Dragana, Serbia
Students watch TV and movies and they usually know enough of bad language before they come to the classroom. They rarely ask me for explanation, but if they do, I always try to explain the appropriateness of such expressions. Students have the right to understand them and should be very careful if they might want to use them.

Andrew, Brazil
There are two ways to approach this; either wait until you are asked, or broach the subject head on! It's a difficult subject to avoid, especially when you often see the words emblazoned on T-shirts and more frequently hear them on cable or satellite TV. I usually tell them that these words are among some of the oldest words in the English language (refer to Chaucer) and as such must be treated with respect. With so much respect, in fact, that they should, preferably, never be used at all! It's best that the students know what these words are and what they mean, so that they can use their own discretion and common sense when confronting them.

Maricarmen Morayta, Mexico
Bad language is definetly part of everyday English and I think this should be discussed in class. Students should know the bad words and their meaning. It is important that the teacher very well explains that they should be careful not to use them or when to use them!!!Students will feel that they know more of the language when the teacher in a serious way approaches this matter

Tom Dvorak, The Czech Rep.
A good teacher who is really suitable for a teaching job should avoid using bad language. He or she could explain to them that using this word can be very inappropiate and they can embarrass themselves by using them.

Andy Holmes, South Korea
I am finding that my young students are learning all sorts of bad (English) language from the TV at very young ages. Is anyone else finding this?

Lilit Chitchyan, Armenia
I think teaching 'bad language' means explaining its essence and necessity to the students so that they can avoid using them. it wouldn't take more than 10 minutes for this. I beleive the teacher should always explain the usage of any words (slang or sth. else) so that students don't feel embarrased in other environments.

Alain, France
I teach young adults and adults and I feel that they should be aware of the words they shouldn't use but that they may find from time to time... It's just part of life.

Laura Tiessen, Canada
I teach the bad words to save students embarrassment. And they appreciate it for that reason. But I just hand them a list and explain the categories and some of the words.

Trev, Portugal
Maybe the question should be "explain" rather than "teach" - If something comes up in film or literature or Ss question I clarify meaning and advise appropriate caution. Can't imagime making the subject an aim of a lesson though!

Ilja Grauls, Belgium
To non-native speakers, it often seems that American and British television is overly sensitive to bad language. I hate it when MTV bleeps out f***s and s***s. If you can't stand that kind of language, don't listen to the kind of music that uses it. The false argument that we should protect young and impressionable minds is maybe noble but unenforcable. In class, I forbid students from swearing but I will teach them swear words or 'naughty words' such as common slang for parts of the body. As long as you explain that certain words make you sound vulgar, I don't see why they shouldn't know them.

Jim Kerr, Germany
Why teach bad language when there are plenty of other sources outside the classroom? I don`t have enough time to teach the "real thing". Naturally I always answer the questions on this subject but also stress the dangers inherent in using the words or expressions concerned.

Sarah, Germany
I teach business men and they need to be able to understand what they hear. If they ask me the meaning of something then I explain and if a word crops up that has a double meaning then I warn them when and where to use it. As others have said here, the less fuss made about it, the better!

Nicolette, Italy
I teach English to adults who work in multinational environments. As a teacher I have an obligation to prepare my students for the world they will work in. Usually when we watch a movie we have the opportunity to study some of the 'special expressions' of the English language. Students need to know and understand these phrases and expressions. They can make up their own minds whether to use this language or not.

Laurent Miglioli, France
As I teach adult French students, I tend to make light-hearted references to some swear words or bad words when they could incidentally sound confusing for a would-be listener : my favourite example is the confusion between pronunciations of 'beach' and 'bitch'. That is always a good occasion for comic relief. Other areas of slang words are usually only attractive to advanced students who wouldn't use them ever so often. Nice talking point you have raised. And to be polite... Best regards

Les, Italy
I see no reason not to teach bad language, it has become part of daily speech throughout the English speaking world. In most cases students have learned the f word long before they ever pronounced "good morning" so to teach or not to teach bad words is no longer a dilemma but rather a gender problem, man can use these words with men but to women, it would be unthinkable for me as a man as for woman to woman I leave that hanging, perhaps a woman would like to tell us.

