Talking About Pets

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Talking About Pets

Part 1 & 2 Preparation

Intermediate

Learning Objectives

In this lesson you will:

Practice answering questions based on Part 1 and 2 of the IELTS Speaking test.
Learn and practice some different ways to talk about pets.
Practice pronouncing /n/ as in 'win' and /ŋ/ as in 'wing'.

Exercise 1

Warm-Up: Pronunciation Practice

Listen and Repeat

Listen and repeat after your tutor.

A) ton

B) tongue

A) kin

B) king

A) gone

B) gong

A) win

B) wing

A) sun

B) sung

Quiz

Your tutor will choose 5 words and say them aloud. After each word, say whether it is from Group A or Group B.

Quiz Your Tutor

Choose 5 words and say them aloud. After each word, your tutor will say whether it is from Group A or Group B.

Exercise 2

Helpful Vocabulary

Pets

Listen and repeat these words with your tutor. If you don't know a word, ask your tutor to read the definition and example sentence.

cat

Noun

dog

Noun

fish

Noun

bird

Noun

horse

Noun

rabbit

Noun

mouse

Noun

rat

Noun

Tell your teacher which animals are the most and the least popular pets in your country.

For example:

"Cats are very popular pets."

"Rabbits are not very popular."

Listen and repeat these words and phrases with your tutor.

Animal Care

feed
brush fur
take for walks
clean cage
fill up water bowl
play fetch
train
ride

Tell your tutor which of these actions you would have to do for each of the above animals.

For example:

"You have to take a dog for walks."

"You have to feed a rabbit and clean its cage."

Exercise 3

Speaking Test Part 1 Dialogue

Read the dialogue based on Part 1 of the IELTS Speaking test with your tutor. You will be the examiner. At the end, you will need to answer 3 questions.

	Examiner Have you ever had a pet?
	Carol Yes, I had lots of pets when I was a child. I had two cats, a dog, and even a mouse for a short time!
	Examiner Who was your favorite pet? What were they like?
	Carol Well, I guess my favorite pet was my dog, Mr. Cookie. I got him as a puppy, and he was lovely. He was very friendly and fun. He had brown fur and wasn't very big, but he had quite a loud bark!
	Examiner What did you have to do to look after him?
	Carol We got him as a puppy, so I had to take him to puppy school and train him. Everyday I used to take him for walks, feed him, brush his fur, fill up his water bowl... and play fetch, of course!
	Examiner What is your favorite memory of Mr. Cookie?
	Carol He was such a happy dog. That's what I remember most about him. Also, I'll never forget how much he disliked our cats! He absolutely hated them.

Questions

What was Carol's favorite pet?

What did Carol have to do to look after him?

What does Carol remember most about him?

Exercise 4

Fill in the Blanks

Read the following instruction based on Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking test.

Describe a pet that you have owned.

If you've never had a pet, describe a pet that your friend or family member has owned.

You should say:

what type of animal they were
what you had to do to look after your pet
what you liked and disliked about your pet

And explain why you had this pet.

Model Response

Read the response based on Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking test and fill in the blanks.

I had lots of pets as a child. My favorite pet (1) my cat. His name was Oliver. (2) was big, white and very friendly.

To look after him, I (3) to feed him twice a day and fill (4) his water bowl.

I loved Oliver. My favorite memory was when he (5) to sleep next to my head, on my pillow. I used (6) fall asleep every night with him next to me. His loud purr is what I remember most.

I had Oliver as a pet because I begged my mom for a cat! I'll never (7) him.

Choose answers from the options below that fit in blanks 1 to 7

Answer Pool (Questions 1-7)

He
to
used
had
forget
was
up

Exercise 5

Part 1 Test Practice

Useful Language

The speakers above use these phrases to talk about their pets and to structure their answers. Listen and repeat them with your tutor.

He/She was ...
My favorite memory was when ...
I used to ...
I had to ...
... is what I remember the most.
I'll never forget ...

Questions

Use the phrases above to answer these questions based on Part 1 of the IELTS Speaking test.

Have you ever had a pet?

What was your pet like?

What did you have to do to look after your pet?

What is your favorite memory of your pet?

Exercise 6

Part 2 Test Practice

Complete this task based on Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking test. You have 1 minute to prepare your answer and up to 2 minutes to speak. Your tutor will stop you when the time is up.

Describe a pet that you have owned.

If you've never had a pet, describe a pet that your friend or family member has owned.

You should say:

what type of animal they were
what you had to do to look after your pet
what you liked and disliked about your pet

And explain why you had this pet.