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How many "liking" expressions can you find in the answer? How many linking phrases can you find? How much redundant language is there? Find examples of uncommon or topic-specific vocabulary. (Note "things like that" - the meaning of "like" is not the same as the meaning in the question.)
Possible starting phrases for "liking" questions include:
· Well in general I would say that",
· Actually, I suppose that for the most part I’d probably say that...
· Well, to be honest I should really say that...
· Of course I think I'd have to say that...
· Certainly I would definitely say that...
· Well, I guess that generally speaking I would certainly say that...
Then select the first "liking" expression and add the topic word or a general category of the topic.
Example: "Well in general I would say that I’m quite passionate about Italian food:..."
Now you need to add a linking word or phrase to introduce a specific type of the topic or category (eg. pizza).
·...but in particular…
·...to be more precise...
·...particularly...
·...to be more specific...
·...especially...
·...to be more exact...
·...specifically...
·...to be more accurate...
Now add your second "liking" expression with the specific type.
Example: "Well in general I would say that I'm quite passionate about Italian food, to be more specific, I would probably say that I’m really into pizza and pasta."
Now add a linking phrase to introduce the first reason:
· And I guess this is probably because...
· This could be because...
· This might be because...
· This is due to the fact that...
· I suppose the reason has something to do with the fact that…
"Well in general I would say that quite passionate about Italian food; to be more specific I would probably say that I'm really into pizza and pasta. This is mainly because my girlfriend is Italian so she always cooks Italian cuisine at home."
Now use a linking phrase to introduce your second point.
· As well as this...
· To add to this...
· In addition to this...
Use another "liking" expression: "As well as this, I’m quite partial to vegetarian food."
Now be more specific:
"As well as this, I’m quite partial to vegetarian food especially things like bean curd. This could be because... I'm quite conscious of healthy eating and bean curd is a fat-free food and it's high in nutritional value."
So the complete structure looks like this:
"Well to be quite honest, in general I would say that I’m actually quite keen on.... but in particular I would probably have to say that I'm really into...you know, things like... I guess the reason why I am a fan of...is because I adore...In addition to this I suppose also pretty passionate about.... especially...and things like that, and this is due to the fact that..."
Use the structure above to answer the following questions:
· What food do you like?
· Do you like listening to music?
· Do you like reading?
· Do you like shopping?
· What do you like about your hometown?
· What do you like about your studies / job?
Now answer the questions using your own structure.
Question Type 3: “Disliking” Questions
"Disliking" questions are quite common in Part One of the speaking test. The answers can be very similar to the "liking" questions but with "disliking" vocabulary.
The following language can be used to express “dislikes".
· I’m not so keen on...
· I’m not really that fond of...
· I’m not much of a fan of...
And for very strong "dislikes" use the following:
· I totally detest...
· I really can't stand...
· I absolutely loathe...
In your answer, try to use a "dislike" and a "strong dislike" phrase. Use the same style of structure as the "liking" answer but change the linking phrases.
Example:
"Is there anything you don't like about your hometown?"
“Of course I think have to say that I’m not so keen on the weather. To be more precise, I really can‘t stand the summer months. This is due to the fact that the temperatures can get as high as 40 degrees so it can be quite uncomfortable if you don‘t have air conditioning in your house. In addition to this, I'm not really that fond of the public transport system. And I guess this is probably because the buses are too old and the seats are really hard, so long journeys are usually pretty bumpy."
Now answer the following "disliking" questions using a similar structure:
· Is there anything you don't like about your school / studies?
· Is there any food you don‘t like?
· What’ the worst thing about shopping?
· Are there any clothes that you don‘t like?
· What type of weather do you dislike?
Summary of "Liking / Disliking" Questions
The most important thing is to avoid the simple vocabulary (like, dislike. enjoy, love, hate) and replace these with the expressions given in this chapter.
Many candidates put "likes" and "dislikes" in the same answer (usually the "liking" question). This is not wrong, but as we have seen, the answers to these questions can be quite long, so it is better to split them into two separate answers.
