Want to Sound More Professional? 10 Key Phrases for Formal English Conversations

3,231 views ・ 2025-03-13

Learn English with Harry


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Hi there. This is Harry. And welcome back  to Advanced English Lessons with Harry,  
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where I try to help you to get a better  understanding of the English language.
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In this particular lesson,  this advanced English lesson,  
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we're looking at useful phrases that you can  use in discussion but in formal discussions.
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So these phrases are going to be more formal, but
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you can use them. I'll explain them and  give you a situation when you might use  
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them, so we'll go through them  together. There are ten in total.
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Number one. If you don't mind me  saying so. So this is us, as I say,  
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quite formal and it's polite and it's if you  want to be a little bit more tactful. So all  
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of these particular phrases are going to allow  you to be a little bit more tactful. And what  
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that really means is that you won't  insult anybody by accident or design.
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People will like the sort of English you're using,  and they will see that you've got a good command  
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of English. So the first one, if you don't mind  me saying so. So when might you use that? Well,  
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you could use it in any situation, if you don't  mind me saying so. I think the presentation is a  
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little too long, so it could be in a, a business  meeting in house with your team and somebody doing  
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a dry run or a practice of a presentation,  and you're just giving some feedback.
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So you might say politely or tactfully,  yeah, if you don't mind me saying so.  
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I think the presentation is a little too  long. I think our customers or our clients  
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really get a little bit irritated  of a presentation goes on too long,  
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so try and reduce it to 15 or 20 minutes.  So if you don't mind me saying so.
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Or you could say, if you don't, if you don't  mind me saying so, I think you need to focus  
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more on what the product can do for them, rather  than what it can do for us. So you might be just  
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highlighting your views, your comments  about something you've heard listen to,  
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and you're trying to understand how your  customers or your clients might react to it.
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So you would use this sort of expression,  if you don't mind me saying so.
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I see where you're coming  from. And again, great tactic.
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I can see where you're coming from. Usually we  would use this expression when we're about to say,  
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but....Okay. Yeah I can see where you're  coming from. Means I understand your point,  
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but I still don't fully accept it. Yeah. So  I can see where you're coming from. Yeah,  
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I can see what you're trying to say. I  can see what you're trying to achieve.
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So the expression I can see or I see where  you're coming from. I understand exactly  
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where you're coming from, but I might do it a  little bit differently. So being quite tactful.
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Look, don't take this personally. But again,  here, another tactful way in which you're going to  
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disagree with somebody. You're going to challenge  perhaps what they are saying, but you don't want  
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them to feel as if this is a personal attack  on them. It's not. It's an observation. It's  
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a comment, a criticism, but it's not personal. So  look, don't take this personally, but I think what  
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we need to do is this, this and this or look,  don't take this personally, but you need to  
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be a little bit more aggressive or you need to be  less aggressive, or you need to be more pragmatic.
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So you're going to introduce some criticism of  the way somebody has said something or presented  
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or written something, and you're trying to be  tactful. And how you get that across. So look,  
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don't take this personally or please  don't take this personally. My comments  
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are only about the content. Nothing to  do with you as an individual. Yeah, okay.
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I do take your point but and again here we've  got the board. So all of these expressions are  
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really being tactful because we are going to  introduce some disagreement. We are going to  
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raise an issue about how it's presented  what is in the presentation. So we're  
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not going to be in full agreement  with whoever is making the comments.
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So things like I do take your point, but  so you understand exactly what they're  
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trying to say. I do take your point,  but will our clients understand it?  
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Oh, I do take your point.  But will our clients really,  
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really be on side with that? Or do we need to  go into it in a little bit more detail? Yeah.
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So I do take your point. Meaning. Yeah, I know  I know what you're saying. I understand that  
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this is really important to you or to us, but  it may not be so important to the customer.
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Number five. Now this is an expression we  will use when we really want to tell the  
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person that we don't agree in any shape  or form, with what they say. But again,  
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we don't want we don't want to say  it just like I don't agree with that  
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or that's rubbish. We can use an  expression like, I beg to differ.
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I beg to differ. Now it's very formal. I  beg to differ. What it means is. I'm sorry,  
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but I don't agree. I beg to differ.  I'm sorry, but I don't agree. Okay,  
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so when you say I beg to differ,  it means okay. Yeah. Point taken.  
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That's your view and you're quite entitled  to it. But I'm also entitled to my view.
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And I beg to differ with you. I beg to differ.
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And if you do like this particular  lesson, then please like the video.
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And if you could subscribe to the  channel because it really, really helps.
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No offence intended, but so again, hear  criticism coming up at disagreement coming  
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up. You're not going to accept everything the  person has said. So you make it very clear at  
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the beginning that you're in no way trying to  offend them by saying, I don't like what you  
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say or I don't agree with what you say, and  you're trying to sugarcoat it a little bit.
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As I said, to be tactful. No offence intended,  but okay, you could quite simply say, I'm sorry,  
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I don't agree. I'm sorry. That's complete  and utter rubbish. Yeah. I don't care what  
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you think. This is what we should do. But as I  said, this is all about being tactful and these,  
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comments and expressions that will help you  to be tactful in those formal discussions.
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And what you don't want to do is upset people  
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on unnecessarily. So here  what we're trying to say is,
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no offence intended, but I have to tell you  that I don't agree. Yeah. I'm not. Again,  
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criticising you as an individual. What  I am doing is criticising what you are  
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saying or how you're saying it or  how you're putting this across.
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So no offence is intended. So I  don't want you to get unduly upset.
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Number seven similar expression. With all due  respect. Now this is really, really polite.  
