做presentation的一些常用句型：
1. Right, let's get started.
2. Let me introduce myself.
3. I've divided my presentation into three main parts.
4. Just to give you a brief overview.
5. I'll be saying more about this in a minute.
6. I'm sure the implications of this are clear to all of us.
7. There's an important point to be made here.
8. OK, let's move on. (go on to make your next point)
9. As you can see, the figures speak for themselves.
10. To go back to what I was saying earlier.
11. Are there any questions you'd like to ask at this point?
12. I'd like to look at this in more detail.
13. Let's put this into perspective. (to explain it this way)
14. Perhaps I should expand on that a little.
15. To digress for a moment? (to depart from your plan)
16. So, to sum up?
17. That brings me to the end of my talk.
18. Thank you. I'm sure you all have lots of questions.
美国人经常挂在嘴边的话：
thousand times no! 绝对办不到！
Don't mention it. 没关系，别客气。
Who knows! 天晓得！
It is not a big deal! 没什么了不起！
How come… 怎么回事，怎么搞的。
Easy does it. 慢慢来。
Don't push me. 别逼我。
Come on! 快点，振作起来！
Have a good of it.玩的很高兴。
It is urgent. 有急事。
What is the fuss？ 吵什么？
Still up？ 还没睡呀？
It doesn't make any differences. 没关系。
Don't let me down. 别让我失望。
God works. 上帝的安排。
Don't take ill of me. 别生我气。
Hope so. 希望如此。
Go down to business. 言归正传。
None of my business. 不关我事。
It doesn't work. 不管用。
I'm not going. 我不去了。
Does it serve your purpose？ 对你有用吗？
I don't care. 我不在乎。
Not so bad. 不错。
No way! 不可能！
Don't flatter me. 过奖了。
Your are welcome. 你太客气了。
It is a long story. 一言难尽。
Between us. 你知，我知。
Big mouth! 多嘴驴！
Sure thin! ?然！
I''m going to go. 我?就去。
Never mind. 不要?。
Can－do. 能人。
Close－up. 特????。
Drop it! 停止！
Bottle it! ?嘴！
Don''t play possum! ?e?蒜！
There is nobody by that name working here.???]有???人。 He neither drinks nor smokes. 他既不喝酒也不抽??。
Break the rules. ?#96;反??t。
How big of you! 你真棒！
Poor thing! 真可?z！
Nuts! 呸；胡?；混蛋
Make it up! 不记前嫌！
Watch you mouth. 注意言辞。
Any urgent thing？ 有急事吗？
How about eating out？ 外面吃饭怎样？
Don't over do it. 别太过分了。
Can you dig it？ 你搞明白了吗？
I'm afraid I can't. 我恐怕不能。
You want a bet？ 你想打赌吗？
What if I go for you？ 我替你去怎么样？
Who wants？ 谁稀罕？
December heartbeat. 黄昏恋。
Follow my nose. 凭直觉做某事。
Cheap skate! 小气鬼！
Go to hell！ **吧！
Come seat here. 来这边坐。
Good luck! 祝你好运！
Gild the lily. 画蛇添足。
Make it. 达到目的，获得成功。
I'll be seeing you. 再见。
He has an ax to grind. 他另有企图。
I wonder if you can give me a lift？ 能让我搭一程吗？ It is raining. 要下雨了。
Can I have this. 可以给我这个吗？
I might hear a pin drop. 非常寂静。
Why are you so sure？ 怎么这样肯定？
Is that so？ 是这样吗？
Don't get loaded. 别喝醉了。
Stay away from him. 别*近他。
Don't get high hat. 别摆架子。
Right over there. 就在那里。
Doggy bag. 打包袋。
That rings a bell. 听起来耳熟。
Sleeping on both ears. 睡的香。
Play hooky. 旷工、旷课。
I am the one wearing pants in the house. 我当家。 It's up in the air. 尚未确定。
Side dish. 配菜。
I am all ears. 我洗耳恭听。
Get cold feet. 害怕做某事。
Good for you! 好得很！
Go ahead. 继续。
Help me out. 帮帮我。
Let's bag it. 先把它搁一边。
Lose head. 丧失理智。
Talk truly. 有话直说。
He is the pain on neck. 他真让人讨厌。
Do you have straw？ 你有吸管吗？
You bet! 一定，当然！
That is a boy! 太好了，好极了！
It's up to you. 由你决定。
The line is engaged. 占线。
