English Explained Simply

FOREWORD: In order to achieve a good overall grade in English, you should study the text below in conjunction with other previously published articles, including the oral articles contained in this blog, to which you should add linking words and starter phrases also appearing in this blog. Just learn a few phrases from each section of the documents described above and any other documents you deem useful in this blog. I am not asking you to learn a whole bunch of posts because it may seem indigestible to you. It only takes a few, hammered out regularly to stand out during your oral or written tests and thus obtain a good grade. I) GENERAL COMMENTS / NEUTRAL COMMENTS A) ON THE TEXTS 1- Each of these texts presents a unique perspective on the subject, providing a comprehensive view. 2- It's interesting to note how the tone and approach differ between the texts, even though they all address similar themes. 3- The authors make convincing arguments, particularly in the way they support...

I) CONSIDER THE QUESTION CAREFULLY - Read the question carefully and identify exactly what is being asked, e.g. main idea , detail , inference , vocabulary meaning , tone . - Pay attention to the keywords in the question which is an effective way to get the right answer. II) BROWSE THE OPTIONS BEFORE READING IN DETAIL - Quickly review the suggested answers. - This prepares your brain to locate relevant information in the text. III) LOCATE EVIDENCE IN THE TEXT - Go back to the passage and find the part that relates to the question. - Underline or mentally note the exact sentence or phrase that provides the clue. IV) MATCH, DON'T ASSUME - The correct answer must be supported by the text, not by outside knowledge or assumptions . - If an option generally seems true but is not listed in the text, it is a trap. V) USE ELIMINATION - Cross out answers that contain extreme words like always , never , only , unless the text clearly confirms it. - Go beyond what the text says and misinter...

1) ESTABLISHING A CONNECTION As regards … =  With regard to … / In regard to … / Concerning … / Regarding … / In line with … / In relation to … / Relating to … / In parallel with … / In sync with … 2) TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING MORE By the way, … = While we're on the subject, … / While on the subject, … / In passing, … / On another note, … / Speaking of somebody, … / Speaking of something, … / One could also note, … / By way of explanation, … / As it happens, … / In related manner, … / It might also be noted, … / Funnily enough, … / As an aside, … / Another thing, … / Speaking of which, … 3) REMEMBERING A SITUATION AND TAKING IT INTO ACCOUNT    Consider the situation, … = Take into account the current situation, … / Take into consideration … / Think about … / Consider the current circumstances, … / In view of the current state, … / According to the current affairs, … / Make allowances for the current situation, … / Take into account the current state of things … / In the lig...

I) GENERAL PRESENTATION OF THE TEXT 1- T alk about the text's references: The text is an extract from ... / The text is a passage from ... / This article was published in the magazine ... / This is an article from ... and dates from ... 2- Talk about the general presentation of the text: The text consists of a paragraph with a header and photos / The style is direct / The style is indirect. 3- I dentify the key ideas in the text: List these ideas in their entirety, highlighting what they imply and how they connect to the themes related to the section's topics: The text aims to raise awareness of business relationships / The text is in the form of a monologue / The text is in the form of a dialogue / The text is presented in the form of advice given to readers. Organize these ideas: Around a coherent plan that will group the ideas into 2 or 3 parts maximum.  II) INDICATE YOUR TEXT PLAN Next, make a plan to organize your ideas as follows: The introduction is the privileged par...

I) INTRODUCING THE AUDIO The audio is about ... / This audio deals with the topic of ... / The audio seems to focus on ... / From the beginning, we can understand that ... / To begin with , we can say that ... / First of all, we can emphasize that ... / First and foremost, we can highlight the fact that ... / It should be noted that ... / Let's start by pointing out that ... / We could first mention the fact that ... II) DESCRIBING WHAT WE HEARD In the video, we could hear ... / Scenes could be heard showing ... / It seems the audio takes place at ... From the video, we could say that ... / While listening, we could point out that ... / While listening, one might notice that ... / I heard something like ... / My guess is ... III) GIVING YOUR OPINION In my opinion, the audio conveys a clear message about ... / I think the audio is trying to raise awareness about ... / From my perspective, audio is effective because ... / I think the purpose of the audio is to ... / From my way of th...

I) DESCRIBING THE IMAGE IN GENERAL In the photo, you can see ... / It looks like it was taken during ... / The photo looks like it was taken on vacation / It appears to be a photo of ... / The atmosphere seems heavy / The atmosphere seems lively The image appears to have been taken in ... / The image represents ... / The image gives a feeling of calm / The image gives a feeling of excitement / The image gives a feeling of tension / The image shows ... II) TALKING ABOUT THE SETTING At the bottom of the image, there is ... / At the bottom of the image, there are ... / At the top of the image there is ... / At the top of the image there are ... / In the background, there is ... / In the background there are ... / In the center of the image we have ... / In the foreground, there is ... / In the foreground, there are ... / In the middle of the picture, we have ... / On the left side you can see ... / On the right side you can see ...  III) TALKING ABOUT THE TIME AND PLACE This happens d...

