1

Kev Nair
How to Deal with Hesitation

Prof. Kev Nair was born in Kerala, South India, in 1949.

He’s an eminent scholar of international repute. He’s a first
class LL.B. and a first class LL.M. And he was ranked first in
university in both the LL. B. and LL. M. exams.
• “Nair was the first person in the world to give shape to the
area of study now known as ‘English fluency development’
and to systematize it into a distinct teachable subject... So
he is better known as the father of fluency development.”
– General Knowledge Today.
• “He had been researching since 1971, and the results... led
him to new discoveries... ”
– THE HINDU.
• “Prof. Kev Nair is regarded the world over as the father
of fluency lexicography... Fluency lexicography came into
existence as a separate branch of dictionary writing with
the publication of Prof. Nair’s Dictionary of Active Fluency
Combinations in 1986.”
– Competition Success Review.
• “A renowned English language lexicographer”
– The New Sunday Express.
• “One of the world’s most respected English language
scholars...Perhaps more innovative in method than Roget
and more modern in approach than Fowler, Prof. Kev Nair
is... one of the foremost Indian scholars who wield great
influence on the thinking of the English-educated people
around the world.”
– General Knowledge Today.
• “A towering English language expert”
– Competition Success Review.
• “Prof. Kev Nair... has... reached out to thousands – judicial
officers, professionals, top executives, scholars – who
2

need that comfort and ease in speech with his specialized

fluency techniques.”
– The New Indian Express.
Prof. Nair is a lawyer by profession. He lives with his wife and
children in Kochi, Kerala, an enchanting place on the earth.
 3

Fluent English Dictionaries1 by Kev Nair

• A Dictionary of Active Fluency Combinations.
• A Dictionary of Fluency Word Clusters.
• The Complete Fluency Words.
• A Dictionary of Essential Fluency Phrases.
• Core Fluency Thesaurus.
• Comprehensive Adjectival Fluency Dictionary.
• Narrative Fluency Dictionary.
• Thesaurus of Phrasal Verbs.

1
Note: The Fluent English Dictionaries do not form part of Fluentzy: The
English Fluency Encyclopedia. They’re separate publications – meant for those
who want to specialize in fluency-oriented vocabulary. For details, visit www.
fluencybookz.com.
4

Books by Kev Nair making up

Fluentzy: The English Fluency Encyclopedia
• B1: Idea units & Fluency.
• B2: Speech Generation & Flow Production.
• B3: Teaching your Tongue & Speech Rhythm.
• B4: Key Speech-initiators & Speech-unit Patterns.
• S1/B13 & S2/B14: Fluency in Functional English (Vols. 1 & 2).
• S3/B15: Fluency in Telephone English & Sectoral English.
• B5: How to Deal with Hesitation.
• B6: Oral Training in Fluency Vocabulary (Vol.1).
• B7: Packing of Information.
• B8: Impromptu Speech-flow Techniques.
• S4/B16: Fluency Building & Mouth Gymnastics.
• S5/B17: Fluency in speaking about people.
• B9: Fluency in Asking Questions.
• B10: Oral Training in Fluency Vocabulary (Vol.2).
• B11: Fluency & Moment-to-Moment Speech-production.
• B12: Oral Training in Fluency Vocabulary (Vol.3).
• S6/B18 & S7/B19: Fluency in Topicwise English (Vols. 1 & 2).
• S8/B20: Fluency & Pronunciation.
 5

B5

How to Deal with

Hesitation
“Deals with the techniques of mid-speech
hesitation management.” – THE HINDU.

Fifth Edition

Prof. Kev Nair

TM

TM
Adult Faculties Council
6

For Uma

how to deal with hesitation

Copyright © Prof. K. E. V. Nair @ KevNair 1982, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2007.
First published 1982.
4th edition 2000 (11 impressions).
5th edition 2008.
Prof. K. E. V. Nair @ KevNair has asserted his right to be identified
as the author of this book in accordance with the Copyright Act, 1957.
All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this book shall be copied or
reproduced or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or
manner whatever, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior permission, in writing, of the
publisher, except in the case of brief quotations or as expressly permitted
by law.
All quotations from this book shall credit the author, Prof. KevNair.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade
or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form
of binding or cover other than that in which it is published, and without a
similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on any acquirer
or the subsequent purchaser.
Any violation of these terms and conditions will invite civil and criminal
proceedings and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Published in India by Mrs. Uma V. Nair, Adult Faculties Council, DP Lane,
Elamakkara PO, Kochi-682 026, Kerala.
Printed in India by Ayodhya Printers Ltd., Elamakkara PO,
Kochi-682 026, Kerala.
Adult Faculties Council’s websites:
www.fluentzy.com; www.fluencybookz.com.
Phone: (91)(0484) 2538449, 2408361.
Fax: (91)(0484) 2408361.
E-mail: [email protected].
Price: Rs.175.00
 7

Contents
Chapter 1: How to deal with hesitation, 11
Pauses and syllable lengthening, 11
Junction pauses, 11
Junction pauses and grammatical breaks, 13
Spontaneous speech, 13
Non-spontaneous speech, 14
Hesitation pauses, 15
Pause notation, 17

Chapter 2: Paracomplex, paraboundaries and

parapauses, 19
Minor and major boundaries, 20
Syllable lengthening, 21
Public & non-public and formal & non-formal situations, 22

Chapter 3: Speech production and hesitation, 25

Problems causing hesitation, 25
Result of hesitation, 26
Native and foreign hesitation, 27
Native hesitation is a normal phenomenon, 28
A basic reason for lack of fluency, 29
Giving flow to your speech, 29
Preventing foreign hesitations, 29
Dealing with hesitations, 30

Chapter 4: Method 1: Pauses, 32

(i) Hesitation caused by Problem No. 1, 32
(ii) Hesitation caused by Problem No. 2, 33
(iii) Hesitation caused by Problem No. 3, 33
(iv) Hesitation caused by Problem No. 4, 34
8

(v) Hesitation caused by Problem No. 5, 34

(vi) Hesitation caused by Problem No. 6, 36

Chapter 5: Method 2: Hesitation noises, 37

(i) Hesitation caused by Problem 1, 38
(ii) Hesitation caused by Problem 2, 38
(iii) Hesitation caused by Problem 3, 39
(iv) Hesitation caused by Problem 4, 40
(v) Hesitation caused by Problem 5, 40
(vi) Hesitation caused by Problem 6, 41

Chapter 6: Method 3: Hesitation fillers, 43

(i) Hesitation caused by Problem 1, 44
(ii) Hesitation caused by Problem 2, 45
(iii) Hesitation caused by Problem 3, 45
(iv) Hesitation caused by Problem 4, 47
(v) Hesitation caused by Problem 5, 47
(vi) Hesitation caused by Problem 6, 48

Guidelines, 48

Chapter 7: Hesitation-tackling oral practice, 57

Chapter 8: ‘have’-collocations, 61
Chapter 9: Practice with action word groups, 71
Chapter 10: Spoken texts for speech-flow practice, 78
Chapter 11: Rhythm drill, 92
Chapter 12: Questions for rhythm drill, 101
Chapter 13: Questions for oral practice, 106
 9

Preface to the 5th edition

Here’s the latest edition of this book.

I have now added a substantial amount of new material for
hesitation-tackling oral practice.
Do you have any comments or suggestions? Please do write to
me care of the publishers.

KEV Nair,
Kochi, 2008.
10

Abbreviations

fml formal
infml informal
sb somebody
sth something
sw somewhere
 11

chapter 1

How to deal with hesitation

Here’s a Book that’s going to do two things for you: It’ll keep
your speech flow from breaking up. And it’ll help you keep up a
regular flow of speech.

Pauses and syllable lengthening

As a background to what follows, you must note one thing: In
speech, pauses are as important as words themselves.
A pause is a temporary stop or break in speech — a momentary
silence when you stop uttering words. A momentary stopping of
the speech flow. A momentary stopping of the sound stream.
Pauses are important, because they help you divide up what
you want to say into chunks of manageable sizes. And what’s
more, they help you deal with hesitation.
There are two types of pauses. They are:
(i) Junction pauses; and
(ii) Hesitation pauses.

Junction pauses
Junction pauses are pauses made at junctions between idea units.
That is, they’re made at the ends of idea units (= chunks).
Why does a speaker pause at an idea unit junction? The
reason is usually one of the following:
• To mark the end of one idea unit and the beginning of the
next; or
• To take a breath; or
• To give a moment or two to the listener — to digest the idea
12 H ow to deal with hesitation

contained in the idea unit that the speaker has just uttered.
So generally, when you pause at an idea unit junction, your
aim is not to deal with hesitation. Most often, your aim (in
making a junction pause) is to mark off one idea unit from the
next. And you mark off one idea unit from the next one, because
of two reasons:
(a) Your listeners will then find it easier to understand you
properly.
(b) You will then find it easier to go on with your speech
without faltering.
So remember this: You’re free to make a junction pause, even
if you have no hesitation when you’ve finished uttering an idea
unit.
As you know, an ideal idea unit ends at a grammatical
break, and so an ideal idea unit is a whole (= unfragmented)
grammatical unit. So an ideal idea unit junction would be a
grammatical junction.
Now go through the following examples. In these examples,
the symbol ‘ + ’ indicates a grammatical junction, that is, an ideal
idea unit junction. And the pauses you make at these junctions
are junction pauses, and they mark off one idea unit from the
next.
E.g. • Mr. Gupta + please come over here. • For three hours +
he waited there. • Finally + he gave it to me. • The route
we took + wasn’t short. • What he told me + wasn’t the
truth. • I met him there + and he came with me. • Ask her
father + or one of her brothers. • He left the place + after
John and others had come. • Before I came + nobody had
left the place. • He’s been with that company + since last
April. • I asked him to tell me + if he had seen it.
 H ow to deal with hesitation 13

Junction pauses and grammatical breaks

Spontaneous speech
When you speak spontaneously, what’s the natural way of
composing and delivering speech? You know, the natural way
is to compose and deliver the things you want to say chunk by
chunk — each chunk containing a few closely connected words.
About 80% of all the chunks would normally contain 1 to 7
words per chunk. The most frequent number of words per chunk
is about 5 words, and such a chunk would take about 2 seconds
to utter. As you know, each such chunk is an idea unit.
So you can see that the junctions between every two idea
units are natural points for making pauses, and so natural
points for your organs of speech to get momentary rest. And
there’s a strong tendency for most of these idea units to be
whole (unfragmented) grammatical units. (= whole clauses or
whole phrases; sometimes even single words). The idea units
marked off by the ‘ + ’ sign in the above examples are all whole,
unfragmented idea units.
Occasionally, a chunk (uttered as a single idea unit) may even
consist of two (or even three) whole grammatical units (each
unit being short — and made up of just 1 or 2 or 3 words).
E.g. • [(breakfast) (and dinner)]. • [(dozens) (of people)]. •
[(He parked) (off the main street)]. • [(a matter) (of great
importance)]. • [(You know) (what he said) (surprised
me)]. • [(This happened) (at about 10 O’ clock) (last
night)].
So the junction between an idea unit (whether it contains
only one grammatical unit or two or three) and the idea unit next
to it tends to be a natural grammatical break — a grammatical
junction. But remember that this is just a tendency. And so, this is
just what’s likely to happen often, or what happens often — but
not what actually happens all the time.
14 H ow to deal with hesitation

When you speak spontaneously, (that is, without prior

planning or preparation), idea unit junctions may not often
coincide with grammatical junctions. You see, spontaneous speech
situations are not ideal, because in those situations, you’re not
delivering something planned ahead, or composed or organized
in advance. Nor are you making a scripted speech. When you
speak spontaneously, you find yourself having to compose your
speech and speak at the same time. You have to think and plan
your speech, produce it, organize it and process it as you go
along. And the time you have at your disposal, in order to do all
this, is limited to the duration of speech.
What fluent speakers do in such a situation is to put together
units of ideas or information that occur to them on the spot. They
put them together by using such words and structures as occur to
them on the spot. And they refine and clarify things as they speak
along — by uttering other clarifying idea units.
This is so, whether the spontaneous speech situation is public,
non-public, formal, non-formal, informal or casual or whatever.
So when fluent speakers speak spontaneously, their idea units
may not often end exactly at grammatical breaks, and so their
idea units may not often be whole grammatical units. Their idea
units would be a word or two shorter than a whole grammatical
unit, or a word or two longer than a whole grammatical unit.
That is, their idea units would often be fragmented grammatical
units. And so, many of the chunk junctions may not happen to be
grammatical junctions.
In other words, many of the junction pauses in spontaneous
speech may not actually happen at grammatical junctions. (Most
often, they happen at the foot-boundary next to a grammatical
junction).

Non-spontaneous speech
Bear in mind that we’ve been speaking about spontaneous speech
— speech that’s produced without prior planning, preparation or
 H ow to deal with hesitation 15

rehearsal.
But when you speak after preparation, or when you speak
about something that you have spoken about several times
before, most idea units tend to be whole grammatical units, and
most idea unit junctions tend to be grammatical junctions. This is
because in such cases, you don’t hesitate as much as you do when
you speak about a new topic spontaneously.
When you read aloud from a prepared text or when you
prepare your speech thoroughly in advance and deliver it in a
formal setting, almost all idea units would end at grammatical
breaks. That is, almost all idea units would then be whole (=
unfragmented) grammatical units. And so, in these ideal
situations, almost all idea unit junctions would coincide with
grammatical junctions. And in these situations, almost all junction
pauses happen at grammatical junctions.

Hesitation pauses
Hesitation pauses are pauses that speakers make whenever
they have some kind of hesitation. You can make these pauses
anywhere — at any point in the speech stream. Yes, any: You can
make them not only in the middle, but also at the end or at the
beginning of idea units.
Normally, you make a hesitation pause under the following
circumstances:
• You make a hesitation pause when you’re uncertain about
what to say next, or when you’re deciding what to say next.
This often happens when you have something to say, but
you have not planned it in detail. This is a speech-planning
pause, and this usually occurs immediately after the first
one or two words in an idea unit — often after the very first
word.
• You make a hesitation pause when you’re not sure that what
you’ve said or what you’re going to say is right.
16 H ow to deal with hesitation

• You make a hesitation pause when you have difficulty in

finding an appropriate word.
• You make a hesitation pause when you want to utter a word
that’s specially significant or that’s of high lexical content or
that may sound surprising in that context.
• You make a hesitation pause when you have difficulty
completing a particular syntactic structure.
Remember that when you want to deal with hesitation,
you’re free to pause anywhere in your utterance — that is, not
only in the middle of an idea unit, but also at the end or even
at the beginning of an idea unit. So suppose that you pause at
a junction, and that your aim in pausing there is to deal with a
hesitation, then that pause is actually a hesitation pause, rather
than a junction pause, though you make it at a junction.
You’ve already seen in this Book that you can make a junction
pause even if you have no hesitation when you reach a junction.
But as far as a hesitation pause is concerned, speakers normally
make it only if they have some hesitation. Mind you, when you
speak spontaneously even for a few seconds, there will be points
of hesitation here and there in your speech. That is, whenever
anybody speaks continuously, they’ll certainly hesitate every now
and then.
So a hesitation pause is made because of this reason: You
won’t be able to go on with your speech without faltering — if
you don’t pause at every point of hesitation and deal with the
hesitation properly.
Now go through the following examples. In these examples,
the symbol ‘–’ stands for a hesitation pause, and the symbol ‘+’
stands for a junction pause.
E.g. • Who planned + and directed the – campaign? • If – you
have any doubts + why don’t you – express them? • Pull
on the rope + and see if it’s – secure. • Fry the onions +
but – don’t use too much – oil. • He shows – contempt for
 H ow to deal with hesitation 17

everybody. • That road +– ran by the side of a – railway. •

He had a job + in the – Civil Service.
In this Book, we’ll be dealing with hesitation pauses in
detail.
Don’t get worried over the difference between junction
pauses and hesitation pauses or about any other aspect now.
Once you finish going through the explanations and examples,
you’ll find that this is not a complicated topic at all.

Pause notation
Let’s use a short dash (‘ – ’) to indicate a standard pause. Yes,
a short ‘dash’ — and not a hyphen. The duration of a standard
pause is the time you take to utter a foot (See Book 3).
We’ll use a double-dash (‘ – – ’) to indicate a lengthy pause,
and a triple-dash (‘ – – – ’) to indicate a still lengthier pause.
If the pause you make is shorter than a standard pause, let’s
call it a ‘brief pause’ and let’s indicate it by a hyphen (‘ - ’) — yes,
by a hyphen and not by a dash. (Note that a hyphen is shorter
than a dash).
So remember this: Not all pauses are of the same length or
duration. Some pauses take more time or less time than other
pauses.
Let’s use a ‘plus’ sign (‘ + ’) to indicate a normal pause at
a junction. The duration of this normal junction pause is less
than or as much as that of a brief pause. Often in casual speech,
the duration of most junction pauses is extremely short, and
virtually, there won’t be any actual silence at the junctions where
they happen. So remember this: A ‘+’ sign indicates that you’re
looking at a junction between two idea units. (As I’ve already
told you, an idea unit junction in spontaneous speech may not
often be found located at a grammatical break, though there is a
tendency for junctions to coincide with grammatical breaks).
18 H ow to deal with hesitation

Mind you, what I’ve said doesn’t mean that all pauses at
idea unit junctions have to be brief pauses. No. Pauses at idea
unit junctions can be lengthier. A pause at a junction becomes
lengthier under these circumstances:
• When the speaker has some hesitation at that junction;
• When the speaker spends a moment at that junction to take a
breath;
• When the speaker wants to draw the attention of his hearers
particularly to an idea unit that he has just uttered; and
• When the junction happens to be a paraboundary.
If a pause at a junction is lengthier than a ‘ + ’, we’ll indicate
it by a plus followed by a dash, double-dash or triple dash (‘ + – ’,
‘ + – – ’, ‘ + – – – ’).
In fact, there’s one thing you should particularly note here:
While most of the pauses at junctions would only be short and of
the duration of a normal junction pause (‘+’), junctions are also
points where lengthy pauses (‘ – – ’, ‘ – – – ’) tend to occur. That
is, while speakers are free to make lengthy pauses in the middle
of an idea unit (= a chunk), they tend to make lengthy pauses
more often at the end or the beginning of an idea unit, rather
than in the middle.
As you’ll soon see, in spontaneous speech, idea unit boundaries
are often marked by a device called ‘syllable lengthening’ or by
intonation alone, rather than by pauses. Now whether a boundary
is marked by a pause, or by syllable lengthening, or by intonation
alone, we’ll use the junction pause mark (‘ + ’) to indicate a
boundary.

***
 Paracomplex, paraboundaries & parapauses 19

chapter 2

Paracomplex, paraboundaries
& parapauses
In written English, a topic is sometimes presented as a sentence,
and often as a paragraph. When a topic is presented as a
sentence, that sentence would normally be a compound sentence
or a complex sentence or a combination of compound and
complex sentences, and would be made up of several clauses and
phrases.
In spoken English, such a topic would always be presented
as a chain of idea units. Such a chain is actually an idea unit
complex. We call it a ‘complex’, because of this reason: You see,
such a chain would often be made up of a number of idea units
— more idea units than the number of clauses you’ll find in a long
sentence in written English. And the idea units in such a chain
would be closely related to one another in a way that’s difficult
to describe. Let’s call an idea unit complex a paracomplex — to
indicate that it is similar to a paragraph in written English.
Now the end of the last idea unit in a paracomplex would be
a very significant stop, because it marks the end of a topic. Let’s
call this point a paraboundary. So the junction pause at the end
of a paracomplex would be a very decisive, definite and extended
pause. We’ll call this topic-final junction pause a ‘parapause’. And
remember this: Parapauses are often the lengthiest of pauses a
speaker makes. We’ll use a double plus (‘ ++ ’) to indicate a
parapause.
E.g. • Many people believe + he has powers of telepathy +
and clairvoyance + – because you know + they think + he
can see in the mind + – things that are happening + out
of sight + – – and they say + he can communicate with
dead people + whenever he wants to + – and if you want
20 Paracomplex, paraboundaries & parapauses

to speak + to your great-grandfather + who died long back

+ just go to this man + and pay him some money + – but
you’ll have to pay through the nose + – and you know +
actually + many people have great faith in him + and they
believe whatever he says + – – or why do they go to him
like this + and consult him + on everything + – as though
he’s a doctor + or a lawyer + or something ++
• The policies of the previous government + have caused
much damage + to the economy + – and you know +
those policies have caused chaos + – or our trade and
industry + wouldn’t have been in such a state + of decline
+ – – and I think + the thing we should do now + is to
make the economy + undergo a revival + – because if we
don’t do that + we’re going to be in trouble ++

Minor and major boundaries

You see, idea unit boundaries in a stream of speech can be either
a minor boundary or a major boundary.
In general, a major boundary is the boundary of an idea
unit that marks the end of a topic. And so normally, a major
boundary is a paraboundary. And all other boundaries are minor
boundaries. In the two examples given above, a single ‘+’ sign
indicates a minor boundary, and a double ‘++’ sign indicates a
major boundary. You’ll find the pauses at the minor boundaries
indicated by +, + – and + – –. (So remember this: Just because
a boundary is a minor boundary, it doesn’t mean that you can’t
make a lengthy pause there).
But even if a topic doesn’t end at the end of a particular
idea unit, speakers may sometimes consider the boundary of that
idea unit very significant. And they may want to draw the special
attention of the hearers to that particular idea unit. Then they
mark off that idea unit by making a lengthy pause at its end.
Boundaries like these are also major boundaries.
 Paracomplex, paraboundaries & parapauses 21

So major boundaries are: (i) Ends of idea units that speakers

consider as very significant; and (ii) Paraboundaries.
Speakers always make a pause at a major boundary. Yes, they
always mark off a major boundary by a pause, and not by syllable
lengthening or by intonation alone. And the pause they make
at a major boundary is always a lengthy one. But if they pause
at a minor boundary, and if their intention in pausing there is
not to deal with hesitation, they only make a brief pause. But if
their intention in pausing at a minor boundary is to deal with
hesitation, then they decide on the length of the pause, depending
on their speech composition needs and speech delivery needs.
Obviously, when you speak even for a few seconds at a
stretch, there would always be far more minor boundaries than
major boundaries.