My hands are full right now. 我现在很忙。
Don't make up a story. 不要捏造事实。
Absence makes the heart grow fonder. 小别胜新婚。 She make a mess of things. 她把事情搞得一塌糊涂。 Get an eyeful. 看个够。
He has a quick eye. 他的眼睛很锐利。
Shoot the breeze. 闲谈。
Tell me when! 随时奉陪！
It is a small world! 世界真是小！
Not at all. 根本就不（用）。
Let's play it by ear. 让我们随兴所至。
Wait and see. 等着瞧。
Why so blue？ 怎么垂头丧气？
What brought you here？ 什么风把你吹来了？
Hang on! 抓紧（别挂电话）！
Leave me alone. 别理我。
Chin up. 不气 ，振作些。
You never know. 世事难料。
High jack! 举起手来（抢劫）！
Why die she marry a man old enough to be her father？ 她为什么要嫁给一个年龄与她父亲相当的男人？
I stay at home a lot. 我多半在家里。
She'll be along in a few minutes. 他马上会过来。 I'm not it a good mood. 没有心情（做某事）。
He is a fast talker. 他是个吹牛大王。
I'm bored to death. 我无聊死了。
Bottoms up! 干杯！
Daring! 亲爱的！
Here we are! 我们到了！
I lost my way. 我迷路了。
She is still mad at me. 她还在生我的气。
I'll get even with him one day. 我总有一天跟他扯平 Hit the ceiling. 大发雷霆。
She's got quite a wad. 她身怀巨款。
I don't have anywhere to be. 没地方可去。
I'm dying to see you. 我很想见你。
I swear by the god. 我对天发誓。
Nothing tricky. 别耍花招。
You might at least apologize. 你顶多道个歉就得了。
Price is soaring, if it goes on like this, we shall not be able to keep the pot boiling. 物价直线上升，这样子下去，我们锅里可没什么东西煮饭。
None of you keyhole. 不准偷看。
Come on, be reasonable. 嗨，你怎么不讲道理。
When are you leaving？ 你什么时候走？
You don't say so. 未必吧，不至于这样吧。
Don't get me wrong. 别误会我。
You don't seem to be quite yourself today. 你今天看起来不大对劲。
Do you have any money on you？ 你身上带钱了吗？
What is you major？ 你学什么专业？
My girlfriend and I broke up. 我和我的女朋友吹了。
It was something that happens once in the blue moon. 这是千载难逢的事。 It is a deal！ 一言为定！
I'll kick you ***. 我将炒你鱿鱼。
Dinner is on me. 晚饭我请。
Say hello to everybody for me. 替我向大家问好。
Not precisely! 不见得，不一定！
That is unfair. 这不公平！
We have no way out. 我们没办法。
That is great! 太棒了！
You are welcome! 别客气！
I have to be late and keep my date waiting. 我不喜欢迟到而让别人久等。
Would you mind making less noise. 能不能小声点。
It doesn't take much of you time. 这不花你好多时间。
Not in the long run. 从长远来说不是这样的。
It is of high quality. 它质量上乘。
There is nobody by that name working here. 这里没有这个人。
He neither drinks nor smokes. 他既不喝酒也不抽烟。
He pushes his luck. 他太贪心了。
Break the rules. 违反规则。
How big of you! 你真棒！
Poor thing! 真可怜！
Nuts! 呸；胡说；混蛋！
Blast! **！
Boy! （表示惊奇，兴奋等）哇！好家伙！
Get out of here! 滚出去！
I can't make both ends meet. 我上个月接不到下个月，缺钱。
It can be a killer. 这是个伤脑筋的问题。
Dead end. 死胡同。
Take a seat! 请坐！
Here ye! 说得对！
You ask for it! 活该！ You don't say! 真想不到！ Fresh paint! 油漆未干！
第二篇：非常实用的英语演讲句式Useful_Sentences_for_English_Presentation
常用英语演讲句语及技巧
Useful Sentences for English Presentation
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Chapter I Beginning the Speech Text
I. Opening Remarks开场：
Sample Opening Remarks
1) Thank you very much, Prof. Fawcett, for your very kind introduction. Mr. Chairman, Ladies and gentleman, Good morning! I consider it a great honor to be asked to speak about …on this session of our symposium.
2) Ladies and gentleman. It’s an honor to have the opportunity to address such a distinguished audience.
3) Good morning. Let me start by saying just a few words about my own background.
