The application of communicative and grammatical approaches to syllabus design for conversational English for specific purposes is discussed. Each approach is examined, and applications are suggested for each at different stages of instruction, based on learner readiness and the linguistic organization of the target language variety. At the early stages of language learning, a grammar-based syllabus is recommended to provide a common frame of grammatical reference that is context-free. As the course of instruction continues and the relationship between the learner, teacher, and instructional materials changes, the teacher is encouraged to change the balance of approaches, perhaps introducing each new language topic in terms of its grammatical form but increasing the use of communicative categories. As the personal relationship between teacher and learner develops, reference to shared communicative values becomes easier and this may be reflected in the syllabus. (MSE)