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Language, when you need it

Search concise B2 First grammar, vocabulary, functional phrases and exam strategy — without leaving the course to hunt through past lessons.

Giving Opinions

both
  • In my view, …
  • As far as I'm concerned, …
  • From my perspective, …
  • It seems to me that …
  • I'm convinced that …
  • I'd argue that …
  • Personally, I think / feel …
  • If you ask me, …
  • There's no doubt that …
  • I'm not entirely sure, but …

Agreeing & Disagreeing

speaking
  • I couldn't agree more.
  • That's exactly what I think.
  • You've got a point there.
  • I see what you mean, but …
  • I'm afraid I have to disagree.
  • I'm not so sure about that.
  • That's true up to a point, however …
  • I take your point, but …
  • I'd go further and say …
  • We seem to be on the same page.

Comparing & Contrasting (Speaking P2 / P3)

speaking
  • Both pictures show … whereas …
  • The main difference is that …
  • Unlike the first photo, the second one …
  • What they have in common is …
  • In contrast to A, B seems to …
  • While in the first picture …, in the second …
  • Compared to A, B looks more …
  • One similarity is that …
  • The most striking difference is …

Speculating about Photos (Speaking P2)

speaking
  • It looks like / as if …
  • She might / could be …-ing because …
  • They appear to be …
  • I'd say they're probably …
  • Judging by their expressions, …
  • It's hard to tell, but maybe …
  • I imagine that …
  • There's a strong possibility that …
  • My guess would be that …

Decision-making (Speaking P3 — Collaborative Task)

speaking
  • Shall we start with this one?
  • What do you think about …?
  • That's a good point — and on top of that …
  • I see what you mean, but I'd say …
  • Let's move on to the next one.
  • So, are we agreed that …?
  • Just to sum up our ideas …
  • I'd go for … because …
  • On balance, I think the best option is …
  • Let's go with that, then.

Essay Linkers (Writing P1)

writing
  • It is often argued that …
  • On the one hand, … On the other hand, …
  • A further point worth considering is …
  • However, this view is not shared by everyone.
  • There are several reasons why …
  • As a consequence, …
  • To illustrate this, …
  • In conclusion, while both sides have merit, …
  • All things considered, …
  • Taking everything into account, …

Article Openers & Hooks (Writing P2)

writing
  • Have you ever wondered why …?
  • Picture this: …
  • We've all been there — …
  • It's official: …
  • Let's be honest — …
  • If you think … think again.
  • Few things in life are as … as …
  • Why is it that …?
  • Imagine a world where …

Informal Email / Letter (Writing P2)

writing
  • Hi Sam, thanks for your email!
  • Great to hear from you.
  • Sorry it's taken me ages to reply.
  • Guess what? …
  • You asked about … — here goes.
  • Anyway, that's about it from me.
  • Drop me a line when you can.
  • Take care, / All the best, / Love,

Formal Email / Report (Writing P2)

writing
  • I am writing in response to …
  • I would like to enquire about …
  • I would be grateful if you could …
  • Please find attached …
  • I look forward to hearing from you.
  • Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
  • Yours sincerely, / Yours faithfully,
  • The purpose of this report is to …
  • It is recommended that …

Asking for Clarification / Buying Time

speaking
  • Sorry, could you repeat that?
  • I'm not sure I follow — do you mean …?
  • Let me think about that for a second.
  • That's an interesting question …
  • Well, it depends, really.
  • Hmm, how should I put this …
  • Could you give me an example?