The Cambridge Advanced English (CAE) - Speaking

Speaking (CAE) – tips and vocabulary

(Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English)

Comparing

Both picture show...

In both pictures the people are...

Both pictures were taken...

The main connection/similarity between these pictures is that...

Both/Neither...

As in the previous picture...

Contrasting

The opposing view/viewpoint...

The conflicting view/In contrast...

On the other hand/however/still/but/nonetheless/nevertheless/the first...

Like/Unlike in the first picture...

X is a bit/considerably more...

X isn` t quite as... as...

While/Whereas X is..., Y is...

The first picture shows..., whereas the second one...

In the picture on the left..., whereas in the other one...

The main/most(striking..., significant..., obvious) difference between the two pictures is...

There are several differences between the pictures: firstly/to begin with/in the first place/secondly/then/furthermore/finally/last/last but not least...

Comparing and assessing

X has a greater effect/impact on... than...

X has been more far-reaching (in its effects)... than...

They are all useful, but to my mind picture X...

The second picture is a better illustration of... than...

As far as usefulness is concerned X...

Picture Y illustrates best what...

There` s not much to choose between X and Y as far as... is concerned...

Describing similarities

Is rather like...

Appears similar to...

Seems like/resembles...

Shares characteristics with...

Reminds me of...

Has a lot in common with...

Is pretty much the same as...

Is comparable to...

Describing differences

Is nothing like...

Is totally different from...

Varies greatly from...

Has very little in common with...

Is quite unlike...

Bears little resemblance to...

Differs dramatically from...

Evaluating

They all have a useful contribution to make, but perhaps X and Y are particularly important because...

I think that X plays a vital role because...

If there weren` t any Xs, then...

In my opinion/to my mind/to me, X is of lesser importance to their community because...

Speculating

I might be wrong/am not sure but I think it has to do with...

Despite the fact that...

I can` t see exactly what they are doing, but...

The clothes he/she` s wearing give the impression that...

He/she is probably feeling... because he/she finally managed to/achieved...

I can imagine how he/she feels...

My impression/guess is that...

To judge from the clothes/posture/mimic/facial expression/gestures...

Apparently...

I can` t tell who/where/what...

I` m fairly sure...

They could/might/may be...

They seem/appear to be...

I suppose/assume/imagine/guess/feel/believe/am confident that...

I can` t be certain, but perhaps...

Although I can` t be sure, perhaps...

It looks to me as if...

On second thoughts...

My guess is that...

I wouldn` t be surprised if...

I suppose it` s just possible that...

Judging by the fact that..., she/he must be...

You can tell from... that...

He/She looks quit/very rather...

There is a distinct possibility...

He could (well) be a...

I` d say he/she` s probably a/quite a... person...

I` d guess...

I should think he` s either a..., or a ..., because...

He looks (rather)... to me...

He looks (a bit) like a...

Making suggestions

Let` s..., shall we...?

Why don` t we..., otherwise we could... instead...

I (would) (strongly) suggest/recommend...

One solution/suggestion would be to...

It would be a good idea to...

You should/ought to/might want to think about...

I think we should...

Would you be interested in...?

I thought you might like...

I was thinking it would be nice/a nice change...

So, what do you think...?

What/How about...?

Maybe we could...

Have you thought about...?

One way forward would be to...

I feel there` s something to be said for...

A lot can be achieved by...

... would (greatly) alleviate the situation...

Why not..., that way...

Asking for opinion

How do you like...?

How do you feel about...?

What` s your opinion...?
Don` t you agree...?

- interrupting

I` m sorry to interrupt, but...

Could I just say something...

If I could just add something to that...

- encouraging

Why do you think about/of that...?

What makes you say that...?

Can you give me an example of what you mean...?

Could you be more specific...?

I don` t quite understand what you mean by...

Agreeing and giving reasons

I couldn` t agree more...

I quite agree with you

That` s very true because...

