Talk about inventions

Unit 14

I CAN name famous inventions
I CAN say which inventions I value

Speaking

7 cards

When we want to discuss famous inventions and say which ones we value, the most important thing is to be able to give a clear, structured opinion. A good answer at B2 level has three parts: a clear topic sentence, one or two reasons, and a short conclusion or example. In this section you will learn the language that helps you build each part.

Opening your opinion is the first challenge. Rather than starting with "I think…", which is very basic, try phrases that sound more natural and confident. "I'd say the most valuable invention is…" and "In my opinion, …" are two of the most useful openers. You can also use "If I had to choose, I'd go with…" — this is a great phrase when somebody asks you to pick just one invention. It sounds fluent and gives you a moment to think.

After you have introduced the invention, you need to explain why you value it. This is where useful linking expressions come in. "It has had a huge impact on…" lets you speak about the effect on daily life, society or a particular group of people. "It has revolutionised the way we…" is stronger and is perfect for inventions that truly changed the world, such as the internet or the washing machine. "It changed the way we…" (past simple) is a slightly more personal alternative when you want to describe what life was like before the invention.

To make your answer more interesting, add a specific example or a small story. You can say: "I remember when I first used it — I couldn't believe how easy it was." or "My grandmother says life before the fridge was completely different." These small, real-life details make your speaking much more natural and engaging, and they show your conversation partner that you can support an opinion with evidence.

Comparing two inventions is another common B2 task. Phrases like "It might not be as famous as…, but…" and "While … is more impressive technically, … is more useful in everyday life" are perfect for this. They allow you to sound thoughtful and balanced, and they show that you can structure a longer answer.

It is also very useful to express how you feel about an invention. Saying "I'm really grateful for…" is a warm, personal way to finish a positive opinion. If you want to be more reflective, you can say "I don't think we appreciate how much it does for us" or "We tend to take it for granted." These phrases are particularly effective because they move from a simple opinion to a deeper thought, which is exactly what B2 speakers are expected to do.

Finally, prepare a short conclusion that summarises your view. "All in all, I think it deserves its place among the most important inventions of all time" or "That's why I value it so much" are good closing lines. They make your answer sound complete and confident.

When you practise the roleplay, try to use at least three of these phrases, add one small example from your own life, and keep your answer to about 45-60 seconds. That is the ideal length for a B2 speaking answer. Speak clearly, pause briefly between ideas, and don't worry too much about small grammar slips — natural, fluent delivery matters more than perfection.

English phrase	Arabic gloss
I'd say the most valuable invention is…	أقول إن أهم اختراع هو…
If I had to choose, I'd go with…	لو كان عليّ أن أختار، لاخترتُ…
It has had a huge impact on…	كان له تأثير كبير على…
It has revolutionised the way we…	أحدث ثورة في الطريقة التي… بها
It might not be as famous as…, but…	قد لا يكون مشهوراً مثل…، لكن…
I'm really grateful for…	أنا ممتنّ جداً لـ…
I don't think we appreciate how much it does for us.	لا أعتقد أننا نقدّر ما يفعله من أجلنا.
We tend to take it for granted.	نميل إلى اعتباره أمراً مسلّماً به.
That's why I value it so much.	لهذا السبب أقدّره كثيراً.

Generating translation…

Listen to Emma and Tom talking about which inventions they value most. Notice the useful phrases they use to give opinions and compare.

E
Emma So, Tom, if you had to choose, which invention do you value most?
T
Tom I'd say the smartphone. It has revolutionised the way we communicate and find information.
E
Emma That's true, but I really value the washing machine. I don't think we appreciate how much it does for us.
T
Tom Good point. We tend to take it for granted, don't we?
E
Emma Exactly. It might not be as famous as the internet, but it has had a huge impact on daily life.
T
Tom I'm really grateful for mine, that's for sure!

I'd say the most valuable invention is the printing press, because it has had a huge impact on the way we share knowledge.

This is a strong model answer. Notice the confident opener, the clear reason, and the supporting noun phrase at the end.

Required

Read this sentence aloud. Try to sound natural and confident, and pause briefly after 'choose,'.

If I had to choose, I'd go with the washing machine.

Required

Read this sentence aloud. Use a soft linking 'but' to connect the two halves smoothly.

It might not be as famous as the internet, but it has revolutionised the way we live.

Required

You are chatting with Tom about famous inventions. Open with a confident phrase, give one or two reasons using phrases like 'it has had a huge impact on…' or 'it has revolutionised the way we…', add one small example from your own life, and finish with a clear conclusion. Try to use at least three of the phrases from the lesson.

