\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\SPEAKING PART 1

I. INTRODUCTION
GUIDELINE ON SPEAKING PART 1
- A short answer from 3 to 4 sentences.
- Give explanations/examples/information after the answer.
- May need to paraphrase the key words of the question.
- Vocabulary
- Fluency
- Grammatical accuracy
HOW TO STRUCTURE YOUR ANSWERS FOR PART 1?
1. Begin the answer
Here are some ways of giving your opinion.
- If you ask me, ...
- In my view, ...
- I would say that ...
There are a number of useful phrases you can use when you want to give your views on
controversial topics. Try creating sentences using some of these.
- I [strongly) believe that. . . .
- As far as I'm concerned, .. .
- I'm [strongly) against .. .
- I'm convinced that…
- I'm [strongly) in favour of . ..
- I must admit, I think ...
AVOID: IN MY OPINION, I THINK THAT…
2. Answer directly to the question
3. Provide additional reasons/information/example
3.1. To provide reasons for your answer, you can use:

● …+ BECAUSE/ AS/ SINCE + S + V

Ví dụ: I love playing video games because it’s a good way for me to relax.

● … + BECAUSE OF/ DUE TO/ OWING TO + N/Ving

Ví dụ: I don’t want to join outdoor activities due to the harsh weather.
 ● … THE REASON IS THAT + S+V

Ví dụ: I love reading books. The reason is that it’s a good way to learn new things and relax.

● S + V. AS A RESULT/ THEREFORE, S + V.

Ví dụ: Reading books is a good way to relax. Therefore, I usually read books in my free time.

3.2. To add more information, you can use some structures below:

Một trong những cách phổ biến để mở rộng câu trả lời là tạo thông tin tương phản với quá
khứ hoặc hiện tại.

● Currently, (trả lời trực tiếp về hiện tại). HOWEVER, (đưa ra sự tương phản ở quá khứ
hoặc tương lai)
● Currently, (trả lời trực tiếp về hiện tại) BUT (đưa ra sự tương phản ở quá khứ hoặc
tương lai)

Ví dụ:

● Tạo sự tương phản với quá khứ: Currently, I am fond of going swimming. However,
in the past, I was really afraid of water and my brother had to spend a lot of time
teaching me how to swim.
● Tạo sự tương phản với tương lai: Currently, I am a big fan of going swimming but
many public swimming pools are becoming more crowded so, in the future, I want to
spend more time doing yoga.

3.3. To give an example, you can use: FOR EXAMPLE/FOR INSTANCE, …

Ví dụ: In my free time, I tend to do many things, depending on my mood. For example,
when I’m in a good mood, I prefer hanging out with my friends. However, when I am
unhappy, I would like to stay at home and listen to music on my own.
COMMON TOPICS
A. HOME/ACCOMMODATION
1. What kind of housing/accommodation do you live in?
2. Who do you live with?
3. How long have you lived there?
4. What’s the difference between where you are living now and where you have lived in
the past?
5. Do you plan to live there for a long time?
6. Which room does your family spend most of the time in?
7. Are the transport facilities to your home very good?
8. Do you prefer living in a house or a flat?
9. Please describe the room you live in.
10. What part of your home do you like the most?

VOCABULARIES
1. Key definitions
● house – building where people (usually one family) live

- Our house is near the park.

● home – place where someone lives, where they feel they belong

- It’s nice to come home in the evening and spend time with my family.

● accommodation – a building or set of rooms where someone lives or stays

- Oti started looking for accommodation as soon as her university place was confirmed.

● single storey – only a ground floor level

- My elderly parents are buying a single storey house as they find it difficult to climb the
stairs.

● two/three/four/multi-storey – with two floors levels

- Sanjay found a lovely two-storey property to rent close to his workplace.

 2. Types of houses
● detached house – a house that is not connected to any other houses

- We’d love to buy one of the new detached houses being built near the lake but they’re out
of our price range.

● semi-detached house – a house that is joined to another house on one side

- Meena lived in a semi-detached house and could sometimes hear her neighbours arguing
through the adjoining wall.

● flat / apartment – a set of rooms for living in that are part of a larger building and are
usually all on one floor

- It was a big day when their son left home and moved into his own flat.

● fully-furnished flat / apartment – one that you rent with furniture already in it

- The young couple didn’t have much money so looked for a fully-furnished apartment to
rent when they got married.

3. Locations
● residential area – area in which most of the buildings are houses

- Our town is growing rapidly with several new residential areas currently being developed.

● suburb – a residential area on the edge of towns or cities

- Nearly all my colleagues at work live in the suburbs and commute by train each day.

● on the outskirts – the areas that form the outer edge of a town, city or village, that are
furthest away from the centre

- It’s great living on the outskirts. It’s easy to get into the city but we are also close to the
countryside.

● downtown – near the centre of a town or city, especially the business or shopping
areas

- I’m looking for a flat downtown so I don’t have to commute far to work.

● within walking distance of sth – not very far; close enough to reach by walking

- We chose to live here because it’s within walking distance of the school.

