WRITING STORIES Time Linking Words Concession - Contrast Result - Consequence A few minutes later Afterwards All of a sudden All the while As As soon as At first At last At that moment Before Before long By the time During Eventually Finally For Immediately (after that) In no time at all In the beginning In the end In the meantime Just Just as Later On the spur of the moment Since Sometime later Soon Still Suddenly The moment that The next moment Then Until When While Although Even though In spite of Despite However No matter how/what Whatever But While Whereas Nevertheless Regardless of So…that Cause-Reason Emphasis Expressions/Phrases Such…that Therefore So Otherwise For this reason Under the circumstances Consequently As a consequence As a result Because (of) As Since Due to Owing to In fact As a matter of fact Actually To tell you the truth Strangely enough It was too good to be true It happened out of the blue The next thing I knew was… Before I knew it… Without any warning… I was taken by surprise… To my surprise… (Un) fortunately… To make matters worse… Without any doubt… Beyond any doubt Beyond a shadow of a doubt Without thinking… It was a sight for sore eyes I couldn’t believe my eyes/ears/luck As luck would have it… (Un) luckily… I breathed a sigh of relief I was out of breath It was a narrow escape My heart sank My heart was beating furiously It made me jump I burst out laughing / into tears It was a real shock My hair stood on end I was as white as a sheet It was getting on my nerves It was the best/worst ever was in a good/bad mood was left speechless I I WRITING INFORMAL LETTERS Greeting Opening Paragraph Giving Information Making arrangements Asking for Information Dear Maria, Dearest Maria, Hi Maria! Hello Maria! It was great to hear from you I’m glad that you’re well I’m sorry (to hear) that you’re not well I really enjoyed getting your letter Hi! What’s new? What have you been up to? I haven’t heard from you for ages I was very happy to get your letter Sorry I haven’t written for so long It’s taken me ages to reply but I have been busy I’m been meaning to write back but I was busy Just thought to drop you a line I was on cloud nine having read your letter As for … Regarding … As you know… You see… I must say… Here is the information you require You wanted some information about… You need to know these things… I’m writing to give you some extra information The first thing I should write about is… As far as… is/are concerned,… Now, something else In your letter you also asked about…, In addition to this…, Well, about the… I hope the information I’ve given you will help you I hope I’ve been of some help If you have any other questions… Write if you need more details Let me know if you need anything else How about meeting at…? Why don’t we…? …would be the best place to meet, because… We can meet… if you like I’ll meet you… I suggest we meet… Can you make it on…? Is… OK for you? Which date/time you prefer? Can you let me know if these arrangements suit you/are OK with you? Do you know if/whether…? I’d like to know if/whether… I’d like to find out if/whether… I was wondering if I would appreciate it if … It would be great if… Please let me know… Referring to an advertisement or letter Linking Ideas Giving Advice Inviting Closing Paragraph Closing Remarks The announcement / advertisement / letter says / mentions / states… To begin with, … Regarding the… As to the… As far as the… is/are concerned, … In the meantime… Moreover, … Furthermore,… Once again, … My advice is that you (do)… I would advise you to (do)… If I were you, I would (do)… If I were in your position/shoes, I would… I think the best thing would be to… I’m sure you will/can… I suggest that you (should) do… In my opinion you should/could/might (do) … You needn’t (do)… I strongly advise you to… It would be a good idea to… I think you’d better do… One thing you can is to… What I always find helpful is… Why not consider doing…? Why don’t you do…? The way I see it, you can… How/What about doing…? Well, that’s what I think you should I hope I’ve been of some help to you I really hope everything goes well I’d love it if you joined me for / came to… I thought we might… I hope you can… We could… How about going to / joining me for…? Would you like to…? I have some suggestions about how we could spend the afternoon/evening/morning That’s about it for me That’s (all) my news I look forward to hearing from / seeing you soon Well, I think that’s about it Well, that’s all for now Well, I’d better finish off here I must go now Write soon Waiting for your letter/reply See you soon Keep in touch Say hello to everyone Give my love/regards to everyone Drop me a line and let me know Love, Best wishes, Yours, Your friend, All my love, All the best, Lots of kisses, Take care, Bye for now, (your first name) WRITING FORMAL LETTERS Greeting Letter of Complaint Asking Information – Making a Request Applying for a Job Declining an Initiation Dear Mr./Ms/Miss/Mrs… Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to complain about… I am writing to make a complaint about… I am writing to you regarding / in connection with / on account of… I regret that I am obliged to complain about… feel I must complain about… Your advertisement states/claims/says that… Your advertisement/brochure was misleading in this respect In your advertisement/brochure you state otherwise You failed to mention that… You led me to believe that… You advertised that… According to your advertisement… It was completely different from… I feel it is absolutely unacceptable… I am dissatisfied with… Unfortunately, it was nothing like what I expected The problem is… I must mention/point out… To make matters worse… As if that was