Appropriateness of Answers

I encountered some people before whom I thought spoke English very well, because they did not commit mistakes in grammar frequently. Also, their pronunciation is clear enough to understand. However, during our conversation, I realized they were not that good in answering questions, for they spoke of things which were not in line with what I was asking.

For instance:

Question: What is today’s date?
Their Answer: It’s Tuesday.
(The question was about the date not the day.)

Question: What company are you working for?
Their Answer: I am a Graphic Artist in the Advertising Department. I make layouts for brochures, print ads and other advertising materials the company needs.
(The question was asking about the name of the company. The person’s answer was about his job and his duties.)

Question: Do you have questions?
Their Answer: Yes. (when actually, what they mean is “no, questions”)

(The examples given were similar to my experiences, but not exactly the same.)
These examples clearly tell us that good pronunciation, accent and grammar are not enough to measure one’s abilities in speaking English. We have to understand the questions really well and answer them accordingly.

For Other Factors Affecting English Speaking Skills Click Here