Independent Speaking – Listening To Others: feedback on speeches 1

Below are my impressions of some of your speeches.
Some general points:-
1) Fluency is generally not very good. You all need to improve your fluency, and you can only do this by speaking English as much as you can. Go to the Chit-chat club or World Forum. Speak with teachers every chance you get.
2) Your speeches are quite short. Partly this is because of fluency, partly because of lack of ideas. To develop your capacity to generate ideas, go over all your speeches again and for every topic try to come up with two or three alternative speeches each with different ideas.
3) Support for main points is quite weak, and rarely more than a single sentence. Again, this is a fluency problem.
4) Think synonyms. Your speeches tend to be repetitive. Try to restate things using different words. For eample, instead of repeating 'make friends' again and again, you could say 'form relationships'.
Below are some of your classmates speeches. Please follow these steps.
a) Read the transcript b) Read my comments in red c) Listen to the speech d) Look at the errors I have corrected

1.
Student absent, so no speech or transcript.

2.
I think first year students should live on a live in a dormitory on a campus. Because in a dormitory students can learn relationships of people. They can help each other in a dormitory. Second in a dormitory the life schedule is well organized. They get up early and go to bed early. And they eat well-balanced foods. That is good for you’re their health. (65words) Listen to speech
This speech was too short. The structure was quite good, but the explanation for main point 1 was weak. Another weakness was the lack of direct comparisons. The grammar, however, was good. (Score 3)

3.
 I think um first year student should live in the dormitory on campus. Because, um dormitory is cheaper than the apartment. Because um usually the dormitory is cheaper than apartment. And secondly um there are many friends and in dormitory so then um they can um get a communication skills than the apartment in live in apartment. And third point is concentrate, they can concentrate um their um study in dormitory than um live in apartment. Apartment is near the city, so um they um can ….(87 words) Listen to speech
Poor structure here. Main point 1 has no support, just a repeat of the main point. Also, there are two further main points and neither is sufficiently explained. Remember the explanation of the main points is where you show your fluency. Again there is only one attempt at direct comparison and it showed poor grammar.(Score 2.8)
Obvious mistakes -
1)
they can concentrate um their um study in dormitory than um live in apartment should be they can concentrate more on their study in a dormitory than in an apartment.


4.
I think first year students should live in dormitory on campus because they can make friends in the dormitory, so with the friends, they can uh.. play together, studying, and eat, uh..and discussing.. discuss together. Um..it makes their campus life much better. And also, the senior in the dormitory support them. Uh.. they have lived longer than them, so, they uh.. the senior can good advice to the first year student. Yeah, it makes..uh it’s good for them.(78words) Listen to speech
The fluency here was not good. The structure was good, but the vocabulary was simple, and again there is not much attempt at direct comparison. (Score 2.8)
1) the senior in the dormitory support them should be they can get more support from seniors in a dormitory
2) they have lived longer should be they have lived on campus longer


5.
I think 1st year students should live in dormitory on campus.   Firstly, they can make friends when they live in dormitory They sleep and take both together. And they use the same space and kitchin. So it is easy to make friends. And secondly, it is easy to accustom new surrounding. Some students comes from country. Thirdly, they may not feel homesick because they have many friends in dormitory.(67words)
Listen to speech
This speech makes no attempt at all at direct comparison. It also has three main points poorly explained. The fluency was OK, but it was really just a reading of the main points of the speaker’s plan with almost know support for the main points. (Score 2.8)
1) They sleep and take both together (I have no idea what this means, but it sounds… well, it sounds very bad)
2) Some students comes from country should be Some students come from the country


