Speaking Part 3

I. LOVE AND MARRIAGE

1. If you are 35 years old without marriage, do you still waiting for your true
love? Why?

I would say it might be the case since I’d prefer to stay single rather than end up with
the wrong person. It is not a surprise, I believe, because there are plenty of people who
still enjoy their every moment without a life partner. For example, the number of
divorces or unhappy marriages have been increasing tremendously over the years and
its consequences are upsetting such as dysfunctional families, domestic violence,
child neglect.

2. Who will pay for the wedding cost? Man or woman or both? Why?

Budget planning for weddings can be an extreme headache and deciding who pays
what might not be easy since there are tons of expenses to cover such as the rings,
floral arrangements, honeymoon and so on. Hence, I believe depending on each
couple’s financial status, they should carefully discuss and choose a cost-splitting
option that works best for them.

3. What is the best age to get married?

I don’t believe that there is a right time for anything, marriage included. It’s more
about the maturity of the two people than the age itself, I think. People mature at
different rates, physically and emotionally, and not until after they can fully
acknowledge their life issues and handle them with rationale and thorough
consideration, are they ready to get settled and find happiness in their marriage life.

4. Do you think weddings in your countries waste lots of money?

Absolutely, yes. I consider weddings one of those occasions when people are willing
to pour money down the drain with exorbitantly high and unnecessary items and
ceremonies. In addition, other wedding expenses including floral arrangements,
invitations, photography, costumes and so many more also cost people more than they
should.

5. Why use lots of money for weddings?

I myself can hardly understand why couples are constantly spending an outrageous
amount of money on their weddings but I may have some thoughts. First of all, it’s a
once-in-a-lifetime event, at least for most people, hence, they want to have a lavish
celebration which no one can ever forget. Secondly, big weddings might be a tradition
in some countries. It’s customary in many cultures to have several ceremonies and
celebrations in order to have a fulfilling married life.

6. In a traditional family in your country, what males do in the family? And

what about females? Why?

It comes as no surprise that women are still responsible for most of the housework in a
family, traditional or not. Even though gender equality is actively promoted in
modern society, there is still an imbalance in household chores division. Housewives
take care of almost everything from cooking, laundering, dish washing to house
cleaning while their husbands are only concerned with some hard work occasionally
such as mending pipes or gardening.

7. Do you think men should take care of babies? Why?

Both mother and father have fundamental roles in a child’s development from birth
through adulthood, I believe. Hence, men should be more active in raising kids since
they can boost their children, intellectually and socially.

8. Do you think men should do housework? Why?

Housework is definitely not women’s sole responsibility and men should share
domestic chores with female members in the family for his own good as well as
others’. Becoming more disciplined and independent is the very first benefit when
men take care of their own housework.

Vocabulary for Speaking Part 3

​ Roll up one’s sleeves : prepare to fight or work

Eg: John rolled up his sleeves and began the space coding venture.
​ Fundamental: serious and very important; affecting the most central and
important parts of something
Eg: Heart and lungs are the fundamental organs of human body
​ Take a toll on: to have a bad effect on somebody/something; to cause a lot of
damage, deaths, suffering, etc.
Eg: The natural disaster took a toll on Chennai in 2004.
​ Horrendous: extremely unpleasant
Eg: The roads leading to the village were horrendous.
​ Imbalance: a situation in which two or more things are not the same size or are
not treated the same, in a way that is unfair or causes problems
Eg: Recruitment of women employees will reduce the gender imbalance in the
company.
​ Outrageous: very unusual and slightly shocking
Eg: She took an outrageous decision.
​ Lavish: large in amount, or impressive, and usually costing a lot of money
Eg: Rose wanted a lavish wedding.
​ Delight: a feeling of great pleasure
Eg: I was delighted to see my grandparents after a long gap.
​ Maturity: the quality of thinking and behaving in a sensible, adult manner
Eg: Rose was mature enough to forgive him.
​ Once-in-lifetime: very special because you will probably only have it once
Eg: It was a once-in-lifetime opportunity to meet the king of Bollywood.
​ Abundant: existing in large quantities; more than enough
Eg: There was an abundance of wealth in his time.
 ​ Well-off: having a lot of money
Eg: Rose belongs to a well-off family.
​ End up with: to finish with the possession of someone or something or in the
company of someone or something
Eg: I ended up having a coffee with my colleague.
​ Dysfunctional: not working normally or properly
Eg: The machine is dysfunctional from last week.
​ Domestic violence: family violence
Eg: In the olden days, there was a high rate of domestic violence
​ Child neglect: a form of child abuse, and is a deficit in meeting a child’s basic
needs, including the failure to provide adequate health care, supervision,
clothing, nutrition, housing as well as their physical, emotional, social,
educational and safety needs
Eg: The punishment for child neglect is 10 years.
​ Accompany: to travel or go somewhere with somebody
Eg: My friend accompanied me to the park.
​ Attire: clothes
Eg: I will change my attire, once the drama is over.

