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  • Hello, and welcome to Study English, IELTS Preparation. I'm Margot Politis.

  • One of the skills that is assessed in the IELTS speaking test is fluency.

  • Fluency is speaking at a natural pace without hesitating too much.

  • But fluency doesn't mean speaking quickly. Sometimes, speaking too fast can make it harder

  • to be understood.

  • Another aspect of fluency is the smoothness of your speech. This means that you don't

  • always stop to try to think of the right word.

  • Listen as the golfer in the next clip talks about her career:

  • Golf is a very interesting game. Um It can be very frustrating and annoying and um but

  • then, you know, it can be just, it can be really fun and challenging which makes it

  • fun I guess. When I'm not competing um, I try to practise every day for at least 6 hours

  • and if I play 18 holes er I'll still try and practise for another 3 or 4 hours.

  • You may have noticed that she used expressions such as 'um' , 'like' , 'you know' and 'I

  • guess'. These are called fillers. It's natural to use fillers but be careful not to overuse

  • them. Listen to her again:

  • On top of that I guess I have err like work outs, and um gym work outs and I try to do

  • that 3 to 4 times a week. So they're pretty long hours. In January this year I went to

  • the ladies European tour qualifying school and I managed to secure a conditional card

  • for the season so I decided to turn pro. This meant that, you know, I'd give up my amateur

  • status and I'd be playing for money I guess is the main difference.

  • Fillers are used to tell your listener that you haven't finished, but you are thinking

  • of what to say next. They don't carry meaning like words do.

  • Now let's listen to a speaking test candidate using fillers:

  • Mm, ok, well, one of the buildings I really like in Sydney is the Queen Victoria Building.

  • Um, I've been here for a year only in Sydney, so I haven't had the chance to actually visit

  • many public buildings, but I know this one very well. Um, I like it because, um, it's

  • got a very interesting old style, and, er, it's very elegant, it's very spacious. I don't

  • like the modern type of buildings, you know, with many storeys and er, very modern and

  • contemporary. Um, I like the Queen Victoria Building, um, because it's elegant.

  • To begin her talk she uses several fillers:

  • Mm, ok, well, one of the buildings I really like in Sydney is the Queen Victoria Building.

  • Saying 'Mm, ok, well', helps her get started on the topic of her favourite building. She

  • is thinking of what to say and not how to say it.

  • She uses 'um and 'er' to give her time to think of what to say next at points in her

  • speech, such as at the beginning of a sentence when she's linking information back to what

  • she's just said:

  • …one of the buildings I really like in Sydney is the Queen Victoria Building.

  • Um, I've been here for a year only in Sydney…

  • Next, she uses fillers just after the words 'because' and 'and' to give her time to think

  • of reasons.

  • Um, I like it because, um, it's got a very interesting old style, and, er, it's very

  • elegant, it's very spacious.

  • She also uses the filler 'you know' , but this time to show that she is sharing knowledge,

  • in this case that modern buildings have many storeys:

  • I don't like the modern type of buildings, you know, with many storeys and very modern

  • and contemporary.

  • Let's listen to another clip where she uses 'you know' in the same way while answering

  • a question about eating habits in the future:

  • Well I think they will because, um, you know, the rhythm of life, the pace of life is becoming,

  • you know, more and more, um, stressful and, um, faster, so I think there is less time

  • to eat, then we have to eat, um, in smaller amounts, but with the same quantity of vitamins

  • and nutrients.

  • She uses expressions with similar meanings - 'the rhythm of life', 'the pace of life'

  • - to help her talk flow.

  • Using synonyms, opposites and related vocabulary gives continuity to her talk.

  • It makes it possible to continue talking without repeating the same words.

  • Listen again:

  • Well I think they will because, um, you know, the rhythm of life, the pace of life is becoming,

  • you know, more and more, um, stressful and, um, faster, so I think there is less time

  • to eat, then we have to eat, um, in smaller amounts, but with the same quantity of vitamins

  • and nutrients.

  • Being able to talk on a variety of subjects confidently will make it easier to maintain

  • fluency.

  • Listen to this man, who is a concert master in a symphony orchestra, talking about his

  • violin:

  • Um, this violin, it was made around er, they figure around 1810 in Cremona, in Italy. And

  • Cremona, of course, is er, where all the … kind of the … it's the best lineage

  • of makers are from Cremona. Stradivarius, of course, which is the most well-known violin

  • maker, originated from Cremona. And so, this kind of is a descendant of the Cremonese line

  • of making. And um, I've been lucky enough to own this violin. My parents bought it for

  • me when I was 14, I think. So, very, very lucky to have a very nice, 200, almost 200-year-old

  • Italian instrument.

  • He was thinking of better ways to say what he meant and was able to easily change what

  • he was saying mid-sentence. Listen again:

  • Um, this violin, it was made around er, they figure around 1810 in Cremona, in Italy. And

  • Cremona, of course, is where all the … kind of the … it's the best lineage

  • of makers are from Cremona.

  • Maybe this is not perfectly correct English, but it is acceptable spoken English because

  • it remains fluent. Hesitating to correct your grammar disrupts your fluency. Only by practising

  • can you improve your fluency. A teacher or native speaker will help you with your accuracy.

  • Fluency is not only your ability to speak smoothly and continuously but also your ability

  • to speak at an effective speed.

  • Speaking too slowly or too quickly is unnatural. Aim to speak at a relaxed and natural pace.

  • Let's listen to this student talking about public transport in Sydney. Listen to the

  • speed of her speech. Does she speak too quickly, too slowly or just right?

  • Er, it should be less expensive. I must say Sydney um Sydney's transport is really expensive.

  • Er, it should be less expensive but, um, one of the problems is the frequency of transport.

  • Sometimes you have to wait, like, twenty minutes for the bus to come.

  • Her speech rate is just right. She is neither too quick nor too slow. The pace is reasonable

  • and appropriate, and she sounds natural.

  • You should practise modelling the pace of your speech on that of a native speaker.

  • Listening carefully to a large range of English speakers is one of the most effective ways

  • to help you achieve fluency yourself.

  • Once you are used to the natural pace of English, you should record your speech and check whether

  • you're speaking at that pace.

  • Fluency is most important in part 2 of the speaking test, the long turn. It's when you

  • have to speak for one to two minutes on your own.

  • That's all for today. For more about fluency, go to our website. The address is: australianetwork.com/studyenglish.

  • Good Luck with your studies. Bye for now.

Hello, and welcome to Study English, IELTS Preparation. I'm Margot Politis.

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