Filler (noun)

A word, phrase or ‘noise’ we use to give ourselves time to think of what we want to say. ‘Erm’,‘umm’ and ‘hmm’ are very common ‘fillers’ in British English.

Fluency in Speech

This refers to the speaker’s ability to continue a conversation without too much hesitation. Complete fluency involves being able to communicate appropriately in a given situation without making errors.

fluency: noun
fluent speech: adjective
speaking fluently: adverb

Accuracy in Speech

This refers to the speaker’s ability to talk without making errors. To be completely fluent, you need a high level of accuracy.

accuracy: noun
accurate speech: adjective speaking accurately: adverb

To Paraphrase (verb)

To repeat the meaning of something without using the original words. By paraphrasing – saying what you mean but using different words – you can often avoid needing to use unknown vocabulary

A Chunk (noun)

Words which are often repeated together in a set order so that they become ‘fixed’.We hear different chunks in different situations. In the question ‘Do you usually tune in to the BBC?’, ‘tune in to the BBC’ is a chunk which you will often hear on the radio.

To Collocate (verb)

Words which are often found together in a particular order are said by language experts to ‘collocate’. So, in Britain, ‘fish and chips’ is a common collocation – but not ‘chips and fish’. Collocations are a very common feature of English, and there are no set rules for them.

collocation: noun

Signposting (noun)

This refers to the phrases which the speaker uses to show where he or she is going in the conversation. For example, phrases such as ‘Let me begin with…’,‘First of all…’ and ‘One of the most important things…’ shows that the speaker is probably going to make more than one point.

Feedback (noun)

If you ask someone for feedback on a talk, you are asking for his or her honest reactions to what was said. You want to know what went well and what was not so successful.

To Brainstorm (verb)

To spend a short time gathering ideas or vocabulary related to one theme. When you brainstorm ideas, usually with other people, you think quickly and in a very focused way.

To Clarify (verb)

To clarify is to make things clear and understandable.You might ask for clarification in a conversation if you did not understand what the speaker said.

clarification: noun

Stress (noun)

The emphasis in a word, phrase or sentence.Word stress is important because there are many words which sound similar, except for their stress – for example, ‘a record’ (noun) and ‘to record’ (verb). Stress in sentences or phrases is important because changing the stress can alter the meaning.

For example:
I like the radio (not the TV).
I like the radio (but my brother doesn’t).

Intonation (noun)

We usually say that this is the ‘music’ of the language. It involves changes in pitch (does your voice start high or low?) and direction (does your voice go up or down?) as well as in stress.