Managing Misunderstandings
CEFR: B1
Read/Listen first
During my online English lesson yesterday, a small misunderstanding suddenly changed the mood. My student was describing her summer holidays and talking about her grandmother in hospital. She said, “She fell down the stairs yesterday,” so I gently corrected the sentence and clarified the past tense. I have often seen this kind of confusion with verbs. She was frustrated at not being able to choose between past simple and present perfect. We had to repeat the explanation several times, and I tried to slow down and check her understanding. At the same time, my screen became blue again, so I had to restart the computer and reconnect to the meeting. After checking the transcript together, we laughed about all these problems. In the end, the misunderstanding helped her remember the rule, and she felt more confident asking me to explain things again.⚡ Learning goals
- Can notice and repair misunderstandings politely during an online lesson.
- Can explain past events using past simple and present perfect more accurately.
- Can stay calm during technical problems and keep the conversation going.
✨ Key language
- Could you clarify what you mean by…? “Could you clarify what you mean by “the blue screen”?”
- I was frustrated at not being able to… “I was frustrated at not being able to restart the call quickly.”
- We had to… “We had to repeat the explanation several times.”
⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures
1️⃣ Present perfect for experiences connected to now
Rule: Use have/has + past participle to talk about experiences or situations that are still relevant now.Examples: I have often seen this kind of confusion with verbs.; I have already explained this rule three times today.; She has never had an online lesson with so many problems.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes use past simple instead of present perfect for general experiences. — Use present perfect when the exact time is not important and the result matters now..
Choose the best sentence using present perfect.
Tip: Remember: have/has + past participle is used for experiences connected to now.
Fill with the best answer: I ______ already explained this rule three times today.
Tip: We use “have” with I/you/we/they in the present perfect.
2️⃣ Past simple for finished events in the past
Rule: Use past simple to describe completed actions at a specific time in the past.Examples: She fell down the stairs yesterday.; My screen became blue again during the lesson.; We repeated the explanation several times in that class.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes mix past simple with present perfect without a clear time reference. — Use past simple when you mention or clearly imagine a finished time like yesterday or last week..
Which sentence correctly uses the past simple?
Tip: Use the past simple form “fell” with a finished time like yesterday.
Fill with the best answer: My screen ______ blue again in the middle of the lesson.
Tip: “Became” is the past simple of “become” for a finished event.
3️⃣ Be frustrated at not being able to + verb
Rule: Use “be frustrated at” followed by “not being able to” plus the base verb to express blocked ability.Examples: She was frustrated at not being able to choose the right tense.; I was frustrated at not being able to reconnect quickly.; They were frustrated at not being able to hear the teacher clearly.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes say “frustrated to not can” or mix modal verbs incorrectly. — After “frustrated at”, use “not being able to” and then the base form of the verb..
Choose the most natural sentence.
Tip: Use “frustrated at not being able to” before the base verb.
Fill with the best answer: He was frustrated at not ______ able to join the meeting.
Tip: Use the -ing form “being” after “at” in this pattern.
4️⃣ Had to as the past form of must / have to
Rule: Use “had to” to talk about obligations or necessary actions in the past.Examples: We had to repeat the explanation several times.; I had to restart the computer and reconnect to the meeting.; She had to ask me to clarify the rule again.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes keep “must” in the past instead of using “had to”. — For past obligation, use “had to” instead of “must”..
Which sentence correctly talks about past obligation?
Tip: In the past, use “had to” for obligation instead of “must”.
Fill with the best answer: I ______ to restart the computer after the screen turned blue.
Tip: Use “had to” to show that the action was necessary in the past.
✍️ Vocabulary
misunderstanding
Meaning: a situation where people do not understand each other correctlySynonyms: confusion, mistake, miscommunication
Chunk/Idiom: a small misunderstanding
Example: A small misunderstanding changed the mood of the lesson.