4) Mr. Chairman, thank you very much for your kind introduction. President, Distinguished colleagues, Ladies and gentleman, Good morning! Is my voice loud enough?
5) Good morning, everyone. I appreciate the opportunity to be with you today. I am here to talk to you about…
6) Good morning, everyone. I am very happy to have this chance to give my presentation. Before I start my speech, let me ask you a question. By a show of hands, how many of you own a car?
Expressing thanks to the Chairperson 向主持人致谢
Mr. Chairman, thank you for your introduction.
First, I would like to thank Mr. Chairman for his gracious introduction.
Thank you very much, Prof. Fawcett, for your very kind introduction.
I would like to thank Dr. Huang （主持人或推荐你来发言的上司）for permitting me the privilege to speak to this audience.
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Forms of Address and Greetings对听众的称呼
Distinguished colleagues, Ladies and gentleman, Good morning!
Members of the conference!
Expressing Pleasure and Honor 向听众致意
I am very happy/glad/pleased to be here in Hong Kong.
I am honored/privileged to be here (with you this afternoon).
I am proud to be here on this special occasion.
It’s a very great pleasure for me to be able to attend this conference.
I consider it a great honor to be asked to speak about …on this session of our symposium/ at this conference..
It is a great pleasure to be given the honor of first speaker on this important topic. Others 细节，如确认话筒音量
Can you hear me all right?
Is my voice too loud?
Reference to the Audience 与听众呼应
I can see many of you are from …department.
I know many of you are familiar with this topic.
You all look as though you’ve heard this before.
I understand that you’ve all traveled a long way. / After hours of conference, you must feel a little tired. Now I’d like you to see an interesting topic…
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II. Introducing the Subject and the outline of the Presentation引入话题
Background Information
I would like to start by briefly reviewing the history of open heart surgery.
Let us start with the theoretical basis of this new technique.
To begin with, we have to consider the principle.
I think it would be best to start out by looking at a few slides.
I should like to preface my remarks with a description of the basic idea.
May I begin with a general outline of this project?
The first thing I would like to talk about is the definition of the terms I shall use in my lecture. The first point I'd like to make is the historical background of the invention. First, I shall explain to you why this new program is correct and feasible.
Topic
I would like to concentrate on the problem of antibiotic abuse in hospitals.
I shall devote my talk to the surgical treatment of coronary disease.
I want to confine my talk to the latest developments in civil engineering.
Today, I am going to give a talk on the application of computers in medicine. My topic today will deal with the observation of supernova.
In today's talk, I' ll restrict myself to the etiology of 15-epa~i;s.
In my presentation this morning, I' 11 limit myself to three major points only.
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I take the liberty of restricting my discussion mainly to highway bridge construction. Now, I would like to address myself to the most important aspect of this problem.
Among the many languages, I shall mention only BASIC.
What I am going to present today is the methodology and the data analysis.
I'm not going to say much about that except to discuss the literature on that topic.
Outlining
My talk today consists of two parts. One is... and the other is...
I've divided my presentation into four parts.
I shall first talk about ... and then touch on... and finally discuss...
The subject can be looked at under the following headings: ... (Pointing to the PowerPoint display)
I would like to divide my talk into two parts. The first part deals with…, the second part concerns...
My presentation will be given in four parts. The first part deals with ... The second part relates to... The third part concerns ... And the last part discusses…
Purpose/Objective
The purpose of this presentation is to...
This talk is designed to…
Comprehensive Samples
Sample 1
Thank you, Mr. Chairperson, Mr. Director-General, distinguished members of the ILO's Governing Body and friends. I welcome this opportunity to be here today, with an
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Organization which in many ways belongs to all of us workers. I can think of, in fact, no other international body that one can claim as one's own so unambiguously.
I have also had a longstanding formal association with the ILO. Many of my early pieces on women and technological change and on land rights were published by the ILO, as well as was the work of many other scholars. It is therefore a pleasure for me to be here on this important Symposium.
The canvas of the Symposium is very large. I will focus on two aspects of gender inequality that centrally affect millions of women as workers but perhaps have failed to receive the attention they deserve. First, the gender gap in command over property and Productive assets and, second, gender biased social perceptions and social norms.