II. ADVERTISEMENT

1. How do advertisements attract attention?

It all depends on what group of people the advertisement is aimed for. Young people
look if it’s cool or fashionable; whereas older people tend to be more
practical-minded, so those in charge of advertising need to have a clear idea of who
they will be targeting with their advertisement, and plan accordingly.

2. Do young and old people have the same attitudes towards advertisements?

Definitely not. Every individual has his/her own unique attitude towards
advertisements and the advantages and disadvantages that advertising brings. Both old
and young people are inclined to believe and think that advertisements tend to be
misleading, dishonest, phony, shallow, and at times annoying, especially when they’re
in a bad mood.

3. Do you think advertisements are a good or bad influence on children?

Looking at today’s children, I would have to say advertisements have had a negative
influence on their lives and characters. Ads create a discontentment with what
children have and a desire to own more and to be like everyone else. Advertisements
usually tend to be unrealistic and give a false impression of how the children should
be or what will happen when they buy the product.

4. Do you think advertisements actually influence people to buy things? And

How?

When seen a lot, advertisements make products more familiar and ingrained in
people’s mind, so when they want to buy something, they will take a brand that they
recognize. In VN, people want to be like the West and so they buy what they see on
TV that the Western people have.

5. Does the Vietnamese government control advertisements in any way?

Of course. All TV media is controlled in some way by the government, so

advertisements must be as well. The government prevents advertisements from having
inappropriate content or content that is not in line with government policy.

6. Do you think there should be controls on advertising?

Yes, I do. Some things should not be advertised, such as cigarettes, which are harmful
to people’s health. Most people are aware of their existence so they don’t need to be
promoted more. Children especially should not be shown advertisements that make
harmful things look cool or interesting. Advertisements that have age-inappropriate
content should also be banned.
7. Can you think of any example of false advertising?

The biggest example that comes to my mind is McDonald’s advertisements. Every

time I go to McDonald’s, I see pictures of happy, thin people with big smiles and
perfect teeth holding hamburgers and cartons of French fries that are at least three
times bigger than the real products. This advertisement clearly ignores three glaring
facts.

Vocabulary for Speaking Part 3

​ Fashionable: stylish
Eg: She is very fashionable
​ Annoying: disturbing
Eg: Her dog is very annoying
​ Inappropriate: not proper
Eg: Cheating is inappropriate
​ Cynical: believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest
Eg: She is a Cynical woman.

IV. LAW
1. Is there any situation where people disobey the law?

To be honest, it must still exist to some extent, but I genuinely think people are afraid
to do so because of the fines and police presence. However, I know that no country is
perfect and that there are always people who will disobey the law.

2. Do people like being a policeman in your country?

I would say so. Actually, my father is a police officer and he seems to enjoy it quite a
bit, although it is a tough job. Since VN has a reputation to maintain, the police force
strives their utmost (works extremely hard) to give their all to make sure that
Singapore remains among the safest countries. That being said, some police officers
feel quite a lot of pressure, which makes it a challenging yet rewarding job.
 3. What qualities should a police officer have?

Firstly, I believe that a police officer must have a high sense of integrity. As corruption
is a problem in many countries which prevents progress in a place, it is important that
the police officer has a sense of integrity along with morality, honesty, and a genuine
concern to make the country safer. Furthermore, they must be hard-working and not
too relaxed as there are always people trying to slip through the cracks (do
something without being caught) of the law. All in all, they must be a strict, no
tolerance sort of individual to be efficient.

4. Why do some people want to become a lawyer?

To be honest, I think some people choose it for the money, as it is a high paid job in
many countries. Secondly, some people feel quite passionate about the law and want
to dedicate their life to it. Thirdly, there are many different branches of law, such as
international, geriatric, criminal, etc., so there are many different opportunities within
this career path.
Vocabulary for Speaking part 3

​ strives their utmost: works extremely hard

Eg: Every company strives their utmost to become successful.
​ slip through the cracks: do something without being caught
Eg: The mistakes of the leader slipped through the crack because of his
charming personality

V. CELLPHONES
1. Do young and old people use phones in the same way?

There is a huge difference between how young and old people use cell phones.
Majorly, it is in terms of frequency. Also, younger generations are adept at using
indispensable devices. They use it for calling, texting and surfing the internet. On the
other hand, the older generation only uses the phones to call somebody or pick the
incoming call.
 2. What are the differences between writing a letter and writing a text
message on a cell phone?

