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IELTS Speaking Function Fourteen
Conversation "Repair" in English
Many students worry about making mistakes in English, especially on the IELTS exam. In reality, mistakes are a wonderful
opportunity to show your English ability, if you know how to "repair" any problems you have. Good speakers of English
often have problems in communicating, but they know how to make things better when misunderstandings come up.
Here are some very simple English expressions you can use to make your meaning more clear:
I mean...
I mean to say...
I meant to say...
What I mean is...
What I mean by ~ is ~
You can also try using one of these more formal English sentences:
Perhaps I should clarify. I don't mean to say X. What I really want to say is Y.
Perhaps I should be more clear. My point is that...
When you seem to have misunderstood something, use these useful English sentences:
Oh, I thought you said 13, not 30!
Sorry, I think I misunderstood your point.
Sorry, I may have misunderstood your main idea. Could you explain your comment about ~ ?
At any time, if your listener asks you a question, you can eagerly jump in:
Yes, that's what I meant!
Finally, you can learn to control a conversation in English
which will help you get through any difficulty and show the IELTS Examiner your English ability at the same time!
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