Good evening members of the examining board, let us introduce ourselves.
We would like to start by introducing ourselves.
Let's begin. Can we start? Shall we start? Let's get the ball rolling. Let's get down to business.
We would like to talk to you today about...
The topic we would like to discuss with you this evening is...
We plan to speak about...
To give a general overview of what we are going to discuss...
To outline some of the points of our discussion...
The topic we have been asked to talk to you about is...
Just to give a bit of background information, ...
To start with, I'm going to talk briefly about ...
Have you ever heard of ...?
Every day you encounter...
Have you ever seen X?
You've probably seen countless times...
You may have wondered...
Have you ever wondered (what the college would be like if)…? If the answer is (yes)…, you…
There are three things we have to consider: one, two, and three. A, B, C. Now let us look at the first aspect which is ... First of all,… In the first place…
Linking ideas, sections/making transitions
That's all I would like to say about .... (subject of part A) and now let us turn to...
Now that we've seen ... let us examine more closely..
Opinion
the most usual and general way of giving your opinion
| |
a more informal way of giving your opinion
| |
a more formal way of giving your opinion
| |
used for giving your opinion when you have thought carefully about a situation
| |
used for giving an often critical opinion
| |
a way of giving your opinion when you know that people may not like what you say
| |
used for emphasizing that you are giving your own opinion
| |
used for giving your own opinion, when you realize that other people may not agree with you
|
Examples:
I think if you work hard you'll do very well in the exam.
It'll be cheaper to take the plane, I reckon.
In my view, it was a big mistake not to try to buy the company last year.
In my opinion, everyone should have some understanding of science.
Everyone should, in my opinion, have some understanding of science.
In my opinion, everyone should have some understanding of science.
Everyone should, in my opinion, have some understanding of science.
It seems to me that John's plans for the website are very convincing. ♦ All things considered, I think we were wise to cancel our flights.
If you ask me, both Paul and Simon are being extremely immature.
To be honest/To tell you the truth/To be frank, I thought the show was pretty awful.
Personally, I think you should apologize to your brother.
To my mind, the way she behaved was inconsiderate. ♦ As far as I'm concerned, tennis is a much more interesting sport than football.More phrases:
If you want my honest opinion,...
Quite frankly,... E.g. Quite frankly, this is the best film of the decade.
The reality is,... / In reality, ... E.g. The reality is, we can't keep sending them money.
From what I can gather, ... E.g. From what I can gather, he's very well-established in his field.
To my knowledge, ... E.g. To my knowledge, Yum Yums is the best brand for baby food.
Look at it this way. E.g. Look at it this way: we must do something now or things will get worse. We need to nip it in the bud.
nip something in the bud to stop something when it has just begun because you can see that problems will come from it
Another reason why so many people have such a poor understanding of science is, I believe, the lack of adequate funding for science in schools.
Smith argues that science is separate from culture. My own view is that science belongs with literature, art, philosophy and religion as an integral part of our culture. basically /ˈbeɪsɪkli/ used when you are giving your opinion or stating what is important about a situation. E.g. Basically, there's not a lot we can do about it. He basically just sits there and does nothing all day. And that's it, basically.
Mind you a phrase introducing something that should be taken into consideration. Sp. recuerda. He's very well dressed, but mind you, he's got plenty of money to buy clothes. Lisa is unfriendly to me, but mind you, she's never very nice to anyone.
I feel very strongly that ...
I am convinced that ...
I am of the opinion that ...
I am very much in favour of/against ...
I am completely opposed to ...
The reasons why I believe that ... are as follows.
Having said that
(informal) used to introduce an opinion that makes what you have just said seem less strong. E.g. I sometimes get worried in this job. Having said that, I enjoy doing it, it's a challenge.
All I'm trying to say is that children need to learn at some stage.
The point is that exams are a useful way to measure progress
Where do you stand on this?
stand (on something) to have a particular attitude or opinion about something or towards somebody. E.g. Where do you stand on private education?
Reporting someone's opinion
Photography is, according to Vidal, the art form of untalented people.
For Vidal, photography is the art form of untalented people.
His view is that photography is not art but merely the mechanical reproduction of images.
Smith takes the view that photography is both an art and a science.
