Speaking Marathon: your big B2 talk

Answer each question with 2–3 sentences.

1. How do you feel before speaking in public?
2. What was the best talk you have heard?
3. Which topic from this course did you like most?
4. What has changed in your English since you started?
5. What is your biggest speaking challenge?
6. What would you like to talk about for five minutes?

Read each word and the example. Then say a sentence about giving a talk.

Choose the word that fits.

1. A good talk has a clear with an opening, main points and a conclusion.
2. The of a talk should catch the listeners' attention.
3. At the end of a talk, the repeats the main message.
4. To a point means to show that it is especially important.
5. To means to give the main points again, briefly.
6. Before an important talk, it helps to several times aloud.
7. A short stop in speaking, which gives listeners time to think, is a .
8. A speaker can speak easily and smoothly, without many stops.

Choose the right answer, then press Check answers.

1. the opening is the
   title of a bookfirst part of a talklast part of a talk
2. to emphasise = to show that something is
   newespecially importantvery small
3. to rehearse = to
   watch a performanceforget a performancepractise before a performance
4. a pause = a short
   stop in speakingsongbook
5. pace = the
   size of a roomcolour of a slidespeed of speaking
6. to summarise = to give the main points
   again, brieflyfor the first timein a long way

Use these phrases to structure a long talk.

• First of all,...Насамперед,...First of all, I'd like to thank you for coming.
• What I'd like to talk about is...Те, про що я хотів би розповісти,...What I'd like to talk about is a day that changed my life.
• Let me give you an example.Дозвольте навести приклад.Let me give you an example from my own experience.
• Moving on to...Переходячи до...Moving on to my second point, ...
• In my opinion,...На мою думку,...In my opinion, the key is practice.
• If I had known,...Якби я знав,...If I had known, I would have started earlier.
• By this time next year,...До цього часу наступного року,...By this time next year, I will have improved a lot.
• To sum up,...Підсумовуючи,...To sum up, a talk needs a clear structure.

Read the text. Hover over the dotted words for help.

1. A long talk should have an opening, main points and a conclusion.
   TrueFalse
2. A pause is always a mistake.
   TrueFalse
3. Rehearsing aloud can make you more confident.
   TrueFalse
4. The text advises you to stop at every small mistake.
   TrueFalse
5. If you forget a word, you can explain it in other words.
   TrueFalse

1. Which part of a talk is the hardest for you?
2. How can we make the audience interested?
3. What do you do when you forget a word?
4. Why is it good to record yourself?

Common mistakes in a long talk: keep the tenses consistent, link your ideas, and do not stop at every mistake. ✗ Yesterday I go to the park and I see → Yesterday I went to the park and I saw. ✗ I think that, but, and, and … → I think that … However, …

1. When I arrived, the film
   startedhad started
   .
2. I
   am learninghave been learning
   English for three years.
3. By next year, I
   will have improvedwill improve
   a lot.
4. She said she
   iswas
   tired.
5. If I
   knewhad known
   , I would have come.
6. English
   is spokenspeaks
   in many countries.
7. The man
   whichwho
   wrote it was deaf.
8. I wish I
   startedhad started
   earlier.

Each sentence has one mistake. Type the correct words.

1. Yesterday I go to the park and met a friend. →
2. If I will have time, I'll help you. →
3. This is the woman which helped me. →
4. He said me that he was busy. →
5. I am living here since 2020. →
6. By next year I will improve a lot. →

Answer in detail. Use the grammar of the whole B2 course.

1. What did you learn in this course that surprised you?
2. What would you have done if you had started studying earlier?
3. Which topic would you like to talk about for five minutes, and why?
4. What have you been doing to improve your English?
5. What advice would you give to someone who starts B2?
6. By this time next year, what will you have achieved?

Three people give tips for a long talk. Compare their advice. Who gives the most practical tip? Which tip will you use? What is your biggest challenge?

This is the final speaking task of Speaking Boost B2. Your teacher will time you.

1. Plan for three minutes, then speak for three to four minutes.
2. Part 1: the opening and a story from the past (narrative tenses and present perfect).
3. Part 2: two main points with reasons, examples, linking words and an opinion (relative clauses, passive, discourse markers).
4. Part 3: the future, a regret or a wish, and a conclusion (future forms, conditionals, wish).

1. What topic from this course did you enjoy most?
2. What were you doing when you decided to learn English?
3. How long have you been learning English?
4. What do you wish you had done earlier?
5. What are you going to do with your English next year?
6. Who or what inspired you most?
7. What is your biggest strength in speaking?
8. What will you have achieved by this time next year?

1. Who has helped you most with your English?
2. Who do you speak English with?
3. Who would you like to give a talk to?
4. Who told you something that you remember?
5. Who is the best speaker you know?
6. Who will you tell about this course?

1. Is it harder to speak or to write?
2. Will English be as important in the future?
3. Should schools teach public speaking?
4. Can anyone become a good speaker?
5. Is it better to speak fluently or correctly?