Right, especially if...

Positively, because...

You` re absolutely right. For example, when...

I completely agree with you about that...

I think so, too...

That `s exactly what I think...

Partially agreeing

That` s not entirely true...

I` m inclined to agree with you... but...

I` m not sure I totally agree, because...

I see what you mean/perhaps you are right, but on the other hand...

There` s a lot in what you` re saying. However...

I see what you` re getting at, but...

I see what you mean, but I still think that...

In a way you` re right, but I think it all depends on...

I take your point, but...

I agree with you up to a point, but I think there are other factors to be taken in consideration...

Asking someone to justify their opinion (+disagreeing)

Can you tell/explain me why...?

Why is that...?

That` s not quite the way I see it...

I don` t think so/agree...

Why do you think that...?

What makes you say that...?

Do you really think so...?

Are you certain about that...?

I hardly feel...

I` m afraid I disagree/ have to differ/ don` t go along with that...

Expressing disbelief

You can` t be serious...!

No way...!
You must be joking..., is this a joke...?

That` s incredible/amazing/unbelievable...

I don` t believe it...

You are not serious, are you...?

Responding positively

That` s fine by me...

Sure, why not...?

You might be right actually/have a point...

That` s certainly a possibility...

You are probably right...

Sounds perfect...

That` s a great idea...

That would be lovely...

Ok, why not...?

I never thought of that...

Good point...!

Responding negatively

I don` t think I could cope...

I couldn` t possibly think ok...

It` s no good...

I` m not really into...

I don` t think that...

Well, I don` t know...

I` m not sure that` s such a good choice...

Perhaps it would be better if...

No, I` m afraid that wouldn` t be appropriate...

Avoiding a direct answer

I` ll have to get back to you on/about that...

I can` t give you an answer right now...

I` d rather not say...

I` m not in a position to answer that...

I` ll have to think about it...

It` s out of my hands...

I can` t say for certain...

Selecting

I much prefer...

I` d rather... than...

If I have to choose one...

I think we should go for picture X...

We could narrow it down to a choice between X and Y...

It` s hard to choose but picture X...

Making a choice is not that easy because...

If we assume that... then the obvious choice would be X...

Not much to choose between X and Y, is there...?

To tell you the truth I think I prefer... to...

Personally, I like... better than...

On balance, I` d prefer... rather than...

Given the choice, I` d sooner... than...

Hypothesizing

... for this reason/as a result...

For example/instance, if you... such as..., then you would need to...

Should you find yourself in a situation where... then you would have to...

Supposing you... then you must...

Without... you wouldn` t be able to cope in a situation where...

Imagine if you had to..., then you would almost certainly need to...

What if...? The only way to deal with that would be...

It would be especially useful in situations where you are called upon to...

Concluding

All things considered...

This would mean that...

As a result...

Over the top/overall...

All in all...

Quite simply...

So, as you can see...

In a word...

To sum up/summarize...

In short/conclusion...

In the light of the arguments (advantages and drawbacks)...

In my view...

I personally believe/think that...

Discussing the cause of a problem

It` s clearly/mostly down to...

It` s not so much a result of..., but rather...

It` s partly/largely/entirely due to...

I believe... plays a great/small part as well...

I think... has a lot to do with it...

In my view..., is/are responsible for...

The main reason/A key factor is...

I feel that... is/are to blame...

The obvious culprit in this case is...

Discussing the result of a problem

This (often/invariably/directly) leads to/causes/brings about...

As a result/consequence...,

Inevitably...,

An example of structure for Part 2

1. (Well... ) All pictures emphasize on... in particular situations.

2. I choose to speak about the picture showing... and the one depicting...

3. Both picture describe/emphasize on (the main idea from the first question)... in particular situations.

Or: In both situations the advantage might be...

4. However, the former illustrates..., perhaps because..., whereas the latter presents..., fact highlighted by mimic/facial expression/clothes/gestures.