Sample 2
I learned last May that you have to be careful in speaking to a group of professional communicators. After I conducted a writer' s workshop at the Toronto Conference of the International Association of Business Communicators, Janine Lichaczwrote asked me to speak here tonight and used the communication techniques I had recommended. She even included a footnote citing my lecture. I am susceptible to good communication and to flattery so I am pleased to be with you to discuss your topic for the evening, the use of language in the art of speech writing.
I suppose we must begin by shaking our heads, woefully, over the sad state of language today, whether in formal speeches, casual conversation, or in writing. Most of us in this room no doubt agree with the generally negative tone of Time Magazine's year-end assessment which claims “our language has been besieged by vulgarities”. But to preserve our sanity as professionals in communication of us would probably join Time in optimistically expecting English somehow to survive and even to prosper.
Expressions on Other Occasions
Correcting the Title of the Presentation
First of all, I would like to mention that the title of my presentation should be...
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Please allow me to correct a mistake in the title of my speech which appeared in the program. Instead of... it should read...
Reading. Another Person's Paper
Sometimes you are selected to read another person's paper, as he or she is absent.
I shall read a paper by Dr. Li from Guangzhou, China, who regrets that he could not be here. The title of his paper is...
I'm going to read the paper by Dr. Wang. It's a great pity that, because of a health problem, he could not be here.
I was asked by the author to read his paper. He apologizes for not being able to come here. The next speaker, Prof. Zhang, regrets that she could not be here and has submitted her paper to me. I am not sure if I can present it as well as she expected.
I am not sure whether I' 11 be able to be very confident in answering specific questions. However, I am somewhat familiar with his work, so I' 11 try my best.
Checking the Microphone
First I want to check if all of you can hear me clearly.
Am I speaking clearly and loudly enough for those in the rear of the room?
I wonder if those in the rear of the room can hear me.
If those in the rear of the room can hear me, would someone please raise his hand?
Can you hear me clearly?
Can you hear me if I am away from the microphone?
Is the microphone working?
* Summary-How to Prepare a Good Introduction
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Realize file great importance of the introduction of file presentation mad then do your best in delivering it.
Don' t make file introduction either too wordy, or too brief. Usually, it covers 10 to 15 percent of your entire speech.
Select tile ways to capture the audience attention.
Indicate tile topic.
Outline your Speech.
Announce your purpose.
Prepare several versions of tile introduction, compare them, and then select the best version. Finally, learn it by heart so as to be able to deliver it easily mid fluently.
Don't start your speech with apologies.
Pay attention to your body language.
Chapter II Developing the Speech Text
I. Announcing the Beginning of the Speech Text
To begin with, I would like to talk about a principle.
I think it would be best to start out by looking at some pictures.
The first thing I would like to talk about is the definition of the terms which I’11 use in my presentation.
II. Shifting to the Next Main Point
Well, let's move on to the next point.
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We will now come to the second problem.
Turning to the next question, I' 11 talk about the stages of the procedure.
As the second topic, I shall stop here. Now let' s turn our attention to the third topic.
So much for the methodology of our experiment. I would now like to shift to the discussion of the results.
Now, let's move away from the first part and switch over to the next part of my presentation. That's all for the introduction and now we can go on to the literature review.
Next, I would like to turn to a more difficult problem.
The next point I'd like to talk about is the feasibility of this project.
That brings me to my second point.
I am glad that we can now leave this rather boring subject of mathematic deduction and go into a more attractive one, that is the application of the formula.
III. Resuming the Topic
Let' s come back to what I said in the first part of my speech.
Getting back to the subject of the problem of theoretical considerations we can find that... I want to return to the first part of my presentation.
Now, to get back to the effect of temperature, you may be aware that the problems have been solved.
This brings me back to the question of security.
At this point I would like to refer again to the question of methods in the first part of my lecture.
Referring again to the first question, I think...
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Referring to the Coming Point
I'll deal with it later.
I' 11 touch upon that point in a moment.
I shall tell you in detail shortly.
IV. Introducing the Supporting Materials
I think this part is the most difficult, so I'll explain it in greater detail.
I think this part of my paper is most important, so I plan to spend more time on it.
Please allow me to deal with this matter more extensively.
Being the most important part of my presentation, I will elaborate on it with more slides. I' 11 expand this topic with drawings and figures.
Indicating the Points Briefly
Limited by the time available, I can only give you a very brief account of this matter.
I don't think that I should describe the methods in detail, because they are included in the handout.
I will not go into detail on it.
This point has been talked about repeatedly in this symposium, so I am not going to spend too much time on it.
