Animals
When talking about animals you like, the most common mistake is to use the singular, but if you
are talking about this animal in general, you should use the plural.
I like giraffe X
I like giraffes / dogs / elephants 😄
I adore cats
I am into _____
I am a big fan of ______
I am a ___ person
I am a cat person
Pets
I have a pet hate, people speaking whilst eating =something I hate a lot
I was the teacher’s pet = the teacher’s favourite
Zoos
There are many different species (n.)
Capture (v.) = catch (v.)
Animals are kept in captivity (n.)
Cage (n.)
It’s sad to see caged (adj.) animals
We can save endangered (adj.) animals
Tigers are an endangered animal
The tiger is an endangered animal
To become / be extinct (adj.) = to disappear, no longer exist
They are on the brink of extinction (n.) = about to become extinct
They are on the verge of extinction = about to become extinct
In a conservation/natural/safari park animals are allowed to roam (=to walk without direction)
freely
We can protect animals from poaching (=illegal hunting)
Wild animals
herbivores (n.) = animals that eat plants
e.g. Cows, rabbits, horses…
carnivores (n.) are meat-eating animals
e.g. lions, tigers, snakes
mammals (n.) are warm-blooded, and the young feed on milk…
e.g. Humans, whales, dogs dolphins, bears
marsupials (n.) – the young lives in a pouch (native to Australia)
e.g. Kangaroo, Koala, wombats, platypus, possums, wallabies
Animals that eat other animals are called predators.
IELTS debates and discussions about animals
Why people keep pets
You might find this kind of question in IELTS Speaking Part 3
WHY DO PEOPLE ____?
I recommend you focus on 1 group of people, and then talk about them.
This makes it easier to answer because it is very specific, otherwise, you may just give a very
general, ‘surface-level’ answer.
Also as you become more specific, you will find you use more specific vocabulary which can boost
your vocabulary score.
For example,
If we are talking about old people, I think….
If we are talking about disabled people, they…
When it comes to young people, they….
More useful phrases
For security
For company
For companionship
They keep you company
In today’s isolated life they want a companion
Pets symbolize a sense of welfare/well-being
To curb loneliness (=reduce, keep in check)
Help us meet other people
Pets give us a great chance to socialize with others
Zoos: The good and the bad
As you can see from the poll in our lesson, this is a hotly debated issue. If you are not sure about
your opinion, you could say…
I am on the fence on this one =undecided.
I am in two minds about this =undecided.
Zoos are not a good thing because…
Cages and living conditions are too cramped; wild animals need liberty and freedom.
Animals lose their instincts, for example how to hunt, and often become depressed.
They might be good for people but if we think of animals, zoos limit their activities and natural
way of spending their life.
By keeping animals cooped up (= in a small cage), there are more chances of extinction, as they
don’t get the conditions they need to mate and reproduce.
By keeping animals in captivity, ecosystems can be badly affected.
Some zoos abuse animals, for example, training elephants for
entertainment.
Zoos pose a risk, if animals can escape, they can harm people.
Zoos are a good thing because…
They can help educate children.
Zoos can be good for educational purposes to let children know about a wide range of animals.
That said, we should protect the natural habitats where the endangered species live.
I think, if workers treat animals kindly, zoos are good.
Well, It really depends on how well zoos are managed, and how much protection can be provided
to the animals.
It’s good to keep some of the animals in zoos, as otherwise their predators will eat them and
their numbers will decrease.
I think zoos are good to provide favorable conditions to endangered species and so help save
them.
Zoos can help us understand the biodiversity on our planet
Students' questions about animals
Tell us about a time when you saw a wild animal?
Well, it’s an interesting question because I live in the city, so I don’t get a lot of access to wild
animals, as you can imagine.
But I do remember once when we were out trekking in the mountains, we went through a forest,
it’s not far from where I live, actually.
Whilst we were going through the forest, suddenly out of the blue (=unexpectedly) we saw this
fox and I didn’t know there were foxes in that forest, but there you go, lo and behold, (=used to
present a new and surprising situation) there it was.
It was a lot bigger than I imagined. As I mentioned I live in a city so I don’t see many wild animals,
but this fox was almost the size of a wolf and what was interesting was, it was really scared of us.
It was more scared of us than we were of it.
So, it kind of peeped up (=took a quick look) from behind the bush, it looked at us and then
scurried away (=ran away quickly), to run away and escape.
Obviously, it was afraid of humans. So, I felt surprised to see how big it was and how scared it
was, but it was a really interesting experience that time I saw a fox in the forest near where I live.
(Notice, the speech is not in perfect sentences. If you write your answers out in perfect
sentences, it will not sound natural, it will sound like you are a book!)
What wild animal do you like and why?
I am a big fan of elephants. I think elephants are curious and amazing creatures.
I have seen elephants on the television, not in real life, where they are trained to do amazing
things, from almost acrobatics to painting with their trunk.
I just think they are lovely creatures and they seem very sociable, and very friendly, although of
course in the wild I am sure they are much more aggressive,
but they are typically an animal that humans like to tame (=to domesticate) and I think they
wonderful.
Part 1
1. Do you like animals?
2. What’s your favorite animal? Why?
3. Are people in your country fond of animals?
4. What kinds of animals as pets do people have in your country?
5. Do you think cities are suitable places for keeping a pet?
6. Do children in your country like animals?
7. What kind of animals do you think children like?
8. What was your favorite animal when you were a child?
9. Did you have any pets when you were a child?
Part 2
Describe an interesting animal that you have seen
You should say:
What the animal was
When you saw the animal
Where you saw the animal
And explain why you found the animal interesting
Part 3
Keeping pets
What kinds of animal do people keep as pets in your country?
What are some of the benefits of keeping pets?
Do you think some animals make better pets than others?
Do you think people should be allowed to keep rare animals as pets?
Some people think that you should have a licence to own certain types of pet. What do you
think?
Protecting animals
Do you think people treat wild animals well in your country?
What are some of the problems being faced by animal species today?
Do you think it is important to spend money on protecting rare or endangered species?
What measures might be taken to protect endangered species from extinction?
Do you think more should be done to prevent trade in wild animals?
Animals and humans
What are some of the ways that people use animals, aside from keeping pets?
In your country, is it common to keep animals to perform work, such as on farms?
Do you think people have a duty to care for animals that they keep?
Some people think farming animals for meat is cruel. What do you think?
Do you think it is acceptable to use animals to test new cosmetics or medical drugs?
