2021-05-21 19:16:19
Speaking Part 3 — 7 Common questions
Cause and Effect
You may also be asked to discuss what has caused a certain situation and what effects this has.
To talk about cause and effect you can use:
…because…
…as a result….
…resulted in…
…as a consequence…
…due to….
…caused…
…led to….
…means that….
Only use them if you are sure your sentences are grammatically correct.
Example Question
How does advertising influence what people choose to buy?
I think advertising has a big influence on what people purchase and often leads to them always sticking with the same brand. For example, I always drink Coca Cola and I believe this is because I grew up watching all those ads on TV and I instinctively buy it as a result. I mean, why would companies spend so much money on adverts, unless it led to more sales?
Hypothetical
The second conditional is used to talk about ‘unreal’, ‘unlikely’ or ‘impossible’ situations. You might get asked a question about an ‘unreal’ situation, for example ‘If you were mayor of your city, what would you do to improve it?’
The grammar we use for this is:
If + (subject 1) + past participle, then (subject 2) + would + verb
Example Question
If you could choose any country to live in, where would you choose?
If I could live in any country, I would probably choose Australia. The weather is great; the people are super friendly and just imagine living beside all those beaches. If I could choose another country, it would have to be Italy, for the architecture, the culture and its fascinating history.
Compare and Contrast
To compare two things, use a comparative adjective + than e.g. He’s taller than his sister.
Some comparative adjectives are irregular:
Good- better
Bad- worse
Far- further
For short adjectives, add –(e)r. If they end in –y change to –ier.
Hard- harder
Cheap- cheaper
Easy- easier
For longer adjectives, use more.
More interesting
More difficult
Example Question
Do you think primary school children should learn a second language or should they wait until secondary school?
It’s obvious that the earlier children start a language the easier it becomes in later life. However, some parents might think that subjects like maths are more important than languages at primary level. They may also think that a foreign language is less important than their first language and this should be prioritised.
Past
We may use the present perfect continuous to talk about something that started in the past and continues up until the present.
Example: They have been developing the city centre for the past five years. For this tense we use the structure has/have + been + present participle (verb-ing).
Used to + infinitive to talk about past habits or states that are now finished.
Would + infinitive to describe past habits.
Past simple to talk about things you did in the past that you no longer do or are no longer true.
Past continuous to talk about the background of a story or how you felt at a particular time.
Past perfect to say something happened before something else in the past.
Example Question
How has teaching changed in your country over the past few decades?
In the past, teachers simply lectured students and the students just listened to what they said. We were given lots of facts to learn and there was no room for creativity or freedom of expression. I remember learning lots of things without thinking about the theory behind it. Now, there’s been a movement towards students thinking for themselves.
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