PART 2
A TIME YOU SAW
A CHILD WHO
BEHAVED BADLY IN PUBLIC
Describe a time you saw a child who behaved badly in public
You should say:
- where it was
- what the child was doing
- how others reacted to it
and explain how you felt about it
A N S W E R
Just last weekend, I went to the park for a walk to breathe fresh air so I could keep myself sane. For the past few weeks, I felt like I was a prisoner in my own house, doing so many work-related tasks that made me burn the midnight oil, and unfortunately, that took a toll on my mental health.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Sane [adj.] – in one’s right mind
Burn the midnight oil [idiom] – to work late into the night
Take a toll [idiom] – to have a serious or bad effect
TIP
i.) The speaker developed his introductory part in a more unique way. Instead of immediately talking about the child’s misbehavior, he simply provided a backstory as to why he went to the park where he witnessed a misbehaving child.
Anyway, while I was walking in the park and enjoying the beautiful scenery of pine trees, which was a few meters from the playground, a boy caught my attention. He was crying, well, I mean, he’s shrilling under the monkey bars, which made some park-goers including me, distracted. From a distance, I could see the boy lying on the ground and uncontrollably screaming, and there was one lady who tried to pick him up and a crowd of other children surrounded him.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Catch one’s attention [phrase] – to make one interested in something
Shrill [verb] – high-pitched voice and piercing
Pick someone up [phrase] – to life someone or something by using your hands
TIP
ii.) Here the speaker transitioned and started talking about the child’s misbehavior in the park. He provided more description of the scene where the boy was crying. Doing that surely helped the examiner get an idea of his story.
I got worried because I thought the boy had fallen off the monkey bars and needed medical attention. So, I hurriedly walked in the direction where the boy was lying and crying so I’d know what went wrong and how I could help the boy. I was a little bit nervous then, thinking about the worst incident that might’ve happened to that boy. On my mind, I was already overthinking that maybe the boy broke his leg or arm after falling from the monkey bars. I was thinking of those things crazily.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Fall off [verb] – to drop unintentionally to the ground
Monkey bars [noun] – metal or wooden bars that are joined together to form a structure for children to play or climb
TIP
iii.) In this part, the speaker described his feelings and clearly narrated what he did, to exactly know what happened. He also talked about how he overthought things which made him more anxious. That made his story more interesting since there were so many things that were happening in his story, which helped him showcase his language prowess.
When I reached the scene, I asked the lady if there’s any problem. She just smiled at me and said her child was just having a tantrum. She said that her son didn’t want to go home and wanted to stay longer to play. It was such a relief hearing those words from her, however, I didn’t want to be construed by her as being nosy, so I told her about what I was worrying about in the first place.
She just gave me her forced smile and said that there’s nothing to worry about and thanked me for my concern. I simply nodded, said ‘alright’ to her, and left. That situation made me wonder how much patience every parent should have for their children. It’s really unfathomable for a person like me who isn’t a parent yet.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Have a tantrum [idiom] – to have an outburst anger
Construe [verb] – interpret
Nosy [adj.] – to have too much curiosity about other people’s affairs
Forced smile [noun] – a smile that’s made even though you’re upset or annoyed
Unfathomable [adj.] – incapable of being understood; incomprehensible
TIP
iv.) This part served as supplemental details of his story which helped him speak at length. And simply ended his answer by adding his reflection about the situation most especially on parents being patient.
PART 3
What kinds of bad behavior do children usually have?
More often than not, having frequent temper tantrums. That’s really common among children simply because it’s their easy way to express their frustration if they don’t get what they want. For example, we can usually see children crying and hitting their parents at the mall or supermarket and that’s common because their parents don’t give them what they want.
Also, arguing with adults, especially parents, and refusing to obey rules are other examples of inappropriate behaviors that some children have. Thinking about all of these things, I realized that parenting is never an easy job, it’s truly an incomparable job.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Temper tantrum [noun] – an outburst of anger
Refuse [verb] – decline; reject
Incomparable [adj.] – cannot be compared
TIP
i.) The speaker gave a straightforward answer to the question and elaborated his answer by providing an example. For him to express his answer way better, he added another type of bad behavior that some children have and explained it thoroughly. Then he wrapped up his answer by stating his realization. It’s a very good way to end his answer.
How should parents stop their children from behaving badly in public?
Honestly, I really don’t know, how, as I’m not a parent and there’s no child in my family or from my relatives who throws a tantrum in public places. I dunno, perhaps, they can buy something that pacifies their child – maybe candy or a toy, but I guess doing that is not completely right as well since the child might get used to it like whenever he wants something, he’ll just behave badly so his parents buy him the thing that he wants. If that’s the case, he controls his parents which is incredibly not right as it simply shows disrespect.
Again, that’s a tough question and it reminds me of the saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ So, I have so much respect for parents who have many children and who successfully raise them well.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Throw a tantrum [idiom] – to have an outburst of childish anger or frustration
Pacify [verb] – to calm
If that’s the case [expression] – if so; then
Incredibly [adv.] – extremely
It takes a village to raise a child [proverb] – an entire community of people must interact with children in order for children to experience and grow in a safer and healthier environment.
TIP
i.) The speaker expressed his honesty by simply stating that he didn’t know the answer. However, in order for him to provide a better answer and for him to speak at length, he still gave his guess on what parents could do then. What helped him provide a better discussion was when he used one proverb to express his point. That’s a very good way to conclude his answer.
Are parents these days stricter than those in the past?
Based on my observation, it’s the opposite, I feel like most parents these days are lenient when it comes to disciplining their children compared to parents in the past. Many years ago, parents practiced corporal punishment on their children if they did something wrong, and interestingly, that’s also adopted in many schools. It’s their way to punish children so they’d never do wrong again.
However, in these modern times, that kind of punishment as a way to discipline a child is a ground for child abuse, as a result, most parents avoid punishing their children physically. Besides, because of the development of education, parents have learned different parenting styles that are not stricter than those in the past but very helpful and effective in raising their children to be better individuals. Well, anyway, this is just my opinion based on my culture, perhaps in other cultures, it’s different.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Lenient [adj.] – more merciful or tolerant
Ground [noun] – a reason; cause; or argument
Corporal punishment [noun] – physical punishment
TIP
i.) Here the speaker shared his point of view about the parenting style of parents in this generation. He then compared it to the way parents in the past disciplined their children which was completely opposite to the current generation. Both points were discussed thoroughly which helped him provide a well-organized answer.
Whose influence on children is more important: friends or parents’?
Well, both have a significant influence on a child’s development, but I must say, it’s the latter simply because they are the first teachers. They are the ones who build the character of their children and the ones who look after them almost 24/7. So because of that, parents should be more responsible for their children since they are role models for them.
They have to make sure that they are a good influence and teach them the right manners so that their children will emulate the good character that they have seen from them.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
I must say [phrase] – I cannot refrain from saying (use for emphasizing an opinion)
Latter [adj.] – second mentioned
Emulate [verb] – to copy one’s behavior
TIP
i.) The speaker acknowledged that both choices have an important influence on a child and then he transitioned to choosing one among the two choices. He explained his choice and talked about how important it is for parents to act as role models to their children. It’s a very good way to conclude his answer.
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Meaning of Words and Phrases Sources: Collins, Macmillan, Cambridge, Oxford
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