Technology isn’t really my type / thing
I’ve always been a big fan of …
I have a good taste in music
My friend and I have / share the same / common tastes
in fashion.
It really depends on the situation
It’s difficult to make ends meet!
I don’t want my responsibilities for my father become
a burden.
The burden of university fees / my life expenses
Be a burden on sb
Bear / carry / shoulder the burden
My father has already been shouldering the burden of
…
I’m really into fashion => I’m a fashion conscious
person. = I keep up with the latest fashion
I don’t really care much about … since I’m more
concerned about the high quality of items.
Rarely => Once in a blue moon
Look fashionable and stylish
A way to show off
Buy designer labels = high street shop
Attractive = catch sb’s eye
I’m more of a classic person
We have a lot in common when it comes to fashion,
food, clothes, … # nothing
We share the same / similar
I inherited my father’s tastes
We’re like two peas in a pod = look the same
Have a striking resemblance to sb = look alike
Go out of fashion # Come into fashion
Cleft Statements:
I really like sports because it’s healthy.
The reason why I like sports is that …
I really hate this places as it makes me depressed.
The thing about this place is that it makes me …
What really makes me hate this place is that …
IELTS Speaking Vocabulary: Shopping
Here is some essential language to talk about the IELTS Speaking topic of
Shopping
To buy
to purchase (formal)
to pick up (informal)
Cheap (adj.)
inexpensive
low-priced goods / food
affordable goods / clothes
Expensive (adj.)
dear
costly
A shop (n.) = A store (n.) (US)
To shop (v.)
To shop for clothes / food
To shop around = to look for the best price
To do the weekly shop / shopping = buy food for the whole week
To go shopping for clothes / food
Collocations
A shopping mall / centre
To go window shopping = look in shops without buying
A High-street shop (baker’s, butcher’s newsagents…)
A Corner shop
Retail shops = shops that sells to customers
Wholesale shops = sells to businesses/shops
A One-stop shop = one shop that sells everything you need
To shop till you drop = to shop for hours
Phrasal Verbs
To pay for = to buy
Can I pay for this with cash?
To sell out = to have no more stock
They have sold out of those lovely cup cakes
To set s.o. back = to cost (someone an amount of money)
It set me back about 20 USD
To splash out = to spend a lot of money
I like to splash out on new clothes in the Spring sales
Debates and Discussions about Shopping
Enjoying Shopping
Here are some ideas and language to discuss this issue
It tends to depend on…..
That depends….
I love browsing shops = going from shop to shop
I’m an impulsive shopper = I buy things whenever I feel like it, without
planning
I’m a shopaholic = I am (almost) addicted to shopping
I like to window shop, as I don’t have much money to spend on clothes.
I like to see all the different things on display
Aisle (n.) – passageway, corridor (in a shop, church, airplane…)
I like to walk along the aisles in my local supermarket.
The snack aisle is my favourite.
I do, my local supermarket gives us coupons or vouchers that offer discounts
to incentivise (=motivate) us shop more
Adverts are ever-more (=increasingly) cunning (clever) and attractive.
The adverts grab my attention / capture my attention
A brick and mortar shop = a physical shop
Online shopping: A good or a bad thing?
Here are some nice phrases you can use to talk fluently about this debate:
Bad Things
It’s an inevitable thing
It’s a shame that so many physical shops are disappearing
So many companies are going out of business due to COVID.
All of the following mean “to go out of business”
To close down
To go into liquidation
To go bankrupt
To go belly up
Unfortunately we lose the personal touch of chatting and socialising with other shoppers
and shop assistants when we shop online
It’s not a good thing as we don’t know which sites to trust.
I am always wary (=careful with) of online payments, I mean you hear of so many scams
(=dishonest attempts to get your money), so is it really safe and secure?
Good Things
The rise of online shopping means we can busy things from anywhere in the world, at the
click of a button (=immediately)
Online shopping makes the purchase of most things much easier and more convenient.
Online shopping has been a lifesaver during COVID. It’s easy to get anything, even
everyday essentials like food.
Online versus offline shopping
Here are some phrases you can use to discuss this issue
I prefer ____
I lean towards _____ (=I like/prefer)
Online shopping saves time. It saves a ton of time.
It depends on what I am buying
I like physical shopping because I can try stuff on. (Clothes)
I like physical shopping because I can try stuff out. (Electronic things)
I can actually touch the products if I am in a real shop
Online shopping is much more practical and the delivery is usually pretty quick.
With the rise of companies like Amazon, then online delivery is very fast nowadays.
Online shopping is fun, if you like opening boxes.
I shop online for clothes a lot, but you never know if the size is going to fit, so there
is always a bit of a risk.
Despite the convenience that comes with online shopping I still prefer offline
shopping as it enables me to inspect my goods before paying.
Idioms to talk about Shopping
My new bike cost an arm ’n’ a leg = to be expensive
I paid over the odds for it = I paid too much
I paid through the nose = I paid too much
It was going for a song = it’s cheap
I like retail therapy, it cheers me up! = shopping that makes you happy
To talk shop = talk about your work (usually negative)
He is so boring, he is always talking shop at parties.