Let's go through the following points very rapidly.
I just want to outline for you what I experienced in using this new drug.
I shall not go over all these explanations. My time is running short. So I'’11 be brief. It is sufficient to say that these experiments were poorly designed and without controls.
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V. Repairing a Slip of Tone
The first of such experiments began in 2000, rather than 1999.
May I have the lights, I mean the slides.
The temperature increased, I shall say decreased.
The population is 13 million, sorry, 31 million.
The exchange rate dropped from 2.5 to 1.8, I beg your pardon, 1.9.
As you can see from the first row, excuse me, the second row, that the output increased two fold.
VI. Expressions Concerning Audio-Visual Aids Could we have the lights off? And the first slide, please.
Lights off, first slide, please.
Dim the lights, and first slide, please.
The slide is not so clear. Please darken the room a little more.
Could you please turn on the lights, please?
Now, we can have the lights on.
Please switch on the lights.
Lights on, please.
I apologize that this slide is not so clear, but I hope you can still make out the general idea. Sorry for the small print.
I'm sorry we left a figure out here.
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VI. Explaining the Contents on the Slides This slide demonstrates ...
On this slide, you can see...
This curve in this slide shows...
This figure in this slide exhibits...
This table on this slide presents...
This diagram on this slide depicts...
This chart on this slide displaces ...
The picture on this slide shows ...
The photomicrograph on this slide shows ...
The flow-chart on this slide points out...
The circuit diagram on this slide represents~...~
Indicating the Sources of the Content in a
This figure is taken from.., by Dr. Li.
This diagram is after that of Prof. Wang with some modification VII. Demanding to Show the Next Slide May I proceed to the next slide, please?
I think we can move on to the next slide.
Let me show you the next slide.
Now, we can go on to the next slide. '
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Next slide, please.
Next, please.
Next !
VIII. Returning to the Previous Slide
To make a comparison, can we return to the first slide, please?
Let's go back. No, not this one. One back. Back one more. Yes, that’s it. Thank you. May I go back two slides, please?
Could you return to the second slide?
May we have the previous slide again?
IX. Correcting a Mistake
Sorry, this one is in the wrong order. May I have the next one?
Oh, this slide is misplaced. Please skip over it. Yes, this is the correct one.
I'm afraid I didn't ask for this slide. Can we go back to the previous one? Please. No, not this one. Next, please. Yes, this is the one I need. Thank you.
I'm afraid you may have lost one slide which is a flow chart of the procedure. Sorry, there seems to be one slide missing.
X. Indicating the Speed of Running Slides
Let's go through the following slides rapidly.
The following three slides we will go through quickly without explanation.
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Wait a minute, please. I want to say more about this slide.
Because of the shortage of time, I' Il have to omit the following slides.
Time is up, let's come to the last slide directly.
Would you please skip the next slid-e and go on to the table?
Next, next. Go ahead... That's it.
Chapter III Ending the Speech Text
I. Signaling the Beginning of the End Part
Let’s look at what I have talked about.
Well, that brings me to the end of my presentation. This last slide is a brief summary of what I have talked about.
Before I stop/finish, let me just say...
To close my speech, I' 11 show you the last slide.
Now I'd like to summarize my talk.
To summarize, I have talked about three aspects of the cancer problem: ...
Finally, as a summary statement, I would like to sum up the major points I have made. II. Summarizing
Let me just run over the key points again.
I'll briefly summarize the main issues.
In conclusion,…
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In closing,…
In a word,…
To sum up ...
In brief,…
Briefly.......
All in all,…
Finally,…
III. Concluding
As you can see, there are some very good reasons ...
To sum up, my conclusion is that the present program is the best one. In conclusion ...
Let me conclude my talk with the following comments.
Allow me to conclude by listing out all the factors influencing the efficacy. In conclusion, I would like to point out the following aspects.
I'd like to leave you with the following conclusion.
IV. Quoting
Let me close by quoting Dr. Einstein, the famous physicist, who said that… I would like to come to a close by quoting what Sir Newton once said... Therefore, I would suggest that we...
I'd like to suggest...
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As far as I'm concerned, the only solution to the problem is...
V. Closing
That's all, thank You.
That's the end of my presentation.
So much for my speech, thank you.
Thank you for your attention.
Thank you for your listening.
Other Expressions that May Be Useful in the End Part of the Speech
Sorry, I see the red light is shining so I have to skip the last part and jump to the conclusion. Mr. Chairman is signaling me, I have to stop here and leave out the remaining part to spare time.
