Do you ever find yourself in the middle of a sentence, your mind racing for the right word, only to be met with an awkward silence? Or perhaps you’re asked a complex question and you launch into an answer that immediately feels disorganised and hesitant?
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. This is a universal challenge for language learners. But what if you had a secret toolkit to navigate these moments smoothly? What if you could turn those hesitations into displays of fluency and coherence?
Welcome to your guide on Gap Fillers and Sentence Starters—the unsung heroes of eloquent and confident speaking. Mastering these tools won’t just make you sound more natural; it will fundamentally improve your ability to think and speak in English, especially under pressure like in the IELTS exam.
Part 1: Gap Fillers – Bridging the Silence with Confidence
What are they? Gap fillers (or discourse markers) are words or phrases that “fill” the natural pauses in our speech. In your native language, you use them without thinking (“um,” “like,” “you know”). In English, using the right fillers is crucial.
Why use them?
- Buy Thinking Time: They give your brain a crucial second to access vocabulary and structure your thoughts.
- Sound Fluent, Not Flustered: They replace awkward silence with purposeful sound, making you appear more confident and fluent.
- Showcase Language Range: Using a variety of sophisticated fillers (instead of repetitive “umms”) directly boosts your Lexical Resource score in IELTS.
Let’s break them down by purpose and context.
Category A: The “I’m Thinking” Fillers (Neutral & Formal)
These are your go-to phrases when you need a moment to formulate your idea.
- “Well,…”
- Meaning & Purpose: The classic opener. It signals that you’ve heard the question and are considering your response thoughtfully.
- Example:
- Examiner: “Do you think technology has made people more isolated?”
- You: “Well, that’s a complex question. On one hand, it has, but on the other, it connects people globally.”
- Activity Prompt: Think of a controversial topic (e.g., remote work, social media). Now, ask yourself a question about it and start every answer with “Well,…” for the next 5 minutes.
- “Let me see,…” / “Let’s see,…”
- Meaning & Purpose: Very similar to “well,” it explicitly states that you are engaging in a moment of thought. It sounds collaborative and considered.
- Example:
- “What’s my favourite childhood memory? Let me see… I think it would have to be learning to ride a bicycle with my father.”
- Activity Prompt: Ask a friend to rapid-fire questions about your preferences (favourite movie, food, holiday destination). Practice answering each one with “Let me see…” before you give your answer.
- “That’s a good/an interesting question.”
- Meaning & Purpose: This is a powerful tool, especially in tests like IELTS. It buys you significant time and builds a positive rapport with the examiner by showing you appreciate their question.
- Example:
- Examiner: “How might the education system change in the next 50 years?”
- You: “That’s a fascinating question. I suppose we’ll see a much greater integration of artificial intelligence…”
- Activity Prompt: Crucial for IELTS! Record yourself answering common IELTS Part 3 questions. Make a conscious effort to start each response with this phrase. Listen back to how much more controlled and confident you sound.
Category B: The “I’m Unsure” or “Approximating” Fillers
Use these when you’re making an estimate or don’t have the exact information.
- “Kind of…” / “Sort of…”
- Meaning & Purpose: Softens a statement, making it less absolute. It’s great for when you’re describing something abstract.
- Example: “The film was kind of a psychological thriller, but it also had elements of a drama.”
- Activity Prompt: Describe the plot of the last movie you watched or book you read using “kind of” or “sort of” at least three times.
- “…and that kind of thing.” / “…and so on.”
- Meaning & Purpose: A way to end a list without being exhaustive. It implies “you get the idea.”
- Example: “When I go to the market, I buy fresh vegetables, fruits, bread, and that kind of thing.“
- Activity Prompt: Talk about your weekly routine or your hobbies, and practice ending your descriptions with this phrase.
Category C: The “Reformulating” Fillers
These are advanced tools for when you need to correct yourself or rephrase an idea for clarity.
- “I mean…”
- Meaning & Purpose: Used to clarify, correct, or emphasise what you just said.
- Example: “He was very friendly, I mean, incredibly welcoming from the moment we arrived.”
- Activity Prompt: Try to explain a complex concept from your field of study or work to an imaginary child. Use “I mean…” frequently to simplify your language.
- “What I mean is…” / “In other words…”
- Meaning & Purpose: A more formal and explicit way to rephrase your previous statement for better understanding.
- Example: “The company is pivoting to a new strategy. In other words, they are completely changing their business model.”
- Activity Prompt: Explain a political or environmental issue (e.g., climate change, inflation). After each key sentence, practice rephrasing it using “What I mean is…”.
Part 2: Sentence Starters – The Architecture of Your Ideas
What are they? These are phrases that help you structure your response from the very beginning. They act as a roadmap for both you and your listener, signalling the direction of your thoughts.
Why use them?
- Organise Your Thoughts: They force you to categorise your answer (e.g., as an opinion, a list, a comparison) before you start, leading to a more coherent argument.
- Demonstrate Coherence and Cohesion: This is a key marking criterion in IELTS. Using a range of starters shows you can link ideas logically.
- Sound More Persuasive and Articulate: They make your speech sound structured and intelligent, much like well-written prose.
