Congratulations [PDF]

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Congratulations Functional English



Warm-Up – I Heard The Big News! Work with a group and make a big list of reasons for congratulating people.



1. Saying Congratulations Read the dialogue, and practice with a partner. A: Congratulations! I hear your wife had the baby. B: Thank you! Yes, Maxwell was born on Saturday.



A: I understand congratulations are in order. B: Thanks. I wasn’t expecting this promotion.



A: Congratulations on your big win! B: Thank you. It was a tough match.



3. Congratulations (Informal)



2. Responding with Congratulations



Practice again. Imagine you are talking to a close friend or colleague.



Read the dialogue, and practice with a partner.



A: Congrats on the new wheels.



A: I got married this weekend.



B: Thanks. I was really surprised to see it in the driveway.



B: Congratulations! Who is the lucky lady? A: Nice work on getting the sale! A: We came in first place on Saturday.



B: Thanks! I’m really happy about it.



B: Well done! A: Kudos on the great presentation! A: I got an A on my project.



B: Oh, thanks. I’m so glad it’s over.



B: Good for you!



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Congratulations Functional English



4. Responding Modestly Listed below are some ways of responding to congratulations in a modest manner. The word “modest” is similar to “moderate”. A person who is modest doesn’t want to show off. Practice congratulating your classmates on fictional achievements and awards.



Oh, it’s nothing special.!



Thanks. I don’t really deserve it. !



Oh, it’s not that big of a deal.



Oh, thanks for saying so.



Oh, I didn’t think anyone would notice.



Oh, you’re too kind.



Student A: You won first place in the cooking contest! Congratulations! Student B: Oh, it’s no big deal. There were only three contestants.



5. Choose the Best Response Circe the best response for each question.



1



2



3



I won the writing contest.



4



I understand congratulations are in order.



a) I understand congratulations are in order.



a) Yes, we had our baby today.



b) That’s wonderful! Congratulations.



b) Congratulations!



c) Please send my congrats.



c) Oh, really? Congrats!



Congratulations on your new job!



5



Kudos on the new house!



a) Kudos! Thank you.



a) Congratulations.



b) No, but thanks anyway.



b) I will, thank you!



c) Thanks. I wasn’t expecting a promotion.



c) Thanks, but it’s nothing special.



Let me be the first to congratulate you. a) Thanks. I appreciate it. b) Nice job! c) Good work.



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Congratulations Functional English



6. Pronunciation Practice The /t/ in “congratulations” is pronounced like a /d/. The primary stress is on the fourth syllable: /con gra du lA tions/. The secondary stress is on the second syllable. The short form, “congrats”, is pronounced with the /t/ sound: /con grAts/. Listen to your teacher read the following sentences out loud. Repeat the sentence. 1



Congratulations on your winning lottery ticket!



2



Let me be the first to congratulate you.



3



Congratulations on your graduation.



4



Please send your brother my congrats.



5



I understand congratulations are in order.



7. Role Play – Pair Activity Choose one of the following prompts and work with a partner to create a short skit. Use at least six sentences in your dialogue. Perform your skit for the class. 1



Congratulations on getting the promotion.



2



Congrats on your new baby!



3



Congratulations! You won the prize!



4



Nice job on coming in first place!



5



Kudos on the new position.



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Congratulations Functional English



Answer Key Description: Students review language and useful expressions for saying and responding to congratulations. They practice informal ways of saying congratulations, and they practice pronunciation. Tags: functional English, useful expressions, low-intermediate, congratulations, congratulating Warm-Up: Put students in small groups, or work together as a class and write the ideas on the board. Ideas: New baby, Graduation, New house, New car, Raise at work, New position at work, Good mark, New opportunity, Winning ticket, Winning team...) Exercise 1–3 – Dialogue practice (in pairs) Exercise 4 – Help your students understand the meaning of modesty. Explain that accepting congratulations in a modest way is common practice in many English-speaking countries. Exercise 5 – Choose the Best Response 1. b 2. 3. 4. 5.



c a a c



Exercise 6 – Practice the pronunciation of “congratulations” and “congrats”. Help your students understand where to place the stress. Exercise 7 – Role Play Place students in pairs or small groups. Decide whether or not you want to see the dialogue in writing. Invite students to perform their mini-skits in front of the class. Spelling Note: This lesson shows the American spelling of the word Practice. Most other English-speaking countries spell it this way: Practise (when used as a verb, Practice when used as a noun). Make it a challenge for your students to find this word in the lesson and see if they know the alternate spelling.



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