Welcome to our advanced English lesson focused on a crucial communication skill: checking and clarifying information. At a C1 level, it’s not just about understanding words, but about ensuring absolute clarity and accuracy in your conversations. In this lesson, we’ll explore practical techniques to master this skill, enhancing your spoken English and overall communication effectiveness.

Why is Checking and Clarifying Information Essential?

In everyday conversations, misunderstandings can easily arise. Especially when discussing complex topics, navigating different accents, or communicating across cultures, the potential for misinterpretation increases. Being able to effectively check and clarify information is paramount for:

• Avoiding Misunderstandings: Ensuring everyone is on the same page prevents confusion and errors, both in personal and professional contexts.
• Improving Communication Efficiency: Clarifying points upfront saves time and prevents the need for lengthy corrections later.
• Building Stronger Relationships: Showing that you are actively listening and seeking to understand builds trust and rapport with others.
• Professional Success: In business, accurate communication is vital for project success, client satisfaction, and team collaboration.
• Academic Excellence: In academic settings, clarifying instructions, lecture points, and research details is crucial for learning and achieving your goals.

For C1 level English speakers, mastering these techniques demonstrates a high level of fluency and communicative competence. It moves beyond simply understanding words to actively shaping and guiding conversations for optimal comprehension.

Key Phrases and Techniques for Checking and Clarifying

Let’s delve into specific phrases and strategies you can use to effectively check and clarify information in English. These are categorized for ease of learning and application.

Asking for Clarification When You Don’t Understand

Sometimes, you might not understand something at all. Here are some direct and polite ways to ask for clarification:

• “Could you repeat that, please?” – A simple and direct way to ask someone to say something again.
• “Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Could you say it again?” – Polite and acknowledges that you might have missed it.
• “I’m sorry, I’m not sure I follow you.” – Indicates you are having trouble understanding the overall point.
• “Could you explain that again in a different way?” – Asks for a rephrasing, which can be very helpful if the original explanation wasn’t clear.
• “What do you mean by…?” – Direct and specific, useful when a particular word or phrase is unclear. For example: “What do you mean by ‘proactive’ in this context?”
• “Could you elaborate on that?” – Asks for more detail or explanation.
• “Could you be more specific?” – Similar to ‘elaborate’, but emphasizes the need for concrete details.

Example:
Imagine you are in a meeting and your colleague says, “We need to synergize our efforts to achieve optimal paradigm shifts.” You might think:
“Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Could you explain that again in a different way? Perhaps using simpler terms?”

Confirming Your Understanding

Even if you think you understand, it’s always a good idea to confirm. This shows you are actively listening and ensures you haven’t misinterpreted anything. Here are phrases for confirming understanding:

• “So, if I understand correctly, you’re saying… [your interpretation].” – A great way to summarize your understanding and invite confirmation.
• “Just to be clear, you mean… [your interpretation]?” – Similar to the above, emphasizing the need for clarity.
• “Are you saying that… [your interpretation]?” – A direct question to verify your interpretation.
• “Do you mean… [your interpretation]?” – Another direct way to check your understanding.
• “In other words, you’re suggesting… [your interpretation]?” – Rephrases the information in your own words to confirm comprehension.
• “If I’ve got this right, … [your interpretation].” – Indicates you are checking your understanding and seeking affirmation.
• “Let me just check I’ve understood. You want us to… [your interpretation]?” – Clearly states your intention to confirm understanding.

Example:
After a colleague explains a new project task, you might say:
“So, if I understand correctly, you’re saying that the deadline for the first draft is next Friday?”

Checking the Accuracy of Information

Sometimes you understand the information, but you want to check its accuracy, especially if it seems surprising or contradicts something you already know. Here are useful phrases:

• “Is that right?” – A simple and direct way to check if information is correct.
• “Am I right in thinking that… [your understanding/previous knowledge]?” – Checks if your existing knowledge aligns with the new information.
• “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought… [your previous understanding].” – Polite way to express a potential contradiction and invite correction.
• “Are you sure about that?” – More direct, use cautiously depending on the context and your relationship with the speaker.
• “According to my understanding/information, … [your contrasting information]. Could you clarify?” – Presents your conflicting information politely and asks for clarification.
• “Could we just double-check that figure/fact?” – Suggests a quick verification of a specific detail.
• “Just to confirm, is it… [the information] or… [alternative information]?” – Offers two possibilities and asks for confirmation.

