Speaking Hack 5: Avoid repetition, um/uh, and over usage of certain words. Guys, repetition is costly, 1
and it's best to avoid this habit. 2
Let's look at overuse of the word "like." Examiner: 3
"Did you have a favorite teacher in school?" Candidate: 4
"No, but I had a teacher who was not really nice to me...like I was in class one time, and the teacher 5
embarrassed me...then I was like ignoring him." 6
Here's another example of overuse of the word, "actually." Examiner: 7
"Are you interested in watching movies?" Candidate: 8
"Actually, I do enjoy movies, actually. 9
Action movies. 10
One of my dreams is to be the director of an action movie." 11
Let's take a look at another example, overusing the word "so." Examiner: "do you feel it's important 12
to exercise?" Candidate: 13
"So I'm interested in health and fitness, so I work out five or six days a week. 14
So it's really important to me, 15
and it's a lifestyle choice." 16
Of course, these are examples and they're a little bit exaggerated, but hopefully you get the idea! 17
The same idea applies when it comes to the habit of relying on "um" or "uh" when finding the right words 18
before speaking. 19
How does this sound? Examiner: 20
"What's your favorite room in your house?" 21
Candidate: "My favorite room in my house is my bedroom. 22
This is because um, I can play video games there and um, I can listen to music and um watch movies." 23
Look guys, test-takers should be able to converse without pauses, having a free flow of speech. 24
Have you ever watched an interview on TV and felt it was kind of uncomfortable because the interviewee 25
was saying "um" or "uh"... the entire time? 26
Many native speakers also find this to be a problem. 27
The only way to avoid it, is to be conscious of the way you speak, and work on correcting it. 28
For this reason, some people join public speaking courses 29
as this will improve your skills of speaking in front of people - without relying on these crutches. 30
Remember, long pauses may cause you to drop a band on the exam. 31
Make sure that you can speak without gaps so that there's a flow to what you're saying and - it's - not - 32
choppy. 33
The only way you can speak without choppiness is practice, practice, practice. 34
If you've been working on your vocabulary, chances are you will do less "brain-searching," trying to 35
find the word that you need and want to say. So to review, 36
avoid long pauses, repetition or relying on "um" or "uh."