Maybe, Probably, Unlikely: Hedging and Speculating
C1 speech lives in probabilities. Ana and Chris speculate about AI and their jobs — count the hedges: might, chances are, it's unlikely that, I'd be surprised if. Precise certainty is rare; calibrated doubt is a skill. · C1 · Discussion
How to practice: listen to the whole discussion first. Notice how the speakers agree, disagree, hedge and interrupt politely. Then take one role and speak it out loud; finally, record your OWN opinion on the same topic for one full minute.
Ana So, honest question: is AI going to take your job?
Chris Take it? Probably not. Change it beyond recognition? Chances are, yes — it's already happening, quietly.
Ana I'd be surprised if my job exists in its current form in ten years. The routine parts, at least, are living on borrowed time.
Chris True — though predictions in this area have a terrible track record. Five years ago everyone was certain about things that simply didn't happen.
Ana Granted. It seems likely, though, that the safe skills are the human ones — judgment, taste, trust. Machines might draft the report, but someone has to decide whether it's true.
Chris And whether it matters. My guess is we'll spend less time producing and more time checking — which, arguably, is a better job.
Ana Or a worse one, if the checking never ends. It's hard to say. The honest answer is that nobody knows, and anyone who claims otherwise is selling something.
Chris Ha — that's the one prediction I'll sign. Uncertainty is certain.
Ana Put it on the office wall.
The full dialogue with real voices. Listen first, then take your role.
Record yourself, play it back, and compare with the model. Recordings stay in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
Your task
Speculate out loud for 90 seconds about one future: your job in ten years, your city in 2050, or how people will learn languages. Use at least five calibrated hedges (chances are, it's unlikely that, I'd be surprised if, it seems likely that, might well) — and end by naming what you simply cannot know.
Coach tips
- Calibrate: 'probably' (~75%) ≠ 'might' (~40%) ≠ 'it's unlikely' (~20%). Listeners trust speakers who grade their certainty.
- Hedging is not weakness — it's precision about the future.
- Balance every prediction with its track record: 'though predictions here are often wrong…'
Self-Assessment — Your Honest Checklist
There is no automated speaking score here — and we will not fake one. Play your recording, judge these five areas honestly, and tick what you truly did. Next session, pick ONE unticked box to fix.
Fluency
Grammar
Vocabulary
Pronunciation
Organization
Speaking connects to everything
🗣️ Pronunciation Lab — train the sounds in this lesson🎧 Listening Lab — hear these patterns in real dialogues🌱 Vocabulary Builder — grow the words you reached for📘 Grammar Course — fix the pattern you noticed🩺 Say It Right — Real-Life English, mistake by mistakeKeep going
Persuade Without Pushing: The Budget Meeting
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