Speaking Activities & Conversation Practice

⏱️ Speaking Timer - Challenge yourself!

1:00

Warm-Up Activities 🔥

Quick Speaking Starters ⚡

Two Truths & A Lie Easy

Tell your partner 3 statements about yourself - 2 true, 1 false. They guess which is the lie!

👥 Pairs | ⏱️ 5 mins | Great for introductions and building confidence.

Picture Description Medium

Describe a photo for 1 minute without stopping. Include: what you see, emotions, what happened before/after.

👤 Solo/Pairs | ⏱️ 1-2 mins | Practice fluency and descriptive vocabulary.

Word Association Easy

Say a word → partner says the first word that comes to mind → continue for 1 minute! No repeats allowed!

👥 Pairs | ⏱️ 1 min | Quick thinking and vocabulary activation.

This or That Easy

Coffee or tea? ☕🍵 | Beach or mountains? 🏖️⛰️
Morning or night? 🌅🌙 | City or countryside? 🏙️🌳
Always explain WHY!

👥 Pairs/Groups | ⏱️ 5-10 mins | Practice opinions with reasons.

One-Minute Talk Challenge

Pick a random topic and speak for 60 seconds non-stop. No "um", "uh", or long pauses! 🎤

👤 Solo | ⏱️ 1 min | Build fluency and reduce hesitation.

Question Ping-Pong Medium

Answer a question with 2-3 sentences, then ask your partner a NEW question. Keep the rally going! 🏓

👥 Pairs | ⏱️ 3-5 mins | Natural conversation practice.

💬 Useful Warm-Up Phrases

"Let me think..." "That's a good question!" "Well, actually..." "I've never thought about that before..." "To be honest..." "It depends on..."

Discussion Activities 💬

Opinion & Debate Topics 🎯

Technology & Modern Life Medium

• Should smartphones be banned in schools?
• Is social media making us more or less connected?
• Will AI replace human creativity?

👥 Pairs/Groups | ⏱️ 5-10 mins | Give reasons + examples!

Lifestyle Choices Easy

• City life vs. countryside - which is better?
• Remote work vs. office - pros and cons?
• Is travel the best form of education?

👥 Pairs | ⏱️ 5 mins | Share personal experiences!

Would You Rather...? Easy

• Be rich but always busy, OR have free time but less money?
• Know all languages OR play all instruments?
• Travel to the past OR to the future?

👥 Pairs/Groups | ⏱️ 3-5 mins | Explain your reasoning!

Agree or Disagree Advanced

• "Success is 10% talent and 90% hard work."
• "It's better to be kind than to be right."
• "Everyone should learn a second language."

👥 Groups | ⏱️ 10 mins | Debate with evidence!

Hypothetical Scenarios Medium

• If you could change one thing about your country...?
• What would you do with $1 million?
• If you could have dinner with anyone, who?

👥 Pairs | ⏱️ 5 mins | Be creative and detailed!

Current Events Advanced

• What's a recent news story that interested you?
• How has the world changed in the last 5 years?
• What do you think the future will look like?

👥 Groups | ⏱️ 10-15 mins | Use formal language!

💬 Discussion Phrases

"In my opinion..." "I strongly believe that..." "I see your point, but..." "That's an interesting perspective..." "On the other hand..." "I couldn't agree more!" "I'm not so sure about that..." "What do you think?"

Structured Discussion Activity 👥

How to Have a Great Discussion:

Step 1: Choose a topic from above
Step 2: Each person shares their initial opinion (1-2 mins)
Step 3: Ask follow-up questions ("Why do you think that?")
Step 4: Respond and build on each other's ideas
Step 5: Summarize: "So we agree/disagree on..."

🎯 Challenge: Use at least 3 discussion phrases from the box above!

Role Play Activities 🎭

Real-Life Scenarios 🌟

Restaurant Ordering 🍽️ Easy

Roles: Customer & Waiter
Order food, ask about allergies, request modifications, handle the bill.

👥 Pairs | ⏱️ 5 mins | Key phrases: "Could I have...?", "Is this gluten-free?"

Job Interview 💼 Challenge

Roles: Interviewer & Candidate
Discuss experience, strengths, weaknesses, and salary expectations.

👥 Pairs | ⏱️ 10 mins | Practice formal language and confidence!

Doctor Visit 🏥 Medium

Roles: Doctor & Patient
Describe symptoms, discuss treatment options, ask about medication.

