Think about these questions, or answer them aloud.
In the lesson on attitude and opinion you learnt to track what speakers think. This lesson goes one step further: understanding what a speaker is doing with a remark, even when the words seem to answer a different question.
Listeners understand indirect remarks because they assume the speaker is being relevant. If you ask “Is the library open?” and someone replies “It's a public holiday”, you assume the reply is connected to your question, so you infer: probably not.
Four kinds of implied meaning appear again and again in exams:
| What you hear | Context | What it implies |
|---|---|---|
| “It's a public holiday.” | Q: Is the library open today? | Probably not open |
| “Have you tried the IT help desk?” | Q: Can you fix my laptop? | No, I can't, but here's another option |
| “I'd have thought you'd already registered.” | A student asks how to register | Surprise: you may be late, or registration may have closed |
| “Some of the references are fine.” | A tutor's feedback | Others are not fine |
| “You might want to check the dates again.” | A colleague reads your report | The dates are probably wrong |
| “I'm not sure I'm the best person to ask.” | Q: Can you explain the statistics? | Polite refusal: ask someone else |
| “Don't you have a seminar at two?” | A friend is relaxing at 1.55 | A reminder: you should leave now |
| “If only I'd known earlier.” | News of a free workshop that has already started | Regret: it's too late to go now |
| “That's one way of doing it.” | Reaction to a method | It isn't the best way |
Each reply answers the question before it. Match each exchange to what the reply implies. There is one meaning you do not need.
| What the professor says | What it implies | How we know |
|---|---|---|
| “Well, the topic's certainly ambitious.” | The proposal isn't ready; the plan may be too big | Well + praise for one feature avoids the student's yes/no question |
| “And the deadline… is the end of March, isn't it?” | There isn't time to visit twelve schools | Why mention the deadline unless it matters? The student says it aloud: “You think that's too many.” |
| “Dr Osei ran a very similar study…” | Ask Dr Osei to look at the questions | It follows the problem that the writing centre is fully booked |
| “some excellent recent sources” | Not all the sources are good or recent | The student picks up Some? and the professor confirms it |
| “My office hours are on Thursdays.” | Yes: bring it on Thursday | An indirect answer to “Could I bring you a revised version?” |
The professor never says no, too many or ask Dr Osei. Each meaning comes from relevance: the student assumes every remark is connected to the plan, and works out the connection. Notice that the student checks some implications aloud (“You think that's too many”, “Some?”). An exam question asks you to do this silently.
The small word some in “some excellent recent sources” does a lot of work. In IELTS Part 3, a tutor's comment such as some of your charts are clear almost always means others need work, and a question may ask what the tutor suggests or implies about them.
Listen to Hana and her tutor. Choose the correct answer.
Listen to each question or remark once. Choose the best reply. The best reply responds to what the speaker means.
Choose the best answer to each question.
Choose the best answer to each question.
Save words to review them later with flashcards.
“By mentioning the deadline, the professor implied that the plan was too big.”
“From the reply, I inferred that the library was closed.”
“The tutor's question about timing was a hint that the plan was too long.”
“She gave tactful feedback on the weak conclusion.”
“If you read between the lines, the email is a refusal.”
“You can present the data either way. It's your call.”
“Visiting twelve schools in eight weeks is an ambitious plan.”
“Check with your tutor that you're on the right track.”
“I asked for an extension because I was ill.”
“Tom has been hard to get hold of all week.”
“Could you tone down the colours on the poster?”
