Evolve Digital Level 5

Speaking skills summaries

Unit 1, Lesson 3: Discussing ideas and agreeing strongly..........................................3
Strongly agree......................................................................................................... 3
Disagree and move on............................................................................................ 3
Discuss ideas.......................................................................................................... 3
Unit 2, Lesson 3: Asking for and providing information...............................................4
Asking for information..............................................................................................4
Providing information...............................................................................................4
Unit 3, Lesson 3: Making and responding to requests................................................5
Making a request.....................................................................................................5
Accepting a request.................................................................................................5
Refusing a request.................................................................................................. 5
Unit 4, Lesson 3: Discuss advantages and disadvantages.........................................6
Expressions to discuss advantages.........................................................................6
Expressions to discuss disadvantages....................................................................6
Unit 5, Lesson 3: Expressing certainty and uncertainty; giving contrasting ideas.......7
Expressing certainty................................................................................................7
Expressing uncertainty............................................................................................ 7
Giving a contrasting idea.........................................................................................7
Unit 6, Lesson 3: Making, contradicting, and clarifying assumptions..........................8
Making assumptions................................................................................................8
Contradicting assumptions......................................................................................8
Clarifying assumptions............................................................................................ 8
Unit 7, Lesson 3: Negotiating a price..........................................................................9
Accepting an offer....................................................................................................9
Bargaining............................................................................................................... 9
Rejecting an offer.................................................................................................... 9
Unit 8, Lesson 3: Suggesting and showing interest in ideas.....................................10
Suggesting an idea................................................................................................10

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 Showing interest....................................................................................................10
Unit 9, Lesson 3: Giving reassurance.......................................................................11
Being optimistic..................................................................................................... 11
Being realistic........................................................................................................ 11
Saying it's not unusual...........................................................................................11
Telling someone not to worry.................................................................................11
Unit 10, Lesson 3: Giving (your) impressions............................................................12
Based on information.............................................................................................12
Based on feelings..................................................................................................12
Unit 11, Lesson 3: Expressing belief and disbelief....................................................13
Expressing belief................................................................................................... 13
Expressing some belief......................................................................................... 13
Expressing disbelief...............................................................................................13
Unit 12, Lesson 3: Describing ambitions and expressing optimism and caution.......14
Describing ambitions.............................................................................................14
Expressing optimism............................................................................................. 14
Expressing caution................................................................................................14

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Unit 1, Lesson 3: Discussing ideas and agreeing strongly
Strongly agree
I couldn't agree more.
Disagree and move on
Have it your way.
Discuss ideas
Looking at the big picture,…
Generally speaking,…
Overall,…
When it comes to…

Insider English: "I wonder if the server's down"

When something related to the internet isn't working or is temporarily closed, you can
say it's down.
Here are some examples:
"Oh, no! I can't download anything to my computer. Is our internet service down
again?"
"Due to upgrades, the network will be down from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. today. Sorry
for the inconvenience."

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Unit 2, Lesson 3: Asking for and providing information
Asking for information
Is there any danger of…?
Is there a risk of…?
What exactly do you mean by…?
What…. would you recommend…?
Providing information
Another thing to consider is…
First and foremost,…
One thing to keep in mind is…
The most important thing to consider is…

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Unit 3, Lesson 3: Making and responding to requests
Making a request
Do you think it would be possible (for you) to…?
Is there any chance you could…
Would you be willing to…
Accepting a request
I'd be happy to help out.
Yes, I can probably manage that.
Refusing a request
I don't know how much I'd be able to…
I don't want to be rude, but…
Sorry, but I wouldn't be comfortable (plus -ing verb)…

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Unit 4, Lesson 3: Discuss advantages and disadvantages
Expressions to discuss advantages
A/Another plus is (that)…
The main benefit is (that)…
The upside is (that)…
It gives the company/us/you/me the advantage of (-ing verb)…
Expressions to discuss disadvantages
I'd be / I'm concerned (that)…
One/Another potential problem is (that)…
One/The tricky issue is (that)…
The downside is (that)…

Insider English: "get stuck with"

The expression get (or be) stuck with is common in informal English. It means "be
left to deal with something you don't want to deal with."
Here are some examples:
"I always get stuck with the dishes, no one else ever does them."
"We rent our apartment, so unfortunately we're stuck with this terrible green
wallpaper."

