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productive but also receptive skills. Along with learning what to say and
how to say it, learners would also need to become able to interpret what 
others say as it is normally understood in the community. Assessment
instruments of receptive skills can include elicitation of textual interpreta-
tion of intended meaning in context, and acceptability judgment in the

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F U R T H E R I S S U E S I N L E A R N I N G , T E A C H I N G , A N D A S S E S S M E N T
multiple-choice format
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or scaled-response questionnaires (see Chapter 14).
Classroom-based assessments would inform teachers of learners’ level of
receptive pragmatic skills, and at the same time give feedback to learners as
to their understanding of common interpretations of the speakers’ prag-
matic use in the L2 community.
The following are two examples of assessing cultural understanding (and
some linguistic ability as well) in L2 pragmatics. The first example deals with
comprehension of pragmatic tone in formative classroom assessment, and is
applicable to younger learners. The second concerns the learners’ interpreta-
tion of a simulated dialogue in a corporate setting, and thus may be most
suitable for learners of business English.
Example 3
For adult learners: Watch a video clip (or take turns reading a tran-
script with emotions), and discuss the nuances being expressed (e.g.,
being serious, cynical, shocked, confrontational, pessimistic, joking,
or sincere). Pay attention to the speaker’s gestures, facial expressions,
use of space, and eye contact, along with the tone of voice.
For young learners: Watch a video clip (or take turns acting out some
sentences), and imagine how the speaker is feeling. Use one of the
signs J K L (printed separately on a poster board) to show the speaker’s
feeling.
Example 4
Listen to the following dialogue you overheard between your co-
worker, Bill, and his boss at work. How would most English speakers
understand Bill’s message? What impression does Bill make by talking
this way? Write a note to Bill regarding how he should probably speak
to his boss.
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Although valid and reliable multiple-choice questionnaires are time-consuming 
to develop and therefore may not be realistic for everyday practice, there have been
vigorous efforts to construct a battery of tests for learners’ pragmatic competence, e.g.,
Hudson et al. (1995); Liu (2007); Roever (2005). With further research, some of these
measures could possibly be adapted for classroom assessment of learners’ receptive
pragmatic skills.
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Adapted from Anderson (2006).

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A S S E S S M E N T O F P R A G M A T I C S I N T H E C L A S S R O O M
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Boss: Bill, can I talk to you for a minute?
Bill: Sure. What about?
Boss: Tomorrow’s meeting. As you know, you and Sarah are both
going to be presenting a sales pitch. I’d like to have Sarah present hers
first, and then you can follow her, OK?
Bill: I don’t think that’s a good idea. Sarah doesn’t make very good
presentations, and I don’t think she should speak first. I’d like to
present first instead.