AIM: To consider how to ask these practical clarifying questions in a friendly, open and appropriate way.
INTRODUCTION: Often people will use words or phrases that are unfamiliar to you. There could be many different reasons for this: the vocabulary may be new to you, or people may be using slang. Sometimes people may just be pronouncing something differently. Don’t worry about this – it happens to everyone, including native speakers. The important thing is to make sure you do understand before moving on, and the easiest way to do that is to ask for clarification. There are lots of ways to ask for clarification, but not all questions are appropriate for all situations. Watch this extract from the alcohol video and notice how the doctor asks the patient to clarify what he has said.
INSTRUCTIONS: Read the following dialogues and select the most appropriate response for the given context. The unfamiliar word or phrase is in bold.
Question 1:
Doctor: OK, so why have you come to see us today?
Patient: Well, it wasn't really my choice, my old lady thinks I'm drinking a bit much, so she asked me to come.
Question 2:
Doctor: Now, tell me then, have there been any problems as a result of your drinking?
Patient: No, no, I can hold my drink pretty well.
Question 3:
Doctor: OK, and have you had any trouble with the police?
Patient: Oh, I did get into a bit of a run in with the boys in blue the other week.
Question 4:
Doctor: Are there any illnesses in your family that you know of?
Patient: Yeah, the old man has liver disease, he’s pretty crook.
Question 5:
Doctor: OK, so three or four beers and then when you go home, do you drink more?
Patient: Yeah, maybe a couple of stubbies.
Question 6:
Doctor: OK, apart from that incident, have you ever been injured as a result of your drinking?
Patient: No, I get into blues occasionally, but no.
Question 7:
Doctor: Now let me ask you, do you feel the need to drink at the start of the day?
Patient: Hair of the dog? No.
Question 8:
Doctor: OK, and have you had any trouble with the police?
Patient: Oh, I did get into a bit of a run in with the boys in blue the other week.
Question 9:
Doctor: OK, now on the weekend then do you drink more?
Patient: Yeah, I go a bit harder at the weekends yeah.
Please answer every question before continuing.
Notice how often the most appropriate question is quite specific, it focuses on the unfamiliar element of a statement. An easy to remember, and very effective, strategy in avoiding misplaced clarifying questions is to deal with only one question at a time in a conversation. Do this by letting the patient finish what they’re saying before you say anything. You can also use paraphrasing and summarising to confirm your understanding.
