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Series 3
- Study English S3 Ep1: IELTS Assessment Criteria
- Study English S3 Ep2: Writing Task Response
- Study English S3 Ep3: Coherence and Cohesion in writing
- Study English S3 Ep4: Examining sentence types
- Study English S3 Ep5: Demonstrating vocabulary range
- Study English S3 Ep6: Question Tasks and Topics
- Study English S3 Ep7: The speaking test
- Study English S3 Ep8: Speaking Fluently
- Study English S3 Ep9: How to speak coherently
- Study English S3 Ep10: Vocabulary for Speaking
- Study English S3 Ep11: Grammatical Range
- Study English S3 Ep12: Importance of intonation
- Study English S3 Ep13: Reading Skills and Questions
- Study English S3 Ep14: General Training Reading
- Study English S3 Ep15: Listening for signpost words
- Study English S3 Ep16: Listening for numbers
- Study English S3 Ep17: Festivals and Celebrations
- Study English S3 Ep18: Labelling and Describing
- Study English S3 Ep19: Labelling a Flow Chart
- Study English S3 Ep20: Giving examples in English
- Study English S3 Ep21: Talking about the Family
- Study English S3 Ep22: Holidays and Leisure
- Study English S3 Ep23: Talking about Food
- Study English S3 Ep24: How to form words
- Study English S3 Ep25: Grammar Checklist
- Study English S3 Ep26: What to say when giving advice
Study English S3 Ep20: Giving examples in English
When both speaking and writing, it’s a good idea to try to be as specific as possible when giving examples, or describing something. In this episode we’ll outline some words and phrases that will help you make your meaning more precise, and more convincing.
Transcript
Hello, and welcome to Study English, IELTS Preparation. I’m Margot Politis.
One of the things you will often need to do, in both spoken and written English, is give examples.
Today we’ll look at some of the language you can use for giving examples, and also for clarifying.
First let’s listen to someone talking about an analysis of bird songs:
We’re researching the effects of traffic noise on the calling behaviour of birds.
Normally, if there was no background noise from roads or other human-generated noise, they’d be able to hear each other at least 100 metres apart. But where we have loud traffic, it’s likely they can only hear each other 20 or 30 metres apart.
We can analyse the frequency of the different notes in the calls. So for example, this is the grey fantail – how it would sound at a quiet site.
我们正在研究交通噪声对鸟类鸣叫行为的影响。 通常,如果没有来自道路的背景噪音或其他人为产生的噪音,他们将能够彼此相隔至少100米。 但是在我们交通繁忙的地方,很可能他们只能听到相隔20或30米的彼此的声音。 我们可以分析通话中不同音符的频率。 例如,这就是灰色的尾巴-在安静的地方听起来会怎样。
She gives an example of one bird call they have analysed, and introduces that with the phrase ‘for example’.
So for example, this is the grey fantail- how it would sound at a quiet site.
For example can be used to introduce the example, as it is here, or it can be placed after the example:
This is the grey fantail, for example.
But formally, it is better to introduce the example with the phrase. Listen:
The birds aren’t changing their tune very much, so on average, they’re only going up one note on the musical scale. For example, with the grey shrike-thrush it goes from here to here.
The speaker makes a general statement about the behaviour of birds, then illustrates it with one specific example.
The birds aren’t changing their tune very much, so on average, they’re only going up one note on the musical scale. For example, with the grey shrike-thrush it goes from here to here.
Another phrase with exactly the same meaning is ‘for instance’. Listen for the phrase used by this woman talking about kite-flying:
Kiting has developed over the years. It’s just amazing the difference and the variation. For instance, with the inflatable kites we don’t use any spars with them.
But you can’t make inflatable kites unless you’ve got the right materials so today we work with rib-stock nylon so we’re able to sew it.
So, it’s sort of like balloon fabric so we can fill them up with air and they go up in the sky.
Again the phrase – ‘for instance’ – introduces the example. She makes a statement about the variety of kites, and then gives one example, of a kite with no spars.
It’s just amazing the difference and the variation. For instance, with the inflatable kites we don’t use any spars with them.
