USEFUL CLICHES

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,...