{"id":590,"date":"2016-07-20T21:07:21","date_gmt":"2016-07-21T04:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/ielts\/?p=590"},"modified":"2018-10-15T19:06:25","modified_gmt":"2018-10-16T02:06:25","slug":"natural-connectors-speech-ielts-oral-exam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/ielts\/natural-connectors-speech-ielts-oral-exam\/","title":{"rendered":"Natural Connectors in Speech for the IELTS Oral Exam"},"content":{"rendered":"

In any language, real-life conversation differs dramatically from the neat and structured patterns of writing. Your IELTS speaking test reflects the messiness of natural conversation\u2014unanticipated topics, speaking as you think of your response, hesitating, and backtracking. You can\u2019t prepare your answers in advance, but you can equip yourself for success in conversation and the IELTS speaking test<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One way to do this is to familiarize yourself with natural connectors in speech. These differ from\u00a0those in writing and are used in conversation to fill in awkward gaps, to link ideas to earlier statements and questions, and keep conversation flowing. But which are they?<\/p>\n

Unnatural Connectors in Speech<\/h2>\n
\"natural<\/a>
from www.memes.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Let\u2019s start with what\u2019s not<\/strong> natural. Online, you\u2019ll find countless resources and lists describing connectors like thus<\/em>, accordingly<\/em>, and henceforth<\/em>. If you listen to candid English conversation, you\u2019re unlikely to find any of these examples. These are formal, rarely make it into everyday speech, and are better suited to writing.<\/p>\n

Your IELTS examiner will assess your vocabulary, but what he or she is looking for is\u00a0a broad ranged vocabulary that is natural<\/em> in speech. So for the purposes of this task, don\u2019t bother memorizing long lists of multi-syllable\u00a0connectors and transition words <\/a>that make for strong essays but weird conversation. (This is not to say that you can’t<\/em> use these more writing-like connectors in IELTS Speaking; such connectors are useful in your Speaking Part 2 monologue (click here for our guide)<\/a>, but should be used only to a very limited degree in Parts 1 and 3 of IELTS Speaking.)<\/p>\n

Natural Connectors in Speech<\/h2>\n

So, what are natural ways of organizing the messiness of real-world English speech? Let\u2019s answer this by listening to a real IELTS experience:\u00a0IELTS Speaking Part 3 Interview<\/a><\/p>\n

There are several\u00a0real-life connectors used to keep this conversation flowing naturally.<\/p>\n

Notice how there are considerable pauses in the conversation filled with \u201cum\u2026\u201d<\/strong> This is perfectly\u00a0natural because you are speaking as you consider your responses in real time. This kind of connector acts\u00a0like a filler. When asked for your opinion, natural fillers include sounds of hesitation, expressions of surprise at the question, or comments that are later followed by an answer.<\/p>\n