Morphology: noun; countable
Self-practice: Write two sentences about a misunderstanding you had in a meeting.
clarify
Meaning: to make something clearer and easier to understandSynonyms: explain, make clear, simplify
Chunk/Idiom: clarify the rule
Example: I tried to clarify the rule about past tenses.
Morphology: verb; regular
Self-practice: Ask a colleague to clarify something that is not clear to you.
frustrated
Meaning: feeling annoyed or upset because you cannot do what you wantSynonyms: annoyed, upset, discouraged
Chunk/Idiom: frustrated at not being able to
Example: She felt frustrated at not being able to choose the tense.
Morphology: adjective; past participle of frustrate
Self-practice: Describe a time when you felt frustrated during an online task.
transcript
Meaning: a written copy of what was said during a conversation or lessonSynonyms: record, written copy, script
Chunk/Idiom: check the transcript
Example: We checked the transcript to see her original sentence.
Morphology: noun; countable
Self-practice: Read a short transcript and underline all the past tense verbs.
restart
Meaning: to start something again after it has stoppedSynonyms: start again, reboot, relaunch
Chunk/Idiom: restart the computer
Example: I had to restart the computer during the lesson.
Morphology: verb; regular
Self-practice: Write three sentences with “restart” about devices or meetings.
confident
Meaning: feeling sure that you can do something wellSynonyms: sure, positive, self-assured
Chunk/Idiom: feel more confident
Example: She felt more confident after we repeated the explanation.
Morphology: adjective
Self-practice: Write two things that make you feel confident when you speak English.
☁️ Examples (+ audio)
I have often seen this kind of misunderstanding in my online lessons.
She felt frustrated at not being able to choose the correct tense.
We had to restart the call after the screen suddenly became blue.
After checking the transcript, she felt more confident about asking for clarification.
✏️ Exercises
Grammar
Which sentence correctly describes a finished event in the past?
Tip: Use past simple for a completed event at a clear time in the past.
Which sentence correctly uses present perfect for experience?
Tip: Present perfect connects past experience to the present without a fixed time.
Fill with the best answer:
She was ______ at not being able to choose the right tense.Tip: Use the adjective “frustrated” to describe her feeling.
Fill with the best answer:
We ______ to repeat the explanation several times.Tip: Use “had to” for past obligation.
Vocabulary & Comprehension
Which word best describes a problem in understanding each other?
Tip: “Misunderstanding” is when people do not understand each other correctly.
Which action do you take when your computer stops working correctly?
Tip: You usually “restart the computer” when there is a technical problem.
Fill with the best answer:
After we checked the ______, she felt more confident.Tip: The transcript is the written record of what was said.
Fill with the best answer:
He asked me to ______ the rule about past tenses.Tip: “Clarify” means to make the rule clearer.
✅ Guided practice
Mini-dialogue:
A: I think there was a misunderstanding about your sentence with your grandmother.B: Yes, I wanted to say it correctly but I was frustrated at not being able to.
A: No problem. Let’s check the transcript together and clarify the rule again.
Why this matters:
Misunderstandings are normal, especially in online lessons with emotional topics or technical problems. If you ask for clarification, you can repair the conversation and feel more confident. Learning how to explain and check meaning helps you communicate clearly at work.Verb & Adjective Pack:
clarify — Please clarify what you mean by this sentence.misunderstand — We sometimes misunderstand each other when the sound is bad.
restart — I had to restart the computer after the blue screen appeared.
frustrated — She felt frustrated after repeating the sentence many times.
check — Let’s check the transcript before we decide.
confident — She was confident after we practised the rule again.
Try & compare:
Fill with the best answer: A small ______ suddenly changed the mood of the lesson.
Tip: Think of the word for a problem in understanding each other.
Self-correction: Fix the sentence: She was frustrate at not be able to choose the right tense.
Tip: Check the adjective form and the -ing pattern after “at”.
Practice aloud: Listen, repeat, then type the sentence.
After checking the transcript, I felt more confident about my English.
Tip: Listen for the link between “transcript” and “felt more confident”.