not bad enough… I was shocked/surprised/disappointed… To my amazement/surprise… Considering all the above, I believe I am entitles to a partial / full refund I demand a full refund / immediate action / a replacement I expect to be compensated / all expenses to be paid I would be grateful if you would deal / you dealt with this matter immediately I would appreciate it if we could sort this matter out as soon as possible I feel sure / am confident that this matter will receive your prompt attention I hope that you will give this matter your attention I am afraid that if this matter is not dealt with immediately, I will… It would be a good idea to… You should consider… I hope you will… I am writing to you in connection with… I am writing with regard to / in regard to / with reference to… I am writing to ask if you could inform me about… I am writing to enquire about… I am writing for more information about… I was interested in your advertisement in… I would appreciate some further information about… Referring to your advertisement published in… I am writing to apply for… Regarding/Concerning/As regards my qualifications… If you wish to interview me… Thank you for considering… I hope to hear from you… I am looking forward to hearing from you I am looking forward to receiving your reply I would like to thank you for the invitation Thank you again for the invitation I Referring to an advertisement or letter Linking Ideas Expressing an Opinion Closing Paragraphs Closing Remarks I’m afraid that / Unfortunately I will not be able to attend to… I’m terribly sorry… I would appreciate it if you could send me some photographs of the event The announcement / advertisement / letter says / mentions / states… To begin with, … Regarding the… As to the… As far as the… is/are concerned, … In the meantime… Moreover, What is more, Furthermore, In addition Once again, … Although, However, Nonetheless First, Second, Then, Finally Therefore I am writing with regard / in response to the article in your newspaper/magazine about… I felt I should write to you to express my opinion I am writing to express my opinion about an article that I read in your newspaper/magazine about… I am writing to express my personal opinion in regards to the advertisement about First and foremost, I would like to point out that I am in complete agreement with I firmly believe that In reference to the reasons why Keep in mind that As for the results which show that , my opinion is that As far as I am concerned, I believe that Bear in mind that All in all, I honestly believe that I am sure that… For these reasons, … Clearly, this would … In my opinion,… I think it would be an excellent idea to… Speaking from personal experience Personally speaking, This seems to be the best solution… On one hand I think that…, but on the other hand… Thank you for considering… I would be very grateful if you would/could reply as soon as possible Thanking you for your time and assistance Thanking you in advance for your assistance / co-operation I would like to thank you in advance I look forward to your reply at your earliest convenience I hope to hear from you soon I am looking forward to hearing from you I am looking forward to receiving your reply Yours Sincerely, (your full name) – when you know the name of the person you’re writing to Yours Faithfully, (your full name) – when you don’t know the name of the person you’re writing to WRITING DISCURSIVE COMPOSITIONS, ARTICLES & ESSAYS Stating arguments Expressing Contrasting Ideas Adding Information Expressing Opinion Listing points Emphasizing Giving examples Expressing Result Consequence Expressing Cause-Reason Expressing purpose Clarifying meaning Summarising People in favour claim that… Supporters argue that… Those against this idea believe that… Say = argue, claim, believe, agree, disagree On the one hand…On the other hand…, however, Although, Even though, In spite of, Despite, No matter how/what, Whatever, But, While, Whereas, Nevertheless, Regardless of, Contrary to, In contrast In fact, For example, For instance, In addition (to this), Furthermore, Moreover, Apart from, Except for, Besides, What is more, As well as, not only…but also, Another point worth mentioning is the fact that , Another important point worth taking into consideration/account is the fact that , Another significant point I wish to bring to your attention is that In my opinion…, In my view…, Personally I believe that…, The way I see it…, From my point of view…, I am in favour of…, I am against…, My belief is that…, I believe…, Personally, I agree that…, Personally, I disagree with the idea that…, I feel very strongly that… Initially, First (of all), At first, To begin with, To start with, Second, Secondly, Then, Next, Finally, Eventually, Lastly, Last but not least, To conclude, In conclusion In fact, As a matter of fact, No matter how, However (+adjective), Even, Indeed, Actually, Instead, Apparently, Obviously, To be honest For example, For instance, Such as, Like So…that, Such…that, Therefore, So, Otherwise, For this reason, Under the circumstances, Consequently, As a consequence, As a result, In this case, Or Because (of), As, Since, Due to, Owing to In order to, So as to, So that, in case, For, To Specifically, To be more specific/precise, In other words, That is to say To sum up, To summarise, All in all, On the whole, In short, In conclusion, Taking everything into account WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS Starting Referring to previous contact Making a request Offering help Giving good news Giving bad news Apologising Enclosing documents Closing remarks Referring to future contact Ending We are writing to inform you that to confirm to request Thank you