MONOLOGUES

DEALING WITH THE MONOLOGUE

YOU SHOULD START YOUR MONOLOGUE MENTIONING THE ISSUES OR

QUESTIONS

EFFECTIVE OPENINGS

In order to grab the attention of the audience you may employ one or two of the following
devices:
The topic I have been given to discuss today is……..

- Rhetorical questions:

Can crime really be prevented?

Has the role of teachers changed in the past years?

- Interesting facts:

According to an article I read recently,...

Did you know that...?

I’d like to share an amazing fact / figure with you.

Have you ever heard of...?

- Problems to think about: (use conditional type 2 or 3)

Suppose / Supposing you wanted to...

Imagine you had to...

Have you ever wondered what would happen / would have happened if...?
- Quoting a well-known person

As X once said,...

To quote a well-known writer,...

To put it in the words of...

YOU'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT

First... In the first place... To begin with...First of all... I'd like to start by giving my opinion on
the impact of tourism on the environment (it's a good idea to rephrase the issue)

To start with... let me express my view on the pros and cons of working as a teacher (use
synonyms whenever possible)

Then.... In the second place... Besides, I'll move on to the issue of whether video games are
dangerous... (Use an indirect question)

I'd also like to answer / deal with the question of how new technologies have changed our daily
life in the past ten years. (Use an indirect question)

INTRODUCING A POINT

When delivering a monologue on a particular subject it is important to introduce the key

points first.

You may use one of the following phrases:

First of all I'd like to point out...

The main problem is...

The fact is that...

The question of...

Speaking of...
OR YOU MAY BEGIN BY STATING SOMETHING AS A FACT

As everyone knows...

It is generally accepted that...

,
There can be no doubt that...

It is a fact that...

Nobody will deny that...

ENUMERATION OF POINTS

If you want to provide several reasons, factors or arguments in a row, you have to organize
them in the logical way. In order to structure your answer properly enumerate the main
points using one of the suggested phrases:

First of all... In the first place... To begin with...To start with... I'd like to say / to mention that...

Second... Secondly... In the second place... In addition to that... Apart from that... Besides...

Moreover,...

Furthermore,...

Another example of this is...

Finally,... Lastly... Finally, and perhaps most importantly,...

In conclusion... All in all... All things considered...

MOVING TO THE NEXT POINT

This leads directly to my next point.

This brings us to the next question.

Let’s now move on / turn to...

After examining this point, let’s turn to...

Let’s now take a look at...

GOING BACK

As I said / mentioned / pointed out earlier,...

Let me come back to what I said before...

Let’s go back to what we were discussing earlier...

As I’ve already explained...

GIVING YOUR OPINION

• I think / feel / believe that...

• As far as I'm concerned....

• As I see it...

• To my mind...

• In my view / opinion...

• From my point of view...

• I tend to think that...

• It seems to me that...
• To my knowledge

• I have the impression that...

• I reckon...(informal)

• For my part...

Note: We use from my point of view to express how we see something or how it affects us
personally. When we are expressing our beliefs or opinions, we use in my opinion or in my
view. E.g. From my point of view, driving is not a good option. I get very tired if I drive
more than about two hours. I spent two months working in England. From my point of
view, that was the easiest way to learn English. (How the speaker is personally affected by
something) In my opinion/In my view, in 100 years’ time people will still be wearing jeans.
In my view, everyone should stay in school until they are 18.

GIVING A STRONG OPINION

• I'm absolutely convinced that...

• I'm sure that...

• I strongly believe that...

• I have no doubt that...

• There's no doubt that...

• My own view is that...

• I'm absolutely certain that...

• If you want my honest opinion...

• To tell you the truth / to be honest / frank

EXPRESSING UNCERTAINTY

• I definitely doubt if that...

• I'm uncertain / not sure that...

• As far as I know...
• It is very doubtful whether...

• I don’t know about you, but I ...

GIVING OPINIONS USING IMPERSONAL LANGUAGE

It is vital that more is done to prevent the illegal trade in wild animals. ◇ (Compare: We
have to do more to stop people trading wild animals illegally.)

Journalists play a vital/crucial/essential role in educating the public.

The ability to write well is essential for any journalist.

The Internet has become an indispensable /ˌɪndɪˈspensəbl/ tool for reporters.

In journalism, accuracy is paramount. / ...is of paramount importance.

It is imperative that journalists maintain the highest possible standards of reporting.

This case emphasizes/highlights the importance of honest communication between managers and
employees.

It should be noted that / It is important to remember that / An important point to remember is that
...

I would like to draw attention to the role of listening in effective communication.

MAKING AN OPINION SOUND LESS DEFINITE

Most cybercrime involves traditional crimes, such as theft and fraud, being committed in new
ways.

Phishing is perhaps/possibly/probably the best-known example of this.

It seems/appears that the more personal data which organizations collect, the more opportunity
there is for this data to be lost or stolen.

It seems clear that introducing national ID cards would do little to prevent identity theft.

It could be argued that the introduction of national ID cards might actually make identity theft
easier.
It is possible that/It may be that the only way to protect ourselves against DNA identity theft is
to avoid the creation of national DNA databases.

GIVING REASONS AND MAKING A POINT

There are several reasons why I think that...

The reason for this is that / why I say that is....

I base my argument on...

I tell you all this because...

What I'm basically saying is...

The point I'm trying to make is that...

Let me put it this way:...

Giving Examples

1. "For instance ..."

