A concrete example is a specific person, place or event that shows your point in action. In a spoken answer it is the sentence that turns “I think” into “here is why you should believe me”. Ask your teacher or exam centre whether speaking applies to your route, but the habit also strengthens written argument.
This lesson follows organising a concise explanation and belongs to spoken expression where applicable.
Why do examples matter to a listener?
A claim asks the listener to trust you. An example lets them check. When you say “our bus is always late”, they do not know what that means.
When you say “the 7.10 bus arrived at 7.35 three days running”, they can see it.
Specific detail also helps you. It fills the seconds with real content, so you are less likely to ramble.
How do you build a concrete example?
- State the claim in one sentence.
- Ask three quick questions: who was involved, where or when was it, what happened?
- Choose the one detail that shows the point most clearly. A number, a name of a place, or a short quotation of what someone said.
- Say it in two sentences at most.
- Link back. Use “That shows…” and connect the example to the claim.
Worked example
Claim: “Students need a quiet place to study at school.”
Step 1, questions. Who? Students who share a small flat. Where? The school library. What happened? A student stayed after school to finish a project.
Step 2, key detail. The student went from sharing a room with two siblings to having a desk until six.
Step 3, two sentences.
A friend of mine shares a bedroom with two younger brothers, so he stays in the library until six to finish his projects. That shows a quiet place at school can decide whether homework gets done at all.
Check the parts: one person, one place, one action, then a link sentence beginning “That shows”. The whole thing is about forty-five words, so it fits in a short answer after a reason.
The mistake to watch for
A common slip is an example so general that it could be said about anyone.
Mistaken answer: “For example, many students struggle to study because there are lots of distractions in many places.”
Nothing here can be pictured. The fix is to ask who, where, what happened, and to replace “many students” with one case.
Corrected: “For example, my neighbour studies for exams at the kitchen table while his family cooks dinner around him.”
The corrected version is shorter and easier to remember. Notice that it does not need a statistic.
Check yourself
Try these aloud, then open each answer.
1. Is this a concrete example? “Some people spend a lot of time on their phones.”
Show answer
No. There is no who, where or what happened. A concrete version: “My sister checked her phone eleven times during one film last Sunday.”
2. Claim: “Volunteering teaches responsibility.” Write a two-sentence example with a link sentence.
Show answer
Model: “Last year I helped run a school book sale, and I had to count the cash and close the stall by myself. That shows volunteering gives you real responsibility, not just a certificate.” Any specific, honest example with a clear link works.
3. Which link sentence fits the example “Our canteen tap ran for a whole lunch break”? (a) “That shows how small habits waste water.” (b) “Water is important.” (c) “Also, many places have this problem.”
Show answer
(a). It connects the example to the point about waste. (b) is a general statement, and (c) moves away from the example.
Where this leads next
With examples in place, move on to responding to a follow-up question and then the mixed practice set. The writing revision compare view is useful for comparing a vague example with a revised one.
Some students can say what they think but find examples hard to produce quickly. That is the kind of habit our teachers build in online one-to-one English First Language tuition.