In Brown's view, photography should be treated as a legitimate art in its own right.
James is of the opinion that a good painter can always be a good photographer if he or she so decides.
Emerson believed that a photograph should only reflect what the human eye can see.
Some critics argue that Picasso remained a great master all his life.
Others maintain that there is a significant deterioration in quality in his post-war work.
Picasso himself claimed that good art is created, but great art is stolen.
As Smith has noted, Picasso borrowed imagery from African art.
As the author points out, Picasso borrowed imagery from African art.
The writer challenges the notion that Picasso's sculpture was secondary to his painting.
It has been suggested that Picasso's painting was influenced by jazz music.
Giving opinions using impersonal language
In this writer's opinion, the more the public know about science, the less they will fear and distrust it.
It is vital that more is done to prevent the illegal trade in wild animals. ◇ (Compare: We have to do more to stop people trading wild animals illegally.)
Journalists play a vital/crucial role in educating the public.
Public trust is a crucial issue for all news organizations.
The ability to write well is essential for any journalist.
The Internet has become an indispensable /ˌɪndɪˈspensəbl/ tool for reporters.
In journalism, accuracy is paramount. / …is of paramount importance.
It is imperative that journalists maintain the highest possible standards of reporting.
This case emphasizes/highlights the importance of honest communication between managers and employees.
Effective communication skills are essential/crucial/vital.
It should be noted that this study considers only verbal communication. Non-verbal communication is not dealt with here.
It is important to remember that/An important point to remember is that non-verbal communication plays a key role in getting your message across.
Communication is not only about the words you use but also your body language and, especially/above all, the effectiveness with which you listen.
I would like to draw attention to the role of listening in effective communication.
Choose your words carefully: in particular, avoid confusing and ambiguous language.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you must learn to listen as well as to speak.
It is clear that more needs to be done to protect biodiversity. ◇ (Compare: We clearly need to do more to protect biodiversity.)
It is unfortunate that the practice of keeping monkeys as pets still continues. ◇ (Compare: It's absolutely terrible that people still keep monkeys as pets.)
It is difficult for many people to understand the reasons why certain individuals choose to hunt animals for sport. ◇ (Compare: I can't understand why anyone would want to kill animals for fun.)
Unfortunately, it would seem that not enough is being done to support tiger conservation. ◇ (Compare: Governments aren't doing enough to help tiger conservation.)
There is no doubt that the greatest threat to polar bears comes from global warming. ◇ (Compare: I believe that the greatest threat…)
The facts suggest that...
The evidence shows that...
The latest research shows that...
Making an opinion sound less definite
Most cybercrime involves traditional crimes, such as theft and fraud, being committed in new ways. Phishing is perhaps/possibly/probably the best-known example of this.
It seems/appears that the more personal data which organizations collect, the more opportunity there is for this data to be lost or stolen.
It seems clear that introducing national ID cards would do little to prevent identity theft.
It could be argued that the introduction of national ID cards might actually make identity theft easier.
It is possible that/It may be that the only way to protect ourselves against DNA identity theft is to avoid the creation of national DNA databases.
Agreeing and disagreeing
That's absolutely right
I couldn't agree more
Absolutely! I'm with you 100% on that.
Definitely!
Indeed!
That's a good idea!
That's very true
I'm with you there
That's interesting.
That makes sense
A great
number of people share the view that tourism will have a negative impact
on the island.
Today there
is general / widespread agreement that pollution from cars and planes is
threatening the
future of our planet.
It is
now widely accepted that the universe began with the so-called 'big bang'.
I know what you mean
But looking at it another way
On the other hand
I never thought of that
In a way… (Sp. en cierta forma) e.g. You're right, in a way, but we have to consider the price.
In a sense… (Sp. en algún sentido) e.g. In a sense our schools are the best in the state, but the test scores don't always show that.
In some sense…e.g. In some sense I agree with you, but not entirely.
I agree with you to a certain extent.
I agree with you in part
Well, I agree with you up to a point
I suppose you've got a point, but...
Do you think that is always the case?
I also think...
Actually, ...
But looking at it another way, ...
Although having said that, ...
On the other hand, ...
Alternatively, ...
