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Written Oct. 10, 2008

Examples of Some Key Language Functions (Page 2)

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8. Suggesting

Example questions: What would you suggest a visitor to your country see and do?

                                    What do you think the government could/should do?

                                    How would you teach a foreigner to speak Chinese?

1. I'd .... (suggest, say, recommend) ....
2. Maybe/perhaps/possibly ... + could/ would/ should ...
3. It might/may help if ....+ could/ would/ should ...
4. It would probably + (be a good idea, be useful, help) if  + past tense form of verb

• Notice that the word 'would' is usually used in this type of question. So, don't answer with the words, "I will ...". Instead, say, "I'd ..."

• Notice the grammar in this answer: "I'd recommend they visit the Great Wall and see the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xian." The same verb form is used after the word, "suggest".

• Here's an example of #4, above. What do you think the government could do about the pollution problem?  "It would definitely help if the government encouraged alternate forms of electricity generation, such as wind farms and solar-power." Notice that the past tense, "encouraged" is used. Also notice that, instead of "probably" you can use, "possibly", "certainly" and "definitely".

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 9. Expressing Opinions

Example question:

Do you think that children should always be offered an incentive (a reward of some kind) when parents ask their children to do something? 

1. I think ...
2. I believe ...
3. I feel ...
4. Personally, I (think, believe, feel) ...
5. I tend to + (think, feel, believe) that ...
6. In my opinion, ...
7. In my view, ...
8. I've always + (thought/believed/felt) that ...
9. I maintain that...
10. I've always maintained that ...
11. It seems to me that ...
12. I'm convinced that ...
13. As far as I'm concerned, ...
14. My view is that ...
15. From my point of view, ...
16. To my mind, ...
17. The way I see it, ...
18. As I see it, ...

• Don't say, "personally in my opinion".

• Don't say, "In my eyes". Use, "In my view", instead.

• Only use, "maintain" if the topic is something that you have discussed with others many times before. "Maintain" means you always express this opinion. It is not suitable to use, "maintain" if the question is something that you have probably never thought about before. And only use, "maintain" a maximum of once in the speaking test.

• Similarly,  you should only say, "I firmly believe" when you are talking about a topic that suits a strong opinion and a topic that you have deeply thought about before.

• Your answers will be better if you include adverbs such as 'strongly', firmly', 'honestly', and 'personally'.

• Only use, 'frankly' when saying something that expresses a rather strong or firm opinion. As well as that, this opinion should be rather unexpected (for the person you are talking to) or something that you don't usually tell other people, like a 'small secret'. 'Frank' means 'unusually direct and honest'. For example, "Who's your favourite film star?" – "Frankly, I have no favourite film star because I don't watch many films."

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 10. Giving reasons for opinions 

1. ... because ...
2. ... since ...
3. The main reason I say that is because  ...
4. One of the reasons I say that is because ... (One reason I say that is because ... )

• Don't use, 'as' or, 'for' to mean 因为 when speaking; they are too formal-sounding and unnatural.

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 11. Explaining

 Example question: Why are many older people reluctant to learn computer skills?

1. The reason why ... is because ...
2. The main reason why ... is because ...
3. One reason why ... is because ...
4. One possible explanation (for that) is ...
5. To understand why ....., you first need to ..... (understand, know, be aware that)
6. Well, it's like this.  ....
7. You could look at it this way, ...  

• Basically, "explain" means to give an answer to a "Why?" or "How?" question that is rather complex. You answer an "explain" question by speaking in some detail.

• In the first three examples above, you can qualify the verb, "is" by saying, "certainly is", "definitely is" or "surely is".

• If you don't know and are guessing the explanation for something, then your answer belongs to the Speculating language function, below. In this case, you could qualify the, "is" from examples 1 to 3 by saying, "possibly is", "probably is", "might be", "may be", or "could be". 

• The language function of explaining is most common in Part 2 – every Part 2 topic asks you to explain something.

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12. Speculating ( = guessing) when you don't know

        (When talking about the present or the past)

Example question: Do old people in China have opportunities to attend any forms of classes?

