Chunking Plus
There have been lots of articles and studies about “chunking” as a good way of learning languages. Basically, a chunk is a whole piece. Here in the U.S., many people like ice cream with chocolate or peanut butter chunks. That means the chocolate or peanut butter is one piece, a chunk, mixed in with the ice cream. You can’t separate the chunk … it’s all in one solid, delicious piece of chocolate (or peanut butter).
Languages work the same way. Think of words that belong together in a chunk … a single group of words that students learn all at once. For example, “How’s it going?” or “Nice to meet you.” We usually learn these expressions all in a piece; we don’t separate them into individual words. And the words belong in a particular order, which is why they’re often called set or fixed phrases.
So how can chunking help you on tests of English speaking? On tests like TOEFL, your biggest challenge is to say what you want to say naturally and fluently, without pausing and hesitating over the right wording.
To do this, I think it’s helpful to slowly acquire a versatile supply of phrases that can be used in many situations. But rather than learning first one chunk and then another chunk, with no relation between the chunks, I recommend a “chunk plus” method. With this method, you start with one group of words, one chunk, and then keep building on it by adding variations.
So, for example, start with the fixed phrase:
a lot of
Now think of some common verbs you can add to this:
waste a lot of
cost a lot of
spend a lot of
take a lot of
Then add some common nouns:
to waste a lot of time
to cost a lot of money
to spend a lot of energy
to take a lot of effort
Now practice using different subjects and tenses. Try putting your phrases in the negative.
I spend a lot of money
It took a lot of time
She doesn’t waste a lot of energy
Then, when these phrases roll off your tongue (which is just another way of saying they come naturally and fluently), refine and expand upon them. Add adverbs or adjectives or simple prepositional phrases:
It really doesn’t take a lot of money
I often waste a lot of my time at the mall
Now’s the time to pay attention to details. For example, should the verbs be followed by a gerund, infinitive, or both? What prepositions follow the verbs? It’s at this stage that a teacher is going to be the most helpful to make sure you get it right.
She spent a lot of time doing her homework. (not spent a lot of time to do …)
It takes a lot of time to learn English. (not takes a lot of time learning …)
You shouldn’t waste your money on new shoes (not waste your money for …)
With my “chunk plus” method, you start with a single chunk and, by building upon it, end up with an almost infinite number of useful phrases. The result, I hope, is that when you are face-to-face with the microphone in your testing room, you’ll be able to speak more fluently, fluidly, and confidently.
you know … like … uh … okay … so … um
When I was working on my graduate degree in teaching ESL, I had to videotape myself teaching in front of my classroom of students. And, upon first viewing these recordings, I was horrified at how many times I used the word okay. It seemed like I started every single sentence with Okay, so … !
The fact is, these filler words are very, very common in English speech. If used too often, they can be quite annoying, but using them in moderation can actually make you sound quite natural.
So, while you may think you should use more formal speech on a test like TOEFL, if a native English speaker were answering these questions, you would be far more likely to hear something like this:
Okay, so the woman has a problem and, um, she needs to move to a new apartment. But, uh, this apartment doesn’t have a place to study, so, um, she could, like, study in the library or, you know, she could study on her bed. Okay, but, you know, she might fall asleep on her bed, so, um, I think maybe she should go to the library, like, at least three times a week. Uh, maybe not on the weekend, okay? But I think, like, most of the time, she, uh, could go there.
So, how much is too much and how much is in moderation? How can you use filler words naturally, but without annoying your listener?
It really helps to have someone listen to and evaluate you. Raters of TOEFL don’t see your face; they just hear your speech. Thus, your filler words are likely to be more obvious, and too many can make you sound less fluent. So have the person evaluating you listen to a recording you’ve made, or listen without looking at you face-to-face. And, if you can’t find anyone to listen to you, make a recording. Then listen to it. What filler words do you use too often or too repetitively?
And how do you cure overuse? Well, from my own example of using okay, simply realizing that I had that annoying habit was half the battle. Once I was aware of it, it was easier to catch myself “in the act” and work on reducing the times I used it.
