section, you are going to learn about an important communication skill that aims to create
successful conversations. This skill is called ”turn-taking”.

Turn-Taking

A turn is the time when a speaker is talking. Turn-taking is the ability to know when to start and finish
a turn in a conversation. It means one person speaks while the others listen. Then, another person
takes a turn to speak. This way, people can talk and listen to each other, ensuring that everyone has

an opportunity to contribute to the conversation.

Start a turn ➔ Begin a conversation by greeting, asking a question, or giving a statement
"Good to see you!"
"Wei! Good to see you."
"So, how was your vacation?"
"Did you enjoy your time away?"

"You won’t believe what happened on my trip."
"I just got back from my holiday."
"So, I have to tell you about my vacation."

Take a turn ➔ Begin speaking after someone else has finished by answering their
question or giving a comment.
“Great! Where did you go exactly?”

“Wow! What was the weather like?”
“That’s shocking! What happened next?”
“That’s amazing! I wish I could go there too.”

“That’s nice! I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“Wow, that sounds exciting!”
“Oh no! That must have been disappointing.”
“That’s too bad. I’m sorry to hear that.”
Hold a turn ➔ Keep speaking when you’re not ready to stop by using connectors (and,

but, because), giving more details, or using fillers (um, you know).
“It was amazing. I went to Japan, and I saw many beautiful temples.”
“We tried, um, so many local foods, and, um, they were all delicious."
"It was, you know, kind of unexpected because the weather was perfect
the whole time."

Yield a turn ➔ Let the other person speak by asking a question or pausing with inviting
intonation.
“And you?”
“What about you?”
“How about you?”

“But anyway, where did you go for last vacation?”

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