Well, these are two different concepts. Writing a letter, formal or semi-formal, requires
an amount of effort and time. Language and punctuation will have to be considered to
write something decent that is easily understood. On the other hand, text messages are
exchanged between known or acquainted people and can get quick replies, unlike
letters.

3. Many people think mobile phones can be annoying at times. Can you give
any examples of that?

Honestly, even I am one of those who find a mobile phone irritating at times. I have
never been a fan of hi-tech devices. Sure, I appreciate them for their development but
there are problems that they create as well. One of the things I don’t like is that during
a conversation with others, people keep checking their phones. It makes me feel
offended that the person is not paying complete attention.

4. Do you prefer face-to-face conversations or conversations by phone?

I genuinely prefer a face-to-face conversation as I feel that is a more personal way of

talking to somebody. These days, with mobile phones gaining popularity, people have
stopped spending time with each other and continue neglecting their loved ones.
While phones are necessary, they should not create a hurdle between one another.

Vocabulary for Speaking Part 3

​ Frequency: the rate at which something happens or is repeated

Eg: Her hospital visiting frequency is increasing each month.
​ Indispensable: too important to be without
Eg: For a full-time employee, Wi-Fi connection has become indispensable.
​ Require: to need something
Eg: To pass this tough exam, utmost dedication is required.
 ​ Punctuation: marks that divide phrases and sentences in a writing
Eg: For IELTS grammar, you must have an understanding of punctuations.
​ Acquainted: knowing somebody
Eg: I and that lady have been acquainted.
​ Irritating: annoying
Eg: When together, all of my siblings and cousins can be an irritating gang.
​ Appreciate: to be grateful for something
Eg: I appreciate your efforts of looking after me during my sick hours.
​ Offend: to make somebody feel upset by saying something rude
Eg: His thoughts on feminism offended me.
​ Genuinely: honestly
Eg: She is genuinely in love with him.
​ Neglecting: ignoring
Eg: He has been neglecting his work for a while now.
​ Hurdle:problems
Eg: When you wish to accomplish something, you will have to pass a lot of
hurdles.

VI. HANDWRITING
1. Is handwriting still important?

I personally believe that handwriting is crucial for some reasons. It’s a basic tool in
many subjects such as doing homeworks, tests or taking notes. So poor handwriting
skills or illegible writing can create trouble for students when they study. Handwriting
is able to help students memorize everything better than typing. Besides, handwriting
is inextricably linked to reading skills. It promotes a child’s visual memory, especially
ones having difficulty reading. Mastering handwriting helps children recognize
different letters quickly and help them to become good readers

2. What are the disadvantages of handwriting?

I see that the first and foremost disadvantage of handwriting is hard work and
time-consuming. When we write a very long text, we’ll feel pain in our fingers and it
takes longer to finish than typing. Besides, handwriting is linked to learning to spell
but spell check is a function that all computers have so handwriting doesn’t help with
this

3. Is it possible to improve a school student’s handwriting once they have

established a style?

Well, I do agree with that. In the short term it will almost certainly lead to a reduction
in the student’s writing speed. They should take continuous practice of the new
writing style and will become faster and automatic..

4. Is being left-handed the cause of the problem?

In my opinion, that’s not a problem. The majority of left-handers write as well as their
right-handed peers. Many researchers also show that lefties have the upper hand in
creativity, imagination as their thinking is different from righties. So that’s the reason
why there are more and more left- handed people.

5. Are handwriting problems more common in boys?

Yes, I believe so. While girls are careful in everything, boys seem to be more careless.
Therefore, girls seem to master good handwriting earlier than boys but boys can catch
up if they are given appropriate help.

6. What is the future of handwriting?

Well, I think that the future of handwriting varies from place to place. In big cities ,
advanced technologies like laptops or smartphones allow people to quickly take note
and save documents safely. On the other hand, handwriting would still enjoy
popularity as it helps poor people to write and learn how to spell.

7. Do you think that handwriting expresses personality?

Yes, I do. I suppose that each person has their own writing style so the way they write
can express who they are. For instance, if someone writes quickly they are impatient
and dislike delays or time wasters but slower writers are calm and persevere. So
having good handwriting is really important to impress others and people should train
writing carefully.

Vocabulary For Speaking Part 3

​ Visual memory: The ability to remember or recall information

Eg: The doctor gave some medicines to improve the child’s visual memory
​ Memorize: commit to memory , learn by heart
Eg: She cannot memorize anything.
​ Left-handers: a left handed person
Eg: The class had some left handers
​ Persevere: continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with
little or no indication of success.
Eg: There are lots of people who persevere and succeed