In informal language, when speaking, we can use less formal terms for giving examples.
But you can’t make inflatable kites unless you’ve got the right materials so today we work with rib-stock nylon so we’re able to sew it.
So, it’s sort of like balloon fabric so we can fill them up with air and they go up in the sky.
It’s sort of like balloon fabric. Here the speaker is using an example of something that might be familiar to the listener – balloon fabric, to clarify what type of fabric is used in the kites. ‘Sort of’ would not be used in this way in a formal essay.
There’s another way of giving examples: listen
We here have so far only studied two species of birds, the grey shrike-thrush and the grey fantail.
Here – the examples are not introduced with a phrase – the speaker simply pauses before giving the examples.
We here have so far only studied two species of birds, the grey shrike-thrush and the grey fantail.
When both speaking and writing, it’s a good idea to try to be as specific and precise as possible when giving examples, or describing something. Listen to the bird scientist again, and see if you can hear the words that she uses to make her statements more precise.
Normally, if there was no background noise from roads or other human-generated noise, they’d be able to hear each other at least 100 metres apart.
But where we have loud traffic, it’s likely they can only hear each other 20 or 30 metres apart.
Traffic can be very noisy, depending on how many cars there are on the road and how fast they’re travelling and how many big trucks there are.
So at the largest roads that we’ve included in our study, there are about 150,000 cars coming past a day and that makes a noise, if you’re right next to it, of up to 95 decibels, which is loud!
Firstly, let’s look at some of the expressions used to make descriptions of numbers more exact:
They’d be able to hear each other at least 100 metres apart. But where we have loud traffic, it’s likely they can only hear each other 20 or 30 metres apart.
At least 100 metres apart. 100 metres is the minimum distance the birds would be able to hear each other.
About 150,000 cars – possibly a bit more, or less than 150,000.
Up to 95 decibels. 95 decibels is the loudest noise recorded.
There are about 150,000 cars coming past a day and that makes a noise, if you’re right next to it, of up to 95 decibels, which is loud!
Using words and phrases such as ‘about’, ‘up to’, ‘more than’, ‘less than’ and ‘most of’ helps to make your meaning more precise, and more convincing.
Expanding on an idea, clarifying and giving examples and reasons, are all important language functions you should demonstrate. Let’s see how the bird scientist illustrates her theory about bird calls and traffic:
It’s a problem because communicating acoustically with sound is really a very important thing for birds. It’s a matter of life and death.
If they can’t hear, in the first place they may have trouble attracting mates and breeding and keeping the population going.
And also, if they can’t hear each other’s warning calls, they may be more likely to be taken by predators. Wherever you are, wherever there are roads and wherever there are birds, there are likely to be this problem.
Birds will have difficulty hearing each other and may be responding in the only way that they can.
She is explaining why it is important for birds to be able to hear each other. She illustrates the importance with this phrase:
It’s a matter of life and death.
It’s a matter of life and death. Using idioms like this is a good way of demonstrating your familiarity with English.
She then goes on to give specific examples why birds need to hear each other.
If they can’t hear, in the first place they may have trouble attracting mates and breeding and keeping the population going.
And also, if they can’t hear each other’s warning calls, they may be more likely to be taken by predators.
Problems occur when birds can’t hear each other.
She uses some signpost words to help the listener understand the different examples. What are those words?
If they can’t hear, in the first place they may have trouble attracting mates and breeding and keeping the population going.
And also, if they can’t hear each other’s warning calls, they may be more likely to be taken by predators.
‘In the first place’ is a sign that an example is going to follow, but also it tells the listener there will be another one.
If they can’t hear, in the first place they may have trouble attracting mates and breeding and keeping the population going.
The second signpost word is ‘also’. This introduces the second example.
And also, if they can’t hear each other’s warning calls, they may be more likely to be taken by predators.
That’s all for now. I’ll see you next time.
Study English S3 Ep20: Giving Examples Study Notes
Study English S3 Ep20: Giving Examples Activity Sheet
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Thumbnail credit – Flickr CC: Caleb Roenigk