Remember: Give a developed answer to every question. In the past I have heard answers like these:
Do you like animals? - No, I don’t like animals.
Do you like reading? - No, I like watching TV instead.
Is there anything you don’t like about your hometown? - No. I like my city.
As a rule, if the examiner asks you if you like something, give a positive answer (yes) even if that answer is not true. In the same way, if the question is: "Is there anything you don’t like about...?" you should also give a positive answer (yes).
Speaking positively is much easier than speaking negatively and it is easier to give reasons and examples to say "why" rather than "why not".
Remember: Base your answer on language not on fact or truth. You do not get any marks for telling the truth!
Question Type 4: “Types of” Questions
Another common type of questions in Part One is "types of" questions.
For example:
"Tell me about the different types of public transport in your city."
The most common problem with these questions is shown in the following answer:
"In my city there are many types of public transport, for example, buses, taxis, motorcycle taxis, trains, planes, ferries and mini-buses."
In this answer, the candidate lists seven types of public transport. However, the answer is 100% content and there is no evidence of native-speaker style language. Some candidates may believe that get one mark for every type of transport that they list but this is not true.
One reason for this answer is that in spoken Chinese it is quite common to give these "list" style answers.
A good answer to these questions should be structured and developed in the following way.
Begin with an opening phrase:
· Well actually...
· Of course, you know...
· Sure, obviously...
· Of course, it goes without saying…
· OK, certainly...
Then use one of the following:
·...there’s quite a mixed variety of...
·...there’s quite an extensive diversity of…
·...there's quite a wide range of...
·...there's quite a diverse mixture..
·...there’s a fairly broad range of...
So the opening line might be:
"Of course, it goes without saying that there’s quite a mixed variety of public transport in my city.”
Now use the following structure to introduce the first type:
· But I guess the most adj....would probably be...
· However, I suppose the most adj....could possibly be...
· Though I think the most adj....would potentially be...
· Yet I imagine the most adj....may well be...
· Still, I suspect that the most adj....could perhaps be...
In these structures you will need to select an adjective which fits the question. Here are some possible adjective suggestions:
common commonplace influential
popular frequent prevalent
fashionable trendy notorious
famous well-known crucial
widely-used widely-known prominent
important significant widespread
standard conventional celebrated
hip with-it commonly-used
usual customary commonly-known
current fashionable notable
best-selling up-to-date renowned
So the first sentence could be:
"Of course, it goes without saying that there's quite a mixed variety of public transport in my city. Though I think the most commonly-used would potentially be buses."
Now use a phrase to add a detail:
· The thing with buses is that...
· I assume buses are so + adj. because...
· The point I want to add about buses is that...
· And what you have to realize with buses is that...
· And the explanation for this could be that...
· And the basis of this is that...
So the first part of the answer could be:
"Of course, it goes without saying that there's quite a mixed variety of public transport in my city. Though I think the most commonly-used would potentially be buses. And the explanation for this could be that they are so cheap and reliable. The average bus fare in my city is about one yuan for a single journey.
Notice that the detail sentence doesn’t repeal the word "buses", instead it uses the pronoun "they" (some answers will need "it").
Also notice that the detail sentence uses a linking word "in fact" to make a complex structure.
Now use a linking phrase to introduce a second type.
· Besides (buses), …
· As well as (buses), …
· In addition to (buses), …
· Another kind of (public transport) would be...
· Another form of (public transport) worth mentioning could be...
· A second variety of (public transport) would be something like...
· A subsequent category would be something like...
So the next part of the answer might be:
"As well as buses, a second variety of public transport would be something like taxis."
Add a linking phrase to develop the second type:
· And the main characteristic of (taxis) is that...
· And the unique aspect of (taxis) is that...
· And one exceptional aspect with (taxis) is that...
Add the detail with a linking word to form a complex sentence:
"As well as buses, a second variety of public transport would be something like taxis. And one exceptional aspect with (taxis) is that they are certainly the quickest way to get around town. So if you‘re in a hurry then taxis are the best bet (= the best choice).”
