Speaking Task 2: Talking About a Personal Experience

Food and household items bought from a shop.

“I pick up groceries on my way home.”

Often used: buy groceries · grocery shopping

CELPIP tip: Neutral everyday word; use naturally in personal stories or scene descriptions involving shopping or kitchens.

A light, gentle wind.

“A cool breeze made the heat bearable.”

Often used: gentle breeze · sea breeze

CELPIP tip: Use 'gentle breeze' when describing outdoor scenes; it adds sensory detail quickly and naturally.

To give money or goods to help others.

“Many people donate blood every year.”

Often used: donate money · donate to charity

CELPIP tip: Neutral register; use 'donate to a local charity' in emails or personal stories to show community engagement naturally.

A formal talk given to teach students.

“The professor gave a fascinating lecture.”

Often used: attend a lecture · give a lecture

CELPIP tip: Neutral; collocate with 'attend/deliver a lecture.' More precise than 'class' in academic storytelling.

Food remaining after a meal.

“We had leftovers for lunch the next day.”

Often used: leftover food · eat leftovers

CELPIP tip: Informal and natural in daily-life stories; say 'use up leftovers' to sound fluent and idiomatic.

Food remaining after a meal.

“We packed the leftovers for lunch.”

Often used: eat leftovers

CELPIP tip: Informal and natural; perfect for personal experience stories—avoid in formal writing, use 'remaining food' instead.

The bags and cases you take when travelling.

“Please keep your luggage with you at all times.”

Often used: carry-on luggage · lost luggage

CELPIP tip: Neutral everyday word; collocate with 'carry-on luggage' or 'check luggage' for travel contexts.

Not too hot or too cold; gentle.

“We had a mild winter this year.”

Often used: mild weather · mild climate

CELPIP tip: Use 'mild weather' as a quick, natural contrast when predicting or comparing seasonal conditions.

A small job that has to be done regularly.

“We share the household chores equally.”

Often used: household chores · do the chores

CELPIP tip: Informal tone; avoid in formal writing. Use 'household chores' naturally in spoken personal stories.

The regular journey between home and work.

“My daily commute takes about an hour each way.”

Often used: daily commute · long commute · commute to work

CELPIP tip: Say 'lengthy commute' to sound fluent; useful when comparing city vs. suburban living in opinions.

Having a lot of moisture in the air.

“Summers here are hot and humid.”

Often used: humid climate · humid air

CELPIP tip: Boost impact with 'oppressively humid' when describing uncomfortable or unusual weather scenes.

Extra hours worked beyond normal working hours.

“She earned more by working overtime last month.”

Often used: work overtime · paid overtime · unpaid overtime

CELPIP tip: Use 'work overtime' as a verb phrase; in emails, prefer 'required to work overtime' for formality.

A show given for an audience.

“The evening performance sold out quickly.”

Often used: live performance · give a performance

CELPIP tip: Collocate with 'outstanding' or 'live' for vividness; ideal when narrating arts-related personal experiences.

Having a strong desire to succeed.

“He is ambitious and wants to lead the team.”

Often used: ambitious goal · highly ambitious

CELPIP tip: Neutral register; use 'highly ambitious' or 'ambitious goal' as collocations to elevate your personal experience stories.

A style of cooking from a place or culture.

“The city is famous for its diverse cuisine.”

Often used: local cuisine · fine cuisine

CELPIP tip: Say 'Japanese cuisine' instead of 'Japanese food' in comparisons—instantly sounds more polished and precise.

Covered with cloud; grey.

“It was overcast all day but it did not rain.”

Often used: overcast sky · overcast morning

CELPIP tip: More precise than 'cloudy'; use it when describing mood or atmosphere in a scene for higher scores.

A return to health after illness.

“Rest is important for a full recovery.”

Often used: full recovery · speedy recovery

CELPIP tip: Neutral; collocate: 'full recovery' or 'recovery process'; natural in personal experience and advice tasks.

Unwilling and hesitant to do something.

“He was reluctant to change his plans.”

Often used: reluctant to · somewhat reluctant

CELPIP tip: Formal; use 'initially reluctant' in personal narratives or opinions to show nuance and higher-band sentence complexity.

To understand or solve something after thinking.

“It took me a while to figure out the new system.”

Often used: figure out a problem · figure out how

CELPIP tip: Informal but fluent-sounding; use when narrating how you solved a problem—shows natural spoken English.

To have a friendly relationship with.

“He gets along well with his coworkers.”

Often used: get along with people

CELPIP tip: Informal; ideal for personal experience stories about colleagues or neighbours—sounds natural, not scripted.

To find by chance; to seem.

“I came across an old photo.”

Often used: come across as · come across something

CELPIP tip: Neutral dual meaning: 'come across information' (find) or 'come across as confident' (seem)—use both senses.

To happen or end in a certain way.

“Everything turned out fine.”

Often used: turn out well · as it turned out

CELPIP tip: Neutral; perfect for concluding stories: 'it turned out better than expected' shows reflective language.

go to a formal presentation or class at a college or university

“He made a point of attending every lecture to keep up with the course material.”

CELPIP tip: Neutral and common; useful in personal narratives — add detail like 'a thought-provoking lecture' for higher scores.

perform required tasks or responsibilities

“All employees are expected to carry out their duties with professionalism.”

CELPIP tip: Neutral and versatile; use to describe job roles clearly — more precise than 'do my work.'

accept or begin handling new duties

“She was willing to take on additional responsibilities after her colleague resigned.”

CELPIP tip: Use when describing career growth experiences; collocates well with 'additional' or 'greater.'

Because of this; consequently.

“Sales rose, and as a result, profits grew.”

Often used: result

CELPIP tip: Neutral cause-effect connector; use after presenting evidence to clearly show logical consequences.

To sound familiar.

“That name rings a bell.”

CELPIP tip: Informal; use when recalling a memory or name—sounds natural and fluent in conversational speaking tasks.

To make people feel relaxed in a social situation.

“A small joke helped break the ice.”

CELPIP tip: Informal; strong for social advice or difficult-situation tasks. Collocate: 'break the ice with colleagues.'

To learn how to do something.

“It's tricky at first, but you'll get the hang of it.”

CELPIP tip: Informal; ideal for personal experience stories. Use: 'It took time, but I finally got the hang of it.'

To study hard.

“I need to hit the books before the test.”

CELPIP tip: Informal; use when advising students or sharing study experiences. Avoid in formal email writing.