Mat Clark – IELTS Speaking
185
To achieve a vocabulary score of 7 or 8, the examiner needs to hear at least one
example of effective paraphrasing.
Paraphrasing means saying or explaining something in your own words. In the
speaking test it is used to explain vocabulary gaps ( words that you don’t know in English).
A good tip for paraphrasing is the ―forget-explain-remember‖ rule. With this strategy
you deliberately forget a particular word, then you explain the word and then you remember
the word. Look at the following example:
― An additional problem with cars is that they produce a lot of …err… I can’t
remember the word, but it’s the gas that comes out of the car exhaust…oh yeah…carbon
monoxide. That’s what I mean.‖
In this example the candidate has produced some effective
paraphrase and used a
complex vocabulary item( carbon monoxide), so the vocabulary score has been influenced
in two ways.
It is usually a good idea to think of some examples of this before the test, but the
following examples should be quite helpful because they can be used for many topics.
For building: architecture, interior décor,
elevator, escalator
For people: optimistic, open-minded, assertive, sarcastic
For objects: warranty, guarantee,
replacement
It really doesn’t matter which word you decide to paraphrase as long as it’s an
uncommon vocabulary item.
In addition, many Chinese words can be paraphrased, especially
if there is no exact
English equivalent, such as:
― Huo Guo, it’s a type of dish that is served in a pot and the pot is usually heated on
the table, so the food is cooked in front of you.‖
This example of paraphrasing is worth more marks than simple saying ―hot-pot‖.
Placeholders
Placeholders are words that replace something when a speaker does not know or
cannot remember the name of something or someone: ―You need to use a thingummy when
you open a bottle of red wine.‖
Grammatically these simply replace the name of the person or object that the speaker
cannot remember and never change their form. Other placeholders include:
whatsitcalled thingy thingummyjig
When
you paraphrase, try to use one of these placeholders. Look at the following
example:
― One of the major problems with shopping online is that there are loads of err… what
is called…‖
Mat Clark – IELTS Speaking
186
You may think this is not a very good way to impress your examiner, but this is
exactly what native speakers do when they forgot a word.
When you paraphrase you need to first let the examiner know that you have forgotten
the word ( or you don’t know the word in English).
Use the following linking phrases to begin paraphrasing:
I can’t
remember the English word; I’ll have to explain what I mean here.
Actually, I can’t seem to remember the word; let me try to put it into plain words.
The word has slipped my mind; I’ll try to paraphrase it for you.
Use the following language to explain your word:
Well what it is…it is a kind /type of… In some ways it’s similar to…
It’s actually something like a…
Continue your paraphrasing with:
And it’s made from… It’s often found…
It’s used by…. It involves…
One of the most unique features of X is that… And I should also mention that…
Then ― remember‖ the word:
Oh… I think I’ve just remembered it; the word I’m looking for is X.