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Very very tactful. Yeah. So what it means is,  with all due respect to you as a person who I,
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admire and respect, I have to say that I'm not  really on the same page as you are on this.
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I don't really see the point you're trying  to make. Or even if I do see the point,  
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I don't agree that it should be presented in  such a way. So with all due respect to you,  
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I would like to put forward an alternative.  And that's exactly how you will say it. With  
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all due respect to you, I think we  are going about this the wrong way.
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I think we need to look at this from  the customer's point of view. And if  
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you look at the problem from  the customer's point of view,  
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you can understand very clearly why they  have a problem. And so, with all due respect.
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Number eight. Now, again, going back to  being tactful. I mean this in the nicest  
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possible way. So whatever I say, don't  take it up wrongly, don't get insulted,  
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don't feel that this is a personal attack on  you because it actually isn't. Yeah, yeah,  
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I understand exactly what you're  trying to do. You have a really,  
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really difficult job, whether it's in  marketing and finance or human resources.
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But I mean, this or that in the  nicest possible way means, yeah, okay,  
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whatever I say. You might have a problem with it.  You might take exception with it, but it wasn't  
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intended that way. So I mean this in the nicest  possible way, but I really, really believe that  
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we've got to take a very, very different approach.  We've tried it before and it never worked.
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I want you to look at this. But I mean this in the  nicest possible way. Okay, so been very tactful.
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Honest, but also tactful and polite.
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Now, here, we're getting a little bit,
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more,
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or a little bit stronger in our,
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opposition to something that somebody  has said. But we're still trying to be  
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tactful. I'm afraid I have to say. So this is  really saying, when you introduce the words,  
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I'm afraid there's definitely a  negative going to follow this.
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I'm afraid I have to say that I disagree.  I'm afraid I have to say that this just  
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isn't acceptable. You know, we need  to do better. We need to improve our  
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communication with our customers. We  need to improve our level of sales.  
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I'm afraid I have to say that this just  isn't going to cut ice with the board.
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So perhaps your team is preparing or  has prepared a paper for the board,  
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and you're getting the chance to look  at it before it goes to the board. And  
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you're trying to be as kind as possible  with your criticism because you know,  
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when it's presented to the board, they will  just cut it in pieces if they don't like it.
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Yes. So I'm afraid I have to say that this  is not going to do it for the board. We're  
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going to have to be a little bit more thorough.  We're going to have to be a little bit more,
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detailed, and we're going to  have to be a little bit more  
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aggressive with the statements that we make. Okay.
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Now number ten. That's not the way I see  it. Okay, so again, here's a very strong,  
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but tactful way of telling somebody that you  don't agree with whatever they've put forward,  
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whatever they've suggested, whatever  solution they've, come up with,  
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it's just not going to work. That's not  the way I see it. This is the way I see.
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So if there's a problem that's landed on your  desk and somebody comes to you and says, okay,  
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this is what's happened, this is how I see this  situation. And then you sit there, you listen,  
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but you have an idea in your own mind that's this  is not really hitting the nail on the head. So  
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you have to say, well, that's not the way I see  it, the way I see it is blah, blah, blah, blah.
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So you're disagreeing, but in a very tactful way.
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Okay, so there are ten.
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Expressions or phrases already to use. All.
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phrases for you to use in formal discussion  where you can be as tactful as possible.
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So let me give them to you one more  time with that sentence at the end,  
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just so you can hear them, in  full flow. Okay. Number one,  
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if you don't mind me saying so, I think  we need to start at the very beginning.
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I see where you're coming from, but I  don't think that the customer will agree.
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Look, don't take this personally, but  really, do you think we are going to
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achieve a sales using that strategy?
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I do take your point, but I think we  have to really be a little bit more  
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aggressive with the way we approach  a marketing in the next year because,
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we've really got tight
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targets to achieve.
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Number five, I beg to differ with you. I really  
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don't agree with your view on this  particular problem. I beg to differ.
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Number six. No offence intended,  
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but I really think we need to  take a fresh look at this problem.
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number seven, with all due respect to you
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this is a slightly different problem. I
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With all due respect,
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I mean this or that in the nicest possible  
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way I can. This is not a reflection. You  personally situation is very difficult.
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Number nine. I'm afraid I have to say  that the board are unlikely to accept  
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this recommendation. We really need  to go into this in much more detail.
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I'm afraid I have to say.
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And then finally, number ten. That's not the way  I see it. I understand where you're coming from.
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but that's not the way I see it at all.
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should look at this again.  That's not the way that I see it
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Okay, so ten
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useful phrases form of discussions. But all of  them, when you use them and put them into English,  
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that'd be quite tactful. They certainly  won't be seen as insulting. And it's a  
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good way to lead into any comments or  points of views that you might have.
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pick a couple of them. Try to work them into  your written English. Try to work them into your  
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spoken English. When you get more comfortable  with them, come back and use a few others.
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And if I can help you any further. Well,  
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you know the drill by now. Just write to  me at englishlessonviaskype.com. Very happy  
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to hear from you. Very happy to help  you with some additional information.
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Okay, this is Harry saying  goodbye and thanks for watching.
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Thanks for listening and  join me for the next lesson.
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