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Do this English Speaking Exercise to Keep the Conversation Flowing

Everyday conversational English is spontaneous and a wide range of vocabulary is used. In this article we are going to arm you with the skills to be able to describe words you don’t know like a pro and turn it into a game you can play with a native speaker.

A skill to Master to Improve English Speaking Fluency

The key to speaking fluency and developing a good speaking flow is to learn how to keep talking without long awkward breaks. It doesn’t have to be perfect English! Native speakers use sounds and words to stall while they are thinking all the time, which is not ‘perfect English’.

More speaking advice and tips here

As a person learning English, you will find yourself needing to describe a word or concept that you don’t know the vocabulary for. Instead of stopping to think, you can say, “I don’t know the word but….” And continue trying to describe the word.

The other person in the conversation won’t even notice the change in the topic or that you don’t know a word. The conversation will just flow from your original story into a game where they need to try to figure out what word you need to know in order to continue the story.

 

Here are some examples of how to do this English speaking exercise

Below you will find a few examples of what you might say to describe these words without using the word that you are trying to describe. You can always start by using the phrase, “I don’t know the word but…” then continue with your description.

Sugar: 

I don’t know what it’s called but it’s something used for cooking that is sweet. It is usually white and it looks a lot like salt. Small, white grains that are sweet.

 

Street lamp:

It’s a post that is on the street that has a light on it so that people who are walking or driving can see at night.

 

Basketball:

This is a game that is really popular in the United States, it has a ball that the players have to throw into a ring with a net. They bounce the ball with their hand as they run.

 

Waterfall:

When there is a river and the height of the land changes, the water continues to flow but it drops over the edge. It can be a few feet to several hundred feet.

Speaking practice with a List of Random Words

Below, you will find a list of words that you can try to describe. DO NOT USE THE WORD that you are describing. The idea is that you need to pretend you don’t know the word.

I recommend trying to do this exercise while speaking out loud; especially if you are an intermediate student or higher. While doing this activity, write down any words that you don’t know to properly describe it, Learn those words so you know them for future situations where you will need to describe something.

Try to describe these words:

1. Bridge
2. Bucket
3. Rope
4. Horizon
5. Pants
6. Zebra
7. Girlfriend
8. Construction
9. File
10. Hammock
11. Campfire
12. Fireworks
13. Humidity
14. Farm
15. Account
16. Text Message
17. Church
18. Sink
19. Fan
20. Volcano
21. Forest Fire
22. Drought
23. Flood
24. Toiletries
25. Mop
26. Warehouse
27. Stadium
28. Path
29. Course
30. Glass
31. Railing
32. Mirror
33. Backpack
34. Doctor
35. Manager
36. Reservation
37. Receipt
38. Zoo
39. Amusement Park
40. Parade
41. Dictionary
42. Lighter
43. Beach
44. Washing Machine
45. Insurance
46. Schedule
47. Park
48. Wallet
49. Paint
50. Plug

Mastering the ability to describe things will make you a better story teller and more interesting to have a conversation with. Native speakers love stories with lots of detail, it’s more entertaining 🙂

You can do this activity anywhere! Look around you and describe an object that is near you. If you are on the bus you could describe the hand rails, the seats, the coin collector, the emergency exit windows etc. Walking down the street it could be the sidewalk, street lamps, electrical wires, street signs, or the gutters.

I’ve got a game for you to play and do this English speaking practice activity…

Pretend you are in a conversation with a native speaker and you can’t remember a word or you don’t know the word. You need to explain the word or things related to the word until the other person guesses what you are trying to say.

Write a description of a word below in the comment section and see if I can guess which word you are trying to explain.

If you think this is a good idea and a helpful technique to improve English speaking skills, please share it on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ so that others can learn from it too!

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