Common Conversation Expressions

 In my opinion...
 The way I see it...
 If you want my honest opinion....
Stating an
opinion  According to Lisa...
 As far as I'm concerned...
 If you ask me...

 What's your idea?

 What are your thoughts on all of this?
 How do you feel about that?
Asking for an  Do you have anything to say about this?
opinion
 What do you think?
 Do you agree?
 Wouldn't you say?

Expressing  I agree with you 100 percent.

agreement
 I couldn't agree with you more.
 That's so true.
 That's for sure.
 (slang) Tell me about it!
  You're absolutely right.
 Absolutely.
 That's exactly how I feel.
 Exactly.
 I'm afraid I agree with James.
 I have to side with Dad on this one.
 No doubt about it.
 (agree with negative statement) Me neither.
 (weak) I suppose so./I guess so.
 You have a point there.
 I was just going to say that.

Expressing  I don't think so.

disagreement
 (strong) No way.
 I'm afraid I disagree.
 (strong) I totally disagree.
 I beg to differ.
 (strong) I'd say the exact opposite.
 Not necessarily.
  That's not always true.
 That's not always the case.
 No, I'm not so sure about that.

 Can I add something here?

 Is it okay if I jump in for a second?
 If I might add something...
 Can I throw my two cents in?
Interruptions  Sorry to interrupt, but...
 (after accidentally interrupting someone)
Sorry, go ahead. OR Sorry, you were saying...
 (after being interrupted) You didn't let me
finish.

 Let's just move on, shall we?

 Let's drop it.
Settling an
argument  I think we're going to have to agree to disagree.
 (sarcastic) Whatever you say./If you say so.
Speaking
Welcome to EnglishClub.com
Speaking for ESL learners,
to help you learn and
practise the skill of
speaking English.
Speaking is the second of the
four language skills, which
are:
1. Listening 2. Speaking 3. Reading 4. Writing
What Is Speaking?
A basic look at what speaking is and is not, and
what it involves for English learners.
The Importance of Speaking Practice
Speaking to yourself can be "dangerous"
because men in white coats may come and take
you away!! That is why you should make every
effort possible to find somebody to speak with.
Greetings
How to say hello in English. On these pages you
can listen to and practise greeting people in a
variety of situations - from the classroom to
business.
"What should I call you?"
How to Address People in English
What name or title can we use when speaking to
friends, colleagues, acquaintances, teachers,
 doctors etc?
Telephone English
In this lesson we look at some of the words and
expressions that we use for telephoning. There
are also some practice sessions and a quiz for
you to check your understanding.
Presentations & Public Speaking
Learn how to give a presentation or speak
in public in English. This tutorial guides
you step by step through the process of
making a presentation, from preparation
to conclusion and questions.
"Well Done!!!! All the basics, in an easy to use,
easy to follow format! Finally, my students have
some high quality, free material to use!"
John Herzig, Teacher, USA
Speaking about the Weather
Even strangers discuss the weather. Learn
the proper vocabulary and expressions,
and you'll find it easy to start a conversation
anytime, anywhere--with anyone you meet!
Small Talk
What can we say in casual conversations with
strangers or colleagues we meet in the lift?
Small talk is a casual form of conversation that
"breaks the ice" or fills an awkward silence
between people.
Agreeing and Disagreeing
 Sooner or later you will get the urge to agree or
disagree with something that is being said in
English. Offering an opinion can be difficult
when it is not in your first language...
Speaking vs Writing (article)
Negotiating
Meetings
TOEFL Speaking Section (with audio examples)
Start your own English Club
Superstar Talks about learning to speak Thai
Informal Contractions (gonna, wanna)
Talking Point Discussions
Speak, Sing and Play with your Baby in English
Cash Transactions (dialogues)
Customer Service (dialogues)
Taking Reservations (dialogues)
Checking out of a Hotel (dialogues)
Checking in for a flight (dialogues)
Ordering cocktails (dialogue)
Booking an appointment (dialogue)
 Doctor's Diagnosis (dialogue)
Visiting Hours (dialogue)
Working in a restaurant (dialogue)
Taking a tour (dialogue)
Talking to a Police Officer
Describing a Crime
Practise Reciting Poetry
English Speaking Links

