Starting-off (redundant language) General statement

ok, then; actually; alright; well, you know, Generally speaking, I’d have to say that …
frankly speaking; Well, in general I would say …
Point 1 Overall, I think that…
I’d like to begin by saying that … More precise statement
The first thing I’d like to mention that … To be more specific…
Point 2 Specifically, ….
On top of that I can also add that … Rephrasing “Disliking”
Another interesting point is that … I’m not really fond of…
Point 3 I’m not much fan of…
Finally, I’d also like to mention that … Reason
And, I shouldn’t forget to mention that… I think this is due to the fact that…
The other thing that I can add, And I guess this is probably because…

Rephrasing types: kinds, sorts, variety, Depends

range of I think it depends really.
Useful phrases to start [General Well, to be honest, I would have to say
statement] that it really depends.
There’s a quite mixed variety of … Preference 1
There’s a fairly wide range of … If I’m… I prefer to…
Type 1 Usually, I prefer…
I think the most common one is… Sometimes, I prefer to…
The first one that comes to my mind is… Preference 2
Type 2 But, if I… I would rather…
In addition, X …is also extremely popular Although, sometimes I would rather…
Another kind is … However, if I have…
Type 3 [if needed]
And I shouldn’t forget to mention that… Main point
Finally, I’d also like to mention... Well, recently I’d have to say that I have
been enjoying…
General statement Concession
Well, in general I would say … However, I'm quite aware that…
Generally speaking, I’d have to say that … Nevertheless, it is worth remembering
Overall, I think that… that…
Rephrasing “liking”
I’m pretty fond of… Avoiding phrase
I’m really keen on… Oh, I like them both, so it's hard to choose
I’m a big fan of… only one.
I’m extremely passionate about… Well, to be honest, I don’t really have…
More precise statement Oh, I've never really thought about that.
In particular, Answer to the question
Specifically, … … but I guess that I will probably…
Reason … but I guess that if I had to choose one,
And I guess this is probably because… then I’d…
I think this is due to the fact that… Comparatives
I slightly prefer ...
I'd much rather …
I enjoy X much more than Y
Opening: To show similarity: [essentially you are
Alright then, I’m going to talk about… giving a concession to the question]
OK, I'm going to describe… However, one thing that seems the same
Well, I’d like to talk about… is….
The first point: On the other hand, I think they are both
The first thing I’d like to mention is … similar with regards to…
I’d like to begin by highlighting that…
The most important point about [rephrase USEFUL LANGUAGE
Opening:
question] is…
It is difficult to predict the future, but I
In terms of [rephrase question], I would
think there are going to be some major
like to mention…
changes with regard to…
last point:
Finally, I’d like to mention that…
The first prediction:
It's hard to predict the future, but I
Phrases for adding details:
suppose...
At that time…
I'm not sure exactly what will happen, but
It happened…
one possibility is...
It took place…
The second prediction:
It’s been going on since…
As well as this, we will probably start to
It's near…
see…
Phrases to describe something that had
Furthermore, this might sound a bit crazy,
an effect on you
... influenced me but I think one day…
… had an effect on me USEFUL LANGUAGE
… impressed me Opening:
… motivated me Clearly, there are a number of obvious
… touched me deeply merits.
Start with a memorized set phrase Obviously, there are a number of positive
Well, it's difficult to say, but ... features.
That's an interesting question and I think I The main advantage:
would have to say that… But I would probably say that the one
I'm not really sure, but… thing that really stands out is….
I don't really know much about that, but... This is obviously favourable because…
I guess that the greatest benefit would be
USEFUL LANGUAGE that…
Opening: The second advantage:
Well, I think they are like chalk and Besides this, a second positive point could
cheese. [An idiom for really big be that…
differences] This is undoubtedly favourable because…
Well obviously there are a number of clear As well as this, a second merit might be
differences. that….
The first difference:
Perhaps the most significant difference is
…; whereas…

The second difference:

