VSTEP speaking: Common topics

VSTEP SPEAKING: COMMON TOPICS
HOMETOWN
I. VOCABULARY
A. TOWN
* Some of the things you will find in big town
Commercial center

shopping center

car park

factories

Suburbs

libraries

pollution

night-life

Traffic

museum

high buildings

noise

B. THE COUNTRY:
* Some of the things you will find in the country

C. Advantages and disadvantages
Cities and towns
Advantages

The countryside

Exciting and interesting

Quiet and peaceful

Convenient

Clean

There are a lot of things to do

Calm and relaxing

There’s a wide range of shops

Has lots of open space

There’s lots of night-life (bars, cinemas,

safe

night clubs…)
Disadvantages

Noisy

Boring

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Dirty and polluted

Inconvenient

Stressful

There’s a few activities to do

Crowded

There are only a few shops

dangerous

There is no night-life

II. USEFUL STRUCTURES:
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My hometown is …………….. It is located/ situated in the North/ Middle/ South of
Vietnam.

-

It’s very + adj (comfortable/convenient… ) living there.

-

It’s a/an + adj (nice/quiet….) place to live in.

-

Living there is + adj (interesting, noisy….)

-

I lived there for ……… years. ….. years ago, I moved to………..

-

I have been living there since I was born.

-

My hometown is famous/ well-known for ………………… throughout Vietnam.

-

It is rich in …………. (oil, mineral deposits…)

-

………….is the best place in my hometown.

III. SAMPLE ANSWERS:
1. Where are you from? /Where do you come from?
2. Let’s talk about your hometown. What kind of place it is?
 My hometown is / I am from/ I come from …………….. It is a beautiful city/province/village in
the North of Vietnam. My hometown is famous for some places of interests such as :
……………………… . Some special/ delicious kinds of food in my hometown are
…………………………………….The weather here is very nice and the people are helpful,
friendly and hospitable.
3. What part of the city do you live in? What is it like living there? / Is it a nice place to live in?
 I live in a flat/ rented house in the center of the city. It is a bit noisy and crowded, but it is very
convenience and there are many opportunities for jobs and education.
 I live in the suburbs/ outskirts of the city. It is a quiet place to live in. The atmosphere is fresh and
the neighborhoods are helpful and kind.
4. How long have you lived there?
 I lived there for ………… years. …………….. years ago, I moved to Hanoi for my education.
 I have been living there since I was born in …………….

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5. What are the main tourist attractions in your hometown?
6. What do you like about your hometown?
7. If I visited your hometown, what would you advise me to go and see?
 There are many famous tourist attractions there such as pagodas, lakes, parks…. For example, you
can visit ……………. when you come to my hometown.
 If you visited my hometown, I would suggest that you visit Hoan Kiem Lake. It is very famous for
its ancient beauty and peaceful atmosphere.
8. Has your hometown changed a lot in recent years?
9. What changes have taken place in your hometown?
 Yes, it has seen a lot of changes. With the development of the economy, people’s living standards
have been greatly improved.
 There are many changes such as the roads are getting wider and better. The transportation has
improved much and there are more and more vehicles travelling on the roads such as cars,
motorbikes, buses…..Besides, buildings are getting higher and higher.
10. What are the problems of your hometown? What are the solutions to these problems?/ What would
you like to change about your hometown?
 There are some problems such as overpopulation, traffic jam and pollution of air, water and noise.
In my opinion, the local government should have more effective measures and stricter law. For
example, to reduce air pollution, we should develop the infrastructure, reduce the number of cars
and use public transports.

FAMILY AND FRIENDS
I. VOCABULARY
A. Relatives (= members of your family)
Male

Female

Your parents’ parents

grandfather

grandmother

Your parent’s brother and sister

uncle (s)

aunt (s)

Your aunt’s/ uncle’s children

cousin (s)

cousin (s)

Your brother’s/sister’s children

nephew(s)

niece(s)

The father and mother of the person you marry father-in-law

mother-in-law

The brother and sister of the person you marry brother-in-law

sister-in-law

The person you marry dies, so you are a

widow

widower

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Your mother or father remarries, so you have a step-father

step-mother

B. Family background:
My grandfather was a market gardener. He grew flowers, fruits and vegetables, and sold them in the
market every day. He worked hard all his life, and when he died, his son (now my uncle) and daughter
(my mother) inherited a large house and garden. They carried on the business together until my
mother met my father. They got married, moved to England, and I was born two years later. They
didn’t have any more children, so I am an only child.
C. Family names:
When you are born, your family gives you a first name. (James, Kate, Alex…). Your family name
(also called your surname) is the one that all the family share (Smith, Brown…). Some parents give
their children a middle name, but you usually say this name. Your full name is all the names you have,
e.g. Sarah Jane Smiths.
D. Changing times:
Society changes and so do families. In some places, people may decide to live together but do not get
married. They are not husband and wife, but call each other their partner. There are also many
families in some parts of the world where the child or children live(s) with just their mother or father,
these are sometimes called single-parent families.
E. Friends:
We can use a number of adj before friend:
An old friend

a close friend

your best friend

There are some kinds of friends:
Colleague

roommate

classmate

We use ex- for a partner we had in the past but do not nave now:
Ex-husband

ex-wife

ex-boyfriend

ex-girlfriend

II. USEFUL STRUCTURE:
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There are …………… members in my family./ My family has …………… people.

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My father/mother/ sister is a /an + job (teacher, doctor, farmer, student……….)

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My father/mother is ………….. years old.

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My father/mother is the breadwinner of the family.

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I often spend time + Ving (chatting, going shopping) with my friends/family.

-

I prefer to stay with my family than with my friends because …………

III. SAMPLE ANSWERS:

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1. Tell me something about your family.
=> There are four people in my family: my father, my mother, my sister and I. My parents used to work in
a state-run company but now they are retired. My sister is a doctor, she’s 25 years old. We are a happy
family.
2. Do you live in a big or small family?
=> I live in a small family. There are four people in my family: my parents, my brother and I. We live in a
small house in……
=> I live in a big family, an extended family with my grandparents, my uncle and aunts living together. We
are very close-knit and quite happy.
3. Do you prefer to have a big or small family? Why?
=> I prefer to have a small family. I think in a small family, we can understand each other better and we
will have more time to take care of all members of the family.
=> I prefer to have a big family because I feel happier if there are many members in the family. We can
talk and share many things. Moreover, it is easier to help each other in a big family.
4. Who often does the housework/shopping/cooking in your family?
=> My mother often does the housework/cooking because she has a lot of free time and she knows how to
do things well. However, when I have free time, I often help her and she also teaches me a lot of things.
5. Who is the breadwinner in your family?
=> My father is the breadwinner in my family. He is a doctor. Every day he works very hard from early
morning until late in the afternoon. He loves his job very much.
6. What do you often do with your family?
=> We are busy with our work during the day so in the evening, we gather to eat dinner together. After
dinner, we watch Tv and talk about our daily activities. My parents often listen to me carefully when I tell
them about my study and my activities at university.
=> I live far from my family so I often come home at weekends. When I come home, I help my parents do
some housework and spend time watching TV with them, talking to them about my life at university.
7. How has family changed in the recent decades in Vietnam?
=> Well, family structure in Vietnam has changed a lot, generally from big to small. Vietnamese used to
have extended family with a few generations living together. However as time go on, people need to move
for their jobs so small family are more common as they’re easily mobile.
8. Do you have many friends? Are they close friends or acquaintances?

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