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IELTS Speaking Vocabulary: Famous People
In this lesson, you will learn some vocabulary and useful expressions to talk about famous people Â
What kind of people can become famous?Â
- Singers
- Actors
- Social media celebrities / Influencers
- Sports people
- TV presentersÂ
- Business people
- PoliticiansÂ
- ScientistsÂ
- Writers
Adjectives
Here are some useful adjectives to describe the kind of people that can become famous.
- Ambitious
- Industrious, hard-working, diligent
- Persistent, consistent, relentless Â
- Talented, skillfulÂ
- Energetic, charismatic, positiveÂ
- Caring, lovingÂ
Word FamiliesÂ
- Fame (n.)
- Famous (adj.)
- A celebrity (person)
He likes fame.
She craves fame =to really want itÂ
Fame has changed him
Prepositions
What is the missing preposition in the following sentence?
He is famous ___ being a creative person
Notice: When a preposition is followed by a verb, the verb is in the gerund.Â
Preposition + verb ___ING
He is famous FOR BEING a creative person
Synonyms
- Famous forÂ
- Well known forÂ
- Renown (adj.)
- Recognised (adj.)
- Noted, celebrated, distinguished (e.g. writer, scientist, historian…)
- Notorious for (negative)
- Infamous (well known for bad things)
IELTS Speaking Phrases: Famous People
Here are some more useful phrases you can use to talk about famous people.
She is a sports / sporting celebrityÂ
Examples, we could use above are,Â
She is a _________ celebrity
- Business
- EntertainmentÂ
- Political
- TV
- Internet
He is a celebrity in the world of sport
She is a celebrity in the field of sportÂ
Examples, we could use above are,
She is a celebrity in the world of ___
He is a celebrity in the field of ____
- Business
- EntertainmentÂ
- Politics
- TV
- The Internet
- Social mediaÂ
- Cooking
To have a special talent /skill
To have a flair for ______ (noun or verb)
He has a flair for football
He has a flair for playing football
To have a knack for ______ (noun or verb)
She has a knack for sales
She has a knack for selling things
IELTS Speaking Tip
When it comes to talking about a famous person in the IELTS Speaking test, don’t worry if you are not exactly sure of the person’s name. You can get around this by saying something like eat following:
I’d like to talk about the actor who plays Mr Bean…
I’d like to talk about the singer who sang ‘candle in the wind’…
I can’t quite remember his name, but anyway, let me tell you about him
Benefits and Drawbacks of Being Famous
CollocationsÂ
Collocations are extremely important when speaking English. This basically means knowing which words go together. For example, the following are all collocations.
- Do businessÂ
- White wine
- Have a drink
Below we look at some phrase and collocations to talk about the benefits of being famous
- Well paid, well off, wealthy, financial freedom,
- Luxurious lifestyle, lavish lifestyleÂ
- Get sponsorship, be a brand ambassador, get paid for advertising
- Travel the world, meet exciting people
- Get VIP treatment, get recognition, get respect, easily recognised
- Get an ego boost, having confidence, get an adrenaline rush, it builds your confidenceÂ
Below we look at some phrase and collocations to talk about the drawbacks of being famous
- Harassment by the press
- Chased by paparazziÂ
- Hounded by fans (=followed too closely)
- Lack of privacyÂ
- Attract stalkers / trolls (fans who follow with band intention)
- Get fake friends, fair-weather friendsÂ
- Constant judgmentÂ
- Potential depressionÂ
- Addiction to drugs/fame
- Fall prey to depression
- Be a victim of gossipÂ
IELTS Listening Task
In this interview, I speak to a teacher, Daniel Shaw.Â
Daniel is British and currently lives in Canada.
Find out more about Daniel’s work:Â https://www.iamdanielteacher.com
______
First, here is some grammar that will help you understand the interview.
Notice present perfect tense used to talk about activities we started in the past and continue now.Â
I’ve been teaching English for 11 years
I’ve been in Canada teaching university students
Contrast this with activities in the past that are finished – simple past
I taught in Korea for 4 years
1. Intensive Listening Task
Watch, listen and fill in the missing words:
- To pick up ___________
- I couldn’t get _____ with just EnglishÂ
- It ___________ a lot of doors for me
- Get more _______ of daily interactionsÂ
- You’ve already picked up the __________Â
- To __________ basic situations
Click arrow to open/close answers
- To pick up some Korean
- I couldn’t get by with just EnglishÂ
- It opened a lot of doors for me
- Get more out of daily interactionsÂ
- You’ve already picked up the basicsÂ
- To navigate basic situations
2. Extensive Listening Task
- What is Daniel’s passion?
- How does he help his students?
Click arrow to open/close answers
- Helping students
How does he help students?
- Helps them write they PHD
- Helps improve speaking skills
- Helps them survive, function and thrive in a new environmentÂ
- Gives academic and personal supportÂ
- Helps them handle culture shock
IELTS Speaking Idioms about Being Famous
- To be in the public eye = you are famous and watched by everyoneÂ
Trump was always in the public eye when he was president
- To be in the limelight = you are famous and watched by everyone
Some celebrities loving being in the limelight
- My claim to fame is __________ = something that made me ‘famous’
My claim to fame is that I once served Sting, a famous singer, in a restaurant where I was working
More Free Lessons​
If you liked this lesson, leave a comment below!
There are more lessons you can follow in the links below too.
BUSINESS in IELTS Speaking. Useful vocabulary and idioms to express yourself when talking about Business People and Entrepreneurs.
NATION AND CULTURE in IELTS Speaking Learn the essential vocabulary for this topic, as well as how to talk about the connection between nation and identity.
PHOTOGRAPHYÂ in IELTS Speaking Learn vocabulary of taking, storing and sharing photos.identity.
