Part 2

Linking words and phrases for introducing your topic:

I’m going to talk about…
I’d like to tell you about…
Well, the first thing that springs to my mind is...

For clarifying:
In fact,.../ As a matter of fact,...
The point is that,.../What I mean is...

Phrases to Begin
First of all….
And why do I like it so much? Well, it….
To begin with….
One of the most interesting/ peculiar things about….
This is the most important/ memorable day/thing in my life because…

Your opinions + General opinions

In my view.../From my point of view
To tell the truth / Frankly speaking, I do NOT
I feel/I would say that...
I'm absolutely sure/ I'm totally convinced that ...
It depends on ...
Some people say that.../ A lot of people think that...
I've heard that...

Phrases to express preference

This appeals to me, because…
I get a a lot of pleasure out of….
I am really fond of…./ keen on...
It is my top preference because...
I like ……more than anything else because….

Expressions of Time
late August/ early August
at the beginning/ end of the week
first thing (in the morning before anything else)
last thing (at night before you go to bed)
a fortnight ago (two weeks)
at that time/in those days (referring to a long time ago)
these days/nowadays
the other day (on a day in the recent past)
once in a while (very occasionally)
once (on a day a long time ago)
the day before yesterday
the day after tomorrow
in the years to come...
For giving a reason:
because… / that's why
The reason is… (The reason why I bought the smart phone is I wanted to
use an app called…)
Another reason why I like …..

For showing the result of a situation:

…so… (I watched how my friend used it so I decided to buy one)
…and as a result…

Emotion markers:
Thankfully, (The concert was cancelled at the last minute. Thankfully, we
got a refund on our tickets.)
Naturally, (Naturally, I didn't want to miss such a wonderful opportunity.)
Generally, (Generally, I don't like spicy food but on this occasion, I really
enjoyed it.)
Luckily/ Surprisingly/ Unsurprisingly/ Unfortunately, (The restaurant
looked lovely. Unfortunately, the service was terrible.)
It's only logical/ natural that...

For ending your talk:

So… (e.g. So, that’s why I find my smartphone useful.)
Well, that's how I see it.
That's how I see it.
 Better for oral speech:
well, – this has a lot of different uses, but mostly at the beginning of
speaking in response to the other speaker
ex. “Well, I would say my favorite trip was the one I took with my family to
the Philippines for the first time.”

actually - used to state a fact or reality, or for stating a correction, or

sometimes to signal that what you’re going to say may be unexpected
ex. “Actually, I think it was the first time for my parents to go back to
their home country in about 20 years.”

as for – used in the same sense as “regarding” or “in regard to” which can
be more formal
ex. “As for the food, I found the it to be really fresh and light.”

basically – when you want to simplify or summarize a complicated or

lengthy story/idea
ex. “Basically, we were there to visit relatives my parents hadn’t seen
since they were young and for me to get to know my parents’ home
country.”

I mean – used to clarify what was just said or say it in different words
ex. “It wasn’t at all what I expected. I mean, I thought I knew a lot about
the culture and the food, but it was so different being there.”

on the other hand – used to introduce a different view or alternative

opinion
ex. “The big crowds on the streets made it really difficult to walk
around. On the other hand, it made it exciting to be surrounded by so
many people.”

anyway – to move on to another point or close the conversation

the thing is – to raise an important point

Written and oral speech:

Stating two contrasting points in a balanced way, not emphasizing

the difference

On the other hand

I can’t decide which country to study in. Britain has many universities and
a long history, so it would be interesting to study there. On the other hand,
Australia has a nicer climate. It’s a difficult decision.

Alternatively (a little formal)

You could get a degree in accountancy in Britain. Alternatively, you could
do it in Australia or New Zealand.

However (A little formal)

I’m interested in science and computers. However, my sister’s more
interested in art and music.

Nevertheless (formal)
I wouldn’t say that all advertisements are a bad influence on children –
some of them are quite informative and entertaining. Nevertheless, I think
some advertisements might be detrimental to children. For example, …

Having said that

(formal. Meaning = “Even though I just said ‘A’, an alternative or opposing
idea, ‘B’ is also true.”)
Learning English isn’t easy; it takes hard work and practice. Having said
that, many people do become quite fluent after a few years of study.

At the same time

I think good teachers have to be quite strict in order to keep the class
under control. At the same time, teachers should be warm and friendly so
the students can relate to them as human beings.

Instead
Don't overuse any of the examples shown here. Instead, show a variety of
ways to express your meaning.
I don't read newspapers very often nowadays. Instead, I either watch the
news on TV or I read it on the internet.