2. "To give you an idea …"

3. "As proof …"

4. "Suppose that …"

5. "To illustrate …"

6. "Imagine …"

7. "Pretend that …"

8. "To show you what I mean …"

 9. "Let's say …"

10. "Case in point …"

11. "e.g."

12. "Such as ..."

13. "In particular ..."

INDICATING THE END OF YOUR MONOLOGUE

Well, this brings me to the end of what I wanted to say about ....

That covers just about everything I wanted to say about...

As a final point I'd like to say / add that...

Finally, I'd like to highlight one final / key issue.

My final comments concern....

I would like to finish by mentioning...

DRAWING CONCLUSIONS AND SUMMING UP

The obvious conclusion is...

Last but not least...

The only possible solution / conclusion is....

In conclusion I can / would like to say that...

To cut a long story short...

All things considered...

Let me summarize by saying...

Briefly said,...
In short,...

To recap what I've said so far...

To sum up,...
In a nut shell

1. Start by outlining the themes and arguments you’re going to engage with. It’s a good idea to
rephrase the issue, as laying out the question in your own words shows a strong grasp of the
concepts. Indirect questions (e.g. the issue of whether X has changed over the years…). You can
also consider starting with a rhetorical question, a fact or an anecdote.
2. As you continue with your monologue it is useful to punctuate your response with connective
phrases to mark the progression of your argument. For example, to move on to a new point:

 This leads directly to my next point…

 Let’s now take a look at…
 This brings us to the next question…

3. Or, to return to an element of an argument you’ve previously made:

 As I mentioned/pointed out earlier…

 To return to my earlier point…

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
Here are some useful phrases for giving your personal opinion on a topic:

 To my mind…
 As I see it…
 As far as I’m concerned…
 I have the impression that…
 I believe/think that…
The balance between personal opinion and more factual or objective statements will depend on
the topic you are talking about.
In order to project confidence and present a solid, logically sound argument, you should include
plenty of impersonal statements as you construct your points, for example:

 It is imperative that…
 X is of paramount importance
 Studies have shown that…
 Many scientists/researchers agree that…
 It should be noted that…
 It is important to remember that…
 I would also like to draw attention to…
 It could be argued that…
To bring your monologue to an end, consider using some of the following phrases to sum up the
points you have made and to introduce your concluding remarks:

 Finally, I’d like to highlight one key issue.

 I would like to finish by mentioning…
 As a final point I’d like to add/emphasize that…
 Let me summarize by saying…
 To recap what I’ve said so far…
 In short…
 To sum up,…

QUESTION
Which way of staying in touch with your friends do you prefer? Why?
- How has the way of staying in touch with people changed over the years?
- What are the advantages or disadvantages of each of these options?

MY PLAN
Introduction:
Who am I, what I do I do, where do I live.
Body:

 I like to meet my friends in person rather than on Facebook.

 Reasons why I like to meet my friends personally
 The ways to stay in touch with people have changed because of the use of technology.
We can communicate much faster, almost instantly. Another advantage is that you can
even be in contact with friends who are very far away from where you live.
 One disadvantage is: we have become more impersonal and selective.
 One advantage of personal interaction: it is easier to find out how your friends are
feeling.
 One disadvantage of personal interaction: you spend more time traveling and it's more
expensive.

Conclusion:
Nowadays, it's much easier to stay in touch with people, but it's also much easier not to make
an effort to solve problems with your friends.

EXAMPLE
(Introduction)
My name is Rebecca. I'm an English teacher and I live in Madrid. I'm going to talk about how I
like to stay in touch with friends.
(Alternative)
I'll talk to you about a), b) c)
Feel free to interrupt me with questions whenever you like. Or, if you have any questions there
will be an opportunity to ask them at the end of my presentation.
(Body)
First of all, I would like to say that I stay in touch with friends in person and on the internet too. I
prefer to see my friends in bars, pubs or at home because communication with them is a lot
easier. You can find out how they feel, you can see their gestures, listen to them and check
whether they are in a good or bad mood.
On the other hand, I don't mind staying in touch with them through Facebook or Twitter.
Personally, I use Facebook to stay in touch with friends that I can't see because they live in
another city or country.
This is one of the advantages of using Facebook to stay in touch with friends.

Another advantage is that communication can be instant even if your friends are in different
cities. You can also use Facebook to share interesting information and pictures with your friends,
which is always nice.

Talking about disadvantages; the main one for me is that it's a very impersonal way to
communicate, you need to see your friends to know how they really feel and to ask them for
advice, for example. This is easier when you see your friends in person. Another advantage of
seeing yours friends in person is that you can talk longer without getting tired. If you are on a
social network such as Facebook, you have to be typing all the time unless you communica0te by
videoconference.

One disadvantage of meeting your friends personally is that it takes much longer, and sometimes
it's more expensive. You have to go to a certain place to meet them and pay for the food and
drinks you order. But, in my case, I don't really mind spending my money this way because for
me it's always nice to see my friends.

To answer the question"How has the way of staying in touch with friends changed?", I'd say that
now it's much easier than in the past, because it's not necessary to travel anywhere to know how
they are doing, with a single click you can access Facebook and see the updates they have
written on Facebook, the pictures they have posted or send them an instant message.
(Conclusion)
In conclusion, I'd like to say that even though nowadays it's much easier to stay in touch with
your friends, it's also much easier to break up with them. All you need is to unfriend them on
Facebook. That's the reason why I prefer to meet up with my friends in a pub or bar, or even at
home.