C. making sure you understand

Did I understand you correctly that…?

If I understand you correctly, you are saying that …

So, what you are saying is …

 

3. Ask and answer questions for details. Use one of the following phrases:

a) asking a question:

ü I am sorry, but I don’t quite understand …

ü I am sorry, but I am not really clear about …

ü I am sorry, but could you possibly explain …

ü Do I understand you correctly that…

 

b) giving an explanation:

ü Well, what I am trying to say is …

ü Well, the point I am trying to make is that …

ü Well, I think what it’s meant is …

ü I have a very good reason to believe that…

 

Model: - TV is a unifying factor in a family.

           - Would you mind explaining that? (Could you specify  

           what you mean by ‘unifying factor’?)

 

1. The manner of dressing and speaking are important characteristics of an individual.

2. Any organization can’t work without employee competence and enthusiasm.

3. Women are more emotional, less practical, more irrational and more dependent on instincts than men.

4. An unhappy personal life and the lack of money affect the old more than the young.

5. More education opens more doors to successful careers.

6. Women are equal to men in all respects.

7. Space exploration is an objective search for knowledge.

 

4. Memorize the following expressions:

a) Use the following to comment on a question:

ü That’s a good question. Thanks for asking it.

ü I’m glad you’ve asked me this question.

ü It’s a difficult question. I can’t give a detailed answer to it now.

ü I understood you. The idea of … seems interesting to me.

ü Well, your argument sounds convincing but don’t you think that…

ü Your remark is quite relevant. Thank you for reminding me that ..

ü Would you mind if we came back to your question later?

ü I’m not sure this question should be answered. It’s not quite relevant to the subject discussed.

ü I’m afraid you misunderstood me. I didn’t mean to say that …

 

b) Use the following to apologize for lack of exactness in answer:

ü I haven’t really considered the problem in this aspect, but I believe that …

ü Speaking off the cuff, I’d say that…

ü Roughly speaking, this problem might be regarded as …

ü In a way, this definition isn’t exact, but…

ü I’m afraid I am not prepared to give a detailed answer to this all at once. All I could say is …

ü I am afraid that this information is not available at the moment.

ü I am afraid I don’t have that information at hand.

 

c) Use the following if you need more time :

 

ü Let me see…

ü Just let me think about it …

ü You see…

ü You know …

 

Check your knowledge

Presentations Quiz

 

1. At the beginning of your presentation you can say, ''I'm going

to __ about...''

a) do  b) talk  c) tell

 

2. You can also say, ''I'm going to give you some __ and

figures.''

a) fact b) information c) numbers

 

3. When you go to the next part in your presentation, you can

say: ''I'd now like to __ on to...''

a) move b) speak c) talk

 

4. When you talk about a graph (or other figure / diagram) you

can say, ''This graph __ you...''

a) demonstrates b) indicates c) shows

 

5. If you want to show that one thing is directly linked to the

next thing, you can say, ''This __ me to my next point''.

   a) guides b) leads c) links

 

6. When you want to show that you have finished your

presentation, you can say, ''That __ me to the end of my   

presentation.''

a) brings b) concludes c) summarizes

 

7. You can then say, ''Thank you for __''

a) attending b) listening c) taking part

 

8. If you want to invite people to ask you questions, you can say

''Please feel __ to ask questions.''

a) fine b) free c) happy

 

9. After you reply to a question, you can say ''Does this __ your

question?''

a) answer b) reply c) satisfy

 

10. If you want to repeat, clarify or say something in a different

way (perhaps because someone didn't understand you when  

you gave an answer) you can say, ''__ another way...''

   a) in b) put c) spoken

 

 

APPENDIX А

Dealing with questions

 

Clarifying a question

           

I’m afraid I didn’t quite catch that.

I’m sorry, could you repeat your question, please?

If I understood you correctly, you would like to know whether…

If I could just rephrase your question, you’d like to know…

Does that answer your question?

 

Avoiding giving an answer

           

I’m afraid that’s not really what we were discussing today.

I saw that in the work of...

Admitting you don’t know

Sorry, that’s not my field./ Sorry, that’s off the top of my head.

I’m afraid I’m not in a position to answer that question at the moment

I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to your question, but I will try to find it out for you.

 

Delaying the answer

 

I'm glad you asked that question.

That's a good question/point/remark.

Can I answer that question later?

If you don’t mind, I’ll come back to this point later in my presentation.

Can we get back to this point a bit later?

Would you mind waiting until the question and answer session at the end?

 

Agreeing  

 

I agree with you 100 percent.

I couldn't agree with you more.

That's true.

That's for sure.

You're absolutely right.

Absolutely.

That's exactly how I feel.

Exactly.

I have to side with Dad on this one.

No doubt about it.

(weak) I suppose so./I guess so.

You have a point there.

I was just going to say that.

I agree with you but there is another way of looking at it.

 

Disagreeing

 

I don't think so.

(strong) No way.

I'm afraid I disagree.

(strong) I totally disagree.

That's not entirely true.

On the contrary…

I'm sorry to disagree with you, but…

Yes, but don't you think…

That's not the same thing at all.

I'm afraid I have to disagree.

I'm not so sure about that.

I must take issue with you on that.

I beg to differ.

(strong) I'd say the exact opposite.

Not necessarily.

That's not always true.

That's not always the case.

No, I'm not so sure about that.

 

 

                             APPENDIX B

The introduction

A) the beginning

 

Let's begin.

Shall we start?

Let's get the ball rolling.

Let's get down to business

OK. If we're all here, let's begin.

If everyone's ready, let's start.