🎤 Speaking Part 2:
1. Describe a time when you broke something
You should say:
What you broke
When and where it happened
How you broke it
And explain what you did after that
Sample Answer
One incident that I still remember vividly was when I accidentally smashed my phone into pieces. Ironically, breaking it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
It happened a couple of years ago. At that time, I was completely glued to my phone. I played games whenever I had free time and could easily lose track of time.
The worst part was that I even used my phone while walking. One day, I was walking down the stairs with my eyes glued to the screen, instead of watching where I was going.
In a split second, I lost my footing and fell down the stairs. I sprained my wrist, and my phone slipped out of my hand, bounced down a few steps, and landed on the floor.
When I picked it up, the screen was completely shattered. My heart sank, but honestly, I was more scared of my mom's reaction.
When my mom found out, she was furious because she had warned me countless times about my phone addiction. Instead of repairing it immediately, she decided that I wouldn't have a phone for an entire month.
At first, I was restless and irritated. I couldn't play games or even easily get in touch with my friends. But after a few days, things gradually changed. I started reading, exercising, and spending more time with my family.
Looking back, breaking my phone was definitely unlucky, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It made me realize that life has so much more to offer when you're not constantly glued to a screen.
💡 Speaking Structure
1️⃣ WHAT – What did you break?
One incident that I still remember clearly was when I accidentally smashed my phone into pieces. Surprisingly, breaking my phone turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
📚 Vocabulary:
🔹 smash something into pieces: làm vỡ thứ gì thành nhiều mảnh
🔹 a blessing in disguise: trong cái rủi có cái may
2️⃣ WHEN & WHERE – When and where did it happen?
It happened a couple of years ago. At that time, I was completely glued to my phone. I played games whenever I had free time, so I often lost track of time.
The worst thing was that I even used my phone while walking. One day, I was walking down the stairs with my eyes glued to the screen instead of looking at the stairs.
📚 Vocabulary:
🔹 be glued to something: dán mắt vào thứ gì
🔹 lose track of time: quên mất thời gian
3️⃣ HOW – How did you break it?
In a split second, I lost my footing and fell down the stairs. I sprained my wrist, and my phone slipped out of my hand.
It bounced down a few steps and finally landed on the floor.
When I picked it up, the screen was completely shattered. My heart sank, but honestly, I was more worried about my mom's reaction.
📚 Vocabulary:
🔹 in a split second: trong tích tắc
🔹 slip out of my hand: tuột khỏi tay
🔹 shattered: vỡ nát
🔹 my heart sank: cảm thấy hụt hẫng, hoảng hốt
4️⃣ WHAT I DID AFTER THAT – What happened next?
When my mom found out, she was furious because she had warned me many times about my phone addiction.
Instead of repairing my phone immediately, she decided that I couldn't use a phone for an entire month. At first, I felt restless and irritated. I couldn't play games, and it was not easy to get in touch with my friends. However, after a few days, things gradually changed. I started reading books, exercising, and spending more time with my family.
Looking back, breaking my phone was definitely unlucky, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.It made me realize that life has so much more to offer when I'm not constantly glued to a screen.
📚 Vocabulary:
🔹 restless: bồn chồn, không yên
🔹 irritated: cáu kỉnh, khó chịu
🔹 get in touch with someone: liên lạc với ai đó
🧠 Vocabulary to Remember
Vocabulary | Meaning | Easy example | |
1 | be glued to my phone | dán mắt vào điện thoại | I was glued to my phone all day. |
2 | lose track of time | quên mất thời gian | I lost track of time while playing games. |
3 | smash into pieces | làm vỡ thành nhiều mảnh | I smashed my phone into pieces. |
4 | in a split second | trong tích tắc | It happened in a split second. |
5 | slip out of my hand | tuột khỏi tay | My phone slipped out of my hand. |
6 | my heart sank | hụt hẫng, hoảng hốt | My heart sank when I saw the broken screen. |
7 | be furious | rất tức giận | My mom was furious. |
8 | get in touch with | liên lạc với | I couldn't get in touch with my friends. |
9 | a blessing in disguise | trong cái rủi có cái may | It was a blessing in disguise. |
🎤 Speaking Part 3:
1. What kind of things are more likely to be broken by people at home?
I’d say household appliances are probably the most likely to break down, especially things that people use every day, like washing machines or kitchen equipment. Constant use can gradually cause wear and tear.
Besides that, fragile items like glasses, plates, or decorations can easily get broken by accident, especially in a busy household.
📚 Vocabulary:
🔹 household appliances: thiết bị gia dụng
🔹 break down (Phr. v.): hỏng, ngừng hoạt động
🔹 wear and tear: sự hao mòn do sử dụng lâu dài
🔹 fragile: dễ vỡ
2. What kind of people like to fix things by themselves?
I think people who are hands-on and enjoy solving problems are more likely to fix things themselves. They often like figuring out how things work and getting stuck into a practical task.
Also, some people simply want to save money. Instead of calling someone to repair a minor problem, they'd rather give it a shot themselves.
📚 Vocabulary:
🔹 hands-on: thích làm việc thực tế bằng tay
🔹 figure out (Phr. v.): tìm hiểu, tìm ra cách giải quyết
🔹 get stuck into something (Phr. v.): bắt tay vào làm một việc đầy hứng thú
🔹 give it a shot (idiom): thử làm điều gì đó
3. Do you think clothes produced in factories are of better quality than those made by hand?
Honestly, not necessarily. Factory-made clothes are usually more consistent because they're produced using standardised machines and processes.
However, handmade clothes can have better craftsmanship since people can pay closer attention to small details. So, I think quality really depends on the materials and the skill of the person making them.
📚 Vocabulary:
🔹 consistent: đồng đều, ổn định
🔹 standardised: được tiêu chuẩn hóa
🔹 craftsmanship: tay nghề, sự khéo léo
🔹 pay attention to detail: chú ý đến từng chi tiết
4. Do you think handmade clothes are more valuable?
In many cases, yes. Handmade clothes often take much more time and skill to produce, which gives them a sense of uniqueness and craftsmanship.
On top of that, they're often made in limited quantities, so they can feel more one-of-a-kind than mass-produced clothes.
📚 Vocabulary:
🔹uniqueness: tính độc đáo
🔹craftsmanship: tay nghề thủ công
🔹one-of-a-kind: độc nhất, không giống cái nào khác
🔹mass-produced: được sản xuất hàng loạt
