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CUU ENGLISH LANGUAGE CENTER

Building Language Skills for Success

Chapter 18 - B1 English Grammar – Speaking Fluently: Reducing Hesitation and Building Confidence – Ex 18

Fluent speaking isn’t about perfection—it’s about communicating clearly and confidently. At B1 level, you must use fillers appropriately, paraphrase when you forget a word, ask for clarification politely, pause effectively, and practice regularly to reduce hesitation and build natural rhythm.

Fillers and Pausing

Fillers: well, you know, I mean, actually — give you time to think
Pausing: Short breaks are natural; silence is better than “um/uh” overload
Tip: Use **one filler at a time**, and don’t overuse them

When You Don’t Know a Word

Paraphrase: “the thing you use to open bottles” instead of *bottle opener*
Ask for help: “What’s the word for…?” or “How do you say…?”
Clarify: “Do you mean…?” or “Could you say that again more slowly?”

How to Practice Fluency

Shadowing:
Repeat audio immediately to copy rhythm and intonation

Self-talk:
Describe your actions out loud: “I’m making coffee.”

Recording:
Listen to yourself to notice hesitation and errors

Conversation:
Speak daily—even to yourself—to build muscle memory

Key Speaking Strategies:

Use Fillers Sparingly

Paraphrase Instead of Stopping

Ask for Clarification Politely

Practice Daily

fluent “I need the thing you open bottles with—uh, a bottle opener!”
hesitant “I… um… I don’t know the word… uh…”

How This Quiz Works

20 questions randomly selected from a pool of 50
Tests fillers, paraphrasing, clarification, pausing, and practice strategies
Hints guide you without giving the answer
Immediate feedback with specific explanations
Click “Check Answers” to see the full answer key
“Change Questions” gives you a new quiz

Speaking Practice: At the Tech Help Desk

Read the conversation between Leo (a student) and Maya (tech support). Notice how they use fillers, paraphrasing, and clarification.

Leo: Hi, uh… I’m having a bit of trouble with my laptop?
Maya: Sure, no problem. What’s going on?
Leo: Well… it’s the thing you use to connect to the internet—you know, the Wi-Fi? It just… disappeared.
Maya: Oh, the Wi-Fi icon?
Leo: Yeah, that! It’s gone. I mean, it was there this morning, but now—nothing.
Maya: Okay, let’s check. First, are you sure you didn’t, like, turn it off by accident?
Leo: Hmm… actually, I might have. Wait—no, I don’t think so.
Maya: No worries. Could you tell me—what’s the make of your laptop? Like, is it a Dell, HP…?
Leo: It’s… um… the one with the fruit logo?
Maya: *(laughs)* Oh! A MacBook?
Leo: Yes! That’s the one. Sorry, I’m not great with tech words.
Maya: Totally fine. So… have you tried restarting it?
Leo: Yeah, I did that already. Didn’t help.
Maya: Alright. Let’s try something else. Could you open the settings and… actually, never mind—let me show you.
Leo: Oh, great. Thanks—you’re saving me a lot of stress!