Compensation strategies are communication strategies used by learners to compensate for limitations in their language. Different kinds of learners have preferences for different kinds of learning strategies, for example female learners tend to prefer social and affective strategies and monolingual learners may favour compensation strategies.

Example
Guessing the meaning when you don't understand and using gestures are examples of compensation strategies.

In the classroom
Miming games and definition activities such as crosswords are two ways to help learners practise compensation strategies.