Syllable lengthening
Here’s something you should note about what happens at minor
boundaries in spontaneous speech:
In spontaneous speech, speakers often find it easier to
mark off a minor boundary (= junction) by lengthening the last
syllable of the last word in the idea unit, rather than by making
an actual, silent, pause. They do this as an alternative to making
a pause there.
Syllable lengthening happens most often in speech that’s
conversational, and even casual — but not too casual or chatty.
When the speech is extremely casual or chatty, syllable lengthening
as well as junction pauses tend to be fewer. And then, most minor
boundaries tend to be marked by intonation alone.
Suppose that the last word in an idea unit is ‘name’.
Then ‘name’ would be pronounced as ‘name’. (To indicate the
lengthening of the syllable, the vowel has been shown in bold
print and has been underlined).
E.g. • Her father’s name + was not in the list + and we didn’t
22 Paracomplex, paraboundaries & parapauses

know + what to do. • The weather was at its worst + and

it was bitterly cold + and we decided to cancel the picnic.
• You need a bit of luck + if you want to win this election.
• She works very hard + but her boss doesn’t appreciate
it + and he keeps criticizing her. • I don’t know why + but
the computer has been very slow + for a few days now. • I
don’t think they realize + this is a serious situation.
Here you can note one thing: Syllable lengthening can be
done, whether the syllable is an accented one or an unaccented
one, and whether the vowel is a full one or a reduced one. In the
above examples, the syllables that are lengthened in the words
‘name’, ‘list’, ‘know’, ‘do’, ‘worst’ and ‘cold’ are accented ones. But
the syllable lengthened in the word ‘picnic’ is an unaccented one,
because in ‘picnic’, the syllable that’s accented is ‘pic’, and not
‘nic’, but the syllable that’s lengthened is ‘nic’ (because it’s the
last syllable). Similarly, the vowels in the lengthened syllables
in ‘list’, ‘picnic’ and ‘luck’ are reduced ones, and the vowel in the
lengthened syllables in ‘do’ and ‘hard’ are full ones.

Public & non-public and formal & non-

formal situations
You know, the frequency of junction pauses varies with the type of
speech. If you’re making a speech in public or if you’re making a
formal speech, your idea units tend to be shorter (That is, shorter
than when your speech is non-public and non-formal). This is
because, in these situations, your speech would be as tightly and
explicitly structured as the spoken medium would permit. And
the styles of speech in a public situation and a formal situation
tend to make you pause at almost all idea unit junctions.
And so in public situations and formal situations, you make
frequent junction pauses.
But as your speech becomes less public or less formal in
nature, your idea units tend to become longer than those in a
 Paracomplex, paraboundaries & parapauses 23

public or formal situation. This is because, in non-public and non-

formal situations, your style and tone become conversational and
relaxed, and your content becomes loosely structured. And so in
non-public and non-formal situations, junction pauses become
fewer. (Remember that even in a non-public and non-formal
situation, the average length of an idea unit would only be 5 or
6 words).
Of course, as I told you just now, one reason why junction
pauses become fewer in non-public and non-formal situations is
this: In these situations, your idea units are comparatively longer.
But there’s yet another important reason: As your style and tone
become conversational and relaxed, and as your content becomes
loosely structured, the thing you find easier to do (in order to
mark off most junctions) is to lengthen the chunk-final syllable,
rather than to make an actual pause. And in these situations,
the role of junction pauses tends to be taken over by syllable
lengthening in many places.
When the speech becomes more and more casual, your tone
becomes more and more relaxed, and your content becomes more
and more loosely structured. Then, not only junction pauses, even
syllable lengthening tends to disappear, and boundary marking
tends to be done mainly by intonation alone — and not by pauses
or by syllable lengthening. So this is what generally happens:
(i) When you read aloud from a prepared text or make a
scripted speech in a public or a formal situation, you mark
off almost all your minor boundaries by pause (together
with intonation, of course). You mark off the remaining
minor boundaries by intonation alone or by intonation and
syllable lengthening.
(ii) When you speak spontaneously in a public situation or
in a formal situation, you mark off most of your minor
boundaries by pause (together with intonation, of course).
You mark off the remaining minor boundaries by intonation
alone or by intonation and syllable lengthening.
24 Paracomplex, paraboundaries & parapauses

(iii) When you speak in an everyday non-public or non-

formal situation (for example, when you have a serious
conversation), the process gets reversed. In these situations,
you mark off most of your minor boundaries by syllable
lengthening (together with intonation, of course) —
rather than by pause. You mark off the remaining minor
boundaries by intonation alone or by intonation and pause.
(iv) When you have a chat or speak very casually and in a very
familiar way with your family or close friends, you mark off
almost all your minor boundaries by intonation alone. You
mark off the remaining minor boundaries by intonation and
pause or by intonation and syllable lengthening. (Note: Do
not use this style when you have a serious or even casual
conversation with somebody other than your family or
close friends — or when you have a serious conversation
with your family or close friends. That will show a lack of
respect).
Now don’t be under a wrong impression. All this doesn’t mean
that when you speak in non-public or non-formal situations, your
pauses become fewer on the whole. No. That’s not so. What I said
was that junction pauses become fewer. Not hesitation pauses.
Hesitation pauses don’t tend to become fewer, just because a
speech-situation is non-public or non-formal. No. As you’ll soon
see, you’ll have to make hesitation pauses whenever you hesitate
— whether the speech situation is formal or non-formal, or public
or non-public.
So bear this in mind: In everyday speech, pauses have far
greater importance in dealing with hesitations, than in marking
off idea unit boundaries. But when you speak in a public situation
or in a formal situation, pauses have as much importance in
marking off idea unit boundaries as in dealing with hesitations.

***
 S peech production and hesitation 25

chapter 3

Speech production
and hesitation
A basic thing you should understand now is an important
difference between written language and spoken language.
You see, when you write, you get as much time as you
want for thinking about the subject-matter, for planning the
construction of sentences, for selecting or looking up the right
words and phrases, and for doing corrections and editing. But
when you speak spontaneously, you don’t virtually have any time
to do all these. All your time is limited to the time of your speech.
And the entire planning, correction, editing, etc. have to be done
in that limited time! That is, you have to do all these things as
you speak — partly in your mind (silently) and partly aloud. So
you see, spontaneous speech is a typical example of editing done
aloud.
You know, the mind of every person has a special faculty:
As soon as they start speaking, their minds automatically start
planning, monitoring and editing the speech. This planning,
monitoring etc. happen at the same time as the delivery of the
speech, and so several problems come up. And these problems
make everybody hesitate — no matter how remarkably fluent
they are. Let’s now examine what these problems are.

Problems causing hesitation

Here are the chief problems that make everybody come up
against hesitation when they’re speaking:
1) The construction or wording of an idea unit may not
always come out right — or the way the speaker likes. Thus, for
example, speakers (even experienced native speakers of English)
often have doubts in the middle of their speech whether the words
26 Speech production and hesitation

they’ve used in a phrase or a clause are the right ones or are in

the proper order. Similarly, speakers often have doubts about the
exact words in a collocation (= a fixed word-combination) or
idioms that may occur to them.
2) The speaker may have a particular idea in his mind, and
he may even know several words or phrases to express it. But he
may not be sure which word or phrase to select out of them.
3) The speaker may have a particular idea in his mind, but
the right word or phrase to express it may not occur to him
readily, or may not be known to him, or may not be there at all
in the language.
4) The speaker may find that his organs of speech, without
his thinking, produce the same word or phrase more than once.
E.g. I didn’t – didn’t want it.
5) The speaker may find that his organs of speech utter part
of a word, stop, and then utter the word completely.
E.g. I ne – never knew it.
6) When he’s uttered part of an idea unit, the speaker may
get a lump formed in his throat, and he may find that he can’t
complete the idea unit. This may happen because of several
psychological factors like self-consciousness, shyness, tension,
etc. or because of distraction.
And now comes the important point:
What happens when these problems come up? You see,
when these problems come up, the speaker becomes uncertain
what to say or how to continue — and automatically pauses in
doubt. That is, the speaker hesitates. And the result is, the flow
of speech gets blocked.

Result of hesitation
And what is the result of hesitation? The result depends on
whether the speaker knows how to deal with hesitation.
 Speech production and hesitation 27

If you (the speaker) know how to deal with hesitation, this

is what happens: When an instance of hesitation comes up, you
would promptly deal with it and overcome it — and make the
flow of speech to continue from that point. And so, the hesitation
lasts only for a moment, and the flow of your speech doesn’t
break up or halt.
But if you don’t know how to deal with hesitation, this is
what happens: When an instance of hesitation comes up, you
wouldn’t be able to deal with it well enough and to make the flow
of speech to continue from that point. So, the flow of your speech
breaks up or halts.

Native and foreign hesitation

When a non-native speaker of English speaks English, two
types of hesitation are possible. We’ll call them foreign hesitation
and native hesitation.
Foreign hesitation normally happens only when a non-fluent
non-native speaker speaks. Yes, this type of hesitation happens
only when a non-native speaker speaks. And that too, only when
a non-fluent non-native speaker speaks. Foreign hesitation is of
two types:
• The organs of speech of a non-fluent non-native speaker do
not work the way the English language demands them
to work. This difficulty causes hesitation and makes the
speaker falter.
• Non-fluent non-native speakers are in the habit of composing
spoken English in the way written English is composed,
and not in the way spoken English is to be composed. This
difficulty causes hesitation and makes the speakers falter.
Native hesitation is the type of hesitation that happens even
when a fluent native speaker or a fluent non-native speaker
speaks.
As far as foreign hesitation is concerned, you can prevent
28 Speech production and hesitation

it happening by training yourself. On the other hand, native

hesitation is an essential part of speech itself, and nobody can
avoid it — neither a non-native speaker nor a native speaker. But
a fluent speaker can deal with it effectively whenever it happens
— and overcome it.

Native hesitation is a normal phenomenon

Now the thing you should understand firmly is this: In spontaneous
speech, native hesitation is something nobody can avoid. Nobody.
Not even the most fluent of speakers. But the good news is, you
can prevent them from halting the flow of your speech. That’s
what native speakers of all languages do — all the time. Yes.
They prevent hesitations from stopping their flow of speech.
So understand this: Native hesitation is an integral part of every
spoken language.
The reason why nobody can avoid native hesitation is this:
Nobody can plan a conversation in advance or decide on the
structure and wording of their idea units before the conversation
starts. The planning and decision making are done during the
conversation — that is, after the conversation starts. And to
do this planning and decision making, the speakers may have
to modify the construction or wording of their idea units, think
about what they‘ve already said, think about what they’re going
to say, correct or even contradict themselves, select suitable
words and phrases, think about alternate words or phrases
(when an appropriate word or phrase doesn’t readily occur to
them) and do several such things— both silently (in their mind)
and aloud. And they don’t have much time to do all these, either
— because their time is limited to the duration of their speech.
Naturally, this planning and decision making processes would
give rise to the six problems listed in chapter 3 above. And these
problems interrupt the free flow of speech now and then. It is
these interruptions that appear as native hesitations.
 Speech production and hesitation 29

A basic reason for lack of fluency

So let’s be practical and face the truth. Nobody can completely
avoid all native hesitation. No. Avoiding native hesitations would
mean avoiding the on-the-spot planning and decision making
processes. And if you avoid the on-the-spot planning and decision
making processes, you would never be able to speak beyond the
first two or three words.
This fact would tell us why most educated people (outside
English-speaking countries) lack fluency in English. They do not
know that native hesitation is a normal part of spoken English.
They wrongly believe that they must not hesitate at all. So this is
what happens. When they find themselves hesitating, they try to
cover up and avoid the hesitation at all costs. They avoid editing
aloud, because they think that corrections, additions, deletions
and modifications must not be made aloud. And they think that
there must be no mistakes, or imperfections or contradictions at
all in what they say. The result is that the planning and decision
making processes get stopped, they get confused, and their flow
of speech gets halted.

Giving flow to your speech

So what you should do to give flow to your speech is not to avoid
hesitations, but to do these two things:
• Train yourself, so that you can prevent foreign hesitations;
and
• Learn to deal with native hesitations properly.

Preventing foreign hesitations

How to prevent foreign hesitations? There are two ways in which
you can do this:
• You should give your organs of speech plenty of training in
uttering basic sound-groups, conversational expressions,
30 Speech production and hesitation

frequently- occurring word groups and common structures

in English; and
• You should get out of the written English track and get into
the spoken English track.
The various Books in this series would give your organs of
speech the training they need. And the fluency knowledge you
get from the various Books in this series, and the fluency drills
and exercises these Books would get you to carry out, would get
you out of the written English track and get you into the spoken
English track.

Dealing with hesitations

The things you learn in this Book would make you good at dealing
with native hesitations. Of course, if any foreign hesitation
happens even after the training you’ve done, the things you learn
in this Book would help you deal with it too. (From now on, I’ll
be referring to native hesitation simply as ‘hesitation’, unless it’s
important to refer to it specifically as ‘native hesitation’).
Let’s now learn how to deal with hesitations while speaking
— the way native speakers of English deal with them.
Here’s an important point: Fluent speakers of all languages
hesitate when they speak spontaneously. Yes, fluent speakers.
And they all deal with hesitations successfully. But the thing you
should note is this: There are distinct ways of hesitating in each
language, and there are distinct ways of dealing with hesitations
in each language.
The way you hesitate in Hindi, Tamil or French is a lot
different from the way native speakers of English hesitate in
English. And the way you deal with hesitations in Hindi, Tamil or
French is a lot different from the way native speakers of English
deal with them in English.
So if you want to speak English fluently, you must learn two
things: You must learn how to hesitate in English (the way native
 Speech production and hesitation 31

speakers of English hesitate). And you must learn how to deal

with hesitations in English (the way native speakers of English
do that).
You can hesitate and deal with hesitations in English by one
or more of the three methods that we’ll now be taking up in the
next three chapters.

***
32 M ethod 1: Pauses

chapter 4

Method 1: Pauses
When an instance of hesitation comes up, pause for a moment.
This pause is a hesitation pause. This pause would give you a
little time to get your thoughts organized. This would also give
sufficient time to your organs of speech to get a momentary rest
and to overcome the pressures on them.
Now take a look at Problems 1 to 6 listed in chapter 3. Let’s
see how we can get over these problems by this method:

(i) Hesitation caused by Problem No. 1

Suppose the hesitation is caused by Problem No. 1 (See chapter
3). Then first make a pause. And immediately after the pause,
continue speaking by changing the construction or the wording.
Understand that you may change the construction or wording
or both. You see, what you do here is to leave the first idea unit
half-finished syntactically. And then you express the meaning you
have in mind by constructing another idea unit. Bear in mind that
this is a normal feature of all spoken languages. Fluent speakers
very often leave an utterance half-finished and start another idea
unit.
E.g. • It’s the first time I’ve – I’ve never enjoyed this much. •
The police say they’ve – can they have checked up + on
everything? • I’ve been hoping – do you think + they’ll
promote me this time? • I don’t like the look of – I think
there’s something fishy. • I called you as soon as – I couldn’t
call you before. • We – they’re making trouble for us. • This
isn’t the first time – I’ve come here once before. • We sent
off – they should have got the letters – days ago. • I’d like
to have a look if – do you mind + if I take a look? • I was
in the middle of + – I was a little busy. • Have you – I don’t
 M ethod 1: Pauses 33

think + you’ve – you’ve given enough of your attention +

to this matter.

(ii) Hesitation caused by Problem No. 2

Suppose the hesitation is caused by Problem No. 2 (See chapter
3). Then first make a pause. And use the time you get out of
the pause to select the word or phrase you want. Then continue
speaking using that word or phrase. (After the pause, you can
also repeat the connected words you uttered before the pause —
if you feel like it).
Here, it is important that you know one thing: In naturally-
occurring speech, nobody skilled at spoken English spends
much time looking for words that are precisely or exactly right.
They think about the ‘precisely right’ word only in writing. In
naturally-occurring conversations, most of the time, people use
vague words or simple substitutes. So, if you know several words
to express an idea, you can safely use any of them or more than
one of them. Don’t let the ‘right-word-mania’ affect you. It is so
untypical of spoken English. And with your speech filled with
words that are precisely right, you may even sound like making a
ceremonial speech.
E.g. • I wonder what it feels like to be – dead. • I want to
clean up the – clean up the mess here. • We – fixed up
an agreement. • Something – awful has happened. •
Meeting him there only did – did harm. • I threw – threw
dignity aside + and – accepted the invitation. • It was a
– miserable journey. • You should do it – little by little. •
I didn’t care for him – along at first. • We were off before –
before sunrise.

(iii) Hesitation caused by Problem No. 3

Suppose the hesitation is caused by Problem No. 3 (See chapter
3). Then, first make a pause. And use the time you get out of
the pause to decide on a vague word or phrase. Then continue
34 M ethod 1: Pauses

speaking using that vague word or phrase.

Now if you can’t even think of a vague word or phrase, this is
the thing to do: Leave the idea unit half-finished, and reconstruct
your utterance in such a way that you don’t have to use any such
word or phrase. In other words, instead of expressing your idea
by using a particular word or phrase, try and give an explanation
or description of the idea, and get round the need to use that
particular word or phrase.
Understand that this is the way even highly-educated native
speakers of English speak 90% of the time. You see, speech filled
with words that are precise, exact and accurate would sound
like rehearsed speech, and not like natural speech at all. The
signs of natural speech are vague words and phrases, repetitions,
paraphrases, explanations, corrections, contradictions and loose
constructions. Let me warn you once again: Don’t get trapped by
the ‘right-word-mania’.
E.g. (A) • His presence makes me – makes me uneasy. (The
speaker wanted to say ‘uncomfortable’, but that word escaped
him. So he used another word ‘uneasy’). • She was – trying
hard for breath. (The word ‘struggling’ did not occur to the
speaker. So he said ‘trying hard’). • I saw – I saw that man +
with a bald head. (The speaker wanted to say, ‘I saw John’,
but the name ‘John’ didn’t occur to him. So he said, ‘that man
with a bald head’).
(B) • She didn’t describe the + say what the – what
her village was like + – – that is – about trees, fields,
mountains and all. (Here, the word ‘scenery’ didn’t occur to
the speaker. So he explained the idea in other words). • It is
not good to – to speak too proudly of yourself + – – that
is – to make others think + that you’re a big shot. (Here the
speaker couldn’t get the word ‘boast’. So he explained his idea
in other words).
(C) • She was a – she was very nice to look at. (Here the
speaker wanted to say ‘She was beautiful’, but the word
 M ethod 1: Pauses 35

‘beautiful’ didn’t readily occur to him. So he changed the

construction). • I didn’t – I was not against it (The speaker
wanted to say ‘I didn’t object to it’, but the word ‘object’ didn’t
occur to him. So he changed the construction). • He was an
– he knew his job well. (The word ‘expert’ didn’t occur to the
speaker. So he changed the construction). • He’s a fellow you
can – he is very honest (The speaker wanted to say ‘He is a
fellow you can trust’. But the word ‘trust’ didn’t occur to him.
So he changed the construction).

(iv) Hesitation caused by Problem No. 4

Suppose the hesitation is caused by Problem No. 4 (See chapter
3). Then, first pause for a moment. Then immediately after the
pause, continue speaking either without repeating that word
any more — or by repeating it. This kind of repetition is a very
common feature of spontaneous speech.
E.g. • I’ll – I’ll – I’ll bet she is sore at me. • Stay just a – a little
longer. • I was – I was – hurt and angry. • We had a good
deal of – good deal of – difficulty over this. • It’s terrible
– terrible. • I never was much on – on – on singing. • I’m
getting sick of – of her love. • I was just mentioning –
mentioning. • One swallow + and – and – it’s over. • She
– she – she never did like me. • He – he – didn’t have the
nerve to do that. • Will you nail up this – this – calendar?

(v) Hesitation caused by Problem No. 5

Suppose that the hesitation is caused by Problem No. 5 (See
chapter 3). If so, after uttering part of the word, pause for a
moment, then utter the word in full, and then go on with your
utterance, as if nothing had happened. (You may also pause once
again after uttering the word in full).
The thing you should understand is this: This breaking up
and uttering of part of a word is very common in spontaneous
speech. Yes, very common.
36 M ethod 1: Pauses

E.g. • The air was fu – full of some smell. • The damaged car
was a sigh – sight to see. • The plan fe – fell through + and
didn’t work. • He was a me – mechanic + in a small way.
• This is only my opinion +You may th – think differently.
• He had a neat gift + of ex – exaggeration. • I ate nearly
a – all of it. • Anything in the w – way of news? • I took up
all the day + in wa – washing. • Don’t most people like or
– oranges?

(vi) Hesitation caused by Problem No. 6

Suppose the hesitation is caused by Problem No. 6 (See chapter
3). Then the pause you make would make the lump (formed
in your throat) go away and give you relief from the feeling of
hesitation. (In such cases of lump-formation, it would be of great
help if you not only make a pause, but also take a breath).
So after the pause, you can continue with the utterance, as
if nothing has happened. And when you continue, you may (or
may not) repeat the connected word or phrase that you uttered
before the pause.
E.g. • There was a cow + the size of an – elephant. • No date
has been – set for the marriage. • She’s driving me – crazy.
• He’s all wrapped up + in – his own thoughts. • She –
slammed the door shut. • I turned over the money + to the
– the Police. • What he told me + tied in with what I – I
already knew. • He got back in a – hurry. • She is tied up
+ with some – some bad company. • She stripped him +
of all his – all his money. • He hit me in the stomach + and
– knocked the wind out of me. • He came in + and she –
broke off speaking. • She is mixed up + with a lot of – a lot
of people I don’t like. • He had a – fairly good sized amount
with him. • Don’t hold out on your – lawyer + or doctor +
tell them – everything. • Don’t give way to – to emotion.