Or: could be better, due to..., whereas the latter...

Or: has the disadvantage..., whereas the latter has the drawback...

5. As far as... (the main idea from the second question) is/are concerned, I personally believe/assume/imagine/suppose that X has a greater impact... /

plays a vital role effect on the viewers... /

might have more profound feelings... /

... basically/mainly because...

Or: All in all, I would say that, in balance, X has more advantage than drawbacks.../

I would pick the image with... as...

Vocabulary

Linking words

Common Adverbs: incredibly, extremely, exceptionally, absolutely, totally, completely, really, somewhat, very, pretty, quite, slightly, almost, virtually, rather, a bit, relatively, painfully, heavily, bitterly, most, highly, seriously, utterly, entirely, perfectly, deeply, widely, terribly, particularly, truly, excruciatingly, incredibly, vastly, profoundly, dramatically, refreshingly, beautifully, largely

Common Adjectives: enjoyable, moving, convincing, breathtaking, magnificent, ridiculous, assertive, creative, decisive, efficient, persistent, resilient, accurate, confident, diverse, wide, popular, empty, tedious, irate, perfect, cheap, unique, similar, unusual, identical, flat, different, hilarious, sophisticated, stylish, delightful, pleasant, tiny, enormous, horrible, colorful, beautiful, wonderful, amazing, massive, miniature, enormous, disgusting, superb, hideous, evil, huge, short, fabulous, average, exaggerated, typical, overstated, statistical, overdone

Adjectives about (books, films, plays)

- characters: shallow, (un)convincing, likeable, believable

- plot: overcomplicated, predictable, absorbing, gripping, riveting, dull, boring

- special effects: cheap, laughable, stunning, staggering, astounding, fascinating, thrilling, unexpected, entertaining, outstanding

- photography: poor, amateurish, breathtaking, incredible, impressive

- acting/performance(s): wooden, appalling, natural, powerful, spectacular

- writing/script: contrived, confusing, realistic, thought-provoking, compelling

- songs/tracks: outstanding, impressive, remarkable, weak, dull, overrating

- music: stimulating, moving, inventive, over-the-top, touching, tragic, dramatic

- lyrics: thought-provoking, profound, meaningful, cliched, awful

Adjectives describing feelings

- angry, cross, annoyed, nervous, irritable, frustrated, offended, obsessive, aggressive, furious, rude, jealous, cruel, sensitive

- surprised, shocked, amazed, astonished, afraid

- happy, pleased, cheerful, excited, glad, joyful, optimistic, amused, delighted, friendly, gregarious, exilerated

- healthy, fresh, fit, energetic, flexible, physically strong, quickly

- calm, relaxed, shy, lazy, relieved, emotionally strong

- fair-minded, sensible, tactful, tolerant

- tired, exhausted, sleepy, hungry, sick, bored

- stressed, worried, thoughtful, preoccupied, tense, anxious, alarmed, (im)patient, alert

- afraid, frightened, scared, fearful

- sad, miserable, unhappy, depressed, lonely, pessimistic, ashamed, disappointed, upset

- intelligent, quick-thinking, hardworking, persuasive, punctual

- loving, caring

- stubborn, courageous, determined, daring, rebellious

- handsome, cute, attractive, charming, nice, beautiful, sweet

Antonyms

- assertive – submissive

- confident – insecure

- tolerant – impatient

- impulsive – cautious

- quarrelsome – unfeeling

- compliant – obstinate

Types of persons (per age)

- newborn, infant, baby, youngster, juvenile, toddler

- child, adolescent, teenager, school-age child

- adult, parent, middle-aged person, grown up

- pensioner, elderly, senior citizen

Main topics

education,

work and career,

hobbies,

sports,

food,

shopping,

advertising,

relationships,

travel,

health,

science and progress in science,

arts,

entertainment,

environment,

politics,

natural disasters and people solidarity,

technology