C1 Monologues and Dialogues

This is undobtedly , together with writing, one of our most difficult tasks. Here I show some ideas, there are some links to good websites, and, at the beginning, a list of the monologues and dialogues that were asked in recent years' examination test in the EOI in Castilla y León. I hope it helps:

Monologues:

Technologies

Computers and the Internet

Consumerism (online shopping, men v. women, the crisis, shopping habits, television commercials, shopping addiction, etc)

Crimes, law, politicians, corruption, public safety.

Inventions (past, present and predictions for the future, cloning, playing with DNA, Robotics, etc)

Medicine (traditional v. alternative, NHS = National Health System, lifestyle and health, etc)

Modern nature (cloning human beings, technological advances, genetic engineering, etc)

Communication and relationships (networks, online dating, etc).

Education

Money (the crisis, politicians, banks, governments, economic situation, 40-year mortgages, celebrities, sportspeople, etc)

Environment/ climate change/ global warming  (carbon footprint – make sure you know what it is)

Job market (men v. women, unemployment, civil servants, etc )

Travelling/ living abroad

Food and healthy lifestyle (eating disorders, stress, eating habits, etc.)

The media (the news, newspapers, the radio, TV and children, reality shows, advertising, etc.)

Charity (animal rights, famous people, governments, ways of raising money, etc.)

Appearance (cosmetic surgery, beautiful models and perfect bodies, television, etc.)

Work (parents and child raising, civil servants, men v. women, unskilled workers, immigrants, etc)

Family and relationships (present and past, changes, the elderly, marriage, etc)

 






 

 

  Dialogues:

Importance of the customer services for the companies. Write about a positive and a negative experience.

Pros and cons about building near some Roman city ruins.

Formulae to attract tourism to Laguna de Duero.

Stressing situations.

Public versus private schools.

Demonstrate for or against new green areas in your neighbourhood.

Criminal gangs in the USA.

Organized crime in Spain.

Sportsmen that earn zillions. Is it ethical?

Fast food vs Mediterranean diet.

Typical food products of Valladolid.

Ban cars from going round the centre of town. Tax  for doing so.

Seller/customer dissatisfied.

Images in the media: are wholly to blame the growth in the eating disorders among teenagers.

Thirty years old living with their parents.

Town city council has to decide if a single mother can get a social home.

Space exploration: is it ethical or not?

Genetically-grown food.

Endangered species.

Bad manners.

Climate change.

Problems in relationship mother-daughter (father-son)

House chores: which are they, how have they evolved, who must do them…

Children of mothers who are in prison: must they be together or else the children ought to be brought up by another family?

Drugs legalization.

Road rage.

Three flatmate: a lazy, a musician, a student.

Birth rate decline in Spain: causes, future consequences.






     

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Speaking - Monologues - Ideas/Tips Upper Intermediate/Advanced

 

 

Here you'll find two links to sites with indications and samples for monologues and dialogues: 

 

http://www.talkingpeople.net/tp/skills/speaking/monologues/tipsideasb2c1.htm

 

http://practiceenglishcreatively.blogspot.com.es/2012/03/advanced-2-examples-of-monologues-and.html

Monologues in Speaking Tests at the Upper Intermediate level are usually a few minutes (4, 6) and before that you may be given 10 minutes to think about what you want to say – sometimes you can take notes, or do an outline to bring into the exam room, but you can't read them, of course. At other times, they give you the outline (the topic with 3 points to mention), so you don't have to brainstorm on ideas to tackle . These ideas could be jumbled, so before dealing with them, remember to arrange them in the nicest (most logical) order possible.

Check out our Communicative Strategies section for ideas on this and on textual structure. Remember to give a good beginning, with no grammar mistakes – a good intro for the topic. If you cannot think of one, present the outline of the points you are going to address.

I'm adding some ideas to the topics, so you can pick some to practice. Remember to time yourself (e.g. 3 points in 4 minutes).

Review: Can you describe people? In the Flatsharing Dialogues you will find some vocabulary and useful structures for this.

Bullfights / Bullfighting (with audio)
*Cultural or against animal rights?