***
 Method 2: Hesitation noises 37

chapter 5

Method 2: Hesitation noises

When you feel like hesitating, pause for a moment, make a
hesitation noise, and pause once again for a moment. This would
give you more time than a mere pause (Method 1) to organize
your thoughts — and to relieve your organs of speech of the
pressures on them.
There are three hesitation noises that you can use (in English)
in this way. One of them is ‘ə:’. This is the sound between ‘h’ and
‘d’ in ‘heard’ or the sound between ‘b’ and ‘d’ in ‘bird’. Note this:
The sound ‘ə:’ is made not through the nose, but through the
mouth. This sound actually starts in the throat.
Another hesitation noise is ‘əm’. This is the sound after ‘s’ in
‘tourism’, and after ‘l’ in ‘problem’.
Yet another hesitation noise is ‘m...’. This is the sound of the
‘m’ in ‘əm’ — without the sound ‘ə’. That is, this is the sound of
the nasal consonant ‘m’ at the end of words like tourism and
problem. This sound is produced by blocking the mouth passage
and by pushing all the air out through the nose. Almost always,
this sound is lengthened to sound as ‘m…’.
A hesitation pause that is accompanied by a hesitation noise
is called a filled pause. (The hesitation pauses we saw under
Method 1 were all unfilled pauses, and not filled pauses).
A filled pause can occur at junctions between idea units as
well as in the middle of idea units. But remember this about
pauses at junctions: When speakers pause at a junction, though
they have no hesitation at that point, that pause won’t normally
be filled by a hesitation ‘noise’ (or by a hesitation ‘filler’ – see
Method 3), but will normally be left silent or unfilled. But if
they have some hesitation at that point, they may not leave it
unfilled — they may fill it with a hesitation noise (Method 2) or
a hesitation filler (See Method 3).
38 Method 2: Hesitation noises

Now take a look at Problems 1 to 6 listed on pages 15. Let’s

see how we can get over these problems by this method:

(i) Hesitation caused by Problem 1

Here read everything under sub-heading (i) in chapter 4. The
only difference between Method 1 and Method 2 is this: There
(in Method 1), we only made a pause. Here (in Method 2), we
not only make a pause, but also make a hesitation noise and one
more pause.
E.g. • Most people think – ə: – I don’t agree + with what most
people think. • I have felt + from the very beginning –
əm – I had my own doubts + from the very beginning. •
They can’t find – ə: – they seem to have lost something. •
Somehow we’ll have to + ə: – is there any way we can raise
a loan + at once? • Who’d ever have supposed that + ə: – I
never imagined + that such a thing would happen. • They
– ə: – those people + took up all my time. • I shouldn’t be
able to – ə: – how can I manage without you? • That shirt
would have best suited + ə: – that shirt wouldn’t have
suited me anyway. • They wanted us to + ə: – we didn’t
like them bossing over us. • I asked him to + ə: – he lifted
up the bundle. • She – ə: – they didn’t love her. • What’s
wrong with – əm – is there anything the matter with him? •
There weren’t any – ə: – were there any letters?

(ii) Hesitation caused by Problem 2

Here read everything under sub-heading (ii) in chapter 4. The
only difference between Method 1 and Method 2 is this: There
(in Method 1), we only made a pause. Here (in Method 2), we
not only make a pause, but also make a hesitation noise and one
more pause.
E.g. • Now don’t go telling me + you haven’t got the – ə: –
money. • This is a – əm – lousy job you’ve given me. • Why
 Method 2: Hesitation noises 39

is that policeman + ə: – acting like that? • I saw something

a – ə: – a good way off. • There was no – no – ə: – sign of
life there. • This is a – ə: – terrible emergency. • It had all
the – ə: – look of a murder. • He said he was tired out +
and he – əm – looked it. • Her marriage was all the – əm
– talk that day. • The children came – əm – tearing out of
the gate. • I controlled my anger + by an – əm – effort.
• I can’t tell for the – əm – life of me + how it all – ə: –
happened. • She ran a little way + and – ə: – and stopped.
• He was her – əm – her worst enemy.

(iii) Hesitation caused by Problem 3

Here read everything under sub-heading (iii) in chapter 4. The
only difference between Method 1 and Method 2 is this: There
(in Method 1), we only made a pause. Here (in Method 2), we
not only make a pause, but also make a hesitation noise and one
more pause.
E.g. (A) • It was a – ə: – no-good film. (The speaker wanted to
say a ‘lousy film’. But the word ‘lousy’ didn’t readily occur to
him. So he said, ‘a no-good film’). • The work is nearly –
əm – nearly finished. (The word ‘over’ did not occur to the
speaker. So he used the word ‘finished’). • There was no – ə:
– alternative + but to drop the plan. (The word ‘option’ did
not occur to the speaker. So he used the word ‘alternative’).
(B) • That man is very – əm – he is very open-handed +
and – ə: – and free with his money. (The speaker wanted
to say: ‘That man is generous with his money’. But the word
‘generous’ did not occur to him. So he explained his idea in
other words). • I wanted to – ə: – to run water + out of
the tank + and – əm – make it empty and dry. (The speaker
didn’t get the word ‘drain’. So, he explained his idea in other
words). • I – ə: – I rolled up + and – əm – pressed the paper
in my hand. (The word ‘crumpled’ didn’t occur to the speaker.
So he explained his idea in other words).
40 Method 2: Hesitation noises

(C) • He said he didn’t – əm – he refused the gift. (At first,

the speaker was going to say: ‘He said he didn’t want the
gift’. Then the speaker changed his mind for some reason,
and changed the construction itself. Here he didn’t want to
use the word ‘want’ for some reason). • The food was – ə: – I
liked the food very much (The word ‘excellent’ didn’t occur
to the speaker. So he changed the construction). • The service
at this Bank + is – əm – you can’t get good service at this
Bank. (The speaker wanted to say: ‘The service at this Bank
is poor’. But the word ‘poor’ didn’t occur to the speaker. So he
changed the construction).

(iv) Hesitation caused by Problem 4

Here read everything under sub-heading (iv) in chapter 4. The
only difference between Method 1 and Method 2 is this: There
(in Method 1), we only made a pause. Here (in Method 2), we
not only make a pause, but also make a hesitation noise and one
more pause.
E.g. • That was the prettiest idea + I – əm – I had run across
+ for – ə: – for many a day. • He took one – ə: – one look
+ and went away. • I’m – əm – I’m looking forward to the
marriage. • I wanted to see + how – ə: – how you were
getting on + with the work. • We can never really be – əm
– be sure of the result. • This month + the – ə: – the sales
have gone down. • I’m not free + – I’m up to my eyes + in
– əm – in work. • You should speed – ə: – speed up the car
+ or you’ll be late. • I don’t think + this – ə: – this is quite
the right time + for an argument. • I tossed out all – əm
– all the useless things. • Give me that file + I’ll just – ə: –
just have a look through it.

(v) Hesitation caused by Problem 5

Here read everything under sub-heading (v) in chapter 4. The
only difference between Method 1 and Method 2 is this: There
 Method 2: Hesitation noises 41

(in Method 1), we only made a pause. Here (in Method 2), we
not only make a pause, but also make a hesitation noise and one
more pause.
E.g. • I could see ev – ə: – everything + from across the road. •
Marriage? + There’s pl – ə: – plenty of time for that. • You
haven’t gi – əm – given a thought + to my problem. • We’re
all quite excited + and ha – ə: – happy about it. • Now and
then, I look back on my sch – ə: – school days. • We are
crazy + not to ac – əm – accept this offer. • He loosened up
his gr – əm – grip. • I’ve be – ə: – been looking for you +
all over the place. • His pl – ə: – place + is miles from the
main road. • Wh – əm – when did the light go out? • I’ve
got much w – əm – worse troubles + than this. • Prices are
com – ə: – coming down. • I think that was the on – ə: –
only time + he was late. • Rub out the – əm – the writings.

(vi) Hesitation caused by Problem 6

Here read everything under sub-heading (vi) in chapter 4. The
only difference between Method 1 and Method 2 is this: There
(in Method 1), we only made a pause. Here (in Method 2), we
not only make a pause, but also make a hesitation noise and one
more pause.
E.g. • I had to – əm – stay awake + all night. • I want enough
money + to – ə:– keep me going + for a year or two. •
Don’t discount his – ə:– skill + as a driver. • By now + the
– əm – building would’ve gone up + in value. • My plan
was to bring them together + but – ə: – things worked out
+ just the opposite. • I don’t want to get + ə:– get mixed
up in these things. • His fees are – əm – a little too high. •
I’d take a while to + əm – think it over. • I’m usually – ə:–
away + quite a good part of the time. • This year + I want
to – əm – build up some profits. • I’ll just step out + and
get a – ə: – little breath of air. • Stop the car and + ə: – let
some air out of the tyres. • I don’t want to + ə: – spoil their
42 Method 2: Hesitation noises

friendship. • He came to the – əm – office + on the dot +

at 10 O’ clock. • We – ə: – pried open the lid + with a – əm
– screwdriver.

***
 Method 3: Hesitation fi l l ers 43

chapter 6

Method 3: Hesitation fillers

When you feel like hesitating, pause for a moment, utter a
hesitation filler, and again pause for a moment. This would
give you more time than you would get by Methods 1 or 2 to
organize your thoughts and to relieve your organs of speech of
the pressures on them. Now what are hesitation fillers?
Hesitation fillers are certain words and word-groups. You
see, they’re not part of the syntactic structure of an idea unit
that the speaker is going to utter. They’re outside that structure.
In fact, they don’t contribute anything or much to the content of
your speech, and in that sense, they’re empty words and word-
groups — or redundant material. But they play a very important
role in spontaneous speech production, because they create a lot
of speech-planning time for you — at the same time as you’re
speaking.
You see, if you make a pause that’s too long in order to plan
what to say next, that would be quite awkward. And your hearers
may even think that you’ve stopped speaking. But if you fill the
silence by saying something that doesn’t need any effort (and
doesn’t sound out of place), these problems won’t arise. This is
because what you say in order to fill the silence would give an
impression to the hearers that you’re really speaking, when in fact
you’re not speaking, but thinking and planning what to say next.
There are several dedicated or prefabricated words and word-
groups in English that would help you fill the speech-planning
silence in this way. The following are the most frequent among
these ‘general service’ hesitation fillers:
• Single words like ‘well’, ‘yes’ and ‘no’.
• Word-groups like ‘I mean’, ‘you know’, ‘you see’, ‘mind you’,
‘oh yes’ and ‘oh no’.
44 Method 3: Hesitation fi l l ers

A hesitation pause that is accompanied by a hesitation filler

is called a filled pause. (As I’ve already told you, a hesitation
pause that is accompanied by a hesitation ‘noise’ is also called a
filled pause).
Now take a look at Problems 1 to 6 listed in chapter 3. Let’s
see how we can get over these problems by this method:
While going through the things at (i) to (vi) below, you
should also read the explanations at (i) to (vi) on pages 19 to
22 under Method 1. Those explanations are applicable here too,
with just one difference: There (in Method 1), we made only a
pause. Here (in Method 3), we not only make a pause, but also
utter a ‘hesitation filler’ and make one more pause.
Remember this: ‘You know’ is the most frequently-used
hesitation filler.
Now let’s look at how hesitation fillers help us deal with
hesitations.

(i) Hesitation caused by Problem 1

Here, see the explanation under sub-heading (i) in chapter 4.
E.g. • Can’t any of you + well + nobody seems to appreciate
the difficulties. • He was asking me to + well – I don’t
want to tell you that. • Have you thought about + yes +
do you know that he has a family to support? • We have a
different way of – – yes + we don’t look at things + in the
same way. • It may not be + no + we aren’t fair at all. •
What’s this about – I mean - is he going to resign? • There
are a lot of arguments against + I mean – you can’t say +
that this scheme + has no disadvantages at all. • What I’d
like to do is + you see + it won’t be right for us + to ignore
the public opinion. • I’ve just had an awful + you see – I
dislike getting into fights. • What do you think of + you
know + I don’t think much of all these things. • I’ve got too
much to – you know – I’m a little too busy today. • I think
 Method 3: Hesitation fi l l ers 45

their prices are + mind you – we may lose much + by this

purchase. • Wouldn’t I have to go + and – mind you – he
doesn’t seem to like me at all. • It can only have been +
oh yes – it must have been Ashok himself. • I don’t much
like the – oh yes + you may like things as they are. • He
wouldn’t – oh no + he may not agree with us.

(ii) Hesitation caused by Problem 2

Here, see the explanation under sub-heading (ii) in chapter 4.
E.g. • I don’t – well – feel up to – going for films +– I’m all
upset. • It has been – well – an effort + to get these things
packed. • She is very cunning + and has – yes – a shrewd -
calculating mind. • Find out + if the door is – yes – firmly
bolted. • Her fever + no – her fever has not come down.
• Take a look in your – I mean – in your pocket + first. •
You seem to know a good deal about + I mean – about
business. • She asked him to + you see + to stop drinking.
• The headlights of the car were + you see – were blinking.
• I remember the occasion + you know + quite distinctly.
• She isn’t as she – you know - as she – appears. • That
cheque has been + mind you + made out to her. • I was
rushing around + and I didn’t – mind you + I didn’t notice
the time. • At times she was + oh yes + she was terribly
hard + to get along with. • His face was as hard as + oh
yes + as hard as granite. • Prices have not – oh no + prices
have not gone up + at all.

(iii) Hesitation caused by Problem 3

Here, see the explanation under sub-heading (iii) in chapter 4.
E.g. (A) • He was a – well – a grim-faced individual.• He is
bent upon – yes + tearing down our reputation. • She was
not a + no + not a glamorous girl. • By the time you get
there + I shall – I mean – fix things up with them. • I just
46 Method 3: Hesitation fi l l ers

don’t have the + you see + the strength to struggle. • I

was – you know + I was annoyed at the delay. • He is –
mind you + he is a nut on films. • I’ll ring you up + oh yes
+ first thing in the morning. • You mustn’t – oh no + you
mustn’t take more of sugar.
(B) • In this place + you are absolutely + well – you are
out of danger. (The word ‘safe’ didn’t readily occur to the
speaker or he didn’t want to use it). • In the zoo + there was
a – yes – a large man-like monkey + with hair all over. (The
word ‘gorilla’ didn’t occur to him or he didn’t want to use it).
• He didn’t – no – he didn’t say + that my opinion was not
true. (The speaker did not say, ‘He didn’t dispute my opinion’,
because the word ‘dispute’ didn’t occur to him). • My tyre has
a +I mean – all the air has gone out of it +– There must be
a hole in it. (The word ‘puncture’ didn’t occur to him or he
didn’t want to use it). • Whenever he talks + he – you see
+ he makes other people’s faults seem larger. (The speaker
wanted to avoid the expression “He magnifies other people’s
faults”). • Once the race was over + the runners + you
know + the runners couldn’t even stand up +– They fell
over + because they had no strength + left in them. (The
word ‘collapsed’ didn’t occur to the speaker or he wanted to
avoid it). • He always comes late + and gives some – you
know + and gives one reason or the other +– and tries
to show - that he is free from – blame. (The word ‘excuses’
didn’t occur to the speaker or he didn’t want to use it). • He
is capable of making an + oh yes + making a speech at
once + without any preparation. (The expression ‘ an off-
hand speech’ didn’t occur to the speaker or he didn’t want to
use it). • The riot didn’t cause any – oh no + it didn’t cause
any sudden fear +– or anything like that. (The speaker
didn’t get the word ‘panic’).
(C) • He has some kind of a + well – he is a little biased
against me. • I want to find out what – yes + I would like
 Method 3: Hesitation fi l l ers 47

to know the result. • If he thinks he is going to + I mean

+ let him not think + that we are fools. • It is going to
cost him a + you see – things are not cheap nowadays. •
I certainly see no reason + why we shouldn’t – you know
+ I’m all for doing it. • You can imagine + what a fix he’ll
be in + if – you know – if he was putting on an act. • The
word has got around + that – oh yes – things will be known
+ by the time we get done + with this meeting. • He’s a
– mind you – a dishonest person + and you have to watch
out.

(iv) Hesitation caused by Problem 4

Here, see the explanation under sub-heading (iv) in chapter 4.
E.g. • That man has more – more – well – more money +
than he knows what to do with. • That child will pick up
everything + just from – yes – just from hearing it once. •
They don’t – no – they don’t trust him at all. • She – she – I
mean + she trusts him absolutely. • We had better start this
work + and get it – you know + get it over with. • She did
it – you know + she did it bit by bit. • Laws apply to him in
the same way + as – as – mind you – as they apply to her. •
That was just a trick + to – to – oh yes – to fool the public.

(v) Hesitation caused by Problem 5

Here, see the explanation under sub-heading (v) in chapter 4.
E.g. • Thank you for ca – ca – well + for calling it to my
attention. • He threw back his head + and la – la – yes –
laughed. • I’ve tried every way I know + and I’m – stu – I
mean – I’m stumped. • That place is w – you see – is way
out + on the Bombay-Pune Road. • You could have ignored
the thing + just the way any other per – per – you know +
any other person would have. • The way I figure it + she
has – she has – mind you + she has something to hide. • I
48 Method 3: Hesitation fi l l ers

was a little confused for + oh yes + for a brief moment.

(vi) Hesitation caused by Problem 6

Here, see the explanation under sub-heading (i) in chapter 4.
E.g. • This isn’t – well – going to do you + any good. • I had
to put up with + yes + with a lot of trouble from them. •
I remember everything + just as clearly as if + I mean +
as if it had been yesterday. • He did it + you see – just for
the fun of it. • I got to thinking things over + and finally
+ you know + finally + I realized how things really stood.
• I know a little + mind you – a little something about
business. • I have – oh yes + I have known him before.

Guidelines
By now, you’ve got a fairly good idea about junction pauses and
hesitation pauses, haven’t you?
Whether they’re called junction pauses or hesitation pauses,
both are pauses — that is, a brief stopping of the utterance. If your
intention in making a pause is to deal with hesitation, you call it
a hesitation pause, whether that pause is made at a junction or
anywhere else. If your intention in making a pause is not to deal
with hesitation, the point where that pause happens would turn
out to be the end of an idea unit (that is, an idea unit junction),
and then you call that pause a junction pause — that’s all.
If you happen to have some hesitation at a junction, your
hesitation pause at that point can be called a junction pause, too.
In such a case, a hesitation pause and a junction pause are one
and the same.
You see, a hesitation pause and a junction pause, both, help
you keep up the continuity of speech and prevent your speech-
flow from breaking up — because a hesitation pause and a
junction pause, both, give you time to plan and organize your
 Method 3: Hesitation fi l l ers 49

speech, and they both relieve the pressures on your organs of

speech. In the same way, a junction pause and a hesitation pause,
both, help your listeners understand you better, because both give
the things you say time to get across or to go down into the
minds of your listeners.
So you can easily see that, in practice, the difference between
a junction pause and a hesitation pause is not much. Therefore,
you needn’t get worried over the name of a pause when you make
one. All you have to do is to remember the following points:
1) Whenever you have some hesitation, pause and deal with
it. Whenever you want some speech-planning time, pause.
(You must pause at every point of hesitation. Don’t overlook
any). You can pause in this way at the end, beginning or at
any other point in an idea unit.
2) Produce your speech in idea units. Yes, divide up your
speech-stream into manageable chunks — that is, into idea
units. And mark off the ends of each idea unit — by a brief
pause (whenever you find that convenient) or by syllable
lengthening (whenever you find that convenient).
3) Don’t keep worrying whether your idea units are whole
grammatical units or fragmentary ones, and whether your
idea unit junctions are grammatical junctions or not. You
see, an idea unit can be a whole grammatical unit or a
fragmentary one. Both are all right. In fact, it’s the presence
of both that would give your speech the true native-
speaker-like spoken English flavour.
4) Whenever you feel short of breath, pause and take a breath.
Yes, if you feel like running out of breath, you can take
a breath while making any pause — a hesitation pause
or a junction pause. Forget the name of the pause. Just
pause and take a breath. In practice, this is what happens:
Speakers usually make a lengthy pause (– – or – – – or + –
or + – – or + – – – or ++) at the ends of chunks that are
very significant, and when they do that, they also take a
50 Method 3: Hesitation fi l l ers

breath. So the question of their running out of breath in the

middle of a chunk does not arise often.
5) You’re free to use hesitation sounds and hesitation fillers at
any of the pauses — if you happen to make those pauses
for dealing with hesitations. Yes, this is so whether the
pauses are at the ends or beginnings of idea units or in the
middle.
That’s all for now. The thing for you to do now is this: Go
through the explanations and examples (given so far in this Book)
thoroughly. Learn how hesitations are dealt with in English.

***
 H esitation-tackl ing Ora l Practice 51

chapter 7

Hesitation-tackling
Oral Practice
Here’s something you should always remember: Hesitations
keep happening not only when foreign (and second-language)
speakers of English speak English, but also when native speakers
of English speak English. Yes, even when educated and articulate
native speakers of English speak English. All the time.
But there is a problem with a major percentage of hesitations
that foreign (and second-language) speakers of English make. It
is this: A major percentage of hesitations that occur when foreign
(and second-language) speakers of English speak English — that
is made up of “avoidable” (often, useless) hesitations, and not
unavoidable (often, useful) hestations. By the term “avoidable”
hesitations, what I mean is hesitations that can easily be
prevented, to a large extent, through training. And by the term
“unavoidable” hesitations, what I mean is hesitations that cannot
be prevented and that are often made deliberately.
[Remember this: Whenever they speak in detail and at
length – and most often, when they go beyond one-line speech –
fluent and articulate speakers make hesitations deliberately. Yes,
deliberately. Now, why do fluent and articulate speakers make
hesitations deliberately? By now, you must have understood that
they do this mainly: (a) to deal with hesitations that have to
do with how difficult the content is for oral presentation; (b) to
create speech-middle planning time; (c) to deal with hesitations
that have to do with the various types of pressures under which
the on-the-spot speech-composition & speech-organization effort
happens; (d) to deal with such small percentage of unavoidable
hesitations as is sure to occur inevitably — no matter how perfect
the speaker’s command of the English language is; and (e) to get
their meaning effectively across to their hearers — by bending and
52 H esitation -tack ling Oral P ractice

twisting the content and the languge from moment to moment,

to suit the ever-changing communicative situation.]
Mind you, the avoidable (useless) hesitations that non-fluent
foreign (and second-language) speakers of English make — these
hesitations occur because of reasons that have to do with one
thing: Their lack of experience in pronouncing ready-to-assemble
word groups and standardized word clusters as “wholes”. That
is, (a) their lack of experience in pronouncing word groups as
though they were single words; and (b) their lack of knowledge
of the word groups that native speakers of English conventionally
tend to speak out as “wholes”.
The oral practice that you’ve been doing with the word
groups given in the various books in this series would help you
get over the problem of avoidable hesitations.
Now here’s something I want you to pay particular attention
to and to understand: As I said, to get over the problem of
avoidable hesitations, oral practice with carefully selected word
groups is a fundamental technique. But that is not the only use of
this kind of oral practice. This kind of oral practice (that is, oral
practice with carefully-selected word groups) not only tackles
the problem of avoidable hesitations, but also helps you achieve
a good command of the word groups you do oral practice with.
And one result of this command is this: It helps you become good
at dealing with unavoidable hesitations, too.
So the remaining chapters in this book are devoted to
hesitation-tackling oral practice — oral practice with carefully-
selected word groups of different types. We’ll start off with an
important collection of frequently-occurring verb groups in this
chapter. Pick up each word group and say it aloud several times.