It is questionable whether …
I am sure/I doubt whether …
It is true that ... On the other hand, ...
While nobody can deny that ... , I would like to point out that …
I agree that …However, ...
Although it is true that , we must remember that ...
It could be argued that … However, I would like to point out that ...
Despite all the arguments, I still feel that ...
Notwithstanding the claim that ... , I would argue that…
It may be true that ... , but all too often ...
In no way can I agree that ...
Surely it is completely unacceptable that ...
Oh come on! You must be joking.Oh, come on! That doesn't make any sense!
Surely you don't think that... E.g. Surely you don't think people should never eat meat?
That goes against my better judgement because ...
I don’t see how you can say that. I don't think the idea will work in practice.
How can you say that?
Where is the logic in that?
You can't honestly think that...
It just doesn't make sense to me.
Oh that's ridiculous! /rɪˈdɪkjələs/
But that’s not the point.
But that doesn’t take account of the fact that …
Opinions
differ about the proper relationship between the mass media and society.
There
is considerable disagreement among experts about the usefulness of these
tests.
There
has been a great deal of controversy over abortion in the US.
Advantages and disadvantages
Regular
exercise has many benefits, including reducing the risk of heart
disease.
Despite a
few problems with the design, the car's advantages clearly outweigh its
disadvantages.
The major drawback of this
method is that it can be very time-consuming.
The
downside of running your own business is that you are responsible if
anything goes wrong.
Turn taking
The same (kind of) thing happened to me the other day.
This may/ might be the right time to say/ ask…
Sorry, and another thing …
I suppose, if you think about it …
Getting back to the point, which is …
There is something I would like to add regarding...
Before I forget,…
Before you continue, (can I just say)…
Before you go on,…
Before you move on,…
Can I/ Could I (just) say something (here)?
Can I/ Could I come in (here/ there)?
Can I/ Could I interrupt you (for a minute/ moment/ second)?
Can I/ Could I just?
Can I/ Could I stop you there?
Excuse me/ Sorry for interrupting, but…
Excuse the interruption, but…
I don’t like to interrupt, but…
I don’t mean to interrupt, but…
I have something to say (on this point).
I’d like to make a point here (if I can/ could/ may/ might)
If I can/ could/ may/ might (just) interrupt you (for just a minute/ moment/ second), I’d like to…
If you will allow me (to say something/ to speak for a second),…
To get back to the point at hand/ to what I was saying,…
We seem to be getting off the point
Speaking first
Although you probably know more about this than me,…
Can I go ahead?
Can I speak first?
I can see you want to say something about this, but…
Before you get started,…
I’d like to start the discussion by…
May I?
Shall I get us started?
Shall I start the discussion?
Offering other people the chance to speak
(No, please). After you.
I’d like to hear your opinion before I comment.
I’m not sure what I want to say yet, so…
I'll let you go first.
Please go ahead.
You know more about this than me, so…
You must have an opinion on this, so…
(Now) I’d be (very) interested to hear your views (on…)/ what you think (about…)
…, but I’d be interested in hearing your take on it.
…, but I’m sure you have another point of view.
…, right?
Am I right?
Any (initial) thoughts on…?
But that’s enough from me.
Can you give me your thoughts on…?
Do you agree?
Do you have an opinion on…?
Do you have any (particular) thoughts/ views on…?
Do you have any opinions on/ about…?
Do you think…?
Do you/ Did you want to add anything?
Do you want to say anything before we move on?
Don't you think (so)?
How about you?
(Now) I'd like to hear what you think (about…)/ your views (on…).
From your point of view,…?
How do you feel about…?
I imagine you will have strong opinions on…
I know this is not your specialist subject, but…
I know you haven’t had much time to think about this, but…
Or am I just talking nonsense?
Or not?
Please tell me your opinion on…
What are your (first) thoughts on…?
What are your feelings about…?
What are your views on…?
What do you reckon?
What do you think (about…)?
What reaction do you have to…?
What’s your experience (of this)?
What’s your opinion (on this)?
What’s your position on…?
What’s your take on…?
What’s your view on…?
Would you agree (that…)?
You haven’t said anything yet.
You must have a view on this too.
Showing interest
(I’m) sorry to hear that.