In addition, certain filler words (also known as discourse markers) such as so, well, oh, now, okay, um, I mean, you know, like, and actually serve important functions in English speech: follow the links to the specific articles for more tips on how to incorporate them into your day-to-day speech.
Making Transitions
When you are writing in English, there are many transition words and phrases that you can use to convey your train of thought more fluidly and coherently. When you are speaking, especially in a test of speaking like TOEFL, I think you can rely on fewer phrases … but you must be able to use them correctly. If you don’t, you will not only sound less fluent but may also confuse your listener.
To add additional information to your ideas, try these transition words and phrases:
Furthermore
Also
In addition
Moreover
I believe that all students should study a foreign language. (Furthermore, Also, In addition, Moreover,) they should begin studying this language when they are very young.
To change direction in your ideas, to present an idea that contradicts your previous idea, use these words and phrases:
On the other hand (NOT in the other hand!!)
However
I think children should study mathematics in primary school. (On the other hand, However,) I think algebra is too advanced for them at that age.
To provide an example to illustrate your opinion or idea, I prefer:
For instance
For example
I think parents should make children eat foods they don’t like. (For instance, For example,) my mother made me eat spinach when I was young and I know it was very healthy for me.
Many test-takers use the phrases, to be more specific or take me (or myself) as an example, but these are not expressions that we use much in spoken English and thus they sound rather unnatural.
A lot of …
This is the third installment in a series of Quick Tips to Improve Speaking.
Often, students get confused about whether to use many or much as a quantifier. The quick rule is that many is used with count nouns and much is used with non-count nouns. See my previous blog post for more specifics. So, for example, it is grammatically correct to say:
She went to many classes. She learned much information.
However, there’s a better way to say this in English. The fact is, native English speakers are much more likely to use a lot of or lots of as quantifiers, perhaps because you can use a lot of and lots of with both count and non-count nouns. This way, you don’t have to think about what noun you’re going to use after the quantifier; you’ll be grammatically correct no matter which one you choose. So an easier and more fluent way of expressing the ideas above is:
She went to lots of classes. She learned a lot of information.
By getting in the habit of using a lot of or lots of, you can not only avoid using much or many incorrectly but also sound more like a native speaker. It’s really a win-win combination.
Also, think of a lot of as one word with three syllables, rather than three separate words. That’s called “chunking,” which I’ll talk about later as a way of speeding your progress in English speaking. When you hear native speakers, it will sound like they’re saying, “uh-lot-uv” as one single word. The more you can copy this pronunciation, the more fluent you’ll sound. In the same way, lots of should be treated as a two-syllable word … “lots-uv.”
Finally, be aware that both a lot of and lots of are best used in spoken English. They are a bit too casual and informal for written academic English.
What would you recommend?
This is the second installment in a series of Quick Tips to Improve Speaking.
Another common speaking task in English tests like TOEFL is to make a recommendation. What are the best language strategies for doing this?
First, many people start out by framing their answer as if they were in this hypothetical (unreal) situation themselves. To do this, you need to use the fairly uncommon subjunctive mood in English, which is used to describe conditional or imaginary situations. Here, the rules of subject/verb agreement change, so you would say something like this:
If I were her …
If it were me …
If I were in his shoes …
If you begin your statement this way, talking about what you would do in the situation, you should use the modal would. So you might say:
If I were her, I would take the bus to work.
If it were me, I wouldn’t take a part-time job.
If you don’t place yourself in the same situation, you should use the modal should. So you might say:
In my opinion, people should graduate from college before they get married.
I think that she should major in engineering.
Or you can use a combination of both. For example:
If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t take a part-time job. I think he should focus on his studies.
Finally, you might want to consider how to talk about the consequences of a particular action. Here’s how you do that using the modals would (to express a certainty) and might (to express a possibility):
If he took a part-time job, he would have less time to study. He might actually fail the class.
If he was studying hard, he wouldn’t have time to play video games. He might even get an A.
Notice that in the “if” clause, we use the past tense form of the verb.
Using these simple strategies will help you to make your recommendations much more fluently.