FCE

USEFUL PHRASES FOR SPEAKING

PART 1

I'm speaking/learning English for my own satisfaction / my job / in order to improve my

employment prospects.
If you want to succeed these days, you need to have a good command of English
I’ve always loved (the sea).
I'd love to visit places untouched by man.
However, there's no place like home.
That's a big question!
I want to be a useful member of society.
I'm keen on ...
I'm an avid (traveler) ... 
I haven't given it much thought until now…

PART 2

DESCRIBING
What strikes me about the first picture is the fact that...
This picture reminds me of...
Judging from the photograph, the (children, man, woman, etc.)...
The man appears to be...
From what we can see here, he must...
When you give it a closer look it reveals...
It's difficult to tell from a photograph but this picture could have been taken in ...
I might be wrong, but I'd say that this picture ...
Picture ... is by far the best to show ……. because ...
So let's look at the alternatives ...
The name for this …… escapes me at present, but it's for/it's like ..
I would imagine/guess that this picture comes from ...

COMPARING AND CONTRASTING

There are many similarities...
Both pictures depict...
Both pictures are quite similar in that they show...
They both show/have/etc.
They’re both quite similar because they both show/have/etc
There are...in both photographs
Both of them have got….In them.
The top one looks more…..than the bottom one.
The one on the left is/shows/has…..but the one on the right is….
This one is not as……as the other one.
It’s quite difficult to compare them.
This picture reminds me of…..whereas the other one…
The first picture ... whereas the other picture ...
Another important difference is...
Picture ... doesn't show ... as clearly as ...
Picture ... attempts to ... but I think picture ... does this more effectively...
Both pictures are interesting, but ... gives a stronger idea of...
 FCE

PART 3

Up to the problem in question ... I couldn't agree more.

It's my belief ... I agree up to a point.
For my part ... I think I see what you mean, but ...
As I see it ... I'm in two minds about it.
As I was saying ... I don't see eye to eye with you here ...
I forgot to mention ... That's true in a way, I suppose, but ...
To my mind ... I don't feel convinced ...
To my way of thinking ... That's one way of looking at it. On the other
I am convinced that ... hand ...
I am inclined to believe that ... Can you take a clear stand on that matter?
Don't get me wrong but shouldn't we ... ? Perhaps we should put ... first? What do you
Judging by ... they must be ... think?
... is a separate issue. A strong point in favour of ... is that ...
Moving on to ... What do you think should go next?
Taking everything into account ... Do you go along with that?

INVOLVING YOUR PARTNER AGREEING OR DISAGREEING

What do you think? That sounds like a good idea
Do you think we should…? I agree
Why don’t we…? That’s a great idea
Perhaps we should… You’re right!
Let’s decide about….,shall we? That’s true
What shall we do first? I’m not sure about that
I don’t (really) agree
EXPRESSING ‘FOR’ AND ‘AGAINST’ VIEWS Yes, but…
The good/bad thing(s) is/are…
One advantage/disadvantage is… REACHING A CONCLUSION
(What) have we decided then?
On the other hand…
So, let’s decide which one…
I think that’s it, don’t you?
PART 4

Just following from what X was saying, I also feel ...

While generally agreeing with X, I must say that ...
Adding to what X has just said, I think ...
I can sympathise with what X said but ...
One thing X didn't mention is ...
Surprising, as it may seem, I don't support X's view on ...
Perhaps it should be also emphasized that ... / it should be pointed out that ...

ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION CORRECTING YOURSELF EXPRESSING PREFERENCES

Sorry, I’m not sure what you mean. What I mean is… I (really) like/love/enjoy…..
I don’t (really) understand What I meant was… I don’t (really) like….
I’m not very keen on…
Can you say that again, please? What I’m trying to say is…
I much prefer…
I’m not (quite) sure what I have to do. I’d prefer
Can I ask a question? I’d (much) rather…
The thing I like the best is…