In spite of (this, that); Despite this; Despite that

The second hotel was more expensive than the first one, about double the
room rate, in fact. In spite of the cost, we chose to stay at the second one
because we wanted a taste of luxury for a night.

In contrast (formal)
Young people like films that are full of excitement and romance, reflecting
how they feel about things. In contrast, older people prefer more subtle
and thoughtful films.

Contradicting

On the contrary

Note: Many students incorrectly think that this means the same as, ‘On
the other hand.’ It does not.
“On the contrary” is used when talking (or writing) about two ideas (facts,
opinions, beliefs or feelings) that are 180° in opposition to each other.
Examples:
A: “I guess you're Canadian.”
B: “On the contrary, I'm Australian.”

A: “But it was completely unexpected.”

B: “On the contrary, (I think) it was planned to happen that way.”
The meaning of “On the contrary” here is similar to saying, “in fact”, “as a
matter of fact” or “actually”.

Concession :
These beginning words can be used to concede that the other speaker is
correct.

Of course; Admittedly (formal); Naturally; Obviously; Clearly;

Undeniably; Undoubtedly

Of course, there’s always an exception to the rule but, in general, I still

stand by what I said.

Admittedly, some people do waste money but I think the majority of people
are pretty careful with their money.

Naturally, I hope to find a job that’s both interesting and well paid but,
realistically, such jobs are hard to find when a person first starts working.

Obviously, there’d be fewer cars on the roads if they were much more
expensive to buy.

Undoubtedly, millions of cars do produce air pollution but I’d say that the
thousands of trucks that come into and leave the city during the night
produce a lot of the air pollution that we see when we wake up in the
morning. You only have to see the pollution produced by one dirty, old
truck to know that.

Dismissal of Previous Discourse

Anyway = Anyhow = At any rate = In any case

Anyway, I eventually got there and nobody noticed that I was late! (After
telling a story about being late.)

At least
At least I got there before the main part of the ceremony. (After telling a
story about being late.) (Notice no comma used after, ‘At least’)

Adding; Giving More Details

As well as that (= Not only that) (informal; good for speaking)

Art classes for, say, primary school children encourage the development of
the imagination, creativity and self-expression. As well as that, these art
classes provide an opportunity for those who have special artistic talent to
become aware of this talent; they might never have known they had this
talent if they had never had the opportunity to attend an art class.

On top of that (informal; good for speaking)

Well, firstly, emails are much faster and cheaper than handwritten letters.
On top of that, they’re much more convenient – you can read or write
emails with just a few strokes of the keyboard, without worrying about
paper, envelopes and stamps and going out to mail your letters.

Another thing is
I think the latest video technology is in many ways superior to books in
educational value because this technology has written words but also has
information in audio and video form. Another thing is, it’s easier to store
and carry around a disc than a book that holds the same amount of
information.

For that matter (Similar to, “As a matter of fact”, “In fact” and
“Actually”)
To tell you the truth, I’m not very interested in basketball. For that matter,
I’m not very interested in any sport.

Besides
I haven’t seen that film. Besides, I’ve heard it’s not very good.

What’s more (formal )

Yes, I think the internet has changed people’s reading habits – for the
better. I say that because now we can tap into a much larger range of, and
volume of reading material than we could when we just relied on our
collection of books at home. What’s more, topics such as current events
are being updated daily so we can always be up to date with the news.

Furthermore (formal)
Actually, I think academic skills are more important than practical skills
because, if you have highly developed academic skills you can usually get
highly paid work. Furthermore, I think in the future, society will value
those who have brainpower more than those people who can do practical
things with their hands.

In addition (a little formal)

Reading allows people to become aware of their society and, in fact the
whole world. In addition, reading is the main way that people increase
their education and we all need to continually learn in order to make
progress in our careers.

Moreover (Very formal. It is suitable for academic writing)

Advertisements that glorify violence are a negative influence on children.
Moreover, I think they’re a negative influence on anyone who sees them,
not just children.

Giving Examples

For example; For instance; As an example; To begin with; To start

with; For a start;

Being More Specific

Specifically; To be more specific; In particular; As a matter of fact;
In fact; Actually

Clarifying
I mean; What I mean is; To put that another way; What I'm trying to
say is; My point is ; In other words; That is (a little formal); That is
to say (a little formal)

Speaking in General
Generally, In general; Typically
Emphasizing

Above all;

Indeed (formal)
Q: Do your friends also like that kind of film?
A: Indeed they do!