Group 1
• slip your shoes on /off. • show great ability. • scream abuse.
• shout abuse (at sb). • accept (the) blame (for sth). • win
acceptance. • win acclaim. • settle your account. • catch sb in
 H esitation -tack l ing Oral P ractice 53

the act (of doing sth). • take action. • gain (sb’s) admiration.
• win (sb’s) admiration. • give sb an advantage. • offer sb an
advantage. • follow (sb’s) advice. • take advice. • value sb’s
advice. • wash your hands of the affair. • show affection. •
start (sth) all over again. • start again. • start school again. •
start work again. • wait ages. • show aggression. • reach (an)
agreement. • show your agreement. • spot trouble ahead. • cry
(sth) in alarm. • show anger. • sound angry. • cause sb anxiety.
• show appreciation. • show your appreciation. • grant (your)
approval. • meet (with) approval. • win approval. • hit sb
on the arm. • throw your money around. • write articles (for
a newspaper). • charge sb with assault. • grant sb asylum. •
attract (sb’s) attention. • bring sth to sb’s attention. • demand
(sb’s) attention. • get (sb’s) attention. • give sth attention. • shift
attention. • find sb attractive. • call sb back. • expect sb back. •
phone sb back. • send sth back. • grant sb bail.
• stand bail (for sb). • catch sb off balance. • bear (the)
blame (for sth). • throw yourself onto the bed. • serve beer. •
display (bad) behaviour. • display (good) behaviour. • display
(inappropriate) behaviour. • confirm sb in their belief. • shake
sb’s belief. • suspend belief. • wear seat belts. • drive sb round
the bend. • claim (a) benefit. • receive (a) benefit. • settle your
bill. • wish sb a Happy Birthday. • wear black. • absolve sb of
blame. • apportion (the) blame. • attach blame to sb. • pin (the)
blame on sb. • clear sb of blame. • lay (the) blame. • share (in)
the blame. • shift blame. • colour sth blue. • paint sth blue. •
cut sth to the bone. • save sb the bother (of doing sth). • serve
breakfast. • touch your breakfast. • pay (sb) a bribe. • stretch
your budget. • drive sb out of business. • put sb out of business.
• start your own business. • talk business. • spread butter (on
toast). • pay sb a call. • strike camp. • sell your car. • send sb a
card. • show sb your card. • handle sth with care. • treat sth with
care. • carry (the) blame (for sth). • state your case. • pay (in)
cash. • elect sb chairman. • wait your chance. • bring (about)
a change. • hand sb their change. • raise sth for charity. • show
54 H esitation -tack ling Oral P ractice

charity (to sb). • hit sb on the cheek. • give sb a choice. • wish

sb a Merry Christmas. • cut sth into chunks. • arrange sth in a
circle. • bring sth to a close. • call sth to a close. • draw sb close.
• draw sth to a close.
• hold sb close. • wear casual clothes. • add sth to a collection.
• start college. • print sth in colour. • welcome comments (from
sb). • start your own company. • show compassion. • pay sb
compensation. • pay sb a compliment. • voice concern. • bring
sth to a conclusion. • show confidence. • share confidences.
• award (sb) a contract. • join (in) a conversation. • back sb
into a corner. • force sb into a corner. • visit many countries. •
show (great) courage. • blow sb/sth off course. • knock sb/sth
off course. • set sb on a course. • check sth for cracks. • drive
sb crazy. • buy sth on credit. • get sth on credit. • stretch (sb’s)
credulity. • accuse sb of a crime. • charge sb with a crime. •
check sth for damage. • suffer damage. • win damages. • sense
danger. • spot danger. • transfer data. • bring sth up to date. •
keep sth up to date. • beat sb to death. • kick sb to death. • pay
(off) a debt. • suffer defeat. • cry (sth) in delight. • visit your
dentist. • deserve (the) blame (for sth). • satisfy desire. • show
desire. • drive sb to despair. • drive sb to desperation. • show
determination. • signal determination. • support development.
• use your dictionary. • find sth difficult (to do).
• serve dinner. • appoint sb director. • use discretion. • train
dogs. • see double. • drive sb to drink. • supply drugs (to sb). •
use drugs. • wear earrings. • find sth easy. • take effect. • increase
(your) effort. • take effort. • catch sb by the elbow. • cause sb
embarrassment. • declare an emergency. • show emotion. •
shift emphasis. • shout encouragement. • give (sb/sth) energy.
• save energy. • supply energy. • use energy. • waste energy. •
study English. • test sb’s English. • understand English. • show
enthusiasm. • allow (sb) entry. • deny (sb) entry. • refuse (sb)
entry. • use equipment. • sense excitement. • find sth exciting.
• take exercise. • take part in an exercise. • drive sb into exile.
• save sb the expense (of doing sth). • owe (an) explanation.
 H esitation -tack l ing Oral P ractice 55

• owe sb an explanation. • require (an) explanation. • express

(an) interest (in sth). • hit sb in the eye. • shift your eyes. • test
sb’s eyesight. • face (up to) the fact (that). • hit sb in the face.
• kick sb in the face. • slap sb’s face. • wash your face. • know
(all) the facts. • shake sb’s faith. • win fame (as…). • check
sth for faults. • ask sb a favour. • owe sb a favour. • win favour
(with sb). • spark fear. • give sb the feeling that…. • share your
feelings. • show (your) feelings. • watch your figure. • write
data to a file. • bring sth into focus. • shift focus. • throw sth into
focus. • bring sb back to the fold.
• use force. • bring sth to the forefront. • cost sb a fortune.
• visit France. • find sth frightening. • shift (some) furniture. •
shift your gaze (from sth to sth). • shift gear. • wear glasses. •
use glue. • wave goodbye (to sb). • spread gossip. • grant (sb)
permission (to do sth). • owe (sb) a debt of gratitude. • show
gratitude. • show your gratitude. • colour sth green. • wear green.
• burn sth to the ground. • shift your ground. • throw litter on
the ground. • split (sth) into groups. • show (continued/good/
strong etc) growth. • slow growth. • catch sb off (their) guard. •
stand guard (over sb/sth). • take sb off (their) guard. • welcome
guests. • find sb guilty/not guilty (of sth). • play (the) guitar.

Group 2
• wash your hair. • break sth in half. • cut sth in half. • split sth
in half. • bite sb on the hand. • deliver sth by hand. • experience
sth at first hand. • tip your hand. • shake hands. • wash your
hands. • wish sb happiness. • find sth hard. • cause (sb/sth)
harm. • have (the) intelligence (to do sth). • hit sb on the head.
• hit sb over the head. • kick sb in the head. • shake your head.
• turn your head. • test sb’s hearing. • sth touches your heart.
• win sb’s heart. • seek financial help. • seek help. • seek legal
help. • seek medical help. • summon help. • thank sb for their
help. • want help. • speak Hindi (perfectly/fairly well). • teach
history. • tighten your hold (on sth). • expect sb home. • give
(sb) hope. • see hope. • sound your horn. • cry (sth) in horror.
56 H esitation -tack ling Oral P ractice

• train horses. • wait (for) two hours. • work long hours. • sell
your house. • wake your husband. • give sb the idea (that). •
show ignorance. • show imagination. • use your imagination.
• grant sb immunity. • show signs of impatience. • assume
(greater) importance. • show importance. • show increase. • win
independence. • use influence. • use your influence (to do sth).
• save information. • share information. • store information. •
use your initiative. • gain (an) insight. • trust your instincts. •
shout insults (at sb). • trade insults.
• claim (for) sth on your insurance. • sell insurance. •
make a claim for sth on your insurance. • show intelligence. •
use intelligence. • show interest. • spark interest. • stimulate
interest. • find sth interesting. • call sb for interview. • find sb
irritating. • sense sb’s irritation. • ask sb what time it is. • catch
sb at it. • wear jewellery. • appoint sb to a job. • offer sb a job. •
call sb John/Sita. • trade jokes. • start your journey. • time your
journey. • share joy. • trust sb’s judgment. • use your judgment.
• blow sb a kiss. • reach 100 kph. • talk sb’s language. • make
sth into law. • study law. • teach law. • elect sb leader. • turn left.
• bite sb on the leg. • give sb a lesson. • teach sb a lesson. • send
sb a letter. • write sb a letter. • tell (sb) a lie. • spread lies (about
sb). • save sb’s life. • save your life. • spend your life (doing sth).
• start life (at the bottom). • start married life. • threaten sb’s
life. • push sb/sth to the limit. • sb/sth has a limit. • stretch sth
to the limit. • test sb/sth to the limit. • drop sb a line. • cross sth
off a list. • shake loose (from sb/sth). • work loose. • send your
love (to sb). • show love. • win sb’s love. • win sb’s love/heart. •
show trust and loyalty. • bring sb (good) luck. • try your luck.
• wish sb luck (in/with sth). • cook sb lunch. • serve
lunch. • drive sb mad. • use magic. • work magic. • appoint sb
manager. • stick pins in a map. • save your marriage. • use local
materials. • buy sb a meal. • cook (sb) a meal. • change (its)
meaning. • have (little/no) meaning. • have (some) meaning. •
have (special/a different) meaning. • lose (its) meaning. • win
medals. • show sb mercy. • send sb a message. • show your
 H esitation -tack l ing Oral P ractice 57

mettle. • walk miles. • bear sth in mind. • bear in mind that….

• speak your mind. • wait (for) a minute. • catch sb at a bad
moment. • cost (sb) money. • share your money. • spend money
(on sth/on doing sth). • spend your money. • steal money. • take
money. • throw money ( at sth). • use money. • waste money
(on sth). • withdraw money. • save money/Rs.9000. • last sb a
day/two months. • start this/that morning. • visit your mother.
• suspect sb’s motive. • raise sth to your mouth. • charge sb with
murder. • commit (a) murder. • show great interest in music. •
study music. • write music. • ask sb their name. • call sb by their
middle name. • shout sb’s name. • sign your name. • withdraw
your name (from sth). • write your name. • call sb names. •
trade necklaces. • test negative (for sth). • give sb the news. •
tell sb the news. • welcome the news. • call sb by their nickname.
• work nights. • hit sb on the nose. • write sb a note. • show sb
the notes. • pay sb the compliment of. • take offence (at/to sth).
• find sth offensive. • welcome sb’s offer. • catch sb off-guard.
• bring pressure to bear on sb. • cut sth open. • bring sth into
operation. • want sb’s opinion. • deny sb an opportunity. • deny
sb the opportunity. • give (sb) an/the opportunity. • offer (sb)
an/the opportunity. • present (sb) an/the opportunity. • provide
(sb) an/the opportunity. • take advantage of an/the opportunity.
• meet (with) opposition.
• buy sth (by) mail order. • shout orders. • stick your arm
out. • cause (sb) pain. • suffer pain. • pass (a) comment (on/
about). • work your passage. • stretch (sb’s) patience. • secure
peace. • improve (a) performance. • grant sb permission. •
request (sb’s) permission. • show (sb) a picture. • cut sth into
pieces. • show (no) pity. • save sb’s place. • win first place. •
visit different places. • avoid sb/sth like the plague. • spread
plaster (on the walls). • bring sth to boiling point. • see sb’s
point. • score points. • talk politics (with sb). • stop pollution. •
shoot pool. • appoint sb to a position. • test positive (for sth). •
appoint sb to a post. • send sth by post. • spot sb’s potential. •
supply power. • take power. • use power. • win praise. • sense
58 H esitation -tack ling Oral P ractice

sb’s presence. • signal sb’s presence. • send sb a present. • elect

sb president. • charge sb half price. • sth ranges in price (from…
to…). • appoint sb (as) captain/chairman. • send sb to prison. •
win first prize. • cause sb a problem. • face (up to) a problem. •
share your problems. • satisfy demand for a product. • slow the
progress (of sth). • stop the progress (of sth). • watch progress.
• watch sb’s progress. • deliver (on) a promise. • give sb a
promise. • show promise. • win promotion. • suit sb’s purpose.
• test quality. • cut sth into quarters. • ask (sb) a question. • call
sth into question.
Group 3
• face (up to) reality. • tell sb the reason. • win recognition. •
colour sth red. • paint sth red. • catch sb red-handed. • find sth
relaxing. • secure sb’s release. • talk religion. • show reluctance.
• show remorse (for sth). • meet (with) resistance. • earn (sb’s)
respect. • gain (sb’s) respect. • lose (sb’s) respect. • show respect.
• win (sb’s) respect. • share responsibility. • shift responsibility.
• take responsibility (for sth). • find sb responsible (for sth). •
cut sth to ribbons. • tear sth to ribbons. • put sb/sth at risk. •
reach Rs.1500. • charge Rs.750. • talk rubbish. • follow (the)
rules. • spread rumours (about sb). • carry sb to safety. • drive
sb to safety. • fly sb to safety. • lead sb to safety. • move sb to
safety. • pull sb to safety. • push sb to safety. • take sb to safety.
• threaten sb’s safety. • supply samples. • score points against/
off/over sb. • share your chocolate with sb. • show favour to sb.
• show your work to sb. • spend much time with sb.
• strike fear into sb. • strike terror into sb. • switch your shift
with sb. • take care of sb. • throw insults at sb. • throw your arms
around sb. • turn your anger on sb. • use your influence with sb.
• show consideration for sb/sth. • throw support behind sb/sth.
• wield influence on/over sb/sth. • award sb a scholarship. •
start school. • study science. • teach science. • use screws. •
secure a seat (in the election). • win seat (in the election). •
tell sb a secret. • trade secrets. • talk sense. • use your common
 H esitation -tack l ing Oral P ractice 59

sense. • give sb a shake. • knock sb/sth into shape. • lick sb/sth

into shape. • whip sb/sth into shape. • wear your best shirt. • tie
the shoelaces. • hit sb on the shoulder. • shoulder (the) blame
(for sth). • touch sb’s shoulder. • show (an) interest (in sth). •
show every sign (of being successful etc.). • show no/little sign
(of improvement etc.). • send (out) a signal. • take control of a
situation. • cut sth to size. • show skill. • save your skin. • catch
sb by the sleeve. • cut sth into slices. • use this/that software. •
throw threats at someone. • sell advertising space.
• talk sports. • train your staff. • watch your step. • arrest
sb on charges of sth. • arrest sb on suspicion of sth. • bring (sb’s)
attention to sth. • bring sb to the brink of sth. • buy sth at the
cost of sth. • buy sth at the expense of sth. • call (sb’s) attention
to sth. • claim (for) sth. • concentrate (sb’s) attention on sth. •
deny (all) knowledge of sth. • draw (sb’s) attention (away) from
sth. • draw (sb’s) attention to sth. • focus (sb’s) attention on sth.
• give (great/special) importance to sth. • give sb a taste of/for
sth. • group sb/sth according to sth. • offer (sb) odds of sth. •
save your strength for sth. • see no reason for sth. • set fire to sth.
• share your experiences of sth. • show great desire to do sth. •
show little regard for sth. • spend all day doing sth. • spend time
doing sth. • spend time on sth. • state your intention to do sth.
• stick your fingers through sth. • strike your head on sth. • take
advantage of sth. • take care with/over sth. • take pleasure in/
from sth. • talk your way out of sth. • tell sb about/of the danger
of sth. • test sb’s knowledge of sth. • think your way out of sth.
• throw stones at sth. • throw your energy/energies into sth. •
turn your attention (back) to sth. • turn your back to sth.
• understand sb’s wish for sth. • use money to do sth. • use
your position to do sth. • value your ability to do sth. • warn sb
about/of the danger of sth. • win money on sth. • wish sb/sth
would do sth. • beat sth until stiff. • hit sb in the stomach. • kick
sb in the stomach. • read sb a story. • tell (sb) a story. • tell its
own story. • tell sb a story. • show strength. • test sb’s strength.
• strike (sb) a blow (on sth). • sell cheap stuff. • taste success. •
60 H esitation -tack ling Oral P ractice

wish sb success. • score successes. • use sugar. • show support.

• voice support. • win support. • withdraw (your) support. •
stand surety (for sb). • bring sb/sth to the surface. • call sb by
their surname. • catch sb by surprise. • cry (sth) in surprise. •
show surprise. • spend all morning/evening sw. • start work sw.
• show great talent. • schedule talks. • start talks. • have (bad/
good) taste. • satisfy sb’s taste. • suit sb’s taste. • use technology.
• show your teeth. • watch the television/telly. • resist (the)
temptation. • try tennis. • smile your thanks. • charge sb with
theft. • cut sth into three. • ask sb the time. • catch sb at a bad
time. • save time. • serve time. • spend time. • wait (for) a long
time. • waste time (on sth). • tie sb’s feet together. • tie sb’s
hands together. • cause (sb) trouble. • cause sb/sth trouble.
• land sb in trouble. • put sb to (a lot of/some) trouble. •
save sb the trouble (of doing sth). • save trouble. • spell trouble.
• win trust. • face (the) truth. • speak (the) truth. • tell (sb)
the truth. • tell (the) truth. • tell sb the truth. • tell truth. •
wait your turn. • watch TV. • drive sb round the twist. • break
(sth) in two. • break sth in two. • cut sth in two. • tell sb a
thing or two. • print sth in bold type. • find sb unattractive. •
beat sb unconscious. • put sb through university. • send sb down
from university. • study sth at university. • speed things up. •
watch videos. • confirm sb in their view. • share sb’s view. • stop
violence. • threaten (sb with) violence. • use violence. • pay sb
a visit. • win 50/68/70% of the vote. • fight (a) war. • ask sb
the way. • show sb the way. • tell sb the way. • wind your way.
• shift (your) weight. • watch your weight. • paint sth white. •
print sth in black and white. • wear white. • wake your wife. •
cut sb out of your will. • show willingness. • bring sb/sth into
contact with. • bring sb/sth into line with. • see another woman.
• send word. • seek work. • start work (at nine). • stop work.
• undertake work. • cause (a) worry. • catch sb by the wrist. •
spend some time by yourself.

***
 ‘have’ -co l l ocations 61

chapter 8

‘have’-collocations
Let us now go on with the hesitation-tackling oral practice using
another type of extremely useful word groups. I’ve called them
“have-collocations”. They’re verb groups powered by the verb
have (and its related forms had and has).
Get a lot of oral practice saying these word groups aloud.
But first, go through what I told you about the importance of this
sort of practice as a hesitation-tackling tool at the beginning of
chapter 7.
Now for the oral practice.

Group 1
had a (funny) feeling (that sth was going to happen). • had
a bad (phone) connection. • had a bad operation. • had a big
grin on her face. • had a bit of a shock (when I got back home).
• had a bit of trouble/a bit of a problem. • had a clear image
(of sth). • had a deep wound (on his forehead etc.). • had a
dull ache (at the base of his neck etc.). • had a fight with the
neighbours. • had a free and open discussion (about sth). • had
a full week. • had a good cry. • had a good life. • had a good
old talk. • had a great feeling of relief. • had a great time at the
fair. • had a hard face. • had cold blue eyes. • had a headache
(when…). • had a heavy day at the office. • had a letter from
sb. • had a long conversation (with sb). • had a lot of good
experiences. • had a massive argument with sb. • had a nice long
letter from sb. • had a real change of heart. • had a really good
idea. • had a really good view (of sth from sw). • had a really
rough day. • had a reputation (for doing sth). • had a scar. • had
a touch of fever. • had a very impressive school career. • had a
very sweet singing voice. • had a vision (in which God appeared
62 ‘have’ -co l l ocations

before her). • had a visit from the police. • had all the normal
childhood illnesses. • had an accident. • had an active holiday. •
had an affair with a woman. • had an agreement (that…). • had
an annoying way (of picking his nails etc.). • had an easy time of
it (since sth happened). • had an interview (last week etc). • had
an uneasy feeling that…. • had blue eyes. • had enough money
(to…). • had explicit instructions (to check everyone’s identity
card etc.). • had fair hair. • had fine delicate features. • had no
alternative (but to fire him). • had no means of transport. • had
strong and regular teeth. • had tears in her eyes. • had technical
problems. • had the benefit of a first-class education. • had the
power (to hire or fire people etc). • has a bad attitude (towards
her schoolwork). • has a car. • has a good voice.
• has a great figure. • has a lot of contacts in the media.
• has a lot of power (over sb/sth). • has a mental block about
speaking English. • has a nice little set-up. • has a pretty face.
• has a real feeling for the violin. • has a really good figure.
• has a reasonable chance of doing well in the exam. • has a
serious heart condition. • has a talent for upsetting people. • has
a very broad range of interests. • has absolutely no experience
of marketing. • has always had a strong sense of duty. • has an
amazing facility for mental arithmetic. • has an eight-month old
daughter. • has an interview for a job. • has direct control over
the business. • has good manners. • has his own room. • have a
room of his own. • has hundreds of books. • has instinctive good
taste. • has lots of friends. • has lots of happy memories (of sth).
• has no dress sense at all. • has no ear for languages at all. •
has no plans (to do sth). • has no principles. • has no regard for
her feelings. • has no sense of his own identity. • has no sight
in his left eye. • has no use for people like them. • has no/little
regard for him. • has rather a high-pitched voice. • has German
etc. connections. • has secret information. • has short black hair.
• has strong links with the drugs trade. • has the same strong
features as her mother. • has trouble with his breathing. • has
two children (from a previous marriage etc).
 ‘have’ -co l l ocations 63

• hasn’t a drop of sense in his head. • (have) had difficult

negotiations. • (have) had enough (of sth). • (have) had enough
of (doing) sth. • (have) had too much to drink. • have (a great)
pride in sth. • have (a short) memory. • have (a) breakfast. • have
(a) good command of sth. • have (a) great feel for language(s).
• have (an) interest in sb/sth. • have (bad/good etc.) taste. •
have (enough) time to do sth. • have (every) reason to do sth.
• have (extra) panels (for protection). • have (good/no) reason
to believe sth/that…. • have (got) a (bad) cold. • have (got) a
business. • have (got) a degree. • have (got) a few bob. • have
(got) a good brain. • have (got) a job for sb. • have (got) a job
in sth. • have (got) a lot (of work) to do. • have (got) a lot to
answer for. • have (got) a pain in sth. • have (got) an idea. •
have (got) brains/a brain. • have (got) character. • have (got)
enough stuff.
• have (got) every right (to do sth). • have (got) good sight.
• have (got) its lights on. • have (got) more ground than sb. •
have (got) much etc. desire for sth. • have (got) no/little idea.
• have (got) no/very little taste. • have (got) nothing against
sb. • have (got) nothing beyond sth. • have (got) nothing to
lose. • have (got) plenty of brain. • have (got) some connection
with sb. • have (got) terrible writing. • have (got) to admit/
must admit. • have (got) your hands full. • have (got) your/
its moments. • have (got/thought of) an idea for sth/doing sth.
• have (great) difficulty doing sth. • have (great/real) class. •
have it in mind to do sth. • have it in mind that…. • have (little/
no/some/special/a different etc) meaning. • have (more than)
your fair share of sth. • have (no) luck. • have (no) occasion
to do sth. • have (real) difficulty (in) understanding sb. • have
(real) passion. • have (sb’s) permission. • have (some) lunch.
• have (strong/pleasant) associations for sb (with sth). • have
(the) initiative. • have (the) intelligence (to do sth). • have (the)
time. • have (tools/garden equipment etc.) for hire. • Have (you
got) a second?. • have (your) dinner. • have (your) doubts. •
have (your) doubts (about sth). • have (your) hair cut/done. •
64 ‘have’ -co l l ocations

have (your) hair tinted. • have (your) misgivings (about). • have

5 miles to walk. • have a (baby) boy.
• have a (bright) future. • have a (colour) TV. • have a (good)
clothes sense. • have a (good) dress sense. • have a (good) cry.
• have a (good) laugh. • have a (good) look (at sb/sth). • have
a (good) name for sth. • have a (good) run for your money. •
have a (good/wide) choice of…. • have a (great) facility for
languages etc. • have a (great) fear of sth/doing sth. • have a
(great) passion for gardening etc. • have a (long) tradition of
doing sth. • have a (long etc.) talk (with sb). • have a (mental)
block (about sth). • have a (phone) call. • have a (quick/brief)
word (with sb). • have a (quiet) smoke. • have a (tetanus etc.)
shot. • have a (bad/good) attitude. • have a (positive/negative)
attitude. • have a (great/interesting etc) personality. • have a
25-minute journey to work. • have a 3-mile run.

