Sentence starters
During a group discussion it鈥檚 important to use A form of speech that lays claim to a grammatical 'correctness' and clear pronunciation. This is sometimes called '大象传媒 English'. and speak in a clear and fluent way.
It might be useful to prepare some possible sentence starters to use whilst contributing to the discussion, or when responding to questions that you might be asked.
Here is a list of possible sentence starters for your discussion:
- Another perspective is鈥
- On the other hand鈥
- I fully believe that鈥
- It has been suggested that鈥 however鈥
- This particular piece of evidence implies that鈥
- It has been put forward that鈥 but I believe鈥
- Having listened to all the points that have been made, I still feel that鈥
- Although many people have suggested that鈥
- Firstly, it should be noted that鈥
- Despite listening to some very convincing arguments, I still believe that鈥
- Finally, I would like to point out that鈥
You must have confidence in your own opinion. Do not be afraid to say what you think, just make sure that you do it in a clear and logical way.
Top tips
- Use Standard English throughout the discussion.
- Ask open-ended questions.
- Give your opinion in an organised manner, providing evidence for your suggestions.
- Listen carefully to the opinions of others.
- Comment on what other people say in an appropriate manner.
- Try to prepare a few sentence starters to help structure your response.
- If the conversation falters, try to move it forward by introducing new points or by asking appropriate questions.
Notice how everybody takes their turn in a calm and orderly manner.