Describe something you bought but don’t often use
You should say:
- What it is;
- When and where you bought it;
- What it is used for and why you bought it;
- And explain why you don’t often use it.
Sample Answer
Well, the first thing that comes to mind is my rice cooker, which I bought when I graduated from college last year.
At the time, I had just gotten a new job and moved out from my campus dorm to a new apartment. So I thought I definitely needed a cooker to make meals. And one of my friends recommended a kind of pressure cooker that she bought online. It’s a digital pressure cooker that can be controlled remotely by smartphones. It’s literally so practical for someone like me who doesn’t know how to cook. So, even though it cost me an arm and a leg, I bought one from Taobao without a second thought.
It turned out that I only used it a couple of times. When I received it, I was excited and used it to cook rice right away. Afterwards, I cooked congee with it on a few weekends. But since I was often tied up with work and wasn’t in the mood for cooking, I usually just ordered take-out food on weekdays. So the cooker has been sitting in the kitchen collecting dust by now.
I think it’s a shame that I bought this cooker. If I knew I would barely cook at home, I wouldn’t have bought it at all. But I do wish I had more free time to make a meal with it. After all, eating at home saves money and is healthier than dining out.
Vocab Highlights
come/spring to mind: if something comes or springs to mind, you suddenly or immediately think of it
literally /ˈlɪtərəli/ (adv): used to emphasize the truth of something that may seem surprising
cost an arm and a leg: to cost a lot of money
without a second thought: acting immediately, without stopping to think
it turns out that: to be discovered to be something, have something, etc.; to prove to be
tied up: if someone is tied up, they are very busy
be/feel in the mood (for something): to want to, or to feel that you would like to, do a particular thing
takeout food: food that is cooked in a restaurant and taken by a customer to be eaten in another place
dine out: to eat dinner in a restaurant instead of at home # dine in: to eat your evening meal at home, or at a hotel when you are staying there, instead of at a restaurant