Group 2
• have a baby. • have a baby on the way. • have a backache.
• have a bad connection. • have a bad day. • have a bad effect
on sth. • have a bad heart. • have a bad memory. • have a bad
memory for sth. • have a bad/good effect (on). • have a bad/
raw deal. • have a balanced diet. • have a barbecue. • have a
basic sketch of a plan. • have a bath. • have a beautiful face. •
have a beer. • have a belief. • have a bet (on sb/sth). • have a
big appetite. • have a big heart. • have a big mouth. • have a big
smile on her face. • have a big stake in (doing) sth. • have a big/
swollen head. • have a birthday. • have a bit of bother doing sth.
• have a bit of practice. • have a bite (of sth). • have a blood test.
• have a bomb. • have a bow. • have a boy/girl. • have a brain
for sth. • have a break (from work etc.). • have a break (from). •
have a break. • have a brilliant mind. • have a brother. • have a
bumpy ride. • have a bumpy/smooth flight. • have a burden on
your shoulders. • have a burn/scratch mark (on your foot etc.). •
have a bus to catch. • have a cake. • have a call from sb. • have
 ‘have’ -co l l ocations 65

a calming influence on sb. • have a care. • have a case (against

sb). • have a chair.
• have a chance (of sth/of doing sth). • have a chance (to do
sth). • have a chance to visit the Taj Mahal. • have an opportunity
to visit the zoo. • have a change of heart. • have a character all
(of) its own. • have a character of its own. • have a chat (with
sb). • have a check (in/through sth). • have a check on (sb/
sth). • have a child. • have a child at any price. • have a choice
(of x or y). • have a cigarette. • have a claim on sb/sth. • have
a claim to sth. • have a clear aim. • have a clear conscience. •
have a clear policy. • have a clear etc. view. • have a close look.
• have a close relationship with sb. • have a cold. • have a cold
in the head. • have a collection (for charity). • have a column.
• have a comfortable home. • have a comfortable lead. • have a
comfortable majority. • have a complaint (about sth). • have a
complex about sth. • have a conference. • have a confession to
make. • have a constant stream of visitors. • have a constitutional
right (to do sth). • have a convention. • have a conversation
(with sb). • have a cook. • have a copy of the report. • have a
course of treatment. • have a crack at (doing) sth. • have a crash.
• have a crisis in/of confidence. • have a critical period. • have
a crush on sb. • have a cup of tea. • have a customer. • have a
dance. • have a date (with sb).
• have a daughter. • have a day off. • have a day out. •
have a day sw. • have a debate. • have a deep awareness about/
of sth. • have a deep cut. • have a deep voice. • have a design.
• have a devastating effect on sb/sth. • have a device. • have
a different answer. • have a difficult time (doing sth). • have a
dinner party. • have a disadvantage. • have a disagreement with
sb. • have a discussion (about sth) (with sb). • have a display. •
have a disposition to do sth. • have a distinctive smell. • have a
distinguished record (as a minister etc.). • have a draw (against
a team). • have a dreadful row. • have a dream. • have a drink
(of juice/tea etc.). • have a drink of sth. • have a drink problem.
66 ‘have’ -co l l ocations

• have a dry cough. • have a dump. • have a duty (to do sth).

• have a duty to sb. • have an enormous impact on sth. • have
a fair idea (of sth). • have a fair idea of what the job involves. •
have a fair/square deal. • have a fairly good chance (of winning
etc.). • have a fall. • have a familiar ring. • have a family. • have
a family history of sth. • have a farm. • have a fascination for
sb. • have a fault. • have a feed. • have a feel (for the violin/
tennis etc). • have a feeling (that…). • have a fever. • have a few
anxious moments. • have a few criticisms. • have a few errands
to run. • have a few splits in sth. • have a few words with sb. •
have a field day. • have a fight (with sb). • have a fight on your
hands (to get sth difficult done).
• have a fighting chance. • have a file (on sb/sth). • have
a fine start. • have a finish. • have a firm chin. • have a fit. •
have a five-year-old boy. • have a flat. • have a flat sw. • have a
flavour. • have a follow-up session. • have a foot in both camps.
• have a four-game series. • have a frank exchange (of views).
• have a fresh look at the problem. • have a fruit. • have a full
life. • have a full range of new cars. • have a full-employment
situation this year. • have a function. • have a future. • have a
game (of sth). • have a gift for sth/doing sth. • have a glance at
the newspaper headlines. • have a glimpse of sth. • have a go
at sb (for sth). • have a go at (doing) sth. • have a go (on the
violin etc). • have a good appetite. • have a good body. • have a
good command of a language. • have a good day (at …). • have
a good deal. • have a good education. • have a good explanation
for his behaviour!. • have a good feed. • have a good friend in
sb. • have a good head for figures. • have a good heart. • have
a good hold of a subject etc. • have a good knowledge of sth. •
have a good library. • have a good look (for sth). • have a good
look at sth. • have a good memory for sth. • have a good mind
to do sth. • have a good opinion. • have a good read. • have a
good relationship. • have a good response. • have a good thing
going.
 ‘have’ -co l l ocations 67

• have a good time. • have a good trade. • have a good trip.

• have a good view of the sea. • have a good weekend. • have a
good word (to say) for sb/sth. • have a good working relationship
(with sb). • have a good year. • have a good memory for sth. •
have a good look. • have a good/bad attitude. • have a good
effect. • have a good/bad heart. • have a good/bad opinion of sb/
sth. • have a good/bad press. • have a good/excellent line in sth.
• have a good/fine head of hair. • have a good/long run. • have
a grasp of sth. • have a great body. • have a great future. • have
a great impact on sth. • have a great start. • have a great time. •
have a great etc. influence on sb/sth. • have a grievance. • have
a guarantee. • have a guess (at sth). • have a guilty conscience. •
have a habit of doing sth. • have a hacking cough. • have a hand
in (doing) sth. • have a hard time (doing sth). • have a hard/
difficult/tough time. • have a head for business. • have a head
for figures. • have a headache. • have a healthy appetite. • have
a heart attack. • have a heart of gold. • have a heart of stone. •
have a high opinion (of sb/sth). • have a high regard for sb/sth.
• have a higher status. • have a history of sth/doing sth. • have a
hold over/on sb. • have a hole. • have a holiday. • have a horror
of death etc. • have a hot temper. • have a house of your own.
• have an important influence on sth. • have a job. • have a job
doing sth. • have a joke with sb.

Group 3
• have a keen eye for sth. • have a keen mind.• have a keen
sense of smell. • have a kid. • have a kind/big heart. • have a
knife. • have a large reserve of sth. • have a large supply (of sth).
• have a lasting result. • have a late night. • have a laugh about
sth. • have a lead. • have a lead (of 30 seconds etc.). • have a
lead of 5 minutes. • have a length of 50 feet etc. • have a letter
from sb. • have a licence. • have a loan of sth. • have a lock put
on sth. • have a logical mind. • have a long day. • have a long
neck. • have a long talk about sb/sth. • have a long way to go.
• have a look (for sth). • have a look around. • have a look at
68 ‘have’ -co l l ocations

sth. • have a look at the weather. • have a look round. • have

a lot in common. • have a lot of commitments. • have a lot of
fight in you. • have a lot of time for sb/sth (infml). • have a lot
of etc. skill at/in sth. • have a lot of etc. skill doing sth. • have
a lot on your mind. • have a lot to be gained. • have a lot to
contribute (to sth). • have a lot to do. • have a lot to gain. • have
a lot to offer. • have a lot/much/nothing to contribute. • have a
low opinion of sb/sth. • have a lucky escape. • have a machine
serviced. • have a majority. • have a meal. • have a meeting. •
have a memory like a sieve. • have a message. • have a mind of
your own. • have a mind to do sth. • have a minor stroke. • have
a minor/major operation. • have a miraculous escape. • have
a miscarriage. • have a miserable existence. • have a mission.
• have a moan (about sb/sth). • have a monopoly. • have a
monopoly on (doing) sth. • have a moral responsibility to help
people in need. • have a more positive outlook on life. • have a
name for (doing) sth. • have a nap.
• have a narrow escape. • have a natural wave (in the hair).
• have a near miss. • have a negative view of sth. • have a new
etc. aspect. • have a nice little nap in the car. • have a nice nature.
• have a nice time. • have a lovely/nice smell. • have a horrible/
nasty smell. • have a peculiar/strange smell. • have a nightmare.
• have a non-smoking section. • have a normal body weight. •
have a notion. • have a one-track mind. • have a part in doing
sth. • have a part in sth. • have a part to play in sth. • have a
partner. • have a party (for sb/sth). • have a peek. • have a peep.
• have a persistent cough. • have a personal trainer. • have a
striking/strong personality. • have a phone call from sb. • have
a picnic (in the woods etc). • have a picture of him in my mind.
• have a piece (of fish). • have a place in sth. • have a plan. •
have a plane to catch. • have a pleasant appearance. • have a
point. • have a poor sense of direction. • have a population of 2
million etc. • have a managerial position. • have a post. • have
a preference. • have a prior engagement. • have a privilege. •
have a problem (with sth). • have a professional look about/to it.
 ‘have’ -co l l ocations 69

• have a profound influence on sth. • have a proper holiday this

year. • have a purpose. • have a qualification. • have a quality.
• have a quarrel. • have a query about sth. • have a question. •
have a quick look. • have a quick mind. • have a quick temper.
• have a quick wash before we go. • have a quiet laugh about
sth. • have a quiet word (with sb). • have a race. • have a rail
pass. • have a rally. • have a reaction (to a drug etc.). • have a
reading knowledge of Hindi etc. • have a ready mind. • have a
really bad pain in my foot. • have a reason. • have a record. •
have a relationship (with sb). • have a reputation (for sth). •
have a reputation as sth. • have a reputation for being honest
etc. • have a responsibility (to do sth). • have a responsibility
to/towards sb. • have a rest. • have a rest from work. • have a
good/positive result.
• have a ride (in sth). • have a ride (on an elephant/a horse).
• have a right (to be annoyed/upset). • have a right (to do sth).
• have a right to sth. • have a ring of truth. • have a rival. •
have a roll. • have a room free. • have a rotten/rough deal. •
have a row (with sb). • have a run of good/bad luck. • have a
run of three months etc. • have a running nose. • have a rush on
at the office. • have a rush on school bags. • have a rush on the
application forms. • have a sad look. • have a safety feature. •
have a say in doing sth. • have no/little say in sth. • have a/some
say in sth. • have the final say on sth. • have a scale of 1:10. •
have a schedule. • have a scowl on your face. • have a scratch.
• have a seat. • have a selection. • have a senior rank. • have
a sense of direction. • have a sense of duty. • have a sense of
justice. • have a sense of responsibility. • have a serious effect. •
have a serious talk about sth. • have a servant. • have a service. •
have a set of symptoms. • have a setback. • have a sharp tongue.
• have a shock. • have a short temper. • have a shot (at doing
sth). • have a shot at goal. • have a shot at sth. • have a shower.
• have a simple mind. • have a skill. • have a sleep. • have a
small apartment in town. • have a small yard. • have a snack.
• have a sneaking feeling (that). • have a sneaking suspicion
70 ‘have’ -co l l ocations

(that...). • have a soft skin. • have a soft/weak heart. • have a

son. • have a sound mind.
• have a sound night’s sleep. • have a source. • have a
special arrangement. • have a special connection (with sb). •
have a special interest (in sth). • have a special offer on (this
week etc). • have a sporting chance. • have a spring festival. •
have a spring in your step. • have a stab at sth. • have a staff of
30 etc. • have a stake in (doing) sth. • have a stand at the travel
show. • have a stomach ache. • have a stroke. • have a strong
constitution. • have a strong desire (to do sth). • have a strong
influence on sb. • have a strong will. • have a simple/elaborate
structure. • have a substantial meal. • have a suggestion. • have
a sure footing/hold. • have a surprise. • have a suspicion (that
…). • have a swim.

***
 P ractice with action word -groups 71

chapter 9

Practice with
action word-groups
In Book 4, we saw different patterns of action word-groups.
Let me repeat one thing here: Action word-groups are the most
important parts in our speech. Nothing else is as important as
action word-groups. If your tongue and other organs of speech
become flexible with action word-groups, part of the fluency
problem will be over. Therefore, you should give intensive
training to your organs of speech in uttering action word-groups.
This is very important.
I’m giving below a collection of certain specially selected
action word-groups. Say each of them aloud several times.
These are specially selected word-groups — specially selected
to get your speech organs used to certain troublesome sound-
combinations. And to get your speech organs to become familiar
with certain extremely useful vocabulary items. Remember
this: Your organs of speech do not have enough experience in
producing these sound-combinations. This (lack of experience) is
a major source of unwanted hesitations. Our aim is to eliminate
this source. And the only way to do this is to get your organs
of speech exposed to a sufficient quantity of these sound
combinations — for a sufficient amount of time.
So take up the oral practice with all seriousness.
 • wanted to spare him all this trouble. • wanted to tell him.
• attempted to steal it. • discussed it with her. • spoke about his
children. • loved them to come with us. • concerned himself
with their problems. • waited a minute. • asked me for money.
• heard about the marriage. • giving her some advice. • can’t
afford to buy it. • helped him with his homework. • strained the
liquid. • paid for the tea. • got undressed. • seemed to ignore
72 P ractice with action word -groups

it. • worried about him. • felt well. • waited (for) two days.
• benefited from that experience. • caught her a taxi. • built
houses. • can’t bear to see it. • made a fuss about it. • meant
you to do it. • stared at the decoration. • trying to impress those
people. • didn’t wait any longer. • locked the bag. • hoped for a
promotion.
 • granted him permission. • agreed to go. • said the
stupidest thing you can imagine. • getting used to it. • stuck to
his promise. • threatened to expose them. • wrote to him about
it. • tasted very good. • lasted (for) two hours. • boasted of his
wealth. • left him some money. • washed his hands. • confused
him with his brother. • began to cry. • took care of the things. •
needed it to clean the room. • stared at her. • heard him. • chose
him captain. • imposed on him. • handed her a letter. • appeared
to like it. • honoured him. • cancelled the appointment. • getting
to be a good player. • played with those children. • tried to keep
calm. • yielded to him. • seemed a fool. • came a very long way.
• boasted about his family.
 • chose him the nicest shirt. • came from London. •
congratulated her on her good work. • didn’t care to read it. •
made fun of him. • ordered them to remain there. • struggled
with the work. • asked him a question. • made him manager. •
indulged in merrymaking. • lent him some money. • staying at
home. • included her in the team. • reached the top. • understood
the truth. • played against the school team. • undertook to do
it. • yielded to the circumstances. • looked like John. • stole
twenty rupees. • called for the servant. • accounted to him for
the money. • cut it with a knife. • connected his visit to their
meeting. • chose to remain there. • hurt his back. • permitted
us to enter. • struggled with the fellows there. • cut her finger. •
recognized him as a genius. • inquired about the price.
 • offered him her help. • going to the temple. • included
soap also in the list. • reminded me of it. • talking about you. •
prepared for the party. • wished to talk privately. • thanked them
 P ractice with action word -groups 73

for the help. • looked like petrol. • lacked wisdom. • called on

the doctor. • acted on instructions from him. • knew the answer.
• connected the price-rise with the wage-rise. • claimed to know
them. • borrowed it from there. • persuaded him to go back. •
submitted to the pressure. • bought a dress. • considered him
(to be) very capable. • inquired about your brother. • owed
him some money. • walking into a shop. • informed him of the
accident. • needed more time. • smiling at them. • profited by
his mistakes. • advised me to keep mum. • accused him of theft.
• seemed a nice boy. • slept all the time. • cared about her.
 • added to his problems. • answered that question. •
consulted his lawyer about the problem. • continued to phone
her. • took care of him. • wanted them to face it. • submitted to
his enemies. • fought against each other. • considered him (to
be) a good officer. • invested in shares. • passed them the salt.
• waiting on the platform. • informed her about the matter. •
spilt the liquid. • longing to meet him. • qualified for the final
test. • allowed them to go. • added water to milk. • having
breakfast. • made no effort. • cared about her health. • agreed
with them about the rate. • ate rice at home. • convinced her of
his innocence. • decided to fight it out. • set fire to the garbage-
pile. • pressed us to withdraw the complaint. • succeeded in his
attempt. • fought among themselves. • found him guilty.
 • agreed to our proposal. • belonged to them. • converted
him to their belief. • determined to solve it. • made a promise. •
waited until five o’clock. • recommended you. • swore at them.
• came on foot. • found it good. • joked about those children.
• reading them a story. • coming out of the shop. • interested
him in her. • can’t understand her behaviour. • suffering from
fever. • begged him to grant it. • asked him about the film. •
having fun. • remembered to bring it. • depended on that man.
• allowed for the delay. • waited for him. • converted the front-
room into a shop. • stayed indoors. • broke the promise. •
requested everyone to keep quiet. • sympathized with them. •
74 P ractice with action word -groups

came by train. • deserved a reward. • built the houses well. •

judged her by her actions. • eliminated discrimination. • joined
in the strike.
 • dropped him a letter. • going away from that place. •
introduced him to her. • sat there talking. • apologized for the
mistake. • relied on his words. • bribed them to overlook it. •
assured them of our help. • having a party. • depended on the
supplies. • amounted to a total of 100 rupees. • looked at it. •
cured her of headache. • expected to do it. • left by three o’clock.
• required me to come to the front. • talked about you. • sent it by
hand. • found the rooms occupied. • judged from his behaviour.
• recommended him some medicines. • walking up the steps. •
involved him in the secret talks. • reached a conclusion. • died
of hunger. • relied on him. • caused it to happen. • based my
conclusion on circumstances. • having a good time. • lost all
hopes of escaping. • heard the dog barking.
 • answered the phone. • listened to it. • cursed him for his
wickedness. • failed to satisfy them. • won’t leave until dark. •
sentenced him to undergo imprisonment. • talked about prices.
• painted the walls. • caught them climbing the fence. • knew of
it. • sold him a pen. • running down the steps. • led her to the
platform. • knew the main facts. • agreed with him about that. •
replied to the policeman. • challenged him to try. • blamed him
for the mix-up. • drinking some water. • felt the floor shake. •
died of hunger. • apologized to him for her rudeness. • heard
it. • defended him from the allegations. • forgot to tell you. •
stayed there till three. • taught her to swim. • talked of several
things. • lived across the road. • longed for the good old days. •
kept us waiting. • knew about it.
 • sent her some flowers. • going upstairs. • led the
procession. • remembered that rule. • spoke to him about you. •
reported on the accident. • asked them to follow him. • blessed
her for her help. • having a drink of water. • liked riding. •
differed from the other thing. • appealed to higher authorities. •
 P ractice with action word -groups 75

took them off. • delivered the parcel to him. • happened to meet

him. • jumped out of his chair. • told me to shut my mouth. •
tasted of garlic. • lost a lot of weight. • can’t imagine doing it.
• knew about those people. • served them food. • going to bed.
• limited the report to 20 pages. • saw the essential points. •
pointed to that man. • reported on those hooligans. • compelled
everybody to donate. • borrowed a torch from them. • having a
look at it. • liked walking. • differed from him.
 • approved of the arrangements. • picked it up. •
demanded money for the food. • hated to hurt them. • promised
them a bonus. • borrowed the typewriter. • tempted them to
steal. • thought of several things. • walked round the park. •
can’t imagine him doing it. • laughed at him. • showed him the
picture. • running across the street. • mentioned his name to me.
• found a huge meal ready. • pointed at me. • condemned him to
death. • resigned from his department. • changed my watch for
a radio. • did his homework. • liked to lie in the sun. • dreamt of
you. • looking at a picture. • put it on. • discussed the problem
with him. • hesitated to lock the door. • exceeded the speed-
limit. • troubled her to get the donation. • thinking about my
future. • felt angry with him. • turned on the air-conditioning.
• kept the light burning. • answered the door. • laughed at the
arrangements.
 • taught her a lesson. • going through that hole. • mistook
her for her sister. • ran out of petrol. • attended the meeting. •
dared her to try it. • responded to his questions. • charged me
for the things I bought. • had a haircut. • liked disturbing them.
• dreamt about the picnic. • waiting for a bus. • dismissed her
from the job. • intended to tell every one. • went up the stairs. •
trusted him to look after her. • thought of that man. • felt anxious
about it. • heard the news. • joked about his appearance. • told
us a lie. • running round the field. • neglected him (for her). •
forgot to fill it up. • attended to the customers. • drove them to
labour hard. • resulted from the discussions. • charged him with
theft. • worked in that office. • started to sing. • dreamt about
76 P ractice with action word -groups

those people.
 • applied to them for a license. • looking for my pen.
• distinguished that material from this. • learned to write
backwards. • broke the safe open. • neglected her work. • urged
us to vote for him. • thought about you. • felt sorry for him. •
made an attempt. • leant on the glass window. • threw her that
ball. • going over a bridge. • neglected those things (for these).
• spent the night there. • thought about the problem. • enabled
us to complete it. • resulted in their marriage. • played a game.
• started singing. • dreamt of all those things. • argued with him
about it. • saw it. • divided 325 by 5. • longed to meet you. •
neglected to study. • waited our time. • wanted me to go there.
• led the guests to their rooms. • tired of walking. • felt proud of
them. • spoiled the picture. • leaning on him.
 • wished her happiness. • going under the bridge. •
pardoned him for the negligence. • resented the criticism. •
thought of her. • retired from service. • encouraged him to study.
• cheated him out of his share. • carried the parcels for us. •
allowed him to smoke. • economized on household expenses. •
arranged (for) a meeting. • wore the clothes. • divided the bread
between him and her. • managed to win them over. • speaking
on the telephone. • warned her not to repeat it. • traded with
them in several things. • made arrangements for the journey.
• listening to the speaker. • writing her a letter. • lay on the
ground. • paid him for the work. • described the situation. •
cared for her. • directed him to the right place. • searched for
it. • telephoned the police. • remembered dropping it. • lit a
cigarette.
 • asked after your health. • took all that money. • divided
the profit. • meant to send it by hand. • looked out for the
signal. • wished you to speak to him. • united with the others. •
getting fatter and fatter. • wore sun glasses. • living for money.
• building her a house. • going to sleep. • paid money to him.
• punished the culprits. • leant on the desk. • expected you to
 P ractice with action word -groups 77

attend to it. • searched for him. • arrived at the station. • turned

the handle. • engaged in some busy work. • asked for a tea. •
giving it all to him. • divided the cake into small parts. • offered
to help. • smoked less.

