1.

Introducing the topic

Today we are here to discuss
The goal of our discussion today is
2. Bringing in other people
What is your opinion, Mr. Ito?
Do you agree with Mr. Itos opinion, Ms. Suzuki?
Mr. Ito, what do you think we should do?
Mr. Ito, what are your views regarding this point?
3. Keeping the Discussion Moving
Lets go on to another point.
Next, lets talk about
Lets talk about that later.
4. Giving an opinion
In my opinion
As far as Im concerned
Personally, I believe that
The way I see it is
5. Getting further information
Would you mind explaining that a little more, please?
Could you explain that more fully?
Could you tell us a bit more about that?
6. Restating an idea
In other words,
That is,
What Im trying to say is
I mean
To put it another way
7. Persuading Convincing
You must admit that
Dont forget that
You must remember that

8. Inquiring about Agreement or Disagreement

Do/dont you agree, Ms. Suzuki?
Wouldnt you agree, Mr. Ito?
9. Expressing Agreement
Yes, that is right/correct.
You are right/correct.
I definitely agree with Ms. Suzuki.
That is exactly what I think.
10. Expressing Disagreement
I dont really agree with him/her.
Im afraid I cant agree with his/her opinion.
Thats not quite how I see it.
I can see your point, but I dont really agree with it.
11. Expressing doubt or reservation
Well, maybe, but Im not sure about that.
Hmm, he may be correct but Im not sure.
I can see your point, but Im not sure I agree.
12. Refuting a fact
Actually,
As a matter of fact,
Well, Im not sure that is true/correct because
13. Dismissing an irrelevant point
Im afraid youre missing the point.
I dont think that has anything do with the goal of our discussion.
14. Making suggestions
Why dont we/you
How about
I suggest that we/you
15. Agreeing with a suggestion
Ok. That makes sense.

Of course.
Certainly
16. Refusing a suggestion or request
Im sorry but that is out of the question
Unfortunately that is not possible.
17. Capitulation
Mr. Suzuki has convinced me that my opinion/suggestion/idea is
notuseful/practical/necessary/good. Therefore, I have changed my mind.
OK. You have persuaded me to change my mind. I can agree with you.
18. Expressing similarities
Those two points/suggestions are similar.
Mr. Suzukis idea is about the same as Ms. Itos.
My idea/suggestion is (more).er than mine/hers.
19. Interrupting
Excuse me for interrupting, but
Sorry to interrupt, but
20. Getting a point into the discussion
I have a point Id like to make.
Id like to add something here.
Id like to say something about your/her/his idea.
21. Seeking clarification
What do you mean?
Sorry, Im not quite sure what you mean.
Do you mean that?
Im sorry, I dont quite follow.
I dont quite understand what youre saying.
22. Paraphrasing another persons idea
What Ms. Ito means is that
What (s)he is trying to say is that

23. Requesting
Ms. Ito, I wonder if you would mind.., please?
Mr. Kato, do you think you could, please?
24. Making comparisons
Mr. Itos explanation is more/lessthan hers/his.
Your opinion/idea is.-er than mine/hers.
25. Expressing Preference
I think the best/worst suggestion is
His idea is the-est (best, most reasonable etc.)
Her proposal is the most/least
One of the most practical items is, so we/you should definitelytake/use it.
26. Closing the Discussion
In conclusion, the purpose of this discussion
The goal of our discussion is to.
We have concluded that
Cohesion / Linking of Ideas
It is important to show how your contribution is related to, or follows on, from what
the last speaker said. You can do this by using linking phrases:
Another important problem we need to consider is
Not only does smoking cause lung cancer it may also
Perhaps we should also include
Would it be a good idea to also mention
Why dont we also put in something about
In addition to that we should also tell them
Theres something else I think we should include: thats
Transition / Moving On

You should also make it clear when you are moving the discussion on to a new topic:
So, we have now covered most of the health problems caused by smoking.
Perhaps we should now consider some of the other disadvantages of smoking,
such as the high cost.
Why dont we move on now to discuss some of the false ideas young people
have about smoking.
Well, I cant think of any other health problems related to smoking.
Lets start thinking about other things we should include. How about .
Since weve already got quite a few ideas about how smoking causes pollution,
shall we talk about some of the false ideas young people have about smoking?