In my column today, I’d like to talk about a small struggle some language learners have said they face which is being stuck after one sentence and not knowing how much to say after that.

Take for example when someone asks, “How was your weekend?” and the answer is simply, “It was good.”

Of course, there is nothing wrong with that answer. It is correct and perfectly understandable. But if this happens every time we have a conversation, it can make speaking feel rather limited. The other person has to ask another question, and keep doing so, and the conversation can then start to feel more like an interview.

This is something I sometimes work on with students in my lessons. Rather than immediately trying to learn more vocabulary or more complicated grammar, we look at how to develop what you already know.

Take the same question:

>How was your weekend?

“It was good. I went out with some friends on Saturday, and we found a really nice restaurant. I hadn't been there before.”

That isn't a long answer. The English isn't particularly advanced either. But there are now a few things the other person can respond to. They might ask where the restaurant was, what kind of food you had, or who you went with.

This is an important part of communicating in English. We don't always need to say a lot, but we do need to give the other person something to work with.

The same thing happens when we have to explain something.

For example, imagine a colleague asks why you were late to a meeting. You could simply say, “The train was delayed.” That may be enough if they only want to know what happened. But if you need to explain the situation, you might say:

“The train was delayed because there was a problem with one of the signals. I had to wait about twenty minutes, so I missed the beginning of the meeting.”

Again, the language is quite simple. The difference is that the speaker has connected the ideas and given enough information for the listener to understand what happened.

I think this is an area that can easily be overlooked when learning English especially when  a lot of time is spent thinking about vocabulary and grammar, and these are obviously important. But being able to take an idea and develop it is a different skill.

This applies to IELTS Speaking too. In the test, giving an answer is not necessarily the end of the task. You need to be able to explain, extend and connect your ideas. But the ability to do that is not only useful for an exam. It is something you can use when talking to colleagues, meeting people socially, travelling, or simply having a conversation in English.

For me, good speaking is not about trying to sound impressive all the time. It is about being able to express an idea and then keep going when there is more you want to say.

And sometimes, the most useful practice is simply learning not to stop after the first sentence.

With practice, this becomes easier! Try one of my classes to get practising.