YOU SHOULD START YOUR MONOLOGUE MENTIONING THE ISSUES OR QUESTIONS YOU ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT
First... In the first place... To begin with...First
of all... I'd like to start by giving my opinion on the impact of tourism on
the environment (it's a good idea to rephrase the issue)
To start with... let me express my view on the pros
and cons of working as a teacher (use synonyms whenever possible)
Then.... In the second place... Besides, I'll move on
to the issue of whether video games are dangerous... (Use an indirect question)
I'd also like to answer / deal with the question of
how new technologies have changed our daily life in the past ten years. (Use an
indirect question)
EFFECTIVE OPENINGS
In order to grab
the attention of the audience you may employ one or two of the following
devices:
- Rhetorical questions:
Can crime really be prevented? Has the role of
teachers changed in the past years?
- Interesting facts:
According to an article I read recently,... Did you
know that...?
I’d like to share an amazing fact / figure with you.
Have you ever heard of...?
- Starting with an anecdote:
Let me tell you what happened to me.
- Problems to think about: (use conditional type 2 or
3)
Suppose / Supposing you wanted to... Imagine you had
to...
Have you ever wondered what would happen / would have
happened if...?
- Quoting a well-known person
As X once said,... To quote a well-known writer,... To
put it in the words of...
INTRODUCING A POINT
When delivering
a monologue on a particular subject it is important to introduce the key points
first.
You may use one
of the following phrases:
First of all I'd like to point out... The main problem
is... The fact is that...
The question of... Speaking of...
OR YOU MAY BEGIN BY STATING
SOMETHING AS A FACT
As everyone knows... It is generally accepted that...
There can be no doubt that...
It is a fact that... Nobody will deny that...
ENUMERATION OF POINTS
If you want to
provide several reasons, factors or arguments in a row, you have to organize
them in the
logical way. In
order to structure your answer properly enumerate the main points using one of
the
suggested
phrases:
First of all... In the first place... To begin
with...To start with... I'd like to say / to mention that...
Second... Secondly... In the second place... In
addition to that... Apart from that... Besides...
Moreover,... Furthermore,... Another example of this
is...
Finally,... Lastly... Finally, and perhaps most
importantly,...
In conclusion... All in all... All things
considered...
MOVING TO THE NEXT POINT
This leads directly to my next point. This brings us
to the next question.
Let’s now move on / turn to... After examining this
point, let’s turn to...
Let’s now take a look at...
GOING BACK
As I said / mentioned / pointed out earlier,... Let me
come back to what I said before...
Let’s go back to what we were discussing earlier... As
I’ve already explained...
GIVING YOUR OPINION
• I think / feel / believe that... • As far as I'm
concerned.... • As I see it...
• To my mind... • In my view / opinion... • From my
point of view...
• I tend to think that... • It seems to me that... •
To my knowledge
• I have the impression that... • I
reckon...(informal) • For my part...
GIVING A STRONG OPINION
• I'm absolutely convinced that... • To tell you the
truth / to be honest / frank
• I strongly believe that... • I have no doubt that...
• There's no doubt that...
• My own view is that... • I'm absolutely certain
that... • I'm sure that...
• If you want my honest opinion...
EXPRESSING UNCERTAINTY
• I definitely doubt if that... • I'm uncertain / not
sure that... • As far as I know...
• It is very doubtful whether... • I don’t know about
you, but I ...
GIVING OPINIONS USING IMPERSONAL LANGUAGE
It is vital that more is done to prevent the illegal
trade in wild animals.
◇
(Compare: We have to do more to stop people trading wild animals illegally.)
Journalists play a vital/crucial/essential role in
educating the public.
The ability to write well is essential for any
journalist.
The Internet has become an indispensable /ˌɪndɪˈspensəbl/
tool for reporters.
In journalism, accuracy is paramount. / ...is of
paramount importance.
It is imperative that journalists maintain the highest
possible standards of reporting.
This case emphasizes/highlights the importance of
honest communication between managers and employees.
It should be noted that / It is important to remember
that / An important point to remember is that ...
I would like to draw attention to the role of
listening in effective communication.
GIVING REASONS AND MAKING A POINT
There are several reasons why I think that... The
reason for this is that / why I say that is....
I base my argument on... I tell you all this
because... What I'm basically saying is...
The point I'm trying to make is that... Let me put it
this way:...
INDICATING THE END OF YOUR MONOLOGUE
Well, this brings me to the end of what I wanted to
say about ....
That covers just about everything I wanted to say
about...
As a final point I'd like to say / add that...
Finally, I'd like to highlight one final / key issue.
My final comments concern.... I would like to finish
by mentioning...
DRAWING CONCLUSIONS AND SUMMING UP
The obvious conclusion is... Last but not least... The
only possible solution / conclusion is....
In conclusion I can / would like to say that... To cut
a long story short...
All things considered... Let me summarize by saying...
Briefly said,...
In short,... To recap what I've said so far... To sum
up,...