1. Well, I'm not sure but ...
2. Well, I've never thought about that before but ...
3. I imagine ...
4. I guess ...
5. I suppose ...
6. I'd say ...

•  Since you're not sure, you can also use words such as, "maybe", "perhaps", "possibly", "probably", "it's quite likely that ...", "it's quite possible that ...", "it's quite probable that ...", "may +V", "might +V", "could + V". (V = 原形动词)

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 13. Speculating ( = guessing) about the future

(Most commonly, how the future will change, compared to now.)

Example question: How do you think the tourist industry (in China) will develop in the future? 

1. I predict ... + a noun
2. I (can) foresee ... + [a noun + 现在分词] or + a noun
3. I imagine / suppose / guess  ...
4. ... will + adverb 
5. ... be (present tense) likely to ...
6. There’ll probably / possibly be ...
7. We might see / have ...
8. ... will be + 现在分词 ... 
9.  ... might be + 现在分词 ...
10. I'd be surprised if + past tense/past continuous tense
11. I'll be very surprised if + present tense/past continuous tense
12. I expect ...

• ‘Adverb’ = ‘adverb of certainty’ = definitely / certainly / probably / possibly.

• Be careful of just saying, “will” with no adverb of certainty. 'Will', with no adverb is used in English to talk about something that you are certain about in the future. For example, ‘will’ is used in English to promise something to someone – “I’ll give you the money I owe you tomorrow.” Of course, some things are certain, for example, “China’s population will be bigger than it is now, thirty years from now.” You can emphasize your feeling of certainty about the future by saying, "certainly will",  "will certainly", "definitely will" or "will definitely". 

• However, you can use a simple "will" without an adverb to give your opinion that something ‘will definitely’ or ‘will certainly’ happen by including words such as, "I think", "I'm sure", "In my opinion", "I believe" etc. For example, "I believe that twenty years from now, China will have no people living in extreme poverty."

• The words, "...will surely" means, "I will be very surprised if this doesn't happen" = "I'd be very surprised if this didn't happen." You could use "will surely" in the example above: “China’s population will surely be bigger than it is now, thirty years from now.” 

• Instead of ‘imagine', 'suppose' or 'guess' you could simply say, 'think' but it's not so impressive to the examiner just to say that.

• Include some comparative (比较) language when talking about the future. For example, "In twenty or thirty years, people will almost certainly be living longer than they do now, due to advances in medical science."

• "I foresee" is usually followed by + [a noun + 现在分词] or a noun. For example, "I foresee people working fewer hours per week in the future." And, using a noun,  "I foresee a decrease in the number of hours people work per week." (Use, "people work", not "people will be working".)

• "I predict" is similar to "I foresee" in meaning but we usually use "will" after "predict". For example, "I predict people will be working (or, will work) fewer hours per week in the future." The noun usage after "I predict" is the same as for, "I foresee": "I predict a decrease in the number of hours people work per week." (Use, "people work", not "people will be working".)

• #8 & #9 is the future continuous tense. Show the examiner you can say the following kind of sentence: "Thirty years from now, people will almost certainly be driving electric cars and possibly we'll also have flying cars by then." Another example: "In twenty years, some people might be traveling to the moon for holidays." 

• An example of #10 is: "I'd be very surprised if people were still driving petrol-powered cars thirty years from now." Type #11 is basically expressing the same idea as #10 and you could use them interchangeably. For example, "I'll be very surprised if people are still driving petrol-powered cars thirty years from now." Using #10 or #11 will impress the examiner and help you get more points for grammar. (Only use this structure once in the test.)

• To help you think of ideas about the future of the topic you are discussing with the examiner, here are five suggestions: 

1. Think about how the internet (or simply computers) will affect the future of that topic. For example, people will probably be buying many things on the internet in the future and people will be studying more on the internet.  

2. Think of science fiction (科学幻想). For example: flying cars or traveling to the moon for a vacation.  

3. Think of recent advances in science and technology and extend these to the future. For example, cloning, genetic engineering, organ transplanting, wind and solar power, hydrogen-powered cars, electric cars, nanotechnology, robots, brain-wave controlled devices etc. 

