FU CTI S PHRASES

Stati g a pi i

• I y pi i

• The way I see it

• If y u wa t yh est pi i

• Acc rdi g t isa

• As far as I' c cer ed

• If y u as e

As i g f r a pi

• What's y ur idea

• What are y ur th ughts a f this

• H w d y u fee ab ut that

• D y u have a ythi g t say ab ut this

• What d y u thi

• D y u agree

• W u d 't y u say

Expressi g agree e t

• I agree with y u 100 perce t

• I c u d 't agree with y u re

• That's s true

• That's f r sure

• (s a g) Te e ab ut it!

• Y u're abs ute y right

• Abs ute y

• That's exact y h w I fee

• Exact y

• I' afraid I agree with (a es

• I have t side with Dad this e

• ) d ubt ab ut it

• (agree with egative state e t) *e either

• (wea ) I supp se s +I guess s

• Y u have a p i t there

• I was ,ust g i g t say that

Expressi g disagree e t

• Id 't thi s

• (str g) ) way

• I' afraid I disagree

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 • (str g) I t ta y disagree

• I beg t differ

• (str g) I'd say the exact pp site

• ) t ecessari y

• That's t a ways true

• That's t a ways the case

• ) - I' t s sure ab ut that

I terrupti s

• Ca I add s ethi g here

• Is it ay if I ,u p i f r a sec d

• If I ight add s ethi g

• Ca I thr w y tw ce ts i

• S rry t i terrupt- but

• (after accide ta y i terrupti g s e e) S rry- g ahead R S rry- y u were sayi g

• (after bei g i terrupted) Y u did 't et e fi ish

Sett i g a argu e t

• et's ,ust ve - sha we

• et's dr p it

• I thi we're g i g t have t agree t disagree

• (sarcastic) Whatever y u say +If y u say s

Trying to convince
I can guarantee
I tell you, it’s a fact.
I tell you, it’s true.
I tell you, it’s certain.
I am absolutely certain.
I saw him just now, really.
I saw it with my own eyes.
I saw it myself.
I can assure you
It’s quite true.
It must be true.
It’s quite true.
It’s here in black and white.
It’s crystal clear
Yes, really. It’s quite true.
Don’t you feel that he could have been mistaken?
You see, the training there is excellent.
But can’t you see that he’s interested in the idea?
That’s all I know, honestly.
But you must admit that he did all he could.
But surely you must agree that this is an extraordinary case.
He’s honest, I can assure you.
It’s here in writing.
Isn’t it possible that he doesn’t know anything about it?
Look, I saw it myself.
Honestly, it’s quite true.
I can guarantee that you’ll get a promotion soon.
But don’t you agree that he was not in station at that time?
This is the best quality we can get – there’s no doubt about it.

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Insisting on or on doing
I insist on a written report from him.
I insist you do it.
I’m afraid you’ll have to do it.
I want to know when you’ll do it.
I don’t mind waiting. It’s very important.
I won’t go until you give me a full refund.
I’m not laving until I know. I’m sorry. I can’t accept that.
You must go and meet the Director.
You simply must do it.
You really must help him.
You will come before five in the evening – I insist.
You’ll have to finish it by tomorrow.
You must stay for dinner.
You must stay for lunch, I insist.
Do stay for tea.
It’s essential that you meet him.
If you can’t help me, I’d like to see your boss.

PROPOSALS

SUGGESTIONS (FORMAL)

It is recommended that...

There should be...

It would be advantageous to...

INFORMAL

• Why don't you/we go to the movies tonight?

• You / we could visit New York while you're / we're there.
• Let's go to the travel agent's this afternoon to book our ticket.
• What about asking your brother for help?
• How about going to Hawaii for your vacation?
• I suggest you/we take all the factors into consideration before we decide.

Attract people's attention in a variety of situations:

- Expressions used in more formal conversations:

• I beg your pardon, would you mind helping me?

• May I have a word with you?
• Sorry to bother you, but could I just ask you something?
• Excuse me, can you spare a minute or two?
• May I have your attention, please?

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 Complaints, returning an item or asking for refunds

1. Exchanging a DVD player

A: Hi, I'd like to exchange this DVD player.

B: Sure. Let me see your receipt .

A: Here you are.

B: Now, what seems to be the problem?

A: Well, it doesn't read the DVDs.