👥 Pairs | ⏱️ 5 mins | "I've been experiencing...", "How often should I...?"

Shopping & Returns 🛍️ Easy

Roles: Customer & Shop Assistant
Ask about sizes, try items, negotiate price, return a product.

👥 Pairs | ⏱️ 5 mins | "Do you have this in...?", "I'd like to exchange..."

Hotel Problems 🏨 Medium

Roles: Guest & Receptionist
Report issues (noisy room, broken AC), request compensation or room change.

👥 Pairs | ⏱️ 5 mins | Practice polite complaints and requests!

Handling Complaints 😤 Challenge

Roles: Angry Customer & Manager
One person complains, the other calms them down and offers solutions.

👥 Pairs | ⏱️ 5-10 mins | Stay polite but firm on both sides!

💬 Role Play Phrases

"Excuse me, could you help me?" "I'm afraid there's been a mistake..." "Would it be possible to...?" "I appreciate your help with this." "Let me check that for you." "I understand your concern..." "Is there anything else I can help with?"

How to Role Play 🎬

Steps:

Choose a scenario from above
Decide who plays each role
Act out the conversation for 2-3 minutes
Switch roles and try again!
Give each other feedback on vocabulary and fluency

Pronunciation Practice 🎧

Tricky Sound Pairs 🔤

These sounds are often confused by English learners. Practice each pair carefully!

S vs. Z (Voicing) Common

S = voiceless (air only) | Z = voiced (vibration)

Minimal Pairs:
• sip / zip • sue / zoo
• rice / rise • price / prize
• loose / lose • ice / eyes
• bus / buzz • peace / peas

💡 Put your hand on your throat - feel the vibration for Z!

L vs. R Tricky

L = tongue touches roof | R = tongue curls back

Minimal Pairs:
• light / right • lead / read
• long / wrong • alive / arrive
• fly / fry • glass / grass
• collect / correct • late / rate

💡 For L: tongue tip UP. For R: tongue tip DOWN and curled back!

TH /θ/ vs. S/F Tricky

TH = tongue between teeth!

Minimal Pairs:
• think / sink • thick / sick
• math / mass • path / pass
• three / free • through / threw
• thank / sank • bath / bass

💡 Stick your tongue out slightly between your teeth for TH!

TH /ð/ vs. D/Z Tricky

TH (voiced) = tongue between teeth + voice

Minimal Pairs:
• this / dis • that / dat
• the / duh • they / day
• breathe / breed • clothe / close
• mother / mudder • father / fodder

💡 Same tongue position as TH, but add voice vibration!

V vs. W Common

V = teeth on lip | W = lips rounded

Minimal Pairs:
• vine / wine • vet / wet
• vest / west • viper / wiper
• very / wary • vow / wow
• vibes / wives • veil / whale

💡 For V: bite your lower lip. For W: make a kissing shape!

B vs. V Common

B = both lips together | V = teeth on lip

Minimal Pairs:
• bet / vet • boat / vote
• ban / van • berry / very
• base / vase • best / vest
• curb / curve • bowel / vowel

💡 B = explosive with both lips. V = continuous with teeth!

P vs. B vs. F Basic

P/B = lips together | F = teeth on lip

Minimal Pairs:
• pin / bin / fin • pat / bat / fat
• peel / beel / feel • pack / back
• cap / cab • rip / rib

💡 P = voiceless puff. B = voiced. F = air through teeth!

SH vs. CH vs. J Common

SH = continuous | CH/J = stopped then released

Minimal Pairs:
• ship / chip • shop / chop
• share / chair • wash / watch
• cheap / jeep • choke / joke
• match / Madge • rich / ridge

💡 SH is like "shhhh". CH starts with T. J starts with D!

Short vs. Long Vowels Important

Length matters for meaning!

Minimal Pairs:
• ship / sheep • sit / seat
• bit / beat • fit / feet
• full / fool • pull / pool
• luck / Luke • cut / cute

💡 Long vowels: hold the sound longer and smile/round more!

N vs. NG Basic

N = tongue at front | NG = tongue at back

Minimal Pairs:
• sin / sing • thin / thing
• ran / rang • win / wing
• ban / bang • kin / king
• ton / tongue • run / rung

💡 For NG: push the back of your tongue UP. No "g" sound at end!

F vs. H Basic

F = teeth on lip | H = open throat

Minimal Pairs:
• fat / hat • fear / hear
• food / hood • fall / hall
• fan / hand • feet / heat
• fair / hair • fool / who'll

💡 F needs friction. H is just a breath of air!

