Fce and cae key words 4 speaking and writing

1. Useful language for FCE & CAE
FORMAL LETTERS: Letters objecting to someone's
plans
I am writing to express my concern /disappointment / alarm
at hearing ...
I was extremely alarmed/sorry/distressed to hear about your
plans to ...
As I think you know, …
As you probably know…
May I point out that …
I feel I really must object to ...
I am extremely concerned at the thought that ...
It must be very clear that ...
If these proposals go ahead, ... will happen.
Another threat to ... , if these proposals go ahead, would
come from ...
I dread to imagine what damage this will cause.
May I respectfully suggest that you ...
I was wondering if you had considered this alternative?
Would it not be possible to ... ?
Letters ofcomplaint
I am writingto complainabout...
I am writingto tell you howdisappointed/annoyedIfeel
about...
I wasamazed/distressed/horrifiedtofind that ...
As you must realise,...
I am sure you know that ...
I am sure you canimagine...
I am sure you willappreciatethat...
It goeswithout saying that ...
At the very least, I lookforward to receiving...
Unlessyou ... , I am afraidthat I willhave to take this
matterfurther.
Letters of recommendation
I am writing to you on behalf of ...
I have known X for ... years.
She / He has shown herself/himself to be extremely ...
X would seem to fit the requirements of this job perfectly.
I have no hesitation in recommending X as a ...
Letters to the editor
I am writing about the article on ... , which appeared (in last
night's paper).
I am writing with reference to the article you published (in
last month's issue).
I have just read your article on ... and I feel I must ...
You raised some issues which I feel strongly about.
At the start of your article, you appear to claim that ...
I am afraid I totally disagree.
I am completely in agreement.
I am sure readers will agree with me when I say that ...
ARTICLES
Sequencing
At first / To start with/
In the beginning, Then/Next/
After that,
The next thing that happened was ...
The next thing I knew was ...
Seconds/Minutes later,
Late on/Some time later,
It wasn't until much later that ...
After what seemed like years, ...
Finally/In the end, ...
At last, ...
Simultaneous events
Meanwhile/In the meantime,
While all this was going on,
In the middle of all this, ...
During all this time, ...
Sudden or unexpected events
Suddenly/All of a sudden, ...
All at once, ...
Out of the blue, ...
Without any warning, ...
Just when I was least expecting it, ...
The next thing I knew was ...
Rapid events
As quick as a flash, ...
In the wink of an eye, ...
In a matter of seconds/minutes, ...
In no time at all, ...
Looking back
In retrospect, ...
When I think back to what happened
then, ...
REPORTS
Introductory comments
I recently visited (the new Leisure Centre) & have
prepared the following reportfor your
consideration.
Further to my visitto ... , I have prepared the
Comparing places or facilities
One of the main differences between X and Y is that …
X is completely/entirely/totally different from Y in that …
Unlike X, Y is ...
While/Whereas/Although X is ... , Y is ...
X is a little/slightly/somewhat/a great deal (bigger/more
Your English teacher has asked you to write a report on where people can eat out in your
area. You should include the views of visitors and local people, comment on any recent
trends and dissatisfaction and make a recommendation.
Write your report in 140-190 words in an appropriate style.

2. Useful language for FCE & CAE
following report.
The following reportrelates to my recentvisitto ...
elegant than Y.
X is not quite/nearly as (comfortable/expensive/ convenient)
as Y because ...
X is virtually/exactly the same as Y when it comes to ...
General comments
On the whole, I found that ...
Although ... , I should pointoutthat ...
It is a fact that ...
Concluding comments
All things considered, I believe that ...
Taking all these points into consideration, I would
recommend ...
I recommend that we look into the possibility of ...
PROPOSALS
Your college currently doesn't provide enough support for students planning to spend time
studying in another country. You see this notice in the library.
The college is planning to introduce a special course for students planning to spend time
studying in another country. The college principal invites students to send a proposal
outlining any problems students may face whe studying abroad and suggesting ways in which
the course could address these problems. A decision can then be made about what to include
on the course.
Write your proposal in 220-260 words in an appropriate style.
As requested, I am submitting the following proposal on ...
I recommend that we ...
I propose that we ...
I trust you will give my proposal your full consideration.
I suggest we… .We would then be able to ...
I feel strongly that we should ...
We should also ...
I believe that ...
We could ...
It is a fact that , which means that ...
If we were to , it would ...
REVIEWS
You have seen this announcement in your college English-language magazine.
Music reviews wanted
Have you been to a great music concert recently?
Write us a review of the concert, telling us about the band or singer and their performance.
Say whether you would recommend seeing them perform live.
We will publish the best reviews next month.
Write your review in 140-190 words in an appropriate style.
x has much to recommend it.
X is, at heart, a(n) love/spy/adventure story.
It is based on a book by ...
It is set in the countryside/the future.
The film has a quality cast.
The film was directed by ...
The film score is enchanting/evocative/scary.
The film captures the spirit of ...
The hero/heroine/villain is ...
I felt/thought it was …
I was impressed by …
What struck me most was ...
What I liked most/didn't like was ...
The plot was gripping.
The characters were very convincing/very well drawn.
On reflection, I think it was ...
It struck me as being ...
What I didn't understand was how ...
In spite of these few criticisms, I think ...
I would have no hesitation in recommending …
http://www.rubenvalero.com/english/content/fce-review
Useful words and phrases
letters essays articles proposals reports reviews
ESSAY: In your English class, you have been talking about the subject of cultural heritage.
Now your English teacher has asked you to write an essay.
Write an essay using all the notes and give reasons for your point of view.
Is is a good thing that countries spend a lot of money on their heritage?

