IELTS SPEAKING TOPIC: PERSON & RELATIONSHIP
Sample & Mock Test
Part one
Four people make up my immediate family – my dad, my sister and my two bothers. They all live close to me except for my youngest brother who moved away because of his work.
Most definitely. I used to argue with my brothers and sister a lot when we were. It was sibling rivalry I guess but we get on really well now.
I'd have to say my sister but we're a close-knit family and we all get along just great.
We used to go to my parent's house for Sunday tea every few weeks but since my mother died, my oldest brother, my sister and I take turns to spend time supporting our father. This means that we dont all get together so often. However, we still have family gatherings on special occasions.
Just a few weeks ago. It was for my father's birthday. We had a get together at his house and we all took along cakes and snacks to share.
Not a lot, but I have a few very close friends, I think it is better to have one reliable friend that a thousand fair-weather friends, Although it's not easy to meet someone you have a lot in common with.
As often as I can, We enjoy other's company, so we see each other almost daily. What's more, we live very close to each other, so it's easy for us to meet up.
Oh, that's an interesting question... I guess there are lot of things... For instance, my best friend can draw unbelievable art, good enough to sell. And my other friend is really keen on cooking... But most importantly, they are people, who are near and dear to my heart.
I've known my friends since my childhood... We've been through thick and thin together...Probably that's why we're so close now.
My best friend is a guy called Jeremy. We met when we were in high school and stay in touch all these years later. He's always been someone I can count on and confide in
E.
Part Two
You should say:
Where this celebration was held
Why it was held
What you did at the event
What you enjoyed about the celebration
One of the most memorable family events of recent years was my father’s 80th birthday. We wanted to have a special celebration for him but decided to keep it a secret so as to surprise him on the day.
My youngest brother, who lives two and a half hours drive away from the rest of my immediate family, told Dad that he’d come down with his family so we could all go out for a meal together. What we actually did was to invite members of our extended family to come as well without my father knowing. Most of them live a long way away, like in London or Scotland, so we don’t see them very often. They came down the day before and stayed in local hotels.
There was a lot to arrange and it was difficult to sort everything without Dad guessing what we were up to. There were several times when I thought he must know something was going on but was just playing along and pretending he didn’t.
We booked a table at a local restaurant and on the day, my sisterdecorated it with balloons and other party bits and pieces. It looked amazing. It was a very long table as in the end there were more than twenty family members at the meal. So, as well as my parents and my siblings, there were also nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. I think it was probably the biggest family gathering we’d ever had.
We arranged for Dad and Mum to be the last to arrive so that everyone else could be seated at the table waiting for them. I’ll never forget Dad’s face when he walked into the restaurant. He hadn’t guessed what we were arranging and it was a real surprise to him to see everyone there.
We had a lovely meal together but the best thing was spending time with all our relatives. It made me realize what a close-knit family we are even though we don’t see each other very often. I think that Dad enjoyed it too and I hope it showed him how much he means to our whole family.
You should say:
Who is he/she
When did you meet
Why is he/she so close to you
What do you like about your friend the most
I would like to talk about my friend William... I wouldn't say he's my best friend, but I would rather call him as a good friend of mine... I met him last year at local sports centre. It turned out that we were studying at the same college... Then, miraculously, I got into the same class with him and we got on like a house on fire... He's the sweetest person I've ever met! He's smart, helpful, caring, funny and somehow good-looking... And most importantly, we have a lot in common and he understands me as nobody else does.
-----------------------------------
When it comes to talking about my friends, I’d like to talk about Bess. She is my best friend. We are the same age and she is only two days older than me.
We studied in the same school, so we had many opportunities to communicate with each other. She is a good looking and outgoing person. We have many of the same hobbies. We both like reading books and watching films, then we exchange our own opinions about the books and films. We had many fun times together.
She is good at cooking. Every time I went to her home, she would cook many tasty dishes for
me. She likes to research all kinds of cookbooks and cook programs, while I don’t like to cook at all.
