I know that it is common for students to try to memorize conversations and speeches. However most teachers do not like to listen to memorized conversations as they are not natural and are very difficult to listen to. In fact, most teachers I know would rather listen to a natural conversation with grammar and vocabulary mistakes. This serves two purposes it shows the students true English ability and also helps the teacher to find areas that the student needs to practice.
Watch the following video for an example of what happens when you memorize language and seem to be able to speak well, but really can't.
Below is the script from the video:
Dave: Weâre closed.
Scott: Hello? I want you to tell me where a shoe store is because I want to look for a pair of shoes and buy âem.
Dave: Iâm sorry. Iâd love to be of assistance to you but Iâm afraid I speak no English.
Scott: Pardon?
Dave: Ah. I see by the expression on your face that you are confused by my statement. Perhaps you doubt its veracity, but let me assure you, I speak not a word of English.
Scott: What are you talking about, huh?
Dave: You see, everything that I am saying to you I have learned to speak phonetically. As to the meanings of the individual words or the percumbant rules of syntax, I havenât a clue.
Scott: Why donât you just shut up and tell me where the shoe store is, you jerk?
Dave: Allow me to reiterate, I speak no English. Perhaps this will wash the confusion from your face, my friend. My apparent fluency is the result of constant repetition. As you can imagine, I have been through this speech many times before, in fact ,I could repeat it for you in any one of seven different languages. Yet oddly enough , Iâve never learned to speak it in my own, which is fine since over the years I have forgotten how to speak my own language.
Scott: Just shut up and tell me where the show store is, huh?
Dave: Thank you, would you like to fight me now or are you a coward?
[Scott punches Dave in the stomach.]
Scott: Donât die.
Dave: I donât know what youâre saying.
Scott: I just wanted to buy a pair of shoes, huh?
Dave: No habla espanol, senor.
Scott: Just got feet, donât got shoes.
Dave: Nein sprechen sie deutsch.