Required

I CAN name famous inventions
I CAN say which inventions I value

Vocabulary

6 cards

The world we live in today has been transformed by thousands of clever ideas, but only some of them truly changed the way we work, travel, communicate and live. An invention is a brand-new thing — an object, device or process — that nobody has made before. When somebody creates it, we say they invent it, and we call that person an inventor. Inventors often need to protect their ideas, so they apply for a patent — an official document that gives them the right to be the only one to make or sell that invention for a period of time.

Some inventions are small improvements; others are a real breakthrough — a sudden, dramatic advance that opens the door to many other ideas. When an invention changes everyday life on a huge scale, we say it revolutionise (British spelling with -ise) an industry, a country or even the whole world. Think of the smartphone, the internet or the printing press: each one revolutionised the way people share knowledge.

But not every clever idea becomes a useful product. Many inventions stay in the laboratory because they are not very practical — they are too expensive, too complicated or too difficult to use in real life. Truly great inventions tend to be simple, affordable and easy to operate, and they have a strong impact — a powerful effect — on the way we live.

When we talk about inventions, it helps to know a small set of key words: the people (inventor), the process (invent, invention), the legal side (patent), the scale of the change (breakthrough, revolutionise, impact) and the quality that makes an idea succeed (practical). Mastering these words will allow you to discuss any famous invention with confidence and to express clear opinions about why some inventions matter more than others.

In everyday conversation, we often combine these words into natural phrases. We ask: "Who invented this?" We say: "This invention had a huge impact on society." We describe a new product: "It's a real breakthrough, but I'm not sure it will be practical for most people." Notice how the words fit into clear, simple patterns — once you learn the patterns, you can use the words in many different sentences.

It is also useful to think about the difference between invent and discover. When you invent something, you create something completely new that did not exist before, like a machine or a process. When you discover something, you find something that was already there in nature, like a new planet or a medicine in a plant. People invent the telephone; they discover penicillin. This difference can help you choose the right verb when you describe a famous event from the past.

Another useful pair is invention and innovation. An invention is the very first version of a new idea, while an innovation is the process of improving that idea and making it work better. The first car was an invention; the modern electric car is an innovation built on more than a century of work. In business and technology journalism you will see these two words together very often.

Now, let us think about how to actually use these words to talk about famous inventions. We can group famous inventions into three broad families: communication (the printing press, the telephone, the internet), transport (the wheel, the steam engine, the aeroplane) and health (vaccines, antibiotics, MRI scanners). When we discuss an invention, we usually mention its date, its inventor (if known), what it replaced and the impact it had.

For example: "The World Wide Web, invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989, revolutionised communication by allowing anyone with a computer to share information worldwide." Or: "The contraceptive pill, approved in the 1960s, had a major impact on women's lives and on family planning." These are the kinds of sentences that come up in B2 discussions, and they are built almost entirely from the vocabulary in the table below.

When you want to give your opinion about an invention, you can start with phrases like "I really value…", "I'm a big fan of…" or "I'm not sure it deserves all the praise it gets." Combine these with the new words: "I'm a big fan of the microwave — it's practical, affordable and has had a huge impact on my daily routine." Using a mixture of the new vocabulary and your own opinion is exactly the kind of answer that sounds confident at B2 level.

Word	Part of speech	Arabic gloss	Example
invention	noun	اختراع	The printing press was one of the most important inventions in history.
invent	verb	يَخترع / يبتكر	Alexander Graham Bell helped to invent a device that could carry the human voice.
inventor	noun	مخترع	Marie Curie is remembered as a scientist, but she was also an inventor.
patent	noun	براءة اختراع	He filed a patent for his new type of solar panel last year.
breakthrough	noun	تقدّم كبير / اختراق	The vaccine was a major breakthrough in modern medicine.
revolutionise	verb	يُحدث ثورة في	The internet has revolutionised the way we communicate.
practical	adjective	عملي / نافع	This design is clever, but is it really practical for everyday use?
impact	noun	تأثير	Social media has had a big impact on how young people form opinions.

Generating translation…

Here are the eight key words for talking about inventions. Read each one, listen to it, and try to remember it before moving on.

breakthrough ˈbreɪkθruː
A sudden or dramatic success, discovery, or important advance that represents a significant step forward.
impact ˈɪmpækt
The effect or influence that something has on a person, situation, or thing.
invent ɪnˈvent
To create or design something new that has not existed before; to make up or think of something original.
invention ɪnˈvenʃən
The act of creating something new or original; a new idea, method, or device that has been created.
inventor ɪnˈventə
A person who creates or designs new inventions, devices, or products that did not exist before.
patent ˈpætənt
A government grant that gives an inventor the exclusive right to make, use, or sell an invention for a fixed p
practical ˈpræktɪkəl
relating to what is real or actual rather than what is imaginary or theoretical; useful and suitable for a par
revolutionise ˌrevəˈluːʃənaɪz
To completely change something by introducing new ideas, methods, or technologies.