Language Functions
Preventing Interruptions
In a conversation if we want to keep talking and not be interrupted,we can use the following techniques to continue to hold the floor:
There are three points I’d like to make.First…
Although…
If…
Because…
And another thing is…
Pausing in the middle of the sentence,not between sentences.
Interrupting Politely
If we want to interrupt politely when another person speaking,we can break in at the end of his/her sentence.Here are some useful techniques for interrupting:
Can I just cut in here?
If I could just come in here…
If I could just say…
Sorry to interrupt,but…
I’d just like to say that…
By the way…
That reminds me that…
Inviting Other People to Talk
We don’t want to be dominate all the time in a conversation.Instead,we may want to hear other people’s views and let everybody get a chance to speak.Here are some helpful ways of bring in other people:
Don’t you agree,Mike?
What do you think,Mike?
What’s your opinion,Mike?
Mike,how do you feel about it?
Mike,what’s your take on all this?
Do you want to say something,Mike?
I think you’d like to say something,Mike.
You’re very quiet,Mike.
I expect Mike will agree with me when I say…
Mike’s looking skeptical.
I don’t know what Mike thinks,but…
I think Mike knows more about this than I do.
Enquiring about Intentions
Although nobody is absolutely certain about the future,people can try to foresee events.They can make plans and state their intentions.The following are some helpful ways to inquire about others’ intentions:
What are you going to do in five years?
What are you hoping to do…?
What are you planning to do…?
What are you proposing to do…?
What are you aiming to do…?
What do you hope to do after you graduate from the university?
What do you plan to do…?
What do you intend to do…?
What do you propose to do…?
What do you aim to do…?
What do you mean to do…?
What do you have in mind?
What do you think you’ll do…?
Stating Intentions
Even if we don’t know for sure what we will do or what we will become in the future,we can express our intentions like this:
I’m going to start up a company of my own.
I’m planning to…
I’m intending to…
I’m proposing to…
I’m aiming to…
I plan to…
I intend to…
I propose to…
I aim to…
I mean to…
Responding to“Are you going to…?”
The following are some useful ways of stating intentions and showing how firmly we intend to do something.They are all phrased as answers to the question“Are you going to…?”The level of certainty runs from strongest to weakest down the list.
Yes,definitely.Nothing’s going to stop me from striving for it.
Yes,definitely.I’m sure/certainly going to…
Yes,definitely.I’m going to…,that’s for sure.
Yes,probably.I think I’ll work hard for it.
Yes,probably.I may…
Yes,probably.I’m hoping to…
Yes,probably.I’d like to…
Perhaps.I’m thinking of taking a MBA program.
Perhaps.I thought I’d…
Perhaps.I thought I might…
Perhaps.I haven’t made up my mind whether or not I’ll…
Not,probably not.I don’t think I’ll…
Not,probably not.I don’t really feel like going back to school.
Not,probably not.I’m not really planning to ...
No,definitely not.I’m certainly not going to…
No,definitely not.You won’t catch me spending money on her.
No,definitely not.I’m not going to…if I can help it.
No,definitely not.I’m definitely not going to…
Responding to“Do you think it will…?”
Although we have no control at all over what will happen,we can still try to judge whether or not something is likely to take place.Sometimes we can even claim to be totally certain.The following expressions are all phrased as answers to the question“Do you think it will…?”The level of certainty runs from strongest to weakest down the list.
Yes,definitely.It’s sure to go public in two years.
Of course.It’ll…
Yes,definitely.It’s bound to…
Yes,probably.I expect it’ll…
Yes,probably.I wouldn’t be surprised if it was traded.
Yes,probably.I bet it’ll…
Perhaps.There’s a chance it’ll…
Maybe.I suppose it might…
Perhaps.It might possibly…
No,probably not.I doubt if it’ll…
Maybe not.I don’t think it’ll…
No,probably not.There’s not much chance of it being floated.
No,definitely not.I’m absolutely sure it won’t…
Of course not.It won’t…
No,definitely not.There’s no chance of it being quoted.
Online Library
You may log onto the following websites for more data and information of the lecture topic:
www.bis.org
www.bloomberg.com
www.cnbc.com
www.economist.com
www.euromoney.com
www.ibtimes.com
www.ft.com
www.invespedia.com
www.marketwatch.com
www.money.com
www.oecd.org
www.qz.com
www.wsj.com