***
78 Spoken te x ts for Speech-fl ow practice

chapter 10

Spoken texts
for Speech-flow practice
Let us now go on with the hesitation-tackling oral practice using
yet another type of extremely useful word groups. These word
groups are short spoken texts. And these spoken texts are: (i)
stand-alone clauses, or (ii) combinations of adverbial phrases
and clauses, or (iii) combinations of clauses.
For example, “Add his name to the list.” and “All the chairs
are in line.” are stand-alone clauses.
“Above everything else, he’s very understanding.” and
“According to gossip, they’re planning to get married.” are
combinations of adverbial phrases and clauses.
“Add this column of figures, and find the total.”, “All this
happened when the coalition government was in power.” and
“Ajith isn’t at work this week. He isn’t well.” are combinations of
clauses.
There’s something important about all these spoken texts
— from the fluency-building angle: As far as the spoken clauses
are concerned, they’re either (i) standardized clauses with a set
wording or (ii) combinations of standardized clause fragments
(= standardized language sections) of general utility. And as far
as the adverbial phrases are concerned, they all standardized
word clusters.
Once you do a good amount of oral practice with these
spoken texts, you automatically begin to achieve mastery over
these standardized clauses, standardized language fragments
and standardized language sections. And once that happens,
your ability to produce idea units to order and to juggle around
standardized clauses, fragments and sections improves — because
they’re all word groups that can be combined and arranged in a
 Spoken te xts for Speech-fl ow practice 79

variety of ways to produce spoken texts to order in a variety of

verbal and situational contexts.
So get a lot of oral practice saying these word groups aloud.
But before you start the oral practice, do once again go through
what I told you at the beginning of chapter 7 about the importance
of this sort of practice as a hesitation-tackling training tool.
Now for the oral practice.
• Above everything else, he’s very understanding. • According
to gossip, they’re planning to get married. • According to her,
the accident was the driver’s fault. (= she says…). • According
to records, they’ve paid back all the money. • Acne is common
among teenagers. • Active participation of all members – that is
central to the new scheme. • Actually, politics/sport is outside my
area of interest. • Add his name to the list. • Add these figures/
numbers together and tell me the total. • Add these numbers
together and find the total. • Add this column of figures, and
find the total. • Additions are made to the list from time to
time. • After 10 years on the job, he decided to resign. • After
a couple of drinks, he came to life. • After a few days, they got
the boat floating on water. • After a kilometre or so, I got tired
and stopped running. • After a nervous start, the speaker began
to pick up confidence. • After a year or so, he returned to doing
research work. • After about a mile, there was a climb in the
road. • After all, he’s an expert mechanic. He knows best. • After
all his efforts, he couldn’t pass the exam. • After all that hard
work, he earned a break. • After all these years, he’s decided to
get married. • After all, they’re brothers. They’ll stand together.
• After Christmas, sales won’t continue at our present rate.
• After her baby was born, she hasn’t got her figure back. • After
college, he’s planning to go into advertising/films/insurance. (=
get a job in). • After his heart got bad, he’s only been taking
vegetarian food. • After his retirement, he’s been leading an easy
life in Bangalore. • After I left Bombay, we didn’t see much of each
other. • After months of fighting, the rebels were brought under
80 S poken te xts for Speech-fl ow practice

control. • After my morning’s work, I went for some shopping. •

After six months, I had only covered half the course. • After some
time, I heard them leaving. • After some time, the train came to
a sudden stop. • After some time, we got started on the cooking/
washing-up. • After some time, we slowed to a leisurely walk.
• After tea, the meeting continued. • After that, he resigned or
something. • After that, he went back to his house and that’s
that. • After that, I made my way home. • After that, I went for
a little/short walk. • After that, I went to her house twice more.
• After that, we directed all our efforts towards increasing our
production. • After the accident, there was an inquiry of a kind.
(= of a low or lower kind than the speaker wanted or expected;
almost not worth the name). • After the film, I went home to my
flat.
• After the fire, they were left with nothing. • After the play,
they headed for home/the swimming pool. • After the storm, the
river flooded and broke its banks. • After the storm, things got
back to normal little by little (= not suddenly, but slowly or over
a long period of time; at the rate of a small amount at a time).
• After the threat on his life, he doesn’t go out alone. • After the
Town hall, the road turns sharply (to the) right. • After the trip
to the mountains, I felt all in. • After you with that magazine/
pen, please. (= can I have/use it after you’re finished with it?). •
Afterwards, I met him at a conference later in the year. • Ahmed
is nowhere near as efficient as Peter. (= not at all). • Ajith and
Raju shook hands and got on their buses. • Ajith and Rupesh
changed seats. • Ajith changed seats with Rupesh. • Ajith, for
one, won’t join the strike. • Ajith isn’t at work this week. He isn’t
well. • Alex and company are coming for dinner tomorrow. (=
Alex and his friends). • All (of) that money has been spent. •
All (of) the boys enjoyed themselves. • All (of) the children are
playing. • All (of) these/those are sold. • All (of) this is hers. •
All at once, the lights went out. (= suddenly). • All but Peter
agreed with her (= everyone except for; all except). • All he did
was to nod in answer to my question. • All he ever talks about is
 Spoken te xts for Speech-fl ow practice 81

cricket. • All his efforts went for nothing, and he failed the exam.
• All his investments have brought in good returns. • All his life,
he’s been struggling against injustice. • All his salary goes on that
girl. (= is spent on).
• All in all, I enjoyed the party. (= on the whole; when
everything is considered). • All in all, last night’s party was a
failure. • All in all, the strike achieved very little. • All in all, they
treated us very well. • All managers in our firm have secretaries
of their own. • All my attempts at getting the price down failed. •
All my/his family are vegetarians. • All our efforts were to/of no
effect. • All our players are in peak condition. • All our workers
are planning to join the demonstration/strike. • All parents are
concerned for their children’s future. • All right, I dare you to
tell the boss. • All right, I’ll go with them, if I must. • All right,
if you do that, you’ll be sorry. • All right, let’s now tighten these
nuts. • All right, you win — we’ll have the party outdoors. • All
she ever eats is health food. • All the accused denied charges of
conspiracy. • All the arrangements are over — we’re in business
now. • All the buses were crammed with people. • All the chairs
are in line. (= in a straight row). • All the family died in the
accident.
• All the guests have gone. Let’s do the dishes now. • All
the huts in the village have gone under flood water. • All the
illustrations in the book are in colour. • All the loss-making
branches of our bank are going to close. • All the members
are together on this issue. • All the newspapers went to town
on the spy scandal. • All the people he contacted were against
the proposal. • All the speakers praised his role in the freedom
struggle. • All the staff there seem nice people. • All their players
are in pretty good physical condition (= good state of health).
• All their workers/players are fit and strong. • All these are
irrelevant. He’s just trying to confuse the issue. • All these clues
point towards your cousin. • All these developments led them
to rethink the whole plan. • All these difficulties are the result
of bad planning. • All these donations will go to the flood relief
82 S poken te xts for Speech-fl ow practice

fund. • All these dresses are/have 10%/Rs.50 off. • All these

earthenware pots are made by hand. • All these goods are highly
priced. • All these houses look the same (to me). • All these
machines go by electricity. • All these posters carry that slogan.
• All these problems are the product of bad management. (= the
result). • All these speeches are pure propaganda in the name
of religion. • All these things were done as part of a religious
ceremony. • All things considered, the meeting went quite well
(= Taking everything into consideration). • All this arguing isn’t
going to help you win this election. • All this goes to a period
several years ago.
• All this happened because of heavy rain. • All this
happened because of you/because of a misunderstanding. •
All this happened in the latter half of the 19th century. • All
this happened not long after that. • All this happened when
the coalition government was in power. • All this has happened
because of (a) shortage of staff. • All this is outside my experience.
• All this/that money is yours. • All told, there were 50 people at
the meeting. • All we can do now is wait. • All wood isn’t good
for this sort of work. • Almost all of North India was affected by
the drought. • Almost all the staff in that office are men. • Almost
no one likes it. • America and Britain are close allies. • America
has broken their commercial links with those two countries. •
Amnesty International is a force to be reckoned with. • Among
those people, this sort of behaviour is accepted as right. • An
awful thought has just struck me. • An occasional dinner at a
restaurant won’t break the bank. • And then a girl came into
view from the shadows. • And then he appeared at his window.
(= could be seem). • And then he started describing his holiday.
• And then he started speaking about his cat, of all places. • And
then the road turns into a courtyard. • And then, Hitler declared
war on those countries. • And then, someone in the audience
raised a point. • Anil and Priya sat there looking deeply into each
others eyes. • Anil seems to have made a hit with Priya.
• Anita’s house is quite near. • Ants live on the ground. • Any
 Spoken te xts for Speech-fl ow practice 83

more delay will cost us dear. • Any of you can do it. • Anybody
can trick him easily. He’s a great big fool/idiot. (= very…). •
Anybody will do the same in a situation like this. • Anyone can
swim — there’s nothing to it. • Anyone else (in his place) would
have refused to help them. (= a different person). • Anything you
say is okay with me — you’re my lawyer. • Apply the ointment
to that swollen part. • Approximate figures won’t do. We need
precise figures. • Are the children getting along all right in the
new school? • Are these chairs for sale? • Are you feeling warm
enough or do you need another blanket? • Army/College was a
good time for me. • Arun and Ajay are quite different. • As a rule,
we get up by 5 o’ clock. • As a writer, he was ahead of/before
his time. • As a youngster, he used to kick against his father’s
authority. (= resist or react strongly against...). • As always, he
was the last to arrive. • As always, I did the cooking, and she
did the washing-up. • As ever, her husband was in the kitchen,
cooking. • As everyone knows, he died last year. • As far as I can
recall, he was a physics professor. • As for the other suggestion,
I think it’s ridiculous. • As from 1st April/next May, we’re going
to scrap this system. • As from March 1st, the new rule will take
effect. • As from today, she’s your secretary. • As from today/
tomorrow, you’re my secretary. • As head of the family, he has
certain responsibilities.
• As I understand it, what he did was right. • As it is, we
have more than enough problems. • As it is/As it stands/As it
happens/As it turns out, we’ve decided to support the Socialists.
(= This is the actual situation). • As of now, the office will start
working at 9 a.m. • As soon as the race was over, they announced
the winner. • As soon as you get there, drop me a line. (= write
a short letter to me). • As the course progressed, the topics got
hard/harder. • As the evening went on, she became more and
more impatient. • As the managing director, he carries a heavy
load/burden. (= has a lot of work/responsibility). • As things
are/stand, we can’t accept this offer. (= This is the real situation).
• As things stand, he’s not likely to win this election. • As time
84 S poken te xts for Speech-fl ow practice

goes on, things are bound to improve. • As yet, I’ve not received
a reply to my letter. • As/So far as I know, he’s in Bombay. (= I
think…, but I’m not sure). • Asha, you’ve been a real help. • Ask
her who had phoned. • Ask him — he’ll tell you. • Ask him about
it before the drink takes effect. • Ask him the time/the way to the
railway station. • Ask him to be careful — or he’ll injure himself.
• Ask him to open the door. • Ask him to talk/shout less. • Ask
him to tell the price. • Ask him. He must have some idea where
they’ve gone. • Ask if/whether they’re interested in taking this
job. • Ask the students to get into a line. • Ask them to wait in
line at the counter. (= in a queue). • Ask your mom — cooking
is her department. • Assistant Managers don’t have the power to
sign company cheques. • Asthma runs in the family. • At a push,
we can finish the report by this weekend. • At all events, I don’t
want to annoy my boss. (= in any case). • At Coimbatore, they
changed for Madras. • At first, he was cool and slightly distant.
• At first, I didn’t know the matter was so serious. (= In the
beginning; Initially). • At his age, he should know better. • At
home, there are hopeful signs of economic recovery. • At last he’s
made peace with his business partners.
• At last, I got around to painting my bedroom yesterday. •
At last, the speech came to an end. • At last, he decided to take
leave (of his friends here/our village) and go back to America.
(= say goodbye). • At last, he has passed the driving test. (=
After waiting for a long time for it to happen). • At last, he’s
beginning to seem himself again. • At last, his hard work has
begun to show results. • At last, the great day is at hand. • At
last, the holidays are here. • At last, the police arrived — not a
moment too soon. • At last, they’ve reached an agreement with
him. • At last, they’ve brought the negotiations to an end/a close.
(= concluded). • At last, we’ve broken the back of the problem.
• At last, we’ve found a way to deal with this situation. • At
long last, I’ve found the book I’ve been looking for. • At most,
they’ll give you 5% discount. That’s all. (= at the outside; not
more than; at the maximum). • At one time, this hotel used to
 Spoken te xts for Speech-fl ow practice 85

be a castle (= in the past). • At school, we used to fight and call

each other names. • At that time, the Janata Party was in office.
• At that time/In those days, I was working in Bombay. • At
that very moment, there was a loud crash. • At the first sign of
trouble/disobedience, you’ll be punished. • At the last election,
he changed over (from the Congress party) to the Communist
party. • At the last election, I cast my vote for him. • At the
last minute, there was a change of plan. • At the start of the
campaign, we had a few problems. • At the time, I didn’t know
where your place was. • At this rate, he’ll be drunk before he
leaves. • At this time of night, the streets are empty of traffic.
• At your age, he had a job and was earning money. •
Atrocities like that can never happen during the present day.
(= modern times). • Attacks on old women are on the increase
in that area. • Bad boy/girl — I told you not to do it. • Ballet
dancers paint their faces for effect. • Bangalore is a nice place to
live. • Bangalore to Mysore is about two hours run by car/bus/
train. • Barricades were placed across the road to stop people
getting past. • Be careful how you handle the vases — they
cost money. • Be on the watch for pickpockets in the train. • Be
patient — all in good time. • Be sure to lock the door when you
go out. • Be where I can put my hand on you. • Bear in mind that
he was away at that time. • Bear me in mind if you’re planning
to sell your car. • Before long, he came to like us. • Being a
teacher can be hard work. • Believe it or not, he didn’t intend to
damage it. • Believe you me, he isn’t very dependable. • Bend
down a little bit. • Between us, Raju and I loaded 30 bags into
the lorry. • Beyond the factory compound, there’s a stretch of
muddy ground. (= ground containing a lot of mud). • Bicycles
are cheap to run. • He came running (to me/my car/help me). •
She went running (to him/his car/help him). • Bombay is a great
financial centre. • Book early, or you won’t get a seat.
• Both (of) his parents died last year. • Both (the) girls
had passed the test. (= the two girls). • Both firms decided to
join forces and carry out the project. • Both her brothers are
86 S poken te xts for Speech-fl ow practice

in business. • Both teams are now even — they’ve scored one

goal each. • Both the dishes were delicious, but they were quite
different (from each other). • Both the patients are coming
along fine. • Both the patients are doing much better today. •
Both the suggestions come to the same thing:. • Both/All these
suggestions/plans/methods are the same/very much the same.
• Boxes like these are manufactured by the million/thousand/
hundred. • Bribery continues down the line in that office. (=
everybody in that office takes bribes). • Brown eyes run in the
family. • Look at the bruised skin around the eye. • Building
work began about six months ago. • Buses are not running today.
The drivers are on strike. • Buses for Mysore leave (every hour)
on the hour. (= at exactly one o’ clock, two o’ clock, etc.). •
Business has been bad for the past year. • Business is booming
and he’s doing very well for himself. • Business is too good at
the moment, but it won’t last. • Business usually slows down at
this time of year. • Businessmen are willing to pay big money to
promote their products. • Businessmen have been demanding
these tax cuts for some time. (= reduction in taxes). • By all
accounts, he’s a careful driver (= everyone says…). • By and
large, the conference was a success. (= All things considered;
Taking everything into consideration). • By and large, the project
is going well. (= this may not be completely true, but is mostly
true; on the whole). • My birthday is only a week/a month/10
days away.
• By far, she’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met. (= By
a great amount). • By giving such a letter, he has, in effect,
resigned. (= in fact/virtually). • By her watch, it was 10 o’ clock.
• By his own account, there was little traffic at that hour. • By
the look of it, it was very old (= judged by its appearance). • By
the look on his face, I knew he wasn’t satisfied. • By the time I
came back, the car was gone. • By the time we got there, the film
had already begun. • By then, the storm had come nearer the
city. • By tomorrow, I’ll have completed my contract. • By what
he did, he showed himself to be very cruel/kind/generous/brave.
 Spoken te xts for Speech-fl ow practice 87

• By your own account, he showed no fear (= you yourself said

that…). • By your own account, you’re an emotional person. •
By/From the sound of it, they’re going to split up. (= from what
has been said and from the way it was said…). • Can you deliver
these wine glasses there safe and sound? • Canned fish never
tastes quite the same as fresh fish. • Car after car went by without
stopping. • Career or no career, she’s going to get married to
him. • Carrying out this project in time is our central concern.
• Catch that bus. It’ll take you there. • He caused them a lot
of worry/inconvenience. • Cement/Fertilizer prices have gone
up/gone down considerably. • Charlie Chaplin was before my
time. • Check if the post has been firmly fixed (in the ground).
• Children are always hard on their shoes/clothes. (= tend to
damage or wear them out quickly). • Children learn by example.
• Children of six and above can join this school. • City streets are
no place for children/women after dark.
• Clashes like these may develop into a riot. • Classical music
has never really been my line. • Classical music isn’t my cup of tea.
(= is not the sort of thing I like/am interested in). • Cleanliness
goes hand in hand with health. • Climbing that mountain was
rough/hard going. • Clouds of smoke rose high into the air. •
Coconut is sold by the kilo there. • Come (over) here — I want
to show you something. • Come along, let’s go to the shops. •
Come and help me with this. • Come and sit over here. • Come
at once. The boss wants to see you. • Come June/Friday, I’ll be
in America. (= in June/on Friday). • Come next year, he’ll be
our managing director. • Come on in, Ajith, and make yourself at
home. (= behave and do things freely, as though you were in your
own home). • Come on out — the coast is clear. • Come on, lend
me a hand with the washing up (= help me). • Come outside a
minute — I want to show you something. • Come to a decision
only after you consider the matter carefully. • Come to think of
it, I haven’t seen today’s paper yet. • Come tomorrow, you won’t
feel like sending this complaint. • Come what may, I’m not going
to resign. • Competition will bring prices down. • Complaining
88 S poken te xts for Speech-fl ow practice

won’t help in the least. • Computers have been around for quite
some time now. (= existed...). • Computers have changed the
face of publishing. • Computers have changed the face of the
printing industry. • Computers like these are classed as Personal
Computers. • Considering everything, we haven’t done badly. •
Cooking is her only interest in life. • Copy this paragraph exactly
as it stands. • Country people came in their traditional costumes.
• Cows are common in India. (= found in large numbers). •
Crime often goes with poverty. • Criminals like him are classed
as terrorists.
• Cross only when the road is clear. (= empty). • Current
accounts here don’t pay interest. • Currents of fashion change
suddenly and without a good reason. • Cut the cake fairly small,
but not too small. • Cut the carrots into small cubes. • Cut the
crap and just tell me what happened. (= Don’t waste time on
unimportant details; deal only with important details). • Cut the
pineapple/meat into small chunks. • Cut yourself/him a piece of
cake. • Dad, I need a bit of money. • Dad, we’re taking a maths
test today. • Dad’s come. He’s got a little something for you. (=
a small present). • Dad’s word is law at home. • Daddy, I made
a new friend today. • Dangerous driving could cost you your life.
• Day by day, the patient got better and better. • Deep (down) in
her mind, she know she shouldn’t have done it. • Delhi is a long
way north of Agra. • Delhi is the farthest place I’ve ever been to.
• Difficult situations like these always brings out the best in him.
• Digging the garden is no light job. • Digging the garden was
hard work. • Digging the ground is thirsty work. • Digging up
the garden is an effort. • Dirty streets/houses/places like these
are a breeding ground for disease. • Divide the line in half. • It
all began last Monday. • It all comes down to one question. • It
appears as if/as though they’ve given up the idea. • It appears
that they don’t like us very much. • It broke her heart to see them
suffering. (= made her feel very sad/unhappy). • It came on to
drizzle/rain. (= started to).
 Spoken te xts for Speech-fl ow practice 89

• It can’t have happened of itself. • It certainly feels good

to come back home. • It comes to Rs.1250 or near enough. • It
cost Rs.200 or so. • It costs a little more or less than Rs.10,000.
• It costs nothing more than 125 rupees. • It costs round about
Rs. 5000. • It didn’t cross my mind to give him a ring. • It does
you good to let yourself go occasionally. • It feels as though I’ve
climbed a steep hill. • It feels good to sit here on the beach. • It
feels great to be free. • It feels hot/cold/stuffy in this room. • It
fell to my lot to sign the order. • It gets very cold there at night. •
It had a funny kind of taste. • It happened on a Monday/Friday.
• It happened the year after their marriage. • It has become clear
that we won’t get the contract. • It hasn’t rained for ages. • It is
unimportant. • It isn’t always as costly as this. • It isn’t anything
like as hot as last year. • It isn’t much of a car. • It just so happens
that she doesn’t like you. • It looks as if he’s scoring another goal.
• It looks as though we have no choice. (= It seems). • It looks
like we’re going to lose the match. (= …as though/if…). • It
may cost Rs. 100/200. • It never entered his head to phone the
police. (= occurred to him). • It rained heavily all day yesterday,
and farmers are laughing. • It really gets me when people behave
rudely. • It seemed like a disaster at the time.
• It seems the Delhi train is running an hour late. • It sounded
like an excuse to me. • It still has something of its original shape.
• It takes time to complete a survey like this. • It took (them)
ages to complete that work. (= a very long time). • It took every
cent he had to buy that car. • It took her months to learn to speak
Hindi. • It took just about 2 hours to get there. (= approximately;
roughly). • It took just ten minutes of fast driving to get there.
• It took quite a while to get there. • It was (quite) an effort
to convince them we were right. (= It was difficult to…). • It
was a bit of a surprise. • It was a close match, but he managed
to win. • It was a difficult situation, but he handled it skilfully.
• It was a highly charged meeting/press conference/situation/
argument. (= everybody was very angry/anxious/excited). • It
was a huge great cockroach/hole/house/dog/fish/tree. • It was
90 S poken te xts for Speech-fl ow practice

a kind of a pen-like thing. • It was a large enough house. • It was

a lively party. I enjoyed it very much. • It was a rash decision — it
cost him dearly. • It was a really cold day. • It was a successful
meeting. Everything went very smoothly. • It was a very hot
day today. • It was all but a ridiculous suggestion. • It was an
absorbing film. I liked it very much. • It was an action-packed
film, and I liked it (= a film full of exciting events). • It was an
ordinary sort of dress/camera/day. • It was another one of his
silly ideas. • It was colder than ever last night. • It was ever such
a pleasant weekend. • It was his behaviour that built my trust. •
It was mean of you not to help him. • It was my turn to deal.
• It was nearly night when we got there. • It was nearly
tea time. • It was no easy matter to persuade him. • It was
not long before they realized they were wrong. • It was not so
much a discussion as a chat. • It was on the news last night. •
It was our votes that put your government into power. • It was
quite a party. • It was raining hard when we started out. • It
was raining like anything yesterday. • It was rather a peculiar
situation, taken by and large. • It was really hot and stuffy in
there. • It was so funny, I couldn’t help laughing. • It was spring
and the garden was bright with colour. • It was still raining
hard when we left their place. • These people have come from
faraway/far-off places. • These policies are aimed at the welfare
of rural communities. • These policy changes took place under
the last government. • These pomegranates are local/foreign
produce. • These problems can’t be solved by money alone. •
These problems have/are nothing to do with that quarrel. (= not
connected with…). • These regulations will remain in effect for
some more time. • These repairs may take a long time. • These
rotten oranges give off a bad smell. • These rules will remain in
force for six more months. • These seats cost Rs.1000. • These
shirts are on sale with 30%/Rs.75 off. • These shoes are a good/
an excellent buy. • These shops sell fresh farm produce. • These
subjects are taught to develop the mind. • These symbols mean
nothing to me. • These tablets will do him good. • They agreed
 Spoken te xts for Speech-fl ow practice 91

a price of Rs. 1500. • They all supported him in his election

campaign/in the election. • They always cook food out of doors.
• They always help one another. (= each other).

