Question Type 1: Basic Description Questions

2. Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is extremely important in the speaking test because it directly affects your vocabulary score.

To achieve a vocabulary score of 7 or 8, the examiner needs to hear at least one example of effective paraphrasing. Paraphrasing means saying or explaining something in your own words. In the speaking test it is used to explain vocabulary gaps (words that you don't know in English).

A good tip for paraphrasing is the "forget-explain-remember" rule. With this strategy you deliberately forget a particular word. Then you explain the word and then you remember the word. Look at the following example:

An additional problem with cars is that they produce a lot of ...em... I can't remember the word, but it's the gas that comes out of the car exhaust...oh yeah...carbon monoxide. That's what I mean.

In this example the candidate has produced some effective paraphrase and used a complex vocabulary item (carbon monoxide), so the vocabulary score has been influenced in two ways.

It is usually a good idea to think of some examples of this before the test, but the following examples should be quite helpful because they can be used for many topics.

For buildings: architecture, interior décor, elevator, escalator.

For people: optimistic, open-minded, assertive, sarcastic.

For objects: warranty, guarantee, replacement.

It really doesn’t matter which word you decide to paraphrase as long as it’s an uncommon vocabulary item.

In addition, many Chinese words can be paraphrased, especially if there is no exact English equivalent, such as:

Huo Guo, it’s a type of dish that is served in a pot and the pot is usually heated on the table, so the food is cooked in from of you.

This example of paraphrasing is worth more marks than simple saying "hot-pot".

Placeholders

Placeholders are words that replace something when a speaker does not know or cannot remember the name of something or someone: "You need to use a thingummy when you open a bottle of red wine."

Grammatically these simply replace the name of the person or object that the speaker cannot remember and never change their form. Other placeholders include:

whatsit thingy thingummy

When you paraphrase, try to use one of these placeholders. Look at the following example:

One of the major problems with shopping online is that there are loads of err... what is called...

You may think this is not a very good way to impress your examiner, but this is exactly what native speakers do when they forget a word.

When you paraphrase you need to first let the examiner know that you have forgotten the word (or you don't know the word in English). Use the following linking phrases to begin paraphrasing:

• 
  I can’t remember the English word; I’ll have to explain what I mean here.
  
• 
  Actually, I can’t seem to remember the word; let me try to put it into plain words.
  
• 
  The word has slipped my mind; I’ll try to paraphrase it for you.
  

Use the following language to explain your word:

• 
  Well what it is... it is a kind / type of...
  
• 
  In some ways it’s similar to...
  
• 
  actually something like a...
  

Continue your paraphrasing with:

• 
  And it’s made from...
  
• 
  It’s often found...
  
• 
  It’s used by / for...
  
• 
  It involves...
  
• 
  One of the most unique features of X is that...
  
• 
  And I should also mention that...
  

Then "remember" the word:

Oh... I think I’ve just remembered it; the word I’m looking for is X.