● close-knit community – a neighbourhood where people are helpful and supportive

- This is a close-knit community and there’s always someone to turn to if you need help.
 4. Inside a house
● (all the) mod cons – appliances in the home that make it easy to do jobs like washing,
cooking, cleaning, etc.

- The furnished apartment I’m interested in renting has all the mod cons, including a
dishwasher and tumble drier which many rentals don’t have.

● appliances – a device, machine or piece of equipment, especially an electrical one,

that does a specific job in the home, such as a cooker or washing machine

- It must have been such hard work for my grandmother running a home without all the time-
saving appliances we have today.

● furniture – items in a home that make it comfortable and functional to live in such as
chairs, tables, beds, etc.

- Wolfgang and Angelika went to town to choose some furniture for their new extension.

● utilities – gas, electricity, water

- On top of the rental fee, they had to pay for the utilities as well.

● spacious – having a lot of space inside

- Sally loved her friend’s new home, especially the spacious kitchen.

5. cosy – giving a feeling of warmth, comfort and relaxation

- Old cottages have really thick walls which makes them cool in summer but cosy in winter.

6. Outside a house
● garden – area of grass or other vegetation beside a house and belonging to the
property

- I would hate to live in a house without a garden as I love to grow my own vegetables.

● lawn – an area of grass that is cut short, especially in someone's garden

- Our garden is mostly lawn with some flower borders and a vegetable patch.

● backyard – a small space surrounded by walls at the back of a house, usually with a
hard surface (US – an enclosed area covered with grass)

- The kids are out playing in the backyard.

● terrace / patio – paved area close to the house for relaxing, eating, etc
- In the summer we enjoy relaxing on the patio and often set up the barbeque there.

● garage – building intended for storing a car, usually attached to the side of a house

- Most people in the UK use their garage for storage and don’t have room for the car.

B. STUDY
1. Describe your major
2. What is your area of specialization?
3. Why did you choose to study that major?
4. Do you like your major? (Why?/Why not?)
5. What kind of school did you go to as a child?
6. What was your favourite subject as a child?
7. Do you think your country has an effective education system?
8. Are you looking forward to working?
9. Describe your school
VOCABULARIES

1. Educational Institutions

kindergarten = pre-school education

primary school

secondary school

college = further education higher education = university education = tertiary education

2. Subjects: TO MAJOR IN + SUBJECT = TO SPECIALIZE IN + SUBJECT

Maths Language Literature Science

Art Technology Physical education Physics

Music Handicrafts Cookery …

3. Useful collocations
- Scheduled lessons
- School curriculum
- Formulas and equations in mathematics
 - To give out or assign homework
- To do or complete homework
- To complete high school = To graduate from high school
- To participate/take part in school activities or sports
- Distance learning
- Tuition fee
- Pass an exam with flying colors
- Keeping up with the workload
- To fall behind with study = fail to keep pace with the school/university work
- Academic performance
- Academic qualifications = the degrees, diplomas and certificates that someone has
acquired
- Set a good example for sb
- Extra-curricular activities

C. HOBBIES

1. Do you have any hobbies?

2. What hobbies are popular in your country?
3. Is it important to have a hobby?
4. Is it harmful to spend too much time on a hobby?
5. What sort of hobbies would you like to try in the future?

VOCABULARIES

1. Một số từ vựng sở thích phổ biến

● playing the guitar/ the piano/ the violin: chơi ghi-ta/ piano/ vi-ô-lông
● go swimming: đi bơi
● play sports: chơi thể thao
● listen to music: nghe nhạc
● read books: đọc sách
● travel: du lịch
● sing: hát
● dance: nhảy
● go jogging: chạy bộ
 ● watch tv: xem tivi
● go shopping: đi mua sắm
● walk my dog: dắt chó đi dạo
● play cards: chơi bài
● do gardening: làm vườn
● take photographs: chụp ảnh
● do yoga: tập yoga
● do judo/ karate: tập judo/ karate
● hang out with friends: đi chơi với bạn bè
● cook: nấu ăn

2. Cách giới thiệu sở thích/ghét

2.1. Cách paraphrase “hobby”
● leisure pursuit
● leisure activity
● recreational activity
● pastime

- My favorite pastimes are listening to music and doing yoga

- One of my favorite leisure pursuits is reading books, especially sci-fi books

Hoặc các bạn có thể sử dụng các cấu trúc sau

● In my free time/ leisure time/ spare time, I enjoy/ like +N/ Ving
● One of my perennial leisure activities/ pastimes is + N/ Ving
● One activity that I enjoy doing is my spare time/ free time is N/Ving

