How many times have you been speaking in English and suddenly you forget a word that you could remember only 5 minutes ago? All language learners have experienced this, and it can really reduce your fluency and your confidence. So in this video, I'm going to share five strategies for jumping around those missing words The best thing about these strategies is that they work for all levels of English and you don't need to learn anything new So you can start using them immediately In fact, you can test your new skills with the activity at the end of this video Let's get started Strategy number five is to use related words I know that seems really obvious, but there are two important details Don't worry about being too precise and allow others to help you For example, maybe you want to use the word exhausted, but you can't remember it So what other words could you use? Sleepy, tired, out of energy These words are not exact synonyms, but they communicate the big idea And that is what's important here Remember that real life conversations happen in context, which really helps others to fill in the missing details If you can't remember a word, see if you can find a similar word and if you can't use a more general word For example, if you can't remember the words sneakers or trainers, simply say "shoes" or "sports shoes" Also, many words in English are paired with other words And if you know the other word, use it to help you For example, "salt and pepper" are two words that often go together If you simply say "salt and ......." almost every English speaker will automatically fill that empty space with "pepper?" This strategy of indirectly asking for help can be really effective This is my favorite time of day when everyone is asleep and the house is really.... .... peace and...... ...quiet Yes, the house is really "quiet" Strategy number four is an effective and simple way to jump around a missing word You can't always use it, but when you can, it's like magic Here's how it works Think of the opposite of your missing word and add the word NOT in front of it Let me give you an example Imagine you want to say something is "ugly", but you can't remember the word Take the opposite word = "beautiful", which is a really common word and add NOT in front of it "That car is... not beautiful" Good job You just jumped around that gap in your vocabulary This works especially well with adjectives "That hotel is... not expensive" "That company is... not old" An added bonus is that if you get experience using this strategy, it will help you when you need to speak diplomatically and avoid using certain negative words, especially at work "The manager's instructions are... not clear" Strategy number three is to give the big idea first If you have to describe a word you don't know, don't make the mistake of jumping into specifics without first giving the general idea For example, if you're trying to describe a hammer, tell your listener you are looking for a word for a "thing" or even better, a "tool" if you know that word If you're trying to describe an action, tell your listener you're looking for an action or a verb It will only take a moment and it prepares your listener to help you What's the word in English? Uhhh... it's a verb When you open your mouth big, when... when you're tired. Yawn Yes. Thank you To use this strategy, I'd suggest learning some words that help you describe things Focus on some key vocabulary for describing shape, size, and texture, and also the names of some common materials like metal, wood, and plastic Like with anything, practice makes perfect So, next time you're walking down the street or cleaning your house, play a little game in your head and describe the things you see around you in English Look around you right now and ask yourself how many things you would be able to successfully describe Strategy number two is to use body language I know I know This is all so obvious, but many people have been taught NOT to use their hands while they are speaking Depending on your cultural background and your professional experience, you may have been taught that using your hands a lot and gesturing is unprofessional or distracting You may think that using gestures looks childish and uneducated, but in communication, using your hands, your face, and your body can provide an enormous amount of really helpful extra information So feel free to combine all that body language WITH the English that you do know, and you will be surprised at how much it can improve your communication And that's the key, combine your gestures and your language to help you fill in those missing gaps You obviously want to build up your vocabulary enough so that you don't need to rely too much on gesturing But the honest reality is that you will always forget some words from time to time And that's okay It's a normal part of having a human brain And now it's time for the final strategy If you become an expert with this, you can survive almost any conversation with a limited number of words The best way to explain this is to give you an example Imagine that I want to say "bakery", but I can't remember the word Take the word and simplify it to its core meaning and general category A bakery is a SHOP So let's use the word "shop" instead of bakery But now comes the secret formula Use that word with FOR to create a short, simple explanation A shop for bread Excuse me, where is the shop for bread? Now I know that the word bakery is more precise, but in context, 99% of the people are going to understand what you mean Another example You can learn the names of all of the various types of doctors in a hospital Or you can use the simple strategy Pediatrician becomes a "doctor for children" Gynecologist becomes a "doctor for women" and cardiologist becomes a "doctor for hearts" If you want, you can add an extra simple adjective to make your explanation even clearer "The metal thing for heating the room" And combining this with gestures makes it even easier to understand "Uhhh... excuse me, umm... do you have a thing... uhh a... thing for connecting papers?" (A STAPLER) Remember, real communication happens in context Not in textbooks So you will always have the situation or the environment around you to help you A little grammar reminder If you use a verb after FOR, don't forget to add -ING at the end of the verb If you know me, you know that I always put communication first And a huge part of successful communication is mindset I want to remind you to be kind to yourself Not knowing a word simply means that you have not had enough repetitions or enough necessity to learn it It does not mean that you are bad at English It does not mean that you are too old It does not mean that you are stupid Don't allow these toxic thoughts to destroy your communication Think about it Who would you prefer to speak to? The person who says, "Ummm... excuse me, um I'm looking for the... ummm.. ...ahh... oh... oh what is the word? ummm... ...okay... I def-- I definitely know this word... ...ummm... Oh God.... ... so frustrating... umm... ...sorry... just... I'm just gonna... check in my phone... ...uhhh... just one second.... ...umm... ohhh... umm... ...uhhhh... the... bay.... bakery... bakery!" Or would you prefer the person who says, "Umm, excuse me, I'm looking for the... uhh... ...the... shop for bread?" The second option is not a lower form of English It's an example of successful, fluent communication You can make a deliberate effort to learn the word bakery... later Now, let's do a quick activity to practice the five strategies I'm going to give you a list of ten words on the screen, and I want you to think about HOW you could go around those words For example, for the word scissors, you might write "a thing for cutting paper" Here is the list (PAUSE THE VIDEO!) Please share your ideas down in the comments under this video Finally, remember that people don't care how many words you know They just want to communicate with you and understand your message You should always continue to improve your vocabulary, but while you're doing that, keep communicating I'm Christian, this is Canguro English, and I'll see you in class