0) SOME TIPS TO OPTIMIZE VIDEO VIEWING A general observation to make is that viewing time and video analysis time are part of the same totality of time. WATCHING must be optimized at all costs to avoid running out of time.  Here are THREE TIPS to maximize your time:  1- It is recommended to watch the entire video once, trying to understand the general meaning and context of this video. 2- Then watch the video a second time and, using a rough copy, note down the important elements identified in the video 3- A third viewing will often solidify your initial ideas by beginning to convincingly understand what the film is about, defining the actors' roles, their words and expressions, without forgetting to analyze and interpret the intonations (she is not happy, for example), the silences (she is thinking, for example) and the general atmosphere of the situation. Once you've identified and analyzed all of these elements, answer the questions posed in the video, those that will b...

1) INTRODUCING In recent years, there has been a growing concern about ... / It is widely believed that ... / It is widely acknowledged that ... / Nowadays, the issue of '...' has become a matter of debate / The purpose of this essay is to ... / There is no doubt that ... / This essay aims to explore ... / This essay aims to analyze ... / This essay aims to discuss ... / This essay will discuss ... / This essay will examine ... / This essay will look into ... 2) ADDING INFORMATION Another key point to consider is ... / Another significant factor is ... / Equally important is the fact that ... / Furthermore, it is important to note that ... / In addition to this, ... / It is also worth noting that ... / Moreover, ... / What's more, ... / Not only that, but also ... / On top of that ... / To go a little further ... / To delve a little deeper into the subject ... / Let's extrapolate a little, shall we? / To go further ... / To open the door to a broader debate ... / To t...

1) GETTING OFF THE GROUND Dear Madam: / Dear Sir: / Dear Mrs. Anne Lavigne: / Dear Ms. Lavigne: / Dear Mr. Gruber: / Dear Sir or Madam: / Dear co-worker: / Dear colleague: / Dear counterpart: / Dear Customer: / Dear Human Resources Director: / Dear Personnel Manager: / Dear Sales Director: / To whom it may concern : / Hello Julia: / Hello John: / Hi Julia: / Hi John: / Howdy Julia: / Howdy John: 2) OPENING LINES I'm writing to inquire about ... / I hope this email finds you well / I hope you are doing well / I hope you're well / I hope everything is going your way / First of all, let me first congratulate you on your amazing sales campaign for the new product / First off, I would like to raise a glass to your success regarding the launch of your new product / First and foremost, I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to my entire team who worked tirelessly to achieve this incredible result / I would like to follow up on ... / Hope you're doing great! / I wanted t...

1) STARTING THE PHONE CALL How can I help you? / How may I help you? / What can I do for you? / Who's calling? / Who's on the phone? / Who shall I say is calling? / Anne Lavigne here / This is Anne Lavigne / Hans Gruber speaking / Hans Gruber calling 2) ASKING TO SPEAK TO THE CALLER ON THE PHONE Can I speak to Hans Gruber, please? / Can you put Hans Gruber on the phone, please? / Can you put Anne Lavigne through, please? / Can Anne Lavigne come on the phone, please? / Can I talk to you for a bit? / Can I have a word with Hans Gruber? 3) EXPLAINING THE REASON FOR THE PHONE CALL What is it about ? / What is it in connection with? / It's about ... / It's in connection with ... / It was just to let you know that ... / I'd like to inquire about ... / I'm calling on behalf ... / I'm calling from ... 4) ASKING THE CALLER TO HOLD THE LINE Hold the line, I'll check his extension / Thanks for returning my call at short notice / I'd like to speak to the manag...

I) WHILE PREPARING YOUR ORAL PRESENTATION A) UPSTREAM FROM YOUR GROUP PRESENTATION , prepare everything by breaking down the role of each person, that is to say, it is necessary to clearly specify who is presenting which part. Exemplification: In a group of 6, for example, the first  will make the introduction, the second  will take over from the first one and start with the first half of the first part, another, the third  will take care of the second half of the first part, the fourth  will take care of the first half of the second part, the fifth  will tackle the second half of the second part and the sixth  will finish it all by en d ing with the conclusion B) YOU SHOULD ENSURE THAT ALL MEMBERS have something to say during the presentation, even a small part of the entire presentation should be dedicated to each member who is part of the presentation, this is not mandatory, but it should ensure that each of them plays an active role in it. E...