Beauty
*Fashion and Cosmetics
*Cosmetic surgery (with audio)

Work / Employment 
*Unemployment
*Co-ops: cooperatives
*Volunteer work: charities/NGOs (in Britain what we call in Spain "NGOs" are called "charities", too) - NGO = Non-governmental organizations
*Working to live or living to work?
*Alternative Work Arrangements: Teleworking, Flexible working: teleworking, flexible timetables, etc.
*Work and Gender Issues or Motherhood/Fatherhood
*Meaningful work

Education
*Education in Spain nowadays
*Private and state-run education
*The ICT Question
*Adult education: university, Open Universities, EOI state-run language teaching
*E-learning
*Lifelong learning

Health
*Education in Spain nowadays
*Privately-funded and state-run education (and private schools funded with public money)
*Alternative medicine vs standard healthcare services

Housing in Spain
*Campaigns for good quality housing at reasonable prices
*Social issues linked to housing: living with parents forever, the homeless, flatsharing, buying/renting
*The market: land speculation, prices of property (real estate), prices of rents
*Types of housing options
*Banking policies: mortgages and loans
*Government policies to support housing for all

The Environment
*problems
*measures
*examples in Spain
*consciousness raising on green matters
Social Issues – your ideology won't be assessed, just your English and your language skills in general

Gender Issues – Talk about the situation of women in your country.
[Similar topics: Social advancements in Spain]
*How roles have changed for men and women
*Job opportunities and salaries
*Education
*Violence against women (battered women, ill-treatment, abuse)
*Motherhood
*Housework
*Types of family units
*Women's lifestyles

Immigration Issues – in Spain
*Origin of immigrants
*Reasons for their coming to your country
*Problems immigrants face
*Support they find
*Stereotypes about immigrants in your country
*Clashes among the different communities in Spain
*Collaboration, integration

Homelessness / Being Homeless / Homeless People 
*Why people are homeless: family matters, debts, a deep sense of failure and self-destruction, death of ones loved ones, mental illness, unemployment, poverty...
*What's their life like: where you find them, what they are doing when you see them..., places they can go to (to spend the night or find some shelter, to get a proper meal, to get some clothes, social assistance)
*Support/Assistance in your country: La Farola newspaper...

Technology – Technological advancements - ICTs /áisitiis/ – Information and Communication Technologies
*ICTs, blogs, email, the Net, social networks, forums, websites
*As applied in lifelong learning
*Daily life gadgets: mobiles, DVD players, mp3 players, etc.

Leisure Issues
Free Time: activities
Hobbies and Passions
Holidays: In the past, only the wealthy could go on holidays. Nowadays everybody does. Speak about:
-the need of holidays in today's labor/labour system
-holiday periods in your country
-tourism and industry
-common destinations in your country (national, international)

Becoming Independent – Leaving one's parents' home.
*Pros and cons / Advantages and Disadvantages / Consequences and Drawbacks
*Average age to leave the parents' home in your country
*Becoming independent and the Housing market
*When things go wrong and you need to go back
*Housing and lifestyles: flatsharing, squatting, traveling abroad...
*How staying affects your relationship with your parents and your personal relations.

Violence
*biological, cultural?
*wars
*gender violence
*child abuse
*racism
*poverty
*hooligans
*cruelty to animals
*polluting the earth
*fixing the world

Car accidents
*The news, driving and drinking
*consciousness awareness campaigns in your country
*state of the roads
*speeding (speed limits), and other crimes (rules)

More topics:

The Young and the Elderly
The Generation Gap
The Younger Generation
Middle-Aged People
Children

Tourism in your city: what to do, etc.
Places worthwhile visiting in your country

Hypothetical situations:
A world with no electricity
What would you do if you won the lottery?
What would you be like if you were a different sex?
What will you be like in 20 years, do you think?

 

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http://peperojoeoienglish.com/c1/topics-c1/

 