3. Useful language for FCE & CAE
Notes
Write about:
1. preserving the past 2. investing in the future 3. ________ (your own idea)
Write your essay in 140-190 words in an appropriate style.
Expressing and supporting opinions: These words and expressions are especially useful in letters, essays and articles.
I believe/do not believe that ... (because) ...
Personally I feel that ... Let me explain why.
In my opinion, ... Just consider ...
As I see it, … The reason is ...
It seems to me that… This is because ...
I would argue that for the following reasons
I feel very strongly that ...
I am convinced that ...
I am of the opinion that ...
I am very much in favour of/against ...
I am completely opposed to ...
The reasons why I believe that ... are as follows.
Making statements: These words and
expressions are especially useful in letters,
essays and articles.
It is clear that ...
On the whole, it appears/seems that...
We must take into accountthe fact that ....
It goes withoutsaying that ...
It is important to remember that ...
Opening phrases: These words and expressions are
especially useful in letters, essays and articles.
People (sometimes) claim that … but I feel that ...
It is often said/argued that ... However, it seems to me that ..
It is a fact that ...
Over the past few months/years, it seems that …
Recently, we have all become concerned that …
Nowadays, we are all realising that ...
In the past, people used to …, but now ...
These days, it seems that ….
Listing arguments: These words and
expressions are especially useful in letters,
essays and articles.
Firstly/In the first place / To begin with, …
Secondly/A second area to consider is …
Another point to remember is ...
Finally, ...
In conclusion, ..
I have to disagree with you because of…
Even though people believe that the internet is
a fantastic source,
we can see that it has some serious weakness
like
Last but not least, ...
Explaining/Expandingideas andgiving
examples: These words and expressions are
especially useful in letters, essays and articles.
... This means that ...
... This is largely due to ...
…Forexample/Forinstance,...
…In other words, ...
Take, for example,the situation in ...
Describing: These words and expressions are
especially useful in articles, reviews, and
letters.
Character/Personality:
He tends to be ...
She can be ...
He is inclined to be ...
She appears/seems to be ...
Hobbies and interests
He is crazy about ... -ing.
She loves ... -ing.
His greatest love is ...
What she loves most in life is ...
He spends all his time ... -ing.
Persuading: These words and expressions are
especially useful in letters and proposals.
I would urge you to consider…
I am sure you will agree that…
Surely you must agree that…
I would urge you very strongly to ...
When you hear the arguments, I am sure you will agree
that ...

