6. I'd like to call (your) attention to the fact that...
7. I mean to say ...
8. On the whole ...
9. At the beginning of the story (in the beginning) the author describes (depicts, introduces, characterizes, sympathizes with, gives a summary of, gives his (an) account of, portrays, narrates)...
10. The story (the author) begins with a (the) description of (the introduction of, the analysis of)...
11. The story opens with ...
12. The scene is laid in ...
13. The author passes on to ... (gives a detailed analysis (description, etc) of...
14. hi conclusion the author ...
15. The author concludes with ...
16. The story ends with ...
17. To finish with, the author describes ...
18. The author draws the conclusion...
19. to side with
20. to refer to
21.to react to
22.to enumerate
23.to point out
24.to generalize
25.to make critical remarks on smth
26. to oppose smth to smth
27.to support smb's point of view
28.to sympathize with
29. to expose
30.to condemn
31. to emphasize, to underline, to stress
32.to convince (the reader); to laugh at; to mock at; to deride; to ridicule
33.to create the effect...
34. to raise the question
35.The paragraph that follows serves as a general introduction...
36. to draw his character in a mildly ironical way...
37.The humour of the situation is enhanced...
38.The attack is primarily aimed at...
39.The stylistic device most prominent in the extract...
40.It is achieved by purely syntactical means...
41.The dialogue is vivid, dynamic, full of humour and fun...
42.The central idea of the above passage is...
43.Stylistically this is expressed in (by) ..
44.The humorous effect is enhanced by the contrast between...
45.The language of the scene is rich in...
46.It is interesting to note that...
47.In the chosen part the portrayal is achieved by means of...
48.The scene gives the reader an idea of...
49. The atmosphere of... is created by...
50. Towards the end of the passage...
51. The choice of words conveys...
52.The antithesis is sustained by...
53. Towards the end of the extract the irony becomes especially subtle and one to read between the lines
54. The climax comes when...
55. To impress this contrast upon the reader...
56. A device greatly favoured by...
57. The monotony of... is broken up by...
58. This is clearly meant to create a picture for the reader to see...
59. The extract under consideration naturally falls into ... parts
60. The true-to-life portrait of...
61 The story is told in simple, homely colloquial English.
62.The vocabulary matches the subject.
63.The language of the story is rich in colloquial idiom and phrases.
64.This is achieved both syntactically in the short, even abrupt sentences and lexically in the abundance of the emotional words and expressions.
65.A significant metaphor plays an important part in portraying...
66.The inner monologue is a very fine piece of characterization.
67. The author makes ample use of the dialogue as an efficient means to let his characters speak for themselves without the author's interference.
68. The climax of the passage is ...
69.His vocabulary is as simple as his syntax
70. It is very rich in words and phrases
71. The similes are introduced to render ...
72. The language is artificial, bookish, rich in terms.
73. The style is deliberately dry and dispassionate.
74.The story is told by...
75. Each paragraph forms a complete unit.
76. Rich and vivid epithets...
77.The epithets are combined with metaphors...
78.The choice of words is remarkable for their sonorous quality.
79. The alliterations are mainly based on the 1- and r-sounds.
80.The features make the passage particularly musical.
81.The emotional colouring is made definite by words naming or expressing emotions.
82. There is an allusion to ...
83. The method of description is mostly direct.
84. The simplicity of the language harmonizes well with the simple feelings of common people.
85. They also have some symbolic value.
86. The author resorts to simple direct (indirect) characterization.
87. The effect is further enhanced...
88. The description is focussed on ...
89. The main part of the selection is devoted to...
90. The writer has a sharp eye for detail.
91. The main personage is convincing.
92. The effect is achieved primarily by the very obvious contrast between ..
93. Emotional, appraising epithets...
94. The reiteration of the epithet...
95. The emotional colouring of... depends on ...
96. The text (style, vocabulary) abounds in...
97.The idea (thought) that runs through (permeates) the entire story (extract)
98.The author implies (means to say) that...
99. The idea is explicitly (implicitly) rendered (stated, conveyed)...
Standard phrases to be used:
This is a passage (an article, an extract) from (name of the book, newspaper)
The passage-(the-article-letter-extract)-is taken from .
The passage can be studied as a self-contained unit
The passage is about (concerns, is concerned with, deals with, runs about) The passage deals (almost) exclusively with The passage seems to be telling us about The passage is a detailed account of The passage points out that .
The point in question in the passage is ,
The subject off the passage as stated in the first sentence is …. a well-known fact that the problem discussed is both acute and topical (much debated)
He considers the question from all angles
He puts forward an idea and develops it
He provides the reader with a wide range of examples, situations, with different views of
Drawing attention to a particular point
What is particularly striking in the article is that
The emphasis falls on
Assessing the value of the text
In conclusion, To sum it up..............................
The article aims at convincing us of
This particular article seems to serve as a demonstration of a universal problem , The writer proves aware of current problems
The article makes a significant impact on the reader (it has a distinct effect on him)
It appears from the text
The essential interest of the article
The author succeeds in catching the reader's attention
The question under discussion is debatable (of great interest)
It is a topical issue
It is a topic of current interest
It is one of the major problems of our civilization
It is much talked about nowadays
Opinions differ about... but if we are to believe the author
According to the writer
The question raised in this passage is of major interest and deserves consideration
We are all deeply concerned with (involved in) this problem ….
Though of minor interest, the question deserved consideration
It may prove useful, valuable, effective, profitable to start with a definition of what seems to you a key word in the passage, or the title, for example
We must make it clear from the start what the writer means by
Several parts stand out in this passage
The passage starts with a description, it then concentrates on
After a short preamble in which all the themes are stated, the writer carries his reader into ...
After a short introductory passage in which the writer supplies its us with all the necessary indications, he proceeds to give us
The passage is a logical sequence of (descriptions, events, and statements)
The passage is a logically structured demonstration
The whole passage reads like a unified whole, not falling into parts
The passage is a rather loose arrangement of statements
The main points of interest in the article are as follows
We shall focus attention on
Which is of primary importance in the article and show how the themes are developed
The writer puts forward an interesting personal view of the situation
The article deals with, reveals, throws light on
The article awakens (arouses, excites interest)
The interest of the article is mainly of a factual kind
The writer gives an account of a situation
The writer gives a description of
The writer poses a problem, raises a question, raises an issue, a point
He takes (puts) a subject, touches upon it, treats it, tackles it, he concentrates on, focuses attention upon, draws attention to, places (puts) emphasis, stresses emphasises, discusses or studies a problem, views it as, illustrates, demonstrates