Amazing!
Congratulations!/ Well done!
Glad to hear it!
How wonderful/ exciting/ depressing/ embarrassing/ ironic!
I don’t believe it!
I know./ I know (just) what you mean.
Lucky you!
No!?/ No way!
Oh my goodness!
Really?
That sounds great/ awful/ horrible.
That’s a pity!/ That’s a shame!
That’s amazing!
What a pity!/ What a shame!
Signalling the end of your turn
I think I’ve made my point.
That’s all I wanted to say.
(I think) you get the idea.
Turning down the chance to speak
I can’t add anything to that.
I don’t have any view on this at all.
I think you’ve covered everything.
I’m still just digesting what you said.
I’m still thinking about what I want to say.
Changing your mind about interrupting
Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.
Sorry, I thought you’d finished.
Sorry, please carry on./ Sorry, please go on.
Sorry, you were going to say?
Sorry, you were saying?
Sorry, you were saying…
Sorry. What were you saying?
Expanding
Expand: /ɪkˈspænd/ to talk more; to add details to what you are saying. E.g. I repeated the question and waited for her to expand. Can you expand on that?
Can you tell us more?
Can you go into more detail?
Is there anything we've missed?
Can you think of anything else?
Would you managed to come up with other ideas?
come up with something [no passive] to find or produce an answer, a sum of money, etc. E.g. She came up with a new idea for increasing sales. How soon can you come up with the money?
The reason why I say that is …
There are several reasons why I think
If you think about it,we don't have any other options.
This means that
Giving examples
Now let's take an example.
An example of this can be found...
Let's see this through an example.
For example, for instance.
To illustrate this…
Can you illustrate what you mean with an example?
Here's an example to illustrate what I mean
Rephrasing
Let me rephrase that,
In other words
Another way of saying the same thing
That is to say
Let me put it this way
The point I’m trying to make is that …
What I'm basically saying is we need to be more careful who we give the information to.
Emphasizing
What is very important is...
What is important to remember...
I'd like to emphasize the fact that...
to stress the importance of...
to highlight...
to underline...
What we need to focus on...
Referring to someone or something
With regard to/ as regards/ in
regard to/regarding… (Sp. con relación a) e.g I spoke to him with
regard to [as regards, in
regard to, regarding] his future..
As for… (Sp. en lo que se refiere a) e.g. As for this chair, there is nothing to do
but throw it away.
Speculating
I guess she’s a bit lonely.
It seems to me that she’s a bit alone.
It looks as though he’s very angry.
He gives the impression of being furious.
I think she’s probably an actress.
I reckon she’s probably a female performer.
If you asked me, I’d say she was happy with her life.
If I had to make a guess, I’d say she was happy with her life story.
I’d definitely say that he’s not telling us everything.
I’m pretty sure he’s not telling us all the truth.
I think she could be an only child
I’d hazard a guess that she’s an only child.
I suppose they’ve probably finished by now.
I’d say he doesn’t look very surprised.
It seems like she has no alternative.
It looks to me as if he has no alternative.
It might suggest (that)he is guilty.
It makes me think (that) maybe she knows the truth.
Anecdotes
Guess what Inf. a way of starting a conversation; a way of forcing someone into a conversation. E.g. Alice: Guess what! Bob: I don't know. What? Alice: I'm going to Europe this summer. Bob: That's very nice. John: Guess what! Jane: What? John: Mary is going to have a baby. Jane: Oh, that's great!
It was the most wonderful/amazing/awesome...
It was absolutely fantastic/ incredible.
It's really the best (show) ever.
There's absolutely nothing better than...
It was one of the most spectacular sunsets I've ever seen.
I couldn't believe my luck when...
not believe your luck: to be very surprised and very pleased. E.g. I couldn't believe my luck when I got accepted!
It was idyllic.
I was extremely impressed by…
I was rather disappointed by…
Another area for complaint is …
My overall impression was that …I was less happy with ...
Quotations
I quote the words of ...
There is a famous quotation that goes...
In the words of
According to....
Here I'd like to quote
Here I'd like to share a quotation from...
As Mr. X says in his book...
