CEFR B2-C1 · 5 min
My first year of French in Paris, I didn’t know the word for ‘dishwasher’. So I said: ‘la machine qui lave les assiettes’ — the machine that washes the plates inside your kitchen. My colleague understood immediately and told me the word: lave-vaisselle. Circumlocution is not a failure. It is a strategy — and IELTS examiners give you marks for using it well.
Today's focus: Circumlocution: describing unknown words using 3 strategies
Three circumlocution techniques:
- Category + description: ‘It’s a kind of tool that you use to…’ / ‘It’s a type of [category] for…’
- Function: ‘It’s used for [verb]-ing…’ / ‘It’s something you use when you want to…’
- Contrast/similarity: ‘It’s similar to X, but…’ / ‘It’s like Y, except…’ / ‘It’s the opposite of…’
Useful frames:
- ‘It’s a device/machine/tool that…’
- ‘It’s the kind of thing you find in a…’
- ‘It’s what you’d call a… in everyday situations’
Examples in context
Try it — click to reveal the answer
▶ Describe a ‘thermometer’ without using the word.
Category (device) + function (measures temperature) + typical use context. All three techniques in one sentence.
▶ Which technique is used here: ‘It’s like a dictionary but specifically for synonyms and alternative words.’
This is often the fastest technique for everyday objects that have a close equivalent.
▶ Is circumlocution appropriate in IELTS speaking if you forget a word?
Stopping and saying ‘I don’t know the word’ costs marks. Circumlocuting smoothly earns them.
When you don’t know a word: describe it. Category + function + contrast. ‘It’s a kind of [category] used for [function], similar to [known thing].’ Never stop — keep talking.
Independent project; not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Confers no qualification. Cambridge CELTA course completed — 120 supervised teaching hours and four written assignments validated to the required standard.