Success-Failure How would you define success? Do you have the same idea of success as your parents? To what extent will your encourage your children to become successful? Do you think failures can contribute to a person's success? Can you think of any famous people who encountered failure before success? Social Networking What is social networking? Can social networking sites be dangerous? What precautions would you advise people to take? Should the use of social networking sites be banned at work? Are social networking sites changing our daily behaviour? Is it possible to become a social networking addict? Diseases What dangerous diseases are people scared of nowadays? Should we be better-informed about the dangers of these diseases? What is the best way to stop diseases from spreading? Do diseases have an effect on travel? Which disease is it urgent to find a cure for? News coverage in the media today. What improvements would you make? What is the most important current news story? Do certain types of events get too much/too little coverage? Do you trust the media? Are you sure the information given is always true? Is it important to keep up with current events? Job interviews Is it necessary to prepare for a job interview? How can a person make a good first impression? Is there a recommended dress code for an interview? Can you think of any difficult questions one should be prepared for? Is there anything a candidate should avoid mentioning? Is it ok to make negative comments about your present employer? Is it ok for interviewers to ask questions about age, marital status, etc.? What information should a candidate have about the company? Shopping on the internet Do you often do your shopping online? What do you buy online? : - food - clothes - furniture - services : airline tickets, theatre reservations, flowers, greeting cards ... - other Are the prices the same as in the shops/agencies or less expensive? Have you ever had any disappointments or bad surprises? What are the advantages of shopping online? What are the dangers? What advice would you give future online shoppers? Politicians' personal lives. Does a politician's personal life have an effect on their ability to do their job? Do you think the media pays too much attention to politicians' personal lives? Why do certain types of media give excessive coverage to minor offences? Information concerning personal lives circulates quickly on social networks. Is this good or bad? History for future generations. You are asked to select a number of objects to represent life at the beginning of the 21st century. The idea is to help future generations better understand how we lived and what major events affected us. What objects would your choose and why? Technology What technology would it be difficult to live without today? Has technology changed our everyday lifestyle? What technology, if any, has made our homes more comfortable? Has technology changed education methods? Will online education one day replace the classroom? Travelling has become easier and cheaper.  What has it changed in people's lives : speed, comfort, health, family relationships, etc. work/employment holiday habits way of life/standard of living in certain countries Describe the best or worst trip you ever took : Where did you go? Did you travel alone or with a group? What did you do / what had you intended to do? What made it your best (or worst) trip? What advice would you give someone planning the same sort of trip? Work Do human beings need to work to be happy? What motivates people to work long hours? Can perks (or fringe benefits) compensate for a boring job? What are the advantages/disadvantages of working from home? How do people find a balance between work and personal life? What would make you leave your job? In your opinion, what is the worst job in the world? Is life today better than in the past? Think about the following : Education - employment - job satisfaction Health : prevention, treatment, new discoveries, social security, etc. Comfort : standard of living (housing/transport/leisure) Violence Social issues : single mothers, unmarried couples, homosexuality ... Inventions What invention has had the greatest impact on our lives? Are there some things that never should have been invented? Do some countries encourage inventors more than others? What are the 5 most important decisions in a person's life? After making suggestions and defending their ideas, the group retains five and decides on the order of importance. It is impossible to have a successful career and a happy family life. You have to choose one or the other. Do you agree? Careers today : how to advise young people How important is it to have a good (well-paid/secure) job? What advice would you give a young person today? Would you encourage your children to accept a job in another country? Would you be disappointed if your children left school early? chose a manual job? The internet is already an essential communication tool in today's world. The first and most popular use is the email. What others can you think of? Has fraud increased since the arrival of the internet? How? What steps would you advise to protect data and privacy? What do you think the internet will be used for in the future? Recent physical achievements (crossing the Atlantic, mountain climbing, etc.). How many can you think of? Which achievement was the most impressive? Are the world's best athletes present at the Olympic Games? What do you think of 'extreme' sports (bungee jumping, tightrope walking...)? Has violence increased in recent years? What are the causes (unemployment, poverty, minority issues, tv series, poor parenting ...? What are the effects on young children? What could be done to reduce violence? Is the increase in violence a worldwide phenomenon? The effects of medical and scientific progress : health (prevention, treatment, organ transplants, rare diseases, etc.) beauty (plastic surgery, dental care, etc.) comfort in the home transport

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MONOLOGUES

You will speak on your own for about 5 minutes on one of the following.

You are required to use vocabulary and grammar structures which we have studied. Please make use of the 'opinion' work-sheet which I gave you at the beginning of the academic year.

1. Success: Think of s successful person and what makes them successful. What are your own beliefs regarding success, in general?

2. Motivation: What or who motivates you in different areas of your life? What is your opinion of the importance of motivation?

3. Work: Think about important factors that make people happy at work. Explain your reasoning.

4. Work: Describe a job you would love to do and a job you would hate to do. Reason your answer.

5. Personality: describe some qualities that you consider negative and also qualities that you consider positive. Imagine you have to sell yourself in a job interview, describe the qualities you have to offer in order to do this.

6. Family: In the 21st century, friends are the new family. Give your opinion on this.

7. Family: Children are left too much on their own nowadays. It would be better if one parent did not work and stayed at home with the children until school age. Discuss.

8. Family: Your parents brought you up,it is your responsability to look after them when they are old. Give your opinion on this.

9. Language: People nowadays in public life should be able to speak good English. Give your opinion on this.

10. Language: A lot of schools now have bilingual programs where other subjects are taught in English. Discuss your views on this.

11.Childhood: Describe a specific incident in your childhood and how it made you feel and why you remember it so accurately now.

12.Multi-tasking: What is mutitasking? Do you think it saves time or are you probably wasting time by doing things less effectively? Discuss.

13.Time: Everyone would benefit by seeing a psychotherapist from time to time. Give your opinion on this..