Likes and dislikes
if there's one thing I can't stand it's violence.
horrendous: /hɒˈrendəs/ extremely unpleasant and unacceptable. E.g. it was absolutely horrendous.
It was a total waste of money/time.
It drives me up the wall.
It's not my style/kind of thing at all
not somebody's cup of tea (informal) not what somebody likes or is interested in. E.g. An evening at the opera isn't everyone's cup of tea. He's nice enough but not really my cup of tea. It wasn't my cup of tea.
float somebody’s boat (informal) to be what somebody likes. E.g. You can listen to whatever kind of music floats your boat. By the time you've finished high school, you've probably figured out what floats your boat.
It was awesome - really the best concert ever.
Oh, I thought it was absolutely incredible.
Hypothetical preferences
If it was up to me, I'd do something / I'd have done something.
I'd sooner eat at home than go to Grisky's.
I'd just as soon listen to the radio as watch TV
I would just as soon do something used to say that you would equally well like to do something as do something else that has been suggested. E.g. I'd just as soon stay at home as go out tonight. I'd as soon go to another restaurant as wait for a table here.
Given the choice, I wouldn't take any tests.
If I ever found myself in this/that situation, I'd panic.
Far better to tell the truth than to make up a story.
This would be by far the best option.
My preference would be to...
Without a shadow of a doubt, I'd buy it if I had the cash.
No way would I ever steal anything.
Hypothetical preferences
If it was up to me, I'd do something / I'd have done something.
I'd sooner eat at home than go to Grisky's.
I'd just as soon listen to the radio as watch TV
I would just as soon do something used to say that you would equally well like to do something as do something else that has been suggested. E.g. I'd just as soon stay at home as go out tonight. I'd as soon go to another restaurant as wait for a table here.
Given the choice, I wouldn't take any tests.
If I ever found myself in this/that situation, I'd panic.
Far better to tell the truth than to make up a story.
This would be by far the best option.
My preference would be to...
Without a shadow of a doubt, I'd buy it if I had the cash.
No way would I ever steal anything.
Summarizing
I'd like to summarise/sum up
Let me summarize by saying
So that concludes our overview
My final comments concern....
I would like to finish by reminding everyone that......
Briefly said,
In short,
What I've tried to show in this part...
To recap what we've seen so far...
At this stage I would like to run through/over the main points...
So, as we have seen in this discussion....
As I have tried to explain in this discussion........
In conclusion
In conclusion I would like to say that.......
In conclusion, the study has provided useful insights into the issues relating to people's perception of crime.
Based on this study, it can be concluded that the introduction of new street lighting did not reduce reported crime.
To sum up, no evidence can be found to support the view that improved street lighting reduces reported crime.
The available evidence clearly leads to the conclusion that the media do have an influence on the public perception of crime.
The main conclusion to be drawn from this study is that public perception of crime is significantly influenced by crime news reporting.
This study has shown that people's fear of crime is out of all proportion to crime itself.
Fear of crime is out of all proportion to the actual level of crime, and the reasons for this can be summarized as follows. First…
Overall/In general, women are more likely than men to feel insecure walking alone after dark.
Basically, their goal is to promote healthier eating habits.
So what I'm really saying is that there isn't one diet out there that is the best. In essence, you have to do what works for you.
All in all: on the whole. E.g. all in all it’s been a good year.
Based on this study, it can be concluded that the introduction of new street lighting did not reduce reported crime.
To sum up, no evidence can be found to support the view that improved street lighting reduces reported crime.
The available evidence clearly leads to the conclusion that the media do have an influence on the public perception of crime.
The main conclusion to be drawn from this study is that public perception of crime is significantly influenced by crime news reporting.
This study has shown that people's fear of crime is out of all proportion to crime itself.
Fear of crime is out of all proportion to the actual level of crime, and the reasons for this can be summarized as follows. First…
Overall/In general, women are more likely than men to feel insecure walking alone after dark.
Basically, their goal is to promote healthier eating habits.
So what I'm really saying is that there isn't one diet out there that is the best. In essence, you have to do what works for you.
All in all: on the whole. E.g. all in all it’s been a good year.
Thank you very much for your attention and if there are any questions, please feel free to ask.
CHECK HERE FOR MORE
CHECK HERE FOR MORE
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.