📙 Part 2: Describe a time you needed to use your imagination

This episode's vocabulary

Stands out (phrasal verb) – to be very noticeable or memorable. → Example: One time that stands out most recently was when I was reading a book.

Work your way through (phrasal verb) – to finish something by doing it in stages. → Example: The book I was working my way through was a science fiction one.

Weird and wonderful (idiom) – strange but also interesting or enjoyable. → Example: It had a lot of weird and wonderful characters.

Think up (phrasal verb) – to invent or imagine something, especially an idea or a plan. → Example: I had to think up how they might look.

Fill in the blanks (idiom) – to supply missing words or information. → Example: I needed to fill in the blanks with my own ideas of how things might look.

Picture things in my head (phrase) – to form a mental image of something; to visualize. → Example: I'm pretty good at picturing things in my head.

Taxing (adjective) – needing a lot of physical or mental effort. → Example: I didn't find it very taxing; it was actually quite fun.

As the plot progressed (collocation) – as the sequence of events in a story developed or moved forward. → Example: I added details as the plot progressed.

In my mind's eye (idiom) – in one's imagination or memory. → Example: I can still vividly remember the characters and their images in my mind's eye.

Vividly (adverb) – in a way that produces powerful feelings or strong, clear images in the mind. → Example: I can still vividly remember the characters.

Draw up (phrasal verb) – to prepare something, usually a plan, list, or document, by writing it. → Example: You used your imagination to draw up the route for your holiday.

Sequels (noun) – books, films, or plays that continue the story of a previous one. → Example: I'm looking forward to doing the same thing with the sequels, actually.

Questions and Answers

Maria: Hello, sunshine, and welcome into IELTS Speaking Part Two. We are discussing a super interesting topic. Describe a time you needed to use your imagination. You should say when it was, why you needed to use your imagination, how difficult or easy it was, and explain how you felt about it. Rory, give us your story.

Rory: Well, I have to do this all the time, really, but one time that stands out most recently was when I was reading the book I just finished. In terms of when it was, this was about, maybe a week ago, I think. I usually read two or three books a month, and I only just started this new one. But it's an autobiography, so it takes less imagination. When it comes to why I needed to use imagination for this particular book, the one I just finished, the one I was working my way through was a science fiction one. So it had a lot of weird and wonderful characters that were described in various ways. So I had to think up how they might look. Not only that, the author described how they sounded when they talked, so I had to imagine that as well. And all the scenery and settings were described in great detail most of the time, but there were sometimes when I needed to fill in the blanks with my own ideas of how things might look. So I spent time thinking about that. I'd like to think I'm pretty good at picturing things in my head. So, I didn't find it very taxing. It was actually quite fun to think up how things might be and then add details as the plot progressed. And as for how I felt about it, I quite enjoyed the experience. It's not often I've read something like that, and I'm looking forward to doing the same thing with the sequels, actually. If I hadn't read it, I doubt I would have been too caught up about the whole thing, but it's good I didn't miss out. I can still vividly remember the characters and their images in my mind's eye. So, I'm looking forward to doing that again. Maybe next time it will take less effort because I already practiced and warmed my imagination up with this particular book.

Discussion

Maria: Yay. Thank you, Rory for your story. So, dear listener, describe a time you needed to use your imagination. So, you can talk about something creative that you've done because when do we use our imagination?

Rory: Well, when we, it could be when we write something, or when we have to read something that's not very clear, or maybe we have to solve a problem. I think this would be quite useful for when you take an IELTS test, because I think you take the speaking after you do your reading and your writing. So you could actually describe what you did in the reading and the writing tasks and how you had to imagine things.

Maria: Yeah, when you solved a problem, and you visualized a solution. When you did something creative. Perhaps you designed something or you designed your flat or a house or something you did at school. So some innovation. Or for example, you planned your holiday and you used your imagination to plan it out, I don't know, draw up the route, the itinerary, the plan of your trip, right? Or for example, meditation, right? When we meditate, we also use our imagination to imagine things. So pretty much it's about visualizing things. When you close your eyes and you imagine, ooh, imagine your ideal house. Imagine your ideal life. Yeah. Or for example, you can say, the last time I used my imagination was when I was preparing for this test, I imagined that I got band nine.

Rory: To help with my confidence.

Maria: Let's check the examiner. Actually, did you know Rory that many sportsmen use the technique? They imagine how they do it. So, for example, it's a boxing match or a marathon, so or racing, Formula One. So they kind of sit down and they imagine exactly how they will do it. A secret technique, dear listener. Now you know what to do before the test. You imagine everything, okay? And then you should imagine the certificate. You imagine that you look at the certificate, and you see that, oh, yeah, okay, it's band eight, band seven, band 7.5. You can start off with, one time that stands out most was when I was reading a book. So one time that I do remember very well was when I was designing the furniture for my flat. When I was doing something. When I was preparing for the test. In terms of when it was, as for when it was, it was about a week ago, two months ago, a day ago, yesterday.

