強調する

英語でもっと効果的に話す、簡単な方法の一つとして、強調するフレーズを使う方法があります。考えや意見をより強く主張できるだけでなく、GBC テストの試験官にも通用します。

前文の最後のところ、次のように言ったらどうでしょうか？:

Not only do they make your ideas and opinions stronger, but they also impress GBC interviewers!

というわけで、効果的に主張するための3つの簡単な方法をご紹介します。

Use: Not only… but (also)

The important thing about this kind of phrase is that after "Not only" we use a verb inversion. In other words, we put the verb and object in question order.

So, if we have two ideas like this:

1. Germany invests in new technology.
2. It has an efficient and productive workforce.

We can say:

Not only does Germany invest in new technology, but it also has an efficient and productive workforce.

Notice that in (1) above, it was "Germany invests in..." and in our stronger sentence, it is "does Germany invest". That's exactly the same as question word order (i.e. "Does Germany invest in new technology?").

Similarly, we can rephrase:

1. The food in that restaurant is cheap.
2. It is also delicious.

We can say:

Not only is the food in that restaurant cheap, but it is also delicious.

Use: What… is

This is used with a noun phrase or a verb.

With a noun phrase, like "strong leadership", instead of saying, “Japan needs strong leadership”, we can say:

What Japan needs is strong leadership.

(We can also swap the parts of the sentence around: “Strong leadership is what Japan needs.”)

Instead of saying, “Our company is looking for people with a proven track record in sales”, we can say:

What our company is looking for is people with a proven track record in sales.

With a verb, you use "What... to do is". For example, instead of saying, “I’d really like to travel to Bali", we can say:

What I’d really like to do is to travel to Bali.

Instead of saying, “Mayor Koike intends to create better conditions for women”, we can say:

What Mayor Koike intends to do is to create better conditions for women.

Use: It is… that

This is very similar to the previous technique.  Look at this: instead of saying, “Japan needs strong leadership”, we can say:

It is strong leadership that Japan needs.

Instead of saying, “The beautiful beaches make Bali an ideal holiday destination”, we can say:

It is the beautiful beaches that make Bali an ideal holiday destination.

So, there you go—three simple ways to impress your listener (or your GBC interviewer) and make your point stronger. Start using them today!