Speaking: Fluency & Coherence A2 - Lesson 1: Forming Longer Simple Sentences

Speaking: Fluency & Coherence A2 - Lesson 1

Forming Longer Simple Sentences

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to add details to simple sentences to make them longer, more interesting, and more fluent.

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"Level Up" Your Sentences

A1 sentences are short and simple. To move to A2, we need to "level up" by adding more details. We don't need new grammar; we just add more information to one simple sentence. Let's see how we can level up the sentence "I eat rice."

• Level 1 (A1 Sentence): I eat rice.
• Level 2 (Add an Adjective¹): I eat delicious rice.
• Level 3 (Add an Adverb of Frequency²): I usually eat delicious rice.
• Level 4 (Add a Prepositional Phrase³): I usually eat delicious rice at a restaurant.
• Level 5 (Add another Phrase): I usually eat delicious rice at a restaurant with my family.

Look! We started with 3 words and now have a much more detailed 12-word sentence, but it is still one simple sentence.

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Your Fluency Toolkit

1. Adjective (Noun) | គុណនាម | A word that describes a person or thing (e.g., delicious, big, new). ↩
2. Adverb of Frequency (Noun) | ពាក្យ​ប្រាប់​ពី​ភាព​ញឹកញាប់ | A word that says how often you do something. ↩
3. Prepositional Phrase (Noun) | ក្រុមពាក្យ​ប្រាប់​ពី​ទីកន្លែង ពេល​វេលា | A group of words that gives extra information, like where, when, or with whom. ↩
4. usually (Adverb) | ជា​ធម្មតា | Happens most of the time. ↩
5. always (Adverb) | តែងតែ | Happens 100% of the time. ↩
6. sometimes (Adverb) | ពេលខ្លះ | Happens some of the time, but not all of the time. ↩

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record_voice_over Pausing in Longer Sentences (Thought Groups)

When sentences get longer, you cannot say them in one breath. You must pause between "thought groups" to be clear and fluent.

Let's look at our Level 5 sentence. The slashes (/) show good places to take a short, quick pause.

I usually⁴ eat delicious rice / at a restaurant / with my family.

Each chunk is a "thought group". We say the chunk smoothly, then pause. This gives you time to think and helps your listener to understand.

lightbulb Adding Details with Prepositions

Prepositional phrases are the easiest way to add detail. They answer important questions.

• WHERE? -> I study English at my school.
• WHEN? -> I play football on the weekend.
• WITH WHOM? -> I go to the cinema with my friends.
• HOW? -> I go to work by moto.

sports_esports Practice Building Sentences

Activity 1: Level Up the Sentence

Add the extra information (in parentheses) to the simple sentence. Make a new, longer sentence.

1. He has a phone. (new) -> He has a new phone.
2. She drinks coffee. (in the morning) -> She drinks coffee in the morning.
3. They watch movies. (sometimes) -> They sometimes⁶ watch movies.
4. I always⁵ study. (with my friend) -> I always study with my friend.

Activity 2: Sentence Builder Game

Work with a partner. Start with a very simple sentence (e.g., "I see a dog."). Take turns adding one new piece of information to make the sentence longer and longer.

Example: P1: "I see a dog." P2: "I see a big dog." P1: "I see a big dog in the street." P2: "I see a big black dog in the street." etc.

task Your Fluency Mission

This week in Siem Reap, your mission is to "level up" your sentences.

When you speak, try to add one extra piece of information to your sentences. Don't just say "I like coffee." Say "I like hot coffee" or "I like coffee in the morning." This one small change will make you sound much more fluent.