Discussing Abstract and Unfamiliar Topics

At B2 you can discuss your job and your life. The next step is handling topics you haven't prepared: ethics, trends, hypotheticals — the kind of thing exams and real discussions throw at you.

Talking about trends and change

• There's been a growing tendency towards remote work.
• The number of applicants has risen sharply / fallen steadily.
• This is increasingly common.
• Attitudes have shifted considerably.

Useful pairs: rise / fall, increase / decrease, sharply / gradually / steadily.

Talking about cause and effect

• This has led to a shortage of housing.
• One consequence of this is...
• It's largely due to the cost of energy.
• This contributes to the problem, but isn't the only factor.

Hypotheticals and speculation

• If governments were to act now, the effect would be significant.
• It's conceivable that prices will stabilise.
• That would depend on how quickly it's implemented.
• In theory, yes — in practice, it's harder.

Balancing an argument

Examiners and colleagues both value balance over certainty.

• On the one hand... on the other hand...
• While there are clear benefits, there are also risks.
• It depends largely on the context.
• To some extent, yes, but...

Paraphrasing: the survival skill

You will not always have the word. Fluent speakers talk around the gap rather than stopping.

• It's a kind of... — It's a kind of tax on imports.
• It's the thing you use to... — It's the thing you use to measure pressure.
• It's similar to X, but...
• I can't think of the word, but it's when...

This is not a failure. Hesitating and describing is far better than silence or switching languages.

Buying yourself time

• That's an interesting question.
• Let me think about that for a second.
• I suppose it depends on...

Native speakers use these constantly. They sound natural, not evasive.

Try it yourself

The quiz below covers trend language, balanced argument, and paraphrasing strategy.