VI. Samples
[ Sample 1 ]
We have proposed a framework of a hierarchical planning system for robots. First of all, the system is an automatic plan system that can guide the robot intelligently in terms of the environment. Secondly, it is based on hierarchical planning. The planning problem has been hierarchically decomposed into two sub-problems: global destination selection and local motion planning. And finally, the simulation and application has proved it as an effective design.
(Show the last visual)
That's all for my presentation. For any question to be raised, I'm quite willing to discuss them with you at any time. Thank you, every one.
[ Sample 2 ] '
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Finally, we can draw the conclusion: edge detection and denoising are two important branches of image processing. If we combine edge detection with denoising, we can overcome the shortcomings of the commonly-used denolsing methods and without blurring the edge notably. Furthermore, there are many denoising and edge detection methods now. Different methods are suitable for different types of images and noise models. We can do further research on how to combine these various denoising and edge detection methods according to the content of the images and nature of noise.
That's all for my talk. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me. I'm quite willing to discuss them with you at any time, Thank you.
[ Sample 3 ]
That's all t wanted to show you about Machine Vision and one of its applications, AGV. Thank you!
[ Sample 4 ]
(Turn to 12th ppt) OK, that is all I'm going to talk today.
Thank you !
[ Sample 5 ]
That's all. Thank you!
Chapter IV Asking and Answering Questions
I. Inviting Questions
So, let's throw it open to questions.
Now I' d like to answer any questions, if you have any.
Now I am ready to answer your questions, if any.
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I'd be glad to try and answer any questions.
Are there any questions?
Any questions?
II. Raising Questions
Signaling Your Intention to Ask a Question
I want to ask Dr. bi a question.
I have a guest ion for Dr. Anderson.
Mr. Smith, I have a question to ask you.
There is a question I'd like to ask Prof. Li.
A question for Mr. Liu.
One question, Dr. Wei.
Could I ask you a question, Prof. Li?
May I venture to ask Prof. Zhang a question?
Expressing Your Attitude
Before asking your question, you can express your positive attitude or make a comment on the speaker's presentation. For example,
Dr. Johnson, I was fascinated by your description of your study, but what will happen if... Mr. Li, you did splendid work! Just one question.
Asking the Specific Question
You mentioned very briefly that you used two experiments that were the same.
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Would you please elaborate on that point?
Would you be so kind as to give me more information about the method of your experiment? Would you tell me the reason why you set such a high temperature?
Comprehensive Samples
Dr. Wang, I'd like to raise one question. First, may I say how much I enjoyed talk. But, may I ask, do you have experience with the new method?
Congratulations, Dr. Li. I can't help but admire your achievement. But I want to know what's your attitude toward abuse of antibiotics?
I'd like to congratulate Mr. Liu on a very interesting presentation.
May I ask you a question? How does subjective evaluation differ from objective evaluation? First, I'd like to say your research is very interesting. May I ask two questions? Do you see any relation between cigarette smoking and peptic ulcers? And what advantage do you expect by using this approach?
III. Response to Questions
Asking for Repetition
Pardon, I couldn't hear what you said.
I beg your pardon, I didn't catch what you said.
I'm sorry I forgot your first question. Would you be so kind as to say it again?
I'm not quite surge what your question is.
I didn't quite get the last point of your question.
You mean, there may be some mistake in the calculation?
Are you referring to the significance of the difference?
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Are you suggesting that the temperature might have affected the results?
If I understand you correctly, you are saying/asking...
I didn't quite catch that.
Could you go over that again?
I'm not sure what you're getting at.
Welcoming the Question
Welcome the question by saying "thank you" or commenting on it saying "That’s a good question" or "That's a challenging question."
This is a very good question.
Thank you for that question.
I'm glad this question has been brought up-
I appreciate that question.
This is a hard question.
This is an interesting question.
This is a big question.
I'd be delighted to answer your question.
I'll try to answer this question very briefly.
In answer to your question, I would say that...
I can only provide a partial answer to that question.
Let me try to answer your questions one by one.
My answer to your first question is...
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May I answer your second cjuestion first?
I have only a partial answer to your question.
Thank you for that question. This is a challenging question and I'm afraid I can only provide a partial answer to it. Anyway, I'll try my best to answer it.
Repeating or Paraphrasing the Question
Questioner: Have you tried it on human bodies?
