Practicing Pragmatics with Ugly Betty

For teachers who want ideas to help students use English appropriately in a variety of contexts, this presentation will introduce an effective way to raise students' pragmatic awareness of English. The American television show, Ugly Betty, was used for research, and this was followed by the development of practical classroom exercises. These lessons proved to be both enjoyable and engaging for students--they were able to relate to the material, and they were motivated to join discussions. It is always a positive sign when students are having fun in the classroom.