Which statement describes recasts in language teaching?

• A. Recasts reformulate the learner's utterance without explicit correction.
• B. Recasts provide explicit grammar correction targeted at errors.
• C. Recasts demand the learner to self-correct without input.
• D. Recasts interrupt the flow with a direct translation.

Answer: (A)

Recasts are a form of implicit feedback in which the teacher reformulates the learner’s utterance into a correct version without explicitly correcting the error. This keeps the conversation flowing while signaling the accurate form, helping the learner notice the difference and self-monitor over time. For example, if a learner says “He go to school,” a recast would be “He goes to school,” delivered as a natural part of the teacher’s response rather than as a direct correction or label.

This approach contrasts with explicit grammar correction, which tells the learner what was wrong or provides a grammar rule. It also isn’t simply asking the learner to self-correct without input, since the teacher provides a reformulated version for the learner to notice. And it isn’t a direct translation, which would replace the sentence with a word-for-word equivalent in the target language rather than offering a natural, corrected form within the same language. Recasts thus support meaning-focused communication while guiding form implicitly.