Agreeing & Disagreeing
This spoken grammar section is about the language of agreeing and disagreeing. In many oral exams you have to interact with either the examiner or another candidate. This often includes a discussion where you try to reach agreement on a certain subject (for example, in the FCE). Unlike most English oral exams, there’s no conversational part to the Aptis Speaking Test. You just record your responses to the questions they ask on the computer screen. You have to describe pictures, give your opinions, make predictions and talk about your experiences. This means your use of grammar isn’t tested on a conversational level. For this reason, part of the grammar component of the Aptis Core Test deals with the use of grammar when speaking. (For a full explanation of this, read Aptis Grammar Practice Test 1 or Aptis for Teachers: Grammar Practice Test 1.)
So the spoken grammar questions are framed within a conversational context. They can deal with any area of conversation, and the language may be formal or informal. They usually take the form of a short exchange, as in the following informal example:
Peter: “I really love science fiction films”
Vally: “[ Me neither / Me too / Nor do I ] “
The correct answer here is ‘Me too‘.
The following test is about expressing agreement and disagreement. Your responses will depend on whether you’re agreeing with a positive (+) or a negative (-) statement. The two most common expressions are: me too (+) and me neither (-). These work with any grammatical structure. However, we often respond with other grammar-specific short phrases. These responses also depend on what verbs the other speaker is using.
For a full explanation of the rules of agreeing and disagreeing, go to the Grammar Reference. You’ll also find lots more examples there.
Agreeing & Disagreeing Mini-Test.
This mini-test focuses on spoken grammar within dialogues.
As always, you can do this in two ways. You can do the test first, then refer to the grammar section to see where you went wrong. Or you can study the rules first, then do the test to see how much you’ve understood.
When you finish the test you can check through the answers and see any mistakes you’ve made. There are reminders of the rules throughout the test; they pop up if you make a mistake. Then you can try again until you get them all right!
For more practice, do some of the other grammar exercises on our website. You will find the full list in the Guide to the Posts.