Advanced connectors and phrases for IELTS Speaking: How to give opinions

Hello my friends!

You know,

in IELTS speaking, especially part three, you need to give opinions, right?

But many students just use the same expressions.

Um…I think… I think…

Yes, I agree.

I think…, right?

Well today, I’m going to give you some advanced phrases and connectors

so you can give opinions confidently in IELTS speaking.

Let's do it.

Hello! This is Keith from the “Keith Speaking Academy”

here to help you speak better English, give better answers,

and get a higher score on the IELTS speaking test.

So IELTS speaking, right?

Especially part three is your chance to give opinions and develop your ideas.

You must do this, right?

And you also need to be flexible

because the examiner will challenge you and ask you to justify your opinions

and when appropriate, you want to show off your language.

So I’m going to show you starting today,

how you can use a variety of phrases and connectors,

that will help you build that flexibility.

They'll also help with your fluency because many of them are like connectors

that show or tell the examiner what you're going to say.

So that helps with the coherence of your speech

and finally, they will also help build your vocabulary score.

But, I’m not talking about kind of fancy vocabulary that's not very natural.

I’m talking really about advanced, natural phrases

and connectors that native English speakers use and Band 9 students use.

So let's get into it.

So first of all,

let's just have a look at some of the kind of typical question types

that you get in IELTS speaking part three,

where you are being asked to give and justify your opinion.

You may see questions like,

what do you think about blah blah blah?

How can we solve this problem?

Should we blah blah blah?

Why do you think blah blah blah blah blah?

Tell me more…

That's a common one.

Tell me more…

So let's take an IELTS speaking part three,

let's take the topic of food

and let's take maybe a typical question you might be asked about food

in part three, right?

It could be something like, why do you think some people eat a lot of fast food?

Right?

Let me give you the first part of my answer.

Maybe something like this.

They're addicted to it because it's just so tasty,

even though they know it's bad for their health.

Okay.

So what I’m going to do is show you how we can take the first part of an answer

and add some different connectors to make it better.

I’ll start simple and then get more complicated as we move along.

Okay?

Great.

So the question was, why do you think some people eat a lot of fast food?

The most basic connector you can add that is supernatural is just,

“well”

Well, they're addicted to it because…, right?

Well, they're addicted to it because…

That's it.

As we go through, I want you actually to just repeat with me,

so you can pick up the intonation which is really important as well, okay?

Well, they're addicted to it because…, right?

Well, I guess they're addicted to it because…

or well, I suppose they're addicted to it because…

or well, I reckon they're addicted to it because…, right?

I reckon just means I think.

So we can add well, I suppose/ I guess or I reckon, right?

I reckon is I think.

I suppose and I guess is more speculation, that you're not 100% sure but possibly.

Okay, that's a very simple and easy connector to start with.

Let's move on.

So the question was,

why do you think some people eat a lot of fast food?

Well, to be honest, I think they're addicted to it because…, right?

“Well, to be honest”

and then pause so that you're chunking your answer.

Well, to be honest,

I think they're addicted to it because…

Can you see?

We've got little chunks of language that help you be more fluent, okay.

Here's another.

Between you and me, I think they're addicted to it because…

okay?

Between you and me, I think they're addicted to it because…

“between you and me”

it's almost like, you know, you're telling a secret

but, you're just sharing your opinion with the examiner.

Or well, it could be that they are addicted to it because…, right?

That's a nice way of putting possibility.

So if you're not 100% sure, well, it could be that…

it could be that…

and you can say this quite slowly with different intonations.

Well it could be that they're addicted to it because…

or well, it could be that they're addicted to it because…, right?

Notice how I’m using pause and pauses to chunk my language.

Great.

Let's move on to a different question and some more connectors.

Let's take for example the topic of pollution.

So a typical part three question you might get is,

how can we solve the problem of noise pollution in big cities?

Right?

A possible answer here and I know this is part three.

You would give a longer answer but I’ll just give you the first sentence, right?

I think we can solve this issue by introducing regulations,

limiting noise in certain parts of the city, okay?

Simple answer, we could do that.

Now then, let's put in some connectors.