Example:
Someone tells you, “The meeting starts at 9 AM tomorrow.” But you remember it being scheduled for 10 AM. You could say:
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the meeting was at 10 AM? Could we just double-check the time?”

Practical Examples in Conversation

Let’s look at some short dialogues to see these phrases in action in different scenarios.

Scenario 1: Work Meeting

Boss: “…so we need to implement agile methodologies across all departments by Q3.”
You: “Sorry, I’m not sure I follow you. Could you explain what ‘agile methodologies’ means in this context?”
Boss: “Of course. Agile methodologies are about breaking down projects into smaller, manageable tasks and working in short cycles with regular reviews…”
You: “So, if I understand correctly, you’re saying we’ll be shifting to a more iterative and flexible project management style?”
Boss: “Exactly, that’s right.”

Scenario 2: Social Conversation

Friend: “I heard they’re relocating the entire downtown area.”
You: “Relocating the downtown area? Are you sure about that? That sounds like a massive undertaking.”
Friend: “Well, that’s what someone told me. Maybe I misunderstood. Let me double-check the article I read.”
You: “Just to confirm, you mean they’re moving all the businesses and shops, or just some infrastructure projects?”
Friend: “Ah, no, you’re right, it’s just some major infrastructure projects, not the entire downtown. My mistake!”

Scenario 3: Academic Discussion

Professor: “…and therefore, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle dictates the fundamental limits of measurement precision.”
Student: “Professor, could you elaborate on ‘fundamental limits of measurement precision’? What exactly does that mean?”
Professor: “Certainly. It means that there’s an inherent limit to how accurately we can simultaneously know certain pairs of physical properties of a particle, like position and momentum…”
Student: “So, are you saying that it’s impossible to know both the exact position and momentum of a particle at the same time?”
Professor: “Precisely. That’s the core concept.”

Common Mistakes to Avoid

While checking and clarifying information is crucial, there are some pitfalls to avoid:

• Interrupting Rudely: Wait for a natural pause before interrupting to ask for clarification. Start with polite phrases like “Excuse me,” or “Sorry to interrupt, but…”
• Assuming Understanding: Don’t pretend to understand if you don’t. It’s better to ask for clarification than to act on incorrect assumptions.
• Asking Too Many Clarifications at Once: If there are multiple points you don’t understand, prioritize the most important ones first.
• Using Aggressive or Accusatory Tone: Frame your questions as seeking clarity, not challenging the speaker. Avoid tones that suggest disbelief or accusation.
• Not Paying Attention to Non-Verbal Cues: Sometimes, confusion is evident in body language. Pay attention to your conversation partner’s cues and offer clarification even if they don’t explicitly ask.

Let’s Practice!

Now it’s your turn to practice! Fill in the blanks in the following dialogues with appropriate phrases for checking and clarifying information.

1. Dialogue 1: Booking a Restaurant
   You: “I’d like to book a table for two, please.”
   Restaurant Staff: “Certainly. For what time?”
   You: “8 PM.”
   Restaurant Staff: “Okay, table for two at 8 PM. _____ , is that tonight or tomorrow night?”
   You: “Tonight, please.”
2. Dialogue 2: Getting Directions
   You: “Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the museum?”
   Passerby: “Yes, go straight, then turn left at the second traffic light, and it’s on your right.”
   You: ” _____ , turn left at the second traffic light? Not the first?”
   Passerby: “That’s right, the second one.”
3. Dialogue 3: Discussing Project Deadlines
   Colleague: “The deadline for the project is the 15th.”
   You: ” _____ , the 15th of this month or next month?”
   Colleague: “This month, definitely this month.”
4. Dialogue 4: Understanding Instructions
   Instructor: “So, for this exercise, you need to analyze the data and extrapolate the key findings.”
   Student: “Excuse me, Professor. _____ on ‘extrapolate’? What does that mean in this context?”
   Instructor: “Good question. ‘Extrapolate’ here means to infer or estimate something by extending known information…”
5. Dialogue 5: Confirming Travel Arrangements
   Travel Agent: “Your flight is booked, departing at 14:30.”
   You: ” _____ , you’re saying the flight leaves at 2:30 PM?”
   Travel Agent: “Yes, that’s correct.”

Answers

1. Just to clarify
2. Just to be clear
3. Just to check
4. Could you elaborate
5. Are you saying

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