She is patient to play with kids and help them. She takes part in a charity organization, she
regularly goes to the disabled children school to read all kinds of fairy tale books to children. I feel proud of her.
Although both of us are pretty busy with our jobs, we still meet each other once in a while. Whenever I am in trouble or in hardship, she is always there with a helping hand and encouraging words. I do appreciate having this friend.
You should say:
who this person is
how you know this person
how this person has influenced you
and explain why you admire this person
The senior person whom I really respect and like is my grandmother.
From my childhood she has been a caring person for me. Still she is a good friend of mine whom I share many things. She is a benevolent and good person who possesses a good heart. She tries to help others with her highest efforts.
I know her from my childhood as she lives with us and we have a lot of happy memories together. She is a successful mother of 3 people including my father. She has devoted all her life for her kids and made them educated.
She possesses a nice and charming personality that illuminate people around her. I love and respect her for many different reasons. The most important reason is because of her unconditional love and affection for me.
She is a good mentor who can show me positive ways and guide me in my depressed time. Talking to her is a soothing experience and the story she tells is always attractive and full of morality. I have learned many positive attitudes and good thinking from her.
For all those reasons and a strong bonding between us, I respect and admire her very much.
You should say:
Who this person is
What area of creativity they work in
How you know about this person
What work they have created that you particularly admire
I’m going to talk about a musician/songwriter that I admire, called Adam Levine. He’s also a
singer who plays the guitar and writes his own songs. I think he recorded his first album about 10 years ago with his band called Maroon 5, and he’s released several other CDs since then.
He became successful after many years of writing songs and performing live in small venues all over the country. Gradually he built a following of people who liked his music. I think the key to his success was one of his songs that was used on a TV advertisement. This meant that more people became aware of his music.
I found out about Adam because one of my friends got tickets to see him in concert. I hadn’t
heard any of his music before, but I went along to the gig and really enjoyed it. After that I bought the first CD, and now I’ve got all of them.
The reason I’m into Adam is that he has worked hard for his success: it takes years of practice to become a good singer and guitarist, and he spent several years playing to very small audiences before he became successful. I also like the fact that he writes his own music. I admire people who have worked hard to get where they are.
You should say:
What relationship the two of you have
How often you are together
What you usually do together
Why you like to spend time with this person
I spend a lot of time with my best friend John. I’ve known him since primary school where we
were in the same class.
We only see each other during our university holidays because we don’t study in the same city.
My university is in London but he lives in Liverpool.
When we are together we always play lots of sports like football and tennis. John loves Manchester United and he is a very good footballer. I prefer tennis but I am not as good as my friend. We also both enjoy playing computer games. Our favourite is probably World of Warcraft which many of my friends play too.
As we live in a small town there aren’t many places to go so we normally hang out at the sports
centre or in the big park near my house. We’re both big film buffs so we go to the cinema quite
often and we get a student discount.
I really like spending time with John, he’s such a nice person and very friendly. I always have a
good time when we are together and he never fails to make me laugh. In fact, I think he’s the
funniest person I know.
E.
Part three
Both immediate and extended family members often have a lot of similarities. For example, they can look alike. My brother Steve is the spitting image of our cousin Peter, while my sister takes after our mother in the way she both looks and talks.
Also, relatives may be good at the same things or do similar types of work. Most of my extended family are either teachers or scientists.
Specific interests often run in the family. In my family, we all love the outdoors and nature, particularly the older generation. Younger family members do like to go out walking as well but now that my nieces and nephews are all teenagers, they spend a lot of time on their electronic gadgets.
The final way that people in a family can be alike is in their personality, and especially in their sense of humour.
In my opinion, personality is mostly hereditary. I think that the main traits of a person’s character are passed down from parents to their offspring. Some people are more like their father, others more like their mother but most of us can recognise characteristics of both parents in our own personality. For example, I’m quiet like my dad and have my mum’s creativity.