14. Time: Both partners need to take the same amount of time off when they have a baby.

15. Give your opinion on this: 'Revenge Is Sweet'

16. Age: What worries you most about getting old?

17. Reading: Discuss your reading tastes. Give examples of types of writing you like

18.Life-style: Nowadays people are ruled by superficial values. Give your opinion on this.

INTERACTION

You have between 5 and 6 minutes to discuss one of the following topics together.

You are required to use vocabulary and grammar structures which we have studied.
Please make use of the 'opinion' work-sheet which I gave you at the beginning of the academic year.

Try to discuss these issues giving both sides. At times you will have to argue 'against' what your partner has said in order to extend and deepen the discussion.
The objective is to interact at conversational level, not to win a debate!

1. Life-style: In our society people are defined by how much money they earn.

2. Life-style: People today have an unhealthy interest in the lives of celebrities.

3. Work: Businesses and organisations should stop playing background music. Silence is much more relaxing.

4. Love: The institute of marriage has changed positively in this country over the last 20 years.

5. Age: Retired people have too much time on their hands. They should be encouraged to carry on working longer hours.

6. Life-style: It's only a matter of time before governments impose a complete ban on smoking and drinking.

7. Language: English programmes should stop being dubbed into Spanish.

8. Family: The family is a trap from which it can be difficult to escape.

9. Work: The longer you stay in one job, the happier you become.

10. Work: A competitive work salary is NOT an important factor as regards job satisfaction.

MORE MONOLOGUES


1. Think of a film you really enjoyed that was based on an historical event or a real event. Talk about it under the following headings: where and when set, main characters, plot, memorable scenes, adjectives to describe it and why e.g. moving, thought-provoking. P. 52,53

2.Look at p. 61 exercise 6d, be prepared to discuss these questions using the conditionals.

3. Talk about addictions. See p. 63 exercise 6c. Use vocab. from Exercise 5a.

4. Talk about one of the topics listen in exercise 6a, p. 63. Be prepared to be able to talk about any of them using the appropriate level of vocabulary and advanced grammar.

5. Talk about a favourite work of art e.g. portrait, landscape painting, still-life, abstract painting etc Describe why it is a favourite and tell us anything else that you know about it. P. 72

6. Talk about alternative medicines. Which ones are popular in your country? Why do you think people are skeptical about them? Have you ever any alternative medicines? If so, was your experience positive or negative? P. 78, 79

7. Talk about 'A Travel Experience to Remember' why is it memorable? What happened to make it particularly memorable? P. 86, 87

8. Think of pets that you have had or that friends have had. Do you agree that pets and their owners become more alike over time? P. 88, 89

9. Talk about 'Hunting as a sport should be banned' Give explanations, reason and give examples. P. 90, 91

10. Talk about 'Living Abroad' - the advantages and disadvantages. Give examples and reasons. P. 92, 93


MORE INTERACTIONS


1. Talk together about one of the following laws: Cyclists should have to pass a cycling test to get a license before they are allowed on the roads OR It should be against the law not to vote in elections.

2. Talk about one of the following laws: Car drivers should not be allowed to eat or drink while driving. OR Couples should be obliged to attend 3 months of marriage counselling before being able to get a divorce.

3. Talk about one of the following laws together: Competitive sports should be banned in schools so that children's self-esteem in not affected by losing. OR All advertising aimed at children under 12 should be banned.

4. Talk together about what extent two or three of the statements on P. 63 are true for your country. Give explanations and examples. Reason your answer.

5. Discuss together one or two of the statements on page 71, exercise 5c. Reason your opinions.

6. Discuss together 'Drug companies have no interest in preventing or eradicating illnesses, only in controlling them.' P. 78, 79

7. Discuss together: 'Alternative medicine does more than mainstream medicine to prevent illness. ' P. 78, 79

8. Discuss together: 'In a civilised society, there is no place for entertainment which involves cruelty to animals.' Explain, reason and give examples. P. 90, 91

9. Discuss together famous tourist sights that you may have seen that you consider to be overrated and also discuss famous tourists sights which you have seen that lived up to your expectations. Explain, reason and give examples. P. 84, 85

10. Discuss together the pros and cons of living in a country which is not your own. Explain, reason and give examples. P.92,93


Ask Yourself the following when contemplating your Speaking Exam


1.Have you used a variety of advanced grammar (especially grammar that has been studied this year)?
2. Have you used a variety of vocabulary and/or vocabulary from the book?
3.Is the content relevant? And coherent?
4.Is there fluency and good pronunciation or are you pausing a lot and interrupting the flow of language?
5.Do you use linking words and a variety of ways to give an opinion?
6.Do you sound confident and comfortable speaking in English?
7.Are you being careful not to repeat the same points?
8.Do you answer the question correctly or is the content sometimes irrelevant?

 

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