The teacher puts the students in groups and gives them the following instructions:

"Describe your hometown. Tell the other students about your hometown."

After the students have begun talking, the teacher interrupts and does a progress check. He asks the students what they are talking about. ---

"What are you talking about?"

The students all say "hometowns" together as a choral response.

The teacher says, "Full sentences please".

The students hesitate and try to figure out how to make it a full sentence. They all realize that they are not sure how to do it.

One student remembers how to make sentences using indirect speech. She remembers an example of indirect speech she learned last week:

"He told me that his father is a doctor."

She thinks that she might be able to use this form and tries to remember the teacher’s original instructions. She isn’t sure if the teacher said,…

or

She eventually tries to speak, using the second form. She assumes the second form is correct because it is similar to indirect speech. She says,…

"We are talking that about our hometown."

 

The teacher says,…

"Right! You are talking about your hometowns."

 

The student isn’t sure what she heard. She thinks that the teacher didn’t use "that" in his sentence, but the teacher spoke to fast to be sure. Later on she is listening very carefully to hear which is correct. When the students have finished their group discussions the teacher asks the student a question:

"What did Eun Jin tell you about her hometown?"

 

The student has heard the teachers question and is aware that he didn’t use "that" when using "about". She tries to speak by saying,…

"Eun Jin told me about Pusan."

 

She looks carefully to see the teacher’s facial expression hoping to see some feedback.

She continues speaking,…

"She told me Pusan is smaller than Seoul."

Again, she looks for changes in his face.

Later in the lesson, when the teacher is teaching grammar, the student asks a question:

"When do I have to use ‘that’"

The teacher says,…

"What do you mean?"

After some confusion, the learner gives two examples and asks the teacher which one is correct.

"Which one is correct? ‘I told her about Seoul.’ or ‘I told her that about Seoul.’?"

The teacher answers,…

"I think the first one is correct… usually."

 

After that day, the learner pays more attention to the various types of relative clauses and other grammar forms that use that.