Let's take a situation where you may have more than one idea.

You may have different ideas, okay?

What we could say here is,

I’ve got mixed feelings about this,

I suppose we can solve this issue by introducing regulations…, right?

I’ve got mixed feelings about this, right?

Which means you've got different feelings about it.

So actually here, we would often then have a second connector later.

Something like,

I’ve got mixed feelings about this,

I suppose we could solve this issue by introducing regulations,

but then again it might be better to do this.

“But then again”,

it's a bit like on the other hand or introducing a different idea.

But then again this might be better, right?

Great.

Or we could say,

I’ve got mixed feelings about this,

I suppose we can solve this issue by introducing regulations,

but on the other hand it might be better to do…

Okay?

So you've got a couple.

You've got your first one “I’ve got mixed feelings about this”

“but on the other hand”

Those are really nice connectors.

In a similar way, we can also say,

I’m in two minds about this,

I suppose we could introduce regulations to solve this issue

but on the other hand…

Okay?

“I’m in two minds about this”,

and then but on the other hand,

but then again for the second idea.

And then you can start adding some of the other connectors, right?

So how can we solve the problem of noise pollution in big cities?

I’m in two minds about this actually,

I reckon we can solve this issue by introducing regulations,

but then again, it might be better to do this.

Okay.

So you're chopping up, mixing up, mashing up some different connectors.

Once you've got them in your bag, right?

You can pull them out and start mixing them up, build up your flexibility.

So other things for this question, we could say,

first of all, we can solve this issue by introducing regulations,

right?

“First of all”

and that again is a chunk first-of-all, first of all.

It's almost it sounds like festival, right?

But slightly different.

First-of-all,

first of all, pause,

we can solve this issue by introducing regulations.

Let's chop it up.

Well, to be honest,

first of all, we can solve this issue by…, right?

Or even more natural.

Well, for starters, we can solve this issue by introducing regulations…

that's nice.

“For starters” we sometimes use that for food, right?

At the beginning of a meal you have the starter

but when you're beginning an idea, for starters,

you can do this.

It's a nice connector.

Great.

So let's move on to another question.

Let's look now at another topic what about mobile phones, right?

Technology, computers.

Mobile phones is a topular popic.

It's a popular topic.

I’ve got spoonerismitis go and look it up.

And one question here, that you might be asked is about children, right?

Should children be allowed to use a mobile phone at school?

That's quite a controversial question and controversial topic, right?

Oh! There's a nice connector.

That's quite a controversial question. I think…

I’m making this up as I go along.

I’m playing it by ear.

Let me start with a very basic answer, right?

So should children be allowed to use their mobile phone at school?

It's a bad idea because they will just use it for playing games.

And now let's see how we can improve the answer with some connectors.

Should children be allowed to use a mobile phone at school?

I was mulling this over recently

and I think it's a bad idea because they will just use it for playing games.

I was mulling this over recently, that's great.

“To mull over” is to think about or to ponder.

So I was thinking about this recently and I think it's a bad idea

because they will just use it for playing games.

But even better, right?

I was mulling over, right?

No, I was mulling this over recently and I think…

Nice.

We could also use,

I’ve been thinking about this quite a lot recently

and I think it's a bad idea because they will just use it for playing games,

right?

Nice use of the present perfect continuous.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently,

maybe that's true.

So you can use it, right?

It's nice.

It's complicated.

It's showing off your language use.

But the more you use these, the more you'll build that flexibility.

And that's the key.

Here's another.

The way I see it, it's a bad idea because they will just use it for playing games.

The way I see it, it's a bad idea, right?

In my opinion, from my point of view, right?

In my opinion, it's a bad idea.

That's okay.

But this is quite idiomatic, right?

"The way I see it"

The way I see it, it's a bad idea.

Listen to the intonation.

The way I see it,

emphasis on the “I”, right?

The way I see it, it's a bad idea because they will just use it for playing games.

Excellent.

Here's another.

What I reckon is,

it's a bad idea because they will just use it for playing games.

What I reckon is, it's a bad idea.

The connector “what I”, what-I,

“reckon is”, reckon-is.

