1

Useful expressions for your speaking exam I know what you mean, but isn't it also true
that?
MAKING YOUR POINT/ EMPHASIZING That may be the case, but ...
THAT SOMETHING IS YOUR OWN OPINION
In my opinion, ... DISAGREEING
In my view ... I completely disagree.
Personally, I think that ... I don't agree at all.
Personally speaking, No, you are missing the point.
I reckon ... That's not the point.
If you ask me, ... I can't see your point at all.
I'd say that ... But that's not always the case.
I feel that ... I am not so sure about that.
My feeling is that ... I am not sure I agree with you.
As far as I am concerned ... I am afraid I don't really agree.
From my point of view ... I don't really think you are right.
It is my belief, Not necessarily.
For my part, I think there might be another way of
As I see it, looking at it.
The way I see it,
From where I stand, UNCERTAINTY
To be honest, I am undecided ...
That's my personal opinion. I am unsure ...
That's about it, I think. I am ambivalent about ...
That's how I see things. I am in two minds about ...
That's basically where I am at on this. It is not something I have very strong views
about,
AGREEING
I completely/totally agree ... ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION
I quite agree ... You mean ...
That's (just) what I think, too. Sorry, I don't really see what you are
That's a good point. getting at
That's exaclty the point.ç Sorry, I don't quite follow you
You are absolutely right.
I'll go along with that. END OF AN ANSWER
I'd go along with that. … in my view, anyway.
Absolutely. That’s my opinion, anyway.
I can't disagree. So, in short …
You are right there. All in all …
And that’s about it, really.
HALF-AGREEING
I see/ take your point, but ... STARTING/CLOSING A DISCUSSION
I see what you mean, but ... We couLd start by talking about ...
I agree up to a point, but ... Let's talk about ... first.
You have got a point, but ... I think we need to make a decision.
I sort of agree. Shall we try to come to an agreement?
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CONTRAST … , don’t you agree?

But on the other hand …
But at the same time ... REACTING in a negative way
Although I must admit that … I don’t find (modern art) very interesting.
Having said that, … I am not really into (modern art) In fact, I
don’t really like(modern art) at all.
PREDICTIONS about yourself To be honest, (modern art) just makes me
I guess I’ll … laugh.
I reckon I will … (Modern art) isn’t really my thing.
I don’t think I’ll ever … I am not a big fan of (modern art)
I don’t imagine I’ll …
REACTING TO STRANGE INFORMATION
SUPPOSING ABOUT OTHERS How weird/ strange/ bizarre/ odd!
They are probably … How spooky!
They probably + verb How awful!
They must + verb
It looks as if they are + ing EXCLAMATIONS
I imagine they might + verb What a great/brilliant/fantastic idea!
What an amazing coincidence!
PROPOSING What a terrible experience!
Let’s go to (this photography exhibition). What a pity!
Well, why don’t we go to (this photography What a waste of time!
exhibition). What bad luck!
How does this sound? What a shame!
Shall we go and see (this photography
exhibition).? How interesting!
How about going to (this photography How annoying!
exhibition).? How embarrassing!
I have got an idea. We could go to (this How awful!
photography exhibition).
Do you fancy going to see (this ALLOWING YOURSELF TIME TO THINK
photography exhibition)? I need to think for a moment.
Would you like to go to (this photography That’s an interesting question.
exhibition)? That's a tricky question, really.
Well, it’s difficult to say, really.
EXPRESSING OPINIONS/ REACTING That's quite a difficult one.
Believe me, … Let me see.
… seems like the best option to me. It depends …
I am really keen on the idea of … I guess an honest answer would be …
If you ask me, I really think we should … I suppose the simplest answer to that
But just think of the …. ! question is …
Personally, I am in favour of … (+ gerund) If I think about it, I suppose …
I am sure it will be worth it. On balance, I think …
Let’s go for it. The best example that comes to mind is ...
Oh, come on! I have never given it a lot of thought ...
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I must admit I haven't really thought about COMPARING PHOTOS

it much before ... The most obvious similarity is that both
photos show …
GENERALISING You can see … in both photos.
Broadly speaking ... The … in photo 1 is/are … . Similarly, the …
To a great extent ... in photo 2 is/are …
In general ... The … is the same in both photos.
On the whole In the first photo ... but in the second one
...
TALKING ABOUT MISUNDERSTANDINGS This picture ... while on the other hand this
I was under the impression that … one ...
I thought that … but in fact … In comparison to the first photo, this one ...
Naturally I assumed that … The biggest difference between the photos
It turned out that … is that photo 1 shows … whereas photo 2
It was so embarrassing. shows …
I was horrified. While photo 1 shows ..., photo 2 on the
I felt awful. other hand …
I felt such a fool. The … is completely different in the two
We had a good laugh about it. photos.

And you'll find many more here:

http://www.uefap.com/speaking/group/grouplan.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv281.shtml