Explaining a problem
State the problem, its effect and what you need.
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Learning library
Search and filter by level, domain and content type.
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Giving a supported opinion
State your view, give a reason and add an example.
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Reporting statements
When reporting speech, tense and pronouns may change with context.
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A clear professional email
Use a specific subject, state your purpose early and finish with the action needed.
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The past perfect
Use had with a past participle to show that one event happened before another past event.
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The passive voice
Form the passive with be in the required tense and a past participle.
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Degrees of certainty
Use must for a strong deduction, might or may for a possibility, and can’t for a deduction that something is impossible.
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The third conditional
Use if with had and a past participle, followed by would have and a past participle, to imagine a different result in a finished past situation.
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Concession and contrast
Although is followed by a clause with a subject and verb.
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Evaluating options
Compare options against clear criteria such as cost, time and quality.
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Professional negotiation
State what you need and where you can be flexible.
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Summarising a meeting
A meeting summary records decisions, actions, owners and deadlines.
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A balanced complaint
Describe what happened, include relevant details and state the resolution you request.
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Structuring a presentation
Tell the audience which question you will answer, present supporting evidence and finish with a conclusion.
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Hedging claims
May, appears to and suggests help match a claim to the strength of its evidence.
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Inversion for emphasis
After some initial negative expressions, including Never and Rarely, put the auxiliary before the subject.
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Cleft sentences
Use It was…that or What…is to focus attention on a particular element.
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Nominalisation
A verb can become a noun, such as decide → decision, for a compact formal style.
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