Now you need to add a vague end line:
· And of course there‘s the usual things like...
· And obviously you can also find things like...
· Likewise, as might be expected, there are things like...
· And naturally, there are things like...
So the final sentence might be:
"Likewise, as might be expected, there‘s things like ferries, motorcycle taxis and trains, although these are not as widely-used as the first two that I mentioned."
So the finished structure might look something like:
"Of course, it goes without saying there's quite an extensive diversity of... (topic) Still, I suspect that the most + adj. could perhaps be... (type) And what you have to realize with... (type l) is that... In fact / so / but / because... (detail)
Another form of... (topic) worth mentioning could be... (type 2) And the main characteristic of (type 2) is that... (detail) (+ linking word / complex structure). And naturally, there‘s things like... (2 or 3 other types)"
Use the complete model structure to answer the following questions:
· Tell me about the types of sports that are popular in your country.
· What kinds of restaurants are popular in your country?
· What types of shops can be found in your local area?
· What types of things do people collect in your country?
· What hobbies are common in your country?
· What types of TV programmes are popular in your country?
Now design your own structure using the language options provided in this section.
Summary of "Types of" Questions
Don’t repeat the adjective used in the question. Example:
"What kinds of restaurants are popular in your country?”
In your answer, don’t use “popular”. Example:
“Yet I imagine the most widespread may well be…”
Sometimes candidates struggle to find content for these questions, because they generalize their answer too much. Example:
"What kinds of restaurants are popular in your country?”
If you say "Chinese restaurants", this is far too general and it is difficult to introduce other types of restaurants.
See the individual topic sections later in the book for vocabulary ideas on types and kinds of particular topics.
Question Type 5: “Wh- / How Often” Questions
This question type is very common in Part One. Look at the following examples:
· How often do you go to the cinema?
· At what time of day do you usually read?
· Where do you usually buy your clothes?
· Who do you spend your weekends with?
· When do you listen to music?
The problem with these questions is that many candidates give very direct "information-focused" responses. It is quite common for candidates to respond to these questions in the following way:
· Maybe once a week.
· In the evenings before I sleep.
· In New World Department store.
· My parents or my friends.
· At weekends and in the evenings.
As we have discovered, it is almost impossible to achieve a high score with this style of answer. The key to these questions is to answer the question with two or three different responses. Example:
“How often do you go to the cinema?"
"Well to be honest, I think I would have to say that it really depends. Like for instance, if I have the money, then it‘s quite possible that I will watch a movie in the cinema, two or three times a month. You know cinema tickets are pretty pricey in China. Whereas in contrast, if I’m broke, it‘s more likely that I watch movies at home on DVD: you probably know that DVDs are quite cheap here, especially compared to the price of a cinema ticket."
The key to the answer is the structure "it depends". If you use this, you can produce a "situational contrast" which allows you to use contrast language (linking words).
The first step is too select an opening phrase:
· Well to be honest...
· Well in truth...
· Actually to be fair...
· Well in all fairness...
· In actual fact...
· In fact, in all honesty...
Now select a "depends" phrase:
·...I think I would have to say that it really depends.
·...I suppose I would have to maintain that it kind of depends really.
·...I imagine that it would depend on the situation.
·...I guess my answer would be determined by different conditions.
Now select a linking phrase:
· Like for instance...
· More precisely like...
· Like more specifically...
· Like, to be more direct...
· You know like, to be exact...
Notice that all of these linking phrases include the word "like". In these structures "like" is a conjunction used as a meaningless filler word. This is very typical of informal native-speaker English.
It is important to get the next step exactly right. The success of this structure relies on the following conditional grammar structure:
Select one of the following:
· If (situation A)... then I will most likely...
· If (situation A)... then it's quite possible than I will...
· If (situation A)... then as a consequence I will probably...
· If (situation A)... then I guess it’s quite likely that I will
Your answer is going to compare two different situations or conditions. These can be quite flexible. Here are some possible ideas to use:
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