Less common vocabulary without sounding like a dictionary

"Less common vocabulary" scares many students. They imagine rare academic words like "ubiquitous" and "quintessential". But in Speaking, less common usually means more precise. It means choosing the exact word for the situation, instead of a general one like "good", "bad" or "very big".

Why this matters

At band 7, the Lexical Resource descriptor mentions some less common and idiomatic vocabulary, and some awareness of style and collocation. At band 8, it's a wide vocabulary used readily and flexibly to give precise meaning. The key word is precise. The examiner wants to hear the right word, not the longest word.

Upgrade your everyday words

General word	More precise options (choose the one that fits)
very big	huge, massive, enormous, vast
very good	excellent, brilliant, outstanding, superb
bad (effect)	harmful, damaging, negative
bad (experience)	awful, terrible, unpleasant, frustrating
important	essential, crucial, vital, key
tired	exhausted, worn out, drained
happy	delighted, thrilled, relieved (depends on the situation)
many people	a growing number of people, the majority of people
increase	rise, go up, grow, soar (very fast)
think	reckon (informal), suspect, believe

Feeling words: be precise

Instead of "I felt good" or "I felt bad", say exactly what you felt.

After finishing exams: relieved
Before a big interview: nervous, anxious
When the bus was late again: frustrated, annoyed
When you got your visa: thrilled, over the moon
With too much work: overwhelmed
When someone was rude: offended, hurt

A band 8 detail: "very" vs "absolutely"

Some adjectives already mean "very". These are called extreme adjectives. Don't use "very" with them. Use "absolutely" or "really" instead.

Not: "very exhausted". Use: "absolutely exhausted" or "really exhausted".
Not: "very delicious". Use: "absolutely delicious".
Not: "very enormous". Use: "absolutely enormous".
Not: "very terrified". Use: "absolutely terrified".

And normal adjectives can't take "absolutely": say "very tired", not "absolutely tired".

Watch your style

Awareness of style means using words that match the situation.

Too formal for Part 1: "I commence my studies at nine." Better: "I start classes at nine."
Too informal for Part 3: "Governments are kinda useless at this." Better: "Governments haven't done enough about this."

Before and after

Before: "It was a very good trip. The place was very big and very beautiful. I felt very happy."

After: "It was a brilliant trip. The tea gardens were vast, and the views were absolutely stunning. I felt so relaxed, especially after a stressful exam season."

Try it yourself

Replace the words in bold with more precise ones.

"After the exam, I felt good because it was finally over."
"Traffic is a very big problem in Dhaka."
"The food was very delicious."

Possible answers: 1. relieved 2. huge / massive 3. absolutely delicious

Honest note

Only use words you're sure about. A precise word used wrongly is worse than a simple word used correctly. When you learn a new word, learn an example sentence with it.

Your task today

Record one Part 2 answer. Listen back and circle every "very good", "very big", "good" and "bad". Replace them with precise words, then record again.