Presenter: This gentleman would like to know whether we have tried this on human bodies. Responding to Difficult or Challenging Question
Question: So what happens if the new budget isn't approved?
Answer (1): We've spent two months preparing the new budget. It's a good budget and we're confident we'll get approval to put it into practice.
Answer (2): There is too much supposition in the question for me to give a sound answer. The following are some other examples of answers to challenging questions:
Perhaps in another year or so we can answer that question, because these studies are now in progress.
We are now working on this problem and, if you agree, I'll answer your question in a few weeks.
The only answer I can give at present is to wait a few more years, at which time something better might ultimately come out of all our efforts.
I think it will be possible to answer this question when more experiments are completed. The answer to this question needs further study.
I hope I will be able to answer your question later.
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Responding to Improper Question
I appreciate your interest in my research, but I just don't want to talk about it now. Let's talk about something else.
I'd rather not say.
Why do you want to know?
Sometimes you can relay the question back to the questioner. For example,
Before I answer you that question, let me ask you: where do you think we should have the project?
In this way, sometimes you encourage the questioner to answer his or her own question, e.g. "What do you think? Are people prepared to pay an extra $ 2 for faster service?"
Responding to the Questions You Do Not Know
If you don't know the answer to a particular question, simply admit that you don't know. Say something like this:
"I'm sorry. I don't happen to know the answer to that question, but I'll be happy to check into it for you."
Here are some further examples:
I don't think I can answer your question.
I wish I could answer your question, but unfortunately I have no good answer.
I'm not sure that I can answer your question. What I'm going to say is not quite an answer to your question.
Another technique to cope with the situation is to direct the attention to another expert who may know it or you can use the audience. Ask if anyone could help the questioner and hence it won't be necessary for you to admit that you do not know the answer. See examples below. I think that question could be better answered by Dr. Liu than by me.
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I think perhaps Dr. Chen would be better able to answer this question.
Prof. Li would be a better person to answer your question since he has done a lot of work in this field.
Fortunately, Prof. 'Ma, who is an authority in this area, is 'here. I think no one is more suitable than him to answer your question.
Dr. Sawyer is perhaps in a better position to tell us something about it.
Perhaps my colleague Dr. Emery here has some better ideas.
I think it would be better if Prof. Wu were to make some comments on this matter.
Avoid using the following expressions to embarrass the questioner:
"I've already answered that but you obviously weren't listening." Instead say something like "I'm sorry I didn't explain that clearly."
Avoid talking to one questioner. Look towards the other, side of the conference hall or room and indicate that there is another question. Suggest that as there are several more questioners,' yon could discuss his or her question in more detail after your talk.
Referring Back to the Questioner
Having finished answering questions, you should check that the questioner is satisfied or further elaboration or explanation is called for. The following expressions might be helpful. Did I answer your question?
Did I answer you satisfactorily?
Did your question get answered?
I don't know whether this answered your question.
I don't know if this is a satisfactory answer.
I hope this may serve as an answer to Dr. Li.
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I hope this answers ~0ur question.:,
Sometimes when question lime is over and ff time permits, you can restate, your main proposition, including any good comments from the audience and ignoring adverse questions or remarks. Thus, you demonstrate that you are confident mid can cope calmly with controversy.
Remember that your last words to the audience will be retained longest and you are expected to behave in a professional manner.
Chapter V Talking During the Break
I. Useful encouraging phrases to show your interest and to stimulate the flow of conversation
Then what happened? Good. Ah.
Really? Right. That's right.
Oh? Right, I will. Go on...
Oh, hmm. I think it's a good one. For instance.
Yes. No. For example.
Yes, of course. Sorry, I can't. Such as.
Yes, that's right. I'm afraid not. Tell me more.
Yes, I do. Well, not really. Then?
Yes, he was. Perhaps not difficult. Really?
Yes, we were. Erin, I don't know. Is that right?
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Very nice. I really can't manage it. Is that so?
Very good. Not very nice. Are you sure?
Very clear. Very bad. (laughter) .....
Really nice. Very disagreeable.
Quite nice. Really nasty. (silence...)
Quite, absolutely true. Aha.
II. Informal Talking between Participants
A Conversation between Two Old Friends at Coffee Break
A: What would you like?
B: A coffee, please.