Jackie, Greece
Students are naturally curious about swear words. I believe it's better to just tell them what they mean, without making an issue of it, and then get on with the rest of the lesson! The more fuss we make, the more 'shocking' they think it is, the more youngsters will believe that swearing is 'cool'. What does f.... mean? Having sex right? Isn't sex supposed to be something pleasant...? -why then should we curse someone to go and have sex? Get them thinking!!

Our language is so rich it seems to me that people who swear at the drop of a hat are just exhibiting their ignorance of the language in that they can find no other way to express themselves . I have always told them that we should reserve such vocabulary for really dire circumstances so that it doesn't lose it's strength (I very seldom swear so that when I do it has a real impact!)...adding 0f course, that there's no place for it in the classroom. In 18 years of teaching I've never had a student disagree with me on this!

S Holder, Germany
I do not make a point of teaching swear words or expressions, but if asked I will discuss them in an informal way. I believe that the less fuss made about it the better.

Adam Gyenes, Japan
The most important thing is surely, do you want your students going to native speaking countries and using these things. If they tell someone to "go f. yourself" they might end up in hospital. I've heard some pretty scary stories of Japanese Hip Hop kids visiting LA, going to places like Compton, and getting in all sorts of trouble, because they thought those words on the CD'S were harmless. So I think the best thing is not to teach these things. If your students do ask you about it, you should explain how offensive those things can be, and teach politer alternatives.

Viviana Kay, Argentina
My students come across some "strong" expressions in songs and come right away to ask for a translation. There`s no point in hiding this from them, it's part of language and culture. I even found one of my students with a dictionary of "dirty" words.

Alan Steele, Chile
Bad language is omnipresent and hence quite important to be able to understand. However, non-native speakers cannot really appreciate how offensive profanity can be to native speakers, so when I teach it, I emphasise that one must exercise caution before using bad language.

David Synnott, Australia
I don't teach 'bad language' as there are plenty of other ways of expressing feelings or intentions. I do teach 'slang' which is widely used here. But only as an alternative to more formal language - ie there is a place for slang. I don't think there is a place for swearing.

Idit, Israel
My students asked many times to hear or to learn any kind of bad words. My answer was to be patient that at the end of the year we shall have a special lesson and they will satisfy their curiosity about "certain expressions".

Honestly, I did not try to avoid the subject but I already knew that the students had a "heavy lexicon" and they used it amongst their peers and outside of school.

During the last lesson of the year, I proposed the class to donate a "word" so that every student could exercise the word he or she knew already and so the class could express themselves for at least ten minutes. I'm sure that the expressions were very mild and I gave the translation or explained to them what the words implied. In most of the cases, children do not know what these words imply. My class students heard these words on the streets, busses, films. I think it is important to understand in a new language what might be an insult or an offense to the person you talk to. You should not encourage to use them but it must be clear what is not acceptable to others, specially the use of 'dirty' language.

Pawel Tabaszewski, Poland
My teenage students do know some examples of bad language.They acquired them somehow/somewhere.When they ask for more I say "No" giving the reasons: 1.You are not likely to use such words. 2.If you already know six swear words you are most likely to forget another six the next day; you really don't use more in your mother tongue. Nonetheless most students would write "The advantages and disadvantages of wearing a T-shirt with the word "F..." on it." than "...wearing a school uniform."

Tim, Japan
I have taught young adults some taboo slang in the past, but I try to avoid it now. I don't think they shouldn't learn this kind of language, however, so if they have questions about it I try to answer them. I think what is most important is to explain to them what is acceptable and what is not.

Beata, Slovakia
I think, nowadays it is a part of teenagers´ vocabulary. You know, they can hear it everywhere around. It is quite normal for them to ask what those words mean. If possible, I tell them the translation or I tell them it is really not for them. Everyone must decide on his/her own.

