This is a list of phrases you can use to keep control of a class without needing to use L1. The most useful phrases are underlined.
Useful classroom language for dealing with noise
- “Shh”
- “Quiet, please”
- “Keep the noise down (please)”
- “One point to the person/ the team who can do it most quietly”
- “(Everyone) fingers on your lips (and be quiet)”
- “What does this gesture/ this sign mean (in English)? (That’s right. Be quiet, please)”
- “Why am I covering my ears?/ Why do I have my fingers in my ears?”
- “The next person to speak has to...”
- “Move your chairs quietly, please”
- “(The class) next door can hear you”
- “Mr/ Ms... is going to complain about the noise again”
- “Touch it with one finger, not your whole hand”
- “Tiptoe!”
- Move your desks apart so that they don’t bang into each other
- “Stop talking, please”
- “Why are you talking?”
- “I’m waiting (for everyone to be quiet)”
- “Could you please not talk when I’m talking?”
- “What do you do while the teacher is talking?”
- “Speaking while the teacher is talking is rude, isn’t it?”
- “(Put your) hands up (if you want to speak)”
- “Don’t shout out!”
- “One at a time, please”
- “Good. One more time, but (even more) quietly”
- “What was that noise?”
- “Did I hear...?”/ “Can I hear…?”
- “What does shh mean?”
- “Stop tapping (your fingers/ your pen/ your…) (please)”
- “Please read silently”
- “It’s quiet time”
- “No shouting”
- “No talking”
- “Make sure the other teams can’t hear you/ If the other team can hear you they will...”
- “Whisper (the answer/ …) (to me/ to your partner/ to…)”
- “What’s the rule about talking (during tests/ during story time/ during handwriting practice/ during…)?”
Useful classroom language related to listening
- “Listen (to...)”
- “Make the listening gesture”/ “Do the listening action”/ “Put your hand round your ear like this”
- “Stop what you’re doing and listen, please”
- “(Can I have your) attention, please?”
- “What did I (just) say?”
- “Please repeat what I (just) said” FROM HERE
- I think somebody wasn’t / some people weren’t listening to the instructions.
- Okay, start now. What? You don’t know what to do? Maybe you should listen more carefully!
- What do you have to listen to? What do you have to do while you listen?
- Can you listen and speak at the same time?
- Are we listening to you, John?/ Are you the teacher?
Useful classroom language related to violence
- “Say sorry to...”
- “No pushing/ punching/ kicking/…ing (…)”
- “What happens if you push/ punch/ kick/ …?”
- “Shake hands and make up”
- “No fighting!”
- “I didn’t see him do it, I saw you do it”
- “You have made him/ her/… cry”
- “What’s the punishment for fighting?”/ “What happens if you fight?”
Useful classroom language related to manners
- “Put your hand over your mouth (like this) (when you...)”
- “Go to the bathroom (to do that) (please)”
- “(Please use a) handkerchief/ (paper) tissue (if you…)”
- “What’s the magic word?”
- “(Take your) feet off the chair (please)”
- “Say please/ thank you/ sorry/…”
- “I beg your pardon!”
- “Do you do that at home? (Really? Maybe I should check with your parents)”
- “English manners in English class!”
Useful classroom language related to safety
- “Please turn the scissors round (before you give them to someone)”
- “Be careful (of the/ with the...)”
- “That’s dangerous”
- “What dangerous things shouldn’t you do (with a...)?”
- “Can you... with a...? (No? Why not?)”
- “Watch out (for…)!”
Useful classroom language related to tidiness and order
- “Whose... is this (on the floor)?”
- “Where does rubbish go? That’s right, in the bin.”
- “Where do books/ bags/ craft supplies go?”
- “Hang your coats/ bags (on the hook/ on your chairs)”
- “Put them (back) on the shelves/ in the cupboard (please)”
- “You can’t.... until you have all cleared up this mess”
- “Stand in a straight line please. (Hands at your sides and bags on your backs)”
- “Put the tables together (properly) (like this)”
- “Legs under the table”
- “Chairs under your tables”
- “(Put your) shoes back on”
- “Colour slowly/ carefully/ inside the lines”
- “Legs crossed (like this)”
- “Arms crossed (like this)”
Useful classroom language related to movement
- “Hands on your heads”
- “Statues”/ “Dead lions!”
