S40: Forgot a word? Paraphrase and keep going

You're in the middle of a great answer. You want to say "landlord". The word just won't come. You stop. "The... the... umm..." Five seconds pass. Your fluency drops, and so does your confidence. Every speaker forgets words, even in their first language. Strong speakers just describe the word and keep going.

Why this matters

Paraphrasing is mentioned directly in the Lexical Resource descriptors. At band 5, students attempt paraphrase with mixed success. At band 6, they generally paraphrase successfully. At band 7, they use paraphrase effectively. So this one skill helps your vocabulary score and your fluency score at the same time.

Five ways to describe a missing word

1. Say what it is used for

• "It's the thing you use to..."
• umbrella: "the thing you use to keep the rain off"
• stapler: "the small machine you use to join pieces of paper together"

2. Say who the person is or what they do

• "It's the person who..."
• landlord: "the person who owns the flat I rent"
• pharmacist: "the person who sells medicine at a medicine shop"

3. Use a general category word

• "It's a kind of..." / "It's a type of..."
• ceiling fan: "It's a kind of electric device that hangs from the top of the room and moves the air."

Useful category words: device, tool, machine, material, place, building, vehicle, dish, document, situation.

4. Use opposites or comparisons

• "It's not exactly..., it's more like..."
• "It's similar to..., but..."
• drizzle: "It's like rain, but very light. Not exactly rain, more like tiny drops."

5. Use a simpler word

Sometimes a simpler word works perfectly. Can't remember "renovate"? Say "repair and improve". Can't remember "commute"? Say "travel to work".

Phrases that sound natural while you paraphrase

• "What's the word..."
• "I can't think of the exact word, but it's..."
• "You know, the thing that..."
• "I'm not sure what it's called in English, but..."

These phrases are completely natural. Native speakers use them all the time.

Example in action

"The worst part about living in Dhaka is the... what's the word... the time you spend travelling to work and back every day. I mean, my journey to the office takes about an hour and a half each way."

The student forgot "commute", but kept going smoothly. That's much better than a long silence.

Try it yourself

Describe each of these words without saying the word itself.

1. refrigerator
2. neighbour
3. passport
4. traffic jam
5. scholarship

Possible answers:

1. "the machine in the kitchen that keeps food cold"
2. "the people who live next door to you"
3. "the document you need to travel to another country"
4. "when the roads are so full of cars that nobody can move"
5. "money a university or government gives you to pay for your studies"

Honest note

Don't paraphrase too often. If you're describing every third word, it shows your vocabulary is limited. Paraphrasing is for the occasional forgotten word, not a replacement for learning vocabulary.

Your task today

Ask a friend to give you 10 random objects or jobs. Describe each one without saying the word. Time yourself.