for your letter of March 15 … With reference to our telephone conversation yesterday Further to our meeting last week We would appreciate it if you would I would be grateful if you could… Could you possibly It would be helpful to us if We would be happy to Would you like us to We are quite willing to We are pleased to announce that I am delighted to inform you that You will be pleased to learn that We regret to inform you that I'm afraid it would not be possible to Unfortunately we cannot/we are unable to We are sorry for the delay in replying I regret any inconvenience caused… I would like to apologise for I am enclosing Please find enclosed You will find enclosed If we can be of any further assistance, please let us know If I can help in any way, please not hesitate to contact me Thank you for your help I look forward to seeing you next week Looking forward to hearing from you Looking forward to receiving your comments I look forward to meeting you on the 15th Sincerely / Yours sincerely (for all customers/clients) Regards (for those you already know and have a working relationship with) WRITING REPORTS Don’t forget to use HEADINGS and TOPIC SENTENCES!! Report on… by… (full name) The aim/purpose of this report is to… This report describes / deals with… It is considered… It seems… It appears… I would recommend / suggest… It would be a good idea to… FREQUENTLY FOUND STRUCTURES A great many buildings / people… A summit conference According to sb An alternative to As / So long as As a result of As far as sth is concerned As to / Considering / Regarding At all costs / Without fail At the expense of But for the fact that / If it hadn’t been for the fact that By all accounts For fear of…ing From the very beginning I can personally vouch for the fact that I object to…ing I would (far) sooner…BI I would have been better off…ing If I had been / were in your shoes In addition to…ing In preference to In proportion to In terms of…noun In the light of (this information) / In view of It didn’t occur to me that It is common knowledge that It is worth…ing It seems / looks / appears as if/though It serves / served / will serve you right It was / is alleged that It was the first time…past perfect It would be in your own / best interest to It’s (high) time…simple past It’s doubtful if / that It’s no good…ing It’s no use…ing It’s the first time…present perfect Known as… Let alone (the fact that) Much as = Although = Even though = Though No reference was made to / Make reference to On my first / second attempt On sb’s arrival / departure On second thoughts / On reflection On the condition that On the grounds that = Because of Other than / Apart from / Except for…ing / noun Rather than Regardless of Sth serves its purpose Sth tipped the scales in his favour The answer to / The key to / The solution to The prospects of…ing sth The small hours = After midnight early in the morning There can be little / no doubt over sth There is little / no likelihood that There’s a demand for There’s a good chance that There’s a reduction / an increase in There’s a risk that There’s heavy / severe / harsh criticism of There’s no excuse for sb…ing sth There’s no guarantee that There’s no point in…ing To acquaint myself with (the rules) To an / some extent / To such an extent that… To be at a loose end To be at a loss To be at fault To be bound to / To be certain to To be cut out for …ing sth To be cut out to be a (profession) To be hard on sb To be in mourning for sb To be in need of…ing To be in possession of To be in the habit of…ing sth To be in the hope of…ing To be intent / determined on…ing To be laid off (workers, clerks…) = To be made redundant To be left speechless To be on good / bad / equal terms with sb To be on the dole To be released on bail To be resigned to the fact of…ing To be susceptible to / prone to To be taken aback by = To be taken by surprise To be taken completely by surprise To be under construction To be under pressure To bear a great / striking resemblance to To break an engagement off To cast doubt on sth / To cast an eye on sb (cast-cast-cast) To cater for To chair a meeting To clash with (timing) To commit myself to…ing sth To comply with / to abide by / to conform to To discourage sb from…ing sth To distance myself from (another point of view) To end up in…(prison) To familiarise myself with To focus attention on To form an opinion 10 To get / be accustomed to…ing To get the gist To give an excuse for…ing To give sb credit for …ing sth To have a good / excellent command of…(language) To have a monopoly on…ing To have a narrow escape / To have a close shave To have an (immense / great) effect on sb To have little / great / no difficulty in…ing To have no intention of…ing To have no other choice / option / alternative but to… To have sth at my disposal To insist on…ing To keep sb abreast of… = To inform sb on To keep up to date To lead to / to result in To let off (some) steam To make an impression on sb To mutter sth under my breath To prevent sb from…ing To provide sb with To pull out of (an agreement) To pursue my own interests To put paid to sb’s hopes = lose hope To raise (an) objection(s) to…ing To resign myself to an idea / of…ing sth To resort to…ing / As a last resort To seek approval from sb (seek-sought-sought) To subject myself to To succeed in…ing To take any / no notice of To take into account / into consideration To take steps / course of action To tell at a glance that To the best of my ability To transform sth into To try / my best To work up an appetite To write off debts We are all in the same boat We hadn’t bargained for / on With the exception of = With / To the exclusion of Without (any) doubt / Beyond a / the shadow of a doubt 11