4. Useful language for FCE & CAE
Evaluating ideas, Dismissing contrary arguments:
These words and expressions are especially useful in
letters, essays and articles.
It may be true that ... , but all too often ...
In no way can I agree that ...
I think it is true that ...
It is questionable whe ther …
I am sure/I doubt whether …
It is true that ... On the other hand, ...
I agree that …However, ...
I totally disagree/agree with the point that…
Although it is true that , we must remember that ...
It could be argued that … However, I would like to point out
that ...
While nobody can deny that ... , I would like to point out that
…
Despite all the arguments, I still feel that ...
Notwithstanding the claim that ... , I would argue that…
Surely it is completely unacceptable that ...
Evaluating: These words and expressions are especially
useful in reports, proposals and reviews.
I was extremely impressed by…
I was rather disappointed by…
While X has much to commend it, I feel that some aspects
could be improved.
The problem could easily be solved if ...
I would like to praise the ...
Another area for complaint is …
My overall impression was that …
I am sure that visitors/readers/holidaymakers will thoroughly
enjoy ...
While some people will love ... , others may feel less happy.
A major problem is that ...
I was less happy with ...
Making recommendations: These words and expressions
are especially useful in proposals and reports.
I recommend that we ...
I propose that we ...
We should also ...
I believe that we should ...
We could ...
If we were to… , we could ...
I suggest we… We would then be able to ...
Summarising: These words and expressions are
especially useful in letters, essays,articles,
reports, proposals and reviews.
All in all, I think that ...
To sum up, I believe that...
In conclusion, the facts suggestthat ...
SPEAKING PART 1 – INTRODUCING YOURSELF
● I'm speaking English for my own satisfaction
/ my job / in order to improve my employment
prospects.
● If you want to go ahead these days,
you need to have a good command of English.
● I’ve always loved (the sea).
● I'd love to visit places untouched by man.
● However, there's no place like home.
● That's a big question!
● I'm keen on ...
● I'm an avid (traveler, swimmer) ...
● I haven't given it much thought until now.
SPEAKING PART 2 – DESCRIBING PHOTOS
Describing the photographs
● The first photograph shows a woman reading
a book
● In the background we can see a family sitting
around a table outside a café
● What strikes me about the first picture is the
fact that...
● This picture reminds me of...
● Judging from the photograph, the children...
● The man appears to be...
● From what we can see here, he must...
● When you give it a closer look it reveals...
Comparing the photographs
● Both pictures are about being a parent
● I think the common theme here is
communication
● There are many similarities...
● Both pictures depict...
● Both pictures are quite similar in that they
show...
Contrasting
● In contrast, the people in the second image
look worried
● On the other hand, the scene looks much
more modern
● Unlike the first photo, this looks like a
happy occasion
● The first picture ... whereas the other
picture ...
● Another important difference is...

5. Useful language for FCE & CAE
● Picture ... doesn't show ... as clearly as ...
● Picture ... attempts to ... but I think picture
... does this more effectively... ● All pictures
are interesting, but ... gives a stronger idea
of...
Speculating
● Perhaps they are celebrating something
● Maybe the reason they look so serious is
because ...
● She might be a busy working mother
● They must be working very hard
● It's difficultto tell from a photograph but
this picture could have been taken in ...
● I might be wrong, but I'd say that this
picture ...
● I would imagine/guess that this picture
comes from ...
Personal feelings
● I wouldn't like to be in their shoes
● The first photo reminds me of my own
childhood
● Personally, I'd love to visit a place like that
● The following phrases are for helping you
while you speak.
● I'm surprised there is no picture showing...
● A picture of ... would get the message
across more effectively.
● The cover would be so much better if we
had a picture of ...
● So let's look at the alternatives ...
Hesitators (gaining time)
● Well, ...
● Hmmm... let me see
● What else (can I say?)…
● Is there anything I can add to that?
● I’m not quite sure, but I think…
● I haven’t thought about it before, but
perhaps…
● I don’t really know, but I imagine…
Rephrasing
● What I really mean is that ...
● I take that back
● What I am trying to say is that ...
If you’ve forgotten the word for something
● The name for this escapes me at present,
but it's for/it's like ...
● The name for it is on the tip of my tongue
...
SPEAKING PART 3 – COMMUNICATION TASK
● Up to the problem in question ...
● The main problem centres around ...
● It's my belief ...
● For my part ...
● As I see it ...
● As I was saying ...
● I forgot to mention ...
● I'm of the opinion that ...
● To my mind ...
● I agree up to a point.
● I think I see what you mean, but ...
● I'm in two minds about it. / I'm ambivalent
about ...
● I don't see eye to eye with you here
SPEAKING PART 3 – COMMUNICATION TASK
● To my way of thinking ...
● I am convinced that ...
● I am inclined to believe that ...
● Don't get me wrong but shouldn't we ... ?
● Judging by ... they must be ...
● ... is a separate issue.
● Moving on to ...
● Taking everything into account ...
● I couldn't agree more.
● I don't feel convinced ...
● That's one way of looking at it. On the other
hand ...
● Can you take a clear stand on that matter?
SPEAKING PART 4 – DISCUSSION
● Just following from what X was saying, I also feel ...
● While generally agreeing with X, I must say that ...
● Adding to what X has just said, I think ...
● I can sympathise with what X said but ...
● One thing X didn'tmention is ...
● Surprising, as it may seem, I don't support X's view on ...
● Perhaps it should be also emphasized that ... / it should be pointed out that ...