6.
I think the first-year students should live in a dormitory on campus because it enables first-year student to make friends and it is easy for them to get accustomed to campus life. There are a lot of older students and new students in a dormitory. They can be friends and share information about campus life. Also the dormitory is very close to a class room. It is easy for them to go to class room.(75)
Listen to speech
This is not the correct transcript. The correct transcript should be –
I think the first-year students should live in a dormitory on campus because it enables them to make friends and it is easy for them to get accustomed to campus life. Because there are a lot of older students and new students in a dormitory, they can be friends and share information. It’s going to be beneficial to extending to extending their relationship. Also living on campus, it’s easy for them to go to a classroom. It enables them to get accustomed to campus life.
This speech was quite fluent but the real transcript shows there is a lot of repetition. Main point 2 is not supporte4d at all: what follows is just a repeated sentence. Again there is no attempt to make direct comparisons. (Score 3)


7.
The first year students should live in a dormitory on campus. Firstly, the stu… the first year students can learn the communication. Ah, in a dormitory, students should share everything like a refrigerator and cooking studio. So they learn the cooperation with each other. And secondly, the dormitory is very close to the campus. The first year students are, don, do not get used to the life of university. So it is very useful for students to live near the campus, because they can sleep more, and be …89 words
Listen to speech
This speech was also quite fluent and the explanation of main point 1 was quite good. Main point 2, however, had very little support. Again no attempt at direct comparison. I’m not sure if I understand the connection between ‘get used to university life’ and ‘they can sleep more’. (Score 2.8)
1) students can learn the communication should be students can acquire communication skills
2) they learn the cooperation with each other should be they learn how to cooperate with each other


8.
In my opinion, first year students should live in a dormitory on campus. First, ah in a dormitory, they can make friends easily. Beca ah and also usually the first year students feel loneliness because they are apart from their home. So they can feel relaxed at ah in a dormitory. Secondly, in a dormitory, they can learn necessary things to live. Ah because there are many people around around them ah they have to cooperate them. And also they have to cook and clean their rooms. So they learn many things. 92words Listen to speech
This speech was quite good, but again there was no attempt to compare. Structure was good and each main point had some support. (Score 3.2)
1) they can make friends easily should be they can make friends more easily.
2) they can learn necessary things to live should be they can acquire necessary life skills


9.
I recommend the first year man live in dormitory than live in apartment in town. Because…first is dormitory is much cheaper than living in apartment, because they are…we don’t pay a high rent cost and lightning and water or gas cost is…so…we don’t pay. Second is it is more comfortable because we can make friends before we enter the school. (60 words)
Listen to speech
Fluency was a problem in this speech. It was too short, but it did have a very good first main point with direct comparison and some support. Unfortunately, I couldn’t understand what main point 2 was about. (score 2.5)
1) I recommend the first year man should be I recommend that first year students
2) we don’t pay a high rent cost and lightning and water or gas cost is…so…we don’t pay should be we don’t need to pay a high rent or lighting, water or gas costs


10.
I think the first year student have to live in a apartment in the city.  If you live in a dormitory in a campus, we don’t know that how …  how we cost on my life.  If we live in a apartment in a city, we have… we can’t know the late system.  If you don’t know that, we tend to use money in vain.  And we have to accustom… have to be accustomed in the town.  It is…  can be the lesson on your life. (86words)
Listen to speech
This speech was ambitious, but it was very difficult to understand. I am really not sure what the speaker wanted to say. I’m sure it was the speakers true opinion but she was unable to make me see what it was. REMEMBER, talk about what you can talk about, not what you feel. (Score less than 2)

11.
I think students should live in a dormitory, because the in the dormitory, students can connects with other students, and they can make a good memory in the dormitory. And for students to cook a dinner or morning is a great problem for them. For example, go back from the university and to make a dinner is too tough work to them. And uh but in the dormitory, it can served. (71 words)
Listen to speech
This is the wrong transcript.
This speech was not to bad, but the ideas were simple. I was also irritated by the speaker saying, first reason, second reason. (Score 2.5)