***
92 Rhythm drill

chapter 11

Rhythm drill
We’ve seen several techniques of fluency development by now.
Among them, there’s one technique that would need extended
practice. This is the technique of speaking English with its
characteristic rhythm. This is a technique that would bring about a
revolutionary change in the way you speak English. Once you get
into the habit of speaking English with its characteristic rhythm,
you’ll find that a sizeable part of your hesitation-problem (and so
of your fluency-problem) is over.
Understand this: A sizeable amount of “avoidable” hesitation
happens because of this reason: Speakers (that is, speakers
who are not fluent in English) fail to speak English with its
characteristic rhythm.
So you’ll find below a collection of word groups for rhythm-
drill. The word groups have all been specially selected to give
you training in more than one area. You see, they’re word groups
of high-frequency patterns — patterns of word groups that come
up very frequently during day-to-day conversations. And they
contain tricky sound-junctions, too. So they train you not only
in speaking English with the characteristic English rhythm, but
also in handling frequently-occurring structural patterns and in
speaking English without stumbling over certain tricky English
sound sequences. Keep this in mind: Even a minimal amount of
self-training in these areas would go a long way in helping you
avoid a good amount of hesitation.
Say each word group rhythmically ALOUD – several times.
Here we go:

Group 1
• He’s in the |bath. • It can’t be |done. • She |didn’t |have
a |meal. • |That |book would |do. • They’re |drawing.
 Rhythm drill 93

• I |want to |take a |week |off. • I was |there a |short

time a|go. • I’m |glad. • There’s a |big |tear in his |shirt.
• There’s |one on |this side of the |street. • I |quite
be|lieved |what he |said. • It’s |very |far. • She’s |nearly
|ten. • She |wants to |live in |comfort. • He was |running
|round the |field. • I must be |going |now. • He |seems
|nice. • |Don’t |make such a |noise. • You’ve |got much
|fatter. • She’s |over |fifty. • It’s |under the |carpet. •
You’ll |get it |soon. • It’s |on the |desk. • They’re |moving
on |Tuesday. • |Read all these |books to her. • |Nobody
|ever |speaks to them. • She’s in the |other |room. • He
|says they are to |blame. • Your |letter disa|ppointed me.
• There’s |none (at |all). • There are |none (at |all). •
|Get |washed. • He’s |jealous of your po|sition. • He has
|got it in his |hand. • She |hasn’t |made the |bed |yet.
• I rather |liked it. • She has been |back for some |time
|now. • They’re |pulling. • She |does it for a|musement.
• It |tastes |good. • She |gave a |shout of |pain. • They
|gave each other |presents. • It’s a |long |time she has
been a|way. • |Here I |am. • He |shook his |finger at
|me. • It’s |under the |bed. • It’s not |much of a |risk. • I
|sometimes |go for a |run on |Sundays. • She has |tried
that |trick be|fore. • She was |going into the |shop. • The
|lid |doesn’t |fit. • He |slept |outdoors. • |This |cloth
|tears |easily. • He’s a|fraid. • It |fell with a |loud |crash.
• We’re |dancing. • |All the |others were a |long |way
be |hind. • It’s |quite a |long |way. • It was |tremendous
|fun. • I had a |meal. • She |doesn’t much |care for
|bathing. • I was at the |doctor’s. • I |know her by |sight,
but we’ve |never |met. • You’ve got |fat. • |This |shirt
doesn’t |fit me. • There’s |one on the |right. • It will |soon
be |Sunday. • He’s on the |platform. • The |car’s |broken
|down. • Ex|plain |all these |things to him. • It’s |rather
|heavy. • |Nobody was |singing. • I can’t |make this
|thing |work. • There’s |hardly |any |(rice). • There are
94 Rhythm drill

|hardly |any |(seats). • It was a |great disa|ppointment

to her. • She |fell |ill. • He’s |jealous of his |friend. • It’s
at the |side of the |big |building. • It be|came too |tiring.
• I |quite en|joyed it. • He’s just |back from |seeing the
|doctor. • She’s |cutting. • He was an a|musing |person.
• They |seem very |nice |people. • There |wasn’t much
|shouting. • I was much |younger |then. • They |both
|thought of |each |other. • He has |lived there a |long
|time. • The |notice is |over the |desk. • He |shook his
|head.
• It’s in your |pocket. • I can’t |bear that |man. • I’m
not |hungry any more. • He’s an |utter |liar. • He |came
out of the |shop. • I |can’t |think what to |say. • It has
|stopped. • She |tore the |letter |open. • She’s a|shamed.
• I |heard a |sound of |crashing. • He’s |crying. • The
|bus was be|hind |time. • It’s |oval. • He’s very |hard up
just now. • He |says so. • She |gave a |bath to the |baby.
• He was at |work on |that |day. • It |made a |noise like
a |bus. • You |used to be |quite |thin. • I’ m |doing it
be|cause I |have to. • There’s |one on the |left. • I’ll be
|back |sooner than you |think. • She’s on the |first |floor.
• He has |grown a |beard. • It’s her |own. • I |made
them. • |Everybody is |running. • |No one |seems very
|keen. • There’s |very |little (|milk). • There are |very
|few (|pages). • He |went there in dis|guise. • He |fell
a|sleep. • She’s |feeling |jealous. • It’s at the |front of the
|bank. • She |gave me |these. • I |quite be|lieved him.
• It has be|come much |colder. • He’s |answering. • It
was an a|musing |story. • It |looks like |Raju. • I |heard
some |shouting. • I |went into the |Library. • She |saw
you |talking to me. • The |light is |over the |bed. • The
|wind |shook the |doors. • It’s in the |cupboard. • She
re|fuses to |pay. • |Find a |seat for him. • They |formed
a co|mmittee. • |Somebody is |working. • He |just won’t
|make a de|cision. • He has |gone. • He has |torn his
 Rhythm drill 95

|shirt. • It’s not |necessary. • There |isn’t any |apple in

the |fridge. • They’re all |badly-be|haved |people. • It’s
|round. • I |had a very |pleasant |walk. • The |door had a
|crack in it. • I be|lieve so. • The |food has all |gone |bad.
• She |gave the |packet a |kick. • |That’s a |noisy |place.
• She’s |rather |boring. • He may not |want to |take
|part. • |This |seat is |free. • I can’t |stand the |pain. •
I’m on the |roof. • They |shouted me |down. • It’s my
|own. • |Things are |getting |dearer. • The |children are
|playing. • I’m at the |end of my |tether. • There’s a |little
(|oil). • There are |several (|chairs). • There are a |few
(|cups). • His dis|guise was |not a very |good one. • It’ll
|make the |nails go |rusty. • She |jumped on the |table.
• There’s |one at the |back of the |bank. • He de|serves
to be |thrown |out. • I can |only just |lift it. • It has
be|come much |warmer. • I’m |counting. • |That a|mused
them very |much. • He |seems a |fool. • He |shouted her
|name. • It’s |someone|else’s. • I |simply must |buy her a
|present. • They’re at the |window. • He |shook the |dust
|off the cloth.

Group 2
• It’s in her |hand. • He’s a |stupid |fool. • |Keep a |seat
for me. • She |wants the after|noon |off. • I’m |writing.
• I |hate the |thought of |doing |that. • She has a|rrived.
• He |thought of all |sorts of |terrors. • It seems |colder
to|day. • I’m |coming. • You must be|have like a |man.
• It’s |circular. • I’m |nearly |ready. • I |hope so. • I had
an un|pleasant |time. • I |gave it a |push. • I |don’t like
|noises. • You |soon get |tired of ho|tel |food. • It |says
in the |paper he |died. • |This |basket is |full. • I |can’t
|stand that |fellow. • I’m on the |first |floor. • They |hit
him |over the |head. • It’s his |own. • I’m |off to |bed. •
They’re |reading. • I |hope we |win. • There’s not |much
(|soup). • There are not |many (|cakes). • He |went
96 Rhythm drill

|pale. • He dis|guised him|self as a |beggar. • There’s

|one bet|ween the |bus-stop and the |letter-box. • You
can’t |beat him at |chess. • It’s not |quite |full. • I |live
|there. • I’m |learning. • She |couldn’t |aim |straight.
• It |looks like |cheese. • They |shouted their |orders.
• |That’s no |good. • He |jumped |off the |wall. • The
|switch is |over your |head. • He |shook the |leaves
|down. • It’s in our |drawer. • They’re |bound to |lose.
• |Get a |seat for him. • She |doesn’t |look |well. •
She’s |watching. • |Let him |try on his |own. • He was
|covered with |mud. • I |have a |terror of |fire. • It’s
un|kind. • She be|haved |well. • There |isn’t any |milk
in the |fridge. • It’s |square. • |Train journeys |always
up|set me. • I |think so. • We |had an |anxious time.
• I |heard a |cracking |noise. • I was |giving the |car a
|wash. • |Nothing |pleased her. • Her |story a|mused
them. • There’s |somebody’s |shirt over the |chair. • |This
|bottle is |empty. • I |passed her on the |stairs. • He’s a
|blithering |idiot. • |Take it |out of the |box. • Six |days
out of |seven it |rained. • We’re |looking. • I |don’t |work
|here. • There’s e|nough (|sugar). • There are e|nough (
|sweets). • It |had the |form of a |man. • It’ll |make the
|milk |turn |sour. • She |jumped for |joy. • There’s |one
on the |other |side of the |road. • My |heart was still
|beating. • It’ll a|rrive |soon. • They’ve |sold |out. • She’s
|cooking. • It was a |brave |act. • It |feels |warm. • He
|shouted to her (but she |didn’t |hear). • He |waited all
|night. • It |isn’t a |serious |error. • He’s at the |gate. • I
|shook my |shirt.
• We |sat down by the |roadside. • That’s a |possible
|plan. • |Take it |off the |floor. • |Please |give me a
|hand. • I’m |listening. • She’ll be |very up|set. • There’s
|lots (of |powder). • There are |lots (of |chocolates). •
The |food went |bad. • She’s |terribly |wounded. • There’s
one |outside the |Library. • It’s beginning to get |dark. •
 Rhythm drill 97

This |letter is im|portant. • It’s |going to be |painful. •

The |glass |cracked. • My |stomach is |bursting. • She was
at her |lunch. • It |feels |soft. • He |spent the |night with
us. • You’ll |never |guess who’s |here. • She’s at the |door.
• She |started |back in |fear. • It’s in your |desk. • I’m at
my |wits’ |end. • |Teach them a|gain. • You won’t |catch
me |talking to |him. • He’s |working. • I |said |no such
|thing. • I’ve been |there |once. • |Clouds are |forming.
• The |handle came |loose. • He |jumped |over the |gate.
• We have |got |new |ones. • I can’t bear |travelling by
|bus. • It’s not |quite |empty. • She |just |won’t listen. •
I under|stand. • It was a |wise |act. • I was |giving him
some |help. • We were |shouting for you. • I |live a|cross
the |road. • I |have no |news of him. • There |isn’t a
|chair |left. • I |shook the |tree. • It’s in my |car. • I’m
|quite |willing. • |Show me a|gain. • It’s |red. • We’re
|waiting. • |Somebody’s been |telling |lies. • It |lasted
|half an |hour. • A |button |came |off. • I was |having a
|joke with |her. • We’ve |got |fresh |ones. • It be|gins at
|ten. • He |played |badly. • They’ve |lost. • I a|gree. •
He |asked me to his |house. • It de|layed me an |hour. •
She was |having a |wash. • There’s a |shop |next to the
|corner. • |Here it |comes. • It’ll |cost a |lot of |money. •
There |isn’t a |chair. • She |started at the |sudden |noise.
• I’m in the |kitchen. • She won’t |lend it to |you. • I don’t
be|lieve so. • He may |spill it. • He’s |laughing. • It was
|all their |fault. • There’s a |lot (of |butter). • There are a
|lot (of |oranges).

Group 3
• There’s |nothing to |look |forward to. • He’s |getting
to be an |expert. • |Please |lower your |voice. • There’s
one in|side the |railway |station. • |I can’t |bear her to
be a|way. • |This |letter is |urgent. • She’s |fed |up with
them. • The |bus is |stopping. • It was an un|wise |act. •
98 Rhythm drill

I |don’t |feel |well. • He’s |shouting with |joy. • |All of it

is |stale. • I’ll |make you a |present of it. • It’s |under the
|tree. • He’s not |easily sur|prised.
• It’s on the |shelf. • We |must have a |meeting. • |Tell
her a|gain. • He has |promised me |one. • They’re
|talking. • That is |handy. • There has |been a |fire. • The
envelope |came un|stuck. • We were |having a |joke. •
|These |oranges are |very |old. • They |begged us to |stay.
• He |played |well e|nough. • |Let us |not have |anything
to |do with them. • I |know. • You must a|rrange about
|that. • I was de|layed on the |way. • I was |having a
|rest. • She |fell |over a |stone. • |Send the re|ply by
|hand. • She’s |really |charming. • There |isn’t a |seat. •
|That |started |all this |talk. • They’re in the |garden. •
She |won’t |help. • I |don’t |think so. • I’ll |let you |have
it |back to|morrow. • |Rupa is |going. • He’s |trying for a
|loan. • There’s |plenty (of |milk). • There are |plenty (of
|apples). • I was |very |fond of her |once. • He |looked
|very un|tidy. • She |spoke in a |low |voice. • There’s one
be|hind the |police |station. • I can’t |bear to |look at it. •
She |put it in the |right |box. • He won’t a|llow |any such
|thing. • The |phone is |ringing. • The |time for |thinking
is |past. • She |seems |ill. • They’re |shouting for |joy. •
None of it is |stale. • The |noise |bothers me. • It’s |under
the |table. • I |want to |have a |taste of it. • It’s on my
|table. • We’ve |finished our e|xams. • |Pay him a|gain.
• |That |jug is |valuable. • I’m |swimming. • He’s |still
very |keen on |cricket. • She |had some |money. • The
|parcel |came un|done. • It was |done only in |joke. •
|These |apples are |very |stale. • |Think |well be|fore you
de|cide. • It’s |rather a |warm |day. • He’ll |give them |all
to |her. • I re|member. • She a|rranged them in |pairs.
• |People’s |tastes |differ. • I was |having a |look. • He
|climbed |over the |wall. • I |bought my|self a |shirt. •
|Here they |are. • That |started me |thinking. • I’m in the
 Rhythm drill 99

|garage. • She’s the |winner. • She |had |dinner. • There’s

no e|scaping it. • The |boxes are |falling. • I |think he’s
dis|honest. • It’s too |full. • |Not |once has she |done as
he has |asked. • |Don’t |make such a |fuss a|bout it. •
They |have a |low o|pinion of her. • There’s |one in |front
of the |post office. • |This |tree |bears no |fruit. • I |put
it on the |wrong |shelf. • I |hope they |won’t |blame us. •
The |butter is |melting. • The |time has |come to |act. •
I |fell |ill. • I |shouted with |pain. • |This |tea is |far too
|sweet. • I’ve |finished |that. • It’s |under the |mat. • It
has an un|pleasant |taste.
• He’s in the |bathroom. • She has |just a|rrived. • I |had
|breakfast. • He |gave it to me in |pieces. • I |have a
|little |money. • He’ll be |back by |lunch |time. • You’re
|drinking, |aren’t you? • I |trod on his |toe. • She was
|here a |long |time a|go. • He |cleaned his |teeth. • He
has been |using my |soap. • There’s one |opposite the
|letter-box. • I |can’t |make him |work |harder. • He
|always |sleeps in|doors. • She has |left her |bag be|hind.
• The |wood is |burning. • He |acted as a |fool. • It
|looked |beautiful from a |distance. • She |looks |nice.
• He |shouted at her. • My |finger |hurts. • I’m not |sure
a|bout the |details. • It’s under the |chair. • It’s |sweet
to |taste. • It’s on the |chair. • He has |got |something in
his |eye. • She’s |getting a |seat. • I |can’t |find a |shirt
I |like. • He’s a|sleep. • He’s a |pompous |ass. • There’s
|no |coffee (at |all). • There are |no |spoons (at |all). •
|Get un|dressed. • I’m |tired of |all these |quarrels. • The
|milk is |fresh. • It was |bed time. • I |quite under|stood
it. • |That |shirt is so |shoddy. • We’re |pushing. • She has
|kept it a|part for some |special |purpose. • I was |having
a |meal. • He |jumped |forward with a |shout. • He |lives
|all by him|self. • She has |won |first |prize. • |Here she
|is. • The |windows were |shaking. • She’s in the |dining
|room. • |Someone is |bound to |have it. • We |had
100 Rhythm drill

|lunch. • I |can’t |carry |all of it. • It’s not |easy to |judge

|distances. • She’s |eating. • She’s |back al|ready. • The
|night before |last he |came |here. • He |took the |toy to
|pieces. • She |lives |next |door. • It was a |low |wall. •
There’s |one be|side the |bus-stop. • |Nobody is to |know.
• He |came in |quietly. • He’s |looking |rather |old. •
The |milk is |boiling. • He |acted as a |wise |man. • He
|sounds |nice. • She |shouted. • We’ll |meet |sooner than
|that. • It’s a |terrible |train. • It’s under the |desk. • It
|has no |taste. • It’s on the |floor. • He |won’t even |try. •
|Here’s a |seat for you. • He was in |too much of a |hurry.
• You’re |smiling. • I ad|vised him to |go. • He |hadn’t
any |money. • |Get |dressed. • |This will be |no |joke.
• The |milk is |stale. • The |bed was very |comfortable.
• It’s |quite a |cold |day. • |Please |ask him for |me. • I
for|get. • He |pushed them a|part. • He was |having a
|haircut. • The |outside of it |looks all |right. • |That was
a |picture of him|self. • He has |asked me to |lunch. •
|Here it |is. • I don’t |know what |started the |fire.

***
 Q uestions for rhythm dril l 101

chapter 12

Questions for rhythm drill

So far, we’ve been doing the rhythm drill with word-groups that
were not question word-groups. It’s now time for us to do the
rhythm drill with question word-groups.
Remember this: The principle of speech-rhythm governs
all types of word-groups — statements, questions, commands
and exclamations. And your ability to avoid as many avoidable
hesitations as possible depends a lot on your ability to produce
all these types of word groups with the characteristic English
rhythm.
Here’s a collection of questions. Do the rhythm drill with
these questions exactly as in Book 4. First, go through Book 3 and
refresh your understanding of the principle of speech-rhythm.
Then, go through Book 4, and refresh your understanding of the
principles on which the rhythm drill is based.
Don’t forget to beat the rhythm. Remember this: You can see
a vertical line (|) on the left-hand side of each stressed syllable —
that is, immediately before each syllable that you have to stress.
Yes, the vertical line marks the beginning of each foot — and so
the end of the preceding foot.
You’ll find junction pauses marked at various places by the
‘ + ’ sign.
Here we go for the word-groups:
 • |Do you con|sider |this im|portant? • |Can you |do
it a bit |faster than |that? • |Is this the |right |way for the
|Town|hall? • |Are you |here on |business? • |What |causes
|floods? • |How many more |times do you |want |telling? •
|What was the |film |like? • |Is that |possible? • |Did you
|have any |luck + with |that at|tempt? • |How long does it
+|take from |here to |there + by |bus? • |What do you |like
102 Q uestions for rhythm dril l

to |do +|during |holidays? • |Can I do |anything to |help you?