4. Think of how globalization might affect the future of that topic. For example, as the world becomes more of a "global village", people will be interacting with foreigners a lot more, leading to probable changes in international law, politics, language, social customs, business etc. 

5. Think of how global warming might affect the future of that topic. For example, rising sea levels, the melting of glaciers (the source of many major rivers), greater extremes of weather, changes in agriculture, the extinction of some species, changes in disease patterns ..

• See HERE for more detailed examples of the grammar when talking about the future.

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 14. Expressing plans, intentions and hopes for the future

 Example question: What are your future work plans? (after you graduate)

1. I plan to ...
2. My plan is to ...
3. I plan on + Ving (动名词)
4. I intend to ...
5. I hope to ...
6. I'm going to ...
7. My ambition is to ...
8. My immediate goal is to ...
9. My ultimate (= final) goal is to ...
10. Ultimately, ...
11. Hopefully, ...
12. Ideally, ...
13. I expect to ...
14. I’d like to ...  = I want to ..
15. As an alternative, I might ...
16. If all goes well, I'll / I should ...
17. If everything goes according to plan, I'll / I should ...
18. My dream is to ...
19. It's always been my hope/plan/ambition/dream to ...
20. My heart is set on + Ving (动名词)

•  Don't say, "I wish to", for example, "I wish to study in the UK." It's too formal.

• See the note about using, "will" in the notes for "Speculating about the Future".

• "Going to"  combines two ideas – "I intend to" + "it almost certainly will happen". So don't use "going to" if you are not very sure that this will happen. It is similar to using "will" but "will" only has the meaning of, "it almost certainly will happen". For example, the following sentence is not very suitable: "I'm going to get a degree in Accountancy in Australia". Many things could happen to cause this not to happen and, after all, you first have to get your 6.5 in the IELTS test! The following is suitable: "I'm going to go shopping tonight"; or, "I'm going to sit for the IELTS test again in two months".

• "I want to" is ok but it just refers to your desire. A desire is not always the same as a plan or intention. Don't overuse, "I want to" when talking about your plans for the future.

• Don't use the word "can" or the word "must" when talking about the future. Instead, use "will be able to" and "will have to". 

For example: "After I go to Canada I can practice more English" is incorrect. The correct sentence is, "After I go to Canada, I'll be able to practice more English". 

Similarly, "When I arrive in Australia, the first thing I must do is find a place to live" is incorrect. The correct sentence is, "When I arrive in Australia, the first thing I'll have to do is find a place to live"

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 15. Clarifying 

1. What I mean is ..
2. My meaning is ....
3. In other words, 
4. That is to say, ...
5. Let me put that another way.
6. To put that another way, ...
7. What I'm trying to say is ..
8. My point is that ...
9. More specifically, ... 
10. For example, ...
11. For instance, ... 

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 16. Explaining a word when you have forgotten (or don't know) the word

 "I can't remember the word but .....

1. it's a thing that ...
2. it's a type of ...
3. it's something you ...
4. he's a person who ...
5. it's something like ...
6. it's similar to ...
7. it's kind of like a ..."

• These sentences use the present tense because you are speaking in general. For example, "It's a thing, a tool, you use to put air into your bicycle tyre - you use it like this" (Show the action). (a bicycle pump)

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 17. Speaking in general

1. On the whole, ..
2. As a rule, ...
3. In general,
4. Generally, ...
5. Generally speaking, ..
6. For the most part, ...
7. Typically,
8. Usually,

• Use the Present Tense when speaking in general.

• Use plural nouns. Although singular nouns are possible in some cases, you will make fewer mistakes by using plural nouns.

         Examples: 

1. "Boys like to play computer games but girls prefer to go shopping."

2. "I like dogs." "I like dog" is wrong and means, "我喜欢吃狗肉". 

"I like dogs" means, "I like all dogs; this dog, that dog, whenever I see a dog, I like it." But it is unsuitable to say, "I like pandas" because you don't see different pandas in your everyday life. In this case, it is more suitable to say, "I like the panda" (= "I like the panda species").

3. "Dogs are friendlier than cats but cats are cleaner than dogs."

4. "I usually get my news from the internet because ...."

5. 有人说 =  "(Many) People say ..." (Not, "Someone said")

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