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Speaking: stories, opinions and discussions
Đã giới thiệuVị trí đã lưu của bạn vẫn giữ nguyên trong trình duyệt này. Tiếp tục sẽ không hoàn thành bài học hay trả lời câu hỏi của nó.
Help a listener follow your account
- Practise connecting events, supporting an opinion and responding to another person. Start with A2 routines and requests if those are still difficult.
- Beginning → events → outcome can help plan a short story. An opinion or a discussion may need a different order; one skeleton does not fit everything you say.
- Hear → say → record → replay → compare. The boxes rehearse existing models. Nothing is scored; recordings stay in this page and disappear on reload. A local duration or sentence count is not a definition of B1 proficiency.
Telling a story
- Past simple can carry events: I missed the last train. I didn't have money for a taxi.
- Suddenly, luckily, in the end can signal changes or outcomes when their meaning fits. Do not invent a dramatic turn just to include a linker.
- Practice box 1 rehearses four sentences. Your own story can have a different length and structure if the listener can follow what happened.
Hear the model, then record the story yourself.
The four-sentence model is one possible account. Your own story can use a different length or order if the listener can follow the events and outcome.
Give a reason the listener can assess
- I think … / For me, … can introduce an opinion. I reckon … is more informal.
- Follow with a relevant reason: I think cycling to school is better for me because I arrive awake. Whether that applies to another person depends on their journey and circumstances.
- Use better, rather than more good, in this comparison. In practice box 2, a brief pause is acceptable; clarity does not mean speaking without pauses.
Give the opinion with its reason. Record both parts.
Because introduces a reason; the reason still needs to fit the opinion. This example is wording rehearsal, not evidence that cycling suits everyone.
Respond to the actual point
- That's true expresses agreement. I see what you mean can acknowledge understanding without agreeing with the conclusion.
- I see your point, but … is one way to disagree considerately. A direct No can be appropriate for a factual correction, a boundary or an urgent warning; English does not require a softener in every situation.
- Practice box 3 rehearses a cost question. Its wording helps only if cost is relevant; do not use a polite-looking phrase to ignore what the other person said.
Disagree softly. Record the sentence.
I see your point, but is one possible considerate opening. Direct disagreement can also be appropriate; a softener is not a universal requirement.
Use very and very much
- I like it very much and I like it a lot are useful alternatives to I very like it. For thanks, use Thanks a lot or Thank you very much.
- Very can modify adjectives and adverbs: very good, very quickly. It is not limited to adjectives, and the phrase very much can modify a verb.
- Practice box 4 rehearses two natural alternatives. Choose the expression for its meaning and context rather than translating one word at a time.
Rehearse two alternatives: I like it a lot and Thanks a lot.
Very can modify an adjective or an adverb: very good, very quickly. The phrase very much can modify a verb, as in I like it very much.
Keep the discussion responsive
- A possible turn is react → opinion → question back: That's true. For me, the journey matters more. What about you?
- You can also ask for clarification, give a counterexample or answer someone else's question. A discussion depends on listening and responding, not on fitting three moves into every turn.
- Practice box 5 rehearses one pattern. With a partner, change your next turn according to their answer; alone, rehearse two plausible replies without claiming you tested real interaction.
A full discussion turn: react, opinion, question back. Record it.
A question back can invite a response. A real discussion can also include clarification, evidence or direct answers; it does not require these three moves every time.
Tell your own account and compare
- Practice box 6 gives a missed-bus model. Tell a short true or fictional account of your own: set the scene, connect the events and explain the outcome or why it mattered.
- Plan with a few notes, record, then replay. Which event or reference was unclear? Change that part and try again.
- Compare the two takes for that repair. More speed or less reading does not guarantee a better account; keep useful pauses and accurate details.
YOUR story from this week — beginning, turn, point. Record it twice.
Use a short plan, record and replay, then revise one unclear connection. This is self-review, not a measurement of B1 proficiency.
Return with a different story or view
- Tomorrow, tell a new short account before rereading. If a partner can listen, ask them to say what they understood and what needs clarification.
- Next: B2 arguments and presentations, or stories, directions and opinions listening.
- Usage reference checked 20 October 2026: Cambridge: very. Independent language, recording and learner reviews remain pending. Model repetition and self-review do not establish a CEFR level or successful live interaction.