This lesson will focus on adding points naturally, using a variety of expressions. The topic we will discuss is education.
In this lesson, we are going to work on using different phrases to add points, give further examples or make short lists.
The difference between a good English speaker and a great one is that the latter will prepare you for what is going to be said.
Intermediate English speakers or higher will be able to give accurate information and often can do so with grammatical accuracy. However, it takes effort for native English speakers to follow them, because they do not prepare the listener for what is going to be said next.
Compare:
The students were dedicated, hard-working and generally very kind.
and:
The students were not only dedicated and hard-working, they were also generally very kind.
Both of these are correct, but the second one seems more sophisticated and more natural.
Did you go to university? What did you study? Why did you choose that? Try to think of at least three reasons.
Take a few minutes to talk about the student's education. This should take about 1-3 minutes. Here are some follow-up questions if necessary:
- What were you first planning to study? (When you were young, did you want to study something different than what you actually did study?)
- If you could change the past, would you study the same thing again, or something different?
You can take notes of the topics your student has introduced, and use them as examples or questions in the Language section.
Please consider each transition phrase. Your instructor has an example and a question regarding each one. Remember, the goal is to smoothly use the transition phrase, not to give a long answer.
- [Point A, and B.] Furthermore, [point C]. — This adds another item to a list of points.
- [Full sentence], and what's more, [full sentence]. — This emphasizes both points.
- [Full sentence], and on top of that, [full sentence]. — This also emphasizes both points.
- In addition to being [adjective], it is/was also [adjective]. — This prepares the listener for another adjective after the first one is stated.
- [Subject] is not only [adjective], but also [adjective]. — This prepares the listener for two adjectives that don't necessarily go together.
This lesson may take 2 or more lessons.
Note: For struggling students, elicit the adjectives/sentences from the student before adding the transition phrase. For higher levels, you may be able to skip right to the question.
If the topic of education gets tiring, tailor the questions to the student's interests. You can also throw in some idioms related to education.
1. Furthermore
E.g.: The education system here is excellent; there are top-tier universities and great students who are hungry to learn. Furthermore, professors come from all over the world to teach here.
Practice: The education system in this country is rubbish! Students don't study, teachers don't teach well, and parents get angry when their kids fail!
Question: What do you think of the education system in your country?
2. and what's more
E.g.: Students in my university were so lazy! They didn't study, and what's more, they often missed classes!
Practice: Students at my school were fantastic! They were very dedicated and happy to help whenever I had a problem.
Question: How were the students at your school?
3. and on top of that
E.g.: My professors were great. They stayed after class to help me when I needed it, and on top of that, they gave me their home phone number so I could call on the weekend!
Practice: My class was terrible. The teacher didn't care, and the textbook was more than 20 years old!
Question: How were your professors/teachers?
4. In addition to being... it's also...
E.g.: Studying English is great! In addition to being interesting, it's also very useful.
Practice: Learning English is tough! It's complicated and impossible to pronounce.
Question: Tell me about the educational standards at the high school you went to. Please use at least two adjectives connected with "In addition to".
5. Not only... but also ...
E.g.: My high school science teacher inspired me. He was not only passionate, but also funny. Everyone was engaged during his classes.
Practice: My mother is good at math and very patient.
Question: Who is one person who has inspired your education?
*Note (for #5): This can be used with verbs as well:
[Subject] not only [verb], but also [verb].
E.g.: My mother not only taught me how to read, but also how to cook.
Practice: My wife is very versatile. She works very hard and she takes English classes at night.
Question: What is the importance of higher education?
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If your student wants another phrase, add this one:
6. [Full sentence.] And, equally important, [full sentence]. - This connects two points that are both important.
E.g.: If I could study anywhere, I'd like to study at the University of Florida. It has a leading aerospace program and, equally important, it's warm all year and close to a great beach!
Practice: I'd study at Oxford or Cambridge. They are top-tier schools, so the professors must be excellent, and the students are very intelligent, so it's great for networking.
Question: If you could study anywhere in the world, where would you study?
Now that you've had some practice using these phrases, try to answer some more questions. Use as many of the above phrases as you can.