Rory: You don't need to tell the exact time.

Maria: And Rory told us about the time that he was reading a book, autobiography. So he was reading a book about a certain person. Did you name the person?

Rory: No, it was just a science fiction book. That's all.

Rory: Yeah, but autobiography?

Rory: No, no. The one I'm reading now is an autobiography, but the one before that was a science fiction book.

Maria: Yeah, so Rory was reading sci-fi and he used his imagination to imagine the characters, to imagine this unreal world. Maybe himself in this world. I needed to use my imagination because the book was science fiction, and it had a lot of strange, weird. Weird, like strange, wonderful characters. We call the people who are in the book, characters. And I have to think up how they might look. So, a synonym for I had to imagine, I had to think up how they might look, how maybe they look. They might look like this, they might look like that. And actually, it's true that every book we read, we use our imagination, right?

Rory: You kind of visualize everything you read about.

Rory: Well, some people don't have imagination, so it's maybe difficult for them. And the other thing is you might have some more factual texts that you don't really use your imagination for.

Maria: Yeah, but when you read, oh, the sun was shining, you kind of, you picture the sun in your head, you have a picture, no?

Rory: Well, you hope so. Some people can't do that, unfortunately.

Maria: What about you, dear listener? When you read a book, do you have pictures in your head? Are they black and white? Are they colorful? Do you picture, do you think up how the characters might look or no? What do you have? Maybe you have words, only words. Maybe only colors, or how does it work for you? The author described how they sounded. So how characters sounded and Rory imagined the sounds. So he kind of heard different sounds in his head.

Rory: That's important because when people think of imagination, they often think of the things they see, but it could also be the things that we think we should hear as well.

Maria: If we do talk about the things we see, we can picture them or picture them in our heads.

Rory: Yeah, you can kind of imagine the sounds, imagine how characters spoke to each other.

Maria: Scenery, like all the nature that is in the book, setting, like the place where the characters were described. And I imagined the setting in great detail. So I imagined everything in great detail. I filled in the blanks with my own ideas.

Rory: Sometimes the description is not good, so we must create something from what we think is the case. We fill in the blanks. The blank is the thing that we don't have, and filling it in with the ideas that we do have.

Maria: You can say, I'm pretty good at picturing things in my head. So I'm good at using my imagination. I'm good at visualizing things in my head. I'm good at picturing things in my head. Oh, I'm pretty good. Oh, I'm pretty good at that. Yeah, I'm pretty good at using my imagination. Yeah. So it was easy for me. I didn't find it very taxing. Taxing, like...

Rory: Maybe just very tiring.

Maria: Difficult, yeah, not difficult. Or it was rather taxing for me, it was difficult for me. I had to put a lot of effort into imagining things because, yeah, it's not my kind of thing. Or it was easy, I didn't find it taxing. It was actually quite fun. It was fun for me to think up how things might be in the book. As the plot progressed. So the idea of the book, the plot. And it progresses, it kind of it moves you forward.

Rory: Well, the story as well.

Maria: The story of the book. Yeah. I quite enjoyed the experience. Or I didn't enjoy the experience because I had to imagine a lot of things. Yeah, when we watch a movie, we don't usually imagine things, we're kind of we're given everything. But it's kind of when you read a book, you have a movie in your head. Or you may not, dear listener, I don't know what you have. Or, for example, when you listen to music, what do you have in your head? Do you imagine a story? Do you see people, nature, sounds, what do you see in your head?

Rory: Some people see colors.

Maria: Oh, okay, yeah. And again, it depends on the song, right? Depends on the music. But maybe nothing, dear listener, that's also fine. So we are all different, so it's interesting what you have in your head. I'm looking forward to doing the same thing again with another book, or I don't usually do it. I don't usually use my imagination. Yeah, I want to develop my imagination, you can say. I can still vividly remember the characters. So I imagined the characters, and I vividly remember them. Vividly, clearly. I vividly remember my first day at school. I remember it clearly in a detailed kind of way.

Rory: And that collocates with imagination. You can have a vivid imagination or a vivid image of something.

Maria: Excellent, dear listener. So now you need to choose what to talk about. Again, the easiest path would be to choose a book, and you kind of saw a movie in your head while you were reading a book. Maybe something else, all right? Take a look at some articles online, how to use your imagination to create a brilliant life. Oh, meditation, I would talk about meditation. There are some guided meditations, when the instructor guides you, like, now imagine a house, and you kind of imagine a house. Enter the house. What do you see in this house? Oh, what do you see? But actually, I will talk about the test. I would tell the examiner, you know, I imagined that I got band nine for speaking before this speaking test with you.

Rory: I'm just doing it again.

Maria: And actually, yes, I imagined you, dear examiner, and, yeah, you are different from what I what I had imagined. Yeah, the power of imagination to create the life you want. Right, dear listener, now you want you know what to do. We'll get back to you in our next episode, where we talk about imagination. All right?

Rory: Bye.

Maria: Bye.