A: I'm sorry I couldn't meet you at the airport. I had to pick up Dr. Abel and bring him here. ,'
B: That doesn't matter. Dr. Abel? Isn't he the keynote speaker tomorrow?
A: Yes, that's right. He's the American scholar on Electronics. Mr. Li should have picked him up, but he had an accident yesterday morning. Nothing serious, but something was wrong with his car.
B: Well, what's new in your department since I left?
A: Oh, nothing, really. How are you enjoying the work?
B: Oh, it's very interesting, I must say. I've learnt a lot. Perhaps we'll find time to talk about it. We've had some interesting results.
A: Would you like to have dinner with me?
B: Yes, that would be very nice.
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One Participant Being Introduced to another Participant
A: Dr. Kerridge, may I introduce you to Dr. Hyman?
B: Glad to meet you.
C: Glad to meet you too.
B: I'm pleased to meet you at last. I've heard so much about you from Dr. Liu. I belive you're doing research in the field of statistics.
C: That's right.
B: I was most interested to hear about your recent paper on descriptive statistics. Do you think you could let me have a copy?
C: I'd be delighted to. In fact, I've got a few. spare copies with me. I'll bring one with me tomorrow.
B: Thank you very much.
III. Initiating a Conversation
A: Excuse me, aren't you Dr. Engleton?
B: Yes.
A: Let me introduce myself. I'm Li Hong from China.
B: Nice to meet you, Mr. Li.
A: Nice to meet you too. I'd appreciate the chance to talk to you some time.
B: That's very kind of you. What do you think of the morning session?
A: It's been most interesting so far, hasn't it?
IV. Additional Samples
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[sample l]
A: Excuse me, could you tell me where Professor Dubrovik's talk will be held? B: I beg your pardon?
A: I didn't quite understand the announcement in the plenary session.
B: I'm sorry, but I didn't quite understand you. Would you mind repeating that, please? A: I would like to know where Professor Dubrovnik is.
B: Ah, Professor Dubrovnik! He's in Room 203.
A: Thank you very much.
B: Not at all. Do you know, Dr. C, I believe my English is getting worse, not better. C: No, no, Dr. B. I'm afraid I didn't understand that gentleman either.
B: Well, thank goodness for that. Now, where is that new interdisciplinary group meeting? C: I think they said in the small room next to the main lecture hall.
B: Ah, yes. There it is. Thank you.
C: I'll see you later for lunch, then. I hope you enjoy the morning session.
B: Thanks. I'm sure I will. Same to you!
C: Oh, Dr. B.
B: Yes?
C: If you wait for me after the session, I'll come and pick you up.
B: Fine, I'll do that.
[ Sample 2]
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A: Ah, there you are, Dr B! How did your meeting go?
B: It was very interesting, but I must admit, I found some parts very difficult to understand. A: Oh, why was that?
B: Well, a lot of members in the group used specialist vocabulary, and it wasn't always easy to understand what they meant.
A: Yes, I know what you mean. I often have the same difficulties at conferences like this. Sometimes I have the feeling that they are speaking a foreign language, even though I know that they're using English! I'm sure I would have had the same trouble if I'd been in your group. B: Still, I got a lot out of the group discussion, and I'm looking forward to the afternoon session.
A: Good. Now what about a drink? All this talking makes a man thirsty!
B: Good idea! It's my turn, I think.
[ Sample 3 ]
At poster session
A: May I introduce myself? I'm... from.... I missed your presentation this morning. Will you tell me something about your study?
B: Oh, you are Dr A. I've known you by name through a number of papers on... I'm so glad to meet you. I think our work may be similar and I'd like to hear your views.
A: I'll be very glad to do so. But first I'd like to ask a question. How did you separate these two fractions? Did you use an ordinary chromatographic method?
B: No, it's not that simple because their retention times are very similar. That makes it difficult to find a really appropriate separation column.
A: How did you manage it?
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B: We used a kind of trick which turned out to be surprisingly successful. The trick was to use an optically active urea lattice which forms a diastereoisomeric pair when mixed with the material .to be solved.
A: I'm not familiar with the urea technology. I'd like to hear more...
B: May I have one of the leaflets?
A: By all means. Here you are.
B: Thank you.
A: I wonder if you could send me a publication copy of your paper when it's ready. B: Certainly, I’ll be glad to do so; May I have your home address?
A: Of course. Let me write it for you.
B: Please put it in my notebook, if you don't mind.
A: Please keep me informed of the progress of your work.
B: Goodbye !
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