Learn how to keep talking and learn new vocabulary without a dictionary!
No Dictionary? No Problem!
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’.
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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:
- Bridge
- Bucket
- Rope
- Horizon
- Pants
- Zebra
- Girlfriend
- Construction
- File
- Hammock
- Campfire
- Fireworks
- Humidity
- Farm
- Account
- Text Message
- Church
- Sink
- Fan
- Volcano
- Forest Fire
- Drought
- Flood
- Toiletries
- Mop
- Warehouse
- Stadium
- Path
- Course
- Glass
- Railing
- Mirror
- Backpack
- Doctor
- Manager
- Reservation
- Receipt
- Zoo
- Amusement Park
- Parade
- Dictionary
- Lighter
- Beach
- Washing Machine
- Insurance
- Schedule
- Park
- Wallet
- Paint
- 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.
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Amazing, I realy lloved his tips. Thanks guys 😉
It is such an important exercise! Right now as we are travelling in Colombia, I am using this technique everyday when I am talking with people in Spanish (the language I’m learning). There are so many words to learn that I do not know still. However, when you can explain the word you don’t know, the conversation just keeps flowing.
Wow I think that is a good idea. I’m going to try right away.
Thanks for leaving a comment for us! Let us know if you think the exercise was useful after you try it.
Yeah, thr technique is realy great, but it’s necessary to add that
for things we would say – it’s a kind of … that …
for people we’d say – it’s the one who …
for actions – it’s how or what you do…
Am I right?
Hey Oksana. Thanks for the comment. You are right! There are certain phrases that need to be used depending on what you are trying to describe. Thanks for taking the time to point that out. These are how I would say the each phrase in English, in casual conversation:
For things: It’s like ______. It’s used for… It’s kind of like / similar to…
For people: You know, it’s one the (guy/girl/one) who…
For actions: Hmmm, I don’t know the word but its what you do when you are… / It’s what happens when….
Is that explained clearly? Of course there are different combinations that can be used so that you don’t sound repetitive if you are asking lots of questions.
Thank you a lot for your useful comment. That’s exactly what I meant and you’ve expressed it in so nice ways))
Excellent!
Thank you for tips Amy. And your comments conversation is also useful to me. thank you Amy and Oksana.
Hi Bhavin. I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this tip about trying to describe words. It is a simple exercise but it is so helpful in spontaneous conversation 🙂
Hi Amy your encouragement and motivation are very helpful to me. I really enjoy your classes. With your step by step method of lessons I am very confident and motivated. Thank you.
Hello Abey, You are very welcome! I am so happy to hear that you enjoy the lessons. It is a simple exercises but it is so helpful in spontaneous conversation 🙂
Hello everyone. Thank you, Amy, for sharing your knowledge and experience. Forcibly I have had to use the Technician to try to explain the word I do not remember, and it is very useful.
To practice, I want to thank you for teaching us to use (list of words sorted alphabetically with their meanings, uses, pronunciation)
Hi Nubia. Great to hear you liked the lessons and you found it helpful. Actually, studying a list of words is not a very efficient way of learning. The truth is that many words have multiple meanings. This is why it is faster and easier to study words in context. Have you joined our Free Membership yet? If yes, I recommend studying the REC mini-course. This course will explain the whole technique to learning the most important words in English quickly.
I am really surprised about this technique I think is very powerful and efficient because it does you think and your brain works better.
You’re right! It’s a useful technique too because you don’t get stuck and uncomfortable when you are in a face to face conversation. It helps you to develop the skills to react and think in the right way.
Hi Amy, this is a very good exercise. I practice with all the words and was a good practice.
PD 1: I started some lesson in this course but any time when I star a new one the others disappear. I can not find the lesson before so I can not finished. Can you explain how to found all my lesson in order to finished.
PD 2: I login in this page so I submit the comment but because I did not wrote my name and email everything disappears ( second time ). I not put complain, I like to practice but I just to let you know.
Hi Carlos. Thanks for letting us know about this problem. I’m going to login to check out what is happening and report the problem to our developer if I can see what is happening. Recently, we have had a few new technical errors that are appearing after we updated some software programs. If I have any questions, I will contact you directly by email! Thanks in advance for your understanding 🙂