Question : Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Answer : Yes ( this is a grammatically correct answer, but you are practising only one word! )
Answer : Yes, I do or Yes, I have (short answers are correct, but do not give maximum practice)
Native speakers use short form answers a lot as they already know the full form answer and so they cut it to a short form answer to save time.
However, for second language learners, like you guys, it is much better to get more speaking practice by speaking the full form answer. This helps you speak more words, improves your fluency and gives you more confidence. It also helps you learn grammar structures by speaking them in a full form answer!
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Yes Yes, I do
*Both these answers are 'short form answers' and are correct answers. However, they do not give you maximum practice of English because you are not speaking a lot of words and so don't get the maximum speaking practice!*
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Yes, I have one younger brother and two older sisters.
*This is a 'full form answer' with a full sentence, which is a much better answer and allows you to speak more not less! Full answer and expansion!! ( The art of conversation ) If you want to improve your fluency during the IELTS Speaking test and have the ability to speak even more, it is a great idea to always try to give a full answer and some expansion in Speaking Part One.
Expanding your answer means that you give more information to the listener and begin to develop the skill of conversation, which involves sharing information with the listener and having the ability to tell your own experiences and stories in English!!
(1) Do you have any brothers or sisters? Yes, I have three sisters and one brother. My eldest sister is a doctor and works a Calmette hospital and my brother is a teacher and works at Bantuk High School.
(2) Do you like living in Phnom Penh? Yes, I like living in Phnom Penh because the people are friendly, the weather is hot and there are lots of things to see and do.
Speaking a full sentence and then developing your idea with some expansion is a very effective way of answering the questions on familiar topics during Speaking Part One of the IELTS Speaking test. This will make you feel more confident as you are speaking more and will also give the examiner more information and a better understanding of your true English speaking ability. The topics in Speaking Part One are all familiar and therefore candidates should try to take full advantage of this opportunity at the beginning of the speaking test to make a good impression.
Speaking skills for speaking part 1 materials and online resources including downloads and worksheets. Find help and tips as well as other ESL resources here for learners.
ARTICLES
IELTS format and structure
IELTS features formats speaking reading. The IELTS incorporates the following features: * A variety of accents and writing styles are presented in text materials in order to minimise linguistic bias. The test focuses on "International English", which includes British English, American English and other varieties. But the TOEFL only concerns North American English. The results are therefore considered more authoritative than TOEFL by some people and organizations (especially the ones outside the United States). * IELTS tests the ability to speak, read, listen and write in English. * Two test formats can be chosen from - Academic and General Training. * Band scores are used for each language sub-skill (Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing). The Band Scale ranges from 1 ("Non User") to 9 ("Expert User")....
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A Common Language
Review of 'The Adventure of English', Melvyn Bragg, Hodder & Stoughton
For a good, highly readable overview of how English developed and where it may be going, Melvyn Bragg's book, based on the TV series of the same name, does the job. Bragg traces the roots of English back to the Frisian and other Germanic languages of those who invaded Britain from the 5th century onwards - the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. He follows the growth of what have become the varied forms of modern English, not only through the familiar paths of the Norman invasion, Chaucer, Shakespeare and so on, but also through looking at other influences on English - the words of the Wild West in America, the Creole languages of the Caribbean, or the vocabulary the British brought from India. Indeed, the lists of words can become overwhelming at times.
His view of English is in some ways very democratic: the role of the ordinary people and particularly the oppressed is stressed, whether through the survival and transformation into Middle English of Anglo-Saxon under Norman French rule or the advance of Australian English. His account of Wycliffe...
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