English Checker
acquaintance (noun): someone you know casually (eg: a friend of a
friend)
address (verb): to name someone in a specific way (when speaking
or writing)
awkward (adj.): feeling uncomfortable
colleagues (noun): people you work with
customer service (noun): help for shoppers, buyers, members
divorced (adj.): not married anymore
executive (noun): manager or high level employee in a company or
business
first name terms (BrE)/first name basis: having a close enough
relationship to disregard formalities such as age or status
formal (adj.): showing respect for rules, forms and traditions
formality (noun): something that has no real purpose other than
being a tradition
generic (adj.): describing many; not specific
maiden name (noun): a married woman's surname at birth
nickname (noun): a short or cute name used by friends or relatives
pet name (noun): a name used by close friends and family to show
their love
respondent (noun): the person who writes back or responds
sarcastic (adj.): ironic; typically having an opposite meaning, often
to show contempt or to prove a point
terms of endearment (noun): words or names that show feelings of
care for someone
trickier (adj.): more difficult to understand or do
widow (noun): a single woman whose husband has died

Language
Say what you are going to say,
Simplicity and Clarity
If you want your audience to understand your message, your
language must be simple and clear.
Use short words and short sentences.
Do not use jargon, unless you are certain that your audience
understands it.
In general, talk about concrete facts rather than abstract ideas.
Use active verbs instead of passive verbs. Active verbs are much
easier to understand. They are much more powerful. Consider these
two sentences, which say the same thing:
 1. Toyota sold two million cars last year.
2. Two million cars were sold by Toyota last year.
Which is easier to understand? Which is more immediate? Which is
more powerful? #1 is active and #2 is passive.
Signposting
When you drive on the roads, you know where you are
on those roads. Each road has a name or number. Each
town has a name. And each house has a number. If you
are at house #100, you can go back to #50 or forward to #150. You
can look at the signposts for directions. And you can look at your
atlas for the structure of the roads in detail. In other words, it is easy
to navigate the roads. You cannot get lost. But when you give a
presentation, how can your audience know where they are? How can
they know the structure of your presentation? How can they know
what is coming next? They know because you tell them. Because
you put up signposts for them, at the beginning and all along the
route. This technique is called 'signposting' (or 'signalling').
During your introduction, you should tell your audience what the
structure of your presentation will be. You might say something like
this:
"I'll start by describing the current position in Europe. Then I'll move
on to some of the achievements we've made in Asia. After that I'll
consider the opportunities we see for further expansion in Africa.
Lastly, I'll quickly recap before concluding with some
recommendations."
A member of the audience can now visualize your presentation like
this:
 

 Europe

Body  Asia
 Africa

 Summing up
Conclusion
 Recommendations

He will keep this image in his head during the presentation. He may
even write it down. And throughout your presentation, you will put
up signposts telling him which point you have reached and where
you are going now. When you finish Europe and want to start Asia,
you might say:
"That's all I have to say about Europe. Let's turn now to Asia."
When you have finished Africa and want to sum up, you might say:
"Well, we've looked at the three continents Europe, Asia and Africa.
I'd like to sum up now."
And when you finish summing up and want to give your
recommendations, you might say:
"What does all this mean for us? Well, firstly I recommend..."
The table below lists useful expressions that you can use to signpost
the various parts of your presentation.
  Welcom
e
Intr
odu  Explanati
Signposting
ctio on of
n structure
(now)

Function Language
 I'd like to start by...
 Let's begin by...
Introducing the  First of all, I'll...
subject
 Starting with...
 I'll begin by...

 Well, I've told you

about...
 That's all I have to say
Finishing one
about...
subject...
 We've looked at...
 So much for...

...and starting  Now we'll move on

another to...
  Let me turn now to...
 Next...
 Turning to...
 I'd like now to
discuss...
 Let's look now at...

 Where does that lead

us?
 Let's consider this in
Analysing a point
more detail...
and giving
recommendation  What does this mean
s for ABC?
 Translated into real
terms...

Giving an  For example,...

example
 A good example of
this is...
 As an illustration,...
 To give you an
example,...
  To illustrate this
point...

 We'll be examining
this point in more
detail later on...
 I'd like to deal with
this question later, if I
may...

Dealing with  I'll come back to this

questions question later in my
talk...
 Perhaps you'd like to
raise this point at the
end...
 I won't comment on
this now...

Summarising and  In conclusion,...

concluding
 Right, let's sum up,
shall we?
 I'd like now to recap...
 Let's summarise
briefly what we've
 looked at...
 Finally, let me remind
you of some of the
issues we've
covered...
 If I can just sum up the
main points...

 Firstly...secondly...thir
dly...lastly...
 First of
all...then...next...after
Ordering that...finally...
 To start
with...later...to finish
up...