Grammar fix
reel off
recite rapidly
to say or list a series of things quickly and easily, often from memory, without pausing or much effort
phrasal verbC1occasional
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
She can reel off all the capitals of Europe without even thinking.
In the speaking exam, it's important not to just reel off memorised answers, but to show you can think and respond naturally.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: She reeled the names off of her head.
Say: She reeled off the names from memory.
It's 'from memory' or 'off the top of her head', not 'off of her head'.
Which sounds natural?
Tap the one a native speaker would say.
'Reel off' captures rattling a list off effortlessly; 'enumerate without hesitation' is stiff.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
reel off + list
- the names
- facts
- a list
- statistics