Speaking

General rules

PREPARATION TIME:

1. Brainstorm and note down as many ideas as you can. Don’t worry about
being grammatically correct at this stage.

2. Make them visually attractive, remember these will be the notes you’ll
be using during your delivery.

3. Think about how you are going to start and finish. Learn some useful
phrases in advance that can be used with any topic. This will free your
mind and you'll feel more relaxed.

4. Set some time aside to rehearse.

 DURING YOUR MONOLOGUE
 Try to avoid very informal or vague expressions such as “and so on”,
“and something like that”. Remember your main purpose is to inform an
audience. You can use a much more informal register in the second part
of your exam.

INTRODUCTION:
 Don’t forget to mention the topic you’ll be speaking about and the
different subtopics you are going to deal with.
Example:

“Good morning. My name is ... and today I’ll deal with the topic ....
or
In my presentation/speech/monologue I’ll focus on three/four major issues.
First, I' ll talk about....
Then/ after that, I’ll go on to speak about ...
Finally, I’ll analyse the pros and cons of ....”

BODY:
 Look at your notes and think how you can expand these ideas by giving
reasons or justifying them.
 Use the appropriate signposting words (linking words) to show your
transition from one subtopic to another:

1. Introducing a point:
 First of all, I would like to point out…
 The main problem is…
 Speaking of…

2. Enumeration of points:
 First of all, I would like to say…
 In addition to that…
 Moreover (formal), …
 Furthermore (formal), …
 Another example of this is…
 First, second, third…
 Finally

3. Moving to the next point:

 This leads directly to my next point.
 Let’s now move on to…
 Let’s now take a look at…

4. Going back:
 As I said/ mentioned earlier…
 As I’ve already explained, …
5. Indicating the end of your talk:
 Well, this brings me to the end of my presentation.
 As a final point, I would like to say…
 Finally, I would like to .....
 In conclusion/ To sum up......
 Last but not least…
 Thank you for your attention.

Don’t forget to link your ideas using the right

connectors:
 But…
 On the one hand/ On the other hand…
 However…
 For instance/ For example…
 In addition/ Moreover/Furthermore/ Besides...

More Useful Language

Introducing the subject  Today I’m going to talk about (+title of the
monologue)
 Today’s topic is.... ( the title of the monologue)
 I’d like to start by+Ving
 First of all I’ll...
 I’ll begin by.....
Referring to an idea or  As far as (say the point in your own words) is/
bullet point are concerned....
 As for/ to....
 Concerning....
 Regarding....
Starting another point  Now I’d like to move on to.....
 I’d like now to discuss....
 Speaking about .....
 As for....
 Let’s look now at...
Giving an example  For example/ For instance....
 A good example of this is....
 To give you an example,...
 To illustrate this point....
Summarising and  In conclusion....
concluding  To sum up...
 Finally,....
Ordering  Firstly...secondly...thirdly...lastly...
 First of all....then....next...after that....finally
 To start with.....later.....to finish up....
  In addition to that....
 Moreover/Furthermore/....
 On the one hand.....On the other hand
Giving your opinion  I think....
 I feel that...
 In my opinion...
 From my point of view...
Giving a strong opinion  I’m sure that ....
 I strongly believe that...
 I’m absolutely convinced that...
 I have no doubt that...
Thanking the audience  Thank your for your attention
 Thank you for listening to me

DURING YOUR DIALOGUE

 Identify the functions that you need to use in the task. Try to include
variety to show that you command the language.Avoid using the most
common expressions. Here, you may need the following ones:

1. Expressing your opinion:

 I think/ believe/ consider/ reckon that...
 From my point of view...
 In my opinion,...
 Personally, I believe that..
 It seems to me that....
 As far as I'm concerned...
 For me personally...

2. Asking about your partner’s opinion:

 What do you think about...
 What are you views on that?
 What do you reckon?
 What’s your opinion about...?
 Do you have any thoughts on......?

