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

A light, gentle wind.

“A cool breeze made the heat bearable.”

Often used: gentle breeze · sea breeze

To give money or goods to help others.

“Many people donate blood every year.”

Often used: donate money · donate to charity

A formal talk given to teach students.

“The professor gave a fascinating lecture.”

Often used: attend a lecture · give a lecture

Food remaining after a meal.

“We had leftovers for lunch the next day.”

Often used: leftover food · eat leftovers

Food remaining after a meal.

“We packed the leftovers for lunch.”

Often used: eat leftovers

The bags and cases you take when travelling.

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

Often used: carry-on luggage · lost luggage

Not too hot or too cold; gentle.

“We had a mild winter this year.”

Often used: mild weather · mild climate

A small job that has to be done regularly.

“We share the household chores equally.”

Often used: household chores · do the chores

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

Having a lot of moisture in the air.

“Summers here are hot and humid.”

Often used: humid climate · humid air

Extra hours worked beyond normal working hours.

“She earned more by working overtime last month.”

Often used: work overtime · paid overtime · unpaid overtime

A show given for an audience.

“The evening performance sold out quickly.”

Often used: live performance · give a performance

Having a strong desire to succeed.

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

Often used: ambitious goal · highly ambitious

A style of cooking from a place or culture.

“The city is famous for its diverse cuisine.”

Often used: local cuisine · fine cuisine

Covered with cloud; grey.

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

Often used: overcast sky · overcast morning

A return to health after illness.

“Rest is important for a full recovery.”

Often used: full recovery · speedy recovery

Unwilling and hesitant to do something.

“He was reluctant to change his plans.”

Often used: reluctant to · somewhat reluctant

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

To have a friendly relationship with.

“He gets along well with his coworkers.”

Often used: get along with people

To find by chance; to seem.

“I came across an old photo.”

Often used: come across as · come across something

To happen or end in a certain way.

“Everything turned out fine.”

Often used: turn out well · as it turned out

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.”

perform required tasks or responsibilities

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

accept or begin handling new duties

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

Because of this; consequently.

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

Often used: result

To sound familiar.

“That name rings a bell.”

To make people feel relaxed in a social situation.

“A small joke helped break the ice.”

To learn how to do something.

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

To study hard.

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