- In my spare time, I enjoy going shopping with my friends in the downtown

- One of my perennial pastimes is walking my dog in the park

2.2. Từ diễn đạt thích (like)

- Be keen on: quan tâm đến
Ví dụ: I am keen on drawing (Tôi quan tâm đến việc vẽ)
- Be crazy about: phát cuồng vì
Ví dụ: I am crazy about computer games (Tôi phát cuồng vì trò chơi điện từ)
- Have a great passion for
Ví dụ: I have a great passion for singing. (Tôi có một niềm đam mê lớn với ca hát)
 - Be a big fan of
Ví dụ: I am a big fan of classical music (Tôi là một fan hâm mộ lớn của âm nhạc cổ điển)
- To be sb’s cup of tea
Ví dụ: Reading book is my cup of tea
2.3. Từ diễn đạt không thích (Dislike)
- Is not my kind of thing: Không phải gu của tôi
Ví dụ: Reading is not my kind of thing (Đọc sách không phải là gu của tôi )

- Is not my cup of tea: Không phải gu của tôi

Ví dụ: Mountain climbing is not my cup of tea (Leo núi không phải là gu của tôi )
- Can’t stand: Không thể chịu được
Ví dụ: I can’t stand cooking (Tôi không thể chịu được việc nấu ăn)
3. Lợi ích của sở thích
● temporarily escape reality (tạm thời thoát khỏi thực tế)
● expand my knowledge/ know more about the world (mở rộng kiến thức của tôi / biết
thêm về thế giới)
● relieve stress/ unwind after a stressful day/ week (giảm căng thẳng / thư giãn sau một
ngày / tuần căng thẳng)
● do/ does wonders for my mental and physical health (có lợi cho sức khỏe tinh thần và
thể chất của tôi)
● strengthen my immune system (tăng cường hệ thống miễn dịch của tôi)
● keep fit/be in shape (giữ dáng)
● Make friends with people who have common interests/ expand my social circle

Cấu trúc
● N/ V-ing is a good way for me to …… ( ….là một cách tốt để ….).

Ví dụ: Listening to music is a good way for me to temporarily escape reality

● Being a/an ….person, I enjoy/ like …. (Là một người…, tôi thích ….).

Ví dụ: Being a health-conscious person, I enjoy playing sport in my spare time. Simply
because it helps me keep fit and strengthen my immune system

● By + Ving, I can have a chance to ….. (Bằng việc ….., tôi có thể có cơ hội ….).
Ví dụ: By joining sport clubs, I can have the chance to make friends with people who have
the same interest with me

● I find + N + Adj (Tôi cảm thấy + sở thích ……..).

Ví dụ: I find watching really interesting as it allows me to immerse myself into a different
world

4. Từ vựng về tần suất phổ biến

Một số từ vựng về tần suất phổ biến:

● always (luôn luôn) = on a daily basis

● usually (thường xuyên)
● often (thường thường)
● sometimes (thỉnh thoảng)
● rarely (hiếm khi)
● never (không bao giờ)

D. SPORTS

VOCABULARIES

1. Fitness
● to keep fit – to keep the body in good physical condition by exercising regularly

- I do several things to keep fit but dancing is the one I enjoy the most.

● fitness fanatic – to be obsessed with keeping fit

- Dylan is a real fitness fanatic and goes to the gym every day.

● to exercise – to do an activity requiring physical effort, generally in order to improve

health and fitness

- I make sure that I exercise every single day even if it’s only taking the dog for a walk.

● strenuous exercise – exercise that needs a lot of physical effort.

- I used to hate strenuous exercise until I took up running to lose weight and now really enjoy
it.
 ● to get into shape/to keep fit – to become fit

- Jae Hwa was so determined to get into shape that she started cycling to work.

● to take up (a sport) – to start playing a sport.

- I have always wanted to take up archery and am going to join the new club that has just
started in my area.

● to be out of condition – to be not physical fit (unfit)

- My friend is so out of condition that she gets out of breath walking up the stairs.

● to train hard – to train with a lot of effort and passion

- The team trained hard before the match and beat the other team easily.

● to work out – to exercise, usually in a gym.

- Dhruv worked out at the gym three evenings a week.

2. Useful words and collocations

● extreme sports = dangerous sports: thể thao mạo hiểm
● to be highly dangerous: nguy hiểm
● bungee jumping/ freediving/ ice climbing/ skydiving/ mountain biking/…: nhảy
bungee / nhảy tự do / leo núi băng/ nhảy dù / đi xe đạp leo núi / …
● team sports >< individual sports: thể thao đồng đội >< thể thao cá nhân
● to take regular exercise: tập thể dục thường xuyên
● to spend more time exercising: dành nhiều thời gian hơn để tham gia vào các hoạt động
thể chất
● to keep fit and stay healthy: giữ dáng vàcó sức khỏe tốt
● to reduce stress and depression: giảm căng thẳng và trầm cảm
● to burn calories and build muscle → maintain a healthy weight: đốt calo và xây dựng
cơ bắp → duy trì một cân nặng tốt
● to have the opportunity to develop independence: có cơ hội phát triển sự độc lập
● to learn valuable life lessons: học những bài học cuộc sống quý báu
● to learn how to work effectively in a team environment: tìm hiểu cách làm việc hiệu
quả trong môi trường đội nhóm
● to have the chance to challenge themselves: có cơ hội để thử thách bản thân
● to push themselves to their limits: đẩy bản thân đến giới hạn
● to step out of their comfort zone: bước ra khỏi vùng thoải mái của họ