3. Making proposals/ suggestions:

 We could always...
 Why not (+V)....?
 It would be a fantastic idea to...
 I thought we might/could...
 What/ How about (+Ving)...?
 Do you fell like (+Ving)...? (= te apetece)
 Shall we (+V)...?
 Let’s....
 We might consider.....
 I would (+V) instead.
 One thing we could do is...
 It’s a good idea to (+V)...
 Why don’t we (+V)...?
 Don’t you thing “Ving” could be more interesting ?
 Wouldn’t i be better to....?

4. Accepting suggestions:
 OK we could try that.
 That sounds good!
 I can’t wait!
 I really don’t mind. It’s up to you./ It’s all the same to me.
 Whatever you like.

5. Rejecting suggestions:
 Well, the problem is....
 Some other time, perhaps.
 I’m sorry but I can’t
 I’m afraid but I don’t feel like (+Ving).

6. Respond to your partner’s ideas by asking for clarification or more

information:
 Why do you think that?
 What makes you think that?
 Can you give me an example of what you mean?
 Could you be more specific?
 I don’t quite understand what you mean.

7. Rephrasing opinions:
 What I mean is…
 Perhaps I’m not making myself clear…
 The idea is…
 What I want to say is…

DURING THE CONVERSATION

Expand your ideas in different ways:

 Give examples
 Justify what you say: ...because/ as/ since....
 Establish causes and consequences: if/ although...
 Respond to your partner’s ideas by asking for clarification or more
information
Remember to listen to your partner and don’t dominate the conversation.

Your interventions should be reasonably long and don’t forget to get some
feedback from your partner to keep conversation going on.

More Useful Language

Expressing Opinion  I think/consider/find/believe/suppose/feel that…
 As far as I know…
 In my opinion…
 In my experience, …
 I might be wrong but

Agreeing  I have no problem with that

 Sounds good
 Fine by me
 I agree with you
 Absolutely
 Exactly
 I couldn’t agree more
 You have a point.
 I see your point.
 That’s a good idea.
 You are right./ You could be right.
 What a great idea!
 That makes sense
 Yes, that could work.
Partial agreement  I agree to a point....
 Possibly but...
 Fair enough,....
 I suppose so
Disagreeing  I don’t agree with you
 I don’t see it that way
 I see your point, but...
 I’m not very keen on that idea
 To be honest that’s not how I see it.
 I’m afraid I disagree.
Strong disagreement  I totally disagree with that.
 I couldn’t disagree more.
 That’s completely unacceptable.
 No way
Looking for agreement  Don’t you think?
 (Questions tags - “isn’t it, has it...”)
 You know what I mean
Saying “no”  I don’t think so.
 Not really.
Rephrasing  I mean...
 In other words...
 ...., that is to say, ...
Interrupting  Could I just say something here?
 Sorry, may I add something?
 Can i add something here?
 Sorry to interrupt but...
Showing interest  Really?
 That’s interesting
 Right!
 I see
 I can’t believe it!
 As you said before....
Fillers  So,...
 You see...
 You know...
 I mean...
Giving yourself time  That’s a big question! To be honest...
 Let me see...
 How can I put this?
 Well, it’s difficult to say really.
 That’s an interesting question.
 Just give me a second.
 It’s hard to say.
Direct the conversation  By the way,...
towards the topic  Speaking of...
 That reminds me of....
Asking for repetition and  Could you repeat the question, please?
clarification  Sorry, would you mind repeating that?
 I beg your pardon; I didn’t catch that.
 Sorry, but i don’t see what you mean.
 I’m not sure i understand your point.
 So what you’re saying is....
 Do you mean...?
Summarising  Shall we go with...?
 I’m in two minds, but...
 In a nutshell
 So,....
 OK, it may be a good idea if this time we.... and
next time we can try...(mi idea/restaurant, etc.)
 OK, let’s give it a go/ try.
 We need to come to a conclusion so I suggest
that we....
 I thing we are going to have to agree to
disagree.
Correcting  Sorry, I think you have misunderstood me
 That’s not quite what I meant.
 I haven’t made myself clear.
Tips:
 Eye contact and active listening
 Open body language and smile
 Speak up
 Don’t dominate