Giving Reasons
In the first place; For one thing; The main reason why …; One of
the reasons why …; One reason why …

Talking about the Result

As a result; As a consequence (formal); Consequently (formal); Thus
(formal) So; Because of this; In this/that way

Parallel Time
At the same time; Simultaneously; Meanwhile; In the meantime

Returning to a Previous Subject

As I was saying; As I mentioned before (a little formal)

Gaining Time to Think (Ifor avoiding long pauses, which decrease

your fluency score.)
Let me see; Let’s see; Well; You know ; If my memory doesn't fail
me; As far as I remember; practically; it goes without saying that...

Talking about the Beginning

First, Firstly/ Secondly (formal), First of all, To begin with (a little

formal), In the first place,
Avoid using, “First and foremost” (formal) in the speaking and writing tests
because it usually sounds like a cliché .

At first, Initially, Originally, In the beginning, At the beginning,

Note that “At first” does not mean the same as “First” or “Firstly”.

Talking about the End

Last = Lastly = Finally

These three are used for listing several things that happen in sequence:
“First, ….. Next, …. Then, … Last/lastly/finally ….”

Note : The expression “Last but not least,” is (rather informal) spoken
English and is not really suitable for academic writing. It is used to place
special emphasis on the importance of the last item of a list, even though it
was listed last. For example, this expression is often used when
introducing several people, one at a time – we use this expression before
introducing the last person in order not to offend that person by having put
him or her last. And in that situation it is often spoken in a jocular way.

It is possible to use “Last but not least,” in the Speaking test but it has
become overused and is rarely used in a suitable situation. It doesn't
impress most examiners so it is best to avoid it even in the Speaking test.
It would be better to say, “And last, but still very important, is ...”

ex. ” The thing is, I think the trip was just as memorable for my parents
as it was for me. They were so proud to show off their hometown.”
 Task 3
Part Three: Trends

There are two types of trends you could be asked to describe: (1) current
trends and (2) trends over time.

Current Trends
Currently
At the moment
These days
Nowadays

Trends Over Time

Over the past five/ten/etc. years
Recently
In recent years
Lately
Since (+year)

Part Three: Speculation

Sometimes, the examiner will ask you to talk about what you think will
happen in the future or how things will change in the future.
It is (highly) likely that ...
It is (highly) probable that ...
It is unlikely/improbable that ...
It seems likely/unlikely/improbable that ...
I doubt that ...

Part Three: Suggestions

There are two areas of language here: first, you need to be able to say
what you think the real problem is and second, you need to be able to
make suggestions.

Describing the real problem:

The real problem here is that ...
The key point here is that...
What this is really about is (+ noun/-ing form)

Making suggestions:
What the government/city council needs to do is to (+verb)
What people/we/they need to do is to (+verb)
What we need to focus on is (+noun/-ing form)
The way to tackle the problem is to (+verb)
One way to solve the problem is to (+verb)
 TASK (opinion)

Below are some topics. Say what people generally think about these
things and then give your own opinion.
Aid to developing countries
Free health care for everyone
Vegetarianism
Children spending too much time on the computer
Life in the city vs. life in the countryside
The negative impact of tourism

TASK (speculation)

Look at the subjects below. How will these areas change in the next 10-20
years?
Your city
The roles of men and women in the family
New methods of communication
Working
The most powerful countries in the world
The role of your country in the world
Transportation

TASK (Trends)

Talk about what is happening in your country now in terms of the subjects
below.
Politics
What people are worried about
'Hot Topics' - what is everyone talking about?
Fashions
Celebrities
Changes in your city
Politics
Childbirth - has the number of children per family decreased/increased?
Holiday habits
Awareness of the environment
Communication/media
The position of your country in the world

TASK (Problems + solutions)

Below are some subjects. Talk about (1) what the real problem is in each
case and (2) what you suggest.
The traffic in your city
Litter on the streets
Children playing too many computer games
The education system in your country
 The healthcare system in your country
Poor housing
Lack of awareness of environmental issues
Inability to quit smoking

TASK (Time)

Answer the following questions using the expressions from above.

What did you do the day before yesterday?
What are you planning to do the day after tomorrow/a week today?
Describe your company/city/country 20 years ago. (In those days)
Describe your company/city/country now. (These days)
Talk about an incident that happened to you recently. (The other day)
Talk about an incident that happened to you a long time ago. (Once)
What do you normally do first thing when you wake up?
What do you do last thing at night?
What's the best place to go for a fortnight's holiday?
What do you only do once in a while?