12.
I think first year students uh, should live in dormitory. Uh, because it’s easy to make friends in eh, the dormitory because they have a lot of time to um, talk each other and eat our lunch with together. And also, they can study uh, together. And it may be a good way to study because they can discuss and um, share the ideas and so I think they should live in dormitory on campus. (75words)
Listen to speech
Again we have no direct comparisons in this speech. Also the structure was poor. What were the main points? I’m not really sure. (Score 2.5)
1)  it’s easy to make friends in eh, the dormitory should be it’s easier to make friends in the dormitory

13.
I prefer to live in a dormitory. Firstly, to live in a dormitory, we can make many friends. It is fun for us to make a many friends in a campus life. And secondly, to live in dormitory, we can train to live alone for the future. If we live in an apartment with our family, we cannot train to live alone, so it’s good our future to live in a dormitory, so in conclusion, I prefer to live in a dormitory. (82 words)
Listen to speech
This student completely missed the point of the question. The question was not ‘Do you prefer to live in a dormitory or an apartment with your family?’, it was ‘Should 1st year students live in a dormitory or in an apartment?’ This speech does not answer the question. (Score 2)

14.
  I think the 1st year student should live in a dormitory because ah, in a dormitory 1st year student can learn many things from the seniors ah…for example rule of school and studying and clubs but live alo…if, if 1s student live alone in apartment, there are nobaldy, there are nobody to ask and depend on.  And second, in a dormitory 1st year student can make a good friendship.  And making friendship is important to spend a…few years in the school.  This…so, thisssss… (83 words)
Listen to speech
The structure of this speech was good, but the fluency was not great. Main point one makes a direct comparison, but main point 2 doesn’t. (Score 2.8)
1) making friendship is important to spend a…few years in the school should be making friendships is important in the few years you spend at school

15.
 In my opinion, first year students should live in the dormitory on campus. Because in a dormitory uhh students can make good friends, because uhh students uhh live with the dormitory with, with many people so it can make good friends. And uhh students in dormitory can help each other. Uhh first year students don’t know uhh about the university but can help each other, it is very helpful. (69 words)
Listen to speech
Nice beginning, but again no direct comparisons. Also, fluency is a problem, with the main points having very little support. (Score 2.5)
1) so it can make good friends should be so they can make good friends

16.
I think one year student should live in a dormitory on campus. Firstly… firstly, they can cultivate good friendship with… the same dormitory members. Because they live in a same house, same dormitory, therefore they can they share their time with them, so they can communicate much better than living in a apartment. Secondly, they can prepare for the life of one lonely life. Apart from …(66)
Listen to speech
Fluency a definite problem here so the speech is very short, with only one real main point. Main point 2 is incomprehensible. At least there is one direct comparison. (Score 2.5)
1) one year students should be first-year students

17.
I think the first year students should live in a dormitory on campus. Because I can make friends in a dormitory even different major students. Secondly, in a dormitory is very safety. Because there are caretaker.  Mother and father. In a evening, caretaker are there. So in a dormitory is very safety. That’s why, I think the first year’s student should live in a dormitory on campus. (67words)
Listen to speech
Unfortunately, this speech was spoiled by a faulty microphone connection. Again, no direct comparisons. Main point 1 has no support at all. Main point 2 is very repetitive.. The topic statement and the concluding statement (which are the same) are almost 50% of the speech. This indicates poor fluency and/or lack of ideas. (Score 2.2 )
1) a dormitory is very safety should be a dormitory is very safe

18.
Definitely 1st year student should live in a dormitory on campus. Firstly we can make a lot of friends in dormitory uh… before uh… before uh… yes enter ceremony. Also, we can make strong… strongly tie. Uh… we can help each other. Secondly uh we can uh care… care about each other. For example, my friend uh… sick become sick, so I can take her. 65 words
Listen to speech
Again we have no direct comparisons. This speech shows poor fluency, simple ideas, and simple vocabulary., Are the main points different, or is main point 2 part of the support for main point 1? (Score 2)

19.  Listen to speech
This speech was very short, fluency was poor, and the lack of ideas stopped it after less than 40 seconds. (Score 2)