- In this task you are going to have a natural conversation with your partner.
- Your examiners will evaluate to what extent you can hold a conversation and collaborate with a partner. Remember to organise your message well. Use a wide range of vocabulary and grammar structures as well as linking devices. Pay attention to your pronunciation and fluency. Avoid mistakes!
-Here are some tips to improve your communicating skills.
Common words and expressions for interaction:
Expressing your opinion:
I'd personally say that...
In all honesty, my view is that...
Asking for an opinion:
What's your take on this?
How do you feel about this?
Disagreeing:
I see what you mean, but...
I'm afraid I must disagree...
Agreeing:
I'm with you on this...
My thoughts exactly /ɪɡˈzæktli/...
SHOW INTEREST IN THE TOPIC
• Really?
• Why was that?
• That’s interesting!
• Right!
• I see!
• I can’t believe it!
• You're having me on!
have somebody on
(informal) to try to make somebody believe something that is not true, usually as a joke.
E.g.
You didn't really, did you? You're not having me on, are you?
• Tag questions: You like science fiction films, don't you?
• Uh huh
• As you said before, ... (referring to what the other speaker said before shows you’ve been paying attention)
• How wonderful / exciting / depressing / embarrassing / ironic!
• I don’t / can't believe it!
• I know. I know (just) what you mean.
• I understand that.
• I hear you!
• I hear what you're saying
• You're so lucky!
• Lucky you!
• No!? / No way!
• Oh my goodness!
• That sounds great / awful / horrible/ amazing.
• That’s a pity! / That’s a shame! / What a pity! / What a shame!
• What a nightmare!
• That’s amazing!
• That must have been lovely!
SEQUENCING AND ADDITION
Firstly/In the first place / To begin with, …To start with, I should point out that ...
Secondly, I would like to say that …
Another point to remember is ...
Last but not least, I would like to add that...
All things considered, I believe that ...
All in all, I think that ...
On balance, it seems to me that...
To finish with, I would like to say that...
Finally, ...
To sum up, I believe that ...
In conclusion, .....
To conclude, I'd like to mention that...
In addition...
What is more...
Besides...
Moreover...
Furthermore...
In addition to being challenging, it...
As well as being interesting, it...
OPINION, SPECULATION AND JUSTIFICATION
Personally I feel that ... Let me explain why.
As I see it, … The reason is ...
It seems to me that… This is because ...
This issue appears/seems to be .... I would argue that for the following reasons:
It is likely to be ...
It might be....
It could be described as...
I feel very strongly that ...
I am convinced that ...
I am inclined to believe that...
I am of the opinion that ...
The reasons why I believe that are as follows:...
I think it is true that ...
In my
view,...
It is questionable whether …
It beggars belief how our world has changed in such a short time.
It happened in such a way that beggars belief.
beggar belief: to be too extreme to believe. Sp. absolutamente increíble.
This is really unusual in the sense that...
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 …
At first sight it seemed to be....,but in fact it was...
I agree that …
But for all that, it...
For all that: in spite of something just mentioned. E.g. She sacrificed many nights to study for the exam, but for all that she still failed.
Although it is true that , we must take into account that...
It could be argued that … However, I would like to point out that ...
Despite all the arguments, I still feel that ...
Notwithstanding the present circumstances, there is a lot we can still do.
It may be true that ... . However, ...
But I guess on the other side of the coin, you could argue that if ...
I guess on the other side of that, though, you could argue that if ...
Surely it is completely unacceptable that...
I am sure you will agree that…
Surely you must agree that…
I am extremely impressed by…
What is
particularly spectacular/interesting is…
What is interesting about this, though, is that...
I would like to stress that...
It should be noted that...
It is worth bearing in mind that...
I was rather disappointed by…
My overall impression was that …
On the whole, it appears/seems that ...
In general,…
Generally
speaking,…
Broadly speaking,
By and large,...
Annoyingly,…
Naturally,…
Strangely,…
Surprisingly,…
Evidently,…
Indeed,…
In
fact,…
Admittedly,...
Admittedly: /ədˈmɪtɪdli/ used when you are accepting that something is true. Sp. cierto es que, ciertamente.
Presumably,...
Presumably: /prɪˈzjuːməbli/ used to say that you think that something is probably true. Sp. Supuestamente
I am sure that you would thoroughly enjoy ...
While some people will love ... , others may feel less happy.
Having said that, though, I would like to add/point out that
A major problem is that ...
I was less happy with ...
Her reaction/behaviour struck me as odd. She struck me as being...
strike somebody as something: to give somebody a particular impression.
On reflection, I think that...
With hindsight it is easy to say that...
What looks obvious in hindsight was not at all obvious at the time.
It's easy to criticize with the benefit of hindsight.
hindsight:/ˈhaɪndsaɪt/ the
understanding that you have of a situation only after it has happened
and that means you would have done things in a different way.