B: Really! It's the first one that has been returned. I wonder what went wrong
.

A: Could I get a refund , please!

B: I'm so sorry but this is impossible since our shop has a no-refund policy if
you buy the item on sales.

A: Oh I see.

B: I'm gonna give you a new one which is the same brand and should work
just fine.

2. Returning a radio

• A: I want to return this radio.

B: Okay. May I see your receipt?
A: Certainly. I have it right here.
B: What is the problem with the radio?
A: It has poor reception.
B: Perhaps you'd like a different one?
A: No, thank you. A refund is all I want.
B: Okay. Give me a few seconds, please.

3. Warranty expired

• A: Can you fix my computer?

B: What's wrong with it?
A: I believe that it has a virus.
B: Where did you get your computer? From us?
A: Yes, I did.
B: Did you purchase a warranty for the computer?
A: I believe that I purchased the warranty.
B: Our records are showing that your warranty expired last month.
A: I don't believe it.
B: I'm sorry, but it is going to cost you to get your computer fixed.
A: How much will it cost me?
B: It'll run you about $120.

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How to express surprise and appreciation!

#1) "Wow, I can't believe it. This is great!"

#2) "I had no idea. I am so excited!"

#3) "This is such a nice surprise, thanks so much for this."

#4) "Unbelievable, I never expected it."

#5) "Wow, this is great, I appreciate this."

#6) "Oh my gosh, this is wild, I didn't have a clue about this."

#7) "Wow, how awesome is this?! I was completely surprised."

#8) "You guys are great, thanks for all of this."

Some expressions to show surprise:

Telling surprising news :

Guess what!
Surprise!
I’ve got news, for you
Do you know what?
You won’t believe it!

Expressing surprise :
Wow! What a surprise!
That’s a surprise!
That’s very surprising!
Really?
What?
Are you serious? You must be joking!
You’re kidding!
Fancy that!
I must say it surprises me.
I find it hard to believe

Responding:
Yeah!
It is!
Yup!
Sure.
It’s true.
I’m serious.
No, I’m not.
It is.
Does it?
It is, isn’t it?

Some sentences to express disbelief:

Asking if you believe it or not:
Do you believe it?
Wouldn’t you believe it?
Can you imagine that?
You don’t believe it, do you?
Don’t you think it’s odd that….?

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Expressing disbelief:
I don’t believe it.
It can’t be true.
I can’t think of it.
I don’t trust you.

Responding to believe or not:

No, I don’t believe it.
Are you serious?
Are you joking?
Are you kidding?
You must be joking/kidding!
Oh, no! that’s not true!
You don’t say!
Seeing is believing.
Really? That sounds interesting.
Really? It’s surprising that.
Good heavens
My goodness!
This is really a surprise!

15 Adva ced E g ish Phrases f r Better Expressi g E ti s

These phrases are organized by the emotion they represent.

Happy

1. Flying high

Meaning: very happy.

She’s flying high after the successful product launch.

2. Pumped up

Meaning: very excited about something.

He’s pumped up for his first half-marathon race this weekend.

3. Fool’s paradise

Meaning: a situation when someone is happy because they’re ignoring a problem or fail to realize its existence.

He’s been living in fool’s paradise since he started trading stocks, expecting to make millions even though he doesn’t have investing
experience.

Sad

4. Be down in the dumps

Meaning: to feel unhappy or without hope.

I always feel down in the dumps when I go back to work after a long weekend.

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5. Be at the end of your rope (American); Be at the end of your tether (British)

Meaning: to feel very upset because you’re no longer able to deal with a difficult situation.

Helen is at the end of her rope after looking for a job for months without any luck.
6. Grief-stricken

Meaning: extremely sad.

After his partner died in a car accident, he was left grief-stricken.

A gry

7. Bite someone’s head off

Meaning: to respond with anger to someone.

I just asked one question to confirm his request, and my boss bit my head off.
8. Black mood

Meaning: to be irritable, angry or depressed.

She’s scared to ask for a day off as her boss is in a black mood today.
9. Drive up the wall

Meaning: to annoy or irritate someone.

His constant whining drove me up the wall, so I left.

Scared

10. Have/get/feel butterflies in your stomach

Meaning: to feel very nervous or excited about something that you have to do, especially something important.