Tahsin Hyder, Bangladesh
I think we must not teach any one something bad, specially to children. Because children learn things from elder one's not from ghosts. And if we share bad comments with kids they may think that it's a cool medium. We must not just share every thing with anyone.

Jack Wasilewski, Poland
We teachers should not be prudish in our classes.

In my view, bad language surrounds us in most of our daily routines - I mean TV films, programmes and of course interaction between people.

What type of language our learners encounter in their environment is swearing and f... phrases. They are everywhere and very easy to be picked up automically by a vast majority of Ss or YL. They get in our learners' ears very quickly and are easy to be remembered. That's why I am more than certain that our Ss need a lesson or two on BAD ENGLISH LANGUAGE, for simple reasons to teach them how to react in specific situations where some vulgar express. may be used by interlocuters.

Bee, Brazil
The first thing teenagers try to learn is the swear words...when they meet someone from another country who does not speak the language, it is the first thing they teach them. What is important they know is how strong these words may be in different cultures and that some not to have the same use in one culture or another. I do not include the topic "swear words" in my teaching schedule but depending on the class and the "teachable moment", I may devote some minutes to explain and exemplify it. I must say that everytime I did it, the discussion that ensued was very interesting and motivating for the students. All have something to say about the subject and a situation to illustrate.

Prakasan Kerala ,India
I think it is not to be taught as such. If a student approaches you with such a word, frankly you can tell him that it's only an expression people use when they get angry or swear. We teachers should not encourage them to use such words in the classroom.

Fatima, Portugal
I teach very young children and find "bad language" most unsuitable for them.

Jeff Thomas, UK
Given the truism of change of meaning many words once considered expletive have, through usage, lost a great deal of force - compare the Elizabethan meaning of 'naughty' with its current use. The same may apply to much of contemporary 'bad' language. However, those concerned with English teaching should deprecate the use of such language as a substitute for literacy.

Valeria, Mexico City
I think that if the students ask you to help them understand a swear word you should do so, but I don't encourage or allow their use in class (I teach in a bilingual High School).

Irina, Russia
I voted "I teach anything and everything", but I would have never liked to teach 'bad language". Children are out of the question of course. But sometimes I explain to teenagers and adult learners the 'root' meaning of the stemword and say that they are free to choose to use it or not. After the explanation they are not so eager to sound 'cool' among friends.

Zhanna, Russia
I never actually teach "bad language", but I answer questions about such expressions as accurately as I can. As for teaching it, I've always found that students do it very well on their own :))

Nick, France
swearing & particularly the "f"word are part of the lingo, and students always learn them anyway.

Lenora Haranaka, Brazil
Teaching bad language may be considered to be "cool", but I strongly believe that this is not the sort of teaching students need to learn in the classroom... They usually pick it up on their own. Using bad language in everyday life is already impolite, let alone inside the classroom!!! Very unethical!

Rosemary, USA
I teach mostly young adults, both male and female. In class, I teach a few "popular" words for meaning and recognition only, and point the students to the acceptable word in their dictionaries, and ask them to look up the acceptable word in their first language. I also tell them that some words can only be said with people of the same sex as they are. I assure them that they can privately ask me any word and I will tell them the acceptable word to look up, but that I only know those words to help them stay out of trouble! Gestures, and what to do when you're uncertain of the meaning are also discussed. If needed, we have a one gender class and the matching gender teacher does the work. As soon as one or two people who share the same first language know and understand, the rest is easy!

One more comment: All adults need to know because some need to teach their children, or younger family members. I NEVER encourage any students to USE bad language, of course. And I spend lots of time discussing appropriate use and the effects of their choices.

G. Pütter , Germany
Students should be able to understand but they should never be never be taught to use bad language.

Chris, Brazil
Students have plenty of opportunities to find examples of "bad language", specially in films. If a student feels curious about it, I believe the teacher can provide some information and help students to understand and contextualise it. I does not seem to me it needs to be taught. As in any L1, "bad language" is usually easily understood and put into practice if a person feels like using it!

