Speaking Task One - 189 d Rhetorical Question For this strategy, start with a transition, restate your opinion, then end with a rhetorical question A rhetorical question makes your reader think about your argument after your response has ended C Suffice it to say, I think that a new factory in my hometown is a good idea Yes, there will be some pollution, but aren’t jobs more important? C In my estimation, I believe that homeschooling is not good for children Do you really want your kids to miss the fun of going to school every day? e Call-To-Action For this strategy, start with a transition, restate your opinion, then end with a call-to-action Call-to-action means you are telling people to something (take action) with an emphatic (strong) voice C In sum, I conclude that video games are a bad influence on kids Parents, turn off the computer Now! C Finally, I believe that recycling is a good way to help the planet Don’t throw paper and plastic away Recycle! f Call-To-Action + Rhetorical Question For this strategy, start with a transition, restate your opinion, give a call-to-action, then end with a rhetorical question C In closing, I believe that video games are a bad influence on kids Parents, turn off the computer! Do you really want violent kids? C When all is said and done, I contend that recycling is important Save the planet! Can you imagine a world full of garbage? You can also ask a rhetorical question first, then end with a call-to-action C In closing, I conclude that video games are not good for children Do you really want violent kids? Parents, turn off the computer Now! C When all is said and done, I assert that computers are important for fun and for learning Can you imagine a world without computers? Be happy Be productive Buy a computer! 190 - Speaking Task One e g Suggestion + Prediction + Rhetorical Question For this strategy, start with a transition, restate your opinion, make a suggestion and a prediction, then end with a rhetorical question C In the final analysis, I conclude that video games are a bad influence on kids If you are a parent, tell your kids to turn the computer off and go outside Doing so will make your kids happier and healthier Isn’t that how you want your kids to grow up? C All in all, I believe that the internet is great for research If you need information fast, just log on to the internet You can google whatever you’re looking for and you will find it fast What more could you ask for? h Predictor Thesis Restated in Your Conclusion To develop your conclusion, restate your predictor thesis in your conclusion After you restate your predictor thesis, add a conclusion strategy C It goes without saying that my mother has been the biggest influence in my life because she encourages and inspires me I hope that when I have a daughter, I can encourage and inspire her i Predictor Conclusion + Synonyms Look the following predictor thesis restated in the conclusion C In conclusion, I believe that students should work part-time while going to high school To demonstrate language use, replace the transition “In conclusion” with a synonymous phrase, for example: In the end, As I have illustrated, As the aforementioned example shows, To sum up, Indeed, When all is said and done, All things considered, I believe that students should work part-time while going to high school Speaking Task One - 191 Pyramid Conclusion Why is an advanced conclusion an effective strategy? Because your conclusion will look like a pyramid in which the ideas progress from specific to general specific general Remember! All in all, I believe that the internet is great for research If you need information fast, just log on to the internet You can google whatever you’re looking for and you will find it fast What more could you ask for? The speaking raters will listen for a pyramid introduction A pyramid introduction demonstrates OPDUL=C 192 - Speaking Task One e Advanced Responses The following responses demonstrate how advanced strategies can turn a basic response into an advanced response As you read each response, notice that it is really just a mini independent essay In other words, the strategies for the Independent Essay and Speaking Task #1 (and for Speaking Task #2) are interchangeable TASK: For practice, time yourself as you read each sample response out loud You have 45 seconds Sample #1 Prompt Why people travel? Develop your opinion using examples and reasons People travel for many reasons Some travel for fun Others travel to learn about new cultures From my experience, I like traveling because it’s a learning experience For example, last year I went to Manhattan I visited many famous places like The Met and Radio City Music Hall The most interesting place was Ground Zero Ground Zero is where the World Trade Center once stood Now, it's nothing but a big hole On TV it doesn’t look so big But seeing it in person, I had no idea it was so huge It’s like a big hole in the heart of the city Looking at it made me realize that sometimes you just have to see things with your own eyes That way you can understand what really happened It goes without saying that traveling to Manhattan was a great learning experience for me If you want to learn about a new culture, you should travel Go for it! You’ll have