• |What sort of |film is it? • |When did she |start |working
+|full-time? • |Has the |room got |good venti|lation? • |How
much do you |weigh? • |Where did you |go to uni|versity? •
|Can you |do it a |bit more |quickly + than |that? • |Could
you |tell me +|how to |get to the |Lafa |hotel? • |What’s your
|job? • |What do you |do? • |What’s his |house |like? • |Who
else is |there to |do it? • |What do you |do + |after |loosening
the |nuts? • |When did you |last |write to him? • |Have you
|had a |lot of |work to|day? • |What is the |width + of |that
|road? • |What do you dis|like + a|bout your |job? • |Can I do
|anything for you? • |How |old were you |when you |started
|school? • |How |old were you + |when you |left |school? •
|Isn’t that just |what they would ex|pect us to |do? • |Is there
a |swimming-pool |here? • |How could you |have been so
|foolish? • |How |tall are you?
 • |How im|portant do you |think these |are? • |How do
you |spend your |evenings? • |Can’t you be |quiet |sometimes?
• |Which part of |Bombay are you |from? • |Are you |doing
|anything to|morrow? • |Is he |still |living |there? • |What sort
of |car are you |going to |buy? • |Are you |tired? • |How long
does it |take to |fly + from |there to |here? • |What do you |like
+ a|bout your |job? • |Hadn’t you |better |see the |doctor? •
|Was I |right? • |Wouldn’t they |think + you’d |do |something
a|bout it? • |Do you |know a |good |hotel + a|round |here? •
|Will that be the |end of it? • |Is |everything |OK |otherwise?
• |What’s your |attitude to |politics? • |How are you |getting
on + at |school? • |Could you |pick up the |clothes + on your
|way |back? • |Is |Secunderabad |near |Hyderabad? • |What
|makes you |think that |waiting will |make any |difference? •
|When did you |run out of |petrol? • |Does he |still |live |there?
• |Do you |feel like |meeting him? • |Which of the |problems
+|worries you |most? • |How many |kilometres +|is it from
|here? • |What do you |feel + a|bout |being a |Minister? •
|Where is the |nearest |petrol |bunk? • |How are you |getting
 Q uestions for rhythm dril l 103

|on? • |Do you |know |anyone who’s |got it? • |What is |this
a |photo |of? • |Does it |matter |what they |say? • |What is
the |number + for |trunk-booking? • |How do you |fill your
|leisure |time?
 • |When does your |office |start? • |Is |anyone in |there?
• |How |far is it from the |city? • |Have they |got any |children?
• |Can you |find |out +|whether he’ll |come? • |Where do
they |get pro|visions |from? • |Do you re|member +|what this
|place used to be |like? • |How long was he |there? • |Are
you in |favour of |that? • |Is |Asha |there? • |How do you
|feel + if |someone |compliments you? • |Who do you |know
in |Calcutta? • |Have you |got any |eggs? • |Won’t that be a
|fine |sight? • |Is |anybody |going |there? • |Would it |really
be |any ad|vantage? • |Would you |lend me your |book for a
|day? • |How long a|go did you |see it? • He isn’t |going to|day,
I su|ppose? • |Where is he |from? • |How is he |getting on with
the |work? • |Would you have |liked it? • |What are you |good
at |doing? • |What does he |do for a |living? • |What is his
|office |like? • |Haven’t you |sent them |yet? • |How are the
|children? • |Do you |mind being |criticized? • |Where did he
|die? • |Is it a |modern |house? • |Does |anyone |get through
+ the |first |time? • |Can you |say |when? • |Would that be
|possible? • |Does his |new |car + |have |air-conditioning? •
|Could I |borrow your |book for a |day?
 • |When did you |go there? • |Why is the |‘Taj Mahal’ so
|called? • |Which |platform does the |train go |from? • |How
long have you |had this |with you? • |Could I |take |Friday |off
+ |next |week? • |Isn’t he the |man we |saw in the |store? •
|Is there |anyone |standing |there? • |Do you |think they’re
|friendly? • |What should be the |size of the |bed-room? •
|Don’t you |recognize me? • |When did you |last |see him? •
|Where was he |born? • |Is there |anything |else you can |tell
me a|bout it? • |Can we |even |hope for |such a |thing? •
|When did you |first |do |that? • |Isn’t it |absolute |nonsense
104 Q uestions for rhythm dril l

to |do |that? • |Would you |like to |come for a |film? • |Where

have you |been? • |Is it a |long |way to the |Post Office? •
|Do you |know if there’s a|nother |bus? • |How are the |rest
of the |family? • |When did he |first |mention |this? • |Is that
|all it |was? • |What kind of |people do you |like |most? •
|Are you the |youngest of the |family? • |How |large should
the |hall |be? • |What is the |pin-code for |Bombay? • |How
long a|go did you |join? • |Where are you |from? • |When is
your |birthday? • |Are you |sure +|this is the |right |road? •
|How |often do you |have your |hair |cut? • |When are you
|going to |learn to be more |careful? • |D’you want to |come
for a |film?
 • |How long did the |lecture use to |last? • |Would you
|like a |piece of |this? • |Has the |Madras |train +–|gone
|yet? • |How are |Ali and |Kripa? • |How soon |can you |come
|back? • |How much |longer are you |going to |be? • |How
|good is she at |typing? • |Will she be |staying here |long? •
|Is |football +|very |popular + in your |area? • |How |far
is it to the |General |Hospital? • |How long have you |been
a |member? • |What |part of |U.P. are you |from? • |Does it
|have to be |him? • |How much does the |journey |cost? •
|What |time do you |go to |work? • |When have you |time? •
|Is it all |right + if I |come a bit |late to|morrow? • |Does she
|smile when she is |speaking? • |Do you |mind if I |open the
|window? • |Where is |Agra + in re|lation to |Delhi? • |What
sort of |book are you |interested |in? • |What will you be |doing
|this time |next |year? • |How much is a |first class |ticket to
|Lucknow? • |Can you |spare +|that |much? • |Haven’t you
|got them |yet? • |How |long is |that |hall? • |How long have
you |known him? • |When did you |work in |London? • |How
long is the |journey to |Delhi? • |What’ll you |have to |drink? •
|Why do you |think there are |going to be |difficulties? • |Will
|twenty be su|fficient? • |Is that |car |air-conditioned? • |Will
you |tell me when the |news |comes |on?
 • |How many |pages did she su|cceed in |finishing? •
 Q uestions for rhythm dril l 105

|How much have you |read so |far? • |When does the |Delhi
|flight a|rrive? • |How many |months does the |course |last?
• |What will you have |done + by |this |time +|next |year? •
|Were they |happy + to |share your |company? • |Could you
|get me a maga|zine from |there? • |Where did you |buy them?
• |Do you |feel |tired? • |How |wide is |that |river? • |Do you
|like |people + ad|miring your |clothes? • |How |old are your
|children? • |When does the |film |start? • |When does the
|film |finish? • |What |hotel are you |thinking of |staying at?
• |What |other |things +|happen |there? • |Has he in|vited
you for |Sunday? • |What is your |height? • |How many |pages
did she |manage to |type? • |Have you |packed the |clothes?
• |Has the |Delhi |flight a|rrived |yet? • |Could you |tell me
|something + a|bout the |place? • |What is he |asking |for? •
|When is it |due to be |finished? • |What sort of |price-range
were you |thinking |of? • |What has he |got to |do with it?
• |Are there any |law |books |there? • |Why did she |get so
|restless? • |How |large is |Japan? • |Which do you pre|fer
+–|this one or |that? • |Hadn’t you |better |get some |medicine
for it? • |How long will the |meeting |go on |for? • |Aren’t |all
of us +|like |that? • |Does the |room +|have good venti|lation?
• |What has he |done + to de|serve |that? • |What is your
|weight? • |Did they ad|vance him |some |money? • |Will they
|vote for him?

***
106 Q uestions for oral practice

chapter 13

Questions for oral practice

In Book 3, you saw why many people find it difficult to frame
questions — off-hand, orally. In that Book, you also noted one
thing: If you want to gain the skill of fluently producing questions
orally, you have to do one thing: You have to get your ears and
organs of speech to become accustomed to the way questions
are asked in English. For this purpose, I gave you a collection of
questions in Book 3, and I asked you to practise saying each of
the questions aloud several times.
I’m now going to give you another collection of questions.
Say each of these questions aloud several times, too. Get a lot of
practice doing this. Get your ears and organs of speech to become
accustomed to the way these questions are framed. And to the
types of word clusters that combine to form these questions.
Keep reminding yourself of one thing: Without training
yourself thoroughly in producing structural word clusters and
content-word clusters of general utility, it won’t be possible for
you to avoid unwanted hesitations. And as you go on doing this
kind of oral training, a major source of unwanted hesitations
goes on drying up — and unwanted hesitations go on becoming
fewer and fewer in your speech. So here we go for the question
word-groups:

Group 1
• Now what do I have to do? • Is he very bright? • Is it
customary to do like that? • What do you think is most likely to
happen? • Why did she lose her temper? • Will you have your
bath now or later? • Who do you think he is? • Can I borrow
your book? • Do many people consult him? • Whose fault was it?
• Did you hear the news? • Whose pencil is this? • What does it
mean if a cat crosses your path? • Have you planned anything for
 Q uestions for oral practice 107

tomorrow? • Is this bag Anil’s? • Who was she talking to? • What
is the price of this TV? • Have you thought about the question of
repayment? • Which will you take — this one or that one? • Do
you know if he is there? • Was she really so bad? • Can you see
all right from that seat? • Who on earth would take such a risk?
• What are you going to do when he returns? • What are your
plans for the weekend? • Where do you get them from? • Have
you had any training? • Have you considered what’ll happen
when they come to know of this? • How much did you lend him?
• Haven’t you heard the news? • Who telephoned? • Could you
move your chair this way a bit? • What’s she doing these days?
• Is it any good trying to explain? • Is there anything special
about it? • What made you try there? • Did anyone object? • Do
you honestly think he will accept it? • How long are letters to
Bombay taking? • How much of this do you want? • What’ll you
have to drink? • What do I owe you? • Who has been sleeping
on this bench? • Is something wrong? • Are you planning to go
abroad again? • Have they got all they want? • How long have
you known him?
• Why don’t we look at it this way? • Whose bag do you
think this is? • Was there anyone around? • Do you have the
courage to do it? • Would you mind moving back a bit? • Do you
still require it? • Why doesn’t he do something useful? • How
small is it? • Going by train? • Did it frighten you? • Don’t you
think this is unnecessary? • What possessed him to behave like
that? • How many of those do you want? • Do you want to bring
it right away? • Could I use your phone please? • What have
you been up to? • Did you hear this? • Do you intend to make
any changes? • Do I have any choice in the matter? • What does
that notice say? • Why don’t you stick to the subject? • How long
have you been back? • How are you travelling? By bus? • How
was the trip? • Did any of you go there? • Did you lock the front
door? • Have you considered taking up that job? • What shape is
it? • Is the meeting on the 2? • How quickly can you get here? •
Would you like me to check the almirah? • What do they do for a
108 Q uestions for oral practice

living? • Are you free or busy? • What’s that place like?

• When did the trunk call come through? • Does she always
get angry? • Has he telephoned yet? • What type of wood is
that? • Is it cheaper by bus? • How often do you go there? •
Could you stick to the point please? • How about four o’clock? •
How tall are you? • Could you talk a bit more quietly? • How are
you all today? • Will you be ready by four? • How many brothers
and sisters have you got? • What’s that parcel like? • Was the
film good? • Do you know what make that car is? • What do
you think I should do? • How are you feeling now? • Would he
follow her wherever she went? • Is there anything else you want
to know? • When can I collect the clothes? • Who gave her the
box? • Where have all the books gone? • Who do you think is
most likely to win? • How are you? • Surely you are not fooling
me? • What’s the name of the thing you use for washing dishes?
• What was the party like?
• How do you know there’s going to be a strike? • How
on earth did she manage to do that? • How did you spend the
weekend? • Aren’t you supposed to be away? • Could you
explain how it works? • Don’t they have a light in their house? •
What make is your scooter? • Do you want to know about their
reaction? • Would you do it, if you were me? • Where shall we
go for dinner? • What difference does it make? • Is there a hotel
anywhere around here? • How’s the family? • Would you like
some tea? • Where did you have breakfast? • What sort of tool
is that? • Should I do it or shouldn’t I? • What day is it today?
• What’s the meaning of all this? • Can you stay a little longer?
• Did you use to cry a lot when you were a child? • Why not try
these people? • What are the prospects for a newcomer? • How
much practice must he do? • Are the shops open today? • What
would you do if you became the President? • Do the others like
it? • Is there any chance of her marrying him? • Can you give me
some advice on this? • Do you mean you actually saw her? • Has
he got to work so hard? • When will he be back? • Who did they
meet? • Who did he come with?
 Q uestions for oral practice 109

Group 2
• How soon do you want it? • May I make a point about the
new proposal? • When did you last write? • Who is he marrying?
• Can you help me with this letter? • What can he do better than
you? • What shall I do with these screws? • Why go by train,
if you can fly? • How tall would you say that girl is? • Can she
delay it a bit longer? • How wide is the room? • Do you want
anything else? • Where are you off to now? • What would you
do if you had a plane? • Any time to spare tomorrow? • Do you
like your tea with or without sugar? • How long will it take? •
What have you been doing since you resigned? • Do you want to
invite everybody? • Which would be the better—this or that? •
How do you like this weather? • Are there any nuts in the box? •
What height is the hall? • What’s your view on his decision? • Is
that thing worth paying money for? • What time is best? • Can
you change me a 5-rupee note? • How long can I have it for? •
Who do you plan to go with? • What are you going to tell him?
• How soon do they want it? • Have you got to start today itself?
• Would anybody like to comment? • Will you buy another one?
• What have you got in your hand? • If you’re not too busy,
could I ask you something? • Just what are you objecting to? •
Where did you go to school? • Why not go there tomorrow? •
What kind of person would you say he is? • How much longer is
he going to be? • What length is the bench? • Can I give you a
piece of advice? • Did you hear any strange noises? • Is it worth
waiting for them? • Is something the matter?
• Have you got anything for headaches? • When do you want
it back? • What was it about? • Have you decided what to do?
• Did any of them come here? • Do you have to cook yourself?
• Does that mean you think differently? • Does he sell radios? •
What business is it of yours? • May I make a suggestion? • What
do you expect to achieve by all this? • What’s your job? • What
do you do for a living? • Do you think he’s going to be elected? •
Will you be away long? • What’s the point of inviting him, if he
won’t come? • How can I learn to paint? • Could you describe
110 Q uestions for oral practice

that man for me? • Have you heard about him? • Did anybody
telephone? • Which of these two would you choose? • Are these
oranges? • Would you mind switching the light on? • How do
you start this motor? • What are the office-hours? • Did you all
go straight to the park afterwards? • What salary did he expect?
• What size is the table?
• (It’s) about that girl who came here yesterday — can she
do shorthand? • ‘Beetrex’? What’s ‘Beetrex’? It doesn’t mean
anything to me. (= I haven’t heard it before and I don’t know
what it means). • If I turn my back, he’ll take advantage of me.
How can I keep my eyes on him every minute of the day? • If it
came to the point, would you make this information public? • If
we need more funds, do you have any other source you could fall
back on? • If you can’t find a use for these tins, why don’t you
throw them away? • If you didn’t intend to help him, why did
you raise his hopes? • If you don’t push your ideas, who’s going
to accept them? • If you had to live your life over again, would
you like to be a police officer? • If you move from job to job like
this, how are you going to reach success in anything? • If you
pick a quarrel with the boss, what can you expect? • If you were
against this plan, why didn’t you make it known at the meeting?
• If you’re planning to buy a washing machine, buy it from them.
They provide very good after-sales service? • In a way, she’s
right. What do I gain by staying in this job? • Is anything the
matter? You look worried. • Is everything all right on the work/
domestic/publicity front? • Is everything coming along nicely/
well at work? • Is Gujarati a different form of Hindi? • Is he a
friend of yours/hers/Ajith’s?
• Is he experienced enough for this job? • Is he fast enough
to take part in the Olympics? • Is he going to be another Hitler?
• Is he going to be our new Managing Director? I don’t think he’s
up to the job. (= is capable of doing …). • Is he going to run in
the next election? • Is he really experienced enough for this sort
of job? • Is he serious about resigning? • Is he telling the truth?
• Is it all right if I leave the office a bit early today? (= okay). •
 Q uestions for oral practice 111

Is it all right if I smoke? • Is it all right to break for a cup of coffee

now? • Is it any use complaining to them? • Is it as late as that?
Then I must be making tracks for home. • Is it at all possible for
you to give me your answer today? • Is it so important? I’m in a
hurry — can’t it wait till I come back? • Is it the case that you’re
not getting good service from the dealers? • Is it true that banks
don’t like to grant loans to students? • Is it very rough? Let me
have a feel. • Is Physics difficult? • Is Sanskrit an easy language
to learn? • Is that house large enough for a big family? (= as
large as is necessary). • Is that really what happened? Are you on
the level? (= being truthful). • Is that system still in operation?
• Is that what the managing director said? It sounds as though
the management is going to accept most of our demands. • Is the
Government trying to do us out of our pension? • Is the same
procedure in operation in that bank also? • Is there a bridge
across the river? • Is there a law about choosing a name for your
business? • Is there a lot to do? Do you want/need a hand? (=
want/need help). • Is there a restaurant near here/there? • Is
there a telephone booth here? I want to make a call. • Is there
a telephone in your house? • Is there a time when the doctor/
conference hall is free during this work? • Is there any charge
for having the TV installed? • Is there any doubt in your mind?
What they’ve said is only too true. • Is there any fresh news of
the accident? • Is there any lemonade going? I’m very thirsty. (=
available for use). • Is there any money left over? • Is there any
room for me (to sit down) at the back?
• Is there anything else I can do for you? • Is there anything
good on the TV tonight? • Is there anything in these rumours/this
complaint/what he says? (= any truth in…). • Is there anything
of interest in the paper today? • Is there anything we can do
to prevent the bad effects of these pills and tablets? • Is there
enough (of the) food to last a few days? • Is there much more
of this story/film/play/show? • Is this a sort of joke? • Is this a
suitable moment to break for tea/coffee? • Is this another of his
tricks? I think this is another of his ideas to get us to invest in
112 Q uestions for oral practice

his project. • Is this cheque in order? • Is this deal/explanation/

opinion on the level, do you think? • Is this your first visit to
Delhi? • Is trade unionism becoming a dangerous force? • Is
your boss behind this proposal? (= Does he support it?). • Is
your car going well? • Is your grandfather living still? • Is your
son old enough for school? (= to go to school). • Is your watch
working? • Isn’t he at the office? • Isn’t it a bit much asking him
to come at such a late hour? • Isn’t it possible to get a permit
without the need to go through all these formalities.? • Isn’t it
the darndest thing you ever heard of? • Isn’t the train in yet?

Group 3
• It doesn’t matter to me if you leave a bit early. But have
you asked Mr. Murthy? • It has turned fine and it may not rain
again today. But (just) to be on the safe side, why don’t you take
an umbrella? • It was a big mistake not to mention these things
in the report. How can we put it right now? • It’ll take a little
while. Can you wait for some time? • It’s about Mrudula. She
seems very upset. Is anything the problem? • It’s all very well for
you to say we must buy it, but where do we find the money?•
It’s all very well to criticize, but what’d you have done if you
had been in her position? • It’s bad enough to be short of food,
but how about water? We can’t live without it. • It’s easy for
you to criticize/laugh, but how would you feel if you’re blamed
for something that’s not your fault? • It’s natural enough to be
suspicious of strangers, isn’t it? • It’s not even two months since
he joined the firm. Now he wants a pay increase. Can you beat
it? • It’s only a matter of a few weeks. Can’t you wait till then? •
It’s turned 4 o’ clock. When’s your train?
• Just because our team has lost the match, why should we
all hang our heads like this? • Just listen at the door. Is there
anybody in that room? • Just out of interest, when did you get
married? • Keep those books/toys in order, will you? • Let her do
what she likes. Who cares? • Let me ask you something, Suresh
— you look very unhappy. Is something wrong? • Let me see —
 Q uestions for oral practice 113

where have we met? • Let me show you something — now then,

where is it? — ah, yes here it is. • Let’s accept the offer — what
do you say? • Let’s go for a walk, shall we? • Look Anand, I
couldn’t make it last night. I’m sorry. Anyway, how did the party
go? • Look at him. Isn’t he behaving very strangely? Do you think
he’s losing his mind? (= becoming mad). • Look at that dress on
display. Is it for sale? • Look at the sufferings of the flood victims.
How can the government shut its eyes to them? (= deliberately
ignore). • Look at the way he’s trying to please her. Can you
beat that? • Look at these currency notes/stamps/books. Aren’t
they in mint condition? • Look at this button on the side of the
machine. Is it just/only for show or does it have any practical
use? • Look over there — what’s that lying on the floor? • Look,
I didn’t tell you all those things, because I didn’t want to worry
you with my problems. All right?
• Make that dog stand still, will you? • May I have a look at
your newspaper? • May I take tomorrow off? My cousin is getting
married. • Me? Support them? Not likely. (= definitely not). •
Mind the baby, will you? I’ll have a bath. • Move those two chairs
into line, will you? • Must you go? • Must you pay for it yourself?
• My clock is broken. Can you have it working? • My pen doesn’t
work — can I borrow yours? • My son is ill. Will you take a look
at him, doctor? • No, I’m not going to resign. Whatever gave you
that idea? • Nobody can help getting ill, can they? • Now then,
is there anybody here who can speak French? • Now then, what
can I do for you, Prakash? • Now then, what do you want to
be when you grow up? • Now your car is as good as new. Who
repaired it? • Nowadays, he’s very polite to me. What could be
behind it? (= the true reason for it). • Of course, I can deposit
some money with you, but will it be available on demand? • Of
course, I won’t break my promise. What do you take me for? •
Of course, I’ve not been eavesdropping — what do you take me
for? (= What kind of person do you think I am?). • Of course,
she made a show of interest, but do you think she really wanted
to know what happened there? • Of course, you’ve been working
114 Q uestions for oral practice

hard all your life. But do you have anything to show for it except
the small amount of money you have in the bank?
• Oh by the way, when are you planning to go to Calcutta?
• Oh! Was it you? You gave me the fright of my life. • Oh, don’t
you start again! How many times should I tell you I can’t do it?
• Oh, is that the time? I must be on my way. • Oh, less of that!
Can’t you play without making so much noise? • OK, I get it —
you want me to pull it, and not push it, right? (= understand). •
Okay, I goofed — I know. But how was I to know who he had in
mind for the job? (= I did not know this; you can’t expect me to
have known this). • Only 5 miles from here? That’s no distance
at all. • Open the door, and bring me back the key, will you? •
Open the door/the window/the gate/the box, will you? • Please
have those books sent up, will you? • Prices are rising. How can I
live on this salary? • Problems like these give cause for concern,
don’t they? (= are a reason for worrying). • Put yourself in his
position. How would you have handled the matter? • Remember
about feeding the dog, will you? • Remember to lock the door,
will you? • Rice pudding? I wouldn’t say no to another helping.
(= I’d like another helping). • Riots have broken out in several
areas. What’s it all coming to? • Run and fetch a doctor, will
you? • Run the machine/engine/motor for a moment, will you?
• Shall we go for an outing to the beach tomorrow? Let’s start
early in the morning and make a day of it, shall we? (= spend
the whole day on the outing). • Shall we meet for lunch/dinner/
breakfast tomorrow then? • Shall we meet tomorrow then, and
discuss it over lunch? • Shall we meet, let us say, next Friday? •
Shall we shift these tables and chairs around? Oh, never mind.
We’ll do it later. • She doesn’t like the new boss — but then, who
does? • She doesn’t look anything like her sister? (= she looks
different).
That’s it. Bye for now.

***