How children are raised also affects the way they think, feel and behave as they grow up. Kids from a happy, stable family background generally have a normal personality. However, an unhappy childhood, which may include some form of abuse, will definitely affect a child’s mental development and their character later in life.
This suggests that personality can change so it’s probably true that the people we spend time with as friends and colleagues also influence the way we think, feel and behave. However, I don’t think that they alter our deepest character.
So in conclusion, I’d say that an understanding of personality is quite complex and involves both hereditary and social factors.
In the past, the older generation was highly respected in most cultures. They were considered to be wise because of all the things they’d learnt in their long lives. Elderly family members would have been familyleaders, teachers and spiritual guides to the younger generation. They helped to maintain the structure and stability of the family.
One of their most important roles was to pass on the old traditions and to maintain traditional culture. The other vital job they did, especially the grandmothers, was to provide childcare for their grandchildren. They would certainly have played an important role in their upbringing.
In my country, most of this changed when it became normal for adult children to move away to study and get better jobs. Family ties are no longer so strong and elderly people aren’t respected as they once were. Grandparents aren’t the people we usually go to for advice these days. To be honest, many elderly people don’t have a significant role in most families any more. However, many do still look after the grandchildren if they live close to them.
Yes, certainly! Without my friends I’d be very sad and lonely, but they cheer me up and help in every way possible… Of course, all relationships have their ups and downs, but we should definitely try not to lose touch with our friends.
Hmm... Probably, the best time to get new friends is your school and university years. You have many possibilities to get in touch with different people… And it is easier to find friends with similar interests.
Yes, it very important not to lose touch with your friends… Surely, everyone changes and even close friends can drift apart. But, in my opinion, friends are your second family and we should highly appreciate them.
E.
Other Vocabularies
- He's a funny guy
- He's really fun to be with.
- He's very easy to talk to.
- She can come across as a bit cold sometimes.
- He's a bit hard to read.
- He can be quite aggressive.
- He's rather quiet
- They warmed to him
- Lars is a funny guy. A little quiet in the beginning, but when he warms to people, he's really fun to be with.
- We're good friends. I get on well with her.
- He puts people off by being so rude and aggressive.
- I dont go out with colleagues much. I keep to myself.
- He doesn't get along with other teams too well.
- They don't seem to talk to each other a lot.
- He seems to be getting on well with the other engineers.
- He doesn't seem to have spent much time with his teammates.
- They seem to be getting on well with each other.
- They don't seem to like one another.
- They've warmed to one another pretty quickly.
immediate family – your closest relations, such as your parents, children, husband or wife
- My immediate family are my dad, mum and two sisters.
nuclear family – parents and their children
- The average nuclear family in the US is made up of parents and two children.
extended family – a family unit that includes grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, and uncles, etc. in addition to parents and children
- I have a large extended family with many nieces, nephews and cousins.
dysfunctional family – a family that is not behaving or working normally, where there is conflict, misbehaviour, etc.
- Cynthia came from a dysfunctional family and could often be seen wandering the street on her own when she was young
amily member – someone who belongs to a specific family
- I have family members living all over the world.
to be related to – to belong to the same family as
- I’m related to many people in my village as my family has lived here for generations.
blood relative – someone you are related to through birth rather than marriage
- Aunty Sylvia is my blood relative but Uncle George, her husband, is only related to me by marriage.
distant relative – generally, a relative who is a third cousin or greater, or a great aunt or uncle, especially when you have little or no involvement with him or her.
- A member of my family died last week but they were a distant relativeand I didn’t know them very well.
next of kin – the person or group of people you are most closely related to
- When you apply for a passport, you have to name your next of kin in case there is an emergency while you are away travelling.
descendants – a person who is related to you and who lives after you, such as your child or grandchild, and all future generations
ancestors – family members from past generations
- I’m writing my autobiography so that my descendants will know what life was like for one of their ancestors.
household – all the people who live in one house
- There are now only three people in my household as my older brother has gone away to university.