a great time Words: 164 Speaking Task One - 193 Sample #2 Prompt Should teenagers work during high school? Why? Give illustrations and reasons to develop your argument The question is should teenagers work during high school Personally, I think that all students should work while going to high school For example, when I was a high school student, I had a job at an English bookstore in Budapest, Hungary I worked every Saturday and Sunday, and sometimes at night during the week I loved it because I was always meeting foreigners who spoke English By helping them find books, I was able to practice my English It was great because at school, I only learned grammar from books, but at the bookstore I was learning conversational English Not only that but I made money for myself This helped me because I didn’t always have to ask my parents for money for books and other things As you can see, by working at the bookstore I killed two birds with one stone To sum up, I believe that all high school students should work part-time during high school It’s a great experience that will open many new doors Isn’t that what life’s all about? Words: 176 194 - Speaking Task One Sample #3 Prompt In your view, what was the greatest invention of the twentieth century? Why? Give examples and reasons to support your argument There were so many inventions in the last century, such as the airplane and the microprocessor Yet in my opinion, I can honestly say that the car was the greatest invention in the twentieth century Why? Let me explain I am from Turkey I remember my mother and father telling me how they had a horse before they had a car The horse was very important because it did everything, such as work in the fields and take vegetables to market Using a horse, though, was very slow Everything took so much time But then my father bought a car and everything changed completely Like day and night Suddenly, my father could go places more quickly and he could take more vegetables to market Best of all, he took my mother to the hospital to have me In conclusion, I think that for me and my family, the greatest invention of the twentieth century was the car No car No me Words: 161 e Speaking Task One - 195 Sample #4 Prompt These days people are living longer Why? Develop your position using examples and reasons Why are people living longer these days? Personally, I contend that people are living longer because they are taking better care of themselves A good example is my grandfather When he was younger, he used to smoke and drink a lot Also, he never ate very well Then when he was fifty, he had heart attack He was in the hospital for a long time The doctor told him he should stop smoking and drinking, and start eating better That’s what my grandfather did Now, he doesn’t drink or smoke anymore Also, he eats lots of healthy food like salads and fish, and he exercises every day As a result, he feels much better than before and has lots more energy As you can see, by changing his lifestyle, my grandfather is definitely going to live longer because he is taking better care of himself If you want to live longer, you should take care of yourself too Words: 158 196 - Speaking Task One e Sample #5 Prompt Which person has been the greatest influence in your life? Give examples and reasons to support and develop your opinion A lot of people have influenced my life However, it goes without saying that my mother has been the biggest influence in my life because she encourages and inspires me My mother encourages me For example, I’m now in America working as an au pair An au pair is like a babysitter who lives with an American family I’m doing this for a year in Stamford, Connecticut At first I didn’t want to come to America and leave all my friends in Estonia, but my mother said it would be a great experience and a great way to develop my English She was right Living with an American family has been a wonderful experience and my English is so much better Also, my mother inspires me When I was growing up, my mother was a high school teacher This was strange because all my friends’ mothers were housewives But my mother wanted to work She always told me to just follow your heart I remember these words whenever I have problems in America, and they give me strength As you can see, my mother has been the biggest influence in my life because she encourages and inspires me I hope that when I have a daughter, I can encourage and inspire her Words: 210 Q The advanced responses are really good Is it really possible to develop and deliver these kinds of responses in 45 seconds on test day? A Yes, but only if you practice a lot By doing so, you will know exactly what to on test day without guessing You will also learn how to manage your time Remember! TOEFL is an English language proficiency test and a timemanagement test Speaking Task One - 197 Emergency Response What if you can’t develop a response for this task? What if you blank out? What should you do? Follow these four steps and deliver an emergency response Step #1 Make a G+TiC=C note map; include transitions Step #2 Read the prompt Make sure you understand the prompt before you respond Make sure you are “on topic” (talking about the topic in the prompt) not “off topic” (talking about a