Moreover, a further distinction might be
that ... While on the other hand, …
USEFUL LANGUAGE
Opening: Obviously, we can see there are
quite a few hazards with regard to this
issue.
The main problem:
The most obvious effects are that…
The second problem:
The second detrimental effect is that…
This is a major concern because…
Opening:
I believe there are a few ways to tackle
this problem.
The first solution:
Perhaps the most effective solution is …
Consequently, …
When dealing with [problem], the easiest
way to solve it is to ... This will result in….
The second solution:
In addition, if [schools/the government]
were to… it would result in…
I also think that we could …This would
enable…

Opening:
Well, that's quite a controversial
question, but I guess my opinion is…
As far as I’m concerned…
It seems to me that…

The first reason:

The main reason I feel this way is
because...
The second reason:
At the same time, as far as I'm
concerned...
Making a concession [counter-argument]
However, it is sometimes argued that…
6.2 USEFUL FUNCTIONAL PHRASES

FUNCTION PHRASE

buying time Let me see now, that is quite a tricky question. Well, I suppose
I would have to say that…

Oh gosh! I’m really not sure about that, but probably…

getting to the key Let me cut to the chase, the key point is…
point
Anyway, the thing I really want to say is…

What I’m trying to say is…

repeating Let me put it another way

Or, in other words…

restarting Let me put it this way…

Let me start over…

Oh, I seem to have lost my train of thought a bit, let me see,

oh yes, that’s right, what I mean to say is…

conversation What I mean to say is...

repair [when you
What I'm trying to say is...
realize that you've
made a mistake in
Another way to put it is…
your response]

Useful l inking words and phrases

Linking words help increase your score for fluency and coherence because they help the
examiner to see how ideas are sequenced and to catch the main ideas. They also help you to
structure and extend your ideas.
SEQUENCING IDEAS

sequencing the first idea adding supporting ideas adding a contrasting idea

The main reason is… Another reason is… On the other hand,

First of all, Furthermore, Nevertheless,

The most important In the same vein, Although,

consideration is…

GIVING OPINIONS

starting your opinion giving your opinion clarifying an opinion

From my perspective, totally agree/disagree To be more precise…

From my point of view, somewhat agree/disagree More specifically…

In my opinion, agree/disagree to a certain

degree

GIVING EXPLANATIONS AND EXAMPLES

giving an explanation giving examples

The reason for this is… This is clearly illustrated by...

This is because… A clear example of this is…

This is due to…

EXPLAINING CAUSES AND EFFECTS

to express cause to express effect drawing a conclusion

Owing to… As a consequence, All things considered, I

 firmly believe…
Due to the fact that… As a result…
Taking everything into
For the reason that… For this reason…
account I am inclined to
believe that…

EXPLAINING ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

to give advantages to give disadvantages

A major advantage of this is… One major drawback is…

Another important merit is… Another disadvantage is…

The final benefit is… The final limitation is that…

6.3 IDIOMATIC LANGUAGE

Idiomatic Expressions
1. on the go = busy
I've been on the go all day and I'm really tired.

2. work flat out = work very hard

I have to work flat out all day to meet the deadline at 5 PM.

3. chill out = relax

My favorite way to chill out is to put on some music and lie down on the sofa.

4. the in thing = fashionable, popular

Doing yoga has become the in thing as trying to be healthy is really popular now.

5. up-to-the-minute = the most recent

Nowadays, the Internet includes up-to-the-minute news stories.

6. off the top of my head = without thinking

Off the top of my head, I will probably go shopping at the weekend.
7. mouth-watering = delicious , appetizing

The pizza was so mouth-watering, I ate it as soon as I got home.

8. eye-opening experience = enlightening or unexpected experience
It was an eye-opening experience to see an actual robbery take place.

9. in high spirits = happy

When I passed the exam, I felt in high spirits.

10. bump into = meet

I usually bump into my old friends once a month at Starbucks.

11. once in a blue moon = not very often

You only get an opportunity this good once in a blue moon.

12. over the moon = really happy

I felt over the moon when I opened the door to my surprise birthday party.

13. give a hand = help

The nurses are ready to give a hand to all those people who are sick.

14. the wee hours = after midnight, very early in the morning
My assignment was due at 9AM the next day, so I had to work until the wee hours.

15. early bird = someone who gets up early

My father is an early bird. He gets up at 6AM every morning to go jogging.