Stories and scenarios: Lecturers’ use of fantastic hypothetical events

A number of studies have examined the occurrence stories in lecture contexts, and suggested that can encourage student engagement acquisition retention information content. Some these analysed story structures terms Labov Waletzky's model (1967) or more elaborate developed by Martin (2008). Such models work well for recount events took place past time, but they do not capture another type story, hypothetical scenario, sufficiently well. Drawing on prior research into discourse, ‘Imagining Scenarios’ (Ädel 2010, 2012), we identify describe passages lectures where listeners are invited to imagine a fantastic situation. Scenario identification criteria were developed, examples extracted from British Academic Spoken English (BASE) corpus, Engineering Lecture Corpus (ELC), Michigan (MICASE). Novice EMI lecturers may understandably be nervous about straying away delivery facts realms fantasy, our findings suggest scenario-telling is part experienced lecturer's repertoire, an engaging way elaborating abstract technical terms, concepts, arguments central disciplinary topic.