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English Speaking Skills Flashcards
51 question-and-answer cards covering Speaking Skills as it is examined in English. 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.
24 sample cards from the Speaking Skills deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
What is small talk and what topics is it typically built on?
Small talk is light, polite conversation to build rapport, usually about neutral topics like weather, weekend plans, travel, or current shared circumstances — avoiding sensitive subjects.
What is the difference between an open question and a closed question?
A closed question can be answered with yes/no or a short fact ('Do you like coffee?'); an open question invites elaboration and longer answers ('What do you enjoy about coffee?').
In advanced conversation, what does it mean to 'paraphrase' and why is it useful?
Paraphrasing is restating what someone said in your own words. It confirms understanding, shows active listening, and lets you respond without exact-word recall.
What are 'discourse markers' (signposting words)? Give three examples.
Discourse markers organize and connect spoken ideas. Examples: 'however' (contrast), 'firstly/then/finally' (sequence), 'in other words' (clarification), 'by the way' (digression).
What is the benefit of 'shadowing' as a speaking-practice technique with audio resources?
Shadowing means listening to native audio and repeating it almost simultaneously, imitating rhythm, stress, and intonation. It trains pronunciation, fluency, and natural prosody.
Why are videos (with subtitles) especially useful for learning to speak?
Videos pair audio with visual context, body language, and lip movements, and subtitles link sound to spelling — improving comprehension, vocabulary, and pronunciation simultaneously.
What is the difference between 'comprehensible input' and 'output' in language acquisition?
Input is language you receive (listening/reading) that is slightly above your level; output is language you produce (speaking/writing). Both are needed; speaking is output practice.
What is 'deliberate practice' as applied to speaking skills?
Deliberate practice is focused, goal-directed repetition of specific weak points (e.g., a difficult sound or structure) with immediate feedback, rather than just casual conversation.
What is the main difference between conversation and public speaking?
Conversation is interactive, informal, and two-way with turn-taking; public speaking is one-to-many, more structured and formal, with planned content delivered to a listening audience.
What three-part structure is recommended for most public speeches or presentations?
Introduction (hook + thesis/preview), Body (main points with support), and Conclusion (summary + memorable close or call to action).
In public speaking, what is the difference between verbal and non-verbal delivery?
Verbal delivery is the words, pace, volume, and vocal variety; non-verbal delivery is body language — posture, gestures, eye contact, and facial expression — which reinforces the message.
What is a 'cultural reference' and why can it be hard for language learners?
A cultural reference alludes to shared cultural knowledge (films, history, customs, sayings). It is hard because understanding depends on background context, not just literal word meaning.
What is the difference between a literal and a figurative (idiomatic) meaning?
Literal meaning is the direct, word-for-word sense; figurative/idiomatic meaning is a non-literal sense understood by convention, e.g., 'break the ice' means to ease initial tension.
Define 'idiom' and give an example with its meaning.
An idiom is a fixed expression whose meaning cannot be deduced from its individual words, e.g., 'piece of cake' means something very easy.
How does an idiom differ from a proverb?
An idiom is a figurative phrase used within sentences ('hit the books'); a proverb is a complete, self-standing saying offering advice or a truth ('Actions speak louder than words').
What is 'register' in speaking, and name two registers.
Register is the level of formality and style suited to a situation. Examples: formal register (job interview, presentation) and informal register (chatting with friends).
What is self-assessment in language learning, and name one tool for it.
Self-assessment is evaluating your own performance against criteria to identify strengths and gaps. Tools include recording yourself, checklists/rubrics, or can-do statements like the CEFR self-assessment grid.
What do the CEFR levels A1 to C2 broadly represent for a speaker?
They are a six-level scale: A1–A2 (basic user), B1–B2 (independent user), C1–C2 (proficient user), describing growing ability from simple phrases to fluent, nuanced speech.
What is the value of recording yourself speaking for self-assessment?
A recording lets you hear yourself objectively, notice pronunciation errors, pacing, filler words, and hesitations you miss in the moment, and track improvement over time.
What is the difference between corrective feedback and positive feedback?
Corrective feedback points out errors and how to fix them; positive feedback reinforces what was done well. Effective feedback usually balances both to motivate and improve.
What is the difference between explicit and recast (implicit) error correction?
Explicit correction directly states the error and the fix; a recast implicitly reformulates the learner's incorrect utterance correctly without overtly flagging the mistake.
Why is being willing to make mistakes important for improving speaking?
Speaking is a skill built through practice; mistakes provide feedback and learning opportunities. Fear of errors causes silence, while attempts (even flawed) build fluency and confidence.
What is a clarification (comprehension-check) strategy in conversation? Give an example.
It is a phrase used to confirm or repair understanding, e.g., 'Sorry, do you mean...?', 'Could you say that again?', or 'So you're saying that...?' to keep communication on track.
What is the recommended approach to combining all sub-skills to improve speaking overall?
Build a cycle: take in input (listening to audio, watching videos), expand vocabulary and grammar, practice output (conversation and public speaking), then self-assess and seek feedback, and repeat.
What this deck covers
The Speaking Skills deck follows the English Speaking Skills syllabus — 9 chapters and 18 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 5.7 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 177 characters, which is long enough to carry the reasoning and short enough to say out loud.
A deck like this earns its keep on the second and third pass. Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then use the cards to find the specific facts that have not stuck.
Speaking Skills flashcards FAQ
How many Speaking Skills flashcards are in this English deck?
51 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.
Are these English flashcards free?
Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 51-card deck is free inside the Examius app.
What do the Speaking Skills cards cover?
They follow the English Speaking Skills syllabus — 9 chapters and 18 topics — so the questions track what is actually examinable.
How should I use these flashcards?
Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then drill the deck. Examius schedules each card with spaced repetition, so cards you keep missing come back sooner and ones you know drift further apart.