Parenting
motherhood/ fatherhood – the state of being a father/mother
- Sakda is taking the responsibilities of fatherhood seriously and now only goes out drinking with his friends once a month.
to start a family – to have children
- Billy and I are planning to start a family as soon as we get married.
to give birth – to have a baby
- It was a special moment in Cesar’s life when he saw his wife giving birth to their first child.
offspring – a person's child or children
- My two sisters are coming over later with their offspring so the house is going to be very noisy.
family man – a man who enjoys being at home with his wife and children
- Deepak used to love partying but now that he has kids he’s become a real family man.
family life – the kind of life a person normally leads when they are married and have children
- My husband and I enjoy doing lots of activities with our children and we all have a great family life together.
to raise/to bring up (a child) – to take care of a child until they become an adult
- It’s a big responsibility raising children but I love being a parent. When Jae-min’s husband died, she was left to bring up the children on her own.
upbringing – the way in which you are treated and educated when young, especially by your parents
- I was fortunate to have a good upbringing but not all children have caring parents who look after them well and teach them the right way to behave.
to support (a family) – to have enough money to be able to look after a family
- Egor earned very low wages and had to work two jobs to support his family.
breadwinner – the member of a family who earns most of the money that the family needs
- In many countries, men are expected to be the breadwinner in a family.
dependant – someone who depends on you for financial support, such as a child or family member who does not work
- I‘m working hard to get a promotion and earn more money now that I’m a husband and a father and have dependants who rely on me.
to adopt – to legally take another person's child into your own family and take care of them as your own child
- Paul and Siri were unable to have children of their own and decided to adopt a baby.
to foster – to take care of someone else’s child, usually for a limited time, without becoming the child's legal parent
- Even though I’m an only child, I always had other boy’s and girl’s to play with when I was growing up as mum and dad often used to foster other children.
over-protective parents – a parent who protect their child too much
- Overprotective parents can prevent their children from building confidence and independence.
spoilt child – a child who shows bad behaviour because they have been allowed to do or have anything they want
- I don’t like playing with the girl next door because she’s a spoilt childand gets in a temper if I don’t let her win all the games.
stay at home parent / stay at home mum – a parent who stays at home to take care of their children rather than going out to work
- These days, it’s far more usual for men to be a stay-at-home parentthan when I was young when it was always the mother who looked after the kids.
to look after – to take care of
- I’m going to look after my daughter’s children on Saturday while she has a day out with her friends.
childcare – the care of children, especially by a crèche, nursery or childminder while parents are working
- Childcare is a big problem for many working parents and they are lucky if their own parents can help out.
strict – strongly limiting someone's freedom to behave as they wish, or likely to severely punish someone if they do not obey
- My parents are very strict with me and I have to finish all my homework before I’m allowed to play or watch TV.
authoritarian – demanding that people obey completely and refusing to allow them the freedom to act as they wish
- My father was very authoritarian when I was growing up and I was terrified of him
generation gap – a difference of opinions between one generation and another regarding beliefs and attitudes, often leading to a lack of understanding between them
- It’s a skilled politician who can bridge the generation gap.
adolescent – a young person who is developing into an adult
- Many adolescents develop emotional problems as they try to find their place in the world
sibling rivalry – the feeling of competitiveness that often exists between brothers and sisters
- There was huge sibling rivalry between my two brothers and they were always fighting but they are the best of friends now that they’re adults.
run in the family – a common feature in a family; something which is passed from parents to children
- Artistic ability seems to run in the family.
hereditary – passed from the genes of a parent to a child
- Diabetes is hereditary in our family so I make sure that I eat healthily and keep fit to lessen my chances of getting it.
childhood – the time when someone is a child
- Many children in the world do not have a happy childhood.
family background – the details of a person's family regardingeducation, social status, etc.
