1. BACKGROUND Analysis of classroom discourse is useful for teachers who want to understand the dynamics of classroom communication, to find out "if there is a right balance or imbalance between real communication and the teacher's speech". (McCarthy 1991). During my MS courses, we learned about Sinclair and Coulthard's model of conversation analysis which I found to be a very useful tool for analyzing classroom discourse. The three-level model is particularly useful for evaluating the progress of teachers' pedagogical goals and student learning in real time.2. INTRODUCTION 2.1 The importance of analyzing discourse The main claim about the importance of analyzing discourse is rooted in the role of language in society. The social relevance of discourse analysis is that the very choice or extension of the object or field of linguistic research – the actual use of the language in its social context – already satisfies a condition of social relevance – it provides information on the forms and on the mechanisms of human communication and verbal interaction (van Dijk, 1985). Discourse analysis provides an explicit account of the fact that discourse structures are multiple and change depending on the context of interaction and communication. Therefore, discourse analysis constitutes an essential contribution to "language in use". 2.2 Classroom Discourse As language teachers, we need to be able to engage our students with a variety of English texts such as songs, newspapers, films, websites and others so on. If this is done, not only will students be more exposed to a variety of discourses, but they will also be more motivated to learn since the language they acquire is authentic compared to inauthentic books in the classroom. Limiting language...... middle of article...... 1991.Sinclair, J. and Coulthard, M. Towards an Analysis of Discourse. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1975. Sinclair, J. and Coulthard, M. “Toward an Analysis of Discourse.” Advances in spoken discourse analysis. Ed. Malcolm Coulthard et al. London: Routledge, 1992.Sinclair, J. and Brazil, D. Teacher Talk: Oxford University Press, 1982Stubbs, M. Language, Schools and Classrooms. London: Methuen, 1976 Tsui, A. “A Functional Description of Questions.” Advances in spoken discourse analysis. Ed. Malcolm Coulthard. London: Routledge, 1992.van Dijk, T. “Introduction: the role of discourse analysis in society.” Handbook of discourse analysis. Vol 4. London: Academic Press, 1985Willis, D. "Caught in the Act: Using the Degree Scale to Address Problems of Sensitivity." Advances in spoken discourse analysis. Ed. Malcolm Coulthard. London: Routledge, 1992.