- “The first person to move has to...”
- “Stop rocking on the chair”/ “(Four/ All) chair legs down (on the floor, please)”
Useful classroom language related to time keeping and speed
- “What time is it? (Look at the clock)”
- “Say “Sorry I’m late (teacher/ everyone)?””
- “The next time you are late,..”
- “This week’s punishment for being late is...”
Useful classroom language related to punishments
- “No game (for you)”
- “Okay, homework books out (because you...)”
- “Go and stand in the corner/ sit in the corner”
- “Hands on your heads”
- “Minus one point (for...)”
- “You lose (the game) (because you...)”
- “(I’m going to give you/ You have to do) extra homework”
- “Go to the back of the line (because you…)”
- “(I’m going to give you a) black mark”
- “I’m going to take away your...”
- “(Two/ Five/ Ten) extra minutes (after class)”
- “I am going to separate you (two)/ split you (two) up”
- “Move your desks apart”
- “No working with/ sitting with (for the rest of today/ this week/ this month/ this term)”
- “Go and stand outside/ sit outside”
- “Go the head teacher’s office”
- “I’m going to phone/ talk to/ send a letter to your parents”
- “I’m writing this in your report/ student record book/ homework book”
- “The punishment for... is/ will be...”
- “Write... .... times”
- “I’m going to throw this away and make you do it again”
- “Rub that out and do it again”
- “Sit next to me/ at the front of the class”
- “Sit between... and ...”
- “You have to..., and if you do it again you have to...”
- “You’re not going to get the... that I promised you (now)”
- “You get zero out of ten/ a D for this work, because...”
- “I warned you about..., so now...”
- “Someone is going to be doing homework while everyone else is playing a game”
- “Would you like to spend your break time with me?”
- “Somebody is/ some people are going to get a detention/ extra homework”
- “See me after the lesson”
- “What are the class rules (about...?)”
- “Why are you losing points/ being punished?”
Useful classroom language related to rewards
- “Because you... we are going to play a game. (Which game would you like to play?)”
- “One point (for...)”
- “The first person to finish/ The person with the best work can...”
- “You can be teacher/ team captain”
- “You can decide the next game/ story/ song/…”
- “Here’s a sticker (to put on the chart/ in your book)”
- “You get a prize”
- “You don’t have to...”
- “You can leave first”
- “Points for good behaviour/ for...”
- “The best-behaved person/ team will get...”
Useful classroom warnings
- “(This is your) last chance/ last warning”
- “Yellow card!”
- “Strike two!”
- “I’m watching you”
- “I’m going to stand next to you and make sure that you...”
- “I’m going to let you off this time, but...”
- “If that happens one more time/ If you do that one more time...”
- “If you’re not finished in two minutes,...”
Other useful discipline classroom language
- “Behave yourself”
- “I want you to be on your best behaviour today”
- “Serious faces please”
- “We will not start until everybody is ready”
- “Is that how we...?”
- “Stop being silly”
- “How old are you? (Are you three years old?)”
- “Stop copying/ cheating/…”
- “Put your chewing gum in the bin please”
- “Get on with your work please!”
- “That’s enough messing about/ singing/ talking/…”
- “This is not your best work/ You can do better than that”
- “Please try harder/ make more of an effort next time”
- “This looks messy”
- “(Please) do it again, but this time with fewer mistakes/ with neater writing/ following the instructions/…”
- “Walk slowly!”
- “Stop it/ that plea”
- “What did I tell you about...?”
- “What happened when you... last time?”
- “You’re making me feel tired/ giving me a headache”
- “Don’t do that!”
- “What's the matter?”
- “What's going on (over here/ over there)?”
- “What's the problem?”
- “5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (Okay/ Too late)”