- We want our son to marry a girl from a good family background.
family gathering / family get-together – an informal event where family members meet up
- We’re having a family get-together to celebrate my mother’s birthday.
close-knit – involving groups of people in which everyone supports each other
- We’re a close-knit family and know that we can rely on each other when one of us needs help.
family ties – the sense of connection between family members
- Family ties aren’t as strong as they used to be in my country because relatives often live many miles apart and even in different countries.
to care for – to provide the things someone needs, especially someone who is young, old, or ill
- In my country, sons and daughters are expected to care for their elderly parents.
a widow/widower – a woman whose husband has died/a man whose wife has died
- Her husband died young and she has been a widow for almost thirty years now.
to desert – to leave someone without help or in a difficult situation and not come back
- My father deserted us when I was young and my mother has brought me up on her own.
get on with / get along with – to like someone and have a friendly relationship with them
- I used to fight with my siblings when we were young but I get on withthem really well now that we’re adults.
to fall out with / to have a falling out – to have a disagreement which ruins a relationship with that person
- I fell out with my sister when she started dating my boyfriend.
- The two brothers had a falling out over the broken toy.
on speaking terms – friendly enough to talk
- My parents had a big argument and are not on speaking terms at the moment.
to look alike – to look very similar to someone else
- My twin sister and I look alike and people often call us by each other’s names.
to take after (someone) – to be very similar to an older family member
- Mila was excellent at drawing. She took after her mother who was a famous artist.
a chip off the old block – the person is very similar (in character and personality) to one of their parents
- Sanjay is always cracking jokes, just like his father. He’s a real chip off the old block.
to follow in someone’s footsteps – to do the same thing as someone else did previously, especially someone in your family
- I want to follow in my father’s footsteps and become a doctor like he is.
spitting image – to look extremely similar to someone
- Cher is the spitting image of her mother.
wears the trousers – to be the person in a family who holds the authority and makes decisions
- My dad likes to thinks that he’s in charge but it’s my mother who wears the trousers in our house.
black sheep (of the family)– someone who brings shame to their family by being different or doing something wrong
- My brother first started getting into trouble with the police when he was a teenager and he’s become the black sheep of the family.
enjoy each other's company: to like spending time with each other.
Steve and Noah are always together, they definitely enjoy each others company.
fair-weather friend: someone who is your friend only when you are cheerful and successful.
A lot of John's friends turned out to be fair-weather friends. They were with him when he was rich and left him when he went bankrupt.
friends are like second family: that is to say your friends love you and make you feel comfortable.
get in touch with somebody: to contact somebody.
I plan to get in touch with my friends when I return home.
Her parents are the only people who are near and dear to her.
shoulder to cry on: someone who is always ready to listen to your problems.
I'm so glad my boyfriend is so kind and sympathetic, it's good to always have a shoulder to cry on.
Your parents are married for 15 years, they must have been through thick and thin together.
to be well-matched: to be similar to somebody in interests.
They are well-matched.
It is hard to believe that Jacob and Sarah broke up. They were dating since high school.
to drift apart: to become less close to someone.
As years went by, school friends drifted apart.
They were childhood friends, and he fell for her!
to fall out with: to quarrel, to have a conflict.
He left the party after falling out with his girlfriend.
to get on like a house on fire: people get on like a house on fire when they like each other's company and become friends very quickly.
I like my new roommate! We have a lot of same interests and get on like a house on fire.
I'm an outgoing person and I easily get on well with new people.
to get to know someone: to become acquainted with someone.
I thought Jenna was selfish until I got to know her and understood her real character.
to have friends in high places: to have friends in powerful positions in business or government.
Joe owes his fast career growth to his friends in high places.
I could not imagine that Laura will hit it off with Dylan! They are so different.
to keep in touch with someone: to maintain contact with someone.
I keep in touch with my friends from high school, although we graduated five years ago.
I lost touch with Mary since she moved to Canada.
to see eye to eye: to agree.
I think it's better to live in a big city, but my brother doesn't see eye to eye with me about it.
I feel awkward when I strike up a conversation with unknown people.
ups and downs: a mixture of good and bad things that happen.
We're friends for almost 30 years! Surely we've had our ups and downs.
E.
Komentar
Posting Komentar