1) To change the direction of the conversation but link it with what has just been said a) I think Harry has the same shirt... Speaking of Harry, did he get the job he applied for? b) That's all you need to know about infinitives. As far as gerunds are concerned, / As regards / Regarding gerunds, there are other rules c) We didn't go away at the weekend because I had too much work. In any case / Anyway the way was awful so we didn't miss anything d) On the whole, I think that women make better journalists than men 2) To introduce unexpected or surprising information a) On the one hand, more young people now carry knives. On the other hand, the total number of violent crimes has dropped. b) My kids never listen to me. Mind you, I didn’t either at their age so I guess it’s normal c) - Did you see the match last night? - No - actually / in fact / as a matter of fact, I don't like football d) Please try not to make a mess while making the cake. Otherwise we'll have to move apartments again 3) To come back to the previous subject a) We should buy them. After all, we will never find them anywhere cheaper b) As I was saying, if Mark get the job, we'll have to reorganize the department c) The government are going to help first-time buyers. That is to say, they'll make sure mortgages are more available d) I like both flats but all in all I think I prefer the one next to the cathedral 4) To generalize a) On the whole, I think that women make better journalists than men b) Basically, he was just a show-off c) I think Harry has the same shirt... Speaking of Harry, did he get the job he applied for? d) Please try not to make a mess while making the cake. Otherwise we'll have to move apartments again 5) To show that you're taking everything into consideration a) The government are going to help first-time buyers. That is to say, they'll make sure mortgages are more available b) Basically, he was just a show-off c) I like both flats but all in all I think I prefer the one next to the cathedral d) A lot of people booed and some even left early. In other words, it was a complete disaster 6) To introduce the idea that what you said before is less important than what you're about to say now or to return to the original subject after a digression a) We didn't go away at the weekend because I had too much work. In any case / Anyway the way was awful so we didn't miss anything b) A lot of people booed and some even left early. In other words, it was a complete disaster c) I like both flats but all in all I think I prefer the one next to the cathedral d) I think Harry has the same shirt... Speaking of Harry, did he get the job he applied for? 7) To introduce something else that needs to be considered a) As I was saying, if Mark get the job, we'll have to reorganize the department b) My kids never listen to me. Mind you, I didn’t either at their age so I guess it’s normal c) That's all you need to know about infinitives. As far as gerunds are concerned, / As regards / Regarding gerunds, there are other rules d) - Did you see the match last night? - No - actually / in fact / as a matter of fact, I don't like football 8) To introduce the most important or fundamental point a) A lot of people booed and some even left early. In other words, it was a complete disaster b) Basically, he was just a show-off c) I like both flats but all in all I think I prefer the one next to the cathedral d) The government are going to help first-time buyers. That is to say, they'll make sure mortgages are more available 9) To say something again in a different way a) A lot of people booed and some even left early. In other words, it was a complete disaster b) On the one hand, more young people now carry knives. On the other hand, the total number of violent crimes has dropped. c) As I was saying, if Mark get the job, we'll have to reorganize the department d) On the whole, I think that women make better journalists than men 10) To introduce a strong argument that the other person may not have taken into consideration a) - Did you see the match last night? - No - actually / in fact / as a matter of fact, I don't like football b) My kids never listen to me. Mind you, I didn’t either at their age so I guess it’s normal c) Basically, he was just a show-off d) We should buy them. After all, we will never find them anywhere cheaper 11) To say what the result would be if the situation was different or something didn't happen a) We didn't go away at the weekend because I had too much work. In any case / Anyway the way was awful so we didn't miss anything b) I think Harry has the same shirt... Speaking of Harry, did he get the job he applied for? c) Please try not to make a mess while making the cake. Otherwise we'll have to move apartments again d) On the whole, I think that women make better journalists than men 12) To introduce a new topic or to announce a change of subject a) My kids never listen to me. Mind you, I didn’t either at their age so I guess it’s normal b) That's all you need to know about infinitives. As far as gerunds are concerned, / As regards / Regarding gerunds, there are other rules c) A lot of people booed and some even left early. In other words, it was a complete disaster d) I think Harry has the same shirt... Speaking of Harry, did he get the job he applied for? 13) To balance contrasting facts or points a) On the one hand, more young people now carry knives. On the other hand, the total number of violent crimes has dropped. b) My kids never listen to me. Mind you, I didn’t either at their age so I guess it’s normal c) Please try not to make a mess while making the cake. Otherwise we'll have to move apartments again d) As I was saying, if Mark get the job, we'll have to reorganize the department 14) To introduce an explanation or a qualification of a point you've just made a) Basically, he was just a show-off b) On the one hand, more young people now carry knives. On the other hand, the total number of violent crimes has dropped. c) The government are going to help first-time buyers. That is to say, they'll make sure mortgages are more available d) - Did you see the match last night? - No - actually / in fact / as a matter of fact, I don't like football

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