Lesson 19: Fillers & Buying Time Naturally
replace "ummm" and dead silence with natural fillers that keep you fluent while you think.
Why this matters
Everyone needs thinking time — even native speakers. The difference is how you fill it. "Ummm… ehh…" and silence read as low fluency; natural fillers and phrases keep the flow and even add coherence. Hesitation to find a better word is fine at band 7; hesitation because you're stuck is not.
The Tip/Trick
Have a toolkit of natural fillers ready. Use them instead of "umm": "That's a good question…", "Let me think…", "I suppose…", "Off the top of my head…", "How can I put this…".
- Before: "The person I admire is… ummm… ehh… my… ummm… mother. She is… ehh… good."
- After: "The person I admire most? Well, off the top of my head, I'd have to say my mother — she's someone who's always inspired me."
Grammar Focus — Relative clauses with who (people)
Rule: use who to add information about a person within one sentence. Reference: the "Relative clauses with who (people)" section.
- "She's someone who never gives up."
- "He's the kind of person who lights up a room."
- "My mentor, who I met at work, completely changed my outlook."
Vocabulary Cluster — A person you admire
Add to under "Describing a person".
- to look up to (someone) — admire/respect — "I really look up to her."
- a role model — someone to imitate — "She's a fantastic role model."
- down to earth — modest, practical — "He's very down to earth."
- to have a heart of gold — very kind — "She has a heart of gold."
- to lead by example — show through actions — "He leads by example."
- a hard worker / grafter — very diligent — "She's a real hard worker."
- to bring out the best in people — inspire others — "He brings out the best in people."
- wise beyond their years — mature/insightful — "She's wise beyond her years."
Drill these as flashcards — flip, then grade yourself.
Answer Outline
- Filler + name: "Off the top of my head, I'd say ____."
- Relationship + who: "He/She is someone who ____."
- A quality + example: "What I admire is ____ — for instance, ____."
- Influence: "Thanks to them, ____."
Model Answers: 5.0 vs 7.0
Cue card: Describe a person you admire.
Band 5.0: "Ummm… I admire my mother. She is… ehh… good and kind. She help me. I like her. Ummm that's all."
Band 7.0: "That's a lovely question. Off the top of my head, the person I admire most is my mother — she's someone who has always led by example. She's incredibly down to earth and, honestly, has a heart of gold. What I admire most is her resilience: for instance, she raised three of us while working two jobs and never once complained. Thanks to her, I've learned to keep going when things get tough."
What changed:
- Fillers replace "umm": "That's a lovely question", "Off the top of my head".
- Relative clause: "someone who has always led by example".
- Collocations: "down to earth", "a heart of gold", "led by example".
- Example supports the quality, not just adjectives.
- "Umm/ehh" + silence → swap for natural fillers.
- Listing flat adjectives ("good, kind, nice") → one quality + an example.
- "She help me" → "She helps me" (3rd-person -s, Lesson 06).
Your Turn (Record)
Task: Cue card "Describe a person who has influenced you." 2-min talk. Rule: when you need time, use a filler phrase, never "umm". Use ≥2 "who" clauses. ⏱ 1 + 2 min.
Your turn — record & get scored
Part 2- Describe a person who has influenced you.
Self-Check + Spaced Review
Done when:
- I used natural fillers instead of "umm".
- I used ≥2 "who" relative clauses.
- I supported a quality with a concrete example.
Spaced review:
- From Lesson 18: swap any "very" for a precise intensifier.
- From Lesson 11: cover all four cue-card bullets.