LIVE LESSONS
Being Busy
What you will learn:
Discover Language by Listening
Vocabulary about Being Busy
Idioms about Being Busy
Pros and Cons of Being Busy
IELTS Sample Answer
More Resources
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Warm up!
Which of the following is true for you?
1) I rush to work
2) I rush my lunch
3) I rush my work
4) IÕm in a rush all day
Discover Vocabulary By Listening
Listen to Chapter 1 of a story
https://soundcloud.com/keithohare/a-busy-life-part-1
1. What is SamÕs job?
2. What will happen, if she doesnÕt slow down?
Answers at bottom of PDF
www.keithspeakingacademy.com Copyright@KeithSpeakingAcademy
Listen again and Þll in the gaps below (one word only)
1. She loved the adrenaline _______ of always chasing a new story.
2. She soon found herself with a very ______ schedule
3. Sam was ____ off her feet
4. She had to follow the ____ from the letter.
5. It was starting to take its ______
Listen again and read
Full Script on Next page
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A Busy Life
Part 1: A Mysterious Letter
In a small, lively town, there was a journalist named Sam. She loved her
job because it was very busy and exciting. She loved the adrenaline
rush (=feeling of excitement) of always chasing a new story. She was
agile and good at her job.
One day, Sam got a mysterious letter without a name on it. It talked
about a big secret in the town, a possible cover-up (=hiding something
bad you have done). Sam wanted to Þnd out more because it could be
the biggest story of her career.
She started to work on this new story and soon found herself with a very
hectic schedule. She had to talk to many people and look at lots of
information. Because of this, Sam was rushed off her feet. She had to
do her regular work and also follow the clues from the letter.
Her days were hectic, and she felt swamped with work. Sam was doing
too much and feeling overloaded. It was all starting to take its toll (= to
have a serious and bad effect) If she didnÕt slow down, sheÕd end up in
hospital.
To Be ContinuedÉ
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IELTS Speaking Vocabulary: Being Busy
1. Hectic (adj.) /ˈhek.tɪk/
= very busy
Something is hectic (=very busy)
Work is hectic
My day is hectic
My life is hectic
To have a hectic schedule
Things are hectic at work this week; two people are off sick.
I have such a hectic schedule; I can hardly Þnd time for lunch.
2. Overloaded (adj.) = carrying too big a load, having too much (É
work, pressure)
To be overloaded with work
I am overloaded with work, I need some help.
3. A rush (n.) /rʌʃ/
= 1) a situation where you need to move quickly
= 2) A sudden quick movement
Similar words
A hurry
To be in a rush
To be in no rush
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We are always in a rush in the mornings
IÕm in no rush to Þnish my dinner
IÕm not in a rush to Þnish my dinner
To rush (v.) = to do something quickly
Collocations
To rush around / about
To rush to (preposition)
To rush to do something (inÞnitive)
To rush someone / something
I was rushing around like a headless chicken
I had to rush to the shops
DonÕt rush to Þnish, take your time
DonÕt rush me!
You shouldnÕt rush your homework
To do something quickly
Positive
To do something efficiently
To do it lightning-fast
To do something in a ßash
To do things in a timely manner
To be agile (=to move quickly, be ßexible)
To be productive = (to do it efficiently)
Negative
To rush (through) something
To hurry something
To do something in a hurry / rush
To do things hastily
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IELTS Speaking Idioms: BEING BUSY
Can you guess the idioms?
1. _______________
2. _______________
3. _______________
Answers at bottom of PDF
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IELTS Speaking Sample Answer
Watch the answer to this question
Describe a time you had to Þnish something quickly
You should say,
What it was
When it was
Why you had to do it quickly
1) What did he have to Þnish quickly?
2) Did he sacriÞce quality for speed?
Answer at end of PDF
Watch again and note any interesting collocations.
Full Script on Next page
www.keithspeakingacademy.com Copyright@KeithSpeakingAcademy
Full script
Describe a time you had to Þnish something quickly
Well, there was this one time when I had to do an assignment.
I had to hand in (=give or submit) an assignment and I'd almost run out
of time (=to have no time left) to Þnish it, so I had to really get it done
(= do it, but emphasises quickly and often with external pressure) quite
quickly.
This was when I was working full time and I was doing a master's
degree part time, so I was balancing work with study.
And not only was I swamped [under] with work, but also had to meet
the submission deadline for this assignment.
And it was a really important assignment because it counted towards
the Þnal grade of the whole degree. so what did I do?
Well, I just made a plan for the whole week coming up to the deadline.
I remember going out every evening and sitting in a coffee bar and
studying.
I basically pulled out all the stops [=to do everything possible to
succeed] to make sure I had the time to do it. I was literally burning the
candle at both ends. (=working a lot, from late at night to early in the
morning)
It was a bit of a strain on (= pressure onÉ) myself and my family, but in
the end, yeah, I pulled it off (= I succeeded)
I managed to do the assignment effectively and I did a good job. And
although I was rushing a bit, I managed to keep it a good level of
quality.
And in the end, I got the grade that I wanted. So, yes, I was pleased
with that.
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IELTS Discussion: Be busy or take your time?
What are the advantages of being busy?
You can get more work done
Improved productivity
A strong feeling of satisfaction
No time to think or be distracted by negative thoughts
What are the advantages of being able to take your time?
You can do things at your own pace
Produce better quality work
YouÕll avoid mistakes
You can pay more attention to your work and do it better
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A Busy Life
Part 2: A Successful Scoop
To avoid hospital, Sam knew she needed to be smart to Þnish her work.
She decided to focus on the most important clues and asked other
journalists to help her with other stories. This helped her to not rush and
to be careful with her big story.
After working hard, Sam found the evidence she needed. She did
everything lightning-fast but well, and soon she had all the facts to tell
everyone the truth.
Sam's story was a big success. It showed a big secret that was hidden
in the town, and people were very thankful for her work.
The town was in awe of the young journalist's tenacity and skill, and she
went on to become a Ôrising starÕ in the newspaper where she worked.
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ANSWERS
Discover Language by Listening
Listen to Chapter 1 of a story
1. What is SamÕs job?
She is a journalist
2. What will happen, if she doesnÕt slow down?
She will end up in hospital
Listen again and Þll in the gaps below (one word only)
1. She loved the adrenaline _rush______ of always chasing a new
story.
2. She soon found herself with a very __hectic____ schedule
3. Sam was __rushed__ off her feet
4. She had to follow the __clues__ from the letter.
5. It was starting to take its _toll_____
www.keithspeakingacademy.com Copyright@KeithSpeakingAcademy
IELTS Speaking Idioms: BEING BUSY
1. To be rushed off your feet
= Extremely busy or overwhelmed with tasks.
I was rushed off my feet preparing for the presentation yesterday
2. To be snowed under
= Having too much work to deal with.
I'm snowed under with emailsÑI haven't even had lunch yet!
3. To have a lot on your plate
= Have many responsibilities or tasks to manage.
Between work, kids, and studying, IÕve got a lot on my plate.
4. To be swamped (with something)
= Overwhelmed or ßooded with work or responsibilities.
SheÕs swamped with client meetings all week.
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IELTS Speaking Model Answer
1) What did he have to Þnish quickly?
2) Did he sacriÞce quality for speed?
Answers
1. A university assignment
2. No, he didnÕt sacriÞce quality for speed
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