6 Strategies to Boost Speaking in 1-on-1 ESL Lessons

Helping ESL students speak in full sentences is crucial for their language development, especially in one-on-one lessons. This practice enhances their fluency, clarity, and confidence in speaking English.

At EDGE Tutor, we understand the importance of personalized instruction in achieving this goal. In this article, we'll explore effective strategies to encourage adult ESL learners to communicate using complete sentences during individual sessions.

Here’s Why Students Stay Silent

ESL students often face several obstacles that hinder their ability to speak in full sentences. One common challenge is the influence of their native language. Structural differences between their first language and English can result in fragmented or incomplete sentence patterns. Another factor is limited vocabulary and English grammar knowledge, which makes it difficult for learners to form proper sentence structures.

Additionally, anxiety and lack of confidence play a significant role—many students fear making mistakes, leading them to give short or one-word responses. Over time, this can become a habit, especially if students are used to minimal answers in classroom or test settings, making it even more difficult for them to expand their speech during real conversations.

Strategies on How to Get More Than Just 'Yes'

To help ESL students—especially adult learners in one-on-one lessons—develop the ability to speak in full sentences, tutors need to employ intentional, supportive, and progressive strategies. Below are detailed techniques that can make a significant difference in your teaching approach:

1. Consistent Modeling

Students absorb language patterns through exposure. When teachers consistently model full-sentence answers, it gives students a blueprint for how to structure their own responses.

How to apply it:

• Avoid answering student questions with short or fragmented replies. Instead, use clear, complete sentences at all times.

• When a student responds with a one-word or short answer (e.g., “Blue”), rephrase it as a complete sentence: “My favorite color is blue.” Then invite the student to repeat it.

• Explain why complete sentences are used in specific situations, helping students become more aware of context (e.g., formal vs informal speech).

2. Use Sentence Frames and Starters

Sentence frames provide structure for learners who may understand what they want to say but don’t yet have the language tools to say it.

How to apply it:

• Introduce sentence speaking frames for common responses, such as:

• “I like ___ because ___.”

• “In my opinion, ___.”

• “When I was a child, I used to ___.”

• Use visual aids or flashcards to display sentence starters for easy access during lessons.

• Scaffold the activity: start with heavy support, then slowly remove frames as students grow more confident and begin forming their own full sentences.

3. Ask Open-Ended Questions

Open-ended questions invite deeper responses and challenge students to express thoughts, feelings, or explanations.

How to apply it:

• Instead of asking “Do you like music?”, ask “What kind of music do you enjoy and why?”

• Use the 5Ws and 1H: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

• Add context to your questions to encourage more expansive answers, e.g., “Tell me about a meal you enjoyed recently. What made it special?”

4. Gentle Correction and Prompted Expansion

Positive reinforcement and constructive correction help students feel safe while learning and developing their speaking skills.

How to apply it:

• When a student gives a short response, gently guide them to expand it:

• Student: “Chocolate.”

• Tutor: “Can you say that in a full sentence?”

• Student: “I like chocolate.”

• Tutor: “Great! Can you tell me why?”

• Recast incomplete responses with a full sentence and ask the student to repeat or expand it.

• Avoid overly critical corrections—focus on building confidence while introducing the correct sentence structure.

Tip: Praise effort over perfection, especially with shy or beginner-level students.

5. Repetition, Chants, and Drills

Repetition helps cement sentence patterns in memory, while rhythm and melody in chants make language more memorable and engaging.

How to apply it:

• Start each class with a short sentence drill (e.g., 5 minutes of repeating model sentences with different vocabulary).

• Use jazz chants to practice rhythm, stress, and sentence patterns in an enjoyable and low-pressure way. These are especially useful for reinforcing intonation and fluency.

• Create substitution drills where students change only one word in a sentence:

• “I live in Manila.” → “I live in Cebu.” → “I live in Davao.”

Tip: Use audio recordings or rhythmic background music to enhance the experience and help auditory learners retain the structure.

6. Role-Plays and Real-Life Scenarios

Context-based speaking like role-plays helps students apply what they've learned in situations that feel relevant and meaningful, increasing retention and motivation.

How to apply it:

• Design speaking activities around everyday situations:

• Ordering at a restaurant

• Asking for directions

• Interviewing for a job

• Describing a personal hobby or event

• Assign student roles and provide situational cues. Example: “You’re a tourist asking for help in a foreign city. Ask for the nearest train station.”

• Encourage the use of full sentences by giving point-based feedback (e.g., “You get 1 point for every full sentence you use!”).

Tip: Keep a rotating list of real-life scenarios based on the student’s goals, such as business English, travel English, or casual conversation.

How To Get ESL Students to Speak Full Sentences

Encouraging ESL students to speak in full sentences is vital for their language development. By implementing strategies such as consistent modeling, using sentence frames, asking open-ended questions, gentle correction, repetition, and role-playing, educators can significantly enhance their students' communicative abilities.

EDGE Tutor is dedicated to supporting tutors in this mission by providing resources and professional development opportunities to foster effective teaching practices.​ By making sure that our tutors are supported well, we also ensure the excellent quality of their skills.

If you are interested to be one of our tutors, we’d love to have you on board! Join EDGE Tutor and become part of a passionate team that’s helping learners around the world grow in confidence and communication.

‍

Join EDGE Tutor Today!