Final Consonants Important

Don't drop the ending sounds!

Practice these endings:
• helped, walked, stopped (-ed = /t/)
• played, called, loved (-ed = /d/)
• cats, books, helps (-s = /s/)
• dogs, calls, loves (-s = /z/)

💡 Final sounds change meaning: "call" vs. "called" vs. "calls"!

Minimal Pairs Game 🎮

How to Play:

Partner A says ONE word from a pair (e.g., "ship" or "sheep")
Partner B points to or says which word they heard
Switch roles after 5 rounds
Keep score - who can hear the difference better?

🎯 Challenge: Try these tricky sentences:

"I need to collect / correct the papers."
"The rice / rise was surprising."
"She has a nice vest / west view."

Tongue Twisters by Sound 🌀

S & SH Practice Fun

• "She sells seashells by the seashore"
• "Six slippery snails slid slowly seaward"
• "Selfish shellfish sell sushi"
• "The sun shines on the shop signs"

Start slow, then speed up. Repeat 3x!

L & R Practice Challenge

• "Red lorry, yellow lorry" (repeat 5x)
• "Really leery, rarely Larry"
• "Rolling red wagons"
• "Larry sent the latter letter later"

Focus on tongue position for each sound!

TH Practice Challenge

• "The thirty-three thieves thought they thrilled the throne"
• "This is the thing that those brothers think"
• "Father and mother went together"
• "Throw three thin things"

Keep your tongue between your teeth!

V & W Practice Medium

• "Very well, very well, very well"
• "William went west while Victor voted"
• "Twelve twins twirled twelve twigs"
• "Whether the weather is warm or cold"

V = teeth on lip. W = round lips!

B & P Practice Easy

• "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers"
• "Big black bugs bleed blue blood"
• "Bob bought a big bat"
• "Please put the paper in the proper place"

Feel the puff of air for P (not for B)!

CH, SH & J Practice Medium

• "Cheap sheep cheese shop"
• "Jolly juggling jesters joked"
• "She chose to chew cheese and cherries"
• "The judge judged the junk justly"

SH = continuous. CH/J = quick stop then release!

🎯 Quick Pronunciation Tips

Mirror practice helps! Record and listen back Exaggerate at first Slow is better than fast Focus on ONE sound at a time Mouth position matters!

Stress & Intonation 📈

Word Stress Pairs Medium

Stress changes meaning!

• PREsent (gift) vs. preSENT (give)
• REcord (noun) vs. reCORD (verb)
• OBject (thing) vs. obJECT (disagree)
• CONduct (behavior) vs. conDUCT (lead)

💡 Nouns = stress on FIRST syllable. Verbs = stress on SECOND!

Question Intonation Medium

Yes/No questions → Rise ↗️
• "Are you coming?" ↗️
• "Do you like it?" ↗️

WH-questions → Fall ↘️
• "Where are you going?" ↘️
• "What time is it?" ↘️

💡 Rising = uncertain/asking. Falling = confident/stating!

Emotion in Intonation Medium

Same words, different feelings:

• "Really?" ↗️ (surprised) vs. "Really." ↘️ (unimpressed)
• "That's nice." (sincere ↗️ vs. sarcastic ↘️)
• "Oh great." (excited ↗️ vs. disappointed ↘️)
• "Fine." (happy vs. annoyed)

💡 Practice saying the same sentence with different emotions!

Sentence Stress Advanced

Stress changes meaning:

• "I didn't take his money." (someone else did)
• "I didn't take his money." (I definitely didn't)
• "I didn't take his money." (I borrowed it)
• "I didn't take his money." (I took someone else's)

💡 The stressed word is the most important information!

Shadowing Practice 🎯

The Best Way to Improve Pronunciation:

Find a short video/audio with a native speaker (YouTube, podcasts)
Listen to one sentence at a time
Repeat IMMEDIATELY, copying rhythm, stress, and intonation
Record yourself and compare
Practice the same sentence until it sounds natural

💡 Tip: Focus on sounding natural, not perfect! Native speakers care more about rhythm and stress than individual sounds.

Random Speaking Challenges 🎲

Random Topic Generator 💬

Click the button below to get a random conversation topic!

Chat about this topic for 2-3 minutes using casual English!

Random Role Play Scenario 🎭

Click the button below to get a random social situation!

Role play this situation using natural slang and casual speech!