Classroom Language: The language of error correction

Here are some phrases that can be used when giving feedback to students:

• Very good.

• That's very good.

• Well done.

• Very fine.

• That's nice.

• I like that.

• Marvellous!

• You did a great job.

• Magnificent!

• Terrific!

• Wow!

• Jolly good!

• Great stuff!

• Fantastic!

• Right!

• Yes!

• Fine.

• Quite right

• That's right.

• That's it.

• That's correct.

• That's quite right.

• Yes, you've got it.

• You've got the idea.

• It depends.

• It might be, I suppose.

• In a way, perhaps.

• Sort of, yes.

• That's more like it.

• That's much better.

• That's a lot better.

• You've improved a lot.

• Not really.

• Unfortunately not.

• I'm afraid that's not quite right.

• You can't say that, I'm afraid.

• You can't use that word here.

• Good try, but not quite right.

• Have another try.

• Not quite right. Try again.

• Not exactly.

• You were almost right.

• That's almost it.

• You're halfway there.

• You've almost got it.

• You're on the right lines.

• There's no need to rush.

• There's no hurry.

• We have plenty of time

• Go on. Have a try.

• Have a go.

• Have a guess.

• There's nothing wrong with your answer.

• What you said was perfectly all right.

• You didn't make a single mistake.

• That's exactly the point.

• That's just what I was looking for.

• Don't worry about your pronunciation.

• Don't worry about your spelling.

• Don't worry, it'll improve.

• Maybe this will help you.

• Do you want a clue (hint)?

• You have good pronunciation.

• Your pronunciation is very good.

• You are communicating well.

• You speak very fluently.

• You have made a lot of progress.

• You still have some trouble with pronunciation.

• You need more practice with these words.

• You'll have to spend some time practising this.

• You're getting better at it all the time.

• You've improved no end.