Adapting How You Speak
Aligned to SL.7.6 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Skilled speakers adjust their language to the situation, using formal English when the task calls for it and a relaxed tone when it fits.
Worked examples
Example 1
Presenting to the class: 'I'd like to share my findings.' Chatting at lunch: 'Check out what I found!' Same news, but you shift formality to match the context and audience.
Example 2
Adapting is not pretending. Speaking formally to a teacher and casually to a friend is the same person using the right tool twice.
Example 3
Read the room before the first sentence, not after the third. Starting too casual is much harder to walk back than starting too formal.
Practice questions
- Say a sentence sharing news the casual way you'd tell a friend.
- Restate it in formal English suitable for a class presentation.
- Name one situation where formal speech matters and explain why.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Adaptar tu forma de hablar
Los buenos oradores ajustan su lenguaje a la situación, usando un español formal cuando la tarea lo pide y un tono relajado cuando encaja.
Ejemplo 1: Presentando a la clase: 'Quisiera compartir mis hallazgos.' Charlando en el almuerzo: '¡Mira lo que encontré!' La misma noticia, pero cambias la formalidad según el contexto.
Ejemplo 2: Adaptarse no es fingir. Hablar formal con un maestro e informal con un amigo es la misma persona usando la herramienta correcta dos veces.
Ejemplo 3: Lee el ambiente antes de la primera oración, no después de la tercera. Empezar demasiado informal es mucho más difícil de corregir que empezar demasiado formal.
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