Celia Nieto, Argentina
Hi I think we, teachers, shouldn't ignore this fact. I don't think it's good to ignore reality. At the same time, I don't think we should encourage students to use strong language in class in the same way as we don't use strong language in class in our own language - Spanish. I do discuss this issue when mt students happen to mention it. I teach them about "register". I also teach them that it's always better to keep on the safe side when using a language you're learning. It's preferable to sound too formal than rude. That's the reason why we teach them to use words and expression that are accepted in any situation. I also teaach them that it's good to understand these words and expressions, though.

Maureen, England
Learners acquire language from many other sources as well as the classroom. Active learners will seek opportunities to try out new language. Therefore I think it is important to deal with bad language and slang and discuss appropriate use.

Rosylene Damaceno, Brazil
I have always avoided teaching my students "bad language", first because I don't feel comfortable with it,second because it's not part of my own language.

Anybody knows that this kind of language is what we learn first in any foreign language, so as students will learn them anyway, I rather use my lesson time to give them what they won't learn as quick as these.

P. Arunprakash, India
Bad language is also part and parcel of a language. But due to cultural obligations, it should be explained in mild language.

David Borg, Italy
It is the teacher's duty to ensure students are in a position to understand - and react to - bad language used against them. This applies to both young learners as well as adults - indeed, more to the former. The teacher's personal considerations are secondary to this objective.

Alison, Switzerland
Students seem to pick up these words on their own from exposure to so many English sources and don't need a 'teacher'.

Emma, Czech Republic
Fortunately, I teach a small group of adults so they had their own idea what they wanted to know. We first tackled the question of f-words when practising "survival conversation topic" of "my car has run out of petrol". I think it is better to teach these words as well - it is a real life we´re teaching and they might come in handy in some situations later...

Gaby, Madagascar
It can't be denied it is part of everyday life. The way I teach it is on request, when students ask; or in songs. Slang should be known too. Even if I feel uncomfortable, but when it is asked I try to answer if I know. It reminds me of an English English teacher we had at university, I personally asked him for some lists of bad words and he just smiled!

Jorge D. Murillo, USA
Teaching inappropriate language doesn't seem to me as a very orthodoxical way of bringing childrem to the best of culture, whichever that is we are trying to present in a classroom. It would be much more advisable to approach this type of communication in an adult group, with grown up professionals who wouldn't suffer the consequences, or at least wouldn't mind facing, of the negative aspects of culture.

Leslie, Thailand
I only approach this subject if the students ask me a direct question. but here we have to careful as not to offend the culture. Although there are swear words in Thai I never broach the subject. the reason I teach mostly girls and I don't think that it is appropriate. I have found that Americans teach the students bad language and they say it is part of the everyday language, so the thai student use it which I consider wrong. still to each his/her own. thanks

Annamaria D. Kalmar, Hungary
Our everyday spoken languages, English and Hungarian as well (and all others) are getting more and more "polluted". I am a dedicated and strong fighter of a nice and clear spoken (and written) language, and do my best in teaching English as a FL and Hungarian as native language to my students. The language pollution is a worldwide phenomenon - sorry to say - and if we, teachers won't do something against it, the beautiful languages of Shakespeare, Shelley, Dickens and Arany or Jókai or other poets, novelists of the world will vanish and get replaced by unacceptable, dirty slang. Let's struggle we teachers together for clearance of the everyday spoken and written languages.

F. Brandstätter
I think pupils should be aware of the fact that the use of swear words etc is usually considered as more inappropriate when used by foreigners. Besides, the emotional value of these expressions is not necessarily the same as the translation into the learner's language might lead to believe. Therefore it is essential not to leave this aspect of English unattended to.

Angela Macdonald, Canada
They are listening to the music anyway- so we talk about the words and then I teach my students the alternatives to those words for use in their own vocabulary. They always come up with some great alternatives. "Fruit of the Loom" and "Holy socks" are some of the favourites we hear here.