I’m going to have the first meeting with a big client tomorrow, and I’m feeling butterflies in my stomach.
11. Afraid of your own shadow

Meaning: very easily frightened.

After reading “Dracula,” she became afraid of her own shadow.

12. Petrified of

Meaning: extremely frightened, especially so that you cannot move or decide what to do.

In the “Harry Potter” series, Ron Weasley is petrified of spiders.

C fused

13. Feel out of it

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Meaning: to not feel in a state of one’s normal mind.

He just woke up from a night of heavy drinking and felt so out of it.
14. Puzzle over

Meaning: to think carefully about someone or something for a long time and try to understand them.

I puzzled over the assignment for a few days before I decided to ask my professor for clarification.
15. Ambivalent about

Meaning: feeling two different things about someone or something at the same time, for example, that you like them and dislike
them.

He’s ambivalent about quitting his job to start his own business; he wants his freedom, but there are risks.

Expressing Feelings

Asking about Feelings

To ask about feelings you can use the following questions:

• How are you feeling today?

• You look sad / upset. Are you OK?
• You seem a little bit distracted. Are you alright?
• You seem kind of low today. What's wrong?
• You seem a little blue today. What's the matter?
• What's wrong?
• What's the matter?
• Are you OK / alright?
• Are you happy / angry...?
• Is everything OK / alright...?

Expressing Feelings

To respond to a question about feelings you can uss the following expressions.

• I feel a little sad / happy / angry / ....

• I am a little sad / happy / angry / ....
• To be honest, I'm a little bit sad / happy / angry / ....
• It's been a difficult day.
• The thing is that, I am angry / sad / ...
• I am mad at him / her..

Vocabulary about feelings

• sad / unhappy
• feel blue
• feel low / down
• depressed
• downhearted
• angry
• cross
• annoyed
• irritated

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 • mad
• furious
• vexed
• indignant
• irate
• seething

http://britishenglishcoach.com/talking-about-emotions-and-feelings/

Complaining politely in English

“I am sorry to have to say this but …”

“Maybe you forgot to …”

“Excuse me if I am out of line, but …”

“Excuse me if I am overstepping my boundaries, but …”

“Perhaps there was a misunderstanding but …”

“I’m sorry to say this but I am really quite upset/angry/disappointed …”

“There appears to be a problem here …”

“I’m sorry but I’d like to make a complaint about …”

“How can we fix this?”

“How could we amend this?”

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 “Do you have any thoughts on how we could proceed?”

“Is there anything that can be done to improve the situation?”

“Could you help me with …?”

Here are some example sentences:

“I’m sorry but there appears to be a problem here. I asked for a junior suite, not a double
room. Can this be amended?”

“I am sorry to say this but I am really disappointed in the work on this project. I expected this
to be done more quickly. What went wrong and how can we avoid this problem in the future?”

“I’m very sorry but I have to say I’m not happy with this haircut at all. How can we fix it?”

“Excuse me if I am overstepping my boundaries here but I was under the impression the
Smithfield was our most important client- it seems to me we should put more of our focus on
our work with Smithfield, not Haper & Jones Co.”

Sy y s f r reach a agree e t
verb eet ha fway

acc date
star

•
agree
star

•
bargai
star

•
c pr ise
star

•
fi d a happy ediu
star

•
fi d the idd e gr u d
star

•
give a d ta e
star

o
g fifty0fifty
star

o
a e a dea
star

•
sett e
star

•
sp it the differe ce
star

o
stri e a dea
star

o
trade ff
star

Asking for advice

• What do you think I should do?
• What should I do?
• What do you suggest?
• What do you advise me to do?
• If you were me what would you do?
• What ought I to do?
• Do you think that I should ?

Giving advice
• If I were you I would/wouldn’t .
• If I were in your shoes/position I would
• You had better/ you’d better ..
• You ought to/should

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• Your only option is to .
• Why don’t you .?
• Have you thought about .?
• Have you tried ?
• I advise you to
• It might be a good idea to
• If you take my advice, you will

Declining to give advice

I don't know what to advise, I'm afraid.

I wish I could suggest something, but I can't.

I wish I could help.

I'm afraid I can't really help you.

Advantages/Disavantages synonyms
Argument against, cons, drawbacks, minus, negative aspect, bad point
Argument for, pros, argument in support, benefit, plus, positive aspect, selling point

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