What I reckon is…

and can you see how that becomes one of your chunks?

And just practice it.

What I reckon is.

What I reckon is.

What I reckon is.

It sounds like one word, right?

What I reckon is, it's a bad idea because they will just use it for playing games.

Nice.

Sometimes also we want to give a general opinion like, overall I think this.

We could say,

by and large, I think it's a bad idea

because they will just use it for playing games.

“by and large”,

by “an” large “and” becomes “an”.

By an, buy-an-large.

Again chunk it.

By an large.

Try again.

By an large.

Try again, repeat with me and focus on those chunks, right?

By and large, it's a bad idea because they will just use it for playing games.

That's good.

Very good.

Keep chunking.

Let's move on to another.

The next one is a little bit like when you've got two ideas.

So you have a first initial opinion

but then you have a second one that may be a bit different, right?

And here we can use

“at first sight” or “at first glance”

and then for example, right?

At first glance, it's a bad idea because they'll just use it for playing games,

mind you it could be a good idea because it can help them learn more.

“Mind you”

great intonation, right?

Mind you,

you, that's falling and rising,

great way to break up your fluency or not break up your fluency.

I mean it adds to your fluency, right?

Because it's also a signpost indicating to the examiner, that a contrast is coming,

right?

Mind you, it's the same as but.

But, but, but, it's a bit dry, right?

A bit boring, but.

Mind you, whoa! That's really interested, it's got texture, it's got feeling, right?

At first sight, it's a bad idea because they will use it you know,

just for playing games mind you,

it could be good because it can help them learn, right?

Much more interesting.

Another one similar.

At first glance, it's a bad idea because they will just use it for playing games,

that said it could be good because it might help them learn more, right?

“That said” similar to mind you or but.

Great.

Let's move on to the final section.

Okay.

So giving the opinion,

you may also give actually at the end of the answer as a kind of

summary or final opinion.

So let's look at the topic here of teamwork,

another popular topic when it comes to work, working in teams.

Questions that sometimes people may ask you or,

should we encourage children to participate in teams?

Is that a good idea or a bad idea?

My simple answer might be,

yes, they need to get ready to live in a competitive society

and then blah blah blah blah,

if it's a part three answer, I will give more detail, right?

But, yes, they need to get ready to live in a competitive society.

And I might put this at the end or as a summary with.

All in all, I’d say yes,

because they need to get ready to live in a competitive society.

“all in all”, right?

All in all, just means overall.

All in all, it's a lovely sound, right?

All in all, I’d say yes, they need to get ready to live in a competitive society.

Or another one.

At the end of the day, I’d say yes, because they need to get ready

to live in a competitive society.

At the end of the day, I’d say yes.

And listen again.

Listen to the chunks and the pauses.

At the end of the day,

I’d say yes,

because they need to get ready

to live in a competitive society.

Can you hear how it breaks up

and the really powerful way of using pauses to mark your speech.

Try it with me.

At the end of the day,

I’d say yes, they need to get ready to live in a competitive society.

Nice.

And here's another one.

Should we encourage children to participate in teams?

Yes, we might as well,

because they need to get ready to live in a competitive society.

“We might as well”

this means there is no harm in doing this.

So, yes, right?

We might as well, we might as well,

make it into one link into one, we-might-as-well,

we-might-as-well.

Yes, we might as well, because they need to live in a competitive society.

So meaning, you know, there's no harm in doing that.

It's probably a good idea.

You know, for example,

“Oh! It's 11 o'clock in the morning. We might as well, go for a snack or a coffee”

there's no harm, right?

We might as well, go for a coffee.

Great.

Okay.

So there are lots of connectors and remember, you can mash them up, right?

Mix them around, right?

To be honest, at the end of the day, I think they can be really useful for you.

The way I see it actually, is that they can help you be more fluent.

So you might as well, start using them right now.

I reckon, it's a great way to build your flexibility

and by and large, it will improve your fluency.

So start using them now.

Get flexible, get fluent and that's it.

Thank you very much for watching today!

If you want to find out more about my work, do go to the website,

www.keithspeakingacademy.com

the links down below.

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