Skill II Pragmatic Understanding (listen again)

3. Type III: Function Question

Ø         What is function question: the question type often involves replaying a portion of the listening passage.

Ø         How to recognize this question:

What does the professor imply when he says this: (reply)

What can be inferred from the professor’s response to the student?

What is the purpose of the woman’s response?

Why does the student say this?

Ø         Tips:

Function of what is said may not match what the speaker directly states.

Ø         6 functions in IBT

l         Explanation: Simply put/ Let’s put in this way/ I think I should/ you mean

l         Conclusion: now to sum/ wrap up my speech

l         Suggestion: you should have done something better

l         Inspiration: come on, you are supposed to know this…

l         Emphasis: please bear in mind that…/ Rhetorical question

l         Correcting mistake: wait a minute/ I made a slip of tongue

Ø         Example 1: Windows

Why does the professor say this?

A The professor thinks that it is necessary to remind students of its spelling.

B The professor thinks that it is the most important term in the lecture.

C The professor thinks that students do not know the term.

D The professor fells that it is necessary to use the board more often.

P: Windows usually look like they’re all made of glass and wood.However; there is more to windows than meets the eye. Things that look like “wood” could be aluminum, vinyl or some other composite material. As people prefer things that are “low-maintenance”, there has been an explosion in materials that look like wood being used for frames; they don’t need sanding and painting and still look like high quality wood. Sometimes a layer of aluminum is used to coat the exterior surfaces of a window to provide a long-lasting, low-maintenance surface. It is called “cladding”. I think I should write down the word on the board. It refers to the application of one material over another to provide a weather-proof layer. For aluminum there are fewer color options than with wood finishes and usually the thicker the aluminum is thee more durable it is. However, it doesn’t have the insulating qualities of windows made of other materials so they’re not widely used. Vinyl is another popular low-maintenance option. It can also be applied over other materials, like wood or wood products. Like aluminum, the thicker the vinyl the more durable it will be. Composite windows and vinyl windows are gaining popularity nowadays as non-wood; energy efficient and low-maintenance alternatives which don’t warp or rot like wood windows can in extreme conditions.