This paper suggests that one way of understanding the role of feedback in a classroom situation is to describe the types of feedback which are communicated in a range of settings and to study the effect the feedback seems to have. Systematic descriptions are provided of the feedback communicated by teachers in ESOL classes, by children playing, by a tennis coach and by adults in conversations. In addition to presenting characteristics of feedback that occur in these settings, ways to determine the effect different types of feedback have are discussed. Finally, a framework for examining the feedback used in communications inside of the classroom and in the world is presented together with specific suggestions for expanding the variety of types of feedback most frequently found in teaching settings. (Author/CFM)