English for Exams Karen Kovacs

notes if you wish. Then talk for one to two minutes and record your answer.
Describe a piece of electronic equipm ent that you find useful. 
.
You should say:
what the piece of equipment is 
when and where you got it 
what you use it for 
and explain why you find it useful.
Note: 
equipm ent
is uncountable, so do not say 
an equipm ent
or 
equipm ents.
If you want 
to count it, use another noun: 
a piece o f equipm ent.
If you want to refer to it in a general 
sense, use the zero article: for example, 
Equipment like this is indispensable.
Listen to the sample answer. What phrase does the candidate use to introduce the talk?
Science and technology

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Pronunciation: Sentence stress
Exam tip: 
Sentence stress gives English its rhythm . When a native speaker speaks 
English, they do not pronounce a ll words with equal stress. Im portant words are 
stressed and less im portant words are unstressed and are fitted in the spaces between 
the stressed words.
O
’
Look at the following chant and then listen to a native speaker saying it, pronouncing the
40 
stressed and unstressed (weak) words.
CD1 
ONE 
TWO 
THREE 
FOUR
ONE 
and 
TWO 
and 
THREE 
and 
FOUR
ONE 
and then 
TWO 
and then 
THREE 
and then 
FOUR
ONE 
and then a 
TWO 
and then a 
THREE 
and then a 
FOUR
Now try it fo r yourself. Say 
one, two, three, fo u r
as you clap. Then, w ithout slowing down 
the clapping, add the word 
and
between the claps. Then add 
and then,
and then add 
and 
then a.