In retrospect, I think that it was wrong.
The decision seems extremely odd, in retrospect.
in retrospect: thinking about a past event or situation, often with a different opinion of it from the one you had at the time
It is clear that...
We must take into account the fact that ....
It goes without saying that ...
Needless to say,...
It seemed...
This means that...
This is largely due to the fact that it might have happened ...
DIRECT THE CONVERSATION TOWARDS THE TOPIC
• By the way,
• Speaking of...
• That reminds me of...
FILLERS
• So,
• ..., you see, ...
• You know,
• I mean,...
KEEPING YOUR LISTENER ENGAGED
• Rhetorical questions (questions you don’t really expect an answer for, you sort of answer them yourself): What do I mean by that? / Is smoking dangerous? Of course it is.
Have you ever wondered why...?
Doesn’t it make you feel more optimistic about your own future?
Have you ever had a secret ambition?
Have you ever wondered...?
What would your life be like if...?
What would you do if...?
Are you one of those people who tend to...?
Isn't it extraordinary how/that...?
Do you know what happened to me last night?
• Use imperatives: Imagine if/ what... Suppose that....Let's suppose, for example that... Guess what!
LOOKING FOR AGREEMENT:
• Don’t you think?
• Question tags (Isn’t it / Has it? / Don't you?...)
• You know what I mean.
• Wouldn't you agree that...?
• As you very well know, ...
GIVING THE FLOOR (turn to speak):
• Don’t you think?
• Question tags (Isn’t it, has it?...)
AGREEING:
• I agree with you on that completely.
• I do agree with you
• I fully agree with you
• I couldn't agree more.
• I am with you on that.
• Absolutely!
• That's absolutely right.
• You are absolutely right.
• I see what you mean.
• I see your point.
• Exactly.
• Definitely.
• Well said!
• In my opinion you are right.
• My opinion is the same as yours
• Absolutely! I'm with you 100 % on that.
• Indeed!
• That's very true.
• That's true
• That's so true
• My thoughts exactly
• That makes sense.
• I think you have hit the nail on the head there
• I am right behind you
be right behind somebody:
to completely support someone in their ideas or in what they are trying to achieve
E.g. We’re all right behind you.
• You can say that again
• Me too
• Me neither
AGREEING UP TO A POINT
• I agree with you up to a point.
• I agree with you up to a certain extent.
• I suppose you've got a point, but...
• I see your point, but...
• Your point is well taken, but ...
• If you ask me (often used for giving a critical opinion afterwards)
• To tell you the truth / To be honest,...
• You're right, in a way, but we have to consider...
• Although it's true that... we must remember that...
• Despite your arguments, I still feel that...
DISAGREEING
• Surely you don't think that.
• Where's the logic of that?
• You can't honestly think that...
• That goes against my better judgement because...
• It just doesn't make sense to me.
• In no way would I agree that...
SAYING “NO”
• Not really, no (rather than a plain “no”). E.g. –Do you like football? – Not really, no (instead of “noooo!”)
• Not exactly.
INTERRUPTING:
• I’m sorry to interrupt, but...
• Can I interrupt you just for a second (here)?
• 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)?
• 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 add / say / point that...
• If you will allow me (to say something / to speak for a second),...
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. What were you saying?
REPHRASING EXPRESSIONS Sometimes we say things that other people don't understand, or we give the wrong impression. If you are asked to explain or clarify your idea, do not use the same expressions and / or phrases, try to reformulate them starting your answer using one of the following phrases:
• What I meant to say was...
• What I mean by that is that she ...
• Let me rephrase that...
• Let me put this another way...
• Or, to put it another way, ....
• In other words,
• Perhaps I'm not making myself clear...
• The basic idea is...
• One way of looking at it is...
• Another way of looking at it is...
• What I want to say is...
ASKING FOR THE OTHER SPEAKER’S OPINION
• How do you feel about...?
• What’s your take on (this)...?
• What do you reckon?
CHALLENGING A POINT
• Do you think that's always the case?
• Can you be sure about that?
• Is there any way / evidence to prove that?
• But that's not the point. The point is that...
• I don't see why you can say that. As far as I'm concerned..../ As I see it, ...
• But that doesn't take account of the fact that...
OFFERING OTHER PEOPLE THE CHANCE TO SPEAK
• (No, please). After you. I'll let you go first.
• I’d like to hear your opinion first. / Please tell me your opinion on...
• I’m not sure what I want to say yet, so could you please start by telling me your views on...
• 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.
• Can you give me your thoughts on...?
• Do you agree?
• Do you have an opinion on...? / any opinions on / about...?
• Do you have any (particular) thoughts / views on...?
• 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...
• 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.
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.
Related links:
Speakout Advanced p 99. Keys and Vocabulary