different topic) Prompt Can a pet change a person’s behavior? Explain your position using supporting illustrations and reasons Step #3 Develop ideas (15 seconds) Step #4 Speak (45 seconds) If you blank out, not state an opinion at first Instead, tell a personal story When you tell a personal story, you are using induction, TiC=C Look at the following example using induction as a method of organization Notice how the response progresses from specific (TiC; the story of the test-taker’s brother) to a conclusion (C) about the benefits of pets for autistic children based on the example My younger brother has autism and for a long time he never talked to anybody Also, he would get angry really easily for reasons nobody could understand Then one day the doctor told my parents that they should get a dog We never had a dog or any pets before, but my parents really wanted to make my brother happy, so we got a dog and called him Happy Well, I’m telling you, it was amazing My brother loves Happy Before my brother was always quiet and angry, but with Happy, my brother always talks and smiles The change was amazing Now, my brother and Happy are just like best friends (continued on next page) 198 - Speaking Task One e As you can see, a pet can really change a someone’s life If you have a brother or sister with the autism, I recommend that you to get a dog or a cat It will make them smile like you’ve never seen before Words: 154 Remember! We all love to tell stories Use this innate human ability to develop an emergency response for independent Speaking Tasks #1 and #2, and for the Independent Essay Contrarian Response What if you think the question in the prompt is strange, doesn’t make sense, or is not asking the right question? How can you respond? In this case, develop a contrarian response Read the following prompt, then read the contrarian response Prompt How has technology made the world a better place? Develop your argument using examples and reasons Has technology made the world a better place? No Technology has not made the world a better place This is only what people in rich countries believe For example, here in America people think that everybody is the same all over the world Everybody has a car and a laptop, and a cell phone But this is not true Why not? Because twothirds of the people in the world, over billion people, make less than one American dollar a day Moreover, these same people have no education Because they have no education, they don’t have good jobs, or the money to buy computers and iPods Most are lucky if they eat one meal a day Come to my country, and you will see that this is true In conclusion, technology has not made the world a better place If anything, technology has simply drawn a clearer line between the majority poor and the minority rich Words: 156 Speaking Task One - 199 Remember! Make sure your contrarian response is a serious argument Even if you think that the prompt is asking the wrong question, you must still demonstrate OPDUL=C Speaking Practice TASK: Using G+TiC=C or G+2TiC=C and the four steps, develop and deliver a basic response that demonstrates OPDUL=C for each of the following prompts you have already studied (see the end of the chapter for a step-by-step guide) If you have trouble, go back and look at the sample responses for help Use a recording device and check each response for coherence using the Independent Speaking Proficiency Checklist on page 318 Rate each response using the Independent Speaking Rating Guide on page 320 Why people travel? Develop your opinion using examples and reasons Should teenagers work during high school? Why? Give illustrations and reasons to develop your argument Which technology in the past fifty years has changed your life the most? Why? Develop your position using examples and reasons In your view, what was the greatest invention of the twentieth century? Why? Give examples and reasons to support your argument These days people are living longer Why? Develop your position using examples and reasons Which person has been the greatest influence in your life? Give examples and reasons to support and develop your opinion More Speaking Practice TASK: Using G+TiC=C or G+2TiC=C and the four steps, develop and deliver a response for each of the following prompts Use a recording device and check each response for coherence using the Independent Speaking Proficiency Checklist on page 318 Rate each response using the Independent Speaking Rating Guide on page 320 Many people leave their home country Why? Give examples and reasons to support your argument What is your idea of the perfect neighborhood? Support your position with illustrations and reasons  ... Turkey I remember my mother and father telling me how they had a horse before they had a car The horse was very important because it did everything, such as work in the fields and take vegetables... it was amazing My brother loves Happy Before my brother was always quiet and angry, but with Happy, my brother always talks and smiles The change was amazing Now, my brother and Happy are just... he took my mother to the hospital to have me In conclusion, I think that for me and my family, the greatest invention of the twentieth century was the car No car No me Words: 161 e Speaking Task