Category A: Stating Your Opinion
- “From my perspective,…” / “In my view,…”
- Meaning & Purpose: A more sophisticated alternative to “I think.” Perfect for formal discussions.
- Example: “In my view, governments should invest more in renewable energy sources.”
- Activity Prompt: Scroll through a news website. Pick three headlines and state your opinion on each one, starting with “From my perspective,…”.
- “It seems to me that…”
- Meaning & Purpose: Presents your opinion as a considered conclusion, making it sound less dogmatic.
- Example: “It seems to me that people are becoming more health-conscious than they were a decade ago.”
- Activity Prompt: Debate a topic with a friend (e.g., “Is a university degree essential for success?”). Frame all your points with “It seems to me that…”.
Category B: Listing and Sequencing Points
This is vital for IELTS Part 2 (the long turn) and for giving clear explanations.
- “There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly,… Secondly,…”
- Meaning & Purpose: A classic and foolproof structure. It immediately tells the listener you have a planned, multi-part answer.
- Example: “Why do I enjoy hiking? There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, it’s a fantastic physical workout. Secondly, it allows me to disconnect from technology and reconnect with nature.”
- Activity Prompt: IELTS Gold! Take any IELTS Part 2 cue card. Practice giving your 2-minute talk, making sure to use this exact structure to introduce your main points.
- “On top of that,…” / “Furthermore,…” / “Moreover,…”
- Meaning & Purpose: Used to add another, often more important, point to what you just said.
- Example: “Social media helps us stay connected with friends. Furthermore, it can be a powerful tool for social change.”
- Activity Prompt: Talk about the advantages of learning a language. After stating one advantage, use each of these phrases to add another one.
Category C: Contrasting and Showing Another Side
Showing you can see both sides of an argument is a key skill for a high IELTS score.
- “On the one hand…, on the other hand…”
- Meaning & Purpose: The standard structure for presenting two contrasting sides of an argument.
- Example: “On the one hand, technology makes our lives more convenient. On the other hand, it can lead to a loss of privacy.”
- Activity Prompt: Choose a debated technology (e.g., smartphones, AI). Practice speaking for one minute, using this structure to outline its pros and cons.
- “Having said that,…” / “That said,…”
- Meaning & Purpose: A very fluent way to introduce a contrasting point or a limitation to your previous statement.
- Example: “I absolutely love living in a big city. The energy is incredible. Having said that, the cost of living can be prohibitively high.”
- Activity Prompt: Describe something you generally like (a person, a place, a hobby). Then, use “Having said that…” to mention one of its drawbacks.
Category D: Speculating and Talking about the Future
Essential for answering IELTS Part 3 questions about the future.
- “I imagine that…” / “I suspect that…”
- Meaning & Purpose: Used to express a belief about something that is not certain.
- Example: “I suspect that in the future, electric cars will become the norm rather than the exception.”
- Activity Prompt: Look around you. Pick an object (a phone, a car, a book) and speculate about what it might be like in 50 years using these starters.
- “It’s likely that…” / “We can probably expect…”
- Meaning & Purpose: A more formal and confident way to make a prediction.
- Example: “It’s likely that remote work will continue to be a significant trend in the coming years.”
- Activity Prompt: Read a short article about a current trend. Then, try to explain the trend and its future implications to someone, using these phrases.
Your 7-Day Practice Plan to Fluency
Knowledge is nothing without practice. Here’s a simple plan to integrate these tools into your active vocabulary.
- Day 1 & 2: Awareness. Watch an English news channel (like BBC or CNN) or a sophisticated YouTube vlogger. Listen actively for the gap fillers and sentence starters they use. Don’t just listen for content; listen for the structure of their speech.
- Day 3 & 4: Isolated Practice. Focus on one category per day. For example, on Day 3, only practice “The ‘I’m Thinking’ Fillers.” Answer random questions out loud, forcing yourself to use “Well,” and “Let me see.” On Day 4, practice “Listing and Sequencing.”
- Day 5: Recording. Record yourself answering an IELTS-style question. Listen back critically. How many “umms” did you use? Where could you have inserted a gap filler? Where could a sentence starter have made your answer more structured? Re-record it, implementing the changes.
- Day 6: Conversation. Have a conversation with a language partner or tutor. Tell them your goal is to use at least three different gap fillers and three different sentence starters. Ask them to gently point out when you fall back on old habits.
- Day 7: Free Integration. Go about your day, and in your own thoughts, try to frame your internal monologue using these phrases. “Well, what should I have for lunch? On the one hand, a salad is healthy. On the other hand, a sandwich is quicker.” This builds the neural pathways.
Final Word of Caution
The goal is not to fill every second with sound or to make every sentence start with a formal phrase. That would sound unnatural. The goal is to use these tools strategically to replace hesitation, organise your thoughts, and demonstrate your command of the language.
Use them as a painter uses brushes—different tools for different effects. With practice, they will become an effortless part of your English repertoire, transforming you from a hesitant speaker into a confident, articulate, and fluent one, fully prepared to ace your IELTS Speaking test and beyond.
Now, well, it’s over to you. Let me see… what’s the first phrase you’re going to practice?