Conversation is an essential skill for ESL students, but it is one that can be difficult to master. The student needs to be able to understand what the other person is saying and know the correct words to give an appropriate response. As vocabulary increases, conversational skills should increase as well. Cara Pulick at The Internet TESL Journal suggests incorporating as many communication activities into your lessons as you can.

Repeat questions that have standard answers at the beginning of each class. Basic questions such as "What's your name?" or "How are you?" have answers that can be the same every time

Ease students into conversation by asking simple yes or no questions based on your vocabulary words for the day. For example, if you are studying fruits, you might ask, "Do you like bananas?" If you are studying verbs, you might ask, "Can you ice skate?"

Play a question-and-answer game. Ask each student a question, such as "What color do you like?" or "What country do you want to travel to?" When the student responds with an appropriate answer, he can toss a ball into a basket, throw a dart at a target or roll dice to see how many points he earns.

Role-play common situations, such as shopping, ordering food at a restaurant or going to the hospital. In the beginning, you will need to participate by conversing one-on-one with each student. As the students' English improves, pair up the students to work with each other.

Encourage students to speak more by asking them clarifying questions, as recommended by the Compelling Conversations website. Rather than allowing a student to give short and simple answers to your questions, ask a few follow-up questions to allow her to expand on what she was saying.