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Unit 5, Lesson 3: Expressing certainty and uncertainty;
giving contrasting ideas
Expressing certainty
I guarantee (that)…
It's a well-known fact (that)…
You can bet (that)…
Expressing uncertainty
I don't have a clue…
Who knows?
Giving a contrasting idea
At the same time,…
On the contrary,…
That said,…

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Unit 6, Lesson 3: Making, contradicting, and clarifying
assumptions
Making assumptions
I assume…
I suppose…
You/It must have been…
Contradicting assumptions
Absolutely not.
Not at all.
Not in the least.
Clarifying assumptions
In a way.
To an extent.
Up to a point.

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Unit 7, Lesson 3: Negotiating a price
Accepting an offer
I think I can accept that.
That sounds fair enough.
You've got a deal.
Bargaining
…is the best I can do.
I'll throw… in for free.
So, how much are you asking for…?
That's a little on the high side. Can you go any lower?
That's my final offer.
Would you be willing to accept…?
Rejecting an offer
I'm sorry, but I can't accept that.
Sorry, but no deal.

Insider English: "You bet!"

You bet is an informal way of saying "Yes, I'm happy to do that" or "Yes, of course."
People also use it informally in response to a thank you.
Here are some examples:
A: So, would you be available to meet at ten tomorrow?
B: You bet!

A: Hey, thanks for all your help today. I couldn't have done it without you.
B: You bet! No problem.

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Unit 8, Lesson 3: Suggesting and showing interest in ideas
Suggesting an idea
One/Another thing you/we can do is…
…always goes over well.
…is a good way to approach it.
It never hurts to…
That's always worth considering.
Showing interest
I bet everyone loved / will love that!
That's such a terrific / an awesome idea.
What a fabulous idea!

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Unit 9, Lesson 3: Giving reassurance
Being optimistic
It'll turn out all right.
Being realistic
It could have been worse.
It's not that bad.
That's the way it goes.
Saying it's not unusual
No one is perfect.
We all make mistakes.
You're not the only one who's done that.
Telling someone not to worry
It's no use crying over spilled milk.
What are you talking about?

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Unit 10, Lesson 3: Giving (your) impressions
Based on information
As far as I can tell…
From what I can see…
I get the impression (that)…
Judging by…
What strikes me…is…
Based on feelings
I have a funny feeling (that)…
I have a hunch (that)…
My gut feeling is (that)…

Insider English: Lose track of time

We often use the expression "lose track of time" when we forget when something is
due or supposed to happen, because we've been busy doing other stuff. We also
use it when we suddenly realize what time it is, and we're surprised it's that time
already.
Here are some examples:
"Is it noon already? I must have lost track of time."
"We really need to leave for Jill's birthday party – we lost track of time but it starts
in half an hour."

"I had so much fun skiing with Jack that I totally lost track of time and we missed
the cable car back to our hotel."

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Unit 11, Lesson 3: Expressing belief and disbelief
Expressing belief
…, believe it or not.
I'm absolutely positive (that)…
Expressing some belief
Maybe there's some truth in it.
It's/That's partly true.
Expressing disbelief
Yeah, right!
Tell me another one.
I find that hard to believe.
There's no truth in it/that.

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Unit 12, Lesson 3: Describing ambitions and expressing
optimism and caution
Describing ambitions
I'm determined to…
My dream scenario would be…
My ultimate goal is to…
Expressing optimism
I'm confident (that)…
I see no reason why I can't…
There's no harm in trying…
Expressing caution
I can't say for certain (that)…
I realize things might not go as planned…
There's no guarantee (that)…

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